I have been asked numerous times to write this article for many reasons…I have been with Young Living for nearly 14 years, am a devout, traditional Catholic, with many fully practicing New Age family members.  I have been researching and studying the New Age, the Occult, Theosophy, Gnostics, etc. for 23 years and have spent much time refuting these beliefs.

As my Young Living team grows, the same online articles seem to surface over and over:  The first article is from The Last Hiker entitled “Young Living and Do Terra Essential Oils — New Age and Occult Multi-level Marteting in the Church” Posted on June 27, 2015. The other is from Woman of Grace entitled “Essentials Oils and the Occult” Posted on March 18, 2016 by SBrinkmann.  It has become clear that someone needed to write an article laying out the truth in these matters.

Let me start by saying that it saddens me very much that the blog post Women of Grace used, as it’s main source, was the article written by The Last Hiker.  This saddens me so, because The Last Hiker article has been written with heinous, false claims about Young Living, it’s products and it’s founder.  Not citing primary source documentation is, at best, negligent journalism; at worst, the authors could be culpable of gossip, calumny and slander, of which can be considered serious sins in the eyes of a Catholic.  As Catholic websites represent our Faith, great care needs to be taken, by their authors, not to cause scandal.  It would be a great act of charity for Women of Grace to do more research and publish an apology and retraction of their blog post that uses The Last Hiker post as it’s primary source.  As for The Last Hiker, this blog has absolutely no information regarding the person writing the articles, no name, fake name, nothing, not even if they are a man or woman, for this reason I will hereafter refer to the author as “he”.

Another very serious concern about the two articles that keep surfacing is that BOTH articles have direct hyperlinks to websites with spells, witchcraft, pagan rituals and Wiccan information.  These sites are not informational in the sense that they are warning readers of WHAT to be on the look out for, these sites are instructional websites on HOW to perform spells and practice witchcraft.  It is highly dangerous to direct readers to these sites.  Curiosity is part of human nature.  Unless one is fully formed in their Christian Faith and has the vice of curiosity under control, a click on these hyperlinks, from well meaning websites, has the ability to put their readers into serious spiritual danger!!  I clicked on the link only to have one of these pagan witchcraft sites open up.  I know what I am in for and am researching for journalistic purposes;  however, this click on their hyperlink has now cached this website into google as a site I have visited.  When I go back to the article on The Last Hiker, which has google ads active on their site, I now see this below…notice the google ad on the right hand side…

Having said that, I don’t feel comfortable hyperlinking to the two articles I reference.  Instead, I will share screen shots and use direct quotes from the articles herein.

Lets start with these statements that utilize hyperlinks to pagan, witch, spell websites.

The Women of Grace article takes partial information from an occult website to make their point that blends of Essential Oils are potions used for various pagan/occult reasons.  I’ll quote:

In witchcraft, potions are used for a variety of reasons.

For example, this recipe for a potion called “Earth”, combines myrrh, rose, patchouli and vetiver oils and is designed to bring prosperity and protection.

The “Water” potion, which combines bergamot, jasmine and myrrh, is created to bring psychic ability, sensuality and to increase emotions.

What she neglects to inform her readers is that these blends in and of themselves are not magical.  The witchcraft website (The Witch’s Library) specifically states:

What makes an oil blend magical?

An oil blend is just an oil blend unless it has been charged. Charging is the name for the process by which objects are consecrated to magical use and empowered with magical intent. This is usually done in circle, in a ritual manner, or through a spell.

An oil blend is just an oil blend UNLESS IT HAS BEEN “CHARGED”!!!

Just as in our beloved Catholic Faith, water, olive oil, salt and frankincense are JUST THAT until the priest bestows the blessing upon them, making them Holy Water, blessed oil, blessed salt and blessed frankincense, these essential oil blends are JUST THAT until someone bestows a Wiccan “blessing” or, rather, curse on them.

