By Donna Cunningham, MSW and Deborah Bier, PhD, Vibration’s Co-Editors

Can you believe Vibration Magazine has been around for 14 years?  (Half a Saturn cycle, asserts Ms. Cunningham.)  Hundreds, and hundreds of wonderful articles about one of our favorite topics: vibrational and flower essences.  Fabulous work by scores of writers, practitioners, makers, consumers.  Beautiful artwork from dozens of sources, including created by ourselves.  Vibration now has thousands of readers from all over the world. And we have come to adore one another, growing to be great friends in the process of creating this publication.

All this success, and we’re writing that Vibration is saying goodbye?! What’s going on??!

Simply put: we are both called to other things. We have reached different stages in our respective lives than were present when Vibration first began.  Donna is mostly now in a retirement mode, and Deborah has taken on new work projects that are consuming her time and energy. We have both felt for a while that it was coming to be time to let Vibration rest on its considerable laurels.  And now that time has arrived.

For as long as we are able to, we will keep the archives of Vibration online for free public access. We will publish once more in a week or two, offering a guide to accessing our back articles.  It will remain at the top of this blog so that future readers can find it.

Neither of us can think of any work that’s been more consistently fun.  And it’s consistently expanded our professional and personal lives, too. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has be a part of this endeavor, and for the opportunity to serve this field.

Some people think that dogs and cats, because they were long ago wild animals, can simply be dumped and thrive in the outdoor world. This is a dangerous misconception. Over the eons of their association with humans, both dogs and cats have lost many of the traits that enabled them to survive as wild animals. Some of this is due to the selective breeding of pedigreed animals. Some of it comes from the reality that those puppies and kittens that seem friendly and docile are more likely to be adopted and thus have a better chance of surviving. Whatever part of their temperament is genetically based will be passed on.

The bottom line is that domesticated cats and dogs aren’t wild animals. Experts on feral cats say that their life expectancy is about two years. Dogs may live longer because of their tendency to form packs, but their way of life threatens their well-being and often that of humans. Rescued animals have a better chance of survival, but they need extra understanding and care.

Abandoned animals may have special issues about food. Cats or dogs born to a mother who was malnourished during her pregnancy will also be malnourished. They will need extra and high-quality nutrition, and they may at first act frantic about food.

In many cases the same remedy recommendations work for abandonment as work with abuse, and animals often have a history of both issues. They may be highly traumatized. The survival strategies that animals develop to cope with their situations can include aggression, withdrawal, fear, and other negative emotions and behaviors.

Star of Bethlehem. This is the most important Remedy for abused and abandoned animals. All animals (including humans) have the primary goal of surviving and avoiding pain. On this basic level, abused and abandoned animals have experienced severe difficulties in achieving this goal.

Every animal, again including humans, has what is called the primitive or reptilian brain. This brain knows three basic responses: flight, fight, or freeze. Fight and flight are self-explanatory, but the freeze response is more complex and is usually the origin of trauma. In the wild, this doesn’t often occur.

Domesticated animals (and humans) don’t always have access to this life-giving relief. When a chained dog with a natural tendency to obey its master is beaten by that same master, it may neither flee nor fight. Instead it will freeze. The freezing literally imprints the agonizing memory of the beating—and sadly, it may experience more than one—into its awareness. Anything that reminds the dog of that experience will throw it into the same helpless, suffering state.

Star of Bethlehem can help to heal traumatic memories. If you even suspect that these conditions may be part of an animal’s history, recommend it or administer it.

Holly. An animal traumatized by abuse can naturally learn to defend itself with an aggressive front. Animals that display extreme forms of aggression are not considered eligible for adoption.

This Remedy can help mild to moderate cases of aggressive behavior, especially if it is combined with one of the two primary remedies for fear. Holly can also be very valuable for animals that are aggressive in protecting their food supplies.

Mimulus. As you gain experience, you’ll find that close questioning about and observation of the particulars of an animal’s current behavior can
lead you to draw accurate conclusions about the source of its fear. Even if you don’t have specific information, though, the animal knows what frightens
it, and Mimulus, the Remedy for known fears, can be very effective.

