Mary Magdalene and the Healing Language of Oils

Oils as a Living Practice In the ancient world, oils were part of daily life. They were used to cleanse the body, soothe wounds, calm the nervous system, and mark moments of transition. Essential oils and infused oils were also used spiritually — for prayer, blessing, and anointing. Mary Magdalene moved easily between these worlds. She did not separate the sacred from the human. For her, the body was not an obstacle to spirituality, but its vessel. When she anointed Yeshua with oil, this was not an abstract act of worship. It was deeply personal. Oil was poured, feet were touched, hair was used as a cloth. This was intimacy, reverence, and courage woven together.

The Alabaster Jar and the Courage to Love The image of Mary with the alabaster jar has echoed through centuries. Often interpreted as extravagance or sacrifice, it can also be understood as sovereign choice. Mary chose to offer what she carried — her oils, her presence, her love — without calculation. Oils in that time were precious. They took time to source, blend, and prepare. To pour them out was to say: this moment matters. Healing matters. Love matters. This same principle lives on in the way healing oils are used today — not as quick fixes, but as companions in moments that ask for care and attention.

Mary Magdalene’s use of oils extended beyond physical healing. Oils were used to support emotional release, grief, devotion, and spiritual anchoring. They helped the body feel safe enough to soften. Certain oils were used to calm the heart. Others to ground the body. Others to mark sacred thresholds — birth, death, devotion, and transformation. Mary understood something we are only now remembering: healing happens when the body feels met, not managed.

Mary Magdalene’s use of oils extended beyond physical healing. Oils were used to support emotional release, grief, devotion, and spiritual anchoring. They helped the body feel safe enough to soften.

Certain oils were used to calm the heart. Others to ground the body. Others to mark sacred thresholds — birth, death, devotion, and transformation.

Mary understood something we are only now remembering: healing happens when the body feels met, not managed.

Bringing Mary’s Wisdom Into Modern Practice

To work with healing oils in the Magdalene way is to slow down. To apply oil with intention. To listen to the body. To allow scent and touch to become prayer.

This might look like:

Anointing the heart with rose oil for compassion and self-love

Using myrrh during grief or deep transition

Applying sandalwood or frankincense for grounding and prayer

Creating small altar rituals with oil as an offering

These practices do not require belief — only presence.

Mary Magdalene did not leave behind a written system. She left behind a way of being. Oils were part of that way — not as doctrine, but as living relationship.

When we work with healing oils today, we are not copying the past. We are continuing a conversation — one that honours the body, the Earth, and the sacredness woven through ordinary life.

In this way, Mary Magdalene still teaches.

Not through words alone, but through scent, touch, and the quiet remembrance that love — when embodied — is one of the greatest healers we have.

We connect to her, she instills us with her wisdom and we remember the oils.

Mary Magdalene a Journey with Sacred Oils Course launching in March 2026

Unlock the secrets of healing and personal care with sacred oils, guided by ancient wisdom, embodied practice, and gentle self-discovery.

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