Flower Essences and Cancer

Everyone has a relationship with Cancer, everyone has a different reaction when they hear the word, everyone reading this will know someone who has died of this disease and everyone will have a different emotional response when directly faced with a diagnosis and the treatment that ensues.

Lions, Tigers and Bears

Recently I was asked to supply essences for the fabulous website Lions, Tigers and Bears which offers support and products aimed at people going through cancer treatment and for those supporting people suffering with Cancer. It got me to thinking how supportive flower essences are in helping those on this particular journey.

Completely Safe

Although, in the UK at least, we aren’t allowed to say that flower essences help with any physical ailments they can offer a lot of emotional support to all of those involved. So I thought it might be a good idea to briefly outline the flower essences and combinations that I feel may provide a lot of help along the way.

One of the great things about essences is, because they work on an energetic level, they do not interfere with any medication being given and are perfectly safe to take alongside medical procedures and treatments whatever your age and state of health.

How to take them

Usually essences are taken as drops under the tongue and are preserved in alcohol. If this is a problem for you (or the healthcare professionals you are dealing with) we supply all of our essences preserved in cider vinegar or you can add them to a spray mister bottle filled with water or something that you like the smell of to spray onto your skin to be absorbed into your body that way.

Flower Essences are also very effective added to cold drinks, baths or you can even add a dropper full to your face cream.

So which essences might be good?

The first essence that springs to mind is our Emotional Relief combination. This is very useful to take at any time when you are feeling tearful, feeling like you can no longer carry on and that nothing will ever improve. It brings support and hope in the darkest of times and is really good to carry with you in your bag for those wobbly moments.

Strength and Support  essence is designed for those dark times when you feel you really can’t carry on, when you feel like giving up hope, when you can see no way out of the situation you are in

Sexy and Gorgeous combination - although the name of this combination sounds light and frivolous it is a great essence to take when your self esteem is really low. Lots of people find it really supportive when they have lost their hair and self confidence after chemo-therapy. It adds a lift and brings back your sparkle so that you can enjoy life to it’s fullest.

Our Calm and Confident blend is great for people suffering with anxiety and nervousness. It would be a great support whilst you are waiting for results, before surgery and is also good to give to family members who are suffering too.

Shock Release is our version of Rescue Remedy. This is the one to take after operations or accidents. It helps to remove the shock from your system so that you can heal to your best ability. It calms and removes terror and helps you to be present in your body so that you can deal with whatever you need to for survival.

My Personal Space Spray is in a cooling and refreshing pure rosewater that smells of English country gardens. It is perfect to spray on your face whilst in hospital, or any other situation where you feel overwhelmed. It contains flower essences that provide a feeling of space and protection

 Single essences that might be helpful

Borage flower essence brings a feeling that you can cope with everything you have to deal with. It brings courage and protection and a sense of calm.

Dandelion flower essence is very grounding and brings you back into your body so that you can live in the moment. It also improves your confidence and life force.

Dicentra  flower essence helps you to find space when you are broken hearted. It is a very comforting and protective essence that makes you find time for your own healing.

Gorse flower essence helps you to feel joy again after you have been in a very dark place. It is good for when you feel hopeless and full of despair

Holly flower essence is good to use when you are angry or are dealing with other people’s anger. It helps you to find compassion towards yourself, your body and others. Anger is a common emotion that (understandably) comes up around cancer and this essence is very useful when you are having the ‘why me?’ thoughts.

Olive flower essence is great to take when you are completely exhausted, when you feel you can’t go on any longer –somehow it helps you find the energy to go on, to move forward.

Walnut flower essence is the essence for taking when you are going through big periods of change. It protects you from what other people think. It is very supportive and protecting.

White Chestnut essence helps you to stop worrying. It seems to stop those thoughts going round and round and round. When one is faced with such an enormous issue such as cancer it is inevitable that there will be more to worry about than usual, but this isn’t helpful - ever - and if it is possible to stop this as much as possible then there will be more energy to put towards healing and coping with the situation at hand.

Wild Garlic flower essence lets us know that we are looked after. It helps stop fear and is very grounding and calming. It is in many of our combination essences and is one of the essences I wouldn’t be without in stressful, scary situations

Any Further Questions

Of course these are only the essences that I feel may help you on your unique journey. I am always more than happy to answer questions or give suggestions for different situations so do just get in touch and if you feel that you would like your own specialised blend made up for you then I can do that too –the details for doing  that are here.

Sending much love to you on your journey,

Saskia X

Flower Essences for Fertility

Fertility is an incredibly complex issues and I am not going to tell you that flower essences are the answer. What I am going to say is that they may be able to help with the emotional issues that you may be going through if you are having trouble getting pregnant.

You can get so caught up in the physical aspects of getting pregnant, the sterility of clinics, the linear masculinity of the whole medical system that the emotional and spiritual sides of allowing the possibility of creating and housing another human get lost.

 The feminine aspects, the creating a safe and wholesome space, the needing to be fully present and held in a loving relationship can so easily be forgotten. In my opinion it is essential that these aspects are not ignored, that you take into consideration your emotional wellbeing as well as your physical wellbeing in this incredible experience.

Busy Busy

Already modern life leaves little room for our intuition and inner knowing about what is right for us, it leaves little room for resting and just being, it leaves little room to spend real quality time with the person who is going to co-parent this being you are trying to create. No wonder then that finding room for creation in its purest form is getting harder and harder for many women. Especially with the amounts of hormones in our water, electro –magnetic  waves surrounding us and the fact that healthy life for humans and other beings on this planet is in question.

Flower and Sex

Flowers in themselves are creators, they hold all of the genetic information of a plant to pass on to the next generation, they glow with sexuality and promise and so it is an obvious step to go the them for our healing and learning when we are deep in the process of trying to create a baby.

Everyone’s fertility journey is different. There is no fixed way of walking this path towards parenthood and the flowers that are needed to help you with the complex emotions that come up will be different for everyone. However, it does seem that there are often some of the same emotions that women having trouble getting pregnant  seem to need help with so I have put together a list of the flowers that may help you along this journey.