Among the emotions abandoned animals may experience, the fear that they will be abandoned again predominates. Their human companions need to consistently give them affection and attention. The humans will also benefit from understanding some of the behavior patterns a previously abandoned animal acts out. These can include a high level of dependence and possessiveness.  The animal may never want the new human out of its sight and may be particularly fearful when it senses that a human is going away, whether it’s for a few hours or a vacation. Once the animal’s fear has been addressed, the secondary behavior patterns often dissipate.

Aspen. This Remedy is for unknown fears. An abandoned animal remembers that life became uncertain and frightening once it was forced to be on its own. Abandonment also means a loss of a known environment. This particularly affects cats in terms of a familiar space, as felines are very territorial. A dog might be more affected by the loss of pack members, whether animal or human.

If you notice that an animal is generally fearful, but you can’t connect the fear to anything specific, Aspen is a good Remedy choice. In addition, since Remedies don’t have negative effects when not needed, it does no harm to give an animal both Mimulus and Aspen.

Overall, it’s important for the human companion to have realistic expectations about an abused and/or abandoned animal. Consistency and lots of affection can ease many of an animal’s fears, and essences can do a lot to help. All rescued animals have good chances to become approachable and affectionate pets.

The human, however, needs to realize that the animal may not turn into a tail-wagging or purring creature that loves every human in sight. It’s important for the human companion to accept the animal at each stage of its development in socialization. If the human is disappointed in the animal’s progress, the animal will realize this and may have self-esteem issues.

The best general advice for anyone who takes in a rescued animal is that any animal placed in a loving household is likely to improve considerably. Patience and loving understanding will help the animal grow in trust.
Fortunately, those who knowingly take on a cat or dog with a history of abuse are also those usually have the commitment and compassion to appreciate the courage and devotion of an animal that, regardless of its degree of socialization, has triumphed over great adversity.

Remedies for Humans Who Have Adopted an Abandoned or Abused Animal

The Remedies below are generally helpful when you have an animal whose behavioral/emotional issues may frustrate you.

• Impatiens. This teaches acceptance of the animal as it is and appreciation of its rate of progress, regardless of the length of time it may take.
• Beech. This Remedy helps to release any judgment one may feel about an abused or abandoned animal’s behavior.
• Pine. This Remedy can help if you are feeling guilty about either impatience of judgment. It also helps to remind yourself that you’re only human.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: C. M. (Connie) Barrett has been a flower essence practitioner, teacher, and writer since 1990. She is a regular contributor to this ezine, and her articles have been printed in print and online journals around the world. She teaches four courses by email including Bach Flower Remedies: A User-Friendly Guide. She is also the author of the fantasy novel:  Big Dragons Don’t Cry, Book I of A Dragon’s Guide to Destiny, and Book 2: Dance with Clouds. See her writing online at EFT Consultations.

One theme for us this year – and for lots of people — is the lesson in having things go wrong, not getting what you want, working really hard over a very long period of time only to be forced to do something else. The vast majority of people who have faced job loss, foreclosure, and downsizing were not at fault – and yet the inability for so many people to simply jump back in and put things back in order right away hits like a blow to the solar plexus, it dredges up issues of self-esteem.

Failure and the ease with which we get up again afterward has a lot to do with upbringing and societal conditioning. Wouldn’t it be great if we celebrated the failures as much as the colossal successes?

“Wow man! Did you see how badly you blew that one? That was awesome! I honestly don’t think you could do any worse if you were hogtied, blindfolded and completely unconscious.

“On a scale of one to ten that was negative fifteen. If my four year old kid painted a picture like that, I’d give him a time out. Listen, you need to go to the cemetery and dig up every artist who ever lived and make a personal apology to their lifeless bodies. Right on, man! Do another!”

Yes, that would be great. Because we’d never be afraid to try something for fear that we might fail. Because in the end it’s not about pass or fail anyway. As Jim Morrison once said, “No one here gets out alive.” So it’s all about how we choose to live our lives. Are we good to each other? Did we care? Did we try to do the right thing?

A reader of our last newsletter, about the value of failure and the possibilities that come from it, asked if I could write about flower essences in that same context. Now of course, it matters quite a bit whether we’re talking about a “failure” about to happen (OMG!), one in the process of happening (OMG! OMG! OMG!), or the aftermath when you’re looking at the rubble and trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces again.

For those OMG (oh my God) moments, nothing really beats Rescue Remedy. It helps you come back down into your body when you’re jumping out of your skin, calm down, and get grounded so you can be with what’s happening and respond appropriately.

