This is a title that makes me smile. I have had a love relationship with castor oil since reading The Sleeping Prophet by Jess Stearn, a book about Edgar Cayce. I found the book when I was going through a consciousness expansion, having just moved to southern California. I was directed to go to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in Los Angeles. That is where I found the book.
(Quote from a book review of The Sleeping Prophet found on the internet)
“The Edgar Cayce story is one of the most compelling in inspirational literature. For more than forty years, the "Sleeping Prophet" closed his eyes, entered into an altered state of consciousness, and spoke to the very heart and spirit of humankind on subjects such as health, healing, dreams, prophecy, meditation, and reincarnation. His more than 14,000 readings are preserved at the Association for Research and Enlightenment, Inc., in Virginia Beach, Virginia.A native of Kentucky with a ninth-grade education, Edgar Cayce accurately predicted two world wars, including the years they began and ended, racial strife in America, the death of John F. Kennedy, and hundreds of other recorded events. He could apparently travel in time and space to treat the ill, and dispensed information that led to innumerable cures where traditional medicine was helpless. The first to introduce many Americans to the concept of reincarnation, Cayce drew on a subconscious Universal Mind for startling information about past and future. In The Sleeping Prophet, Jess Stearn presents the extraordinary story of his life, his healing, his prophecies, and his powerful legacy.”
Reading this book, along with many other metaphysical experiences I was to have in the years between ages 22-24, was to set me on a path that has created a deep reservoir of knowledge and experience. As I now enter my 7th decade, my love of the healing effects of castor oil has continued to grow. I have turned countless massage therapists and clients on to the healing effects of this powerful, energetic oil.
In March of 1982, I took a class with Hugh Lynn Cayce, Edgar’s son, who created the archives of Edgar’s work. Hugh Lynn passed away just a few months later, on July 4, 1982. The class deepened my commitment to use castor oil packs on my own body. I used the castor oil pack when preparing to have another child and wanted to create a clean environment for the baby to grow. I wanted my colon to be clear along with my uterus. Jessica, my second child, was a conscious conception, a story I share in other blogs and writings. The castor oil packs were a large part of my preparation.
On the other end of the female journey, I used castor oil packs to heal uterine fibroids during menopause. My mother also suffered from uterine fibroids and had a hysterectomy due to the constant bleeding she experienced. I understood her pain when that happened to me, too. The packs were warming, calming, and a way to nurture myself. I made it through my menopause journey with my uterus intact.
One of the challenges so many people have with using the packs is the method. In the beginning, I did the Cayce method of creating the pack. I used cold-pressed and cold-processed oil, heating it carefully on the stove. I poured the warm oil onto a cotton flannel cloth (Edgar used wool). Then, I laid the cloth oil side down on my abdomen, covering the entire area from my pubic bone to my xyphoid process (solar plexus). I added a hot water bottle for the heat. I loved the pack but found the process really messy. As time went on and I began to use them in my massage therapy practice, I found a simpler way to do the castor packs.
First, I hold the oil in my hands (I do tend to have warm hands). Then, I apply the oil liberally in a clockwise stroke to the entire abdomen. I use cotton flannel pillowcases (Land’s End is my go to, they are easy to wash), folded once and placed on the abdomen, over the oil. This way there is less absorption of the oil into the cloth and more oil absorbed into the abdomen. I still use a hot water bottle. A heating pad is fine to use too. I massage the rest of the body and leave the belly for the last part of the face-up massage sequence. I have found that allowing time for the oil to sink in (I have heard that it may absorb to a depth of six inches) creates a warm and soft belly to do an effective abdominal massage.
After the session, I launder the cloth, which was not the way Edgar did it. He suggested reusing the pack over and over and keeping it in the refrigerator so it would not become rancid. I have no trouble with laundering in my method, since very little oil ends up on the cloth.
I continue to use castor oil in so many ways to soothe my aging body. Currently, with arthritis as one of my health challenges, I apply castor oil to my knees and wrap them, leaving the wrap on overnight. In the morning, I am able to walk with less pain in my knee joints. This is only one of the many ways I incorporate castor oil into my personal healthcare routine. If you are interested in more information, I have a booklet for sale on my website, in both ebook and hard copy: Therapeutic Applications for Castor Oil. ADD LINK HERE
Although it is a sticky oil, try it and you will notice the softness that comes once it is absorbed.
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