The wonderful, heady scent of fresh lavender instantly generates a feeling of tranquility. For over 2000 years, lavender has been used by cultures around the world to attract peaceful energies and ward off evil spirits. Read on to find out more about this magical herb and how you can use it in your own life.
What does Lavender symbolize?
Lavender gets its name from the Latin word Lavare, meaning ‘to wash’, which is believed to refer to the way infusions of this herb were used for washing and cleansing purposes.
This makes sense because, in the past, clothes were washed and left to dry on lavender bushes. It could also relate to the herbs’ powerful physical, mental, and spiritual healing powers.
Lavender is revered as a potent spiritual purifier by many faiths, including Christianity and Shamanism. Its aroma is thought to uplift the spirit, promote inner peace, and aid in the process of connecting to the Divine. The bluish-purple flowers of lavender are often associated with devotion, grace, and tranquility, which is likely due to their hypnotic and relaxing scent.
11 Spiritual benefits of Lavender
1. Use Lavender eye pillow to enhance sleep & attract good dreams
Lavender has soothing and sedative properties that can help you sleep better and may even lessen insomnia symptoms.
If you find yourself filled with tension and unable to sleep, try making a lavender eye pillow to help you relax, get into deep sleep states and attract good dreams.
Here’s how to make your own Lavender eye pillow:
Simply, stuff two pieces of soft fabric with roughly two tablespoons of dried lavender and sew them together. You can also add other herbs such as mint or bay leaves to enhance the benefits. Place the pillow over your eyes for at least half an hour to promote a sense of calm. Lavender eye pillows are also commonly used in Yoga, to remove outside distractions.
Alternatively, you can apply diluted lavender oil to the soles of your feet, your wrists, or the back of your neck to aid restful sleep. Or you can create a lavender mist spray by adding a few drops of lavender essential oil to distilled water. This can be sprayed on your pillow or bed sheets before you turn in for the night.
2. Use Lavender to improve communication & promote peace in your relationships
Lavender is the perfect balance between masculine and feminine energies so it works well at diffusing issues in a relationship. To remove anger, promote peace and improve communication with your spouse, make up a bowl of lavender water and sprinkle it around your home.
Here’s how to make Lavender water:
To do this, add 2 cups of fresh or dried lavender buds to a saucepan and pour boiling water over them. Allow to infuse for a few hours or overnight, and then strain the buds from the water.
You can also place fresh lavender in a bowl and put it on your bedside table to strengthen your marriage.
3. Smudge with lavender to promote tranquility & balance
Lavender is an excellent addition to a smudge stick as it protects your home and promotes emotional harmony. They’re also easy to create yourself!
Here’s how to make and use a Lavender smudge stick:
Gather lavender, white sage, and rosemary sprigs (at least five of each), as well as a few rose petals. Cut all of the pieces to the same size and arrange them on a table, alternating herbs and petals. Then take a length of strong cotton thread and wind it around the bundle, crisscrossing the stems until everything is secure. Once your smudge stick is complete, leave it to dry upside down in a dark room for around three weeks.
To use your smudge stick, simply light the end with a candle or lighter and move carefully around your home, making sure the smoke reaches into every corner.
4. Massage with lavender oil for cleansing & releasing stuck emotions
The physical healing benefits of lavender have been widely documented over the years. If you are feeling achy after a long day at work, try performing a massage with lavender oil. Its miracle scent will work to remove tension from your body and relieve muscle pain. Lavender is also a wonderful mood booster and can help improve digestion.
During a Lavender massage, consider slow, deep abdominal breathing and consciously relax your body as this can help cleanse your aura. Performing Yoga, Tai Chi or other stretching exercises after a Lavender massage can help release stuck emotions.
5. Use Lavender to attract love into your life
Lavender has long been associated with love and beauty. In the 19th Century, maidens would attract suitors by putting lavender pouches down their cleavage. Additionally, Cleopatra, one of the most famous Pharaohs in history, was believed to have used lavender to win over Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony. Today, lavender is a common ingredient in perfumes and can be used in spells to attract your soulmate.
Here’s how to perform a love spell using Lavender:
Find a quiet room and light a lavender-scented candle. Take deep breaths as you focus on the flame and imagine yourself surrounded by love and light. When you are ready, write a list of qualities that you would like your soulmate to have, on a piece of paper. Then take three meters of colored ribbon (one silver, one purple, and one red) and knot the ends together. At this point, you can say a few words to enhance your intention such as:
“I am surrounded by love.”
