Flower essances

What Are Flower Essences??
>
> Flower Essences are a fascinating and powerful way to work with
> plants for healing. Working with herbs themselves, as extracts of
> various kinds or as food sources, uses the chemical components of
> the herbs as well as their vital energies. Aromatherapy uses a
> particular set of the chemicals present in plants and also engages
> their energies. Flower essences contain an absolute minimum of
> chemical and biological material, and offer wholely the energies of
> the plants.
>
>
>
> Flower essences are water-based solutions which contain the
> essential energies of flowers. They are made by floating flowers in
> water and allowing the light of the sun (or in some cases the moon
> or stars) to help the water absorb the energy signature of the
> flowers. The structure of the water molecule is such that it can
> store these energies.
>
> When a person places a few drops of a flower essence under the
> tongue, the energy of the flower floods one's aura, vibrating at its
> own special frequency, and can nudge the vibrations in a person's
> aura toward their own frequency. This creates an immediate effect on
> the emotional and spiritual levels of the aura. In the section about
> how the essences work, I will try to explain how this effect can
> progress to healing on the physical level as well.
>
> History
>
> I am sure people have worked with plants in this way for
> millenia...washing one's face with dew on Beltane morning, or being
> prompted to lick the dew off particularly beautiful flowers.
>
> It was the work of a sensitive and dedicated physician, Dr Edward
> Bach, which first started to characterise the healing properties of
> these preparations. Bach was a medical doctor with an interest in
> homeopathy. He worked for many years within this discipline and
> developed remedies called nosomes, which were homeopathic
> preparations of bacteria. He became discouraged at how little it
> seemed medicine was able to heal. His work convinced him that if
> people could be at peace emotionally, they would be and stay
> healthy. Recognising that he had always felt most peaceful in the
> woods near his childhood home in Wales, he decided to take a break
> from practice and go there for a period of contemplation.
>
> I'm fictionalising based on facts here, but one can imagine that
> after a while of looking for answers and failing to find them, he
> might be getting somewhat desperate. Then, one morning, while
> walking along a path ruminating on whether he should return to his
> practice, his attention was drawn to the lovely flowers of
> Impatiens. Seeing the dew sparkling on the petals, he was drawn to
> lick it off, as he remembered doing as a child. Being the sensitive
> he was, he realised that the impatience he had been feeling a moment
> ago was gone. Whatever had been guiding him suggested he should see
> if this effect could be reproduced by doing the same thing the next
> day. Presumably it was, and the rest, as they say, is history.
>
> Bach realised that the water that had sat on the flowers soaked in
> some sort of energy from the flowers that could have an effect on
> his emotions. Just as the Impatiens helped dispell impatience and
> irritability, he discovered that Mimulus could calm everyday fears.
> As he worked with the flowers, characterising the effects they could
> have on emotions, he discovered that if he could give the right
> flower essence to lessen the predominant emotion that was disturbing
> a person's peace, certain physical ailments they suffered from could
> also be relieved.
>
> Bach died very young, but in his lifetime, he characterised the
> healing energies of thirty eight plants. These remedies are detailed
> at the homepage of The Dr Edward Bach Centre in Mount Vernon,
> England.
>
> Since Bach's death, the study of flower essences has exploded.
> People from all over the world have made a point of studying the
> healing energies of their native flora. There are companies making
> essences in Hawaii, Alaska, Ariazona, Australia, California, British
> Columbia, India, South America...and probably many more places I
> haven't yet heard about.
>
> It is beyond the scope of this site to list all the essences that
> are available, and could well infringe copyright, but I have links
> to many sites where more information is offered.
>
> How They Work
>
>
>
>
> The essences contain the healing energies of the flowers from which
> they are made. In the words of Dr Bach, they "cure by flooding our
> bodies with beautiful vibrations of Higher Nature which melt dis-
> ease like snow in the sunshine."
> Bach's theory is that we are born perfect, but life stresses make us
> develop defences and ways of coping, and these pull us out of
> alignment with our spirit. Distress at the level of spirit is
> translated into physical dis-ease: Bach saw disease as a way that
> our spirit tells us how our behaviour or attitudes are getting in
> the way of our health. By healing our unhealthy patterns, we can
> relieve any physical dis-ease we have collected. Unhealthy emotional
> patterns can cause tightness or even scarring that blocks the
> natural flow of energies in our bodies, and so parts of us cease to
> vibrate in harmony with the whole.
