Nothing grabs the eye quicker or quickens the heart more than a beautiful arrangement of flowers. Their colors, textures and scents combine magically to infuse and energize our senses. Yet flowers are more than just another pretty face to adorn our gardens and tables.

The harmonizing and healing properties of flowers have been known and utilized throughout history. The Egyptians, the ancient Australian Aboriginals and the Greeks all used flowers to heal and soothe emotional trauma.

We are all familiar with the use of flowers in aromatherapy where the essential oils of the flower are extracted and used to entice and caress our sense of smell. Flower essences, on the other hand, are energetic infusions of petals soaked in spring water and taken internally to harmonize and balance the emotional and physical body.

Almost sixty-five years ago Dr. Edward Bach of England rediscovered a work in progress of the 16^th century physician Paracelsus where the dew of flowering plants was collected and then diluted. These homeopathic flower essences were then used to treat various remedies with a great deal of success just as they are today.

Dr Bach possessed an uncanny understanding and compassion for the human condition and the emotional connection to physical illness. Also a gardener Dr Bach understood that a flower is the very essence of a plant; each one as unique as its genetic code. Through his study of flowers, their color, scent, size, shape and geographical location he could then match the qualities and characteristics of a flower to an individual and an emotional illness.

For example an early spring flower such as crocus hardy and able to withstand bitter cold, anxious to show itself first could be used to bolster an individual with a weak constitution or someone who is timid or indecisive. The endurance of the rose that can bloom all summer even in stifling heat can cool and calm heated emotions.

Dr Bach documented and resurrected thirty eight flower essences in his short life that are still formulated and used today. The most popular is a five flower remedy called Rescue Remedy. Bach found this particular combination to be universally helpful to calm and rebalance humans or animals that have just experienced a sudden shock, physical trauma or accident, anxiety or panic. I use Rescue Remedy for my clients, my plants, myself and wouldn’t be without it.

When using flower remedies it’s best to have a flower essence practitioner bring together an essence that will work best for you. The interview with a practitioner focuses on you rather than the disease or the symptoms.

Sharon is the flower essence practitioner in our office. It’s interesting to hear the comments of those using flowers for healing. They many times choose several adjectives to describe their progress but the two we hear the most are subtle yet powerful. Most individuals find a particular remedy will work well for a month to six weeks at which time the remedy will need some reformulation possibly with some of the same flowers but also some new ones.

The essences are not magical solutions to life’s difficulties, just a powerful yet natural remedy that can help you recognize, resolve or release conditioned patterns that no longer serve you. I guess it shouldn’t surprise us that something as beautiful as a flower would be more than just an ornamental beauty. Till next time, Rebecca