There is a long-forgotten art returning to our world—a sacred, fragrant ritual that speaks directly to the soul: anointing. More than a soothing practice or aromatic indulgence, anointing is an ancient spiritual technology, rooted in the Mystery School traditions of Egypt and beyond, used to initiate, awaken, and remember.
In these ancient rites, anointing was used to wake people up on many levels. Whether it was to mark the beginning of a spiritual life, a moment of initiation, or the end of a deep retreat (such as one in darkness or in fasting), the act of applying sacred oils and waters was intentional and transformative. It was never random. It was deeply reverent.
Practitioners and priestesses of the Mystery Schools knew the potency of herbs, sacred oils, and elemental waters. These were not merely symbolic, but vibrationally powerful tools that held the frequency of awakening, of remembrance, of rebirth.
In Egypt, anointing was intimately connected to the rituals of death and resurrection. The mystery teachings often included symbolic or literal experiences of “dying to the old self” so that one could live more fully. These teachings offered a sacred map of transformation, where the ego would symbolically die, and the soul would rise in new awareness.
Men were often the ones placed in the resurrection chambers, going through initiations that mirrored what we now know in stories like the resurrection of Jesus. But the feminine role in this process was equally vital. Women like Mary Magdalene, Mother Mary, and Salome were trained in the sacred arts of anointing. They were the keepers of the oils, the midwives of resurrection.
These women would have been initiated into deep wisdom around which flowers, herbs, and resins were needed for each stage of the soul’s journey. Whether helping someone cross the veil in death, or guiding them through a spiritual initiation, the anointing was precise and powerful.
Often, these journeys involved a form of “sleep” or retreat into darkness, into the womb of the self. The three-day journey we hear of in resurrection stories is symbolic of the descent into the underworld—and the re-emergence into light. The oils were used both to prepare the body for descent, and to awaken it back into life.
Today, as we reclaim the path of the sacred feminine, we also remember the rituals. Anointing becomes a living ceremony once more—a way to return to ourselves, to honour the thresholds we cross, to celebrate our transformations. We anoint not only to bless and protect, but to wake up- to love, to presence, to soul.
To anoint is to say: I remember. I am here. I am willing to be transformed.
May this ancient practice rise again in our hands and hearts.
For teachings, rituals, and courses on Magdalene wisdom (click HERE) and sacred embodiment, see my courses www.rachaelcrow.co.uk
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