·Image by Miss Lulu & The Teaspoon Shortage ·

 

 

The Most Important Relationship of your Life and the One you Must Care and Dedicate Yourself Most to is Your Relationship with Your Self. With You. You Must Love and Adore Yourself.

 

It’s OK if you aren’t Quite There Yet - or if you Sometimes Are, sometimes Aren’t. That is Often My Case. But it Is Important that You Decide that That Is Where You Are Moving Towards. That is How You Want To Feel About Yourself.

 

You Must First Want To Love and Adore Yourself. Then You need To Try Every Day, Every Time You Remember or Every Time you catch yourself Not loving yourself.

 

Don’t Beat Yourself Up About it! Turn it Around, into a Joke or some sort of Giggles. Make a Habit of Looking for Reasons To Love & Adore Yourself. Dwell in Those Moments When You Find Yourself In Love with Yourself or Your Life.

 

Notice the Difference in Your Life between when you Choose to be OK with You No Matter What and when you Let Yourself look for reasons to criticize yourself. Life Is So Much Better When You Choose to Make a Habit of Loving and Appreciating Yourself.

 

You Will Never Please Everybody but if you Make it Your Business You Can Most Definitely Please Yourself. So Please Yourself First. Always.

 

That Doesn’t mean you have to be a Butthole to Anybody. That Doesn’t Mean you have to be Inconsiderate or Rude. You will be Surprised at How Easy it is to get Your Way and make it a Pleasure for Everyone Involved.

 

After all, now that You have Decided to Love and Adore Yourself Unconditionally it is Important to Act in a Way that would be motive of your own Admiration.

 

Often we are afraid that Pleasing Ourselves will mean Fucking Over Everyone Else. It is a Huge Liberation to Realize this is Not true, but you Can Only Find Out One Way. Try it, Live it.

 

You Only Have Your Perspective. That’s All Any of Us Ever Has. we are Selfish Beings by Nature, we can Only See Through Our Own Eyes. It’s All Good, there’s nothing wrong about it, it’s just The Way It Is. There’s A Reason for it: You are Here to Live for You.

 

You Always Know What You Need, you could say you are Designed To. even when You Don’t Think you do. Sometimes you just need to Take a Step Back. Look at your Life from a Distance. Look at Yourself from the Third Person Perspective. Look at Your Life as a Story. Figure Out What It Is Telling You. You Can Always Figure it Out. Only You Can Know. Your Life and Experience are Speaking to You. and They are Only For You to Figure Out. Listen to Others but Don’t Ever Forget That.

 

You Are the Center and Creator of Your Life. You are The Reason behind It.The Truth is that In Your Life Everything Does Really Revolve Around You, and if It Feels like It Doesn’t - It’s Time You Do Some Catching Up With Yourself. You Have a Life To Live for Yourself! There is Always Responsabilities but they are Not the Reason you Feel the Focus Isn’t On You. After All, You are in Control of the Focus. You are the Focus.

 

Whatever is Going On in Your Life Realize It is All about You. Sometimes we Think it is Easier to Make it About Other People. About Other Things. It is just a way of Distracting Yourself from what is Really Going On. What is Always Going On is You and how You Feel About Yourself and Your Life. Allowing Yourself the Time and Space to See these things will Open Your Eyes Up to New Solutions, to Better Feelings and a Happier You.

 

♥

 

·Peace, Love & Stardust·

Image by ::reflecting truth::

We are all special, in the sense that we all have our own unique consciousness, our own perspective, our own dreams, ideas, desires.

The biggest part of you is the one that you probably never talk about and the one you couldn’t really explain. It’s the big you, the inner true you, your soul.

You have feelings and they are you guidance. They tell you whether or not your focus is upon things that are what you really want to be focusing on.

See, the big part of you knows what you’ve been experiencing, what you’ve been thinking, what you’ve been wanting in your life,what you need to do, where you need to go…

There is some traditions that encourage you to eradicate desire.

I say desire is the most essential part of our being.

We live through our experiences and out of every experience are born one or thousands of desires. We desire more or less of this and that, we desire that the next time we have an experience like this it’d be more like this or that…we arrive to new conclusions, new preferences. This mechanism is always working in your life, always determining your new preferences and desires.

You can always trust yourself to know what is good for you.

Only…no one tells you so.

The people that care about you: parents, teachers, partners, friends… are for the most part well-meaning people and want the best for you. But what they consider to be ‘the best for you’ has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with what they would be pleased to see you doing.

When most people tell you what to do and why, they’re more interested in your looking for ways to please them than in your looking for ways to please yourself.

That’s how in their trying to be social most people lose themselves and their true passions, they simply feel persuaded or obligated to ignore their own guidance.

These people usually end up basing their motivations on the attention that is directed at them by other people.

