3 Flower Essences to Build Courage
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Flower essences are a subtle medicine. They are helpful for working on emotional and energetic layers of our being. Try these three essences to build your courage.
What Flower Essences Actually Are
Flower essences are infusions of the energetic qualities of flowers. They address the nature and wellness of one’s soul and emotions, as well as the connection to one’s whole being.
Flower essences are made from freshly picked flowers held in spring or distilled water by the sun or light of the moon. After their vibrational medicine is infused into the water, they are diluted further, potentized, and preserved in glass jars and dropper bottles for ingestion.
Flower remedies are a gentle or subtle medicine. That means they work on deeper layers of the emotional body and our subconscious for integration into the soul’s well-being. The essences are a homeopathic medicine, meaning they work with the main imprinting of pain or trauma, where the imbalance is held within the body.
For example, if you are working with low self-esteem, the energetic imprint of the essence works to build confidence and self-worth, and insecure emotions are lowered. Subtle shifts in our energy can cause ripples in our lives for a beautiful and gentle transformational process. When healing takes place in a gentle energy field, as the flowers so sweetly provide, it can be brought into union gracefully with the mind-body-spirit connection and ourselves.
The effects of the essence sometimes can be felt right away; other times, subtle shifts unfold day by day until there is a change.
Flower Essences, Essential Oils, and Herbal Tinctures
Flower essences are not to be confused with essential oils or herbal tinctures. Essential oils are chemical compounds from a plant extracted in a distillation process. They’re often used for aromatherapy because of their potent smell. An herbal tincture is a concentrated medicinal form of a plant that is made by soaking it in alcohol for an extended period of time. Tinctures are used to help heal and balance physical symptoms in the body.
A Little History
Utilizing flowers for their subtle yet transformative powers of healing dates back almost 3,000 years and has occurred in many cultures throughout the world. The ancient Egyptians were known to collect the dew from flowers and use its energetic properties to treat intense emotional states. For centuries, the Chinese have been known to embrace the energetic vibrations of flowers as beneficial for one’s well-being. The Balinese have a long history of placing flowers in bathwater and taking a long soak for beauty and rejuvenation.
Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), a mystic, writer, composer, and Benedictine abbess from Germany, was a highly in-tune visionary who later came to be known as Saint Hildegard. She wrote texts about the medicinal, theological, and elemental healing properties of botany and the natural world. She, along with her fellow nuns, would place muslin cloths over flowers to soak up dew. Hildegard had an innate understanding of the doctrine of signatures, the idea that parts of nature, including flowers, have direct counterparts in the human body and can assist in providing restoration and relief. The nuns would collect the muslin in the morning and use it to wrap ill patients as necessary.
The Swiss physician, alchemist, prophet, and botanist Paracelsus (1493–1541) was a radical medical practitioner because of his views on health and nature. He looked to nature as a true healer instead of the accepted paradigm, which was less holistic. Paracelsus understood the doctrine of signatures philosophy as well; he collected dew from the flowers to treat emotional imbalance, for instance. Paracelsus appreciated the flowers’ innate ability to provide health to the human body.
Centuries later, the true father of flower essences was Dr. Edward Bach (1886–1936). Bach was a dedicated physician from London who understood that traditional medicine, or allopathic practices, has its limitations in providing well-being. Dr. Bach became drawn to a homeopathic approach, one in which he embraced the healing power of flowers. He began to collect wildflowers with which to treat patients and noticed positive results. He continued to study and reflect upon the gifts of each of these flowers, as related to treating human beings. To quote Dr. Bach about the magnificent power of flower essence healing:
“. . . To raise our vibrations and open up our channels for the reception of our spiritual self, to flood our natures with the particular virtues and to wash out from us the faults which were causing them. They are able, like beautiful music or any gloriously uplifting thing which gives us inspiration, to raise our very natures and bring us nearer to ourselves and by that very act to bring us peace and relieve our suffering. They cure not by attacking disease but by flooding our bodies with beautiful vibrations of our higher nature in the presence of which disease melts as snow in the sunshine.”