In the Extraordinary Form of the Catholic Mass, which I attend, there are many feast days where the liturgy has special blessings for herbs and essential oils.

i.e. If your priest chooses to include these blessings, on the Feast of Epiphany you can bring frankincense and myrrh to be blessed and on the Feast of the Assumption there is a special blessing for herbs.  This blessing originated in Germany as early as the tenth century.  It was reserved only to the Feast of the Assumption.   In this instance, the term herbs is not our strict English meaning.  It includes all types of cultivated and wild flowers.  Here is a quote taken directly from the Roman Ritual for this blessing, “the priest, standing before the altar and facing the people who hold the sheaves of new grain, garden vegetables, flowers and new herbs and the finest fruits of their orchards in their hands says in a clear voice…”

It is clear that Holy Mother Church recognizes that things of the earth, of God’s creation, have many wonderful properties for our temporal and everlasting (physical and spiritual) lives, listen to the closing prayers of this ancient blessing of our Church…

Let us pray.

Almighty everlasting God, who by your word alone brought into being the heavens, earth, sea, things seen and things unseen, and garnished the earth with plants and trees for the use of man and beast; who appointed each species to bring forth fruit in its kind, not only for the food of living creatures, but for the healing of sick bodies as well; with mind and word we urgently call on you in your great kindness to bless + these various herbs and fruits, thus increasing their natural powers with the newly given grace of your blessing. May they keep away disease and adversity from men and beasts who use them in your name; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Let us pray.

God, who through Moses, your servant, directed the children of Israel to carry their sheaves of new grain to the priests for a blessing, to pluck the finest fruits of the orchard, and to make merry before you, the Lord their God; hear our supplications, and shower blessings + in abundance upon us and upon these bundles of new grain, new herbs, and this assortment of produce which we gratefully present to you on this festival, blessing + them in your name. Grant that men, cattle, flocks, and beasts of burden find in them a remedy against sickness, pestilence, sores, injuries, spells, against the fangs of serpents or poisonous creatures. May these blessed objects be a protection against diabolical mockery, cunning, and deception wherever they are kept, carried, or otherwise used. Lastly, through the merits of the blessed Virgin Mary, whose Assumption we are celebrating, may we all, laden with the sheaves of good works, deserve to be taken up to heaven; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Let us pray.

God, who on this day raised up to highest heaven the rod of Jesse, the Mother of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that by her prayers and patronage you might communicate to our mortal nature the fruit of her womb, your very Son; we humbly implore you to help us use these fruits of the soil for our temporal and everlasting welfare, aided by the power of your Son and the prayers of His glorious Mother; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

We know the evil one mocks and wickedly inverts what his Creator, whom he hates, has done.  Of course, he would bring forth a practice that takes what is holy and turns it on its head.  Of course, he would have humans utilize wonderful things from God’s creation for evil, mocking the blessings of the Faith with curses instead.

Now lets briefly take a look at what The Last Hiker utilizes to make his point.  He hyperlinks to a website with the title “Witch Crafts: Guide to Oils and Herbs” to prove his point that oils can be used as potions.  He claims that this site proves how oils can be used as potions.

Again, the reader is lead to believe that the oils and herbs in and of themselves, when combined together in the specific recipes, are evil potions.  This is untrue, as we saw from the above quote from The Witches Library.  There must be accompanying spells, incantations, etc. said over the herbs/oils.

Let’s follow this path even farther.  This linked site from The Last Hiker goes on to say that

garlic, ginger, cinnamon and allspice help to influence lust, basil influences wealth, marjoram influences money, mustard: astral projection, pepper-banishing & exorcism, poppy seeds influence luck, rose, peppermint and lemongrass are for psychic abilities and orange is for divination.

The article talks about picking the right ingredients for your spells and potions.  Not to sound like a broken record, but, yes, essential oils can and are used for witchcraft, spells, etc. just like herbs, spices, flowers, roots, and many other plants and plant materials from Gods creation.  It is not the material that is evil, it is the spell, incantation said over it that makes it evil.  To quote from another site The Last Hiker links to, “Spiritual Spells”,

Handcrafted Oils and Herbal Oils are blends made up for specific ritual or magickal purposes. They are not made in a factory, but are indivisually prepared with the addition of magical herbs, roots, flowers and other natural ingredients to a simple oil base and then ritually charged with intent.

As you can see it is not the ingredients that make up the evilness, but the RITUALS done over them.

Young Living’s Blends Blatant Potions?