Sometimes it feels really difficult to follow your own guidance in this society, especially as a young person, everyone seems to think they know what is best for you, and you have no idea.

The thing to keep in mind is that most people are only talking from their own position of having shut down their own guidance system.

♥

Sometimes out of respect or the kind of relationship we have with certain people, we allow ourselves to consider and focus our attention on the things they tell us that oppose our goals, dreams and desires.This never helps you or brings you anywhere because it always makes you feel internal discord, which will actually make it more difficult for you to achieve what you want.

There will always be others that disagree with what you are doing or want to do, but when you pay attention to them then you are the one that is disagreeing with your own goals, dreams and desires.

The only way to really gauge the appropiateness or possibility of your desires, dreams or behaviors is to listen to your own guidance system: your emotions.

Pay attention to your feelings and follow what makes you feel good, alive, in tune, in alignment, happy and joyful, because that is who you really are.

There is no reason why your life should go any way but the way you dream it to go.

Sure there will be tons of things that happen to you along the way that will seem like you neither planned nor wanted, but the truth is that we all end up living what we think we’re going to anyway, so it’s just a matter of you really getting it, learning to use and live with this knowledge and doing it purposefully.

♥

See, when you don’t feel the calling to do something, then you look at it and consider it from a whole different perspective than the person that feels a passionate and compelling pull to do that same thing.

That’s why when you go up to your parents and tell them about your dreams to be a dog psychologist in Australia they can’t help but feel a bit queasy and tell you all the reasons why it wouldn’t be the right thing for you to do, because from their passionless perspective they just can’t see all the pros of the situation and how they would outweigh the cons for you.

In the end, a lot of times, people that really care about us end up taking a position of passionately opposing our desires, which makes it even more difficult for them to see how it would be a good option for you.

That’s why you ultimately shouldn’t listen to anybody but yourself when it comes to making decisions in your life.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s very important to do a lot of research, to inform yourself about your decisions, so you know what you are getting yourself into but it is a different matter to let yourself be advised about the actual outcome of the situation in a way that you are being told what is right or wrong for you to do.

No one knows what is like to be you, no one is in your head and no one has lived your experiences so no one knows what’s best for you but you.

Remember this applies to other people too. That means, take into consideration that you can easily become ‘the Others’ in this situation.

We’re all part of that big ‘They’ just someone else’s.

That’s why whenever someone asks me for advice on any given topic I always end up talking to them about bigger or more general things that their specific choice or decision, I talk to them about how they have guidance that can help them much better than me.

You are truly your best friend, in every way, if you just got to know yourself better, you’d realize it right away.

♥

·Peace, Love & Stardust·

I first came to know about Bach Flower Remedies a couple years ago. We had just moved to Madison and our kitty, Betty had a hard time with the move. She seemed to be having serious anxiety problems and we wanted to help her feel better. So we went to our neighborhood Health Food Store for advice since they have someone in their department of natural medicines & remedies to help you.

They recommended we try Bach’s Rescue Remedy. Put a few drops in her water & observe how it affected her.

Bach’s Rescue Remedy is their most well known flower essence combination, which contains an equal amount each of Rock rose, Impatiens, Clematis, Star of Bethlehem and Cherry Plum remedies. The product is aimed at treating stress, anxiety, and panic attacks especially in emergencies. Rescue Remedy is a trade mark and other companies produce the same formula under other names, such as Five Flower Remedy.

It worked wonders with our cat. She seemed to be calmer & more at peace right away and in a couple weeks she was completely over it & we didn’t need to give it to her anymore.

Then one day we were hanging out with a friend of ours & her sister & brother in law.They were staying at our place when they got some very traumatic news. Someone very young in their family was suddenly in a coma and she wasn’t even in the country! They were obviously very disturbed, so as I made them some tea I thought, why not give them some Rescue Remedy ? I just dropped a few drops in each of their teas.

It was amazing how much it calmed them, and soothed their feelings. They were able to look at things from a more relaxed and accepting perspective, more balanced.

After that we started experimenting a lot with Bach flower remedies. Buying different ones for different situations that arose in our lives,which we still do.

I love Bach flower essences because they are a very subtle,smooth but effective way of improving my perspective, mood and feelings when I feel overwhelmed in any way. Besides, they’re so specific it’s scary how accurately they address the problem!

They are wonderful little aids in our everyday lives!

What are Bach flower remedies?

Bach flower remedies are dilutions of flower material developed by Dr. Edward Bach, an English physician and homeopath, in the 1930s.The remedies are used primarily for emotional and spiritual conditions, including but not limited to depression, anxiety, insomnia and stress.

This is what the Bach Center says about them:

“When we feel ourselves we are at our best. We can cope with everything that life throws at us. But sometimes… well, sometimes we aren’t quite ourselves. We feel out of sorts, as if something isn’t right. And sometimes we need a little help to get back on track.