Because flower essences work on an energetic level rather than a physical one, they will not interact or counter act with any medications that you are already taking. They work alongside giving support, in a gentle but powerful way, to help shift and change any emotional issues that you might be encountering .

No alcohol ?

Traditionally flower essences (similar to Rescue Remedy) are preserved in alcohol but only a few drops are taken at a time. If you feel you would rather have completely alcohol free essences we offer you the choice when you order of having them preserved with organic cider vinegar. The shelf life isn’t as long but they are just as effective -or you could dilute your essences by adding a dropper full to a cold drink.

Here to help

If you have ANY questions, or would like to discuss your own situation with regards to which essences you may need do get in touch and I will help as much as I am able. I am also happy to mix up your own personal blend of essences that you need right now – you can find more about this process HERE

Some of the flower essences that may help (in no particular order)

Wild Garlic –for feeling safe and looked after by the universe. This flower essence is great for helping with fear and feeling alone. It helps bring hope and support during difficult times.

Wisteria – this essence helps with feeling safe to be seen exactly as you are. It help with issues of intimacy, especially if we have been abused (in any way) in the past. Unless we can feel completely open and safe with our partner it can be hard to allow another being into our lives.

Carrot – this is a great essence for finding time to be creative. It can help organise our time to allow space for lovemaking in amongst all the other demands in our lives.

Crab Apple –this helps clear guilt and shame. Many women talk about these feeling when they describe their inability to get pregnant. We can feel not good enough, unclean and guilty about our bodies not doing what they ‘should’. This essence clears and cleans these feelings away to start afresh.

Dandelion – being present in your body. This confidence boosting essence brings you back to the present where creation occurs. Spending time in your perfect, imagined, future or beating yourself up about the past isn’t always helpful. Dandelion keeps your feet on the ground and open to all that life has to offer.

Pennyroyal – for rebalancing the feminine. Sometimes, especially when sexual abuse has occurred, women are unable to conceive if they have had to deny their feminine side in any way. If it was unsafe to be a woman on whatever level it is easier to shut that part of ourselves down. This in itself can often be one of the factors stopping conception occurring. Pennyroyal allows the feminine aspect to be present in any situation.

Harebell –this is an essence for realignment. It gets us back onto our path when we’ve been knocked off course. It brings flexibility and strength even to the most delicate.

Walnut – this essences is great for helping you stick to your principles, to not get swayed by other people’s opinions. This is your journey and you need to do it your way. Walnut helps to stop you worrying about what everyone else thinks of you. It is a great support during change of any sort.

Borage – for feeling you can cope. The journey towards conception can throw up all sorts of stuff and borage really does help bring a feeling of being able to deal with everything you are having to endure.

Sexy and Gorgeous combination. Trying to get pregnant involves lots of sex. And it is supposed to be fun and sexy, and not just a sexual chore. This award winning blend will help during those times when you (and/or your partner) aren’t in the mood but ‘need’ to have sex to get pregnant. It also helps with issues of self esteem and confidence which can be knocked a lot on this journey..

Emotional Relief –this combination will help with the grief that is often present when conception isn’t occurring. It contains several of the essences mentioned above and is good to take whenever you are feeling tearful. One woman described to me the awful feeling of grief every month when her (unwanted) period arrived. This essence helped her with that a lot.

Calm and Confident - an essential combination for any time you are feeling anxious, panicky or nervous and are going into a situation you feel uncomfortable about.

For other essences that might also fit your particular situation do visit our Single Essences page.

I really hope that reading this has encouraged you to use flower essences if you are having hard time getting pregnant -they can be truly miraculous in their effects and I would so much love to know that they are out there helping people become mothers.

BEST wishes and BIG HUGS,

Saskia xx

PS. I am always more than happy to do talks and workshops about flower essences and how they can help in specific areas of life. Do get in touch if you would like me to come and talk about fertility (or any other relevant subject) anywhere that would be open to knowing more.

Flower Essences for Exams

Whatever our opinions of exams and how useful they are in ‘real life’ they are a reality for many homes causing all sorts of upsets and problems - not only for the person involved but by bringing up stuff within the family dynamic that hasn’t shown up before.

 Some young people sail through but for others the stresses and expectations of this difficult time can cause major anxiety and worry.

 Lots of people have used Rescue Remedy in the past to get them through.

 However Dr Bach (who developed the original range of flower essences in the 1930’s) designed this to help more with physical shock and trauma rather than with anxiety and ongoing stress and so it is good to look at what other options are available for your particular problems.

 Luckily we have several combinations and single essences that will help depending on the issues that need dealing with.

 Essences for Anxiety

 The combination essence that I most often recommend for people to take on the actual day of exams or for any time beforehand when anxiety and nervousness show up is our Calm and Confident - this is great for  helping with new situations or anytime when you feel you can’t cope. Many people feel an almost immediate calming effect so a few drops taken before an exam. These can be put into a water bottle to be drunk throughout the day or taken directly from the dropper.

White Chestnut essence is also good to take for those that have thoughts (or facts) going round and round in their heads .It is one of the Bach remedies  that is incredibly useful for worriers.

Essences for Revision

 There seem to be two sorts of people when it comes to exams –the nervous ones who over study and do everything they possibly can to get the best marks possible and then there are the procrastinators –who have very good intentions but just can’t settle down to doing the revision until the very last minute .

For these people we have Focus,Energise,Create. It gives a real ‘kick up the arse’, is a great motivator and brings energy to any project. It can really help with getting coursework/essays finished as well as settling down to revision.

 I wish I had remembered it when my son was doing his GCSE’s many years ago now. His stock remark every time I asked how his exam had gone was ‘I would have done better if I’d revised’ !!!  I think I’d given up hassling him by that point.....

Concentration

 Peppermint essence is very good if you (or your child) have difficulty concentrating. It acts in a similar way to the essential oil bringing clarity and mental focus.

