Flower Essences for Issues with Fire & Wildfire Smoke

These times bring many challenges with smoke inhalation from all the wildfires in the US and Canada as well as catastrophoc losses from the fires.

Breathe has been a life saver for many dealing with the smoke and we have sent off countless bottles to those affected by the smoke.

Today however a GHF friend said she had been led to use Phoenix Rising and Flow Free along with Breathe. I was so grateful for this GHF friends sharing. Of course I love Flow Free for everything so that felt so helpful. I also felt how powerfully PHOENIX RISING can serve us right now.

I started to describe the whole mysterious story of how Phoenix Rising was created, then I realized that it would be better to share the original description of this Essence which feels more relevant than ever. So here it is in full.

Phoenix Rising is for situations of burnout, illusion busting, fiery cleansings and recovery after firestorms. It shares with us the wise overview and deep faith of the bird kingdom and the knowledge that fire purifies even as it seems to destroy

The Angels tell us, ‘The promise of the firebird and of this precious Essence is that you are not alone in your suffering or in a wasteland of purposeless burning but in a fire of purification. A new life awaits you. Let these fires bring their gifts, and you will be set free. Let this Essence ignite, soothe, comfort and restore.’

The Phoenix Rising garden was planted with seven concentric rings of orange and flame colored Flowers: orange Snapdragons, Calendulas and French Marigolds in many shades, Apricot and California Poppies, Salmon Osteospermum, Serafina and orange Spider Dahlias, Nasturtiums and Bright Lights Cosmos to name only a few. Purple flowers shot through this abundance of glorious orange blossoms in the form of seven rays. The center of the garden was a pillar of brilliant orange Torch Flowers encircling a planter of purple Morning Glories perched 5 feet in the air.

When we planted the garden, the Angels had us tie strands of jute over the seven rays of purple Flowers. We thought the Morning Glories were meant to clamber along these lines, echoing the purple Flowers below. Instead, it was to be feathers that danced in the wind over this garden. Everywhere we went, we found feathers. Woodpeckers, blue jays, chickadees, crows, turkeys, pigeons, sea gulls, ducks and geese were just a few of the blessed bird friends who gifted us with their feathers. Sometimes we would walk out of the office and a feather would fall from the sky, the bird owner calling from nearby to announce its donation to the project. All these feathers were tied above the Venus Garden.

Wonderfully, many of you responded to the feather theme by sending feathers that you had been given. Feathers came from many tropical birds and from as far away as Australia.

During a very dry summer of difficult fires across the globe, this garden, with its Flower flames and dancing feathers, was a completely joyful firestorm.

The birds’ involvement was a particular blessing though a mysterious one. Eventually, the birds told us that the electro-magnetic stresses were affecting them particularly. They wanted to support the transmutation of this stress, which the Venus Garden represented. The birds explained, “We want to help, but we too need your help.”

At the close of the season, there was a shift from fire to rebirth. During this transformation, we began a beautiful but complicated dance of Flowers and bowls of water. On September 20, 2000, the Phoenix Rising Essence was born.

The Angels explain, “These fires of purification takes you to a new life, and an experience of greater closeness with your Creator. This fire burn the strangers from your heart. What are these strangers but all things that are not one with your Creator and your true self. This is the housecleaning you have asked for and have been given. It can be painful work, but it is worth the pain. Your willingness to be housecleaned of everything your Creator sees as unnecessary, not what you see as unnecessary, makes all the difference. A new life awaits you.”

This Essence supports the purification process in the most harmonious of ways. When your system needs a little more burn to get rid of a big piece of illusion, Phoenix Rising helps to accomplish this. When you need a tangible buffer during turbulence, Phoenix Rising can serve in this capacity. When you need uplift, currents moving you into an updraft of hope, peace and acceptance, reach for this Essence.