In the 1920s and 30s a noted homeopath and bacteriologist called Dr Edward Bach discovered a way of providing that help “ a complete system of 38 flower remedies that can help us rediscover the positive side of ourselves and help us live emotionally healthy lives.”

The remedies contain a very small amount of flower material in a 50:50 solution of water and brandy.Because the remedies are extremely dilute they do not have a characteristic scent or taste of the plant.They say that the remedies contain the “energetic signature” of the flower, and that this can be transmitted to the user.

Each remedy is used alone or in conjunction with other remedies, and each flower is believed to impart specific qualities to the remedy.The Bach center, however recommends that you don’t use more than 6 or 7 remedies at a time.

Bach flower remedies can also be used on pets and domestic animals because they have emotions just like people and that is what their behavior is based on.

They are usually taken orally. You can just put a few drops (the normal dose is 2-4 drops) under the tongue, or dilute it in some water or some other kind of drink.

There is no difference in potency or speed of effect between taking the four drops from the bottle and taking them diluted in water. The brandy in the stock bottle will, however, taste stronger and may give you the impression the remedy is stronger in general

You can take Bach Flower Remedies as often as you need. If you are in a mood or a bit of a crisis, you may only need one dose, but if you have been feeling the same way for some time you can take them as long as you need to. You can also stop taking them as soon as you don’t feel the symptoms anymore.

Rescue Cream contains the same remedies as Rescue Remedy in a cream form, with the addition of Crab Apple. It is the only one of Bach’s remedies that works directly on the physical body as well as with the emotions, to be applied externally to treat minor skin problems such as itches, cuts, stings, pimples and burns.

Remedies may be prescribed by a naturopath or doctor, or recommended by a trained Bach flower practitioner after an interview. You may also choose the combination you feel best suits your situation. I personally prefer to go to the stand and basically pick at “random” without looking at the labels, it works EVERY time, both Mr. N. & me seem to always pick the most fitting and needed ones this way, not just for ourselves, but for other people too. Let your intuition do the work!

The Remedies can work immediately, depending on the depth of the issue you are trying to tackle. You will notice their effects more as you take them over time, but keep in mind that each case and each person is unique.

About Dr. Edward Bach

Dr. Edward Bach studied medicine at the University College Hospital in London and was a House Surgeon there. He worked in general practice in Harley Street and became a well known physician, bacteriologist, pathologist, homeopath and researcher. He worked on vaccines and a set of homeopathic nosodes still known as the seven Bach nosodes.

Despite the success of his work with traditional medicine he was dissatisfied with the way the medical profession focused on diseases and ignored the people who were suffering them. He was inspired by his work with homeopathy but believed that there had to be better and purer remedies in nature. In 1930, he gave up his successful practice in London with the intention to devote the rest of his life to a new and different system of medicine that he was sure could be found in nature.

Dr Bach believed that attitude of mind plays a vital role in maintaining health and recovering from illness and wanted to find something that treated the cause rather than the symptom. After identifying 38 basic negative states of mind and spending several years exploring the countryside, he managed to create a plant or flower based remedy for each one.

As he abandoned traditional medicine, he decided to also abandon the scientific methods he had used up until that point. He wanted to rely on his natural gifts as a healer, and use his intuition to guide him. So his flower remedies were intuitively derived and based on his psychic connections to the plants, rather than medical research, using the scientific method.

He found the remedies he wanted, each aimed at a particular mental state or emotion. If he felt a negative emotion or state of being, he would hold his hands over different plants, “feeling their vibrations”, and that way he found different ones that alleviated different negative emotions and states of being.

In 1934 he decided to settle down and create a centre for his work, and chose Mount Vernon, a small cottage in Sotwell, Oxfordshire.

He spent the last years of his life at Mount Vernon, also known as the Bach Centre, and it was there that he completed his research.

Making of the Remedies

Edward Bach thought that dew collected from the flowers of plants contains some of the properties of the plant, and that it was more potent on flowers grown in the sun. He would then preserve the dew with an equal amount of 40% brandy. As it was impractical to collect dew in quantity, he decided to pick flowers and steep them in a bowl of spring water under sunlight. He used this method for 20 of the remedies, most of which are delicate flowers and bloom in the height of summer.For the remaining 18 remedies, he boiled the flowers in water since they were from trees and bushes and plants, most of which flower in the early part of the year.

The result of this process is what he called “mother tincture”, which is further diluted before sale or use.

Bach was satisfied with the method, because of its simplicity, and because it involved a process of combination of the four elements:

“The earth to nurture the plant, the air from which it feeds, the sun or fire to enable it to impart its power, and water to collect and be enriched with its beneficient magnetic healing.”

Bach flower remedies are not dependent on the theory of successive dilutions, and are not based on the Law of Similars of Homeopathy. The Bach remedies, unlike homeopathic remedies, are all derived from non-toxic substances, with the idea that a “positive energy” can redirect or neutralize “negative energy”.

