Fat women, like members of all oppressed groups, know what it is like to be on the receiving end of physical, verbal, and energetic abuse. We know that words can harm as much as sticks and stones. And we have also learned that even unspoken thoughts and beliefs and feelings can leave their mark. After years of learning and practicing physical and verbal self-protection, I have been studying the effects of energetic attack, and finding ways to protect and recover from the spiritual assaults that wound as surely as the more obvious ones. When we begin to track our energy-where it comes from, how to hold and use it, what and who drains it, we take new steps on the path of the spiritual warrior. Medicine women have known that if you can harm a person's spirit you have crippled them--and they may not even realize it. The spirit of fat women has been under attack for a very long time, and the stones and plants and animals and ancestors and goddesses that are our allies are helping us to remember our energy, our spirit, and are teaching us ways to preserve and protect our chi, our life force.
There are many ways to wear the protection of the spiritual warrior. Some of us find an animal spirit that walks with us. Grizzly Bear is my totem, and she teaches me to go lightly and powerfully in this big body of mine. I have warrior friends who are protected by eagle, and falcon, by wolf and big cat. The animal does not need to be big-the bigness and potency of its medicine is what gives us protection. If you are drawn to working with animal spirits, you may want to ask your intuition to tell you about your animal totem. Ask yourself--"If I were an animal, what would I be?" Ask your friends, your dreams. Imagine becoming different animals until you find the one or ones that just feel "right". And when you have found your totem, ask it to teach you it's medicine, it's gifts. Learn about how it protects itself. Learn about how it communicates. And if there is a particular trait that you want to develop, study animals and find one that has this trait, and then ask the animal spirit to come to you and teach you what it knows. Perhaps you place a picture of the animal on your altar. When I wanted to learn about the compassion and the fierceness of a wolf, I drew a wolf face on my mirror, and sent a donation to a group helping to preserve wolves in the wild. My 20 pound terrier started to howl at the moon, and I knew we had brought wolf energy into our home!!!!
In this article I wanted to particularly share the plant medicine related to aromatherapy, or essential oils. The knowledge of plant oils was lost for many years after the burning times, but it has been rediscovered and is now being studied, particularly in Europe. First their physical properties were revealed, and then, during WW2 their psychological/emotional effects were tracked and documented. In the last 20 years, their energetic and spiritual properties have been explored. (A classic in the field is Subtle Aromatherapy by Patricia Davis.) I have found the oils incredibly helpful in my journey--Bear likes them too.
Spiritual warriors need grounding, auric protection from psychic attack, clear seeing and thought, clear communication, energy and compassion--certainly for self, and perhaps even for the "enemy". Different essential oils assist with all of these. I have listed several oils under each topic--although the oils work because of their chemical constituents (they are potent medicines) and energetic signatures, it is important to like the fragrance you are using. A negative reaction can make you close down, and interfere with its ability to assist you. So smell the various oils and choose ones that resonate with you.
GROUNDING
To be grounded means to be in the body and connected to and sustained by the energy of the earth. When we are ungrounded we may get confused, nauseous, light-headed or spacey, and feel unable to hold our ground or perspective. The oils that help to ground are: vetiver, patchouly, oakmoss, myrrh, and sandalwood.
AURIC PROTECTION
To be protected in this way means that our boundary is secure, and we keep out negative thoughts, feelings, and projections sent to us by others. When our boundaries are breached, we will take on these negative beliefs about ourselves. We can feel depleted, depressed, and empty, vulnerable to other people's stuff. A healthy boundary allows in good support, but keeps out whatever is toxic to us. The oils that protect and seal the aura from negativity are: rose, lavendar, juniper, eucalyptus, rosemary, and fennel.
RELEASING TOXINS
No matter how protected we are, some times negativity gets in--maybe we're tired, or the person knows how to hit our most vulnerable button, or they may be a master of energetic abuse. If we notice that something has gotten through our defense, several oils may help us to release it: eucalyptus, juniper, niaouli, and hyssop.
CLARITY OF THOUGHT AND COMMUNICATION
If we are grounded and protected, our mind can perceive any dangers or threatened attacks, and we can determine the best way to respond. Sometimes we choose silence, sometimes we speak, sometimes we leave, and sometimes we stay. The following oils help us to open our third eye to understand exactly what is happening and what is needed: rosemary, lemon, lemongrass, cedarwood, lime, sandalwood and eucalyptus.
