OPENING THE FLOWER OF AWARENESS:

Flower Essences For Psychic Development

(originally published in the International Tarot Society News, Winter 2001 issue)

WHAT ARE FLOWER ESSENCES?

Flower essences are sometimes confused with essential oils or perfume essences. They are actually powerful, alchemically-charged remedies used in a homeopathic manner. Developed in the 1930's by Dr. Edward Bach, flower essences release deep-seated and provoking concerns within the individual. He recognized that modern medicine needed a method to alleviate issues and complexes that may hinder healing. In simplest terms, flower essences unblock energy pathways, thus allowing healing, love, and personal evolution to flow through the body, psyche and spirit. Since Dr. Bach's time, and with the legacy of his definitive work, many new flower and vibrational essences have been developed. Each essence targets unique psychological issues.

Briefly, flower essences are made by placing a bud or flower collected with morning dew in a bowl of spring water, and allowing it to seep in the sunlight. This alchemical process draws the "essence" or "spirit" of the plant into the water. Crystals and stones may be added to enhance the energy. This "bowl stock" is then blended with brandy, and then in a homeopathic fashion diluted yet again to create the "mother stock". Mother stock is what is available at most health food stores. Flower essences are used by putting a couple of drops in a cup of water, and drinking this mixture three or four times a day. Results are noticeable within the first few days, but may be used for 1-2 months.

Flower essences are remarkably effective, but require willing recognition and a conscious effort to work with the process. The individual must take responsibility for releasing inner obstacles and behavior patterns that hinder development and soul growth. It is not a free ride by any means. They assist in the gradual process of eliminating impurities within the soul and psyche, which is the primary goal of alchemy.

Miraculously, even magically, like the ant that can carry one hundred times its weight, those few drops are amazingly potent. The effect of flower essences is cathartic. They loosen emotional issues and complexes buried in the psyche so they may float to the surface of the conscious mind and into recognition. Subsequent adjustments in beliefs, behaviors, life transitions, and personal needs are eased into place. Some essences are more powerful than others, and the 38 Bach remedies are the foundational remedies. Certified flower essence expert Rebecca Kuron suggests that people should begin a course of flower remedies with selected Bach essences (listed below) in order to flush out multi-generational and karmic obstacles. Other brands of essences used subsequently are thereby made more effective, as the individual is more sensitized to recognizing the cathartic process.

GETTING STARTED

A spectrum of essences is available for the development of psychic abilities. Some remedies are suited to those practitioners who read oracles and counsel others - a particularly demanding and draining occupation. For those who wish to enhance their ability to meditate or pursue inner development, further essences are listed. There are literally hundreds of flower and vibrational essences available, well beyond the scope of this article, so a list of useful reference works is provided in the endnotes.

Core Bach essences one should consider beginning with are: Walnut (for transitions and changes); Wild Oat (to focus on goals and avoid distractions); Holly (for universal love and softening the heart chakhra from past sorrows); and Willow (for easing past resentments, and creating a state of optimism and faith, and control of personal destiny). Of all these, Walnut is probably the most important and potent remedy, as it prepares one for the incredible inner transition that flower essences can provide. After 2 - 4 weeks of daily consumption of the Bach remedies, one is ready to approach other essences.

Remedies are organized below in useful categories. It is recommended to use only 3 - 4 remedies at a time, as using too many can create confusion. It is important to determine which remedies are actually promoting the desired results. A few essences are repeated in different categories as they have broader applications. Bach flower essences are noted; the others are North American essences, most are available from the Flower Essence Society.

Psychic and Intuitive Development

Mugwort: Powerful #1 remedy that integrates psychic and dream life with waking state; and smoothes transition from sleep to waking. Enhances receptivity and balances sensitivities, merging the astral and physical bodies. Gently opens the 3d eye, increasing visionary power, while minimizing overly-emotional states and hysteria. Also can use a few drops in a bath, or to cleanse crystals, or for washing hands before Reiki or massage work. Begin work with Mugwort on a Full or New Moon cycle.

Lady's Slipper: Circulates upper chakhra light to lower centers, and unblocks inner powers. Integrates spirit with daily work; a nervous system tonic great for exhausted states. Psychic impressions received from the physical body are enhanced and more easily channeled to the conscious mind.

Queen Anne's Lace: Integrates psychic with emotional, instinctual self, promotes clairvoyance. Removes debris from 3d eye chakhra; harmonizes higher and lower selves. Refines visionary abilities.

Star Tulip: enhances ability to "listen" to spirit entities, self and others, and enhances intuition. Opens access the quiet voices within, and restores connection to feelings and intuitive capacities. Inner healing.

Canyon Dudleya: For healthy spiritual flowering, avoiding loss of grounding; physical and emotional vitality is properly harnessed and harmonized with spiritual ego. Prevents over-preoccupation with psychic experience, or distortion and confusion about true spiritual experiences.

Counseling and Relating to Clients

Mullein: for self honesty and authenticity with others. Supports moral consciousness.

Holly (Bach): for universal love and compassion, Christ consciousness; foundation remedy for unity and wholeness; nourishes heart and promotes an inclusive, loving view of others.