 Some people find concentrating when there’s lots going on around them. It can be hard to settle down and ignore everyone else. Our My Personal Space spray can be really useful at times like this. It can be sprayed directly onto the face to bring a feeling of calm confidence. It is in our own pure rosewater so might not be so popular with the boys but it is incredibly effective at shutting out everything else going on so you can just knuckle down.

Oral Exams

If you, or your child, has to do oral exams Speaking with Confidence might be really useful. It helps organise thoughts, keep grounded and make you feel like you deserve to be heard.

Making time to relax

 As we all know it can be hard to switch off after long periods of study. Our brains go into permanent alert mode and sleep can be hard.

 For this Breathe Deep, Seek Peace drops are great to take – either before bed or just when you need to take a break. They will help you let go and relax giving your brain space to quieten and process all it has taken in.

 And if you are really having trouble sleeping it might be worth giving our Easy Sleep spray a go.

Flower Essences work really well with young people......  

 Behaviour patterns are less entrenched in young people so flower essences find it much easier to shift and change their patterns. The younger you are the more effective essences seem to be and once a young person has been introduced to the magic of essences they then know they have these incredibly effective tools to call on at other times of difficulty during their lives.

Final Note

 Flower essences are preserved in 16% abv alcohol (we use Organic vodka) however only a few drops are ingested at once and even if the whole bottle was drunk it would be unlikely that intoxication would occur. If you are still concerned about the alcohol content a few drops can be added to cold drinks or you have the option of ordering them preserved in cider vinegar at our checkout.

If you have ANY questions about which essences might suit you or the young person in your life at this stressful time do just ask. I love answering queries and am happy to make suggestions or even mix up your own unique blend for your specific issues if none of the above feel quite right.

Take it easy and try and keep your perspective (and sense of humour) during this challenging time.

 BEST wishes,

 Saskia xx

Constructive Criticism Required

As you may have gathered I’m on a mission to get flower essences used by as many people as possible ...

It’s what I’m here for and in amongst all the chaos and trauma happening around us flower essences are the gift that I have to help you deal with it, to make your life flow more easily, for you to become who you are meant to be and to make the world a better place.

But….

For that to happen as effectively as possible I need to know how to make it easier for you to buy them.

  How can I make it easier for you to learn what essences are, what they do and why you might need them???

These days people are mostly buying their essences through the website and this is what i need help with most now.

So the question is :

How we can improve the site ?

 It is really easy for me to make changes if I know how it could be improved.... Don’t be scared in being honest – I really won’t be offended.... sometimes it’s easy to overlook the obvious especially with things you are so familiar with and nobody get’s everything right all of the time and this is more important than my ego....

So some things to think about....

When you visited the website could you easily find what you were looking for?

 Was it clear what essences are and how they work? Were there too many words or not enough?

 Was there enough information about each of the essences for you to decide which ones you needed?

And if you visited the site and then didn’t buy one why not ? Was the whole experience too overwhelming or confusing to decide?  

If you did buy something was the process clear and straightforward ? Was the pricing about right ?

Is there anything that you would like to see added?

How can we improve our service to you ?

And if you haven’t checked out our website yet ....

Please do .....and then give me your brutally honest feedback... Please don’t tell me “It’s lovely, well done Saskia” - although always good to hear it’s the negatives I’m after this time.

You can comment below, email me, send me a message on Facebook or Instagram, even ring me if that is easiest for you...whatever works for you...and while you are doing so if you could also let me know where you first heard about our essences that would be most useful too.

 THANK YOU

Much Love,   Saskia XXX

Distilling Article

Last year I was honoured to have an article published by the online International Flower Essence Journal Sentire. It was about the research I am doing into the energetics of the hydrosols I am steam distilling and how they work when you dilute them down as you would a flower essence.

This article is now available as a FREE Download .. so just click the link and you can read more.

Since this article has been published I have been working with these powerful liquids more and more in my practise. Nearly everyone I see needs one of these ‘hydrosol essences’ alongside the essences made using the sun method in their personal combination. Unlike the essences I have made in the past, which seem to tell me quite easily what they are for, I’m having much more trouble pinning down descriptions for these ones - it’s almost like they don’t need us to know what they are for - they just come in, in quite a masculine/linear way, do their work and leave again. I would like to say I’m getting to know them but I’m not really, even though I have a strong relationship with the plants they are from. But what I do know is they are powerful and direct and needed and, at the moment, that is enough.

So, as it says in the article, if you would like to trial any of them and add any more insights to what they are for and how they work do get in touch and I’ll post one out to you.

Also if you are interested in flower essences - which if you have read this far I guess you must be - and the work being done with them worldwide I highly recommend you subscribe to this fabulous magazine.

Pollinators

Thank You …

We are incredibly grateful that so many of you recommend our essences. Loads of you rave about the changes you have experienced from using them to your friends and colleagues and clients and so much of our business is from word of mouth....

We have been wondering how to repay you and have come up with a plan !!

Selling through traditional retail outlets gets the essences seen by people who haven’t come across them before. However they need all the help they can to get them out to where they are really needed, they need people who have felt their effects and ‘get them’ and can tell people how amazing they are in a believable way.

We all know that we are much more likely to believe a friend or colleague or therapist rather than a sales assistant...

Will you join us ?

We are looking for ‘ambassadors’ of our flower essences (if you think of a better name do let us know… pollinators?).

These ambassadors would have their own unique code that they give out to their contacts which gives the customer a 10% discount of all they buy from us. It also enables the code owner (maybe you ? ) to receive a further 20% of that sale which goes straight into their bank account monthly. They wouldn’t have to hold stock – all on-line sales would go from us direct to the customer. A bit like being a complimentary therapy Avon Lady as someone so fabulously put it when I explained it to them.

Exciting times

We are very excited about the thought of people receiving money energy/nectar in exchange for their enthusiasm and the word getting out further and further about how amazing essences are.... after all we are mostly here to make the world a better place and the flowers have so much to teach us - it seems a shame to keep it to ourselves.