If we determine that we must speak, the oils that teach us how to speak our truth from a place of integrity and power are the chamomiles--both german and roman. Many women have issues around speaking up, so using chamomile as a part of our daily practice can help (drinking the tea with this intention is also helpful).
ENERGY
The great energy healer Roselyn Bruyere has said that the best protection is being full--you can't pour anything into a container that is already full. Oils that help us to be energized and "full of ourselves" (a perfect goal for all uppity women) include pine, orange, spruce, basil and ginger.
SELF LOVE
As we become more and more comfortable with ourselves, and more loving and accepting of our wonderful large bodies, we become even less vulnerable to many forms of attack. Oils that help us to love ourselves, to embrace our bodies, and to quickly recover if we have been hurt by someone include all the oils that are good for the heart: rose, benzoin, peppermint (for self esteem), ylang ylang (to release fear), melissa and orange (to release grief), black pepper (to release resentment), frankincense and cedarwood (to release self judgement and unhealthy guilt) and bergamot--which specifically improves body image.
USING ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oils work by inhalation and application. You can just smell them--take a sniff of coffee beans if you've ODed by smelling too many oils at one time! But never apply neat--they are very strong, 100 times stronger than herbs. Either use in a mister with ten drops of essential oil to 1 ounce of distilled or mineral water, or put in a vegetable oil or fragrance free lotion and use like a massage oil or perfume. I like to put a drop under my nose. Solution here should be 4-6 drops of essential oil to 1 tablespoon lotion or oil. Water is very helpful for releasing processes, so if you are doing a cleansing you can put a drop or two on your washcloth and use in the shower. Or get into a warm tub and then put 2-3 drops into the water. Do NOT do this with myrrh or benzoin--they are very sticky and will not dissolve and will stick to all the little hairs on your body. Very uncomfortable--I did it once and was shaving in places I never thought I would. :) Also, don't use rosemary or lemongrass at night, as they stimulate the mind. My rule of thumb--lavendar is the queen, so if I don't know what to use, I use it and set my intention that the oil re-balance whatever is out of balance. Lavendar's power is the ability to bring all aspects of the body/mind into balance.
SCENT ALLERGIES
These oils work on a subtle level in very small doses, especially if amplified by thought and intention. They do not have to be smelled to be effective. A friend whose housemate has many plant allergies just places 2 drops in a big bottle of fragrance free lotion, puts her hands around the bottle, and asks the plant spirits to infuse the lotion with the help that she needs. She doesn't smell the scent but tells me that she notices the benefits.
BLENDING
I usually use a maximum of 3 oils in a blend--and remember that total number of drops remains the same-6 total means 6 altogether, not 6 drops of each oil. Part of the fun of creating your own blend includes giving yourself permission to experiment--and that means making some gross stuff sometimes. If I make a mess, I pour it into my big jar of body lotion and begin again. Always write down what you've done--it's very frustrating to create the perfect blend and not remember what's in it!
QUALITY ASSURANCE
The FDA does not regulate essential oils, so there is a lot of junk out there. Many oils are of very poor quality, or are incorrectly labeled as something more expensive (the classic is selling lemon verbena as melissa) and a lot of the oils contain synthetics. To get the benefits we want we need the therapeutic quality oils--which are more expensive, but can be used in tiny amounts because of their quality. My favorites are OSHADI (1-707-763-0662) and Elizabeth van Buren (1-800-710-7759). There are other good companies too--ask your health food store, and smell the oils--you'll find the brand that speaks to you.
CONNECTIONS
One thing I've noticed. Not sure why this is so, but perhaps because all of the natural kingdoms are connected I have seen in many clients and friends that opening to plant medicine helps us connect with the power of animals--and vice versa. Bear has led me to many oils that have helped me (I was feeling bad about myself one day and went into my sacred place and Bear was chewing peppermint), and several times I have applied oils and found an animal in meditation that I'd never met before. If you decide to experiment, prepare to be surprised and delighted by the way in which your practice in spiritual warriorship opens up--and opens your power up.
HO!
Ruah Bull is a fat woman, spiritual healer, and co-author of Aromatherapy And Subtle Energy Techniques with Joni Keim Loughran. Her new book: Aromatherapy Anointing Oils will be out in July. If you have any questions about this material, or want to be on Ruah's mailing list, email ruahb@earthlink.net
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