But that’s not really what that article was all about. That article was about the aftermath of a disaster, when what you once counted on and maybe even took for granted is gone. How do you rise again and create what you need to move on?

I’ve been musing on this a little on and off for a few days now when David Spangler’s latest email newsletter landed in my in-box. In it he talked about Hope with a big “H”. There are people in the Zen Buddhist community spreading the idea that “hope” is a dirty word, that it takes you away from the reality of what’s really happening in the present moment. I can understand the impulse behind that—being with the reality of what’s happening in the present does seem like a good idea. But this notion of hope being counter to spirituality has always rubbed me the wrong way. Apparently, it bothers David Spangler, too.

First he quoted Paul Gilding, former head of Greenpeace International and author of The Great Disruption: “Hope is not a question of personal philosophy. In the face of uncertainty, operating from a stance of hope is a strategic and practical response. It is a way of approaching the world. As environmental writer Professor David Orr said of it, ‘Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up.’”

Then Spangler goes on to say this: “In my language, hope opens doors that despair closes. Hope feeds the fires of imagination that despair dampens. Frankly, a ‘realistic’ acceptance of ‘the way things are’ rarely creates change or benefits humanity. The blessings of our world would not exist were it not for the power of hope which leads people to dare the unknown and make choices that open possibilities and explore potentials.”

Hell, yeah! I agree. So I decided to look at what flower essence most embodies this sense of “we can do it!”—the tapping into hope and optimism for a positive outcome. And Larch is what came to mind.

Larch is for those whose self-confidence has been shaken to the core, for those who fear the future, who fear the worst is the most likely outcome, for those who expect failure to be the end result of any further effort they put in. That’s not the way to get up again and create a happy future. But the desire to keep from failing again and feeling the humiliation and lack of self-esteem this failure engendered has to be worked with somehow.

Somebody famous or not so famous who gets quoted a lot these days said: “Failing is only defeat if you don’t stand back up.” Larch is the flower essence I’d most recommend to help people do it. I use it in several of my flower essence aromatherapy formulas: Releasing Worry and Fear, Comfort and Joy, and Open-Hearted Loving.

See more of Sheryl’s articles in Vibration here: Flower Essences for Caregivers, by Sheryl Karas, M.A. and here: Vibration Magazine Blog » Blog Archive » Sagebrush Flower Essence …

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Sheryl Karas M.A. and Paul Hood have a joint spiritual counseling and healing practice, working singly and as a team to help their clients find their highest level of well-being in all aspects of life. (http://www.healingcommunication.com) Sheryl is also a flower essence practitioner and the creator of Mama Love flower essence aromatherapy formulas. (http://www.mamaloveproducts.com)

Sometimes I read something in the news, in a book, magazine, see it in a play or a movie and am simply struck dumb by how an understanding of flower essences deepens my appreciation and understanding of what I’ve just seen. Here is a perfect example.  On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I read the following snippet of a story:

“In the smouldering ruins of the towers 10 years ago, the workers found a pear tree, burnt to a stump, broken, almost dead. Last week, having been slowly and stubbornly nursed back to life over a decade, it was replanted in the footprint of the World Trade Centre. A sign of what might be the great unwritten motto of this greatest of cities: Though the mountains may fall and be washed to the sea, some trees can never be felled”. (“From the ashes, a pear tree tells us of survival” by Joseph O’Connor)

Of course, I thought about the flower essence made from Pear and the connections were so obvious!   I would have missed the deeper magic of this event if I had had no familiarity with this essence. Below is essence maker Lila Devi’s description (follow the link below for more about this essence).

Pear Flower Essence from Spirit-in-Nature (formerly Masters’ Essences): “The Peacemaker”

Quality: Peacefulness, Emergency Essence
Message of Self-Mastery: Peace of mind; returns a sense of rhythm and proportion; for being fully in the present moment; ability to handle crisis; for stability during major changes.
Pattern of Disharmony: Feeling thrown off balance during accidents, illness, surgery or childbirth; physical and/or emotional crisis; auric disturbances, minor to monumental; for shock, or thought or fear of it; extreme grief; for any troubling experience.

Have you had an experience like this, where you understood something more deeply or differently because you connected it to a vibrational or flower essence that revealed nuances not otherwise available? If so, please tell us about it in comments on this blog below .