Is this you ?

So if you are a complimentary therapist, blogger, influencer, yoga teacher, natural health leader or just someone who is good at recommending products  and would like to make people’s lives happier and healthier do get in touch.

You don’t have to live in the UK as we post worldwide but you do need to know a bit about flower essences and how they work and why you would use them. We will make sure you have a good knowledge of our products beforehand which will be given in person or via telephone/skype .

Get in touch

We would love you to be part of our family and join us at this incredibly exciting time in the development of our company and we look forward to seeing the energy and lessons of the flowers spreading out to your corner of the world.

As this is such a good opportunity we are aware that we might have more uptake than we are able to deal with to start with and because of this we will be limiting the number of Ambassadors to begin with to 50 so do get in touch soon if you are interested.

Many Thanks, Much Love and Happy New Year

Saskia XX

Dowsing for Flower Essences

More and more people are coming to me for flower essence consultations both in person and on-line. So I thought I’d tell you a bit about how I choose which essences you need, in particular by dowsing.

Dowsing has been used for centuries as a way of tuning into one’s innate knowing or sixth sense which is something we all can access. It can be used for many things – from finding underground water to testing which substances you are intolerant to and it is a fabulous way of cutting through to the unconscious.

I use a pendulum to dowse for essences – this gives me a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer as I place my finger on top of the bottles of single flower essences whilst not being able to see the labels. I am still blown away by how accurate this is as a way of choosing which flowers you need for your growth and learning.

Before dowsing I ‘tune in’ to your energy – either from you being in front of me and telling me what you want help with/what’s going on in your life or from a photograph and a paragraph or two of writing. It is amazing how much information can be gained this way on a subconscious level and this helps a lot with a successful dowsing session.

Typically the whole process takes less than an hour – depending on how much information you feel you want to give me and how long we take discussing the essences that ‘come up’ for you for your own individual blend.

I recommend you take your blend twice a day for a couple of weeks and it usually contains no more than 7 different essences – more than this and things get a bit confused – a bit like using too many different varieties of flower in a flower arrangement.

And then it’s up to you! People experience flower essences in different ways – some people feel the shifts and changes in awareness happening within a day or two (and this is certainly the case with children). With other people it may take a couple of weeks, or even a month or two to notice that things have changes, you are responding to situations differently and issues that seemed insurmountable you are now tackling with ease. And for some people they don’t consciously notice any change - this doesn’t mean that the essences haven’t worked – although if they are the ‘wrong’ ones this might be the case- it is more that they have worked on a deep subconscious level that has yet to show itself (or be noticed) in the everyday life of the person.

For some people, who are on a journey of personal growth, or who have a lot of old trauma to shift they might like a new blend every month or so to uncover and work on the different layers as things in their life change.... some people like to have a new blend at the changing of the seasons and for others just one bottle will be enough.

If you have any further questions about any of this do ask – sometimes, when you are talking about something you do all the time, you overlook the obvious.

I am now available for consultations in various places locally here in Somerset – here at home in Wincanton, in Frome on the last Wednesday afternoon of every month and in Bruton every Thursday. Please get in touch with me for more details or to book a consultation.

 If you are unable to get to me we can work together by email from wherever you are in the world. For more details click here

Asking for Help

I’m not one to ask for help, I don’t ask for favours for myself unless I really really need them so this is a hard one for me. It’s hard for me to acknowledge that I can’t do it all by myself,  that I need (rather than want) other people and that things aren’t going fabulously well...

So this is difficult to write.

As you may know I’ve been concentrating solely on getting the flower essences out to where they are needed for the last year. I’ve given up my other forms of regular income so that I have the time and space to do this. I rebranded, re-labelled and re-vamped without any professional help. I know the essences are amazing at what they do, they are needed more and more in the world and it is my mission to get them out there. This is what makes my heart sing, this is what makes me feel alive and worthwhile and passionate. I know the flowers and what they do, I’ve been working consciously with their energies for fifteen years now and I know I’m really good at it. BUT……

Is there always a but ?  ....

I’m not selling enough to make a living.    (And I’m a practised minimalist when it comes to living expenses.)

 It may look like a successful and thriving business from the outside – and on many levels it is and slowly (too)slowly things are improving, word is getting out, and I know things take time to get established and that I’m not a very patient person and the economic climate is very uncertain at the moment etc etc etc.

 However I really don’t want to put all my ‘work’ and experience to one side just to pay the bills –these magic essences deserve more than that – as do the people they help.

So I’m asking YOU to help me.

So here is a list of Things you can do that really make a difference

1) Buy my essences for yourself and loved ones (they make great gifts, aren’t expensive, are ec-friendly and useful)... Because they are so effective I know this means that you don’t have to repeat buy often but if, when you are having a hard time, you remember that the essences are here that would be great.

2) You can recommend flower essences to your friends, your work colleagues, your clients, your family and their children –anyone in fact who is having a hard time with their lives and needs extra support. I am always happy to help with choosing which essences people need. And if you need me to tell you more about them so you can pass on the information  just get in touch.

3) Talk about the essences on social media especially if you have used them and they helped you (thank you so much if you already have – it helps A LOT).

4) If you visited the website and then didn’t buy anything please tell me why not .This is VERY useful information. It’s hard to know what is wrong if no-one tells you.

5) If you know (or are) a journalist, influencer, blogger please ask them to consider featuring flower essences on their platform. The more that people know about what they are and how they can help the more they are likely to buy them. I am happy to write articles, supply images, do interviews, speak on podcasts,give talks in person, send out essences for people to try –whatever it takes really...

6) If you know (or are) a retailer who has a space where the essences would fit I am always looking for new outlets. On-line sales are easier and more profitable but don’t get the essences seen by people who don’t already know about them.

7) Remember that I am also available for consultations. You can come to me here in Wincanton (and very soon various other places in Somerset)  but I also do on-line consultations which are just as effective in choosing which essences you need right now and mean that you get your own personalised blend specific to your needs made up for you. This is what I love doing most.

