When oil is consecrated or blessed, it transforms from ordinary olive oil into a symbol and spiritual tool. The process is quite simple, and once the oil is ready it can be used in many different ways.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Bless the Anointing Oil
Step 1. Contact the religious authority of your faith for all the details
Each confession has its own guidelines regarding both the procedures for blessing the oil that is used for anointing and its uses.
- Usually the most widespread restriction concerns who can consecrate the oil. In some confessions only the priest or a similar member of the clergy has this power, in others not even all the clericals can.
- It is important to note that some faiths have guidelines and rules for determining how the oil should be blessed and how it should be used next.
- Other possible regulations may concern how the oil is obtained and which type is to be used.
Step 2. Get some olive oil
You can use it natural or scented, but it should be olive as this has great biblical and traditional significance compared to other types of oils.
- Unless dictated by a religious authority, it is not necessary to purchase a special oil for consecration.
- Extra virgin olive oil made from cold pressing is the purest variety available, which is why most people prefer it for religious purposes. You can find this type of oil in all supermarkets.
- If you wish, you can purchase scented oils in both religious and secular stores. Those flavored with myrrh or frankincense are widespread and have a spiritual significance.
Step 3. Put a small amount of oil in a vial
Get a small one, or get a bottle or any container with a tight-fitting lid that won't leak. Pour some olive oil into the container. This liquid sample will become consecrated.
- You can purchase a special vessel at a religious store or online. Alternatively, you can use any small bottle.
- The most used vial is made of metal with a screw cap, inside which a sponge is fixed to help prevent leaks.
- There are also cheaper plastic containers.
- Alternatively, you can also use a small bottle of shampoo, such as travel shampoo.
Step 4. Say a blessing on the oil
If your confession doesn't prohibit you from doing this, you can simply recite a blessing prayer over the oil yourself without the support of a religious authority. Prayer must be sincere and recited with the utmost awareness and faith.
- You should ask God to bless and purify the oil so that it can be used for the sake of God's glory.
- For example, the prayer to be recited might be: "Lord, please bless this oil in Your Holy Name. Please free it of any impurity within or on it and make it Holy for Your glory. this in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
Step 5. Store the oil at room temperature
The best way to keep it fresh is to seal it and store it at room temperature; it is not recommended to put it in the refrigerator.
If you refrigerate the oil, it will become cloudy. This is not a health-threatening change, however, and you can still use it
Method 2 of 2: Using the Consecrated Oil
Step 1. Understand what the true power of blessed oil is
There is nothing mystical or magical about the oil per se, although it remains a very powerful tool of faith. As a spiritual tool, its true power comes from God.
- Consecrated oil is a symbol of your faith in God and His ability to purify and sanctify things.
- Without your faith, the blessed oil has no positive effect. You can use it to strengthen and demonstrate your faith but not as a substitute for it.
Step 2. Grease yourself
Among other things, you can use oil to bless yourself whenever you pray, when you are worried or sick.
- Although there are many different ways of blessing yourself, the most common is to moisten your right thumb in oil and make the sign of the cross on your forehead. Trace the cross as you say, "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen."
- After you have anointed yourself, you can continue your prayers as usual, whether it is a prayer for healing, repentance, thanksgiving, or any other nature.
- Alternatively, if you are injured or sick, you can make the sign of the cross on the diseased area of your body as you pray for healing.
Step 3. Join other people
Just like you can do it on yourself, you can use the oil on those who are sick or in distress. Pray over these people as you anoint them to help them in their troubles. Pray as you bless them with oil.
- When you anoint another individual, moisten your right thumb with some oil and use it to trace the sign of the cross in the center of their forehead.
- As you draw the cross, pronounce the person's name and pray: "I anoint you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
- Follow these actions with any prayers appropriate to the specific circumstances. For example, prayers to heal from a physical or spiritual illness, for consecration or blessing in general.
Step 4. Use consecrated oil in your home
It is usually used to bless a new home or one that has suffered some form of spiritual threat.
- Remove from the house anything that could have "roots" with evil.
- Walk around the house, greasing the frame of each door. As you do this, pray to God to fill the house with the Holy Spirit and make sure that everything that happens in the house will be in accordance with the divine will.
- The purpose of this blessing is to turn the home into "holy ground" for God.
Step 5. Here are some traditional uses of oil
Consecrated oil has its roots in the Bible. Although traditional uses are rarely applied nowadays, they are still worth knowing about.
- Anointing the body with perfumed oil was a way to cool off. If it is done to another person, it is considered a sign of hospitality.
- The early Israelites rubbed the leather of their shields with oil to prepare for war.
- Some oils are used for medicinal purposes, others to prepare the body for funeral and burial.
- Some are used to purify the body, to consecrate an individual to a specific action or to call him to carry out a divine plan.