Let me now address what The Last Hiker claims and, in turn, Women of Grace perpetuates in their article…that Young Living’s blends are “blatant potions”.  They claim they are blatant potions because of their descriptions.  I’ll be honest with you, I have not read the descriptions for MANY of the blends in probably over 10 years, so I had to refresh my memory on these and double check in the Young Living product catalogue.  The descriptions written in these articles I’m refuting are, in fact, what Young Living has for their descriptions.

There are many angles to address here.

Is Young Living “blessing” the oils and oil blends before selling them or somehow “charging” the oils or oil blends with “psychic energy”?

I can say with certainty that the Young Living employees at the farm and in the warehouse are not trained to do this.  I have been to the Young Living farm in Mona, Utah many times.  I have been in the distillery on the farm many times.  I have spoken with many workers there.  While I have not personally been to the warehouse, I know, literally, dozens and dozens of friends that have.  I have asked around and the response is “NO.  No Way, they are WAY too busy to even be doing that.”  These are friends I trust.  Young Living’s farms and warehouses are open to the public.  Anyone can go see for themselves.  Casting spells over oils and “charging oils with psychic energy” is NOT part of the Young Living Seed to Seal process.

Does this mean that at no point anything like this is EVER happening to the oils before they reach my home.  I have absolutely NO idea.  In 2016 Young Living had over 2000 employees, then these oils pass through many hands once they leave the warehouse before they reach my door.  We live in an increasingly pagan world, many, many people are turning to witchcraft and Wiccan practices.  At any point along the way someone could have put a spell on or cursed my oils.  This goes for ANYTHING you purchase.  You have absolutely NO idea what is being done to or said over ANYTHING you buy.  It makes no difference if it is an essential oil, pharmaceuticals, food or clothing.

When was the last time you asked the pharmacist getting your prescription ready for you what their religion was?  GASP!!!  Throw your prescriptions away, get rid of them, GET THEM OUT OF YOUR HOUSE!!!!!  What if they said a prayer/spell/incantation over them?  Oh No!! What to do?  And ABSOLUTELY NEVER EVER eat at a Chinese food restaurant or Heaven forbid…get Donuts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  These food venues are overwhelmingly owned by people who practice eastern religions.  They’ve probably cursed your food!!!!

Well, actually, that is quite possible!!

Which is why it is ESSENTIAL for EVERY Christian to make the +sign of the cross+ over every single thing they bring in to their home or put in or on their body!!  We live in a pagan world.  It must be done!!  A wonderful priest taught this to our family many years ago.  He relayed a story of being at an event with a priest from Africa, whom he was sitting next to.  When the American priest made the sign of the cross over his water glass the African priest leaned over and asked “Oh you have that problem here too?”   Yes, sadly, we do!!

To emphasize this point even further, lets take a look at McAfee.  Anyone who owns or has owned a PC computer at any point should know this name well.  McAfee is an anti-virus software company started by John McAfee.  In recent years, the crazy escapades of this millionaire have been brought to light, including alleged murder.  There is a documentary about McAfee detailing his dangerous life.  I would NOT recommend that you watch this documentary.  My husband watched it and said I should not watch it as some of the things they uncover about his life are too disturbing.  The documentary interviews some of McAfee’s former employees.  It is unveiled there were employees at McAfee that were self proclaimed practicing Wiccans and they would perform Wiccan incantations/rituals at work, in the office.  The staff also participated in a game to earn points based on how many times and where they had sex in the office!  McAfee’s anti-virus software is on hundreds of millions of computers worldwide.  Is it possible that there are Wiccan spells/curses associated with this software?  Who knows?  Maybe a blog post should written urging readers to throw their PC’s in the trash.

It’s a Marketing Problem…Oil Descriptions born out of FDA Restrictions

One thing I have known from the beginning is that the essential oil and blends descriptions Young Living puts on their website and in their catalogue are a result of the FDA restrictions on what can and can not be said.  Since, I have been studying the new age and occult for many years, these descriptions never really bothered me.  I knew they were just descriptions…I ignored them and moved on.  I looked at the oils in the blend, looked up those individual oils and it’s constituents to determine for myself what the use of that oil could be.  The FDA/FTC regulations severely limit what can be said about an oil or blend.  The marketers at these companies have to get creative to even come up with a description.  It is up to us as consumers to do the research needed to know what an oil and it’s constituents are beneficial for.  Back in the day, before the FDA crack down, you could hear Gary Young speak openly about these things, but not anymore.  To protect the company he must stickily adhere to the FDA/FTC guidelines.  His decades of knowledge can no longer be shared publicly.