8) Get in touch if you have any questions. The more I know about you (the most important part in all this) the more me and the flowers can meet your needs. Tell me what you are having trouble with. Ask anything you don’t understand about essences and how they work.

9) Remember that we send our essences worldwide and that the postage is the same wherever you are and however many you order ...(for now anyway)

10) Share this post.

 Flower Essences are incredible. After all this time they still amaze me at how effective they are, what they can shift and how people can change by using them. Please help me to be able to carry on the work I was born to do. Imagine how great you will feel when our essences are used everywhere and by everyone and you can say “I helped that happen”

THANK YOU

With much Love and Gratitude,

Saskia

XXXXX

Are you a busy mum ?

Hit the floor running at 7am, on the move all day, collapse in a heap on the sofa unable to move as soon as the bedtime stories have been read and repeat again the next day....

If this sounds like your life you could definitely do with some essences to help make life just that little bit easier. To be able not to scream at your child, to be just organised enough to stop for a coffee at a friend’s or book an appointment at the hairdresser, to give you enough confidence to fight your child’s corner when you have been called in to see the headmistress again. The list goes on.

This is what my life was like when we first discovered and started making our own flower essences. My friend Christine and I had 3 ‘spirited’ boys at primary school between us when someone told us about flower essences. We were having big parenting issues, all three of our children needed extra support at school, my relationship with my partner was less than perfect to say the least and as well as that I was learning who I was and what I wanted to do with my life in amongst it all –oh and working 2 part-time jobs.

The great thing about flower essences is they work ! Not only that but all you have to do is to remember to take them... you don’t have to find time for a yoga class or an hour’s meditation – although of course that helps – all you have to do is take a few drops under the tongue twice a day and watch the changes happen.

Often when people first start taking essences- especially if it feels like your life is falling apart and a complete mess- you don’t notice the changes straight away. It’s only looking back after a few weeks you notice life has got that little bit easier, you’re feeling calmer and not so stressed and what seemed like a massive insurmountable problem slid by without a hitch and you can cope.

The other great thing about essences is that they work even more effectively with children. Because their patterns aren’t as entrenched as ours they are easier to shift. Sometimes just a few drops under the tongue, or in their bath in the evening often means that come the morning that thing they were having trouble with has shifted, they aren’t so angry, or worried, or afraid of what their friends think of them. Which gives you one less thing to worry about.

We designed our combination essences for everyday issues that people like us had. So whether you are struggling with anxiety, worry, self esteem, depression or speaking up for yourself (and many other problems of living in this crazy complex world) there is something for you.

If you want help deciding which flower essences you or other members of your family need just drop us an email and we’ll do whatever we can to help.

(Flower Essences are safe to take whist using other medication, breastfeeding or pregnant and are completely safe for children and animals too)

Hugging Trees

So when it all gets too much, when it seems like the whole world is going crazy, when it feels like we have no power and there is nothing we can do to change what is going on in the big wide world what do you do?  

Some rant, some demonstrate, some write letters... Me? I go and spend time in nature. I know how lucky I am that I can do this. For me the natural world is right outside my doorstep. Just a stone’s throw from my door there are trees to bring me comfort, flowers to make me smile, birds singing just for the pleasure of it whether they have food in their bellies or not.

Today I went and visited the oldest resident in our town - an ancient lime tree that has weathered the storms for hundreds of years. I went to see if the fires the teenagers can’t help but light in her base had finally finished her off, to see if she had any wisdom to impart, any comfort to bring. She is still breathing, amazingly and probably will for longer than I imagine. Leaning against her, like I did to my granny when I was small, I listened to the crows cawing above in the clear blue sky and felt her slow steady breath and everything seemed to fall back into perspective. She listened quietly to my concerns, my troubles, my despair and seemed to whisper back “there there child, you are doing the best you can, keep growing and learning and shining your unique light – that is all any of us can do”

Nature is so incredible, so powerful, so awe inspiring and so wise. The trees hold such wisdom, if nothing else, learn what they have to teach and if you can’t get close to one to bring your life and the world around you back into perspective we make quite a few tree essences that will impart their strength and knowledge to you to help you get through these confusing times.

Do get in touch if you want advice on which essences might help you right now or go to our ‘single 'essences’ page. Whether it be for not feeling so powerless, or weary or drained by this human existence there are trees (and flowers) that are willing to help you, you just need to ask for their help.

Sending you lots of love,

Saskia XX

Back to School

After the freedom and relaxation of the summer holidays which allows growth to occur on many levels I have found that children often feel anxious and nervous about going back to school. They feel so different to when, exhausted, they broke up so long ago in July. Besides being keen to meet back up with their friends there is an awful lot of change to accommodate and this can be really hard for some.

Children respond really well to flower essences as their patterns are much less stuck than ours and the gentle but amazingly effective energy of the flowers brings support and protection and help with the hurly burly, often bewildering minefield that the school environment can bring.

Below is a list of essences that your child might find useful in the coming school year. If you have ANY questions, or want advice about which other essences might suit your child’s particular needs, do get in touch

My Personal Space –this rose scented spray is great for children who are sensitive and often over-whelmed by other people’s energy. It makes a protective bubble so that you can cope with everything life throws at you.

Calm and Confident – this combination essence is perfect for when there is anxiety and nervousness about going into new situations, for helping with panic attacks and stress.

Speaking with Confidence – ideal for children who have trouble putting their hands up to answer questions in class, those who can be shy and withdrawn or for giving recitals, performing in concerts or plays.

Focus, Energise, Create – this is great for procrastinators and for getting homework projects done.

Walnut –this is a really protective essence ideal for any sort of change. It stops people caring quite so much what others think of them – ideal for teenagers who are beginning to find their own identity.

Nettle – this is great for setting clear boundaries, for finding the strength of character to say NO when something doesn’t feel right for you.

Bluebell  - this is a great essence for shy children. For those who don’t feel they deserve to be heard, for not being scared to hold your head up high and be noticed.

