Garden Essences For Feeling Under the Weather

Garden Essences For Feeling Under the Weather

The other day I awoke feeling under the weather, I usually do not get sick so this feeling was a surprise. My first thought was what essences can I now use to get my immune system back on track? I gravitated towards the Perelandra Garden flower essences, knowing some in this kit directly address the immune system. There are four in particular, two for immune support and two for lifting the spirits during illness.

1. Celery- This essence is indicated for an immune system that is severely challenged due to stress and overwork, it is helpful when addressing a long standing illness with viral or bacterial origin.
2. Cucumber- This essence helps to lift the spirits and gain a vital re-attachment to life, I have found this useful to overcome the hazy and spacey feelings that come on when feeling sick.
3. Tomato- This is a potent essence that works with the first chakra speeding up its velocity helping it to shatter and throw off illness. It has a stabilizing and cleansing effect, which was immediately noticeable, soon after taking it I felt lifted and stronger.
4. Zucchini- This essence helps to restore strength to the body when in convalescence, I found it to be helpful with restoring my physical energy helping me to overcome that weak feeling of being sick.

When I tested for these essences (using a pendulum) only cucumber, tomato and zucchini tested positive leading me to believe this was something recent and not a long standing illness my body was dealing with. I used these essences along with some echinacea tea and medicinal mushrooms and within 3 days I was feeling much better; well enough to want to venture outside and interact with the society.

I drank many cups of Traditional Medicinals Echinacea Tea along with taking many capsules of New Chapter’s Host Defense Medicinal Mushroom formula, which I purchased from iherb.com. I highly recommend these products, they are well researched and worth the investment.

All the best and know you can speed up your healing with the power of nature.

PS- Visit iherb.com and use the coupon code DAQ492 to $5.00 off your order.

Unbounded Energy by New Chapter

Unbounded Energy by New Chapter

Recently I was feeling the need for a multivitamin, like I could use some extra nutrition in my life. So I went to one of my favorite websites iherb.com. I examined the offerings of the food based vitamin companies (more on this later) and finally settled on New Chapter’s multi vitamin called Unbounded Energy. I highly recommend iherb.com they stock a wide variety nutritional supplements many at discounts up to 40%. Plus you can save $5.00 off your first order by using the coupon code DAQ492.

What really peaked my interest in this supplement besides the fact that it is food based, it contains a flower essence formula known as “Vital Rhythms”. This is trade marked name for the combination of FES essences in this formula. “Vital Rhythms” is composed of the following flower essences:

• Indian Pink- for remaining centered and focused even under stress, managing diverse forms of activity
• Morning Glory- for sparkling vital force, feeling awake and refreshed in touch with life
• Penstemon- for great inner fortitude despite outer hardships; perseverance
• Self Heal-for vital sense of Self; deep sense of wellness and wholeness
• Zinnia- for childlike humor and playfulness; lightheartedness

Besides the flower essences this formula as contains herbs beneficial for energy as well as a high concentration of B vitamins, which helps greatly with increasing our energy levels. Some of the herbs in this formula are maca, cordyceps, reishi and ginseng.

New Chapter are truly pioneers in the vitamin world, they were one of the first companies to produce whole food vitamins. Meaning all the nutrients in their supplements come from food. This is vitally important because the body recognizes them easily and assimilates them better than lab made vitamins. Lab made vitamins are known as USP (United States Pharmacopia) they are isolated nutrients and do not resemble nutrients the way they are found in nature.

As an example the vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid) found in oranges is chock full of many co-factors which aid in the absorption of this nutrient. In most standard vitamins the vitamin C that is used is solely ascorbic acid. Some of the co factors found in oranges are as quercitin and rutin. They are vital components which as stated before aid in the absorption of vitamin C aka ascorbic acid. Simply, wholefood vitamins are better recognized by the body than USP vitamins, therefore they are easily and rapidly absorbed and generally are safe to take on an empty stomach.

