At Home with Bach Flower Remedies

“A man must stand erect not be kept erect by others.” Marcus Aurelius

Wild Rose is one of the quiet remedies, the need for which can be so subtle it may be hard to spot when it would help. To those around us it may appear as though we’re drifting along through life without much difficulty, when in fact ‘drifting’ is the operative word. We aren’t steering or rowing our boat but just letting the current (circumstances, people in our lives) decide our direction. When we need Wild Rose we let others shape our wishes, our lives, our routines. There is no personal development in that! We need to seize the oars of our life.

There may be understandable reasons why sufferers of this inertia have become the way they are: bullying parents, for example, or a partner who is possessive or manipulative. So it’s perfectly possible that faced with such a passive individual we might start by thinking, ‘Is it Larch they need, for more confidence? Are they plain indecisive (Cerato or Scleranthus)? Are they held stuck by past guilt (Pine)?’ without initially perceiving that this person is ‘dead’ to life and what it can offer. They are out of touch with themselves, their reality and their true feelings, merely functioning on a vegetative level, almost like someone in a state of shock or concussion.

As practitioners we may come to learn some of their history but we’re only interested in their current emotions. At this moment all we know is that they are apathetic, resigned to everything ‘because that’s just the way it is – I can’t do anything about that.’ They have given up their agency and power to change things. They have ground to a halt in their lives, and stagnation always leads to decay.

But when the Wild Rose remedy works its magic we become – like the plant scrambling up through the hedge to bloom in the sun – enthusiastic for life, for action, fulfilment and upward growth.

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Photo: Jeff Isaack (Unsplash)

A big thank you to all my followers, both new and not so new!

Being passionate about the life-enhancing benefits of the flower remedies has never felt more important. A recent study of 71 countries* puts the UK in the bottom two (!) when it comes to mental well-being. Anything any of us can do to spread the word about how much the remedies can help with restoring emotional balance and mental peace will be important in supporting so many people in need.

*Mental state of the world report, mentioned by Prof Danny Blanchflower on Twitter/X

Photo: Ally Matson

Dr Bach first made the Rock Water remedy from a well with healing powers. A well is not necessarily a stone or brick-built structure for garnering water, but a place where a natural spring ‘wells up’ through the ground. It bubbles up, nothing can hold it back, for as the Taoists say, water is the strongest element, it will find its way round any obstacle.

This joyous, unregulated gushing of water! Springs and wells are unstoppable whereas those in need of the remedy have ‘stop’ written large in their daily lives. ‘I must stop thinking about taking a break and get this work done instead. I must stop watching this film as it’s bedtime and I always go to bed at 10 pm.’ The person who needs Rock Water has a regime, a set of rules by which they live their life. They are rigid about it – like a rock they are immovable and unable to see any reason to alter, forgetting that there is no growth without change. This fixity of purpose, this regulated existence, means they push themselves too hard and that’s when taking the Bach remedy can help.

“Under heaven, nothing is more soft and yielding than water.
Yet for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better.”*
The spring water potentised by Dr Bach exerts its influence on the rock-like intransigence of those who need a little more fluidity in their mind-set, a little more kindness to themselves.

When water springs up from the depths of the earth, its tendency – on the flat – is to spread itself out in all directions, with freely-given abundance. It’s only if rocks impede its progress (or the confining hand of man) that it is directed into a fixed channel. If we need Rock Water it’s because we are too harsh on ourselves, channelling our energies in the ‘correct’ manner as we see it. There’s a spontaneity about a natural well which is missing from those who need this remedy. Taking it (when we recognise we have become inflexible in our self-discipline) helps us to flow like water, celebrating change and relaxation, enjoying life's bubbles. As John O’Donohue writes, “When a well awakens in the mind, new possibilities begin to flow; you find within your self a depth and excitement which you never knew you had.”

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* Lao Tse 78

If we think of ourselves as unattractive or unlovable in ways we cannot overlook, the flower essence to take is Crab Apple, known as the cleansing remedy. If there is something we find unclean or horrible about ourselves, or when we are ‘anxious to be free from the one particular thing which is greatest in [our] mind,’* this is the essence which will help.

Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way, suggests a mantra for this kind of mental block: ‘Treating myself as a precious object will make me strong.’ It sounds counter-intuitive but she knows that we are all inclined to regard ourselves harshly. If we tend to be nit-picking about our perceived flaws, and indulge in (mental) self-flagellation, we have probably never stopped to consider ourselves as a precious object. This raised in my mind the image of Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics such as bowls, and embellishing them with gold along the cemented cracks. When the piece has been restored it glories in its new looks, and is even more beautiful, with the gold enhancing its worth.

The lacquer used in Kintsugi is made from a tree sap. It has qualities of stability and durability, like the trees in the Bach remedy system. Crab Apple is one of the seven trees in the Group for Despondency and Despair and gives us resilience and new heart when we take it as a flower remedy.

When we admire a piece of Kintsugi we see a once-beautiful thing made beautiful again in a new way. When we take flower remedies they restore us, in a way which may be new to us, but is not a re-build, it’s a revival: we recreate our love – for ourselves and subsequently for others – nearer to how our soul always wanted it to be.

Flower photo thanks to Nicola Hanefeld, BFRP
* Dr Bach

There is so much happening in the world right now to make us angry that we regularly hear people say, ‘It makes my blood boil.’ The Koreans' word for that, ‘Hwambyung’, is known as fire disease since one of its symptoms is a feeling of flames in the body. In English, when outrage burns and demands action, we call it fervour – and the origin of that word comes from Latin, to boil …

Passion can be a useful instigator of action. ‘If you’re angry that’s a sign of hope – it means you believe change should happen and that others should care about you enough to help,’ writes Soraya Chamaly in Rage Becomes Her. It’s zealous fury which fuels activism and protests of all kinds and this is characteristic of Vervain types, standing up for what they are sure is right, while attempting to persuade others to join in.

Anger, zeal, activism, passion, of themselves do not spell a need for the Vervain flower remedy. But when fervour is running high, the pressure we place on ourselves and others becomes overbearing. Just as milk boiling over swamps its surroundings, so will our feverish mind-set boil over, swamping others and leaving us emptied out.

Of course Vervain isn’t solely about being incensed at injustice. Many of us will find we need Vervain when we are tense and restless, with too many balls in the air and unable to relax. Anyone who finds they’re always on the go, their engines constantly revving away, frantic to get on with the next commitment, will benefit from a dose or two of Vervain. All those who say they haven’t got time to sit down, or ‘switch off’, because they’re too busy, they’re needed elsewhere … they are in the overwrought frame of mind where Vervain will help.

The high-octane enthusiasm and busyness of this emotional state is very tiring for those in their circle. Vervain types are perfectionists and expect a high standard from everybody else too. And because they are so sure they are right they, like Rock Water, can’t understand why anyone would want them to be any different. Taking Vervain helps them to accept the need for rest, and relax enough to find it can be restorative. To understand that their incandescence overheats everyone it touches – and would be more effective as a bright star, guiding others forward.

Pic by PublicDomanPictures on Pixabay (in reference to the Post Office Scandal)

If you'd like to know more about the botany of the wild flowers used to make the Bach Flower Remedies, click the link for Nicola's Bach Centre-approved course in February. It's in English.

Bachblüten Freiburg - Seminare, Ausbildung und Beratung - Recognising Edward Bach’s plants BC-ACE workshop February 2024 Hier finden Sie Informationen über die Bach-Blüten, Bach-Blüten Seminare und die Bach-Blüten-Beraterausbildung, vom Bach Centre, UK anerkannt.

Phew - you made it! You got to Christmas Eve before your internal battery died completely!

This drawing by could illustrate the Oak or Olive remedies. Oak forgets to recharge themselves and then wonders why they don't have the energy, resilience or stamina which they normally have. They are despondent at their loss of fortitude, not realising why, but still perservering in their determination to fulfill their commitments.