Do I agree with these descriptions?

Most of the time NO!!!

Does that stop me from using essential oils?  NO.

I am intelligent enough to know these descriptions are a marketing problem and I don’t concern myself with them.  Do I think these non descriptive, descriptions could be better and less New Age?  Absolutely!!  Should we speak up about this to Young Living?  Yes!  As members, our voices should be heard.  Write to Young Living’s product support and let them know you do not like the descriptions of some of these blends.  Let them know these descriptions are offensive to you as a Christian.

If, after all of that, you are still uncomfortable enjoying these wonderful smelling blends because the descriptions are offensive or too spiritually New Age or vague for you, don’t buy them.  I would say make your own, but some of the single oils are ONLY available in a blend as they are so rare.  (Another sign of a company that sells the purest, most therapeutic oils, they are OFTEN out of stock, due to lack of supply of oils with the proper constituent make up).  So you can try to make your own blends or just do without.  There are plenty of single oils out there to use in your oil cabinet.

Essential Oils and Emotions

The Last Hiker infers that any description that has to do with emotions is bogus and a spiritual danger.  This is simply not true.  It has been scientifically proven that smells have a profound ability to effect our emotions.  The limbic system has been referred to as the seat of the emotions.  From Wikipedia:

The limbic system supports a variety of functions including emotion, behavior, motivation, long-term memory, and olfaction.^[4] Emotional life is largely housed in the limbic system, and it has a great deal to do with the formation of memories.

and again from medlineplus.gov

The limbic system of the brain is a group of structures which govern emotions and behavior. The limbic system, and in particular the hippocampus and amygdala, is involved in the formation of long-term memory, and is closely associated with the olfactory structures (having to do with the sense of smell).

Here is a really quick, 3 minute video explaining this…

In this TED Talk she talks about how Tide is utilizing scents to evoke memories in it’s customers.  She describes that Tide has a citrus, fruity and floral experience.  She goes on to explain that citrus smells educe feelings of cleanliness, sweet fruity smells induce feelings of comfort and floral scents evokes maternal love and care.

So is Tide now new age and occult?

The Word Pharmakeia and it’s meaning

The Last Hiker…

To really understand where I am going, you need to understand what this type of witchcraft is. I am sure you have all heard the word potion before. And maybe in a Bible Study you have heard the word for sorcery in Greek is Pharmakeia (Strongs Greek 5331). These words refer to medicines or drugs that are combined together to accomplish a physical or spiritual intention. It is a potion.

This is easily refuted.  In this instance, the word pharmakeia is only referring directly to sorcery or witchcraft as in the translation in the Douie-Rhymes bible where St. Paul admonishes the gentile Galatians, whom he had taught the Catholic Faith to, not to practice witchcraft.  It was the common practice of the time to utilize herbs, plants, flowers, etc. from God’s creation as medicines.  It is highly unlikely that St. Paul was admonishing the Galatian Catholics not to use these things from God’s creation for their well being in his letter to the Galatians.  What he was admonishing them against was the use of witchcraft.  Again, these witchcraft practices would utilize these herbs, plants, food, flowers, etc. in their potions and spells, but it is not the physical things from God’s creation that make it witchcraft.  It is the accompanying spells, curses, incantations, etc. that one would have to engage in to be practicing the pharmakia St. Paul was referring to.  These Galatians, that St. Paul was rebuking were being deceived by non gentile Galatians who were slandering St. Paul and his teachings.  In addition, there are similar Greek words that carry the other meanings and are the roots of the word pharmacy, pharmacists, etc.