>
> The flower essences fill our auras with the vibration they contain,
> and help loosen any energy blockages that keep us from vibrating at
> our natural frequency. Once such blocks are removed, and our energy
> bodies are vibrating freely, the physical ailments caused by the
> energy blockages will resolve.
>
> Bach taught that if we help people to emotional harmony, they will
> be healthy. The essences target emotional pattern s that we pick up
> as defence mechanisms on our way through life. Bach demonstrated
> that two people who experience debilitating fear may have different
> physical ailments, but a remedy that helps this fear will heal the
> ailments of both. Similarly two people with (for example) similar
> cases of eczema but different emotions disturbing their peace can
> both have their eczema healed by taking remedies appropriate to
> their emotional symptoms. Time and time again he demonstrated cures
> for those suffering serious physical diseases using his remedies in
> this way.
>
>
> Advantages and Disadvantages
>
>
>
> There is virtually no physical, chemical plant material in the
> essences, so there is almost no risk of allergies or adverse
> effects. Brandy is used in the essences as a preservative, but as a
> dose is only four drops, and these can be administered in warm
> water, the alcohol can be evaporated before the remedy is taken. For
> someone sensitive to brandy, the essences can be prepared in another
> preservative like glycerine or vinegar.
> These remedies have the advantage of being completely safe. They
> contain little if any organic material to cause physical ill-
> effects. All of the energies involved are positive, and if an
> inappropriate remedy is chosen, the effect wears off quickly.
> Therefore, self prescription can do no harm, as long as serious
> conditions that need medical attention are not ignored. One can
> learn about the effects of the essences by trying them out without
> taking any risk. I suppose that an overdose of lovingness might
> induce one to do something s/he might regret later...so I advise
> strongly against taking more than the suggested dose of four drops
> at a time.
>
> Unlike homeopathic remedies, flower essences are not effected by
> aromatics such as coffee or mint; they can be taken with food or any
> other substance and be effective. Their benefits for the emotions
> are not based on any sort of physical effect on the nervous system
> so they are non-addictive.
>
> Because of the dilution process outlined below, one bowlfull of
> flowers can make enough flower essence for several million
> individual doses. It is an extremely efficient way to use biological
> material, and one way to avoid the danger of extinction that is
> threatening some popular herbs in the wild.
>
> However, flower essences work on the emotions and spirit, and their
> effects can take some time to manifest on a physcial level. If one
> is open to change, their effect can be dramatic indeed, but if one
> resists the nudge they give the emotions, they may have little
> visible effect in the short run.
>
> Rescue Remedy
>
> Bach also made a combination of five essences which he called Rescue
> Remedy. This remedy has been used for decades to help people in
> states of extreme shock, anxiety, or agitation. It is a great help
> in dealing with nervousness before exams or interviews, or in any
> situation (such as a healing crisis) where intense emotions are
> coming up and one cannot take time out to deal with them. It can be
> used in emergencies to help people stay grounded. It is given to
> victims of accidents to help them avoid shock. I have seen it have
> pronounced calming effects on people suffering drug withdrawal.
>
> It combines the essences of Star of Bethlehem, which helps deal with
> the shock of trauma: Rock Rose, which helps reduce terror: Cherry
> Plum, which helps deal with the fear of losing one's mind in extreme
> states of fright: Clematis, which helps one center in the present:
> and Impatiens, which helps one deal with things one at a time rather
> than staying trapped in the hope that everything will be cleared up
> at once. I have both seen and experienced how this remedy can help
> people in severe mental distress calm down enough to start dealing
> with their situations.
>
> This remedy can be taken in a glass of warm water, rubbed on the
> lips of an unconscious accident victim, or even sprayed in the air
> in a crowd where emotions are running high. It is also sold as a
> cream which can be massaged into an injured area.
>
> Making Flower Essences
>
> It is best to find flowers just as they are opening in the Spring,
> full of vital energy. It is usually best to make essences as early
> as possible in the day, just after the dew evapourates, as the
> plants' energy can dissipate in heat. It is also best to pick
> flowers from as many different plants of the same species as there
> are available.
>
> Get into a meditative state and communicate with the flowers, let
> them know why you want to make an essence and what you hope to use
> it for. Ask permission to pick the flowers for this purpose and wait
> for an answer. Ask the deva or spirit of the flower to help you and
> help transfer all available healing energy into the essence.