Those who need Olive, on the other hand, know they are exhausted. This remedy is not in the Despair Group like Oak, but in the Group: Insufficient Interest in Present Circumstances, because they have no energy left to bring to the here and now.

Taking the Oak or Olive remedy will restore our strength but first it will encourage us to rest and recover. To recuperate and enjoy some recreation: re-creation…

Have a wonderful Christmas and some restorative sleep and relaxation! Thank you for following!

This is .
Grief can be felt for so many reasons, not just the death of a loved one, but for any kind of loss. The state the world is in at present, it’s hard not to grieve almost every day for all the terror and pain that people and animals are suffering, all the harm that’s being inflicted on communities and the earth as a whole.

Loss, trauma or grief impart a shock to the system, rendering us numb. Sometimes those who are bereft cannot cry (initially) because they are held in the numbness of a shock state. Star of Bethlehem (or Rescue Remedy of which it is an important ingredient) will help to unfreeze that block, allowing tears to fall when it becomes right for them to be released.

“For those in great distress under conditions which for a time produce great unhappiness.” Dr Bach.

When we suffer a wound to our physical body, the immune system rushes cells to the site to start the healing process. When we suffer a shock to our emotional system, a wound we call grief opens up, which needs closing and healing. Just as sleep ‘knits up the ravell’d sleeve of care’*, so does Star of Bethlehem’s energy sew up the hole in our psyche.

As we approach Christmas, with the suffering of so many in the forefront of our minds, we recall that the biblical star of Bethlehem led wise men towards a new embodiment of love and light, in the form of Jesus, whose birth is celebrated at this darkest time of the year. We may not know why the flower was named after this star – other than its six white petals – but throughout history it has come to symbolise hope and new beginnings. Star of Bethlehem remedy helps us to see that love and light will always be present, and at the end of the tunnel, hope and new beginnings are possible too.

*Shakespeare in Macbeth
Photo: Ally Matson

When L o v e vanishes

It’s time-consuming and irritating to read this poem - but I'm sharing it here as a metaphor for how bits of us go missing when we suffer negative emotions. We lose our patience, our empathy, our resilience, our sense of humour etc. And this happens to the extent that eventually we can’t communicate to loved ones, but become half invisible, even to ourselves. And others can only read bits of us which don’t make any sense, so they give us less love and attention than we deserve.

When we don’t love ourselves enough, we are not aware that emotional parts of us are absent and we're only half present in the world. Then we communicate our needs – and our affection and interest in others – badly. We become self-pitying, judgemental, over-concerned, withdrawn and so on.

And, in reverse, when we come across people who are half-missing we need to be patient, tolerant, understanding and compassionate. When we can't see what's missing or understand why they're not fully there, we can end up criticising them for how they appear on the surface rather than what they truly are, deep down.

In order to be our best selves we need to be fully present: Bach flower remedies help to fill all those gaps in our love letters to the world.

Poem by Brian Bilston on his page

When we think of Centaury we usually consider the issue of boundaries, since those who need it are unable to say No to requests for help or attention.

There’s a Meatloaf song called, ‘I would do anything for love but I won’t do that’, currently the theme song for a UK TV advert. It attempts to convey the message that however much we want to please people at Christmas, we shouldn’t let it go against our own values, wishes, or need for self-care.

However, maintaining or erecting boundaries does NOT mean trying to control other people’s behaviour; it means preserving our autonomy by not allowing them to exploit our willingness to help, usurp our needs or time, invade our space or decide our commitments.

People who need Centaury are generous in spirit. Service to others may even be their life mission, but it needs to be undertaken with discernment and self-awareness. Their ‘weakness’ is one of the kindest and gentlest in the range as they so much want to help, and their good hearts will not let them say no. Centaury gives and gives, well beyond the need for rest and respite.

And they loathe conflict and often agree to help, or get involved, rather than risk hurting or offending others. By taking Centaury they learn the authenticity of maintaining their own values, their own priorities, and need for relaxation and space. Dr Bach expressed so sweetly the mind-set of Centaury types: “… I have learnt to hate strength and power and dominion … just for the moment I would rather that I suffered than that I caused one moment’s pain to my brother.”