Fawn Lily: for sharing spiritual gifts with others; disseminating knowledge and stimulates natural healing and teaching capacities.

Calendula: for warm, compassionate dialog with others; receptivity, creative speech; balances active and receptive modes of communication.

Water Violet (Bach): promotes sharing of self and feeling true and honest emotions. Helpful for counseling burn-out or excessive shielding. Encourages warm and tender exchanges with others; restores emotional vitality; addresses feelings of superiority or prejudices.

Psychic Protection and Aura Strengthening

Yarrow: Powerful aura enhancement; repels negativity and psychic toxicity. Knits up holes in aura shield; good generally for those on overload from the drains of modern society and technology.

Pink Yarrow: Enhances separation from feelings and thoughts of others, i.e. psychic bleed-through. Promotes objectivity and containment.

Golden Yarrow: Develops aura shield's integrity, and encourages healthy emotional and psychic boundaries between self and others without being closed off or withdrawn.

Corn: Helps the soul remain grounded solidly in the body; able to radiate spiritual light in physical body.

Angelica: Gives sense of protection and guidance from spiritual beings; perception of subtle layers of reality; enhances sense of awareness of guardians and guides, especially during major life passages.

Dream Work and Past-Life Work

Comfrey - The #1 essence for past life work. Heightens telepathic abilities and opens conduit to travel to the root of the soul. Find distinctive themes and purpose of current incarnation while releasing sorrows from prior incarnations.

Mugwort - Dream integration, multi-dimensional consciousness; better memory of dreams.

Star Tulip - enhances dreams, increasing attunement to higher worlds, capacity to receive higher inspiration

Witch Hazel - Past life and karmic difficulties - helps release difficulties of self and in relationships. Helps to cleanse root chakhra, and over time, inter-chakhra pathways and third eye; assists in finding comfortable destiny.

Yellow Star Tulip - enhances awareness of effect of self on group; a "karmic truth serum" that promotes feeling results of actions more intensely by breaking down dysfunctional ego barriers.

Psychic Cleansing

Chaparral: Clears away emotional and astral debris lodged in subconscious, especially in dreams. Deep penetration and understanding of transpersonal aspects of self. Minimizes psychic toxicity, bad dreams.

Aspen: (Bach) Calms over-sensitivity, anxiety; excellent for overdeveloped psychic capacity with too much reception; helps conscious mind receive and handle more information with confidence and strength.

Mountain Pennyroyal: Soul-cleanser; clears psychic congestion, purges negativity and toxic emotions and thoughts, and unhealthy astral bodies of which one might not be aware.

Dill: Clears psychic indigestion and nervous overwhelm. Balances psychic mind with daily work; regulates and enhances discriminatory power of senses and improves clairvoyance.

Borage: lifts heart, gives buoyant courage and optimism; warms heart chakhra; helps one rise above sorrows and provides fresh optimism, enthusiasm. Good all-purpose toner and restorative.

Flower essences are available at health food stores and at some new-age type establishments, and via web-sites. In selecting essences for individual use, attempt to select a trio that targets a specific area of concern. Prices range from $7 - $14 for a 1/4 or 1/3 ounce dropper bottle of mother stock. The descriptions given above are indicative of how the essences are generally known to work, but as each person is different, essences may have varied effects. For instance, the author found Angelica to cause inappropriate weepiness, while a friend who had recently lost her mother found Angelica to make her feel more calm and accepting of her loss, while becoming more aware of the messages from her mother's spirit through her dreams.

For those on a quest of spiritual awareness, or for people who regularly utilize psychic skills in counseling others, a continuing program of personal development unfolds new and exciting discoveries about the inner self. Flowers are some of the earliest residents of our Earth, and have great gifts of healing and awareness to offer in the form of flower essences. Greater evolution leads to greater awareness, and this is a wonderful gift to offer both to the self and to others.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCE LIST

Bach Flower Essences for the Family. Wigmore Publications. ISBN: 0-946982-05-8. 56 pages. This small booklet offers nice explanations of all 38 Bach Flower Essences and a brief discussion of Dr. Bach's research.

Flower Essence Repertory. Patricia Kaminsky and Richard Katz. Flower Essence Society. ISBN: 0-963130-61-7. Rev. Ed. 1994, $19.95 paperback. Excellent listing of Bach and FES essences, arranged in topical categories, with selected portraits of important essences.

The Flower Remedy Book: A Comprehensive Guide to over 700 Flower Essences. Jeffrey G. Shapiro. North Atlantic Books, ISBN: 1-556432-96-8. 1999, $19.95 paperback.

The Essential Flower Essence Handbook: Remedies for Inner Well-Being. Lila Devi. Hay House. ISBN: 1-56170-51-1X. 1996, $13.95 pb.

Flower Essence Society. P. O. Box 459, Nevada City, CA 95959. www.flowersociety.org

A non-profit group dedicated to research and development of flower essences. Case studies and continual data-gathering to promote the recognition of flower essences, and validate their effectiveness.

Whole World Essence Society at www.essences.com. This group offers a monthly e-zine "Vibration Magazine", available at http://www.essences.com/vibration/ Interesting articles, tips on using essences, chat group, resources and links.