Bach thought that of illness as the result of “a contradiction between the purposes of the soul and the personality’s point of view.” This internal war, according to Bach, leads to negative moods and energy blocking, which causes a lack of “harmony,” thus leading to physical diseases.

Bach advertised his remedies in two daily newspapers, but since his practices did not follow any scientific protocol, and his methods were not understood, the General Medical Council disapproved of his advertising. For example, in his treatise Heal Thyself he wrote:

“Disease will never be cured or eradicated by present materialistic methods, for the simple reason that disease in its origin is not material . . . Disease is in essence the result of conflict between the Soul and Mind and will never be eradicated except by spiritual and mental effort.”

The Flower Remedies

1. Agrimony .

Treats mental torture behind a cheerful face. It’s the remedy for people who keep their troubles hidden under a mask of pleasure and happiness. It helps anyone who is trying not to face a trouble and using jokes and witticisms and smiles to avoid a painful reality.

2. Aspen.

Treats the fear of unknown things. It’s the remedy for any fear where the cause cannot be named. At one end of the spectrum it could be an uneasy anxiety that something unpleasant or frightening is going to happen. At the other it can be a real terror, with physical symptoms. This remedy helps soothe & fade this fears.

3. Beech.

Treats people that feel a general sense of intolerance which is manifested in outbursts of irritability. It’s the remedy that encourages tolerance, compassion and understanding of the different circumstances and paths that other people are given & allows the person to see that others are too working towards perfection in different ways, which fades the feelings of irritability.

4. Centaury.

Treats people who feel an inability to say ‘no’ to other people. It’s the remedy for people who end up being the slave of others’ wishes because of their kind, gentle and helpful nature. It supports the development of courage and self-determination so that the person is better able to draw the line and make space where they can be themselves free of the desires and commands of others.

5. Cerato.

Treats the lack of trust in one’s own decisions. It’s the remedy for people who lack faith in their own judgement. They can make a decision without too much trouble. But having done so the doubts creep in and they are no longer sure if what they have decided is right. They then go around asking for the opinions and advice of others. They end up hopelessly confused or doing something that they know in their hearts is not right for them. This remedy encourages more faith in the person’s own judgement so that they can listen to their inner voice and trust their intuition.

6. Cherry Plum.

Treats the fear that one is going to lose control of oneself and do something dreadful, which can include injuring others and suicide. It is also the remedy for the loss of control when it has in fact already taken place.It helps with fears of going mad and of acting irrationally.

7. Chestnut Bud.

Treats the failure to learn from mistakes.It’s the remedy for people who fail to learn the lessons of life. They may repeat the same mistakes over and over or they see others making a mistake and the results that arise, but then fail to apply this lesson to their own lives and go right ahead and make the same mistake themselves.This remedy helps the person learn from the past and then move on to genuinely new experiences.

8. Chicory.

Treats selfish, possessive love. It’s the remedy for people who are full of love and care for their families and friends. But they expect to receive back all the love they give, with interest, and feel unnecessarily hurt if they don’t get what they expect. Also, their great love can lead them to hold onto their loved ones and try to keep them dependent and close to hand. This remedy is used to bring out the positive side of the person to be able to give love unconditionally and in freedom.

9. Clematis.

Treats people who dream a lot about the future without working in the present. It’s the remedy for people whose minds drift away from the present into fantasies of the future, or into alternative versions of the present. Often their dreams are of great future success, creative endeavour and achievement, but they are not sufficiently anchored in reality to make them happen.The remedy helps to bring these people back to earth and back to themselves so that they can build castles in life instead of in the air.

10. Crab Apple.

This remedy is known as the cleansing remedy, and as such is the added ’sixth ingredient’ in the Rescue Cream. It helps people who feel that they have something unclean or poisonous about them, or who dislike some aspect of their appearance or personality. Sometimes there might be very real things wrong with someone in this state, but they will disregard the big problems and concentrate obsessively on the one thing that they have fixed on. It also helps people who cleanse obsessively, or take part in repetitive behavior such as hand-washing, re-checking that appliances are unplugged, ect.

11. Elm.

This remedy is for people suffering a temporary loss of self-confidence due to the overwhelming amount of responsibility they have taken on.It helps people who are successful and carrying out work that they believe in, but at times feel the weight of the charge on them and become depressed and concerned that they will not be able to go on.The remedy helps to dispel these feelings so that the person can resume his or her life without thought of failure.

12. Gentian.

Treats discouragement after a setback in life. It’s the remedy for the relatively mild downheartedness and despondency that follows when something has gone wrong. As soon as things start to go right again this kind of despondency tends to lift by itself, but the remedy can be used to lift it the sooner so that the person is better able to make things go right, instead of just hoping they will do so.