The positive emotions of all the flower remedies have sterling qualities and, once back in balance, a Centaury person is ‘One who serves wisely and quietly. One who knows when to give or when to withhold.’ (The Dictionary of Bach Flower Remedies by TW Hyne-Jones)

“The boundary to what we accept is the boundary to our freedom.” Tara Brach

Photo by 822640 on Pixabay

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For the last author in this series, on Saturday 25th November I will be interviewing Nicola Hanefeld, BFRP, about her book on the flower remedies, titled One Person's Journey. Join us on zoom at 3.30 pm (UK time). If you haven't already registered, email [email protected]

Taking the Bach Flower Remedies helps us to soothe and diminish all our negative emotions. When we perceive the difference between a state of balance and an afflictive emotion we are able to heal, and help others along their way too.

Thank you to all the new followers! And of course to all of you who have been following for some time 🙏

“No worst, there is none. Pitched past pitch of grief.” G M Hopkins
I was moved by a story of kindness this week. A train driver* waiting at a station spotted a young woman pacing up and down the opposite platform, clearly in distress. An alarm bell rang in his head but at that moment he received the ‘green’ signal. He moved off very slowly so as to be able to mouth at her, ‘Are you OK?’ She nodded but with tears streaming down her face. Concerned now for her safety, he phoned in to report the incident and ask the platform staff to check on her. He enquired later and heard they had taken her into the office to warm up, and look after her. The train driver’s concluding comment on Twitter/X was ‘Lots of people are going through a tough time at the moment. We need to look out for each other.’

These are Sweet Chestnut times we are living in. There are so many desperate people now, here and abroad, who can see no light at the end of the tunnel, and who have no idea how they are going to get through from one day to the next.

“When it seems there is nothing but destruction and annihilation left to face.” Dr Bach

None of us can wave a magic wand over people’s lives but little kindnesses do more to help those suffering than we will ever know. Sweet Chestnut isn’t a magic wand to make troubles disappear either, but it will lift us up above the mudslide we are drowning in so that we can see reason for hope. Then we are more able to face our problems with courage, tenacity, and a faith that things will change.

*
Photo: Kevin Woblich on Unsplash

If there’s a key image which I associate with the Walnut flower remedy, it’s thresholds and open doors. A doorway is always an opening to somewhere new or somewhere different. A step forward from here to there.

But we must beware of short-circuiting the reasoning by thinking great change or new openings automatically require a dose of Walnut. People may not need it if they are pleased and in the throes of readily making the transition. Yes, they may be slightly nervous, daunted, wondering if they’ll cope, but they only need Walnut if the change is proving difficult to process.

Walnut is not for change, *per se*, it is for the emotional state when our resilience, our purpose or stability, is being undermined by other people or even our outgrown thought patterns.

Walnut is in the Group: Oversensitive to Ideas and Influences. And just as Centaury (in the same group) cannot say No to others asking for help, so those in need of Walnut are overly influenced by other people or the pressures of old habits. And this happens just at the point where they need to step through the door into a larger future. So if someone is on the cusp of changing career or lifestyle but is being persuaded against the move by others, or an outside factor, then Walnut would help the individual to resist, and follow their heart.

In a state where we need Walnut we are hovering between two worlds, the world of the past, the familiar, where others want us to remain, and the unknown, uncertain world of our future. This transitional state can be – psychically – intensely unstable as a new life struggles to be born, rendering us particularly susceptible to interference from other energies.

Walnut will protect us from the influences holding us in the past. It also strengthens our decision and our determination to step up and out into a new future.

Photo: Peter Herrmann on Unsplash

In a reel on communication skills*, the advice was that there are no good behaviours or bad ones, only those which serve you or don’t serve you. The behaviours which may have served you in the past, may nowadays be hindering rather than helping you. He was talking about communicating but the same is true of how we relate to people generally.