In the 1930s, he left his successful medical practice and focused solely on working with flowers and their doctrine of signatures for treating patients. He innately understood that his patients’ physical ailments were related to unintegrated charges from emotional and mental states. To make flower essences, Dr. Bach would place a flower in a glass bowl with water and let it soak for several hours. The water would receive the energetic imprint of that flower’s healing capacity. We still use this method today.
Read more about flower essences for mental, emotional, and spiritual transformation.
Flower Essences for Courage
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” — Maya Angelou
The root word for courage is cor, a Latin word that means “heart.” According to Brené Brown, the word in its earliest form meant “to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.” It is essential to live life courageously through the heart. How can we receive what we desire unless we go after it fearlessly and unapologetically? Courage keeps the heart aflame and thus rewarded—a virtue of utmost value that spreads into every aspect of life. Let’s dive into the floral realms to understand which essences can help us show up bravely and allow ourselves to be seen.
Penstemon
Penstemon flower essence will assist you with:
- Persevering during hard times
- Building up inner fortitude
- Allowing for deep transformation
Invocation
When you need to face the world during a stressful time, take this flower essence first thing in the morning to build up courage. Say some positive affirmations out loud, if you wish. The day is yours to seize. Penstemon flower essence helps us tap into reservoirs of resilience and bravery.
Native to the West Coast of the United States, this low-forming perennial has tubular blue-lavender buds. Penstemon provides great strength, courage, and perseverance during challenging life circumstances. If you are feeling sorry for yourself, you may benefit from taking this flower essence. Those who have been through unusually hard circumstances may feel more ease and grace after taking Penstemon. Those circumstances could include the loss of something special, which causes a soul to lose faith and feel pity or intense despair. Penstemon brings about more courageous energy for that soul, rebuilding it with feelings of trust and hope. Take Penstemon if you feel unable to confront harsh circumstances and desire a braver and more faithful outlook on life.
Rock Rose
Rock Rose flower essence will assist you with:
- Building strength when facing intense challenges
- Transcending fear into courage
- Feeling support during a crisis
Invocation
Use Rock Rose when you are faced with a traumatic event and need to call upon your inner courage to see you through. Sit in the sunlight, breathe deeply, and take this flower essence, knowing that this too shall pass. Allow Rock Rose to warm your spirit with strength.
A yellow, saucer-like flower native to most of Europe, Rock Rose is a trailing evergreen plant that blooms from May to July. Although it blooms for just a short time, it produces a plethora of flowers in arid, sunny spots. This powerful flower essence calls upon deep courage for our souls when we’re in the middle of a crisis or an extreme challenge. When traumatic events cause pain or fear of death, this flower essence is the one to call upon. Rock Rose inspires warmth and sunlight in the human heart so that it can show up to intense challenges with transcendent bravery. This essence also is appropriate when faced with the ego’s fear of death. Use Rock Rose whenever immense strength and courage are called upon during life’s most challenging occurrences.
Red Clover
Red Clover flower essence will assist you with:
- Embodying a calm presence
- Becoming more self-aware
- Feeling grounded in courage
Invocation
Take this flower essence while sitting under a strong tree and breathing slowly and deeply into your core. Red Clover flower essence assists you in grounded bravery so you can face stressful situations with ease.
Red Clover, an edible flowering perennial with reddish-pink buds, is native to northwest Africa, Europe, and western Asia. These tiny buds are used medicinally in the herbal world. And Red Clover flower essence’s energetic healing properties are perfect for working with courage. Red Clover provides us with a calm, grounded presence when we are faced with adversity. In the midst of chaos, this essence allows us to feel brave and centered. People who become easily anxious in groups, losing their identity and their confidence, can benefit from taking Red Clover. This powerful bud balances out the energy so you can move forward in life with self-awareness and with a brave and calm presence.
From The Healing Guide to Flower Essences: How to Use Gaia’s Magick and Medicine for Wellness, Transformation and Emotional Balance by Alena Hennessy, published by Fair Winds Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group. Learn more at www.quartoknows.com.
About the Author
Alena Hennessy is a flower essence practitioner, energy healer, reiki master, and noted artist. She is the author of the Mysteries of Love Oracle Deck, Cultivating Your Creative Life, The Painting Workbook, and Intuitive...