13. Gorse.

Treats hopelessness and despair. It’s the remedy for people who almost willfully refuse to be encouraged, so certain are they that their case is hopeless. If ill, they may think of themselves as incurable, or say that they inherited this or that from their families so that nothing can be done for them. It is a remedy for uncertainty. It helps the person to see things in a different light and renew their faith in their lives so they can go forward more sure of themselves.

14. Heather.

Treats self-centerness and self-concern. It’s the remedy for people who are obsessed with themselves, but who do not like to be alone.They do anything to keep people with them, all the time talking at exhaustive length about their problems and illnesses, great and small, until people begin actively avoiding them. The loneliness they fear is brought about because of their own behaviour. The remedy helps people see their own concerns in the context of other people’s. Having suffered themselves from the need to talk, they become good listeners and great supports for others. As a result people seek them out for their compassion rather than avoiding them because of their self-centredness.

15. Holly.

Treats hatred, envy and jealousy.It’s often thought of as the remedy for anger, but based specifically on hatred, suspicion, envy or jealousy. It helps people that feel very negative, aggressive feelings directed at others. The basic problem is an absence of love, and the remedy works to encourage generosity of spirit and openness towards others.

16. Honeysuckle.

This remedy is for people who live in the past instead of the present. They feel that their best days are behind them and that there is little to look forward to, and as a consequence they prefer to dwell on past happinesses (or past misfortunes). At a more minor key, they could manifest as homesickness and nostalgia.The remedy helps the person in this state to learn from the past without needing to relive it, so that the person can progress on into the present and take joy from today and tomorrow.

17. Hornbeam.

Treats procrastination and tiredness at the thought of doing something.This remedy is used against feelings of exhaustion and tiredness that come before an effort has been made. The person in this state feels that he or she is too tired to cope with the demands of the day. It’s easier to stay in bed or put off making a start . This remedy helps the person feel strengthened and realize that if an effort can be made to get started the weariness will fade.

18. Impatiens.

This remedy as its name suggests treats impatience and frustration and irritability caused by impatience. Anyone can get into this state of mind, but there are also people who live life at a rush and hate being held back by more methodical people.The remedy helps these people be less hasty and more relaxed and patient with others. It is also an ingredient in the composite Rescue Remedy where it is used to help calm agitated thoughts and feelings.

19. Larch.

Treats lack of confidence. This remedy is for people who feel that they are not as good as others and that they are bound to fail. They lack confidence in their ability to succeed and so often do not even bother trying. The remedy helps people in this state to go ahead regardless of thoughts of success and failure. More able to take risks and be involved in life, they get more out of living.

20. Mimulus.

This remedy treats the fear of things that you can identify.They are everyday fears - fear of public speaking, of the dark, of aggressive dogs, or of illness or pain.Phobias such as the fear of spiders or of birds are also Mimulus fears, since the cause of the fear can be named. This type of remedy is also used for people who tend to be nervous, timid and shy generally. This remedy helps to encourage the quiet courage and strength that lies hidden in such people, so that they can face the everyday trials of life with steadfastness.

21. Mustard.

This remedy treats deep gloom and depression that descends for no apparent reason out of a clear blue sky. People in this state often list all the reasons they have to feel happy and contented, but still everything looks black and hopeless to them.The remedy helps to dispel the clouds so that the person can once again find joy and peace in life.

22. Oak.

This remedy is for strong, steady people who never give up under adversity. Instead they plod on with determination, and never consider resting until they are past the point of exhaustion. Because they are so steady they often have many people relying on them, and their sense of duty is strong, so that they can feel frustrated and unhappy if illness or exhaustion get in the way of discharging duties. The remedy is used to help the person remain strong in adversity and not crack under the strain, while at the same time learn when to rest.

23. Olive.

This remedy is for tiredness and exhaustion after an effort of some kind, such as hard physical or mental labour, or the long struggle against illness. The remedy is given to restore feelings of strength and the faith needed to continue.

24. Pine.

Treats guilt. This remedy is for people who blame themselves for something they feel they have done in the past, something they neglected, some fault in themselves, something they have left undone, and for those who reproach themselves that, even though they may have been successful in their work, they should have done better. They are never,content with their own efforts or the results. They also at times tend to claim responsibility for the mistakes made by others.They are perfectionists and set themselves high standards, and this may cause them to over-work and strain to do better, and when the strain becomes too much for the physical body, they blame themselves for the ensuing illness as they feel they are failing in their duties. This guilt-complex takes so much of the joy out of their lives and they become despondent and begin to despair. They can often feel so guilty about some minor matter that these thoughts fill their minds and they are always asking for forgiveness. This remedy helps soothe and fade all of these feelings.