Nothing gives you insight into an emotion or physical condition better than when you get thrown into it head-first! And I write this blog post with this exact scenario in mind: my personal experience of dealing with the loss of my beautiful dog, who has generously and selflessly shared my life for almost sixteen years.

The trouble with experiencing grief, though, is that no matter how kind the people around you are and how many beautiful condolences you receive, you just never feel like anyone around you understands what you are going through. It is almost as though you feel trapped within a bubble: everyone can see you and to them you look as though you are your normal self, but your outlook is hazy and you feel isolated and alone.

And what has compounded this feeling of isolation is that I am grieving for a pet. To me, this has meant that I have felt almost as though I am unjustified in grieving: unlike expectations held for the loss of a parent, partner or another significant person. Feelings arise such as assuming that others will judge you as over-reacting, emotionally unstable or even selfish for putting so much energy into an animal’s life. But grieving soon makes you realise that all you are doing is perceiving others through your own system of judgements, values and beliefs – rather than these being the real emotions or reactions of the people around you.

So it is from this situation that I am most able to testify to the strength and effectiveness of the Australian Bush Flower Essences. Despite the fact that I have used them for many years now, know of their amazing 20-years + case histories and have taught them extensively within the official College Course structure for over two years, nothing proves its efficacy better than when you have to put it to the test for yourself.

And I can honestly say that I am not sure how I would have coped and faced the situation with as much strength, if it were not for the Bush Essences. Life doesn’t stop just because you are grieving, so you often don’t feel you have permission to stop, rest and grieve. However, the Essences have meant that I haven’t had to stop for so long: I have been able to process the long stream of emotions that have reared up one by one, and still continue to meet my obligations.

As anyone who has faced grief will know, it is actually a mixture and progression of emotions that make up the entire state. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying, famously described a model made up of five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and then finally acceptance. This is where the Australian Bush Flower Essences have really come into their own, as they skillfully aided my progression through these emotions (which as yet is still a work in progress!) but have prevented my getting stuck within any one damaging emotion for too long.

Obviously denial is the first stage that I fell into, as you simply believe that it is all a bad dream: everything seemed surreal (the true meaning of that much mis-used word!) and I felt as though I were moving under water. Emergency Essence was what I used in the midst of the loss, as it primarily deals with emotions like fear, terror, despair, and the potential for all these emotions to leave you feeling ungrounded and unable to make stable decisions.

I am very fortunate to have moved through this denial stage immensely quickly thanks to my use of Emergency Essence, and this enabled me to face the situation head-on, own my emotions and keep moving forward. Once I was able to face the situation I was in, I felt the onslaught of sadness which I had to face and had been preventing myself from feeling. As many of us know, sadness unchecked has the potential to lead to depression (one of the stages described by Kübler-Ross), and this was where I most noticed the impact of the Essences I chose to take next. I made up the combination Red Suva Frangipani, Waratah, Bottlebrush & Sturt Desert Rose to assist with the different emotions that were likely to be contributing to my sadness or would present themselves afterwards: Red Suva primarily deals with the broken heart that feels it will never mend; Waratah deals with the potential that the sadness has to evolve into despair; Bottlebrush deals with embracing the concept of letting go of the loved one you are missing; and Sturt Desert Rose deals with any guilt that arises from the false belief that you could have done something more for your loved one while still alive that would have made you a more loving or better person.

Next I was faced with a seemingly unreasonable level of anger at the whole situation: anger at people who didn’t care about their pets but were still graced with their presence; anger at the people around me who didn’t understand my unique situation while I was caring for my dog in her older years; anger at myself for the times I took my dog for granted; anger at the world in general. The Essence that assists with anger is Mountain Devil, and also adding in the Essence for resentment, Dagger Hakea, can be helpful as well for those negative emotions which stem back to prior events. Since there is a strong association with anger evolving into guilt, Sturt Desert Rose again is very helpful in conjunction with these Essences.

I have since cycled many times through the above sets of emotions (including short stints in the bargaining stage), and know that each time the emotions don’t feel so intense. What is most important through the whole process is to ensure that you permit yourself to feel each emotion, and then just as quickly let it go. Since this is not always the way we have learned to deal with our emotions, this is where Australian Bush Flower Essences become so important for us: emotions that are not processed, faced and released will eventually emerge somewhere down the track, and often in the form of dis-ease (refer to the amazing work of Candace Pert if you want to learn more about the link between emotions and our health – or even better, enrol in an Australian Bush Flower Essences College Course with me to explore the entire concept in much greater detail).