With regard to flower remedies of course, it is not the actions of the person consulting us for help which are of importance, but the emotions behind them. However, often it is our emotional state which leads to certain behaviour – such as a Heather type talking incessantly about their own concerns – thus giving us a clue as to what is going on with that person.

In soothing and recalibrating our emotions the flower remedies also prompt us to adjust our behaviours. This occurs because when we are at peace we learn more about ourselves, which in turn contributes to our spiritual evolution. When we think of people we know who are energy vampires, or self-pitying, or who can never make up their minds, do we think they have full self-awareness? Probably not. But once we become more self-aware and can see we are monopolising the ‘conversation’, or criticising people, or neglecting our own needs for rest and self-care (for example) then we start to understand that these behaviours or actions arise from a negative mental state.

These emotions evolved because we were trying to fulfil an unmet need – for affection, connection, autonomy, safety and so on – and are perfectly justifiable and understandable at certain times of our life. However, by taking the flower remedies, our emotional balance returns to a healthy state of tranquillity, and with their help, we learn to appreciate that those emotions (and the concomitant behaviours) no longer serve us. We are evolving to a stage where we no longer need them: the Winter of our past is giving way to the flowering of a new Spring.

* Vinh Giang is a teacher of communications-skills, on Instagram and YouTube
Pic: Dame Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey.

Often I see, read, or hear something which makes me think of a flower remedy, and this cartoon was a recent example. If you haven’t guessed which flower it could be, here are a couple of clues:
“They desire that those for whom they care should be near them.” Dr Bach.
Or “… gives the impression of doing everything possible for the happiness of others, while in reality they do so in a manner that brings neither peace nor rest to the recipient.” Philip Chancellor.

Dogs are loving and devoted to us, as are the people who – at times – need this particular remedy. They love to show their affection but so often it becomes possessive and self-serving. Just like the dog in the cartoon, those who need a certain essence impose their wants and needs on those around them. These people have a lot of love to give and want to show it but when they are in a negative state their love becomes clingy and demanding, rather than unconditional. Then they need – yes, Chicory.

They become like a mother hen who wants all her chicks safely under her wing. This leads to controlling tendencies, usually in martyrish, manipulative ways. ‘If you loved me, you’d ring me more often.’ ‘You can’t be a priest; not after all I’ve done to get you elected as a Member of Parliament!’

And as Dr Bach pointed out, part of their selfish love (which Chicory would help to ameliorate) is “…continually correcting what they consider wrong, and enjoy doing so.” For example, ‘Darling, that shirt doesn’t suit you, I’ve put out the blue one for you to wear.’ Loving and caring but in a ‘You can’t manage without me’, manner. Chicory types so badly need to be needed. Just like the dog, they show affection but in reality are expressing, ‘I feel neglected and need you to show that you love me.’

“The sun never says to the earth, 'You owe me.'
Look what happens with a love like that. It lights up the whole sky.” ~ Hafiz

Cartoon: Rupert Fawcett, Off The Leash

If you're registered for this series of zoom events, a reminde that this Saturday 30th, at 3.30 UK time, Nicola will be talking to me about my books.

In a recent talk* Tara Brach quotes a fairy tale which is an allegory for the way life’s vicissitudes have affected us. It’s only a few minutes long, and may make you think of Agrimony. But actually it has a much wider application than that and reminded me of a post I wrote some years ago, which I’ll repeat here.

A pangolin is a mammal protected by thick, sharp scales. Like a hedgehog or a turtle, a pangolin has no other means of defending itself against attack. Born soft-shelled, until they develop their armour they are vulnerable, open to harm from any source.

As humans we are born like that too – defenceless against attack and wounding from all sides, and without a single piece of armour-plating to protect us. However, while our sophisticated brains may develop clever means of self-preservation, the same is not true of our emotional nature. Every arrow to our heart, every emotional grief or trauma, causes us to grow a scab over the wound, increase the scales which cover our inner self, and make us what we are today. Eventually those around us may find it hard to see our true being, because our pure, glowing heart is hidden behind a protective shell.