Don’t Support a New Age Company

In a much earlier article, pictured above, Women of Grace urges its readers not to support a “New Age” essential oil company.  They claim they researched and found only one company with no New Age stuff on their website: Lebermuth.  Ironically, Lebermuth is primarily a fragrance/perfume/flavor company.  Perfume oils are lower grade oils and may contain synthetic chemicals that are endocrine disruptors.  They can also be extracted with chemical solvents.  All of these chemicals wreak havoc on men and women’s endocrine systems, which includes their fertility.  In researching on Lebermuths website it is clear that their main focus is fragrance, perfumes and flavors.  While, I have no doubt, they may be a top notch fragrance/flavor company, they are not focused on bringing it’s customers therapeutic quality essential oils with the full range of chemical constituents God designed to be in the plant.  They clearly state that they purposely “separate and purify natural isolates from our essential oils.”  I called the company to verify what I saw on the pictures on their website and was told that the oils are stored in aluminum drums.  This is NOT something you want to store an oil in that is going to be used in or on the body to support the body systems.  Telling people to use these products is certainly not treating the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.

In addition, we all need to understand that we have no idea of the religious affiliations, New Age, pagan, Jewish, Muslim, Satanist, Christian, etc. of 99% of the businesses we get our products from.  To say not to buy Young Living oils because it may be supporting a New age company is short sighted and not treating the problem holistically.

Have you ever gone into a nail salon?  When was the last time you entered one and did not see an altar set up to Buddha or some Hindu god?  At least, down here in Texas this is what we see in the nail salons.  Are blog posts being written urging women NOT to goto nail salons because they are putting their spiritual lives in danger?

I would like to challenge Women of Grace and The Last Hiker to take 10 products from their home and research the founders of that company, the CEO, and anyone who makes money from that company.  Research who that corporation supports with its money.  If they really don’t want to put money into the pockets of anyone that may be New Age, good luck with that.  We live in an increasingly pagan world.  Many companies that consumers get a plethora of their products from promote New Age or Eastern spirituality.  While yes, their products may not have New Age descriptions (although some certainly do), the companies themselves promote/practice them and many corporations support other things that are seriously morally objectionable to a Catholic.

On the other hand, I know Young Living is not supporting organizations that would be morally objectionable to a Catholic.  They only support their own foundation, the Young Living Foundation.  The foundation helps support orphaned children, rebuilding in regions that have been wrought by natural disaster and the end of human trafficking, to name a few.  100% of the money donated to the YL Foundation goes to the cause you want to support.  That is because Young Living Corporate pays all of the operating costs for the foundation.

Young Living oils are the most pure on the planet.  They have proved this with their nearly three decades of experience and as such they own the largest library of constituents in the world.  These are not just perfume oils.  We use them for our families, for our children, to support our body systems to keep us above the wellness line.  Do your work, research, research, research.  A simple search on PubMEd would yield 100’s of results on medical studies into the efficacy of therapeutic essential oils.  Talk to some people that use Young Living oils.  Ask what they use them for, ask for their testimonies.  These are NOT snake oils.  My family has been using them for over 13 years, we have six children and I know our life would be a more bleak picture without them.  Our physical well being would not be what it is.  Do we follow the New Age mumbo jumbo?  NO!!  Do I care what the descriptions are?  Kind of, I know the oils work regardless of what a vague “spiritual” description says.  That is all they are allowed to say as “spiritual” claims are not regulated by the FDA or FTC.  So what are they left with?  Like I said before, it’s a marketing problem.  Do I think Young Living has solved that problem well?  NO.  If these descriptions bother you…MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD…we will not be the SILENT majority anymore.  Sure with 3 million members there is going to be a WIDE range of beliefs, but I truly believe there are more of us in Young Living that don’t agree with those descriptions than those that do agree with them.  Remember you CAN, SHOULD and have a DUTY to email Young Living and let them know these New Age descriptions are offensive to you as a Christian.  Email productsupport@youngliving.com

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!

Do your research, make your voice heard, bless anything you put in or on your body with the +sign of the cross+ and don’t live your life based on fears!

May God Bless you and may your Young Living oils benefit your family on your path to maintain your wellness and your body as a Temple of the Holy Spirit.

P.S.  I realize I have not addressed MANY important claims made in these two articles.  Part 2 is in the works.  If you would please say an Our Father and/or a Hail Mary for this I would be so grateful!

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