Despite not being entirely through the whole process, I know that I will get past this confidently and quickly because of my continued use of the Australian Bush Flower Essences which have enhanced my ability to comprehend, interpret and understand the entire process I am going through. As a last thought, I would like to leave you with this quote from influential psychiatrist, Carl Jung, who so aptly said, “Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness and the word happiness would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.”

The Australian Bush Flower Essences enable us to realise this truth and to deal with anything that life may throw our way so that indeed, whatever doesn’t kill us DOES make us stronger.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Clare Chapman is an accredited Australian Bush Flower Essences College Course Teacher and is a full member of the International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT). Clare has been using and prescribing Australian Bush Flower Essences for over 6 years, and under the personal guidance of ABFE founder, Ian White, has been teaching the official Australian Bush Flower Essences College Course for the past 3 years. Clare established Baliena Flower Therapies in early 2008, with the aim of creating a business solely dedicated to the purpose of empowering people through the use of Australian Bush Flower Essences and other supportive techniques – enabling people to gain better health and wellbeing by healing and understanding their own emotions. Visit her website at Clare Chapman – http://www.flowertherapies.com.au and her blog at http://flowertherapies.wordpress.com.

Thinking about how many types of specific fears people can experience, it isn’t hard to understand why there is such a prevalence of them in the world today. These are the ‘known’ fears, and it matters not that one knows one has a particular fear about a thing or situation. In fact, the knowing itself causes distress to the sufferer!

The following essences could be considered for the emotional causes and effects of specific fears:

Daisy’s keynote is ‘protection’ and this essence is helpful when negative emotions (such as fear) threaten our sense of safety. A remedy to help us to stay calm and centered.

Bell Heather assists in maintaining stability when there is fear that we may be thrown off balance, and so lose control. This remedy aims to promote confidence in one’s ability to stand firmly grounded when we feel shaken to our roots.

Thistle is the emblematic flower of Scotland and symbolises courage in the face of adversity. This is a potent essence when one is immobilised by fear and the flight or fight response is triggered with feelings of fright and powerlessness.

Scottish Primrose has a keynote of ‘peace’ and can cultivate inner peace of mind, heart and soul. This is an all round remedy for anxiety and agitation and is helpful for ‘out of body’ experiences resulting from shock.

First Aid is a combination of the above four flower essences, so this combination is an excellent first aid (no pun intended) that can be followed by specific individual flowers once the initial shock or trauma has abated. Take every ten to fifteen minutes and then reduce with improvement.

With it’s keynote of ‘vision’, Birch flower essence can help in opening the mind, to look at situations with fresh eyes. Helpful when one is stuck in negative thought patterns, misconceptions and false conclusions that prevent us from seeing what is real and what is imagined.

When someone is ‘beating themselves up’ or having self tormenting thoughts, Iona Pennywort brings our fears into the light of day so they can be faced. This is the remedy to acknowledge and then integrate all aspects of the self and to confront fears honestly, to master our darkest fears.

Similarly, Lady’s Mantle helps us to reclaim our power through awareness by reflecting focused light into the unconscious or subconscious mind. This essence should be considered in contrast to Iona Pennywort when there is the lack of awareness or will to address the fear or anxiety.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marion Leigh is a long-time resident of Findhorn and founder of Findhorn Flower Essences. She developed the essences using flowers indigenous to the region, a continuation of the principles and practice of co-creation with nature; that tradition of attuning to the over-lighting nature intelligences or devas, for which the Findhorn Community became renowned around the world. Marion is a registered homeopath and teacher of Esoteric Healing within the International Network of Esoteric Healing (INEH). Findhorn Flower Essences is situated in the heart of Findhorn and in the heart of the Foundation’s Cullerne Gardens. Many of the flowers used in preparing the essences are growing here.

©2000 by Marie Matthews

I questioned a few male friends about the focus of an article about men and essences, and the first subject suggested was always sexuality. However, when I pushed them to be more specific, I found that they all had a great need to be able to understand what their wives, lovers, and partners really wanted from them. They needed greater sensitivity to the nuances of the often unspoken requests, demands and reactions of their partners. They also needed to learn to respond in ways that would satisfy the woman’s great need for intimate communication.

