The initial process of making a flower essence involves clean fresh water, usually spring although some people choose to use distilled water.  The choosen water is then placed in a clean clear glass bowl in direct sunlight.  Then fresh pick blossoms from the plant species is placed in the bowl of water in full sunlight for a minimum of  3 hours.  After 3 hours the water is decanted into an amber glass jar with an equal amount of brandy.  The brandy serves to stabilize the vibration of the essence and prevent the growth of bacteria in the now highly charged water.  Now you have a mother essence, from the mother essence stock bottles are prepared.

To make a stock bottle a few drops of mother essence are added to a neutral solution of water and brandy.  Stock bottles are usually prepared in 1 to 1/4 ounce  bottles.  When you buy flower essences in the store or on line you are purchasing flower essences at the stock level.  Stock bottles are sometimes used directly, though if you are using a few essences at a time it is best to combine your stock essences into a dosage bottle.

Dosage bottles are the perfect way to administer and use a variety essences at one time without having to unscrew the cap a few stock bottles a few times a day.  To make a dosage bottle add 2-4 drops of essences from the stock bottles to a neutral solution of water and brandy, usually in 1/2-1 ounce amber glass bottle.  I personally prefer 1/2 bottles as they last 4 weeks when used 3-4 times a day.  The 4 week period is a good cycle when using flower remedies, after 4 weeks it is time to re-evaluate the formula and decide if you still need the essences.  When administering essences always keep the pipette clean, don’t touch it with your fingers, mouth, tongue or teeth.  Preventing contamination keeps the integrity of the essence at its most potent vibration.

One of the goals of Essence Alchemy is provide people with the flower remedies they need to make a dosage bottle.  The retail cost of stock bottles range from $8 to $12 a bottle and if you need 5 essences this can start adding up.  Essence Alchemy is designed in a user friendly way to help you find the flower remedies you need to design your own dosage bottle for a fraction of the cost if you were to purchase each remedy individually.

I have included 6 major brands of flower essences as they cover a wide range of issues and are all well researched remedies.  The brands include the original 38 Bach Flower Remedies, Flower Essence Society (FES), Delta Gardens medicinal herb set and Woodland Essence forrest floor, shrub, tree and at risk plant flower essences.  I also have the complete set of Australian Bush Essences and a partial set of Alaskan flower essences, gem essences and environmental essences.

Flower essences are amazing tools to assist with personal development and knowing how to use them can greatly enhance your experience. A simple method for getting the most out of flower essences in a therapeutic way when choosing self treatment is to focus on one area at a time.  Since most people turn to essences in a time of crisis, it is suggested to start with strengthening essences.

The key here is to use them for grounded perspective so you can easily work with the situation at hand.  Some strengthening essences are borage, mimulus, larch, mountain pride, california fuschi, yarrow, st. john’s wort, walnut, pine, sunflower and red cedar.

It is also recommended to add some catalysing essence to help move energy.  Some catalysts include horseradish, cayenne, habanero and goldenseal.  These essences can help move stuck energy and ‘psychic debris’ from the mind and emotions.  This benefits the whole strengthening process and it is easier to catalyse movement when feeling strong.

Another nice group of essences to include in the initial strengthening process are softening/soothing essences.  The benefits of strength and softness are like a balm to the soul and healing process.  Some essences that are useful with soothing and uplifting the spirit include star jasmine, white chestnut, impatiens, marshmallow, cherry plum, angelica and elderberry.

Self treatment is a great introduction to flower essences as it gets you familiar with the flower essence healing process.  I suggest starting with a few essences at first use them consistently until the bottle is done. For a more in depth experience choosing a personal consultation with someone familiar with flower essences.

St. john’s wort a special summer herb holds an esteemed place in the world of flower essences. This light filled essences is made from the bright yellow flowers that begin blooming around the summer solstice. The days near the solstice are characterized by early sunrises and sunsets that stretch long into the evening. This abundance of light is a key signature of the action of this essence.

I has my first plant spirit journey with this herb. Plant spirit journeys are one way to gather information on the healing properties of the plant. Two years ago while attending a flower essences course with David Dalton and Kate Gilday I made an essence from this plant. There were many plants flowering at this time and we were instructed to make an essence of a plant we felt drawn to. I felt myself being guided to a bright yellow flowers of St.John’s Wort.

After making the essences we reconvened and prepared to journey to the plant spirit to seek information on the healing action of the essence. The journey was led by a drummer and verbal instructions from David. As with most spirit journeys we were told to find a portal near the plant and travel through the portal to meet the spirit.

