Fiona McLintock Bach Flowers

“We should strive to be so gentle, so quiet, so patiently helpful that we move among our fellow men and women more as a breath of air or a ray of sunshine: ever ready to help them when they ask: but never forcing them to our own views.” Dr. Bach (Creator of the Bach Flower Remedies)
Flowers that bloom, like the lotus, have symbolised enlightenment for a very long time.
For centuries Tibetan Masters have taught that our higher selves and the plant world are directly linked and Native American Shamans are known as experts at travelling between these different levels, communicating and healing illness at the source. Indigenous Australians have also had a deep connection with with flowers and their healing properties.
However, it wasn't until the1930s that Dr. Edward Bach undertook a comprehensive study of our energetic connection with flowers. Bach, a very sensitive, intuitive, and compassionate man who offered free treatment to the poor and devoted his life to the improvement of humankind, is known as the father of the 38 different flower essences that are now successfully used worldwide.
Flower essences are the energetic imprint of flowers picked at the height of their bloom. Once collected, the flowers are either infused, by floating them in water underneath the sun’s rays, or lightly boiled. In this way, the water becomes the carrier of that particular flower’s energy. The infusion is then preserved in an alcohol base and diluted into bottles, then taken as drops in a glass of water, under the tongue or onto the skin.
Bach flower remedies are predicated on the belief that we, as individuals, exist on many levels. We have spiritual bodies, as well as physical, and healthy communication between all our layers of being is crucial to maintaining a happy, healthy, and above all, contented life.
According to Bach practitioners, our own intuition or sparks of desire and knowledge is actually guidance from our higher selves and/or a Higher Power. This guidance is intended to direct us further along our life path or destiny. If you have ever had a intuitive feeling that proved to be amazingly correct, you will know and value the importance of trusting your inner knowledge. For various reasons, however, we can block our intuition and what our souls need, thereby creating unhappiness, discordance, and imbalance within ourselves. Flower essences can help alter these negative thought patterns that block or obscure communication with our higher selves. By transforming these mental and emotional blockages, flower essences help to cleanse the “psycho-toxins” from our spiritual metabolism, re-establishing clear communication with our inner voice and intuition.
Illness or disease can be the cumulative result of consistently ignoring these kinds of energetic and emotional imbalances.
Science has known for decades that negative feelings and stress can weaken our body’s systems so it is not a new idea. According to Bach, however, illness is our body and soul’s way of telling us that we are in a state of disharmony, out of alignment with our life purpose or greater truth. In this way, illness can actually be seen as a gift, a condition to be worked with and learned from in order to prevent even further disharmony and suffering.
Bach Flower essences are always prescribed for a unique personality type and their effects will be different for each person.
Flower essences work in a very subtle way, so their effects do not work immediately, although those who are very sensitive can sometimes feel a shift within a few days.
In my experience, using these essences is a beautiful and incredibly gentle experience. Over time, taking the right combination of essences, you will undoubtedly notice a marked difference in your mood, energy levels, and general health. Flower essences harmonise our spirits on a deep and often imperceptible level. For this reason a sense of 'this essence feels right' is important to finding the correct essence or essences. If, when you read about one essence and it strikes a chord with you, then you should probably listen to your intuition and take it. Lastly, one of the most important concepts behind Bach Flower essences is the old adage “Heal Thyself.” Everything you need to be healthy and whole and in harmony with yourself and the world already exists within and is available to you at any time - you only need to go deeper and listen to your higher self, so remember to open up to your own light and listen to the best healer you could ever ask for - yourself.