Peppermint – helps with concentration and clarity. Many children find classrooms very distracting spaces for learning and the energy of peppermint essence brings focus.

Bronze age distillation

It's always great taking our large copper alembic still out and about to show people how we distil herbs to use in our sprays. I love distilling hydrosols as,not only do they contain the essential oils and other chemical constituents of a plant but they also hold the energy of the plant they came from in a liquid form and as a flower essence producer this is very exciting.

Last time we were at Hauser Wirth nr Bruton at one of their fabulous events a gentleman came up and enthusiastically told us about an earthenware bronze age still he'd had a go at replicating. This got me looking more into the history of distilling and how distilling techniques and vessels had changed over the centuries, and how much it had stayed the same.

My mother's partner is a skilled potter and when I showed him the images of the still the gentleman had told us about I could see he was itching to make one similar so a few months later he came up, much to my delight, with the one pictured above.

The key thing with distilling anything is heating a liquid until a steam forms and then condensing this steam back into a liquid, and being able to collect the transformed liquid to get the required final substance- this may be a spirit or an essential oil or, in our case, a hydrosol/floral water. With whatever method you use there are inefficiencies and many variables. Our copper alembic still, of which the design hasn't changed for several hundred years, is pretty much perfect - the steam is taken away from the heated vessel to be condensed with cold water and collected through a tube to produce the liquid you are after (see image below).

With all things 'historical' one has to depend on a mix of previous writings/Google/ones own intuition. 'Hard facts' are sometimes difficult to ascertain but there are drawings and findings of those who have gone before us. Here is the best 'history of distillation' that I have found so far which states the first evidence of distillation at about 3500BC and gives further details of distillation through the ages.

So of course there were practical problems as there are with everything you do for the first time - we filled the container too full with (well) water and herbs - we used mugwort- so as not to taint the vessel too much with essential oil the first time... and as it boiled it overflowed. It was hard to condense the steam with cold water and/or a cold cloth to get a distillate from the lip. A design change I immediately suggested was to turn the 'brim' of the 'hat' up the other way up so water could be more freely added. But apart from that the hydrosol that came out was surprisingly potent -although quite dusty in flavour due to me insisting that we only used unglazed vessels as they would have in the bronze age - the 'mug' in the final photo is actually dated at 1400BC - and there is lots of experimenting to be done but as I stroked the top of the vessel with a wet cloth again and again to 'milk' the sweet drops of liquid from the steam I connected with generation after generation of herbal apprentices before me which,in itself, was enough.

If you would like to come and experience this primative method of distilling for yourself (as well as learning how to use a copper alembic still) to rediscover the healing power of hydrosols do get in touch to put your name on the list for our next workshop. 

And if you have any questions about this process do please ask. And if you want to find out about my work with hydrosol essences check out issue 4 of Sentire International Essence Magazine

Your own rose scented bubble

We are more than delighted to announce that our My Personal Space spray has not only been shortlisted for the Free-From Skincare Awards but has won a GOLD medal from the Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards in the fragrance category....

 One of our missions as a company is to get flower essences used by people who haven’t come across them before so winning awards like this helps raise the profile of what essences are and how they can help in your everyday life ....and makes me and the flowers dance for joy....

‘My Personal Space’ spray consists of flower essences held in pure English rosewater with the very minimum of (Soil Association approved) preservative.We distil our roses slowly and with love in a large, copper alembic still to maintain their natural fragrance, energy and life force.Rosewater has long been known for its amazing skin benefits - an anti-inflammatory , antioxidant and natural moisturiser, it cools and calms bringing heart healing and softening at the same time so just by itself it is fabulous ..but add flower essences into the mix and you've got an award winner.

This unique spray contains flower essences that protect you from all of that ‘out there’ - whether that's an annoying or bullying colleague, people on a crowded tube, not enough space in an aeroplane cabin, the noise of a city street or even family members you need to distance yourself from. It also has the energy of confidence boosting flowers to make you feel as fabulous as possible whilst you are in your very own rose scented bubble.

Spritz around yourself or directly onto your face to be immediately transported to an English rose garden all alone, refreshed, revived and ready to continue with your life in your own unique way.

The flower essences contained in this spray are :

Yarrow – for psychic protection, separation of self from others

Borage – for coping with all life throws at you in a calm and balanced way

Walnut – for protection from what others think of you

Nettle – for clear boundaries and standing up for yourself

Buttercup –for increasing self- confidence

Potentilla –for loving yourself just as you are

It is sold in an easy to carry, small enough for your handbag or in-flight luggage, 30ml mister and can be purchased here

We are aware that, as demand for this product grows, we won’t be able to distil all of our own rosewater but we promise that we will only use rosewater made in the UK by people that we are certain have distilled the best quality rosewater we can get our hands on.

Flower Essences and the Menopause

Once a word that was whispered by our mothers it now seems that everyone is talking about it ... of course it might be my age or it might be that at last we, as women, are reclaiming our power, our bodies, our emotions  and feel able to talk openly, without shame, about the natural changes that are occurring within us.

Whatever the reason, if you are reading this, you have some interest in the menopause and are looking for natural help to cope with the symptoms that can occur to varying degrees. We are all different and, hopefully, the wisdom we have gained so far in our rich and varied lives, has taught us that there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to anything.

However flower essences really can help you deal with whatever emotional challenges that are occurring in your life as you negotiate these changes. Whether that be anxiety, irritability, mood swings, brain fog, change in sleep patterns, loss of interest in sex, loss of confidence or any of the various other ‘problems’ that are associated with this shift into the next phase of our life as strong, powerful, interesting, wise, sexy women.

Made in the same way as the Bach Flower Remedies, flower essences are safe and simple to use and contain the energy of the flowers they come from to help shift emotional imbalances, behaviour patterns and to change our awareness. They bring powerful change to help us deal with all life throws at us when we are out of balance and have been used effectively for many many years with great results.

