All nations of the Middle East have used this oil since antiquity. It is mentioned on scrolls from ancient Egypt, has been used in the rejuvenation cosmetics of the Empress of Mughal, Nur Jehan, as well as by the Romans. In the Bible, we find mention of spikenard in the songs of Salomon of the Old Testament, and, in the New Testament, we read that Jesus was perfumed by this oil during the Last Supper. Spikenard thus binds together many nations and spiritualities with that of the Native American people.

Another sacred plant for the Amerindians is tobacco. Tobacco is a plant which allows special communion and communication with the spiritual world. It is an offering which pleases the ancestors, a medium by which we testify of our gratitude for life and the beauty of the world, and it offers our spirit a special inspiration to hear Divine will in us. Tobacco was even sometimes used as a medicine for certain health problems. Tobacco originally came from the Americas.

Westerners have no idea of what they are doing when they light a cigarette. By misusing a sacred sacrament, and tobacco is exactly that for traditional Native Americans, they harm their spirit and body. This is typical of the misuse of all sacred substances. When a “teaching plant” as we call these special plants that can alter ordinary perception and lead to superior consciousness, is misused, it has an opposite, perverse effect. The spiritual energy cannot release itself, because the personal gratification intention with which the tobacco is used will turn against the person and cause a decrease of the vital energy as well as poisoning, which can eventually lead to disease and death. Furthermore, Westerners, by their thirst for profit, have filled tobacco with chemicals and by-products to increase certain cosmetic, addictive and commercial qualities. To traditional philosophy this is blasphemous. If they could spend more time listening to our wisdom, which persists even today, we would not witness thousands of persons suffering from a plant which, properly used, could lead them towards a better understanding of spirit, religious community and unity with nature.

Juniper is used to cleanse the rooms where we sleep. It will bring beautiful dreams and enhance the ability to remember them. Juniper has an influence on the brain which predisposes to sleep and promotes a enlightened state of consciousness during dreamtime. It is a very spiritual incense which is also used a lot by Tibetan Buddhists. It favors inspiration and will center consciousness on high ideals.

NB: to read more about the use of herbs and plants in Native tradition, please go to New sections and topics to come: the wild sage