Sandalwood by Bob Romero

One of the most widely used and very powerful metaphysical elements on earth is sandalwood. It mainly comes from Southeast Asia and Malaysia. It has been a part of many different religions and cultures for many different uses for thousands of years. In addition to having similar metaphysical properties to crystals, it is also used for smudging like sage, can be burned as incense, and has many healing benefits as an essential oil. It is also used for building temples and for carved statues.

Like sage, sandalwood is used to clear negative energies and for purification. As an incense, it is used in spiritual practices and in meditation to connect to Spirit. It has a sweet soft wooden smell and is the scent associated with an archangel with a similar name, Archangel Sandaphon. Sandalwood is a very potent essential oil for healing in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. It helps cure skin disorders, calms the mind and the nervous system, and helps you sleep. It is being researched for a long list of treatments, that are too many to be listed here. Treatment for cancer and respiratory illnesses like bronchitis are some notable ones. Sandalwood is a high vibrational material and has similar metaphysical characteristics to those of some crystals. It can be used for grounding like black tourmaline or smoky quartz for the root chakra, or for opening the third eye like amethyst, or even paired with other crystals.

The other similarity to crystals that sandalwood has is for prayer beads. Sandalwood beads are used for rosaries and malas. One nice thing about malas is that if you want to have their energy continuously available to you, you can wear them as necklaces or bracelets. They are mainly used to keep count, but having a high vibrational material like Sandalwood or a crystal for the beads will amplify the intention. Both the repetition of a prayer or mantra along with the sacred material will shout your intention to the universe. One of my favorite techniques is to use a Sandalwood mala and just say the intention 108 times. Because energy follows thought, that will create a lot of energy to follow the same thought many times.