Published July 26, 2024 Flower essences as a form of homeopathic or vibrational medicine were first developed by Dr. Edward Bach – a physician who began working with dilutions of flowering herbs and trees in the 1930s after treating injured soldiers during WWI and studying immunology. He witnessed the power of heavily diluted bacterial nosodes (germs diluted many times in plain water, leaving no active ingredients that can affect the immune system) when developing homeopathic-style vaccines for various infectious ailments. When administering these nosodes, Bach was able to observe very specific personality traits correlated with each one, and eventually used this knowledge to diagnose and treat patients, rather than relying on the outward physical symptoms of the infections. Realizing the potency of homeopathic preparations, Bach set out to find remedies that were beyond bacterial in nature and could act with greater harmony with the human soul. He wanted to treat the WHOLE person – not just infection, but a wide variety of emotional imbalances and the unspoken soul conflicts (loneliness, despair, shame) that affect our personalities, our physical symptoms, our perspectives, actions, relationships, and the quality of our lives. Bach hoped to formulate a system of homeopathic healing that would speak to the human soul more elegantly than bacterial dilutions, and for this, he was drawn to the plants. So in 1930, Bach went back to the Welsh countryside of his ancestry and began to work with and study the native plants he longed to connect with from an early age. As he spent intentional time with various herbs, he began to remember and recognize their immense life-force and healing potential; and soon realized that these qualities were dramatically heightened at the key moments when they blossomed. Over the course of many years, Bach slowly identified the energetics and properties of the first 12, eventually 38, flower remedies which he called essences. Bach’s goal with flower essence medicine was to not only ease the afflictions of the human body, mind, and spirit, but to rekindle the connection between the human soul and the soul of nature. He explained that as we continued to live in a “mechanized and materialistic culture that quantifies and calculates reality, we would need a powerful medicine to antidote this condition.” In fact, in Bach’s writings, he spoke much about the soul. This was purposeful, as he was ridiculed by his colleagues for departing from modern medicine to return to more abstract remedies and primitive concepts and was even reprimanded for making these remedies available to the general public rather than restricting them to approved channels. He replied that “in the olden days, physicians used and taught the use of herbs, and people themselves had a great knowledge of their virtue and were able to care for themselves in many cases of disorder,” with the goal of democratizing this form of medicine to the people, for the people. To Bach, the soul was everything, and plants were the way to get through its conflicts. In his writings, he explained that the soul is far more connected to our physical experience of disease than the current paradigm of medicine was/is willing to accept. He believed that disease is characterized in part by a conflict between one’s personality and their higher self, or soul. Therefore, the path back to actualizing and becoming that higher self involved meeting our defects and faults with competing virtues. To not battle our faults, but develop and exercise the virtues that would make those faults null and void. Therefore, each flower essence Bach created stimulates a positive virtue or quality which is inherent and already exists within our souls. Through their energetic imprint, and our remembering, they catalyze our capacity for self awareness and help our actions align the more loving and virtuous nature that exists within. How do Flower Essences work? Different flowers, like all living things, contain specific energy ‘signatures,’ or frequencies at which they naturally resonate. When two fields of energy or two separate things ‘resonate,’ or rather experience a match to their natural frequency of vibration, their energy is greatly amplified — so much so, that it can even destroy form. For example, if a musical instrument such as a violin is played at a specific pitch (or frequency), it can quite literally shatter crystal due to resonance. Flower Essences work according to this principle of resonance, where one can introduce different frequencies of flowers into the human energy field. These frequencies naturally amplify already-existing frequencies of positive qualities within the human body and spirit, resulting in a subtle shift in energy that can give the body the help it needs to come back into balance. How are Flower Essences made? In the early morning on a sunny day, fresh flower blossoms are carefully gathered from abundant stands of indigenous or naturalized plants in pristine habitats where the expression of that plant is distinct and radiant. The blossoms are placed one by one in glass or crystal bowls filled with clean spring water. This bowl is then placed directly on the earth where the plant grows and flourishes, in the open air and bright sun where the light and heat may help the energetic essence of the blooms imprint into the water. The most beautiful aspect of this dance is that it is a living process and unique to each individual who practices this form of medicine making. Just as no two people pray or meditate the same nor have the exact same internal experience during said prayer or meditation, no two individuals will have the same experience while making essences. One may be called to talk to the flowers, to sing to them, to sit with them before harvesting, to write, to dance. The only true requirement for this way of medicine-making is to have a genuine intention from the heart to connect with and deeply see the essence of the plant. To hold it in respect, listen to its song and story, and feel into its gift. 6 Ways to Use Flower Essences Take several drops, several times daily: directly under the tongue from the stock bottle (4 drops up to 4x daily) Drop into a glass of water (keep covered) or water bottle to be sipped throughout the day Mist: dilute your stock essence in a clean bottle and shake to activate; mist around your face, lips, and immediate environment several times daily Add to baths: 20-30 drops of your stock bottle per bath; stir the water in a figure-eight motion for one minute in each direction to activate. While soaking, pray, sing, meditate, or listen to music that aligns with your healing intention Apply topically: apply to specific parts of the body or chakras that may be registering the pain or dysfunction you’re aiming to heal with the essences Add to cream, lotion, or massage oil: 6-10 drops per oz of product. Massage thoughtfully and intentionally. Olivia’s Essence of the Month: St. John’s Wort During a trip upstate to Roxbury, NY, I found a patch of St. John’s Wort growing wild just above a hidden stream – quite literally, the light amongst the darkness. The dappled sunlight began to spotlight each yellow flower, which were only more pronounced against the shaded, boggy background of the dense stream. This presentation and habitat is the perfect metaphor for the positive qualities of St. John’s Wort Essence, as it illuminates the dark or ‘unseen’ within one’s consciousness and cultivates light-filled awareness. The patterns of imbalance that SJW essence helps with include depression due to lack of deeper meaning and contact with the spiritual world, and fearful or disturbed dreams. “Just as flowers need sunlight to grow, the soul needs light – both physical and spiritual – to flourish.” As I sat with this plant, creating my essence and journaling, all I could think was “everything is beautiful to those who can see.” Our sight, which is our perspective and ability to see the ‘bright side’ in all things, the miracles around every corner and within even the darkest moments, is the sole difference between a magical existence during our short time here on earth, and a mundane or even morbid one. It is therefore our continued work to cultivate that sight and to clear the stagnation from the swamp so that we can see clearly the beauty hidden all around us. St. John’s Wort helps to reinvigorate and reinstate our vitality and a brighter outlook by helping you to remember your light and see the world through the path that it illuminates.
4 min read # S3E26 – HOW TO EMBRACE OUR GRIEF TO ACCESS JOY — Dr. Neeta Bhushan on the importance of emotional resilience through life’s relentless hardships
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3 min read # S3E24 – GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH DEATH — Death Doula Caroline Lee dives into the uncomfortable conversation around death and how we can ease the process for us and others