By learning to really listen to his partner and respond appropriately, a man can have his own emotional and sexual needs met more harmoniously, as well as please his partner and strengthen the relationship. He will feel better about himself as he gradually moves out of that bewildering state of not being aware of — and so not understanding — the often-invisible messages directed at him. Here are Australian Bush Flower Essences to help in the process.

GREEN SPIDER ORCHID can increase sensitivity to telepathy and to non-verbal communication. It also helps a person know when the time is right to speak their truth. Usually, this is thought of in terms of Spiritual truth, but any deep emotional relationship must touch on this spiritual aspect of oneself.

BUSH FUCHSIA increases awareness of one’s own inner guidance. It can also help a man speak more easily, finding the words he needs to express his feelings, his confusion, and his wants.

FLANNEL FLOWER is often seen as THE essence for men. It increases sensitivity and gentleness and helps men express these aspects in their physical and emotional interactions. It can help men to enjoy sex and the associated intimacy with their partner much more fully, which will result in a great return of love. It can raise the sexual act from just a physical activity to a true act of love.

BLUEBELL is for the man who is cut off from his feelings. These emotions are present, but not expressed. This essence can open the heart to love and enhance the ability to share joyfully with others. A related essence, Rough Bluebell (pictured right) also opens the heart to unconditional love but is more for the man who deliberately manipulates or uses his partner to get his own way, being completely indifferent to her needs and wants.

GYMEA LILY is for the man who loves to hop in and take charge of a situation and organize other people without an awareness of what they have to contribute. This essence helps such a man to be more sensitive to the qualities of the people with whom he lives and works. By listening to and responding to their needs and desires, he earns their love, loyalty and willingness to support him.

RED HELMET ORCHID can help where there are unresolved problems in a man’s relationship with his father. When the father was cold, remote, unloving, then the son tends to follow the same pattern. He has no model for learning to listen and to express love and other emotions to those close to him.

Sources: “Bush Flower Healing” and “Australian Bush Flower Essences”, both by Ian White published by Bantam Books; “Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus” by John Gray published by Harper Collins; “Why Men Don’t Iron” by Anne & Bill Moir published by Harper Collins

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marie Matthews works from her home on a small property 30kms west of Byron Bay in northern NSW Australia. She has been involved with Bush Essences for many years.

Recently I was doing some personal research on Silverweed (Potentilla anserina) flower essence.  I spent about a week on this project, taking the essence, tuning in and writing down what happened to me.

I experienced the negatives of Silverweed profoundly. In particular I notice I became overly absorbed in details. This manifested as getting consumed in the minutiae of what I was writing, so perfectionistic was I about my choice of words that I would check dictionaries, study the etymology, then the myriad thesauruses available on-line for possible alternatives, sometimes musing over a word for days.  Now, I know I’m a bit of a stickler for perfection, but this was getting ridiculous. Everyone around me noticed I was obsessing – FFE staff encouraging me to ‘move on’ and stop taking Silverweed, as I was clearly doing a ‘proving’ of the essence.

Silverweed flower essence helps to let go and detach from fixations of the lower self. By breaking through to deeper understanding and awareness and the realisation that virtue is based on the golden mean between the extremes. Being ethically minded, we choose to live lightly in our bodies and on the Earth and with calm composure master our behaviour, so that we do not become overly consumed by our passions and thereby dissipate our energies. We go back to basics through deep contact with our true inner driving forces, the forces of nature and life and trust all our needs will be met when we walk the middle way that creates a strong foundation for right living.

Other flower essences to consider for such tendencies are:

Birch flower essence can be used as an aid to looking at situations through different perspectives, to being open and receptive to new ideas and new ways of understanding. By releasing worry, and expectations of how things should be, or how we want them to be, we can expand our awareness and the perceived capacity to find creative routes to desired goals. Creativity is a process involving the discovery of new ideas or concepts, stimulated by the imagination and insight. Knowledge helps us to see and understand things as they are, but imagination allows us to see things as they could be. With this essence we learn to transcend our self-created limitations, continue to grow and learn, and to “think outside the box” as we harness positive emotions that broaden our awareness and encourage novel, varied and exploratory thoughts and actions.

Broom flower essence is an aid to mental clarity whereby the enhanced power of intuitive perception and abstract thinking becomes more flexible and adaptable.

