Flowers are profound healing forces. There are countless poems and songs that praise the beauty and healing that come from flowers in full bloom. Flowers are one of the reasons why I wanted to be a healer. They always remind me of the healing that comes from honoring beauty in all forms. My favorite way to use flowers as medicine is in the form of flower essences. Flower essences do not contain the physical constituents of flowers that we often rely upon in plant medicine. Instead, the flower essences are inherently vibrational. These vibrational essences work with emotional, spiritual and soul imbalances; allowing us to shift perpetual consciousness patterns while attuning us to the true vibration of nature.
I first started working with flower essences when I was heartbroken. The heart is the fourth chakra of the system of seven energy centers in our bodies. It’s located between the lower three chakras and upper three chakras; where the world of matter is integrated with the world of spirit. When I was experiencing this deep heartbreak, I felt so much stagnation in my heart center—it hurt. Heartbreak physically hurts. It’s a great example of how our emotions intensely become a big part of our physical experience in the world. Even though I could feel the physical pain of heartbreak, I knew that I needed to work in the energetic, emotional and spiritual realm in order to begin healing. Once I started working with flower essences, I realized how impactful such harmonizing remedies were for our emotions and spirits.
Below, I’ve listed out some of my favorite flower essences to work with when faced with grief, heartbreak and heart healing.
Acacia flower essence is a wonderful essence for healing heartache and ancestral trauma. It fills the holes in our hearts with bright yellow light and sweetness. Yellow flowers are uplifting to the spirit and mood. When I first started taking Acacia, I was able to release a lot of emotional pain, while still feeling supported and held. It was amazing to realize that such pain could be held with love.
Blackberry is a member of the Rose family, which is a family of plants that is known to have quite powerful effects on the heart. Blackberry essence is for manifesting our personal will. Have you ever been pricked by a blackberry? That is a sharp reminder of it’s strength. Blackberry can really help break up stagnant energy through motivating action. I started using blackberry when I began questioning how much longer I’d feel so sad. It felt like there was no end to the sadness I was experiencing. Blackberry is grounded in it’s staying power, and is a support that nourishes our personal willpower.
Rose is a wonderful essence for self-care. Rose invites us to open our hearts so we may unfold into love with ourselves. Rose brings joy into our lives, helping us become attuned to what is sacred. The prickly thorns of Rose also remind us to be open hearted while doing what is best for our hearts. Remember, we don’t have to say yes to everyone and everything. We can still feel safe while being vulnerable with ourselves.
Jasmine flower essence helps us identify and release old hooks that remain hidden in our spirits. Sometimes we may feel pain around something that occurred months, even years ago. These old hooks may be past traumas, old loves or stagnant emotional patterns. Jasmine helps the heart to feel “un-stuck” so that it may evolve beyond old definitions, or stories that no longer serve us.
USING FLOWER ESSENCES
Set an intention! Shake it up, and then ask the plants for guidance. Name your essence so you can remember your intention every time you pick up the bottle. Intention amplifies the effects of the essences.
Use the drops of your essences directly on the tongue, in your water, or in your food. The more you engage with them the more you will feel their vibration shifting your consciousness patterns. Also make sure to engage with them when you are energetically open.
Mindfulness is key: rather than taking them while running out the door, try to create a space for these vibrations in your life.
Dream work: place drops on your pillow at night, see what dreams come your way. Track your dreams in a dream journal. Pay attention to waking dreams too!.
Art: I have some painter friends that like to put their essences in their paint when they are mixing colors. Engage with them in your creative processes!
Use them topically: put the essences in your bathwater, your body oil or in your shampoo, etc. There is no limit to the ways in which you can use them.
Photo by Ali Kaukas
This post originally occurred on Ashley’s website.
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Ashley Neese is a holistic nutritionist, energy healer, and yoga instructor. She also offers women’s circles as a way to help create community and encourage women to experience and discuss their emotions. Ashley believes that when we bring our whole being into each moment, we have the infinite potential to heal, create, love, and be at peace. Visit her website to learn more.