The journey took me down a portal which led to a garden, it was like and English garden, very neat with rows and a pathway lined with some benches and lanterns. I walked around in this garden looking at the various plants and then sat down on a bench. Soon after sitting down I was greeted by luminous being about 3 feet fall. He told me he was the spirit of St. John’s Wort, I asked if he had a name, he said “John”, of course. I then asked him “What does St. John’s Wort flower essence do?”

The spirit jumped up put his hand on my belly, upon putting his hand on my stomach a light grew and then spread to encompass my whole body in tight field of light. I could feel a brightness and sense of protection and upliftment from this action. He then sat down next to me, we just sat together on the bench and soon afterwards the drumming changed rhythm and we were lead back to body consciousness.

I related my story to the group and David shared that in his research he discovered that St John’s Wort strengthens the energy field where it connects to the stomach. What I discovered from this plant is that it has a powerful ability to strengthen the human energy field, it tightens the energy field pulling it closer to the body. David recalled that in his research he found that it ‘tightens the filaments of light in our protective field.

The human energy or aura, can be damaged or compromised by stress, ill health, drugs and negative thoughts and feelings. When our field is compromised we may feel tired, unable to focus, experience unexplained fears, disturbed sleep and nightmares. Research by the Flower Essence Society recommends it for people who are overly expanded, thus making them more susceptible to outside influence. This essence has also been used to treat depression related to Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Saint Johns Wort’s unique actions make it a useful essence to have on hand when we need extra support in maintaining the integrity of or energetic field.

Winter has afforded us the time to go inside but now spring is here and it is time to shake off the winter doldrums. The days are getting longer and the sun is rising higher in the sky, change is in the air. It is observable with green shoots emerging, trees budding and birds singing. Lets go! and Let go!

Here are some flower essences which we can use to enliven our energy system and spirits.Cayenne, Horseradish, Habanero Pepper, Goldenseal, Blackberry and Lovage, these are common plants with exception of goldenseal (endangered) which have a home in kitchens around the world. The first essence we will look at is cayenne pepper produced by Flower Essence Services.

Cayenne is useful to ignite the fiery forces within us, this useful when we feel emotionally or spiritually stagnant. This is helpful when we feel unable to make changes in certain areas of our life such as career, relationships, decisiveness or when we are stuck procrastinating.

Habanero pepper is known as one of the hottest peppers in the world and this signature of heat is useful for catalysing repressed energies which are tied up in trauma. This essence helps the soul to penetrate deeper into the lower chakras, this movement can shake up the energy system as old traumas are brought into our awareness and released. This essence can be of benefit when we feel depressed, absentminded, can’t think clearly or stuck daydreaming.

Goldenseal, a native plant of the North America is commonly used as a natural antibiotic and detoxifier. It is common to woodlands across the northeast and mid west, the potent energy of this remedy greatly assists in clearing out debris in our subconscious. Sometimes this ‘debris’ or old energy holds us in a pattern of obsessive thinking that challenges us to break free and develop new habits. This is a very supportive remedy for clearing out the old.

Horseradish, feeling stuck, feeling tired, feeling controlled by others . . . turn to horseradish. This essence helps one to bring into focused awareness our power, our real inner power to change a situation. Fears tie up tremendous amounts of energy, which can lead to us feeling tired and unable to make the breakthrough we so desire. This essence bringing this into focus, enlivens the energy system to shake off frustration build confidence and move forward. This flower essence helps us take more control of lives and is excellent to use when setting goals, this essence will spur more action and help focus our energy on goal achievement.

Blackberry we may be caught in minds yet know that we need to act, the inertia of this can be enough to inhibit action. This plant is a member of the rose family and its tenacious growth pattern is a signature of its action. This essence helps to close the gap between thoughts and action and fosters movement in a decisive way.

Lovage, feeling frustrated, have plans yet there is something that keeps you tied up in the mental sphere and taking action gets usurped . . . sound familiar. This essence greatly assists the movement process bringing joy and confidence helping us to move from the thinking planning stage to the action stage. This essence will help us to get a grip on thought energy in a way that we can filter down into concrete action.

The above remedies are a sampling of the major flower essences which are useful for when we have thoughts, goals and dreams that need extra energy in order to translate into physical manifestation. The thinking process uses a lot of energy and when we are caught up in a cycle of thoughts we may find we lack the energy to take the action. All these essences greatly assist the 3rd chakra and our willpower towards action.

A common theme of the essences listed above is that they treat sluggishness in the lower areas of our body, whether is it be cold feet, tired legs or slow metabolism. Now, is a great time to take advantage of the growth forces of nature and bring these forces in greater quantities into the body in order to translate thought to action.