They are usually taken as drops under the tongue several times a day for a few weeks at a time and are safe to use at the same time as any other medication as they hold the vibration of the plant rather than containing any physical matter. We make all of our own essences and bottle them by hand. Some of them are made from the same flowers as the Bach Flower remedies, some are made by other flower essence producers and some are unique to us. Always follow your intuition when choosing a company to buy essences from as, because they work on a vibrational level, it is very difficult not to put your own energy into the bottle along with the flower.

I truly believe that menopause is an exciting transition into the next phase of life and with the support of flower essences this part of our journey can be fun and uplifting and easy. This isn’t the end of our femaleness - it is a chance to change, to shift our focus, to move gracefully into our wisdom and power.

Here is a list of some of the essences I recommend for women struggling with the changes going on in their lives during the menopause and peri-menopause. Of course every woman is different and you might want to look at our list of single essences to find the ones that are more suitable to your unique situation. I also offer a consultation service if you are unsure about which essences you need or you can email me with any further questions.

Single Flower Essences:

Bindweed – helps you relax and feel less constrained and constricted in your situation.

Borage – helps you to be able to cope with everything life throws at you.  

Cherry Plum – this Bach remedy brings calmness when there is panic or nervousness.

Dandelion – this is great for feeling confident, grounded, cheerful and vibrant.

Evening primrose – helps bring awareness and light to our fears and dark thoughts.

Herb Robert – helps when we are feeling particularly sensitive.

Peppermint – this is great for when you are feeling foggy and forgetful and in need of extra energy and focus.

Walnut – this is the classic Bach remedy for dealing with change and feeling safe and protected whilst the shifts occur.

Wild Rose – brings vitality and helps us feel more alive as we let go of the grief of losing our fertility.

Yarrow – protects from outside influences and stops us taking on other people’s draining energy, helping us feel safe and more sure of ourselves.

Combination Essences:

Sexy and Gorgeous  - this is a great confidence booster and helps us feel present and safe in our bodies, taking away any fear of showing our true selves and intimate feelings.

Calm and Confident – great for anxiety and loss of confidence this combination is very effective in helping to deal with all those situations where we are nervous or unsure.

Sprays:

Easy Sleep Spray contains flower essences held in cool and calming lavender water. It can be sprayed all over yourself to cool down during night sweats bringing untroubled sleep.  

Lots of love, and do get in touch if you have any questions,

Saskia XX

PS ...this article has also been published in Rejuvage - a website and hub that promotes positive ageing. 

Listening to flowers

One of the exercises that I often use when I teach workshops is to get people to sit quietly for just ten minutes with a flower that they are drawn to when walking around the garden (or field). I ask them to sit and just observe ... observe the plant itself – it’s physical qualities, how it grows, where it has chosen to grow, how healthy it is – and then to observe their own thoughts and feelings  during this time. Some people find that drawing the plant increases the depth of interaction or writing down anything that occurs to them - this could be part of a longer exercise.

Once their ‘date’ with the plant is over, they are encouraged to share their experiences. I am constantly amazed at the healing that can occur in just this short time. Sometimes long forgotten memories come up, sometimes powerful emotions, some people fall into other- wordly daydreams, others are just astounded at the physical beauty of the flower that they had never properly appreciated before. But they all come back changed in some way, something will have shifted, something will have been learnt or remembered and that’s just with sitting quietly, with intention , for ten minutes.

Imagine what happens when you are able to take the energy of that plant inside of yourself to receive it’s wisdom , as you do with a flower essence, when you can truly get to know it over a length of time, to feel  it’s vibration flowing through you, to know that you are both part of the same story... giving and taking....learning and gaining awareness.

Plants give us so much – healing, medicine, food, clothes,energy and so much more – and yet how often do we say Thank You, how often do we acknowledge their gifts, how often do we give something back to them or notice that they are even there ?

There is more and more 'proof' of the wisdom and intelligence of the plant world – I heartily encourage you to go and sit with a flower or plant or tree you are drawn to for just ten minutes and receive it’s healing. Anyone can do it. If necessary the plant/flower can be brought to the person, or rather than sitting on the ground a chair can be used and children love doing this - their observations can be really insightful, noticing things you hadn’t and seeming wiser than their years.

Plants are our teachers - we just have to remember to turn up for class.

Meaningful Work

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience: We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

Many moons ago this quote was written on the side of a wooden building I lived in. I was reminded of it again last week when called back to my florist’s profession where I had to roll up my sleeves and get more physical and creative than I’d been for a long time for an event that would be over in a day. Sometimes this feels like a waste of time, a pointless exercise, a ‘what am I doing this for’- especially at the end of a long tiring day. But then, when engrossed in the bridal bouquet at the end of the week, I consciously realised that this was sacred work that we had been doing. It had been given to us to bring the right flowers to the celebration of two people’s deep love and commitment for each other as they tied an eternal bond. There was a reason I was here on a deeper level and everything felt all right again. And I realised that for life to feel good it needs to be meaningful.

Mostly I am doing ‘work’ that so obviously helps with the well-being and health of other humans that I don’t have to be reminded of my connection to ‘spirit’. But when your ‘work’ isn’t so obviously connected it is good to remind yourself of why, on a deeper level, you are called to do what you do – and don’t panic – there is always a reason but sometimes it takes a while to realise what it is. Serving humanity - in whatever way, bringing more love into the world, making the world a more beautiful place, bringing grace and meaning , supporting others in their dreams of a better world, creating a space for things to move forward etc etc etc – the list is endless but when you look deeper you will find the meaning , the reason, the 'spirit'.

I think the point I am trying to make is that whatever we are ‘doing’ in life there is always a spiritual/sacred element to it. It feels like it is time now to be more aware of this in our day to day lives. To bring more depth and understanding to our existence, to bring more awareness to the fact that we are spiritual beings and that, in itself, is enough….. The being human bit can be tough sometimes I know – but luckily we have the energy of the flowers to help with that and they have a lot to teach us about sacredness, spirituality and finding meaning in the lives we live and what we do.