I have now been using Unbounded Energy for the past two weeks, they suggest using 3 tablets a day. Rarely do I use the 3 tablets a day recommendation, usually 1-2, sometimes 3. Even at less than their recommended dose I still feel a noticeable increase in my overall energy levels. I have definitely noticed if I take this product around 8 or 9 o’clock at night it will keep me up past midnight. The title Unbounded Energy is not too much of a stretch and the efficacy of this product is on the mark, for that I give it two thumbs up and recommend it as general daily multi vitamin.

Remember to use the coupon code DAQ492 to save $5.00 of your first order from iherb.com.

Activ 8 Formula by FES

Recently FES has introduced a line of 12 combination remedies in spray bottles. These combination essences address a broad spectrum of conditions and are beneficial for temporary use. We will now look at the Active 8 combination.
The Active 8 combo contains the following flower essences:
Blazing Star- This a new essence to released by FES as part of The Range of Light collection. This essence carries a fiery quality into the will helping to boost overly listless 'watered down' will forces. This essence helps us connect with fiery solar masculine emotional energy.
Blackberry-The tenacity of this plant lends this quality to its flower essence, empowering the will to overcome lethargy and inertia. Blackberry flower essence is also used in the assistance of translating goals and ideas into to concrete action
Cayenne-The fiery essence of this hot pepper plant lends its self to overcoming sluggish phlegmatic attitudes and states of being. Cayenne imparts fire to the personality helping us break through and move forward past resistance.
Dandelion- This bright yellow ubiquitous springtime flower adds the qualities of relaxation and ease in the pursuit of goals. It is indicate for the overstriving tense personality, helping one take a more relaxed approach to the work at hand.
Madia- The addition of this flower essence aids in the quality of focus, helping one to contract in a clear and direct manner. Madia helps center scattered energy and is helpful for dull and listless states of mind.

Red Penstemon- The addition of this essence assists with the qualities of tenacity, completing projects and tasks it boosts determination to overcome challenges and obstacles.
Red Larkspur- The addition of this essence brings a quality of radiance to the personality helping with catalyzing a magnetic quality which aids in leadership and inspires others,
Sunflower- A member of the daisy family, Sunflowers are known to turn their heads and follow the sun as it crosses the sky. This sun seeking signature , translates to us following our own sunny nature, turning towards the positive life empowering feelings necessary when aiming to create and work on new projects. Sunflower is used to help get us in touch with our positive masculine solar forces of manifestation.

Active 8 also contains the essential oils of cinnamon and cardamon.
Cinnamon Essential Oil- Has a potent and powerful warm, sweet, spicy aroma used in small amounts it is great for enhancing physical energy. This oil increases bioelectrical forces in the body.
Cardamon Essential Oil- Has a rich spicy scent with notes of citrus, camphor, it also has a slightly floral, woody tone. Cardamon is stimulating to the conscious mind.
An interesting note about this combo is all the flowers are either red or yellow and a few are from the Asteraceae family, Sunflower, Dandelion and Madia. Three of the essences in this combo are from the new Range of Light kit, Blazing Star, Red Penstemon and Red Larkspur.
This dynamic collection of flower essences is great to use at the outset of a project or goal or anywhere along the process of task completion and goal achievement. I find this combo to be useful when feeling dull at work and need a boost to my overall physical, emotional and mental energies.

Holly and Pine Bach Flower Essences for The Holidays

Its now the Holiday Season and time to honor two plants of the season, Pine and Holly. Their green presence throughout the winter make them symbols for the renewal in the dark of winter. They are also two key Bach flower essences that treat two deep and profound negative archetypal states. The negative states that Pine and Holly address are Guilt and Envy.

Clearing Guilt
Pine flower essence to clear feelings of guilt and guilt complexes. By clearing guilt it helps to foster feelings of love and acceptance for ourselves and for others. By clearing the emotional body of guilt and guilt complexes this essence helps us be open to receiving and accepting praise, compliments and gifts without restraint.

Guilt acts as a form of punishment and living free of guilt complexes and fear of punishment offers us greater emotional freedom. Guilt and fear play upon our lower emotional nature. As we free ourselves from the shackles of these guilt and fear we create space that allows a greater flow of life affirming emotions. Which will inevitably have a positive impact on all parts of our life.

