I have always found the psychological aspects of herbs and oils fascinating and Cedarwood is no exception. Cedar wood (Cedrus) or cedar, is a genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae.
Fully grown, cedar is a large coniferous evergreen tree. Prized by the Egyptians, The Celts and Native Americans, Cedarwood has a long history as an incense and perfume. The wood was burned by the Greeks and Romans to fragrant the air.
This steam distilled oil comes from the bark, and has a woody, balsamic scent with rich dry overtones. It has been used for stress reduction, anxiety and tension. Strengthening and comforting. When diffused into the air, this strengthening oil has a soothing quality that calms nervous tension and anxiety. It also helps alleviate upper respiratory and sinus problems.
Its fragrant base note blends well with bergamot, clary sage, eucalyptus, frankincense, ginger, juniper berry, lavender, neroli, palmarosa, patchouli, rose, rosemary and ylang ylang. It's warm, sweet camphor- like note has a deep woody undertone. It is said that it becomes richer and softer as it evaporates.
Found in France, at the end of the 19th century, The Coligny-Calendar is a compilation of pre-Christian Celtic systems of timekeeping, including the Gaulish Coligny calendar, used by Celtic countries to define the beginning and length of the day, the week, the month, the seasons, quarter days, and festivals. On the calendar is a series of lines of glyphs, called Oghams. The Ogham (commonly pronounced Oh-m) is an early Medieval alphabet used primarily to transcribe the early and late period, Irish language The glyphs are the only written form left by the Druids. The Ogham is sometimes called the Celtic Tree Alphabet, based on ancient medieval Bratharogam tradition ascribing names of trees to the individual letters. Although, Cedarwood was not part of the first 13 trees, it was transcribed from later findings. These findings are the basis of Author, Robert Graves, who made reference to these trees in his book "The White Goddess" regarding the trees and their personas.
The Celts actually gave Cedar a persona and emotion, representing confidence. It is considered a rare beauty. Based on Celtic studies of the Ogham Tree Calendar, Robert Graves theorized that if the Oghams were associated with 13 sacred trees and that they followed the 13 moons of the calendar year then each moon, he thought, there must be an association with the tree of that month. Trees physically unite the heavens with the Earth, and this is probably why the Celts used so many of the trees' properties, like the bark, in herbal remedies and referred to others born during the days of the Cedar Tree (Aug 14 to Aug 23) as Cedar persons.
The "Cedar person" is known to like luxury, the tenants of good health, is not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, is self-confident, determined, impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious, has a healthy dose of optimism, is waiting for the one true love, and able to make quick decisions.
The Native Americans worshipped this tree of knowledge and used it for grounding and worship. Cedar knows how to adapt in nature, which gave the tree great reverence for American Indians. The Cherokee tribe would look upon the Cedar as their ancestor. It is traditionally believed that the wood of the cedar tree holds powerful protective spirits from the Cherokee's past. Ceremonial drums would be made from cedarwood. It is a common practice to carry a small piece of cedarwood in your medicine bag worn around the neck. It is also placed above the entrances to the home in order to protect against evil spirits. By rubbing the bark or breaking some of the bows in your hand, you release the essential oils. You would then rub your hands together, cup them over your nose and mouth and breathe naturally for several minutes. This is a remedy for stress relief, soothing tension and to help with loneliness. You can also massage into the feet. This emotional "heart tonic" could be applied over the heart center.