Consultations

Don’t get me wrong I love sending flower essences out to you all around the world knowing the flowers are going to where they are needed most and helping you in your life wherever you are and whatever you are struggling with but for me it’s giving consultations in person where the magic really shows up.

The excitement when  someone new knocks on the door and I have no idea of their story or their energy or what impact our interaction will have is what makes me really tick.

It’s when I get the chance to open my box of essences and ask the universe (through my pendulum) what flowers you need most for your healing –and every time it blows me away. To have discovered the gift I have and the connection I have with the flowers makes my heart sing, to know what I’m here for, in itself, is a gift.

 I have always been fascinated in people’s stories and how they behave, what they talk about, what their focus is, the trauma’s they have endured and how they’ve pulled through. For someone to come to me for help when they are going through a hard time, or for help with their self-development is an honour.

Flower Essences are ‘self-adjusting’ which means that they only work as deeply as you are ‘up for’ – although this might be an unconscious agreement- and people come for endless reasons. A crisis in their life may have occurred and they are in need of extra support, they might need essences to shift things on in their life, or to make things move for them in a smoother, less difficult way or to give them perspective on where they are at in their lives right now. The reasons are as different as the people themselves.

Because I use a pendulum to decide which essences are needed you don’t have to tell me everything that is going on for you – unless you want to and then there is space for that too. The sessions are informal and usually last less than an hour.

And then there are the shifts people make. How amazing to be able to give someone a bottle of flower energy and for them to experience profound shifts in their lives and outlook. Sometimes the effects are more subtle until they look back on their lives a few months later. Sometimes they feel the changes the next day (especially with children whose patterns are less stuck) and sometimes it might take a couple of weeks or so –and then sometimes people don’t notice anything which doesn’t mean nothing has happened it just might be in their subconscious that the shifts needed to happen.

Being able choose what essences someone needs and to be able to give them to them brings me joy and because I want this service to be available for all I keep my charges as low as possible.  For some people coming to me only once does the work that is needed and for others they come on a regular, semi-regular basis to get to the bottom of things.

If you live too far away to come to me in Wincanton (East Somerset) I can dowse for your essences online with an email and a recent photograph of yourself which also is amazingly effective.

And then there is the feedback I get ….

“I’m almost embarrassed to admit how distinctly different I feel today. No tears post-school run. No need to crawl back to bed because I feel so exhausted. Whether it’s your generous time yesterday, the remedies, or a combination of the two, thank you. It feels like I’ve turned a corner”

"Thank you so much - they arrived today and we are both feeling much better already - as ever you've worked your magic"

"My lovely friend gave me a combination of essences that you made for me. How lovely, the packaging, the bottle, the little card and even the beautiful book with all the information in. It’s really beautiful! This combination of flowers definitely suit me, everything just fits. I wanted to say thank you so much for doing such a wonderful thing for those who need a boost."

So if you feel that coming to me for a consultation is just what you need right now do get in touch….

 Like many natural health practitioners I find charging very difficult- it is a balance between what I feel my time is worth and what feels like a’reasonable’ amount for someone to pay.

At the moment a session in person costs £35. This includes your own personal blend. If you are truly not able to afford this amount please let me know and I’m sure we can come to an arrangement. I am also happy to take more if you feel my services are worth more to you and this will enable me to drop the price for others with less income available.

Also I charge £10 less for children just because ……

Uncertain times

It seems that many of us are going through massive life changes at the moment – sudden loss of jobs, homes, partners, death of loved ones –the rug has been pulled out from under our feet… we are feeling wobbly, ungrounded, unsure of where to look for help, unsure of our future and longing to feel safe and secure again.

The political and financial climate around the world isn’t helping and those of us who are very sensitive are picking up on the fear and uncertainty around the globe as we become more and more aware of the fragility of our planet (or our species at least).

So of course I am going to say ‘don’t forget how much flower essences can help you shift and change how you feel’. Sometime it feels like this is all I am saying to people day in day out like a stuck record . I really don’t seem to be able to shout out loudly enough just how much the plant kingdom can help us in our hours of need, how much support it can give us, how much nurturing and how much the plants and flowers can shift how we feel about a situation bringing back hope and the energy to change things.

FLOWER ESSENCES ARE POWERFUL TOOLS OF CHANGE. USE THEM.

They are begging to be of service, to show us how to be, to change how we do things, to help us as a species and as individuals.

Here are just a few of the flower essences that I have been using myself and giving out to clients recently for the sudden changes occurring in their personal lives :

Dandelion (for grounding)

Cowslip  (for feeling safe/nurtured)

Twayblade ( for not being scared to jump)

Walnut (for support during change)

Borage (for feeling like you can cope)

Yarrow (for protection)

Rio Clarillo (for going with the flow)

Harebell (re-alignment)

I do offer an online dowsing service for anyone who needs help deciding which essences they need as well as consultations from my home (for now) in Wincanton (Somerset)

Sending BIG HUGS out to you if you need one today,

LOTS OF LOVE,

Saskia XX

New Year, New You

Although just a date on the calender  New Year always bring a time of reflection, of hope for the future, a wishing we’d done something differently, a wishing that we had dealt with something in a ‘better’ way, a wishing that, overall, we could improve on our game (whatever that may mean to us).

There is no better time to take flower essences. Winter time, when we are drawn into introspection and digestion, brings with it long nights and dark days and space to analyse, to mull, to plan. The flowers of summer held magically in liquid bring their energy to heal and support and awaken desires. All we need to do is take them.

What is it you need help with? How do you want to change? What are you planning? Where could you go if only ……?

The nature kingdom is waiting for you to ask, waiting for you to reach out, waiting for you to notice all the lessons it has to give.

Flower essences not only bring awareness in a really safe and simple and effective way but they help with the shifts, the changes, the resolutions. Why do something alone when you can have flowers along for the ride.

Sometimes it’s hard knowing which flowers can help you the most so do please get in touch for advice on which essences might help you in the work (and play) you want help and support with in 2018.

Wishing you all the VERY BEST in the New Year,

Much love,

Saskia