>
> Pick the blossoms without touching them if you can; it's best to use
> cotton gloves. Float the flowers in a clear glass bowl of spring
> water. Put the bowel in the sun. Usually takes 2-4 hours depending
> on the weather; the energy absorption will take longer if it's
> cloudy. Ask the deva or spirit when you think they are done, and
> wait for an answer.
>
> Filter the liquid and mix it with brandy, three parts of solution to
> two parts of brandy. This is the Mother Tincture. Pour into dark
> glass bottles. All essences should be stored out of light and heat,
> away from sources of electromagnetic energy.
>
> To make a Stock Solution, put 3 drops of the Mother Tincture in one
> ounce of fluid; again, this fluid is three parts of water to two
> parts brandy. This Stock Solution is what you buy from suppliers or
> retailers. Both it and the Mother Tincture can be stored for many
> years without loss of potency.
>
> To make a Dosage bottle, put 3 drops of stock solution in one ounce
> of spring water. Add 1 tsp of either brandy, glycerine, or vinegar.
> You can often get by without the preservative in the dosage bottle
> if you refrigerate and use within 2 weeks.
>
> Up to six different essences may be mixed in a dosage bottle,
> depending on your needs.
>
> To take the essences, put four drops from the dosage bottle under
> the tongue four times daily.
>
> Choosing Flower Essences
>
> Someone who is knowledgeable about the essences and good at drawing
> people out in an interview can often determine quite quickly which
> essences are likely to help another person.
>
> The best way to choose the remedies is to read the descriptions and
> think about whether the they paint an accurate picture of either
> your current or habitual emotional patterns. There are also
> questionares available which allow one to select essences for
> him/herself.
>
> Many people use muscle testing to choose flower essences. The theory
> behind muscle testing, which is also called "biokinesiology, " is
> that our muscles will be stronger when we focus on something
> positive for our system than when we focus on something likely to
> harm us. You can try this by holding your arm out in front of you
> and stating your name; a friend trying to push your arm down will
> find it strong. Then say, "My name is Ethelred;" if your name is
> not, in fact, Ethelred, your friend will likely find it easy to push
> your arm down. It is actually possible to learn to muscle test for
> oneself using the small muscles in the fingers. Machaelle Wright
> describes this technique in her book "Flower Essences."
>
> Muscle testing can be used to confirm the essences one chooses by
> reading about them, or it can be used as the exclusive tool for
> choice.
>
> Someone who is confident in the use of a pendulum or other intuitive
> techniques can also select essences in this way.
>
> I have found that in general the Bach essences work best with long-
> term emotional patterns. The Flower Essence Services (also
> called "California" ) essences can work with long term patterns, but
> can also work very well with short-term spritual or emotional
> challenges. Perelandra essences tend to work best with situational
> challenges. Some essences will be relevent for months or years, and
> can be taken in several consecutive dosage bottles. Some will be
> relevent for a number of days.
>
> In Flower Essences, Michael Wright outlines techniques that work
> through disease processes or emotional patterns by taking single
> doses of essences determined by muscle testing, then testing for any
> further essences needed, until the testing provides the answer that
> one is clear of further emotional patterns needing essences at the
> present time.
>
> When one is starting, I would suggest reading about the Bach
> essences and selecting one or two remedies that seem relevent to
> take for a month or two. See what sort of difference this makes for
> you. I also think every household should have a bottle of Rescue
> Remedy to use for anything from cuts, stings, and poison ivy, to
> intense emotional situations and frank emergencies. If one is
> interested in using the essences for healing or spiritual growth,
> s/he might then consider buying a small set such as the Perelandra
> essences and using them along with meditation, journalling, and
> internal journeys.
>
> If you are sensitive to plants, you can start making essences from
> the plants that seem to stand out and attract your attention. Often
> these will be the plants whose energies will help you. If you work
> this way, you might want to enlist the help of clarivoyant or
> clairaudient friends sensitive to energies, who can validate your
> impressions about the effects of the essences. As one works with
> these remedies and reads the descriptions offered by the companies
> that have developed lines of essences based on local flora, it
> becomes obvious that Nature has supplied every region with plants
> whose energies cover the whole range of emotional healing needs.
>
> This is an exciting field because the essences can be extremely
> powerful, but it is safe to experiment. It also brings one into
> deeper contact with the plants, seeing them as energy beings who can
> join us as partners in our healing, rather than as packets of
> chemicals. It helps us deepen our awareness of the Divine in all
> living things, and to connect with the unique presentations of
> Divinity in our friends the plants.