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When people talk about lavender spiritual meaning, they usually mean washing, calm, and peace. Its name may come from the Latin lavare, "to wash," or lividus, "bluish," for its flowers, and its soft, clean scent has long been tucked into linens and sachets. Today, many people use lavender as a gentle cue to slow down for prayer, meditation, or a few minutes of quiet reflection.
Below you'll find where lavender's meaning comes from, the "nard" mix-up, simple ways to bring lavender into prayer or meditation, three easy blends, and safety tips. For more about the oil itself, see my full lavender essential oil guide. Jump to the blends.
Where Lavender's Meaning Comes From
Most of the lavender spiritual meaning people talk about today grows out of three simple things: its name, the way it was used at home, and its color.
A Name Tied to Washing
The word lavender may come from the Latin lavare, "to wash," since lavender was used to scent baths and freshly washed fabrics. It may also come from the Latin lividus, "bluish," for the color of the flowers (Online Etymology Dictionary). Either way, lavender has long been connected with cleanness and freshness, which is part of why so many people think of it as a "clean slate" scent.
A Scent for Linens and the Home
For much of its history, lavender was a modest plant valued mainly for its scent. People used it to perfume cloth and linens long before it became the aromatherapy favorite it is today (American Herbal Products Association). That simple, everyday use is part of its quiet charm.
The Purple Color
Lavender's violet flowers are part of its appeal, too. Many people find the color itself calming and associate it with peace and devotion. Read more about the types of lavender.
Is Lavender the Spikenard in the Bible?
No. The spikenard, or "nard," in the Bible comes from a different plant, Nardostachys jatamansi, which grows in the Himalayas (Spikenard). It was rare and very costly.
The two did get mixed up, though. Lavender's flower spikes look a little like nard's spiky roots, and in earlier centuries cheap lavender was sometimes sold as expensive nard. Some old herbals even called lavender "false nard" (American Herbal Products Association). So if you've wondered whether lavender is the oil from those Bible stories, it isn't, but it's easy to see where the confusion started.
Lavender and Chakras
If you work with chakras, you may see lavender linked with the crown chakra, often because of its violet color. Associations vary from one source to another, so go with what feels meaningful to you.
Using Lavender for Prayer and Meditation
If the lavender spiritual meaning speaks to you, its soft, calming scent makes it a lovely companion for quiet time. When you use the same scent at the same time each day, it can become a cue that it's time to slow down and turn inward. Here are a few gentle ways to try it:
- Diffuse before you begin. Add 3 to 5 drops of lavender to your diffuser about 10 minutes before prayer or meditation, so the room smells calm when you sit down.
- Scent your prayer journal or devotional. Put 1 drop of lavender on a tissue or a small cotton pad and tuck it between the pages, not directly on the paper.
- Use a roller on your wrists. Roll on a diluted blend, then cup your hands over your nose for a few slow breaths as you settle in.
- Carry an inhaler. A personal inhaler is the kindest choice for church, work, or other shared spaces, since it doesn't fill the room with scent.
- Close the day with a bath. A lavender bath can be a peaceful time for reflection. Stir the oil into castile soap first. Here's how to use lavender oil in the bath.
- Make it part of bedtime. A few minutes of lavender in the diffuser can be a calm backdrop for bedtime prayers with your family. For kids 2 and up, use the low end of the drops, keep it short, and leave the door open.
A Few Safety Basics
• Keep essential oils away from babies under 2, including diffusing in a room they're in. Follow the age on each blend for older kids, and use the low end of the diffuser drops around little ones.
• Always dilute essential oils before they touch skin, and patch test a new blend on your inner forearm for 24 to 48 hours.
• If you're pregnant, check with your doctor or midwife first. For the first 16 weeks I use only six oils, and only in a diffuser or inhaler: lavender, sweet orange, lemon, ginger, cedarwood (Virginian), and frankincense. The blends here use those oils (choose Virginian cedarwood), so they work as a diffuser or inhaler during that time. After that, skin blends stay at 0.5 to 1%.
• In shared spaces like church, choose an inhaler over a diffuser or a strong roller, since some people are sensitive to scents.
• Never put oils on pets, and diffuse with a door open so they can leave. Cats are especially sensitive, including to tea tree, citrus, peppermint, eucalyptus, pine, wintergreen, cinnamon, clove, and ylang ylang.
• Never swallow essential oils. If someone does, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
3 Simple Lavender Blends for Quiet Time
| Blend | Use | Ages |
|---|---|---|
| Still Waters | Diffuser | 2+ |
| Grace Note Roller | Roller | 12+ |
| Little Grace Note Roller | Roller | 5+ |
| Pocket Pause Inhaler | Inhaler | 12+ |
| Little Pocket Pause Inhaler | Inhaler | 5+ |
Still Waters
Diffuser · Ages 2+ · 5 drops per 100 to 200 ml
Soft lavender with warm, resinous frankincense, which has a long history as an incense in worship.
- 3 drops lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- 2 drops frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
Read more in my frankincense essential oil guide.
Grace Note Roller
Roller · Ages 12+ · 2%
A woody, floral roller for your wrists as you sit down to pray or meditate.
- 2 drops lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- 1 drop frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
- 1 drop cedarwood Atlas (Cedrus atlantica) or Virginian (Juniperus virginiana)
- Jojoba oil to fill a 10 ml roller
Note: Atlas cedar is endangered, so use up the bottle you have and choose Virginian when you buy new.
Little Grace Note Roller
Roller · Ages 5+ · 1%
The same soft lavender and frankincense, made gentle for kids.
- 1 drop lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- 1 drop frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
- Jojoba oil to fill a 10 ml roller
Directions: Make it the same way as the grown-up roller, and do the rolling yourself.
Note: Label it with your child's name and the dilution.
Pocket Pause Inhaler
Inhaler · Ages 12+ · 12 drops
For a quiet breath in church, at work, or anywhere a diffuser isn't an option. Here's more on essential oil inhalers.
- 6 drops lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- 4 drops frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
- 2 drops cedarwood Atlas (Cedrus atlantica) or Virginian (Juniperus virginiana)
- 1 blank aromatherapy inhaler
Little Pocket Pause Inhaler
Inhaler · Ages 5+ · 6 drops
The same quiet scent, with half the drops for kids.
- 3 drops lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- 2 drops frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
- 1 drop cedarwood Atlas (Cedrus atlantica) or Virginian (Juniperus virginiana)
- 1 blank aromatherapy inhaler
Note: Label it with your child's name so it isn't shared.
More Lavender Posts
- Lavender Diffuser Blends and Essential Oil Guide
- Frankincense and Lavender Roller Recipes
- 67 Ways to Use Lavender Essential Oil
- Lavender Essential Oil Types
Shop my aromatherapy supply kits and grab one of my free essential oil guides.
Sources
- Online Etymology Dictionary, "Lavender."
- American Herbal Products Association, "Herbs in History: Lavender."
- Wikipedia, "Spikenard."
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