Flower Essences
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
“Bread
feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul.”
—The Koran
Flower essences are believed by many to have been discovered by Dr. Edward Bach, a bacteriologist who practiced in the early 1900’s. Others believe that Bach rediscovered an ancient healing art practiced since prehistory. Modern-day flower essence knowledge is definitely attributable to Dr. Bach, who spent many years experimenting on himself and others, developing a practice treating patients exclusively with this unique method.
Flower essences are liquid tinctures made from flowers, with the essences being extracted most often by placing the flowers in a glass bowl filled with spring water, which is then left in the sun for several hours. The Bach method involves picking the flowers in the early morning, when the dew is still on the petals, and placing them in the bowl of water as soon as the collecting is completed. This ensures the flower will have full potency, with the energy of the plant moving into the flower to receive the sun’s welcome rays. This process uses the energy of the sun to imprint upon the water the vibrational essence of the flower. Occasionally, with some flowers, an alternate method of boiling the plant in spring water is used to make the vibrational impression on the water. The water now contains the energetic structure of the plant, and can transmit this essence.
After this process is complete, the liquid is combined with equal parts brandy, creating what is referred to as the “Mother Tincture.” Two drops of the mother tincture are added to a 30 ml bottle and the bottle is then filled with spring water, and these are the bottles that are available from Bach Flower Remedies. There are many new types of flower essence creations becoming available to us as well. Many people believe that the Bach Remedies are superior, and they are very consistent. The people involved are endeavoring to maintain the simplicity and integrity that was Bach’s trademark. Yet there are some really wonderful and conscious people out there doing their own work with this gentle, natural therapy, and many of these seem to have a very high level of integrity as well. There are a few differences in the methods of prescribing the essences though, and we will discuss those in a moment.
A major factor in the philosophy of flower essence healing is the idea that mental and emotional imbalances are often the root cause of illness and dis-ease. Another is that, with the focus on positive aspects and strengths, the body can achieve balance and harmony, including vibrant health. With flower essence therapy, as in homeopathy, the emotions and temperament of the person or animal being treated determine the remedy. The symptom is not focused on, unless it is emotional or psychological. The vibrational essences and life force energies of the flowers work directly with the emotional and mental body, instantly, or often gradually, changing the vibrational patterns found in these energy fields, depending on the length of time the non-resonant thought pattern or emotion has been around, and how deeply ingrained the pattern is. This process is very safe and gentle, with absolutely no side-affects, other than the possibility of buried emotions coming to the surface to be treated as well. Often in this case, the remedies will change, as one layer of emotion gives way to reveal a deeper layer.
Bach used a method of determining remedies for his patients by holding interviews in which he encouraged them to share how they were feeling, and observed their general outlook, temperament, and nature. Through this careful and thorough process, he would determine which remedy was appropriate. He was very forthcoming with his patients, and he shared this process with them. An important part of his philosophy was self-empowerment, as he wanted people to understand the treatment and to be able to help determine for themselves which remedies were the right ones for them.
Today, other methods are becoming popular for choosing remedies, such the use of intuition, muscle testing, and pendulum use. These methods are very effective, but are not recommended by Bach. The reason is that when a healer uses these methods, this may seem quite mysterious to the client, and they may have the idea that they are unable to prescribe remedies for themselves if they do not know how to use these methods. Also, the client’s process of getting in touch with his/her emotions through the sharing brings the feelings to the surface, and brings more conscious awareness to the treatment. This insures that the client is ready for the treatment, and is aware of what is happening and what they can expect. This is also a part of the self-empowerment process Bach believed was essential to the healing of the whole person. Of course, if during treatment, an interview is used along with other methods, this can be effective as well. Still, traditional Bach teachings are to keep it simple, as this is believed to produce the most accurate results.