25. Red Chestnut.

This remedy is for people who feel fear for the well-being of other. Their fears are natural, normal concerns magnified to the point where they may have a negative effect on the person who is the object of concern, destroying confidence and undermining self-belief. The remedy helps people in this state to send out calm, unworried thoughts to their loved ones, so that instead of making everyone anxious they are rocks of strength on whom others lean.

26. Rock Rose.

This is the remedy against terror, and as such is an important ingredient in the Rescue Remedy. This type of fear brings a panicky, terrorstruck state that makes conscious thought and decision next to impossible. The remedy provides calm and courage. The self is forgotten and strength reappears.

27. Rock Water.

Treats self-denial, rigidity and repression. It’s the remedy for people who take self-repression and self-denial to extremes. They are very wrapped up in themselves, seeking always to perfect themselves in some way and setting themselves targets and being very unkind to themselves if they fail to live according to their own rules. If they seek to influence others it is not directly but by example only. The Rock Water remedy does not stop people from having high ideals or from trying to meet them. But it does help ease the person so that they can show more flexibility when it is necessary, and are not so hard on themselves.

28. Scleranthus.

Treats the inability to choose between alternatives.This remedy is for people who find it difficult to make up their minds which option of two or more they ought to choose. This indecision commonly affects the small decisions of life as much as the big ones. The remedy is given to help the person to act more decisively and know his or her own mind.

29. Star of Bethlehem.

This is one of the remedies in the Rescue Remedy. It treats the after-effects of any shock, such as unexpected bad news or an unexpected and unwelcome event. And it can be used just as well for the effects of a shock received many years ago, even very early in childhood. This is also the remedy for the sense of emptiness and loss that sometimes occurs when a loved one dies or moves away, since this too can be a great shock to the system.

30. Sweet Chestnut.

Treats extreme mental anguish, when the person feels that everything has been tried and there is no light left. This remedy is for people who have reached the limits of their endurance, who have explored all avenues but see no way out of their difficulties, and who feel that there is nothing left for them but annihilation and emptiness. They are genuinely at the end of the line: theirs is appalling, final despair.The remedy helps people in this extreme state to remain masters of their lives and renew their hope and strength. And sometimes a way out may open even at this stage of life.

31. Vervain.

This remedy is for people who are perfectionists with a keen sense of justice and extreme mental energy that they willingly throw behind those causes that they believe in. Their enthusiasm can be infectious, and they feel a strong need to persuade others to their own point of view. At an extreme they become fanatics, unable to listen to alternative points of view, and they may put themselves under a great deal of stress because they find it so hard to switch off and relax. The remedy is given to help people in this state to pull back from time to time so that body and mind and be restored. It encourages the wisdom to enjoy life and the passage of time instead of always feeling the need to be active.

32. Vine.

Treats dominance and inflexibility. This remedy is for people who know their own minds and think they know what is best for others. They are mentally strong and enjoy the exercise of power, but in their negative states this can lead them to dominate others by force alone. They expect absolute obedience from others and will not be overly concerned with winning hearts and minds as long as their orders are followed. This remedy encourages the more positive side of their nature, encouraging loving, wise and gentle attitudes to lead and inspire others without resorting to force.

33. Walnut.

This remedy is to help to protect against outside influences in general, and against the effects of change in particular. It’s for people who are fulfilling their purpose in life but who under the influence of the opinions, theories or beliefs of others, or of external circumstances in general, may be led to doubt their path. As a remedy against the effects of change, Walnut is useful at all the transitions of life. It helps to break links with the past so that the person can move forward with confidence and without undue suffering.

34. Water Violet.

Treats pride and aloofness. This remedy is for those talented, capable people whose independence and self-reliance can make them seem to be proud and disdainful of others. They are quiet and dignified and prefer their own company or that of a few close friends. They’ve built a barrier between them and others to protect themselves and they may actually become lonely and be unable to make contact with others. When this happens the remedy can help to bring them back into balance so that they can be more involved with humanity.

35. White Chestnut.

This remedy treats unwanted thoughts, worries and mental arguments, which intrude into the mind and stop people from concentrating on things that they should be doing. These are the kind of thoughts are repetitive and go nowhere, simply circling round and round in the head like a stuck gramophone record. The remedy is used to help people control their thoughts again so that they can deal calmly and rationally with any underlying problems that might be causing the trouble.

36. Wild Oat.

Treats uncertainty over one’s direction in life.This remedy is for people who feel that they want to do something worthwhile with their lives but do not know in which direction they should move. So instead they drift from occupation to occupation, but without finding their true path, which leads in turn to feelings of frustration and consequent depression.They do not know what their options are because their goals are not defined.The remedy helps people to find their true role, putting them back in touch with their own basic purpose in life so that the way ahead seems obvious.