Cherry is indicated when we get stuck in negative habits or patterns from the past and are stubborn and unwilling to change our viewpoint or attitude.

Lady’s Mantle brings awareness of our unconscious responses, In this case repetitive thoughts and dissociation from the reasoning faculties.

Laurel is helpful in getting organised, to be able to focus on a goal without scattering or dissipating one’s energies.

Spotted Orchid is for over-idealism and perfectionism when we may become overly critical in our attention to detail. Also indicated when preoccupied in repetitive thought patterns.

If you have knowledge or experience of using Findhorn essences for perfectionistic types of issues, we would dearly love to hear from you.  Yes, we would really appreciate it if you would share your experiences. Do tell. Please write to us soon. Don’t forget!  (Quick – pass me the Silverweed!)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marion Leigh Marion Leigh is a long-time resident of Findhorn and founder of Findhorn Flower Essences. She developed the essences using flowers indigenous to the region, a continuation of the principles and practice of co-creation with nature; that tradition of attuning to the over-lighting nature intelligences or devas, for which the Findhorn Community became renowned around the world. Marion is a registered homeopath and teacher of Esoteric Healing within the International Network of Esoteric Healing (INEH). Findhorn Flower Essences is situated in the heart of Findhorn and in the heart of the Foundation’s Cullerne Gardens. Many of the flowers used in preparing the essences are growing here.

Australian Bush Flower Essences can help your child or teenager deal with those Back-to-School Blues

It is impossible for me not to remember how miserable I used to feel as a child when those ‘Back-to-School’ advertisements started appearing on television straight after Christmas each year: escalating in frequency as the end of January, and as its imminent arrival of school, closed in on me!

Hopefully many people are now becoming aware of how much school can contribute to a state of depression in children, with many feeling as though they are trapped in an institution that controls their available choices: giving them little room to be individual or independent; challenging them intellectually and socially in ways they often won’t have faced before; sometimes offering them little stimulation or too much stimulation; and at worst, leading to dangerous feelings of depression and despair.

With so much opportunity for children and teenagers to experience adverse emotions such as stress, low self-esteem, anger, sadness, jealousy, rejection and isolation, both parents and teachers need to be aware that all of these emotions left to escalate can contribute to dangerous levels of depression and potentially worse situations such as teenage suicide* The important role that parents, teachers and even older siblings can play in this situation, is to become more aware of the warning signs during times when a child or teen IS still managing to cope with the challenges, rather than waiting until they are feeling overwhelmed by them and may have reached a dangerous state of mind.

Before I proceed further, I do need to make it clear that it is not my recommendation that you should ever rely solely on using the Australian Bush Flower Essences to help your child or teenager to deal with the myriad of complex emotions or even the depression they may be facing (you definitely do need to seek professional help for serious issues at the same time by visiting your local health-care or mental-health professional and referring to the support services listed at the bottom of the article). What I am recommending though, is that you can use the Australian Bush Flower Essences to help prevent some of these emotions from getting out of control before problems have appeared and while you are receiving other professional treatment for problems that are already present. For some people, the concept of treating problems that have not yet arisen may seem odd or unfamiliar, but the old adage that ‘prevention is better than cure’ has much merit and the former is definitely easier to administer than the latter.

One of the easiest ways that you can use the Australian Bush Flower Essences is by using the pre-formulated Combinations, available ready-to-use at many health food stores and pharmacies or through your preferred Australian Bush Flower Essence Practitioner. For the sake of maintaining a reasonable length blog post for you (!), I will refer to only 3 of the 17 Combinations in this powerful range: ‘Adol’, ‘Calm & Clear’ & ‘Cognis’. You can use these alternately or simply choose the appropriate combination based on the types of emotions that may be potential problems for your children and teens. Using these Essence Combinations can help them to feel more fulfilled when going back to school, help them build up their self-esteem so they can handle life their own way and help them to view their upcoming school year through optimistic eyes, instead of feeling a sense of dread that yet another school year is still ahead of them.

