As we continue learning from our wise ancestors—and what they understood about health, healing, and the sacred gifts of the earth—this week brings us to one of the oldest teachers in human history: the olive tree.
It feels especially fitting during the harvest season, when nature is basically whispering, “Gather what nourishes you, let go of what doesn’t, and please stop pretending you can run on summer energy forever.”
So let’s talk olives. Not the charcuterie-board kind (though those are great), but the ancient, deeply symbolic, endlessly resilient kind.
🫒 Olive Oil as a Sacred Ritual
In ancient Greece, the olive tree wasn’t just a useful plant—it was a symbol of peace, prosperity, and perseverance. According to myth, Athena won the city of Athens by gifting its people the first olive tree. Honestly? A powerful “winner gets naming rights” moment.
Olive oil became the centerpiece of rituals and offerings:
- honoring Athena
- lighting temple lamps
- anointing athletes and newborns
- marking transitions
- soothing tired bodies
And beyond ceremonial use, the olive itself played a major role in Greek daily life and health care. They ate olives regularly—not as a garnish, but as a core food. They believed olives strengthened stamina, sharpened the mind, supported digestion, and promoted longevity. Modern nutrition science would agree with those claims.
The Greeks also used olive oil medicinally. Physicians (yes, including Hippocrates) used it as a treatment for wounds, inflammation, digestive discomfort, skin conditions, fevers, and even as a base for herbal remedies. Olive oil was essentially their early “multi-use salve” long before any wellness influencer tried to sell a 12-in-1 miracle balm.
Taken together, these practices were early versions of integrative health—sensory, nourishing, topical, internal, and embodied. The Greeks understood, without lab tests, that steady rituals paired with nourishing ingredients helped stabilize the mind and body.
And they weren’t wrong.
🔬 What Modern Science Says: Yes, the Olive Tree Still Deserves the Hype
Here’s where ancient wisdom and modern biology shake hands:
Olive oil—especially extra-virgin olive oil—is loaded with polyphenols, a group of compounds with a long résumé:
- Support cardiovascular health
- Reduce inflammation
- Enhance brain function
- Improve mood regulation
- Protect the gut-brain axis
- Support long-term cognitive health
The Mediterranean diet remains one of the most consistently validated eating patterns in research—not because it’s trendy, but because it emphasizes whole foods, steady energy, and nourishment over extremes.
In other words: it helps your system weather seasonal, emotional, and life changes without tipping into chaos.
The Greeks used olive oil to bless their heroes.
We use it to protect our mitochondria.
Same concept, upgraded application.
🍃 Seasonal Transition Support: Olive Rituals for Real Life
This time of year, your body is adjusting to shorter days, cooler air, and the slow descent into “Why is it dark at 4:30?” season. Energy dips are normal. Mood shifts are normal. Wanting a nap at 3 pm is not a moral failing.
Here are a few olive-inspired practices that support regulation, clarity, and steadiness:
1. The 10-Second Drizzle Reset
When you add olive oil to a meal, slow down for just a moment.
Notice the smell, the richness, the warmth.
This tiny sensory pause activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
Translation: your body shifts out of “go-go-go” and into “digest-rest-restore.”
2. Light a Small Lamp or Candle
Olive oil fueled sacred lamps; light helped anchor focus and presence.
You can borrow the essence of this ritual without setting up a temple in your kitchen.
One candle = one moment of intention.
Ask yourself: What do I want clarity around today? What do I want to let go?
The brain likes concrete cues. A flame works.
3. Ask the Perseverance Questions
This is a grounding reflection, not homework:
- Where have I been more resilient than I realize?
- Where am I forcing urgency when I could choose steadier pacing?
- What am I harvesting from this season of my life—skills, lessons, boundaries, strength?
No productivity-driven, just gaining clarity.
4. Offer an Olive Branch (Literally or Otherwise)
Offer peace somewhere—internally or externally.
A softened tone.
A reset with your kid after a rough morning.
A break from the loop of self-criticism.
Small gestures of peace reduce cortisol more than people realize.
🌿 Closing Thoughts: What the Olive Teaches
If last week’s quinoa reminded us that nourishment fuels steadiness, the olive reminds us that perseverance doesn’t require intensity—it requires consistency. And consistency is much easier when you’re nourished, rested, and supported by rhythms that work with your biology, not against it.
So this Sacred Saturday, consider this your permission slip to embrace what’s steady, what’s grounding, and what’s actually sustainable. Let the rest compost itself.
Gather what nourishes.
Release what’s spent.
Stay rooted, stay curious, and maybe add an extra drizzle of well-deserved goodness.
You’re building resilience the way nature intended: slowly, steadily, and with a life-sustaining nourishment.
TL;DR (Because sometimes you’ve got 30 seconds and a lukewarm coffee)
- The ancient Greeks considered the olive tree sacred, especially in rituals honoring Athena.
- They didn’t just use olive oil ceremonially—they ate olives daily and used both olives and olive oil as medicine for digestion, inflammation, wounds, and skin health.
- Modern research backs up their instincts: extra-virgin olive oil is rich in polyphenols that support heart health, brain function, inflammation regulation, and mood.
- Seasonal transitions stress the body, and olive-inspired grounding rituals (slow meals, simple intentions, small acts of peace) support calmer, steadier regulation.
- Main takeaway: your nervous system responds well to nourishment, repetition, and small symbolic acts. Think: less grind, more olive drizzle.
___________________
Begin Within
and align with the rhythm of nature and self.
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