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Flower Essences - Why?

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
I've been exploring the landscape of flower essences and am struggling with it. Part of that struggle is the blatant pseudoscience presented in the book I'm reading, and that annoys me a lot (see Homeopathic dilutions - Wikipedia). Setting that gripe aside to take a more metaphysical view of the practice, I have a hard time understanding why one would use flower essences. There are so many ways of working magically with plants. Teas. Tinctures. Incense. Oils. Herbs. What do essences (floral or otherwise) bring to the table that can't already be done using other methods?

Just in case someone on the board has insight into the use of these essences and what the point of them is, I thought I'd make a thread asking. :D
 

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
I'm not sure I'm completely a believer in flower essences being effective. But I will say I've used them for my pets, with mixed results.

That's a benefit I could see, is the dilution can make it safer for animals, and children.
 

rocala

Well-Known Member
I once went on a course designed to cover the spiritual aspects of nature. One afternoon was set aside for flower essences. We were a mixed group of spiritual backgrounds plus one was a qualified herbalist.
As far as I could tell, the afternoon impressed nobody. Basically, it was a waste of time. Some people there actually complained that it was a needless destruction of some very attractive plants.
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
That's a benefit I could see, is the dilution can make it safer for animals, and children.

This is a consideration I thought of. But then, dosage can be mediated for just about any herbal practice so what makes essences unique? It almost feels like the practice has more in common with energy work since making essences involves creating waters that have no significant chemical traces of the infused substance. The pseudoscience rationale is that water aligns and crystalizes with a "memory" of what is infused with it in a way that's detectable by science (spoiler: it isn't). On a metaphysical level this strikes me as legitimate, but then the process of making the essences left me scratching my head. The dilutions are so extreme even the author of the book I'm reading did serious metaphysical gymnastics to rationalize it. :sweat:


I once went on a course designed to cover the spiritual aspects of nature. One afternoon was set aside for flower essences. We were a mixed group of spiritual backgrounds plus one was a qualified herbalist.
As far as I could tell, the afternoon impressed nobody. Basically, it was a waste of time. Some people there actually complained that it was a needless destruction of some very attractive plants.

To its credit, the book I'm reading is sensitive to these environmental aspects, probably because the author is a Pagan whose mentors did likewise. So hopefully someone following the practice of making essences from this book wouldn't end up practicing needless destruction. What I've found more interesting in the book are the bits about communing with and being respectful to plant spirits. Asking permission. Going away if it isn't given. Just in general being a responsible practitioner.

Do you remember what the process was for making them? Wondering if (and how) it differs from the source I'm looking at right now.
 
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