37. Wild Rose.

Treats feelings of resignatio and apathy. This is for people who have accepted all that life throws at them and have given up the struggle for fulfilment. Instead they have resigned themselves to the way things are, to the extent where they don’t even complain or seem particularly unhappy. Instead they shrug their shoulders - there’s no point complaining or trying to change - and seem happy just to drift through life.This remedy is given to reawaken interest in life. The person will still be a happy-go-lucky type, but instead of apathy will feel a sense of purpose that will bring increased happiness and enjoyment.

38. Willow.

Treats self-pity and helps let go of resentment. This is for people who feel resentful and bitter about the way their lives have gone. They begrudge others their successes and happiness, and are reluctant to admit when their own lives go well, preferring to concentrate on what is going wrong.This remedy encourages the rebirth of optimism and faith, and to help the person in this negative state to be more generous in praise of others and also more aware of how his own negative thinking can attract the very ill-fortune that he blames on others.

Bach Center

The Dr Edward Bach Centre (Oxfordshire, England), was the home and workplace of Dr Bach in the last years of his life. when he completed his research into the flower remedies. Today, it is run by friends and colleagues he trained and to whom he entrusted full responsibility to adhere to his exact methods of preparation. While there are a number of flower essences now available, only the Bach Original Flower Remedies are created at Mount Vernon - each one bears the Bach signature to guarantee it has been made as Dr Bach requested. Click here to visit their official website.

As principal of the Bach Centre, it is Judy Ramsell Howard’s role to ensure that the preparation of the flower essences never strays from Dr Bach’s original methods. She says, “Many of the plants we use come from sites originally identified by Dr Bach himself and we still make the remedies just as they were made in Dr Bach’s day. The method has been passed down lovingly through the generations. He taught his assistants who taught my aunt and father, who has in turn taught me, and we continue to make the remedies using all the love, care and attention to detail that has always gone into their preparation here at Mount Vernon.”

Wanting to make his flower essences more available to the general public Dr Bach enlisted the help of Nelsons Homeopathic Pharmacy in London back in the 1930s. Under his instruction, they began to make and sell stock remedies from the mother tinctures he supplied. In 1990 this relationship was formalized and since then Nelsons (the Pharmacy’s parent company) has been responsible for all the bottling and distribution of the remedies.

The arrangement between The Bach Centre and Nelsons means that the stock remedies can be bottled on a larger scale and meet the necessary regulatory requirements without compromising Dr Bach’s instructions in any way.

The Bach Original Flower Remedies are used by individuals and respected medical and complementary health practitioners alike and are sold in over 65 counties worldwide. To make sure that you have a genuine Bach Original Flower Remedy, just look for the Bach signature on the bottle. This guarantees a Bach Original Flower Remedy just like Dr Bach himself used to make.

They also have a remedy choser that is pretty neat.

Where can I get Bach Flower Essences?

If you live in the U.S.A. here’s the Nelson’s online store and here’s a store locator.

Ever since I had my first period I knew there had to be another option besides pads & tampons!

Apparently there’s been another option for quite some time, actually. The first menstrual cup was developed in the 1930’s and distributed by several companies. None of the early cups stayed in production for long though, because of advertising restrictions, social taboos on discussing menstruation, the reluctance of women to use an internal device and the fact these products required washing and reuse (in a time when disposable products were becoming available) all had a role in the products not becoming successful. Then the tampon came along and to deal with the fear of touching of the body for insertion they also came up with its applicator, which made the product much more marketable. They even brought out a new marketing strategy that allowed women to take a box of tampons off the counter themselves (placing the money in a tin beside the display), rather than asking the pharmacist for them. It wasn’t until 1987 that “The Keeper”, a rubber menstrual cup, was manufactured in the USA, the first commercially successful menstrual cup, as it is still in manufacture today.

Nowadays there is a number of brands that specialize in menstrual cups. There is two types available : a bell-shaped 2 inches long (5cm)

menstrual cup with a tab or stem at the bottom,which usually lasts up to 5 years ;and a disposable menstrual cup that looks similar to a contraceptive diaphragm, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter

I have tried a both types, and the one that has truly changed my life & I go around recommending to any female that will listen is The Diva cup, which falls in the first category.

This is what their website has to say about it:

“The DivaCup is a non-absorbent menstrual cup that simply collects menstrual flow. It is inserted in the vagina and sits at the lower base of the vaginal canal. It is worn internally, yet because it is soft and smooth, it cannot be felt nor will it leak when inserted properly.

The DivaCup is the most clean and convenient method of feminine hygiene protection. No need to touch the flow. It is worn low in the vagina, not near the cervix, so it is easy to remove. No mess!

The DivaCup ends hassles with unreliable disposables in endless absorbencies, shapes and styles. It is perfect for all activities “ giving women true freedom without the worry, guessing and unreliability that disposable feminine hygiene products pose.

