5 Flower Essences Essential for Your Plant Spirit Medicine Cabinet (Video)
Plant Spirit Medicine has been used for millennia and is seeing a resurgence recently as people desire to return to a simpler, more connected, and harmonious way of living with the Earth.
Plant Spirit Medicine is a form of energy healing and one of the more common ways of working with energy is through Flower Essences. This alternative and complementary healing modality is made from living plants and the vibrational signature or code of the plant is stored in water and a preservative of brandy, glycerine, or apple cider vinegar in an amber glass dropper bottle.
Unlike essential oils or other physical uses of plants, there is no actual plant matter in these formulas, making them safe for everyone with no side effects or contraindications.
In simplest terms, flower essences may be thought of as energetic herbalism. In the way that ingesting a plant works on your physical body, the essence of the plant works on your energetic, emotional, and mental levels.
I believe that the root of all physical dis-ease stems from imbalances on the emotional, mental, and/or spiritual levels of our being and when all levels are in sync and deeply tended to, a state of Whole Being Nourishment is achieved.
The body doesn't just simply decide to malfunction. Your physical body stores your life and is the manifestation of much more than whether or not you drink green juices or practice asana regularly.
Think of the tension you feel prior to a good cry and the relief experienced afterwards or the stress of having a miscommunication with a friend or loved one and then the lightness felt after clearing the air. These are palpable shifts! Now, imagine living in that state of tension or stress on a subtle level 24/7 for most of your life.
This is how it is for most of us as old traumas lodge themselves in our cellular memory and tissue and then we adopt coping behaviors, habits, or a nasty inner critic. These outdated, insidious energetic imprints are what flower essences work to shift so that we can experience the clarity, empowerment, and goodness that is our birthright.
Flower essences have supported people in making lifestyle changes, coping with stressful crises, tackling Seasonal Affective Disorder, overcoming fears, deepening their connection with their intuition or the Divine, as part of the physical healing process, and so much more.
"There's literally a plant for every single human condition..."
While taking flower essences for symptoms such as occasional anxiety, for example, won’t hurt, working with an objective, passionate, and trained flower essence practitioner helps you get to the root of the anxiety so that you may rid yourself of it entirely.
Through gathering pertinent information about you, your struggles, your desires, etc. a custom essence blend is able to be channeled to support you in bridging the gap between where you are and where you most desire to be. Over time and with different formulas, layers are shed and you emerge clearer and stronger than before.
Making changes can feel daunting and often although we know we desire a change, we're unclear of what it looks like exactly. Flower essences can help us in the stabilization and clarity process. There's literally a plant for every single human condition at any given time and the more specific you're able to get, the more of an impact you'll feel when you pair a plant with your current need.
Flower essences are encouraged for long term, daily use to experience the greatest and most lasting impact and in my opinion, they should be part of everyone's medicine bag. Ritualize them as part of your day by adding to a bath, taking before bed, or prior to meditation. When working with a practitioner, a custom blend of various essences is created just for you with special instructions for use. However, here are five essences that are recommend for everyone to have on hand:
Dandelion.
Brings a sense of joy, lightness, playfulness, and innocence while also imparting a boost of energy. Great during times of challenge and when mental stress is wreaking havoc on your energy levels and has left you forgetting about the innate goodness of life.
Pennyroyal.
Eases cyclical thinking and prevents us from continuing to internalize our thoughts and take them personally. This is beautiful for times of obsessive or anxious thoughts that cloud our objectivity or ability to move forward. Great to take to tame an anxious mind for sleep.
Red Cedar.
This tree essence offers a sense of grounding, rooting, strength, and confidence in the body. Red Cedar specifically offers rest and safety that I’ve likened to being wrapped in a velvet blanket and held ever so sweetly. This essence is perfect for those who have been through a lot of turmoil in their lives and have found difficulty in resting, surrendering, and simply being present in their bodies.
Marshmallow.
Helps to keep our Emotional Bodies soft and fluid when there has been pain or anger. Often when we are hurt or experience trauma, the tendency is to harden and create walls for protection. Marshmallow provides the sense of strength and ease in action and helps us to see that fluidity is our real power, not rigidity.
Goldenseal.
Helps us to “seal” in a new pattern or habit when we are endeavoring to do so. Great support for when we’ve identified those beliefs, stories, or habits that have been running our lives and are in need of energetic support to permanently banish the old and create the new.
Simply because a plant doesn’t speak to you in the way that a fellow human does, doesn’t mean it’s not communicating. Endeavor to spend more time outdoors and take in the magic that is all around you from the sunshine to a blade of grass to a flower dancing in the wind. Now more than ever a return to Earth's abundant medicine is needed for our sustained wellness.
Devon Battaglia, MS, NC, RYT is a Holistic Nutritionist & Plant Medicine Intuitive helping people to heal their four bodies and create sustainable lifestyle and health transformations through plant spirit medicine and gem elixirs, holistic nutrition counsel, lifestyle coaching, virtual workshops and courses, and more.
Through a uniquely blended approach of Western science and ancient metaphysical wisdom, clients fall madly in love with themselves and their bodies, awaken their inner healers, recognize self-care as a sacred duty, and enjoy more ease, vitality, and energy in their lives. She can be found at InnerSpark.Life, and on Instagram and Facebook @InnerSparkLife.