Salt of the Earth
Posted on October 17, 2019 by dragonspitapothecary
Every now and then we meet these incredibly moving people that are described as “salt of the Earth” type of souls. They are kind, soft spoken, worldly and wise. They cross our paths in our daily life and provide these powerful experiences from their words or our interactions with them that change our worldview, improve our day or life overall. These salt of the Earth people are rare and precious.
I have always wondered where the term salt of the Earth came from. We all know salt is a natural earthly element and there is plenty of salt everywhere on this planet. If salt of the Earth people are rare why are they compared to a commodity that is common, inexpensive and readily available? When I truly dig under the meaning, perhaps this term of endearment is to mean more of us should also be salt of the Earth types and building our connection to Earth overall? This leads us to a place where we are developing our own wisdom and worldly experiences that we can then pass down to others.
Salt also has a negative connotation sometimes. We think of salty dogs referring to pirate ship crews and also fun dogs who enjoyed the beach and now need a bath. Too much salt in our bodies can impact health and reducing salt is healthy. Too much salt added as an ingredient to food can ruin the dish. Salt water doesn’t make good drinking water and our world’s drinking water supply is diminishing with the ice caps. Salt is yet an ingredient we use daily, whether we get too much or not enough, it is still present and around us with every food, beverage and experience we have in life. It is in our ground when we garden, in our water we drink and in our food for flavor. You cannot avoid salt entirely. It is very much the element of the Earth.
So how does one become a salt of the Earth person while not having the negative connotations of salt following them like a pirate? How are these two even intermingled? Can you be a low-salty person and still wise?
Having a Positive Relationship with Salt
I think salt is actually the secret age old wisdom of life itself. When you look at the history of salt it was once a prized and valuable item often only accessible by the rich and royal. This was in large part due to the labor intensity required to harvest salt. The Romans paid their soldiers in salt and this is where our word salary comes from today from the Latin word for salt.
In religion salt is referred to quite often in the Old Testament most notably with Lot’s wife being turned to salt for disobedience. In many Eastern religions salt is used to purify and repel against evil. In Germany it is believed salt was first added to butter to prevent witches from souring a cows milk. It is also used in protection against being fairy-struck.
I often think of this information when I reach for my own salt grinder in my kitchen. Those pink small nuggets of salt that I press a button to grind up and use in food were once something I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford and yet it could have protected my family against evil and fairies. Well, I guess a little extra salt in my dish may still have some of that power right? As long as
I don’t spill any because according to Ozark folklores that can mean a quarrel or evil is on the way.
I respect salt’s purpose in my life. It makes food taste better and I understand it’s health benefits in supporting my under performing thyroid. I also see how salt’s journey could be that of mystic, magic, religion and value. Today I use salt primarily for cooking but also in some of the DIYs we do around the house. It’s actually a very good ingredient to add to household cleaners for some scrubbing power. So, while I think salt can get a bad rap for unhealthy or evil reasons I think it’s purpose and presence in our every day lives is actually positive and we can use it more to our benefit. Here’s what I recommend:
Salt Soaks
While on our family vacation this year I had the opportunity to try one of those salt pod soaks. You know the ones where you go in a deprivation tank and you float on over 1500 pounds of Epsom salt diluted in ankle deep water for at least an hour. Since we’ve been home I’ve been on a hunt to find one in our area to do it again. It was seriously one of the most relaxing experiences I’ve ever been through.
It took a while for me to “relax” but the quiet, the darkness, the warmness of the water and the soothing feel of the entire experience has stuck with me. I left that pod after an hour soak feeling entirely renewed and yet very relaxed, content and at peace. While we have a salt water pool in our backyard and I really love just floating in it, the salt pod experience is definitely one of a kind.
Salt Baths
Enjoying a soak in a tub with Epsom salts, bubbles and doTERRA oils is an wonderful relaxing experience too. I love to add 4-5 drops of Lavender, maybe some Bergamot or Rosemary because it adds a wonderful emotional element to the bath. These particular oils are soothing and provide some balancing support to our emotions while we soak. Rosemary is also wonderful for your hair to help with making it stronger, shinier and protect against split ends.
Epsom salts are known for their detoxification and soothing properties that help with soreness, muscle relaxation and illnesses that are coming on. I always envision these salts soaking the bad out of my body. This is particularly helpful to do when you’re starting to feel like you’re coming down with something. Add in 4-5 drops of doTERRA OnGuard and Melaleuca to the water to help the salt draw out those impurities and give your immune system a boost.
Salt Mouthwash
In winter especially we see an uptick in sore throats, scratchy voices and sores around the mouth due to fevers. There’s nothing more unpleasant than feeling a continual frog in your throat while you’re trying to get through the work day.
Instead of reaching for the over-the-counter medicines that honestly do nothing in the way of healing against these types of illnesses try a salt mouthwash. Take a cup of warm water and add in some salt with 1 drop doTERRA Melaleuca and then gargle and swish it throughout your mouth before spitting it out. This again gives your body that boost of immune support while starting the healing process on bacteria, germs and viruses that are infecting your throat and mouth.
Salt Flavoring
There is a lot of salt in our foods so when many people start to eat healthy they often comment about how bland or tasteless healthy food tastes to them. Let’s all admit that celery has no taste what so ever which is why so many people add peanut butter and other goodies to it.
When it comes to using salt in food it can be done to support healthy eating and not result in bad health conditions like blood pressure and cholesterol. For those of you that are like me with thyroid problems salt is actually highly recommended in your diet.
I have come to love adding flavorings to salts so that it is ready to use in things like chicken and beef dishes. For instance you can pre make rosemary lemon salt and have it ready to use in chicken any time you need it. This is the blog post I did providing several salt recipes that you can use in your own home as well as have as gifts.
https://dragonspitapothecary.wordpress.com/2018/08/10/seasoning-salts/
Salt of the Earth
When you use salt wisely in your life I think that very much makes you a salt of the Earth person. Your wisdom can be shared with others to help them enjoy the pleasures and benefits of salt and you probably also have some other worldly experiences you can share between you. For this reason I think there are always going to be deeply rich souls that are salt of the Earth endearing but when you come right down to it we are also on our own salt of the Earth journey.
If you are ready to bring your salt journey to a more natural path and experience the benefits of pure natural elements to support your health then I invite you to come explore and learn with me! Including these elements in your life is easy, affordable and beneficial. To learn more and customize the experience to your needs simply click here: