Incense, Salt, Oil, and Dreams
The Christian Ritual Language We Keep Pretending Isn’t There
There’s a strange habit in modern Christian culture: we act like faith is supposed to be “purely internal,” like anything physical—smoke, water, oil, salt, light, even fasting—must be suspicious or “other.” And yet, when you actually read the Bible and look at early Christian practice, you find something very different.
Christianity has always had ritual language. Not because God needs props, but because human beings are embodied. We learn through touch, scent, sight, sound, and repetition. Scripture consistently uses physical symbols to communicate spiritual realities: purification, protection, covenant, consecration, healing, guidance, and transformation.
So if you’ve ever felt confused about why people call certain practices “new age” when they feel deeply familiar… you’re not imagining it. A lot of what gets labeled as “modern spirituality” is simply a remix of ancient spiritual patterns—many of which show up clearly in the biblical tradition.
Let’s walk through the practices you listed—incense and candles, stones and gems, fasting, spiritual baths, cleansing with salt—and then widen the lens to include spiritual gifts, anointing oil, dreams, holy water symbolism, divine light, and more.
1) Burning Incense and Candles: Prayer You Can Smell and See
Incense is one of the oldest “prayer symbols” in the Judeo-Christian world. It’s not random. It’s visual and sensory theology: what’s happening in the spirit is being reflected in the air.
“May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:2)
Incense becomes a sign of devotion rising, a way of sanctifying space, and a tangible reminder that prayer is not just a thought—it’s an offering.
Candles work similarly. Light has always been a central Christian symbol, not just aesthetically, but spiritually and doctrinally.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Early Christians didn’t need electricity to understand that light changes a room. Candles became a visible witness to the truth Christianity keeps insisting: darkness does not get the final word.
2) Crystals and Stones: Less “Crystal Culture,” More “Sacred Symbol”
Here’s where people get jumpy. The explicit “use of crystals” isn’t laid out like a modern metaphysical shop manual—true. But the symbolism of stones and gems is all over scripture.
One of the most direct images is the biblical emphasis on precious stones as part of sacred design and spiritual meaning.
“The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.” (Revelation 21:19)
In the Old Testament tradition, the High Priest’s breastplate carried twelve stones with deep symbolic significance tied to the tribes of Israel. That tells you something important: stones were not viewed as meaningless matter. They could represent identity, covenant, memory, and divine order.
So while early Christianity may not have documented crystal practices in the way modern spirituality does, the Bible absolutely supports the idea that material objects can carry symbolic weight in a spiritual framework.
3) Fasting: Spiritual Strength Through Voluntary Restraint
Fasting isn’t a trend. It’s foundational. From the beginning, fasting was understood as a way to purify the body, sharpen spiritual focus, build endurance, and draw nearer to God.
But the Bible is very clear: fasting isn’t meant to be performance.
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do…” (Matthew 6:16)
Fasting is about alignment—removing distractions, confronting dependence, and making space for prayer.
And scripture also frames fasting as spiritually effective in situations that require deeper warfare, deeper humility, and deeper clarity.
“But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21)
That verse alone destroys the idea that fasting is optional fluff. In biblical logic, fasting is sometimes a tool for breakthrough.
4) Spiritual Baths: Baptism, Washing, and the Theology of Cleansing
“Spiritual baths” might not be the historic Christian phrase, but the concept is absolutely present.
Baptism is a cleansing ritual tied to repentance, rebirth, and transformation. It is physical water carrying spiritual meaning.
“I baptize you with water for repentance… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11)
Early Christian practice also included washings and ablutions connected to purification. The point wasn’t superstition—it was spiritual formation: what is inward is reflected outward.
This is why even the prophets speak of God cleansing people with water as an image of inner purification.
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean…” (Ezekiel 36:25)
And later, the New Testament echoes this cleansing symbolism as spiritual reality:
“…having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us… and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22)
So if someone tries to tell you Christianity has no cleansing framework, that’s not a theology issue—that’s a reading issue.
5) Cleansing with Salt: Covenant, Protection, and Spiritual Preservation
Salt shows up in scripture as more than seasoning. Salt is covenant language. Preservation language. Protection language.
Jesus uses salt as a metaphor for identity and impact:
“You are the salt of the earth…” (Matthew 5:13)
And in Old Testament ritual offerings, salt was explicitly tied to covenant faithfulness:
“Season all your grain offerings with salt… add salt to all your offerings.” (Leviticus 2:13)
Salt represents something that lasts. Something that keeps. Something that purifies and preserves.
So when modern people use salt for cleansing or protection, they are not pulling a concept out of thin air. The Bible already treats salt as spiritually meaningful.
6) Charisms: Spiritual Gifts Are Not “Rare Exceptions”
A lot of people want Christianity to be tidy—quiet faith, quiet God, quiet experiences. But the New Testament is not shy about spiritual gifts.
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them…” (1 Corinthians 12:4–10)
Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, interpretation—this is the Bible describing a spiritual ecosystem, not a sterile religion.
Whether a church embraces this openly or tries to downplay it, the text still says what it says: spiritual gifting is part of Christian life.
7) Relics and Objects: When “Contact” Becomes a Channel
This makes modern readers uncomfortable, but scripture describes physical objects associated with a person of faith becoming a point of healing.
“God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick…” (Acts 19:11–12)
You can argue about how to interpret it, but you can’t pretend it’s not there. The early Christian worldview did not always separate “spiritual power” from “material contact” the way modern Western rationalism prefers.
8) Pilgrimages: Sacred Movement and Spiritual Intention
While not always “commanded,” travel to holy places is woven through biblical life, carrying over from Jewish tradition into Christian practice.
“Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” (Luke 2:22)
Pilgrimage is essentially the practice of moving with spiritual intention—traveling as devotion, as remembrance, as alignment.
9) Asceticism: Discipline as Devotion
Asceticism gets a bad reputation because people have used it to shame the body. But biblically, the idea is about resisting attachment to what dulls spiritual clarity.
“Do not love the world or anything in the world…” (1 John 2:15)
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24)
The point isn’t self-hatred. It’s self-mastery. It’s choosing God over compulsions.
10) Psalms and Scripture as Protection: Prayer, Not Manipulation
It’s true: scripture is not meant to be used as “magic” in the sense of controlling outcomes or bending God to human will.
But the Psalms, especially, have been treated across centuries as powerful prayers—comfort, protection, deliverance, grounding.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)
The difference is intention. Prayer is relationship. Manipulation is control. Christianity supports the former, not the latter—while still acknowledging the spiritual potency of the Word.
11) Anointing with Oil: Healing, Covering, and Community Care
Oil is one of the clearest examples of ritual + healing in Christian practice:
“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders… and anoint them with oil…” (James 5:14)
And the disciples practiced it:
“They… anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” (Mark 6:13)
This is not metaphor. This is embodied ministry. Oil becomes a sign of care, faith, and spiritual covering.
12) Dreams and Visions: God Speaking Beyond the Rational Mind
The Bible takes dreams seriously—not as entertainment, but as a legitimate channel of guidance and revelation.
“Your sons and daughters will prophesy… your old men will dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17)
Joseph receives guidance through dreams (Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19). This is Christianity acknowledging what many cultures have always known: God can speak through the inner world.
13) Holy Water and Divine Light: Purification and Illumination
Even when the phrase “holy water” isn’t used explicitly, the symbolism is everywhere: cleansing, renewal, conscience purification.
And divine light imagery is one of scripture’s most consistent themes:
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts…” (2 Corinthians 4:6)
The Transfiguration is essentially a “divine light” encounter:
“His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” (Matthew 17:2)
Christianity has always spoken the language of light, illumination, glory, and spiritual awakening—whether modern people know what to do with that language or not.
The Bigger Point: Christianity Has Always Been More “Spiritual” Than We Admit
If you grew up hearing that incense, salt cleansing, ritual washing, anointing oil, dreams, or sacred objects are automatically “occult,” I want to say this plainly:
That claim doesn’t match the biblical record.
What the Bible does warn against is idolatry, exploitation, and trying to control spiritual power for ego-driven purposes. But it does not erase ritual. It doesn’t erase symbols. It doesn’t erase embodied devotion.
It shows a faith that is deeply practical and deeply mystical at the same time—because real spirituality isn’t sterile. It’s lived. It’s felt. It’s practiced.
Reflection Questions
Which of these practices feels most familiar to you, and why?
Have you ever been taught to fear something that is actually present in scripture?
What is the difference, in your mind, between spiritual devotion and spiritual control?
If Christianity embraced embodied ritual more openly, what might change in how people heal?