I wrote a post about co-creating this essence last spring. All things considered it felt like a no-brainer for working through the Dive during November/first chakra month. I've grown to love this particular essence a lot since its co-creation. The maple tree waited until the full conclusion of our first decade in residence before reaching out to me in the undeniable and very warm-spirited way that it did.
Maple's flower healing signature relates to balance. Last month's decibel and cage-rattling level was greatly soothed for me by the physical Maple tree itself as well as essence work on a daily basis. I find working with the essence paired with meditation seems to open the door for more space in my days and evenings to simply reflect. Not necessarily thoughts/reflection but perhaps just reflect the energy I've gathered and dispersed - reflect its overall form and purpose rather than my sole part of it.
I really like the way that feels and how I'm able to notice my body responding with a loosening of tension. It makes me think of the Buddha and the lesson of the bow that must be tightened neither too loose nor too tight.
the Crocosmia healing signature is crystalline and unmistakably direct to root and illuminate the energetic spine. This often translates as a sudden uptick in energy level - a bustling spring in the step that was merely getting from one place to another prior to essence work.
I love working with this flower in combination bowls or individual synergies prepared from separate mother stocks. This past summer I felt a nudge to replace the SL Crocosmia mother essence. The resulting bowl was splendiforous.

Cardinal Flower essence has been chosen to root and sanctify the ongoing exploratory Dive process. Am finding it's nice to 'finish' maple balancing endeavors with a flower so expressive of other realms of influence/reality. The cardinal flower's healing signature relates to restoring sacred forms of dignity, illumination, and intent.
In the mid-to-late fall I discovered small blooming cardinal flowers at the edges of the front yard's side pocket gardens. The blossoms were exuberant in my noticing of them. I promptly set up some bamboo stakes that I hope will survive the winter. Otherwise I won't be sure where the plants are within the larger patch of lawn where I found them.
but maybe if i simply focus and listen ...

Flowering Quince is often associated with the crown chakra and sometimes the heart-sacral bridge. For me the bright red blooms in my garden speak of a richly flourishing root chakra. When I work with the essence I always have the sense of individual stems rising from the petal bed at each juncture where two petals overlap. I visualize the stems growing throughout my energetic spinal column - watching the buds form, fatten and release into blooming. The flowers' healing and illumination range centers on timeless vibrancy and gentle resilience.
the Yarrow Flower medicine spirit is deeply protective. In established essence work of the past 70 years or so yellow yarrow is well tested as a master shield for both gross and subtle human bodies. This past summer I received some quiet counsel from the white yarrow plantlets that began appearing along a certain part of our enlarged field garden's new fencing.
Have kind of mushed my initial impressions of the medicine spirit's entreaty to work, think, and cocreate with local varieties whenever possible in with Pam Gregory talking about the dissolution of the magnetic shield. And then further mushed with common sense, survivalist thinking, and more generalized pragmatism. It seems likely that whatever yarrow grows in a fully wild state - or very close to it - is going to be any given alchemist's best choice of a master shield.
Welcoming a Yarrow ally as electrical and psychic back-up is a wonderful gift during times of prolonged duress. It can also be just as lovely and well-applied for those who work in a capacity of guidance or healing - counseling, etc. I like it for times when it seems that staying true to myself needs its own time alone in a bubble of sorts - while concurrently carrying on with life (and its attendant emotions) as close to normally as possible. Also love spending time among flowering yarrow plants. My sister in law has virtual groves of the deep golden yellow variety growing throughout her NoCali version of a wild garden.
the Echinacea flower healing vibration is always related to deep/bedrock level restoration of soul and spirit as well as mind and body. This specific flower may have been included in the essence bowl. I was really happy to see how vibrantly and fully the plant flowered in mid-summer. Earlier in the season it developed a very obvious co-creative relationship with an enormous volunteer foxglove in the Evolving Sanctuary garden.
Have been working with a few folk who are profoundly shook by all we've been through and continue to experience throughout the globe. I have a strong preference for offering Echinacea remedies (along with Elderberry and perhaps Lime) for the special needs of complex PTSD as well as those in occupations with a strong ongoing trauma component flagging ongoing need for self-care and ongoing restorative life choices.
i hope to write in more depth on this topic and then figure out how to get the words distributed most efficiently. stay tuned.
Red Bee Balm is a very versatile essence. It clears the head chakras beautifully and also shows an affinity for brain-level neuro-circutry. This is obvious from the shape and form of the flower. What's also obvious is the long square shaped stem that places this species in the mint family. The sturdy stem always reminds me of the spinal column when perfectly straight. I like to image the flower in a visualization that places the flower against the spinal column as if the blossom could move up and down - not unlike a clear class elevator on the outside of a building. In that visual image, the flower describes the essence's capacity to travel up and down throughout the chakra system - at speed that may compromise detailed examination but not illuminated awareness.
[grace actually spoke to this but i can't remember where. a comment and maybe it's here and I can find it to place right here.]
I find red bee balm flower essence to be a special friend to those who have chronic illness and/or pain. The certain zap that chronic anything applies to every layer of be-ing is not to be underestimated. Our subtle energy bodies need nourishment and the energetic equivalent of electrolyte rebalancing.
Since this is a very solar plant I thought to work with it when I felt I was good and thoroughly caught up with crying after so many years of refusing to do as much. A dream guided me to put a single drop of mother stock in the center of my crown. I waited while it was absorbed and then visualized its passageway through my energy system. Am setting aside a few scant dropper bottles with the mother stocks so there's no need to the original storage bottle more than once. Just to be prepared in this way. It feels important and possibly a partial refinement of rescue remedy as it's best applied in our variety of destabilizing circumstance?
a little more red and some orange up next...