The DivaCup can be worn for up to 12 hours before emptying, washing and reinserting for use for another 12 hours. It can be used for light or moderate flows and is emptied more often to accommodate heavy flows. Perfect for overnight use.

The DivaCup’s expert, proprietary, patent-pending features make it comfortable and assures ease of use and reliability. Perfect for traveling, running, biking, hiking, dancing, camping, swimming, diving, scuba, yoga, extreme sports and more…”

I have found all of their claims to be true if you learn to place and wear this product correctly. It can take a little bit to get a hang of it, but after some practice, it’s quite easy. The most important thing is to place it in a way that is air tight sealed. If you follow the instructions carefully, it shouldn’t be a problem.

As they mentioned it usually takes up to 12 hours for it to be filled. The cup holds one ounce (30ml). The entire average monthly flow is approximately 1 to 1.4 ounces (30-40ml). By monitoring the fullness of the cup over a couple of periods, you will quickly learn how often to empty it according to your specific needs. If your periods are pretty regular, you can use the Diva Cup before your period begins to avoid “surprises”.Most women, myself included, find that the cup is not even half full after 12 hours. For those with heavier flows, it’s just a matter of emptying it more often. But the cup should always be emptied and washed at least twice a day.

Another thing is that some women find the cup a bit uncomfortable because of the stem or tip, but it has a simple solution : trim it a bit with scissors and it should keep working just fine.

You don’t need to take your Diva Cup out to go to the bathroom, however, you should always take it out before having sex. You should never use it as a birth control method, or as prevention against STD’s.

The Diva Cup is available in two different sizes, a smaller one for women who haven’t had any children or are under 30 years old, and another slightly wider one for women who have gone through labor or are older than 30 years old.

*******

One of the most interesting things about this process is how out of touch, as women , we are from what really goes on during our periods. In the beginning it was really surprising to me to realize not only how different the blood looked than the one I am more “used” to, but also how little I actually bleed. I realized that while using tampons & pads I had a completely unrealistic view of my period.

All these things make the Diva Cup a whole different way to experience your period. In my opinion, it’s more raw & real & natural and even though the first couple of times I felt sort of uncomfortable or grossed out, soon I developed a completely different relationship with the whole thing than I had previously

*******

The Diva cup is made by the Canadian company Diva International. Run & founded by two women Francine & Carinne Chambers (mother & daughter) that decided 15 years ago to resurrect the 75 year old menstrual cup concept because they recognized a need to provide an alternative to unreliable and bad for the environment pads & tampons. Francine & Carinne first were involved with a rubber/latex version that they sold for 10 years doing marketing and sales for the company that made them. Finally in 2003 they decided to start Diva International Inc.and develop a modern redesign, made from soft, top-quality silicone, to meet the needs of today’s woman. It brings me great pleasure to support a company like this because as many of you may know, most “female hygiene” products are made by brands led and owned by men! And also because in this day and age making responsible consumer decisions will make a huge difference in the future of our planet and choosing every month to use this more environmentally friendly option can be an easy way to contribute.

“Not every woman can afford a hybrid car nor easily convert their home to solar power. Yet, by choosing to use a menstrual cup instead of disposable tampons and pads, any woman is able to make an environmentally responsible choice each month. This is no small matter. In the U.S. alone, billions of tampons and pads are dumped into landfills and the environment each year.” Carinne Chambers

“With all the state-of-the-art conveniences Western society has developed, it baffles us why outdated feminine products are still being used. We believe that reusable menstrual cups are the next generation of feminine hygiene because they are the most environmentally responsible choice. They are also the most convenient and reliable option available and are not linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome.” Francine Chambers.

You can usually find the Diva Cup at health food stores or alternative medicine shops, you can see if there’s store that carries it near you here and you can also buy it online here .

It is usually more pricey than what we are used to paying for something to deal with our periods, (retail price is usually $30) but it is definitely worth it !

You can do the math and see that in a few months you will have made your money back!

Diva International recommends that the Diva Cup be replaced annually or when the silicone material is compromised in any way . Of coarse, proper care and cleaning of the Diva Cup will assure its best performance, and there’s even a special soap formula they offer The DivaWash to mantain the integrity of the silicone material. It is also very important to carefully follow the cleaning instructions in order to assure that the cup is clean and without soap residue.

I’ve heard from other females that if taken care of properly and washed with The DivaWash it can last up to 5 years, but ultimately, it is a woman’s personal decision as to when to replace her menstrual cup.

I’ve personally gotten all of my girlfriends into it, I even give it to people as christmas and birthday presents!

Extra-cool things about the Diva Cup:

♥It comes with a silky little bag to store it in.

♥The Diva Cup comes with measuring marks if you ever have any issues with your reproductive system, your gynecologist, physician, naturopath or acupuncturist will often ask about your menstrual flow and change of menstrual flow to determine if these problems have to do with your overall health, hormones, fertility issues, ect.