Chögyam Trungpa said, “We possess what is known as basic goodness. Then we develop an overlay of unnecessary tricks and occupations. We develop little tricks to shield ourselves from being embarrassed – or from feeling too painful or naked.”
We’re easily hurt and once we are stuck in a particular emotional state, it may be almost impossible for us to see it for what it is and progress out of it. So when we talk about the onion-peeling effect of the flower remedies, we mean the peeling away of all the obsolete scabs, all the layers of scales developed to protect our damaged and hurting self. Bit by bit we come to see that we no longer need a hard shell, a set of prickles or a coat of sharp scales.

Over a period of time – maybe even years – the remedies help to restore us; and in changing our outlook, restoring our positivity and healing past hurts, we help to encourage similar changes in everyone around us.

* The Path of Sacred Relatedness at 6m 25s.
Photo: Wild Africa Conservation Fund [dot] org

Over a period of several Saturdays, Nicola Hanefeld, BFRP, will interview different authors on a live zoom event, discussing their books on the Bach Flower Remedies and how and why they came to be written.

There are a few places left if you want to attend. Email Nicola at bachflowerbooks[at]googlemail.com for all details.

The black cloud of gloom which descends for no reason is the emotional state we all associate with the need for Mustard. Dr Bach says in The Twelve Healers it hides the light and joy of life. It’s not the depression which arises from a known cause (and may need Gentian or Gorse perhaps) but inexplicably arrives out of nowhere.

In a Mustard state we are focused inwardly, entirely on ourselves. Our vibration is so low we send no light out into the world. We’re like a black hole in outer space: no light can emanate. When we’re in such a dark place it’s easy to believe that all light has vanished. But it is always present, it’s just that our eyes (on the physical plane), our souls on an emotional plane, are not ‘tuned in’ to receive it.

Only a sculptor like Michelangelo could see a block of marble for what it really was: “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Light and darkness are a bit like that: we see a block of darkness and believe that’s all it is and all it ever will be. But when we have taken Mustard (or do not need it) the darkness is merely light in an undifferentiated state.

Darkness doesn’t mask, subjugate, or quench light, it is a form of light that is incomprehensible to our eyes, to our emotions in a particular mood. “And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:5) Some translators consider that means the darkness fails to understand light. But in reality it means that darkness cannot engulf light, cannot seize hold of it as though it were prey and swallow it.

Darkness is merely a primeval, low-quality manifestation of light. When we are feeling gloomy we are like the Brightness slider on a photo editor – we have moved too far in one direction.

So bear that in mind the next time you are mysteriously, illogically, so depressed that all you can see is darkness. Remember light is life, it exists everywhere at all times and Mustard will restore your ability to see it, bringing you –– en-lighten-ment …

Photo: Ally Matson

Thrilled to read such a wonderful review of my book from Filomena. 🙏

Cosy bed, a book, smell of coffee - alarm clock = weekend. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​What are your plans for the weekend? A time to relax and read a book, then let me tell you about this new book I have just received from the UK.

"A-Z of Emotional Resilience" by Lesley Cooke .

This book outlines a wide range of emotions from A-Z and introduces the concept of relieving low moods using nature's healing power of Bach Flowers.

The book is full of everyday emotions we can all experience, and with Lesley's guidance as a Bach Practitioner, she suggests remedies that will help to release the uncomfortable emotions and help you return to a state of balance.

I found this book really helpful, especially when you're starting out using flower remedies; great for students who are learning the remedies and for Bach practitioners like myself.

It has information on when you might be feeling the emotion, what remedy to take and when to take the remedies she has suggested.

It's a small book that can easily fit in your handbag and can be carried around and used in times of need when you may be feeling one of the emotions listed and are not clear on which of the 38 remedies to take.

It's a book I will share with my students and clients to help them choose remedies for their emotions. It is an excellent book to add to my collection and a reference book when unsure which remedy to take or suggest.

If you would like a copy, contact Lesley or the .

Lesley has also written two other books, "Turning to the Light", with the help of Bach Flower Remedies and "Space to Think" —two great small books. Both are available through Lesley.

Have a great weekend and happy reading x