The discovery of the Americas has not only given us tomatoes, corn, potatoes, cocoa and tobacco. If it is true that " Man does not live by bread alone " (we are not only biological machines that aim at the survival of the body by rotating the whole existence on procuring food and reproducing) another dimension dwells in us, more profound, emancipated from the laws of matter and life .
Consequently, by discovering the soul and realizing that we are not just our body, other products of Mother Earth have also begun to attract the attention of the conquistadors.
The origin of the Palo Santo
One of the ceremonial products, esoteric or spiritual, is Palo Santo. With this Spanish name meaning "Sacred Wood" , the tree that responds to the scientific name of Bursera graveolens, is recognized in all languages.
Known to Europeans for at least two centuries, especially for the extraction of its prized essential oil, it grows spontaneously in Central America and in parts of South America, up to the border between Peru and Bolivia.
In its native lands, the Palo Santo is not used for the extraction of oil but above all in the form of incense and for the manufacture of ritual objects .
How to use? You turn it on for a while, from twenty to thirty seconds, the flame goes out and you put it inside a smoke diffuser or in a bowl. The coals or possibly the ashes are preserved.
How to use the Palo Santo
Like the myrrh offering to the child Jesus together with oil and gold, the Palo Santo is now used in the world of alternative health practices, especially hatha yoga and the like, as a tool for cleaning the energy of the individual.
The procedure is simple and follows the use made of it by the Central American tribes known by the first explorers: it is burned and exposed to its fumes .
The mental and emotional calm that comes from his inhalations is said to be due to the power of smoking to drive away the negative energies that surround us.
The Palo Santo coals are also used, often in some propitiatory rites, which according to European mental patterns could be called " white magic ".
The coal fragments of Palo Santo are used above all to attract fortune, love and to give a positive change to one's life, leaving behind what does not really belong to us or represent us, to start a life more in line with one's soul.
Rites with the Palo Santo
The very pleasant fragrance of the Palo Santo is very often used in rituals that prevent the use of eneteogens. We are talking about Ayahuasca, psychedelic mushrooms, mixed cactus and salvia divinorum .
The effect of his oils entering us through his fumes would have a function similar to that of sacred music, or that of connecting us to the inner source of all the harmonies and all the healings .
In fact, in the Mesoamerican esoteric legacy, as well as in the East and in ancient Europe, the Divine is within us and not sought after in what ultracosmic sky .
Physical benefits of the Palo Santo
There is also another use of the Palo Santo, the one in the form of herbal tea or infusion .
The infusion of Palo Santo is used to cleanse the physical body, often in cases of colds, coughs , asthma , bronchitis , and a large number of problems related to the respiratory system .
From this point of view, as well as on the ancient wisdom tradition, we can also base ourselves on recent scientific studies. These tell us that the large amounts of d-limonene are excellent for the treatment of inflammation, especially those of the joints.
