What are flower essences?

Flower essences are subtle, vibrational remedies taken orally to address specific, profound issues of emotional well-being, soul development, and mind-body health. This page contains excerpts from Flower Essence Society, written by Patricia Kaminski and Richard Katz-pioneering researchers in flower essences and authors of Flower Essence Repertory. 

Flower essences in their modern form were first developed in the 1930s by an English physician, Dr. Edward Bach. He devoted his career to developing 38 remedies, mostly from English wildflowers.

Flower essences are dilute, potentized herbal infusions or decoctions, prepared from wildflowers or pristine garden blossoms. They are made directly in the “laboratory of nature,” where the four alchemical elements of earth, water, air, and fire are found in harmonious balance. To this is added the fifth “quintessential” element of the sensitive awareness and attunement of the preparer. The fresh, dew-filled blossoms are gathered in the early morning of a clear, sunny day. Floating on the surface of a bowl of water, they are irradiated by the warmth and light of the sun for several hours. This process creates an energetic imprint of the etheric energy pattern of the flower in the water, embodying the healing archetype of that plant. This “mother essence” is preserved with organic grape alcohol and then further diluted and potentized to form the “stock” which is sold in stores and to practitioners. Flower essences have no color, fragrance, or physiological attributes in the way herbal medicines do—they simply contain the preserved energetic signature of individual flowers.

The key to flower essences is subtlety. Flower essences are not the magic bullet craved by a culture enraptured by the biggest, shiniest and fastest. Flower essences fall in step with the body, which likes to move slowly, and the expansive nature of the soul. If we are open to their song, flower essences guide us gently in unraveling the false impressions and layers that we have all developed to survive. By clearing away all that has been imposed on us: other peoples’ expectations and projections, we may find the courage to carry out the soul-work we are here to do, each of us in our beautiful way.

Because these layers of the false self are highly individualized, it takes a skilled practitioner to choose the right essences for you. Prepared flower essence blends are gaining popularity, and indeed, there are some excellent ones out there (many of you reported how helpful my Anchored Heart blend was that I released at the beginning of the pandemic!). But I believe that Dr. Bach ultimately meant for this medicine to be administered directly to individuals. I am proud to offer this sacred, yet accessible, opportunity for those that are drawn to its call. Like homeopathic remedies, flower essences are not contraindicated and can be used alongside other therapies, including medication. They are safe, gentle, and effective. 

 It can be useful to work thematically with the essences. A few themes that flower essences can address include:

• all life transitions

• aging

• feelings of despair around world events

• embodiment, food and body image issues, dysmorphia

• acute trauma or grief, PTSD

• life direction

• boundaries

• self-reliance

• creativity

Flower essence consultations consist of a 45-60 minute virtual meeting with me over Zoom. I then consult the research and my knowledge and intuition and prepare your essences. You receive a custom flower essence dosage bottle to be taken orally, 4 times a day for one month. The cost of the session and dosage bottle is $90. Dosage bottles without a consultation are $40.

Testimonials

I had been struggling with severe TMJ exacerbation that turned out to be a new found infection, but I was also dealing with tremendous heartbreak and heartache with several people close to me. My heart literally was hurting and I had severe insomnia, anxiety, panic and shortness of breath. Jessi gave me flower essences with bleeding heart, walnut and yerba santa in combination. All I can say is that it was within days very helpful to relieve all those symptoms. It felt like it has helped me with clearing the infection and toxins from my tooth and gum infection in an emotional sense. I had less shortness of breath, heart ache, and even had my neck and upper back issues released for the first time fully in 3 years. My chiropractor is remarking on how this is the first time for an entire month, my adjustments in the upper back have stayed put. Thank you for the help physically with massage, but I feel the emotional work I'm doing along with the help of flower essences have had a huge impact on my emotional toxic release.

I have been working on self-worth and self-love in many corners of my mind-body-spirit world for a long time. I have struggled with eczema and adult acne. The flower essences Jessi made me were for acne/self-love/seeing beauty in myself. I have to say that after 2 years of struggling with cystic acne that was physically and emotionally painful, since taking the flower essences I have felt a) who gives a fuck b) my skin has transformed to being calm and pretty acne free. I can't make heads or tails of it, but I do know that in the months following taking the essences I had a different relationship with my skin and, in kind, my skin had a different experience. I continue to work with Jessi for flower essence remedies and their subtle but powerful healing abilities.

Jessi crafted a powerful flower essence for me a few days after I received the unexpected news that a friend of mine passed away. I was feeling very tender, scared, hurt, and confused. As someone with CPTSD, one of my system's default responses to challenging life events is to shut down and disassociate; I was struggling to balance making space for my grief with continuing to function. In tandem with therapy and bodywork, taking the flower essence blend Jessi formulated for me helped me stay present with hard feelings in a gently healing way. Working with the essence gave me important, soft checkpoints throughout the day to tune into my heart, my body, and my needs. Taking the essence became a ritual in reminding myself that I have resources of care and protection (both human and more-than-human) and that it's safe now to feel my feelings. Through grief, I have experienced a surprising level of grace in sitting with Jessi's flower essence, and for that, I am so grateful.

What I learned from offering myself a flower essence from Jessi is that the medicine of flower essences is transformative at the level of being-ness. They don’t cover up, fix, or otherwise interact with an agenda other than to offer my being the wisdom of themselves at a vibrational level, a re-attuning to their being-ness. Over and over, day by day, taking the essence serves as a reminder to us that we can shift to a state of resonance with whatever it is we are seeking. When we are working at the level of resonance, all states of being are possible. Jessi serves as a Guide with a capital “G”. Her relationship with these essences is true and apparent. Do yourself a favor and invite this medicine into your being.

I first took a custom flower essence from Jessi 2 years ago. I was struggling to feel strong in using my voice and felt like I was getting swept up in what others needed from me and unable to hold my ground. I felt a lot of tightness and constriction, especially around my throat. Jessi created a custom flower essence blend for me that was incredibly helpful. When I took it for the first time, I felt a warmth spread throughout my body, something that was unusual for me in taking flower essences, which I had done several times before. In the past when I've taken flower essences and struggled to keep using them with the regularity required to get the full benefits of the essence. This time, I was really drawn to the blend and enjoyed integrating it into my day and using it as an opportunity to settle in and return to my body. I noticed a difference several weeks in, it was subtle and gentle but I felt a shift in my emotional ability to say what I needed to say that continued to strengthen. Jessi's flower essence blend was a supportive and loving addition to my life.

After a consultation a few months back, Jessi formulated a wonderful blend of flower essences to help me with emotional attachments that were weighing me down. What I noticed shortly after starting the drops was more peace in not only my emotions but also mental clarity. I also noticed that I wasn't focused on those emotional attachments like I had been. There was a lift in my heart space that made room for me to focus more on what I am creating instead of what others are going through.The pink yarrow that she blended into my flower essence was impactful for the emotional shifts I have experienced. I'm a believer in her knowledge and gifts she operates in and would recommend her over and over again to anyone desiring more peace in their journey.

Jessi introduced flower essences to me and I haven’t been exposed to this idea anywhere else. I know and love that plants have these kinds of properties and for me this is a totally new way to experience them. The thing I like most about flower essences is how they can be tailored to each individual. The world of flora is endless and it’s very special to have something like this crafted specifically for you. It’s like a magic potion. I also appreciated Jessi’s expertise of the ingredients and how to apply them to different needs. I am a believer right away. Flower essences are like vitamins - you know they are good for you, even though you don’t “feel” them right away. I want to live in the world of flower essences!