Phoenix Rising carries all birds’ wisdom of overview and conscious connection with the beloved Creator. It carries all birds’ confidence that you can and will sail home to the full realization of who you are. Phoenix Rising also carries the firebird’s knowledge that fire purifies even as it seems to destroy. It carries the essential firebird truth that what is most precious can never be lost to fire. It knows that the fire of God’s love is necessary to find this most precious treasure of all; your eternal self.”

What Were We Doing at the Farm Ten Years Ago?

This summer is Cousin Camp which means ( among other things) playing in brooks with grandpa, trading animal cards and watching several dads race in a triathlon…..so WHAT was happening ten years ago when all these beloveds were but a twinkle in their parent’s eyes?

Ten years ago tomorrow, August 6th, Emily and Charlie (now parents of three boys) got married in Kennebunk, Maine.

Sarah (now married to our son Will and mother of two boys) and Lizzie (now mother of two, then the mother of one) helped me grow the Flowers for the wedding.

And that was QUITE the adventure.

For a full report, check out THIS BLOG with the full story of Flowers for the wedding, written at the time of the event!

Let me share a few images here to tempt you to look at the earlier blog, and let me take a moment to thank Sarah and Lizzie once again for the summer that was!

The summer began as most summers do here with much planting of baby plants. That year we focused on Flowers that would be good cut Flowers. We gave a lot of attention to planting things at the right time so they would bloom for August 6th.

We were not completely successful in our timing efforts. The Snapdragons came and went too early, but Sarah had volunteered to do Flowers for another smaller wedding so that we could practice our bouquet techniques. The Snapdragons and the first blush of our summer harvest went to that wedding.

When the time came for us to start our days of cutting and conditioning Flowers, the men in the family found that they needed to go to Maine to play golf as part of the pre-wedding festivities. This left Sarah and me cutting Flowers night and day while the men….. frolicked? Jim’s funny expression says it all.

By Friday when our own departure for Maine loomed, the downstairs of our house was filled with Flowers

There was time for a quick cup of tea, sort of.

In this photo we have begun to make the table arrangements. We made twenty two of them to pack off to Maine fully ready to go. It proved to be a good thing that they were done of Friday, as we were straight out Saturday with other Flower projects we had to do ( like the bridal bouquet!)

Ever the engineer, Sarah figured out a system for transporting the Flowers in three cars to Maine.

Here is Lizzie packing one of the cars. We covered the windows in paper and blasted the air conditioning to keep the flowers as fresh as possible.

Somehow or other ( with me taking a wrong turn only once), we got the Flowers to Maine on Friday evening. We settled them into a friend of Charlie’s family’s garage. It was quite the garage as it was fully air conditioned and paved in brick!

Here are a couple of our larger arrangements ready for delivery on Saturday morning to the outdoor venue for the wedding.

We had eight bridesmaid’s bouquets, one bridal bouquet, twelve boutonnieres, a half dozen corsages for various mothers and grandmothers to make on the day of the wedding. We also made these big ones on the day of the wedding.

Dear friends Michael Dutcher and Catherine Boorady (beloved Green Hope Staffer emeritus) arrived from Brooklyn to help with assembly and Flower transport from garage to church and reception. Catherine is now with the Angels where I am sure she is keeping everyone laughing. Michael is with her too. We miss them both very much.

Here are Michael, Jim and Sarah loading a car for the trip from the garage to the reception hall on Saturday morning. Note Jim flexing his muscles in a demonstration of how strong his Friday golf game made him.

Time for the ceremony! Here is Lizzie with the other bridesmaids and Flower girl Grace then three years old.

Here is Emily waiting with her crew. Sarah and I arrived at the last minute without a moment to spare. In the pictures we look like we just blew in, and we did!

Jim and Emily about to walk down the outdoor aisle to the ceremony by the sea.

Our dear Emily and Charlie. Little did they know of the gang of three heading their way and with a gaggle of cousins too!

Jamie, Wim, Etta, Lola, Ernest & George. missing from the photo: Henry, Hector and Grace