A comment I made recently about Young Living Essential Oils gave rise to concern from a few friends, as I mentioned the company’s claims and practices are “occultic”. Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting oils, whether YL’s or any other company’s, are occultic in and of themselves. No doubt the substances in the bottles are helpful in some regard and, if nothing else, certainly smell nice.  I’m referring to the fantastic healing claims and assertions made by YL’s now deceased founder, Gary Young, as well as on their product labels.

For example, Gary Young’s so-called “Raindrop Technique”, highly touted by many women who profess Christ, was developed after a purported meeting with the Lakota Indians, according to Mr. Young, in which they’d apparently described their pilgrimages to soak up the Northern Lights’ energy via a type of feathering motion with their hands, drawing it into themselves, much as you’d see a Buddhist monk wafting burning incense toward himself.

Mr. Young subsequently developed and demonstrated his own interpretation of their technique using oils, making the same types of energy healing claims found not only in the oils themselves, but in his carefully detailed process of applying them. Stirring the oils with his fingertips in a specific direction on his opposing palm, stressing and demonstrating the importance of not losing physical contact with the person receiving the treatment by ensuring part of his body was connected to the recipient’s at all times, so as not to interrupt the energy flow, he insisted his Raindrop Technique was the only way for the oils to have their desired effect.  A very particular and lengthy process, steeped in occultic mysticism, and heavily promoted by Christian women.

As another example, YL’s Oola blends, which many Christian women have also promoted heavily:

“Faith is defined as a complete trust or confidence in someone or something. It is your purpose in life. How you see your place in this world is something you need to explore to attain Oola. Faith™ Inspired by Oola®* essential oil blend is specially formulated to help you feel grateful, humble, and fully secure in your place in this world. This confidence-boosting blend enhances spiritual influences, promoting deeper meditation and a greater sense of spiritual awareness and connectedness. Faith affirmation: I am grateful, humble, and fully connected.”

While we’re at at it, we can slap some “Forgiveness” on for good measure.

“Forgiveness™ contains an aroma that supports the ability to forgive yourself and others while letting go of negative emotions, an important part of personal growth.”

Having trouble with the family?  No problem, YL has the fix.

“Family relationships are powerful and can sometimes be complicated. If you can harness the pure love from healthy family relationships, you will grow and progress toward your OolaLife.  Family™ Inspired by Oola®* essential oil blend is specially formulated to support feelings of unconditional love, patience, and respect. This blend helps uplift, calm the mind, and may help control negative feelings. Family affirmation: I am unconditionally loving, patient, and respectful.”

And how about…

“Humility: “True humility is the foundation of emotional strength. Humility™ is a blend of pure essential oil scents that promotes deeper spiritual awareness.”​

Perhaps some might suggest I immerse myself in the above, convinced my caution to Christians with regard to YL is lacking in that regard.

Or how about the Divine Destiny collection:

“The Divine Destiny™ Collection is a trio of essential oil blends created to work synergistically as an aromatic companion to your self-development journey of discovery and enlightenment”… which features, “Daily Divine™, I Am Blessed™, and I Am Creative™”, which have been “formulated to help heighten spiritual awareness and empower your inner self by blocking out distractions, words, and programing that keep you from discovering the truth of who you are.”

And in response to this generation’s perpetual victim status, YL has developed, and Christian women are promoting, the healing balm of “Trauma Life”:

“Use Trauma Life during meditation or your personal spiritual practice to invite harmony and peace into your life. Inhale its aroma to encourage the release of emotional blocks. Diffuse this blend to create an environment conducive to a new outlook on life. Diffuse or apply it topically for inspiration to overcome the weight of past negative life events. Diffuse or apply it topically to clear and align your energy centers.” 

Seems we now have little need to meditate upon Christ’s life-giving and sustaining Word, to spend time alone with Him in prayer, to recognize that healing from past, present, and future emotional pain can be found only in that One who created us, Who knows us intimately.  Why seek solace from the Comforter Himself, when we can just put that oil roller to work? Why remind ourselves that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are produced by the Spirit of the Living God who indwells the believer, when we have Christian women promoting these products with their amazing ability to impart all of the above, as well as heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds?

Oh yes, I’m aware of women infusing Jesus (see what I did there?) into their sales pitches in an effort to Christianize YL’s demonic claims, but surely those who genuinely know and believe God’s Word, who’ve yielded to Christ’s Lordship, wouldn’t knowingly promote the company’s Reiki-inspired teaching and practices, would they? At the very least, one would expect they’d place a solid disclaimer on their every sales promotion and recruitment drive, but that’s not the case. In fact, over the years I’ve seen many Christian women attempt to downplay the seriousness of the company’s claims, often misusing scripture to do so.

There’s more than enough to indict YL on its website, to cause Spirit-filled women to take a hard look at what they’re promoting to unbelievers, to those who may be weak in the faith, including their own children, and how they may and likely are leading people astray. There’s plenty of evidence for God-fearing husbands and fathers to ask themselves if the “financial freedom” YL promises to many, but grants to few, is worth their wives and daughters becoming complicit in promoting that which is contrary to scripture.

There are other oil companies which don’t make occultic claims, which aren’t promoting demonic beliefs, there are options. The assertion that YL oils are the most pure is likely as bogus as their claims of removing negative energy blocks, but even if true, better to slather ourselves in Valvoline than lead others into captivity by promoting this company.

As for me and my girls, it’s a hard pass.

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” ~ 2 Cor. 7:1

COVID-19 vaccine passports came into effect today in the Province of Quebec, will be in effect in Ontario on September 22nd, with other provinces soon to follow suit. These passports will severely restrict those Canadians who refuse vaccines, creating a two-tiered society which is unjust and untenable. As a double-vaccinated Canadian, I stand in solidarity with those who have decided otherwise, as is their God-given right.

Concern over increasing calls for mandatory vaccination with the inevitable need for documented proof, was precisely the reason for my initial post in January 2020, before COVID was an issue, a post which left us with no option but to resign our church membership or face threatened discipline for respectfully refusing to remove it and issue both public and private apologies to the vaccine advocate referenced within.

I subsequently published two more posts, here and here, which spoke to and confirmed my worst fears pertaining to this issue, and am figuratively putting pen to paper again because those concerns have now materialized.

With the government of Australia having imposed similar and worse draconian measures in response to COVID as those enforced in Canada, I was pleased to learn that over 2500 church leaders Down Under have signed this declaration in opposition to mandatory vaccines. Aware of their responsibility not only to their flocks, but to society at large, and cognizant of the ramifications of the Church’s refusal to biblically engage this issue, these men are faithfully applying God’s Word in obedience to Christ’s command to “disciple the nations”.

As far as I know, pastors in Canada have been largely silent on the vaccine issue, save a few stalwart men; those like James Coates, who was arrested and jailed shortly after preaching this sermon, Tim Stephens, who was also jailed and who recently provided this thoughtful response to mandatory vaccination, as well as Jacob Reaume, who’s received tens of thousands in fines for keeping his church open and who penned this a few weeks ago, faithful men who’ve obediently put all on the line in worship of the King of kings.

Far more troubling than COVID or any other potentially fatal virus, are church officers who fail to appreciate the role of the Church in defending liberty in those nations to which the world has and continues to flee from tyranny. It is our continued hope and fervent prayer that the Lord will convict and embolden far more godly men to rise, speak, and act in defence of those freedoms endowed to all by their Creator, including those related to bodily autonomy, parental authority, worship, commerce, and mobility.