Opening to Love
Holly flower essence addresses hard heartedness a condition exemplified by Ebenezer Scrooge. This essence is a heart opening gift. Pointing us towards seeing and feeling the stream of love that we live in and that supports and sustain life. According to Dr. Bach "Holly opens the heart and unites us with Divine love."

Holly Flower Essence softens the heart and eases feelings of jealousy, anger and discontent. Discontent can gives us the feeling that our emotions are poisoned. When this happens holly can help us to get in touch with the warmth in our hearts and help us express this as good will towards others.

These two flower essences are remarkable for fostering Acceptance and Love, emotional gifts to be embraced. Learning to love and accept ourselves gives a gift to the world, for these qualities make us better people. The gifts we truly have and can infinitely give is ourselves and our ability to spread good will.

Happy Holidays to You and Yours and may the Gift of Flowers blossom in your Heart.

The Magic of the Desert

I spent a few days in Tuscon, Arizona learning about the magic of cactus flower essences with the folks at Desert Alchemy, Cynthia and Camillo. The desert is a rich environment teeming with life, that may not be so obvious at first glance. It is an extreme environment where the temperature difference between day and night can exceed 40 degrees. The blazing sun can often head the desert flower to well over 120 degrees F. The extremes of the environment demand adaptability.

The cactus species have the ability to not only survive but to thrive in the extreme conditions of the desert. Cacti also support a large cross section of life, swollen with fruits and flowers, their nectar sustains birds, bats, bees and humans. The cactus's ability to master the demands of such a challenging environment offers us a great tool. Their ability to optimally manage their resources and adapt to life in the desert can teach us to adapt to the challenging times we all face.

Cactus flowers reflect and display the abundance of light the desert receives, their flowers seem to almost glow with color. There flowers are mainly luminous tones of orange, red, pink and yellow as well as white, green and terra cotta. Their luminosity and brilliance beckons the eye, so magnifigantly contrasedt by the mute earth tones of the land itself.

Cynthia of Desert Alchemy has been co-creating flower essences from plants of the deserts of Arizona for the past 20+ years. Her deep connection with nature helps to bring out the pure healing qualitites found in the desert plants. Desert plants are unique in the sense that they individuate as compared to the plant growth in other regions where the lushness and density of plants are more intertwined. Their individuated growth is a special signature offering much in the way of personal developement and soul evolution.

I highly recommend these essences for their uniqueness in development and thriving strategies carry potent vibrations that greatly support personal development in our own ecology. The cactus essences created by Desert Alchemy cover 8 different families and each family has their unique properties. There are a total of 26 essences in the Cactus Kit, the kit is not advertised on their website but you can visit them at www.desert-alchemy.com and request this set.

Foxglove

Is there sensory capabilities that extend beyond the mind? I am sure we all have heard about seeing with the heart but what does that mean? The heart is a muscle and according to western occult sciences the heart is our actual solar center. Behind the heart is a nerve complex known as the cardiac ganglion which is connected to the sympathetic nervous system. A ganglion is a clump of nerve cells located outside of the brain, these clumps exist in other areas of the body. Totaled up the human body has more nerve cells outside of the brain than in the brain. So this idea that the brain is our main perception organ may not be entirely accurate.

So what does this mean? For one it is evidence that we have the ability to use different areas of the body to perceive with. There is a common phrase referring to that familiar sensation we experience in the stomach when things just ain't right, the gut feeling. This is perceiving without the mind and reflects our ability to sense and perceive with the body. This is very basic stuff here our brain is only one of many 'organs of perception'.

Our society values the brain and its decision making capabilities , it is an amazing organ that we can't do without. But maybe we don't need to do so much with it or use it as our sole organ of perception. We've done this neat thing with the brain and perception we create our reality. We started doing it so long ago that we don't even know we are doing it. We do it partly through filters which serve to filter and categorize the perceptions we receive. These filters are related to our beliefs and values. But these beliefs and values maybe only remnants of what we learned from an early age and have nothing to do with us now. We pick them up as we go along and we cherish them because that is our proof in a sense, our proof that our perceptions of the world are 'right'.

