Читать книгу Aromatherapy and the Mind - Julia Lawless - Страница 10

The sense of smell is the most important factor in the laying of spells on people: magic, in order to achieve the greatest potency, must enter through the nose.¹

Psyche-soma interactions have preoccupied the human imagination since the dawn of civilization. The idea of a relationship between mankind and divinity, between matter and spirit, was one of the earliest forms of human conception. All primitive people embraced their own specific world-view, in which the role of man and woman in relation to their environment was expressed in terms of individual myths, legends or stories. Yet all these indigenous people shared a common understanding or belief: that we, as humans, are dependent upon maintaining a harmonious relationship between an external and an internal reality; between the seen and the unseen; between the body and the mind.

Life was understood as being dependent on a force which transcended the visible world, which was honoured by expression through specific rites and rituals. When an individual fell ill, it not only reflected an inner discord but also signified disharmony between that person and their environment with its governing forces. Fundamentally, disease was the manifestation of a state of disunity between the human realm and its supernatural agents. Consequently, in its earliest form, the art of healing was bound up with an ability to appease the spirit world, please the gods and combat curses.

Incense and aromatics played a significant role in such practices, since fragrant odours were thought to be favoured by the gods and many herbs were considered to have magical properties. Aromatics, medicine and magic consequently were very much interrelated in early cultures and the first physicians were invariably also priests, priestesses or shamans. As occult powers were thought to be sensitive to fragrant smoke or scents, a common way to cure a person sickened by the evil eye was to burn incense in the room. Among the Slavs, fumigation with aromatic plants was still being used until quite recently as a protection against epidemic fever, sorcery, witch bite or demonic charms. Amongst the herbs used for such purposes were sunflower, rue, pine, inula and garlic. The Australian aborigines still burn eucalyptus as a form of purification ritual to fumigate against sickness – ‘heat went out of sick man and into fire’. Likewise, the Native Americans have preserved the ancient practice of burning aromatic plants like sage or cedarwood to produce a purifying smoke, which they call ‘smudging’.

In North Africa, a newborn baby is protected from djinns or evil spirits by scented fumigations and with a balm made from saffron oil and henna. Similarly, before a marriage ceremony in North Africa can take place, the bride, who is particularly vulnerable to any jealous djinn, must undergo a whole series of purifications and perfumings. She also protects herself with incense and scented jewellery, especially a necklace made from tiny balls of saffron, orris, musk and benjamin.

The use of perfumed ornaments to appease the spirits is widespread in black Africa and throughout Asia. In India, the basil plant or tulsi is held to be holy, and its roots are made into sacred beads and rosaries. In Tibet, dry incense is worn as a talisman to ward off evil spirits and in Mexico a clove of garlic is still hung around the neck of a newborn as a protection. Amulets are commonly used in magical rites in all cultures and are often composed of, or include, aromatic materials.

Some herbs, such as rosemary, mugwort or St John’s wort, have long been associated with magic or clairvoyant powers, and used as charms against evil. In Europe, a sprig of rosemary placed beneath the pillow was thought to protect the sleeper from nightmares, while a bunch of mugwort brought vivid dreams. A girdle of mugwort was also said to have been worn by John the Baptist in the wilderness, for it was used to ward off danger when travelling.

The odour of St John’s wort was thought to drive away evil spirits, and it became a common custom to hang sprays of it above the doors of houses and churches on the eve of St John’s Day, 24 June – the Summer Solstice, an ancient pagan festival.

The possessed or insane were also obliged to inhale the odour of the crushed leaves and flowers, or drink a potion of it, in an effort to rid them of their madness.²

The origin of such measures was probably based on the inherent healing properties of the substance itself – St John’s wort is recognized for its sedative and analgesic properties, and valued for combating hysterical conditions and menopausal neurosis’³ for example, while garlic is now well known for its bactericidal and anti-infectious qualities. Many aromatic plants were ascribed special powers in this way based on direct experimentation, observation about the manner in which they grew, their healing potential and the effect of their fragrance. In Scandinavia, for instance, it was common until very recently to carry a lump of crude camphor as a protective measure during times of infectious illness, based on knowledge of its prophylactic powers.

However, the overall effectiveness of this type of ritual practice depends largely on the power of suggestion and the positive psychological attitude of the participants. One of the main premises underlying the magic art is the ‘law of sympathy’, i.e. the relationship between intention and manifestation, mind and matter. In this type of healing system, actions performed on a symbolic level in a ritual context are then brought about in actuality through a sympathetic response. Success is thus largely due to what in modern terminology is called the ‘placebo effect’.

In so far as these magic arts produce physiological and remedial effects, which they undoubtedly do, they might be classified under the head of psychic or mind medicine, the mental state aroused by a firm belief in their efficacy causing modifications of physiological function and even tissue change.⁴

The idea of healing through ‘magic’ or due to a ‘placebo effect’ tends to carry a negative connotation today – as if some kind of ‘sham’ or ‘quackery’ has taken place. Yet the power of belief has always been, and still is to a very large extent, a key factor in all healing systems (including modern allopathic medicine), and above all signifies the supremacy of mind over matter. Seen in this light, the cultivation of a positive mental attitude can be recognized as possibly the paramount factor in any healing process and consequently something to be emphasized rather then downgraded.

Ancient cultures considered that the psychological and spiritual disposition of a person was of vital importance to their well-being, not only as an individual but also with regard to their role within society. Restoration, achieved through the integration of individual and group, and the acknowledgement of a common causality for man and nature, was the foundation for all folk healing systems. Ill-health could not be treated simply through physical means – the specific mental and spiritual disposition of the individual also had to be taken into account. So herbs and aromatics were highly valued in these cultures not only as physical remedies but also for their positive psychic effects and rich symbolism.