Dealing with Stress & Worry

Black-eyed Susan is one of the Essences in the ‘Calm & Clear’ Combination

No doubt I have said it before in one of my previous posts, and you probably would have heard it from other health writers as well, but there simply isn’t a condition of ill-health that is not linked to stress in some capacity. This is quite helpful to know, since it means you can help to deal with stress now: whether you know that your child or teen is stressed or not, it is always going to be beneficial to reduce the potential for stress in your child’s life. The Combination that deals with stress best is the ‘Calm & Clear’ Essence Combination and it contains the individual Essence, Black-eyed Susan, which is most commonly used to combat the thoughts and emotions that lead to stress. This Combination can help them to slow down, know their own limitations and be content with progressing in school and in their relationships at their own rate. It can also help them to build up their resistance to stress, so when they do face a situation that would normally bring about an automatic stress response, they will instead have the ability to face it courageously and with a steady-mind. And if they do face a stressful situation during their day, it is a great Combination to give them when they get home from school to help them return to their usual self or attain a new level of calm.

Building up Self-Esteem

Again, as with stress, there isn’t a person alive who couldn’t benefit from improving their level of self-esteem: as an adult, you would most likely remember just how much your levels of esteem take a ’hit’ throughout your childhood and teenage years. There are so many reasons why self-esteem suffers during your child’s school years, but they often revolve around your child or teen feeling like they are different from everyone else, feeling as though they might be smarter or slower than other children around them, feeling as though they are not worthy of the attention of their classmates, and the list goes on. The ‘Adol’ Essence Combination is a great one to use for a child or teen who needs help building up their self-esteem, and the Essence working on this quality within that Combination is Five Corners. This Combination can help your child to develop a healthy level of self-love so they are confident enough to show their face to the world without compromising their own integrity: no matter how different they feel they are from everyone else.

Improving Learning Abilities

Bush Fuchsia is one of the Essences in the ‘Cognis’ & ‘Calm & Clear’ Combinations

While there are many reasons for a child to start to become disruptive or difficult in school, one of the most common reasons is their inability to keep-up with their school work: whether they have actual learning difficulties, have been diagnosed as having ADHD, or are simply bored with the content of their work. The Essence Combination which is so useful in all these situations for children and teens (and adults for that matter – but that’s another article!) is ‘Cognis’ Essence Combination. There are several Essences at work within this Combination that are so beneficial to your child, but one of the major components is Bush Fuchsia Essence. This is a very powerful Essence and has many uses such as balancing mental abilities, helping with speech and hearing difficulties, and even improving hand-eye co-ordination in sports.

Avoiding Rejection & Isolation

I’m sure you would agree that one of the major issues affecting or influencing most teenagers is their attempt to discover who they are and develop the courage to openly show their own individual personality. Unfortunately, one of the major outcomes for many teens who are trying to be more ‘comfortable in their own skin’ is to feel like they are different from other teens around them – and so they resort to masking their real personality for fear of being rejected by their peers. Often teens feel like their only choice is to be independent and risk rejection by fellow teens, or become a carbon-copy of their ideal role models or classmates, and feel isolated because they feel that no one appreciates their true identity. No matter what the reason behind these feelings of rejection or isolation, the ‘Adol’ Essence Combination can really help to prevent these feelings before they have taken over. One of the main Essences helping with these issues in the ‘Adol‘ combination is the Tall Yellow Top Essence, which can help with these feelings of isolation and eventual depression that can develop if these emotions are not dealt with appropriately.

But wait, there’s more …

I realise what I have covered above is metaphorically the ‘tip of the iceberg’ when it comes to the complexity of children’s and teen’s emotional problems, but I hope it is at least a good starting point to get you thinking about how you can use the Essences for your own family. The beauty of the Combination range from Australian Bush Flower Essences is just that: you can self-select and work out what you want to deal with next, because they are clearly labelled for the different issues they each deal with. Check out the whole range online here at the Australian Bush Flower Essences website.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Clare Chapman is an accredited Australian Bush Flower Essences College Course Teacher and is a full member of the International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT). Clare has been using and prescribing Australian Bush Flower Essences for over 6 years, and under the personal guidance of ABFE founder, Ian White, has been teaching the official Australian Bush Flower Essences College Course for the past 3 years. Clare established Baliena Flower Therapies in early 2008, with the aim of creating a business solely dedicated to the purpose of empowering people through the use of Australian Bush Flower Essences and other supportive techniques – enabling people to gain better health and wellbeing by healing and understanding their own emotions. Visit her website at Clare Chapman – http://www.flowertherapies.com.au and her blog at http://flowertherapies.wordpress.com.