“I ask the divine to manifest the one that is right for me.”
Plait the ribbons together so they make one long cord and spray it with a Lavender perfume. Burn the piece of paper in the flame and continue to wear the ribbons as a bracelet until love appears in your life.
6. Drink Lavender tea or lemonade to release stress and anxiety
Lavender tea has been proven to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. It can easily be made by steeping lavender buds in boiling water for around 10 minutes. You can also consider adding chamomile to the tincture to increase its soothing effects.
7. Meditate with Lavender to enhance intuition and remove chakra blockages
Chakras can become blocked by negative energy which often manifests as emotional distress and feelings of worthlessness. Lavender is highly regarded as an effective tool to remove these blockages. It is believed to be particularly beneficial in opening the third-eye chakra.
Lavender is commonly used in meditation practices to quite the mind, attract mental clarity, enhance creativity & self expression, promote psychic insight and intuitive visions associated with the third eye chakra.
Simply sit quietly and either burn lavender incense or lavender oil. Close your eyes and imagine an indigo ball of light between your eyebrows. As you inhale, imagine the light getting brighter and brighter as you release your worries and fears with every exhale. Set an intention before you meditate to help receive intuitive guidance related to your problems.
8. Use Lavender for dream work & divination
Studies have shown that the scent of lavender increases the amount of deep sleep you achieve which makes it the ideal herb to encourage lucid dreaming. Before you go to sleep, sew two pieces of cloth together to make a sachet, fill it with fresh or dried lavender, and place it beneath your pillow. You can also sprinkle a few drops of lavender oil on your pillow.
Lavender is strongly associated with matters of the heart. So, try placing lavender under your pillow and then making a wish before you fall asleep. It is believed that if you dream of anything related to your wish, it will come true.
9. Take a Lavender bath to cleanse your aura
As we go about our daily lives, we are continually absorbing the energies of those around us. These energies can cause blockages in our auras which can lead to us feeling emotionally overwhelmed and drained. Epsom salts and lavender have very similar calming and cleansing properties so they make the perfect pairing for a relaxing aura-cleansing bath!
Run the warm water and add a few drops of lavender oil as well as ½ a cup of Epsom salts. Visualization is one of the most powerful ways to cleanse your aura so climb into the tub, lay back, and close your eyes. Imagine the salt and lavender washing away all of your negative emotions as you bring them to mind one by one. Then visualize your aura as a brilliant white light surrounding you in serenity and protection.
10. Use Lavender in spells to speed up manifestation
Lavender is a vital ingredient for any candle spell that deals with anxiety, love, inner-confidence, or healing. Simply apply a small amount of lavender oil to your candle and then roll it in fresh or dried lavender before you burn it. Below is a simple lavender candle spell that you can use to manifest your desires:
Write a wish on a small piece of paper and light your lavender candle. Then burn the paper and blow the ashes towards each of the four corners of your home (outside). Repeat this process for seven consecutive days, writing a different wish each time. As you do this, ask for your desires to manifest quickly and with harm to none. On the seventh night, allow your candle to burn down completely.
11. Use potted Lavender for protection from bad energy and to attract positive energy
Lavender is an excellent plant to grow indoors as it requires low maintenance and does well in pots. Place potted lavender in every room of your house to raise positive vibration and for protection.
You can also plant lavender in your backyard as it helps attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Presence of these birds and insects around your house brings in positive energy.
When is the best time to work with Lavender?
Lavender can be used whenever you feel the need. However, it is worth bearing in mind that the moon’s phases can enhance any spiritual work you perform, so it is well worth planning your activities around them. Here is a breakdown of the moon’s phases and their correspondences:
Waxing moon: Growth, learning, positive transformation, creativity, making future plans.
Full moon: Manifesting desires, protection rituals, financial prosperity, healing.
Waning moon: Letting go of bad habits, personal reflection.
New moon: Banishing negative energies, new beginnings.
Conclusion
Lavender has a multitude of benefits, from physical healing to emotional balancing. It is a wonderful herb to have in your collection if you find yourself regularly feeling stressed, drained, or overwhelmed, as its calming scent will work to cleanse you from the inside out and promote feelings of self-worth.
