Flower Essences Field Trip

The wildflowers of the Yampa Valley are proving their drought resistance in fabulous fashion along the roadsides and in the meadows. Their carpet of color is visually pleasing, and that is only the beginning of the potential that all these flowers hold. As someone versed in the wild-crafting arts, I see fields and fields of medicines! Let me take you on a journey near home to explore a day of making flower essences in the wild.

Flower Essences were "discovered" (or rediscovered) in our modern era by Dr. Edward Bach in his work between 1928 and 1936, during a period in his life where he spent time watching (and TASTING) the raindrops and dew on flowers. He literally founded an entire new kind of homeopathy in England by recognizing that water could be "charged" with the vibrational essence of a flower, and that the flowers all addressed certain emotional states and situations of imbalance in humans, and animals. His Bach Flower remedies can be found in grocery stores and health-food stores everywhere, and are always recommended for relief from excessive emotional states, which ends up also relieving physical symptoms. They REALLY work. Let's make some for ourselves.

For our field day in his honor, you will need to pack a small daypack with:

· 1 small bottle brandy (for preserving the essences)
· tweezers and/or scissors
· several 1 or 2 oz. amber or cobalt bottles with droppers (old extract bottles)
· several glass bowls/Pyrex sets of 4 at Wal-Mart are perfect
· distilled water
· several little sticky labels, paper and pens
· flower field guide or identification book

On a sunny day, early in the day, go to your garden, land owned by a friend, or to public land and look for a large patch of wildflowers, or garden flowers, far away from the road. Chances are this time of year you will find, as I did: wild roses, sweet clover (yellow and tall), red clover, penstemon, paintbrush, yarrow, alfalfa, pineapple weed, arnica, wild geranium, dandelion, fireweed, flowering sage and others. From your garden you could make nasturtium, pansy, dill, tomato, snap peas, and others. All of these are non-poisonous and easily identifiable and will make wonderful flower essences. Stay away from lupines and larkspur (tall stems/both deep purple), as they are poisonous.

Pour the distilled water into the bowls to about two inches deep. Approach the type of plants you most feel like making an essence from, and think you have identified correctly. Feel your way through the field until you find an abundant and vibrant plant.

If it all seems right, with the leaf of another plant, tweezers, or scissors, protect the flower from being touched as you pick it right near the stem and deposit it on top of the water. Fill the surface of the water with vibrant flowers that seem full of energy. When making wild rose recently, I noticed I only needed two flowers because the petals would gently fall out of the bloom and cover the water. This conserves flowers.

Place the bowl at the base of the plant, in the sun, for at least 1 hour, preferably 3-4 hours. I find I have to move the bowls to keep them in the sun, so I stay close by. You have an opportunity to tune into the essence of the plant and get sensations and visual images about what it might be good for. Trust the messages you get and write them down. It is fun to compare them later to flower essence books and see if your intuitions were similar. When making medicines, I always ask for a phrase that describes the plant's function for you. Then I write it on the sticky label for the bottle, along with the date and the place I made the essence.

When you feel the energy transfer is complete (you can usually tell because the flowers lose their vitalness, but the water seems to sparkle with life) pull the flowers off the water without touching your fingers to them. Thank the flowers and leave them at the base of the plant to reseed or fertilize. Divide the flower-charged water into your small bottles, filling them half full. Add brandy to the other half and shake one hundred times. Label and definitely taste your blend right away. Note any feelings, or particular message or phrases you feel. Note them as part of the flower’s personality and pay attention to the places this information could be vital to you. You have made a flower essence!

Flower Essences work vibrationally on your emotional body system, and they will usually feel like they comfort a particular feeling, or address a certain emotional issue with which you may be dealing, or they may make you feel like you are blossoming or becoming like the flower. You may be surprised by what you feel and hear. Find times when you can use your new medicine and see how effective it is! You can use seven drops in a glass of water, or 3-7 drops on or under your tongue. Here are a few of the essences you could be making, and their relative effects:

Yarrow: I made this recently and got strong energy for creativity from it - like lightning bolts of ideas that are soft as a feather. It also offers protection from negative influences by enhancing the auric field - and may open you to hearing devic voices. Brings vibrancy and strength with protection.

Wild Rose: An essence for love and opening the heart, and for awakening higher spiritual frequencies. Helps to conjoin one's purpose, and open to blessings of the heart.

Daisy: An essence for joy - to bring sunshine to the gloomy places, and draw expansive partnerships between Nature and man. Represents simply dancing through life.

Red Clover: Treats hysteria and overwhelming despair with compassion and calmness. Great for animals being forced to go the vet - and for recovery from traumas.

Pansy: Great for physical ailments like colds and viruses. Strengthens mental states and helps tiredness after meditation.  It is like an angel in a flower.