By Carol Bennington
Are you a lover of Nature too? As long as I can remember, I have loved trees and flowers. Over time, this has grown into a passion for flower essences.
What Are Flower Remedies?
Flower essences, aka flower remedies, are liquid, pattern-infused solutions made from flowers and tree blossoms. The purpose of flower essences is to enhance emotional and spiritual well-being. Each particular flower corresponds to an emotional range; by using these essences, one can help balance emotions and create greater harmony. Unlike essential oils that use fragrances of the plant’s oil, flower essences have no floral fragrance.
Flower essences are made by placing flower blossoms on the surface of spring water in a glass bowl, which is placed outside in the sun. The sunlight transfers the vibrational pattern of the flowers into the water. When the process is complete, the solution is filtered, removing the flowers, and Brandy is added as a preservative.
Dr. Edward Bach, an English physician, created his first flower remedy in 1928. He was a scientific researcher and a highly sensitive person, who was very in-tune with Nature. His plant knowledge and intuition led him to determine which attributes matched specific flowers. Dr. Bach’s remedies were distinctive because he correlated them with emotional well-being. He believed that emotional harmony would lead to physical well-being.
According to Dr. Bach, flower remedies work to “raise our vibrations and open our channels for the reception of the Spiritual Self…. They are able, like beautiful music or any glorious uplifting thing which gives us inspiration, to raise our very natures, and bring us nearer to our souls,” which then brings peace and relief from suffering (The Original Writings of Edward Bach: Compiled from the Archives of the Dr. Edward Bach Healing Trust). Because of Dr. Bach’s work, thousands of different flower essences are now made across the globe.
Resonance
One current hypothesis for how these remedies work is that each flower’s energetic blueprint holds the energy pattern of a balanced state for a specific emotion or range of emotions. This balanced energetic pattern gets transferred into what becomes the flower essence. Flower essences are selected so that an imbalanced emotional state can tune in to the higher balance state of the flower essence and resonate to it.
Use
In the Bach Flower Remedy system, the suggested use is two drops of a single essence or four drops for a combination of essences. If more is needed, increasing the frequency of use rather than the amount taken is recommended. For an ongoing concern, it is advised to use them at least four times a day.
Flower essences are typically ingested. Customarily, drops are taken with water or tea. They can also be taken directly from the stock bottle with care not to touch the dropper to your mouth. (If you do, be sure to rinse it off before returning it to the bottle.) Other methods of application include using them topically or spraying the room.
Beginning My Journey
During my herbal apprenticeship, the instructor created a personalized flower essence formula for me containing Cherry Plum. I was very skeptical but decided to give it a try. The Bach Cherry Plum flower remedy is indicated for individuals afraid of losing their minds or losing control. At the time, a personal situation had left me feeling like I was in a pressure cooker with the steam valve locked shut. When I used Cherry Plum, I experienced the pressure cooker valve opening and the steam beginning to escape. The external situation had not changed; however, now I could respond rather than react.
After this experience, I vowed to learn more about flower essences. I attended the Bach International Education Program to become a Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner and later studied at the Bach Centre in England. I was invited to become one of a dozen U.S. instructors for this program. I took the practitioner courses of several North American flower essence systems. My immersion in flower essences continued with my doctoral dissertation, which explored the personal relationship with Nature of persons using flower essences from 40 countries.
Allies
Flower essences are my allies; they “always have my back.” Like a best friend, they are there when I need them, and are willing to journey with me.
Flower remedies are not a panacea that magically makes everything better. Life still happens, but they can help us access our strengths. I am certain my divorce was a kinder experience for both of us because of flower essences. I was able to address my fears, despair, uncertainty, anger, grief, and the myriad of emotions as they surfaced. The flowers helped me call upon my courage, patience, confidence, direction, hope, and encouragement. I saw things from a different perspective. While I might normally reframe a situation, the flowers remind me to look again in the midst of such stressors. They nudge me to do what I need to do, and assist me in navigating through the chaos.
Empowerment
My passion is to empower people with ways they can de-stress their lives and live more fully. I love teaching others about flower essences through classes, presentations, private consultations, and mentoring. Sometimes it’s harder to pinpoint your own needs, and this is where an experienced practitioner can help. A flower remedy consultation assists you in distinguishing which remedies are appropriate for your circumstances. This is a time to be heard; there are no judgments, labels, diagnosing or prescribing, as this is an educational process of self-discovery.
“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” — Jack Kornfield, Buddha’s Little Instruction Book
My experiences with flowers did change the direction of my life. Using that flower remedy two decades ago I began my extraordinary journey of self-discovery, transformation, empowerment, and a deepening of my relationship with Nature and myself.
Ready to Bloom?
The next time you are feeling emotionally out of kilter, consider trying flower essences. I invite you to explore the world of flower remedies to align yourself with your authentic nature.
Carol Bennington, Ph.D., is a Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner (B.F.R.P.), Bach International Education Program Instructor, and author. She also offers mentoring, life coaching, and nature-based approaches. Visit www.Awakening-Hearts.com for more information. Carol can be reached at (734) 726-4303 or Journey@Awakening-Hearts.com.