Pick any of the limiting beliefs you have and observe how you prove them to yourself daily. This whole belief/perception structure is great it is integral in creating our reality but there are times when they may fail us. Fail us in the sense of placing limits upon something truly unlimited, perception. But we need structure you may say and I agree, without structure and limits things won't grow. So all these limits have helped us immensely in getting to where we are now.

But where we are now may not be where we want to be . . . so maybe we need to discard some old beliefs in exchange for some new ones. This is where getting in touch with greater perceptions of the body becomes useful. Learning to shift sensory perception from the mind to the heart is a powerful exercise that opens one up to new vistas. It takes practice and you can do it at any time. Place your attention on your heart and feel how it looks to see from this new perspective. You may feel immense comfort or relaxation flow through you, it also gives your mind a rest. This simple action serves to put us back into our bodies, to function more as whole body being.

This piece was inspired by my recent use of the foxglove flower essence from Blossem Remedies of Holland. Foxglove-digitalis purpurea, contains a glycoside (sugar) that is used by the pharmaceutical industry to treat heart issues. Its use as a heart medicine dates back to the days of 'witches' and folk herbalism. As a flower remedy it is for 'going beyond thinking'. "It eases the mental process so you are able to contact your heart again. Helps you let go of thinking structures and patterns of how we think we should behave. . . . Foxglove opens you step by step to higher realms beyond thinking." I am finding coming out of the mind to access information is easy yet seems unfamiliar because it goes against all that I was taught.

Yet the more I do it the more I learn to accept the value of insights gained from the heart and higher realms. I am learning to value it as one might value a key that unlocks many doors leading to lands and frontiers we never thought we could perceive.

St John's Wort

St. john's wort a special summer herb holds an esteemed place in the world of flower essences. This light filled essences is made from the bright yellow flowers that begin blooming around the summer solstice. The days near the solstice are characterized by early sunrises and sunsets that stretch long into the evening. This abundance of light is a key signature of the action of this essence.

I had my first plant spirit journey with this herb. Plant spirit journeys are one way to gather information on the healing properties of the plant. Two years ago while attending a flower essences course with David Dalton and Kate Gilday I made an essence from this plant. There were many plants flowering at this time and we were instructed to make an essence of a plant we felt drawn to. I felt myself being guided to a bright yellow flowers of St.John's Wort.

After making the essences we reconvened and prepared to journey to the plant spirit to seek information on the healing action of the essence. The journey was led by a drummer and verbal instructions from David. As with most spirit journeys we were told to find a portal near the plant and travel through the portal to meet the spirit.

The journey took me down a portal which led to a garden, it was like and English garden, very neat with rows and a pathway lined with some benches and lanterns. I walked around in this garden looking at the various plants and then sat down on a bench. Soon after sitting down I was greeted by luminous being about 3 feet fall. He told me he was the spirit of St. John's Wort, I asked if he had a name, he said "John", of course. I then asked him "What does St. John's Wort flower essence do?"

The spirit jumped up put his hand on my belly, upon putting his hand on my stomach a light grew and then spread to encompass my whole body in tight field of light. I could feel a brightness and sense of protection and upliftment from this action. He then sat down next to me, we just sat together on the bench and soon afterwards the drumming changed rhythm and we were lead back to body consciousness.

I related my story to the group and David shared that in his research he discovered that St John's Wort strengthens the energy field where it connects to the stomach. What I discovered from this plant is that it has a powerful ability to strengthen the human energy field, it tightens the energy field pulling it closer to the body. David recalled that in his research he found that it 'tightens the filaments of light in our protective field.

The human energy or aura, can be damaged or compromised by stress, ill health, drugs and negative thoughts and feelings. When our field is compromised we may feel tired, unable to focus, experience unexplained fears, disturbed sleep and nightmares. Research by the Flower Essence Society recommends it for people who are overly expanded, thus making them more suseptable to outside influence. This essence has also been used to treat depression related to Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Saint Johns Wort's unique actions make it a useful essence to have on hand when we need extra support in maintaining the integrity of or energetic field.