What is a flower essence?
How do you make the Mother Essence?
How do you make Stock Bottles?
How do you mix a Medicine Bottle?
Flower essences are vibrational remedies made by capturing the energy or auric impressions of medicinal flowers in water. (Gem Elixirs are similar, except that minerals or crystals are used instead of flowers.) They work by imparting their healing vibrations to the person's aura, causing a vibrational shift in the person's energy patterns. Since "stuck" energy patterns are usually experienced as emotional or psychological "blocks", the shifts produced by an essence can assist the person in removing these emotional blockages. Essences also make excellent spiritual growth tools when used over an extended length of time, as they have an uncanny ability to teach us what it means to be fully human.
Although many flower essences may be bought in stock bottles at a store, it is possible to make them from scratch in your own backyard or nearby environs. In fact, this was Dr. Bach's original intent. The materials needed are simple and easily obtainable and it only takes a few hours time. I've always found making a new essence fun and rewarding.
When making an essence, care should be taken to identify the flower as to correct species. References (such as the Peterson Field Guides) are helpful in this.
The most common technique for making flower essences is the "sun infusion" method. For this, you need the following in your essence making kit.
* Warm, sunny weather (spring to late summer). You will need uninterrupted sunshine from early morning to early afternoon (about 3-5 hours, usually). You should pick a place that is protected and somewhat secluded (so the emotional environment is controlled). An occasional cloud is not a problem, but considerably cloudiness (or shadows from trees or buildings) can noticably weaken the remedy.
* A glass pan without designs or patterns. I picked up mine in the cooking utensils section of the grocery store. It doesn't have to be very big.
* Water. Preferably spring water. Purists may disagree with me, but distilled water will also work, especially if it's allowed to "charge up" in the sunlight first. If from a natural spring, be sure it is pollution-free! Tap water is not acceptable.
* Brandy (about 80 proof) to use as a preservative. (Korbel is a good brand.)
* Plants with the appropriate flowers. They should be at the peak of their bloom. Use only healthy looking flowers; avoid any that "feel" wrong intuitively. Don't take too many flowers from a single plant.
* Scissors to cut the flowers.
* Storage bottles for storing the essence. Should be dark colored to protect the remedy.
* A funnel (preferably glass) for pouring liquids.
* A big pan or pot for sterilizing all equipment in boiling water. Stainless steel or ceramic is excellent; avoid aluminum or plastic at all steps of the process. All equipment should be sterilized about 20 minutes and air-dried before starting to make the essence.
* If desired, quartz crystals may be used (as described below) to enhance the process.
To make the essence, find "your spot" on that sunny morning (a problem in Minnesota!) near the flowers you will work with. You should be started by 8 or 9 o'clock in the morning, at the latest. As the person's state of mind is considered important to the process, you should make sure the setting is peaceful and protected; your own emotional state should be calm and receptive. Place the pan on the ground and pour in enough water to cover the bottom (it doesn't take much!). Quartz crystals may be placed around the pan to focus the energies, but should not be placed in the pan (the remedy would pick up the crystal's energies as well as the flower's). I use four quartz crystals aligned with the 4 directions in a circle around the pan, with the points of the stones pointed towards the center of the circle.
Next, pick the flowers and add them to the glass pan of water. You should "tune into the plant" before cutting any flowers, to sense which ones should be used. Ideally, cut the flowers and let them drop right into the pan, without touching or handling them. If this is infeasible, cut them and transfer the flowers immediately to the pan, with a minimum of handling or waiting (no more than a minute or two). Cut enough flowers to cover the bottom of the pan. Choose flowers from a number of plants. And make sure to thank the plants for their gifts afterwards!
Return the pan to its "spot" and let it sit in the sun for 3 to 5 hours. It's best to stay with the flowers throughout this stage of the process -- gardening in the backyard is a good way to pass the time and stay in tune with the flowers. Let sit until early afternoon or until the flowers "feel tired" or "ready to wilt." Remove the flowers (preferably with a leaf from the same plant, so you don't touch the flowers or the water) and set them aside. Pour the water from the pan into a storage bottle (using the funnel); add an equal portion of brandy, as a preservative. The bottle should be shaken between your hands for a minute or two to "fix" the remedy.
The mother essence is rarely used by itself, but is diluted to the stock potency or medicine (dosage) bottle potency. To make a stock bottle, you need:
* One ounce eyedropper bottles, preferably dark colored. Sterilize all bottles!
* A mixture of 1 part brandy, 3 parts water (spring or distilled) for the inert carrier substance.
* 2 to 7 drops of the mother essence.
Put an ounce of the brandy/water in the bottle and add 2 to 7 drops of the mother essence. The exact number of drops is not too important, though some people love to argue about it. The bottle should be shaken in your hands for a minute or two (or until it "feels" done) to potentize the stock bottle. This "dilute and shake" technique is more or less the standard method in homeopathy for potentizing a remedy.
The process is the same as with stock bottles, except that 2 to 7 drops of the stock potency is used instead of the mother essence. Also, if a number of remedies are needed for a client at one time (preferably no more than 5 at once, though exceptions happen), drops from each stock bottle may be added to the one medicine bottle. The brandy is not necessary if the remedy will be used up quickly. You can also substitute vegetable glycerin for the brandy as a preservative at this step.