Dr Edward Bach and Simon Blackler (two of a kind?). Dr Edward Bach was a pioneer in the creation of flower essences. He was one of the first people to understand the relationship between the state of our emotional wellbeing and that of our physical health, believing the two to be inextricably linked.
Dr Bach had the unique ability to be able to place himself in a negative emotional state. He would then walk around his Welsh mountain home sampling various dew drops on different flowers and plants, that were catching the rays of the early morning sun until he was able to decipher which one of them could alleviate the feeling that he was experiencing. He became aware that through the combination of sunlight and water a flower or plant was capable of imprinting its own unique quality or 'essence' into that water for both his and our benefit. Unfortunately for Dr Bach in order to experience this process it meant that he would often spend many days or even weeks in a very unhealthy emotional state until he found the particular remedy he was looking for. However this research, in time, gave him the ability to create his own, now famous, range of 38 Bach Flower Essences. What I have found in my own research, in creating the Allies Of Nature range of flower essences, is that the flowers seem to want to work with me in reverse. Instead of me needing to feel a negative emotional state first and then go out and find the particular flower that can give relief to it, I am presented with a flower, that most obviously wants to be the next essence in the range, before I start to experience all what that flower is about afterwards. It will start to communicate with me, internally, in feelings that I become more aware of that I wasn't experiencing before, or externally, with life circumstances that then start to appear for me. Sometimes the two are linked in order for me to maximise my learning about this particular type of flower. This unfortunately has also meant for me that I too have experienced quite unhealthy emotional states of wellbeing in the process of creating this range of flower essences, especially if the flower in question has wanted me to discover something quite revelatory about its essence. A prime example of this has been in creating one of the most recent flower essences within the range, that of Yarrow. It was an essence that was created on the 20th December but was being conceived from the end of the previous one, Dandelion, on the 26th November, a whole three and a half weeks prior. During this time I began to experience more and more restrictions, regulations, blocks and obstacles to my progression in life and with the business. Externally, this primarily was related to me realising that I had to register my range of flower essences with the Food Standards Agency. I found out on a Food Hygiene Course in early December that flower essences are technically classed as foods and as such need to be registered with the local council. I was unaware up to this point that this was necessary and therefore I was totally unprepared for what came next. Unfortunately, in mentioning the full ingredients of what makes up a flower essence, with the vodka preservative included, I landed myself in a whole load of red tape around whether I needed to have an alcohol license or not in order to be able to produce them. This would take me over 6 weeks to sort out. Internally, this started to play havoc with my mind. My ego and inner critic began to run riot over my soul and I was beside myself as to what had happened in such a short period of time, and how I might have contributed to my own downfall. The elements too were seemingly conspiring against me when it came to collecting the essence. So much so that I wasn't able to capture the Yarrow essence on the day I had first planned, on the 19th December, I had to wait another whole day longer due to adverse weather conditions and travel blockades, problems that just could not be avoided at the time, if I was to listen to my instincts and intuition. To say that I was stressed about all what was happening was a bit of an understatement. However the quality that I had to learn most aptly about the Yarrow flower essence was in fact 'acceptance'. Once I grasped this concept then all of the frustrations, tensions and negativity around my progress all started to subside. It was like as if I had to go through all of that turmoil in order to start to truly understand what Yarrow was all about. On reading this last paragraph back through wave upon wave of spiritual truth has just wanted to wash through me in acknowledgment of this 'acceptance', enough to bring tears to my eyes, to make me weep, in affirmation of this fact. Such is the power of learning what it is to be a true Ally Of Nature, or warrior for a new Earth. All is seemingly necessary, or as the Yarrow would say itself, 'It is what it is!' If you care to comment on this blog with regards to any issues or feelings it brings up for you then please feel free to do so below.
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There’s a strange shape at rest on the landscape.
With no clue as to friendship or foe. A huge bulk of a beast in its torso. We approach with great caution, wisely so. He’s snoring away in his slumber. His pot belly at the rise and then fall. We tip toe past this most fearsome of warthogs. Keeping quietly hidden and small. Beyond we look nervously over shoulder. To see if our progress wakes him from sleep. And so start running away to the boundary. When an abrupt snort comes from the deep. For now he’s rolled over more active. Alive at the prospect of lunch. Of a human or two on the menu. And what else could add to his brunch. He paws at the ground with his trotters. Gores down in the Earth with his tusk. Sweat pours from his brow and his midriff. A swine in his prime in full musk. He meanders his way to the fence line. A saunter becomes canter and then run. Before a stall in momentum against stake post. In his charge more sternness than fun. He sniffs hard at the air of his quarry. Stands rigid against territory wall. No hint to his thoughts or his actions. And whether flight is now needed or call. And yet there in his strength is an offer. To come closer and examine this kin. To stand tall along with his power. And share in his great presence and win. For he has not come for the fighting. Not least in the tradition of war. Instead he his here to inspire poet. To join forces with bard as wild boar. By Simon Blackler Copyright © Simon Blackler 2020 If you care to comment on this poem at all please feel free to do so below. |
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