Continuing with Steve Horne’s presentation of Flower Essences: Remedies for Grief, Desire (Love), or self-destructive behaviors.
Just as our body contracts to push things away, it expands to let things in. When we “love” something, our blood vessels dilate to increase blood flow to the senses and skin. As a result our skin “glows,” our eyes “sparkle,” we are “warm” and open to embrace life. Desire allows us to say “yes” to what is pleasurable and good for us, both physically and emotionally. This same energy allows us to more efficiently digest nutrients, pull oxygen into the body and provide oxygen and nutrients to the cells.
Healthy Grief- Grief is more than crying, it is sobbing, wailing, moaning, sighing and even screaming. These actions forcefully redistribute blood to the surface of our body so we can experience pleasure again.
“Release it Remedy” Helpful for people who are going through breakups, divorce or death of loved ones. Also helpful for people who are “victims,” who complain a lot, blaming others for their lack of success and problems. Helps people find comfort, let go of the past and have hope and confidence to face the future
Its flowers are:
Self-Heal – helps a person find their own inner strength and healing. Love-Lies-Bleeding – for melancholy and anguish of the soul, helps one find meaning and purpose in one’s suffering. Chicory – for possessive, needy, demanding love, helps transform it to self-less love, given freely. Bleeding Heart – teaches the lesson that love must exist in freedom, we can’t control what we love, helps a person “let go” after divorce, death or other losses. Chrysanthemum – for fear of mortality and aging, helps a person identify with their spiritual, rather than physical nature and accept the temporal (i.e., temporary) nature of the physical world. Borage – encourages hope and optimism.
For people who are “hard of heart” because of unresolved wounds from childhood and previous relationships. Helps a person face their suppressed pain and grief and find healing. Helps them open up to love, warmth and vulnerability again. Increases compassion, empathy and trust in relationships. Some of the flowers in this remedy are: California Wild Rose – opens and comforts the heart, primary remedy for healing the heart. Baby Blue Eyes – helps with defensiveness, cynicism and lack of trust, helps one rediscover innocence, the ability to trust and receive love. Yerba Santa – internalized grief and sadness which causes constricted feelings in the chest, helps a person open up and acknowledge painful emotions, helps them “breathe freely” again. Evening Primrose – helps people who avoid commitment in relationships to commit to the process of love.
Remedies for Fear: Fear is the energy we feel when choices need to be made, that have the possibility for great reward and/or great pain. Fear strongly affects the systems that regulate body functions, such as the glandular system (particularly the adrenals and thyroid) and the nerves. When this energy of fear is channeled into constructive action through exercising courage, it builds excitement and self-confidence.
For people who allow their fears to paralyze them in life and give up control to authority figures instead of trusting their own judgment. Helps people make their own decisions. Helps with the development of courage to act in the face of fear and self-confidence to pursue the goals and directions they desire in life. It has: Mountain Pride – helps a person confront and transform challenging situations. Aspen – for fears of the unknown, hidden fears and anxiety, promotes trust and confidence to meet the unknown. Scleranthus – hesitation and indecision, wavering between choices, promotes decisiveness and resolve. Mimulus – for facing known fears, promotes courage and self-confidence. Cerato – for people who are overly dependent on the advice of others, helps people to trust their own inner knowing. Blackberry – for the inability to translate goals into actions.
Helpful for people who get caught in addictive, obsessive or self-destructive behaviors. Helps them get in touch with the inner emotions that are driving their behavior. Promotes greater self-awareness and self-responsibility. Helps a person be true to themselves and move their life in a more positive direction. These are some of the flowers in this combination: Milkweed – overcomes tendency to dull consciousness through alcohol, overeating and other addictions. California Poppy – helps those who chase glamour, fame and “glitter” to find the true “gold” in their heart. Agrimony – for people who hide their pain, fear and anxiety behind a mask of cheerfulness, promotes emotional honesty.
