Essential Oil Education

The purpose of our most recent trip to Egypt was to participate in the filming of a documentary on the Frankincense Caravan Route being filmed by Young Living Essential Oil company. A hundred and eight of us volunteered to take part in the caravan scenes which included village scenes of saying good-bye to the men who would be leaving for many months, some of whom would never return. And a caravan scene of moving through the desert past the pyramids at Saqqara. These caravans were often attacked by mauraders so of course we had to have a fight scene. Luckily I was only leading a camel and not having to be a part of a sword fight on a horse!

Let me first tell you about Saqqara which is at the tail end of a long chain of pyramids beginning at Giza. Saqqara is actually a 7 hour walk from Giza–that’s how long it took the Bedouins to walk their camels down to Saqqara for the filming. We actually never got very close to these pyramids but even from a distance they are quite impressive.  In all, there are over 80 pyramids beginning a bit north of Giza at Abu Roash and extending beyond Saqqara  southward.  It’s safe to think of the pyramids as all tombs. Saqqara actually has three different types of pyramids in the area including the famous stepped pyramid.

Gary Young spent time telling us about the caravans and how hard this life was for those who walked or rode the camels for thousands of miles. Some of these caravans would stretch 30 miles long and would be comprised of thousands of camels laden with fine silks, ivory, gemstones and of course–frankincense and myrrh resins. The caravaners all knew where the water holes existed in the desert and would plan their trips accordingly. The caravans would  eventually end up at the great trading center in Petra which is in modern day Jordan. This was considered a “safe” city where you didn’t have to worry about your enemy cutting your throat in the night. Each country’s representatives would know how many tons of frankincense, myrrh and other precious commodities they would need for the coming year and would bartar or buy what they needed and re-load their camels to take back their prizes to their home countries. as I mentioned there were all kinds of dangers along the caravan routes–everything from mauraders to “camel spiders” which are nortorious critters that at night time would sneak up to their prey and inject an anesthetic into the person’s skin and proceed to have dinner! When you awaken, your face might be missing. Luckily we didn’t meet any of these camel spiders in our adventures although this is depicted in the film.

For years I have taught about these great caravans in our courses in both the Healing Touch Spiritual Ministry program and in our Certification in Clinical Aromatherapy program (www.ISHAhealing.com) It was quite a thrill for me to participate in a re-inactment for a documentary. Of course all caravaners were men so we dressed in period bedouin costumes as men.

Yes, that’s me atop a camel. For the filming I was one of the “camel boys” leading a camel and not riding. I learned a lot about these animals. I’ve been stepped on, kicked and peed upon ( you learn after awhile to get out of the way!) Here is a picture of me leading my camel into the village scene.

I asked one of the Bedouins what they thought about all of dressing up and pretending to be them and his answer was that they were pleased because we would be telling the world all about their lives.

I learned that being in a film is a lot of hurry up and wait. When we finally got all the camels lined up and ready for action, we began to notice a storm blowing down from the north. I am only sorry that I didn’t get any pictures of this especially when we were caught in a sand storm followed by a once in 500 year event–a hail storm. Finally down off a high ridge with these camels, we sought shelter in our food tent. Many of the men in our group held tightly to the tent poles but when this huge tent starting collapsing, it was time to head for the buses–costumes and all.  In the pictures you can see the clouds starting to come in–within an hour–it was a very different story!

One of the scenes we had hoped to film and eventually did the following night was a caravan camp site at the end of of day of travel. You can see all the tents set up in a square (better to protect against attacks) with all the camel saddles serving as chairs around improvised tables.  Here I’m not in my Bedouin costume.

On the second day of filming, we did the village scenes, again a lot of hurry up and wait while the cameras were set up and everyone was in costume, make-up and in their places. Here I and my “wife” aka Marilee Tolen are in the village waiting for the shoot.  The next picture is of some of my fellow “movie extras” and the third picture is of Jeffrey Lewis leading his camel through the village scene.

Spiritual Insights I Gleened From the Frankincense Trail

I promised that I would write about the “spiritual” significance of the events as they unfolded on this trip. For me, there were many special moments in these two days of filming. Simply participating in something that has a great purpose is sufficient. Being in a sand storm of mamouth proportions and not having any of us hurt was another. The power and magnitude of nature made us all respectors of the desert and how dangerous this way of life really was. I learned how much fun (and yes fun is of spiritual significance) it can be to dress up in costume and pretend to be in another era. When we do things like this–we leave cares and worries behind, we live in the moment and we don’t worry about our businesses, about paying bills, and all that reality stuff that fills our days.

The greatest spiritual insight I gleened was about frankincense itself–the reason why we all came out into the desert, dressed up in Bedouin costumes and led camels through a sand storm. The resins are from a simple tree of the desert, hidden among the rocky crags in what is now Somalia, Yemen and Oman. These trees have yielded tons and tons of its life blood for thousands of years. And why? Because man has recognized the healing power of this oil and this incense. Aside from it’s chemistry and vibrational frequencies, we have learned from experience that this oil heals everything from warts to brain tumors, heals sores and heals minds and emotions. It was considered of “divine” origin, fit for the Kings and royality. It was of course the most famous gift to the Christ child. Frankincense is that fragrance that connects me to many positive childhood memories of church–to when incense was freely used in Catholic services. It connects me to my memories of having visited so many cathedrals of Europe and smelled the lingering fragrance of incense. Frankincense is that other worldly smell that lifts us up to the heavens and connects us to the angels and to God. It has done this for thousands of years through so many cultures and times. It is an emotional and spiritual healing fragrance. (That’s Dr. Ed Close in costume in case you don’t recognize him!)

And what did I learn from my “make-believe” participation in a caravan? I had a sense of the monotony of a caravaners life, trudging through the sand, always alert to dangers–mauraders, sand storms, thirst, and critters. They left with a sense of adventure but also knowing that this was how they supported their families. Their lives were not unlike ours in reality. We too have a lot of monotony–the daily stuff that we do making a living, supporting families, watching out for danger. Why did they do this dangerous work? Perhaps it was a sense of honor, protection, means of support for their families, adventure, exploration, or maybe even escape. Now look at your own life–why do you make sacrifices to tell others about essential oils? Giving talks, making telephone calls, doing heartfelt sharing. I can ask myself why do I get on airplanes every week, make personal sacrifice, stretch my writing and speaking abilities, and dedicate my life to serving others? There are parallels here which we can learn from. Are there spiritual lessons that we can benefit from? Let’s see.

• Perseverance in the face of adversity and danger.
• Focus on the mission and calling of why we do what we do–not just on the sacrifices.
• Trust in the Divine Plan that all will be well.
• Thirst for what is right and good for truth, knowledge and wisdom.
• Open to Adventure leaving fear behind.
• Share knowledge freely from the heart without thought of what’s in it for me.
• Be willing to do the mundane in order to promote the vision. (Feed the camels, walk in the sand.)
• Follow and lead when it is called for–but always with a focus on the mission.
• Be alert for changes and be ready to adapt to changes in the environment at a moment’s notice.
• Be kind and speak from the heart–there’s no need to hit people over the head or be aggressive in telling others about the oils. It’s all about sharing from the heart.

Tomorrow–on to Petra.

PS: Interested in learning more about frankincense and the other Biblical Oils? Consider becoming a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist. Go to: http://www.ISHAhealing.com