Because we are fortunate enough to have many animals and people living and working at the farm, insights into many Flower Essences are always percolating!
The diverse challenges of our community are grist for the mill. Especially MY mill- as anyone will tell you who has seen me write down their commentary after they innocently reach for an Essence or report in on how one helped them.
Right now, I am taking notes from our much loved farm resident, 19 year old feline Bella. She reminds me to take my Flower Essences without fail so I can have sass and mojo like her when I am her age.
And what is her age in people years? I looked at several confusing online rubrics to try and figure this out, and it seems she is somewhere between 88 and 146 in people years.
Perhaps the more important thing here is that she sees herself as ageless and acts that way too.
Senior Citizen is one of the remedies I spritz over her each day. It;s hard to miss that in our culture “Senior Citizen” is a sort of disparaging label. It says, “Yes you are a citizen sort of but not really i.e. we’ll give you a senior citizen discount at the movies, but the rest of the time we would just as soon you weren’t too visible.”
This pervasive attitude towards senior citizens made me wonder why the Angels chose this as the name for our Senior Citizen Flower Essence remedy.
First of all the Angels always like to be quippy, and the name is quippy. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt there was something beyond humor in their name choice. The Angels RESPECT seniority and our cultural problems with older people are just that, OUR problems.
All creation, except some humans, respects longevity. Even us humans recognize that ancient trees know more than saplings. Even us humans can feel that a garden that has endured for decades has a different wisdom than the one installed in a weekend with Miracle Gro. And we certainly respect our elder animal companions and see how they shine with great strengths even as their bodies grow weaker.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we brought that respect forward to those in our own species?
So the Angels name for this combination remedy, Senior Citizen, comes with their respect and encourages us to bring ours.
And what is there to say about the remedy Senior Citizen? And why did ancient cat Bella who hates mist of any sort sit there and let me spritz her with Senior Citizen this morning?
Before I go over the ingredient list of this remedy, I want to note how much I like the way the Angels describe our Senior Citizen Flower Essence in our written materials:
“This remedy helps older animals and older folks to maintain their emotional equilibrium and good cheer during any declines in functions associated with the aging process. It also helps reverse the declines to whatever degree is possible in areas such as flexibility, eyesight, hearing, energy levels and general flow of systems.”
This Essence and its description doesn’t make assumptions about what aging is about. It is not prescriptive like so much of the media assault. This description invites us to own our mojo like elder cat Bella and be of good cheer whatever that means to us. It also doesn’t say, “You’re old so you’re going down the tubes.” It simply offers to support us to be at our best through whatever life throws at us.
As you’ll read below, this remedy as well as cats like Bella remind us to march to our own drummer and not settle for a definition others might place on us.
Here are the ingredients: Allamanda, Angelica, Bignonia, Blackberry, Boneset, Borage, Bottle Gentian, Capeweed, Coltsfoot, Comfrey, Coralita, Daffodil, Dandelion, Eyebright, The Fairy Rose, Goldenrod, Honeybees in the White Hawthorn, Lilac, Mallow, Maple, Medlar, Mustard, Osteospermum, Peach, Pearly Everlasting, Rhubarb, Shrimp Plant, Snapdragon, Wild Aster, Zinnia
What a sparkly group of Flower friends!
A therapist once said to me that women who try and live by our society’s rules are going to be depressed, whereas those who operate from their own values, their own “true north” will be labeled ‘eccentric’ but will be much happier. This mix is all about that. It offers wisdom about sass and standing in our truth even when society disparages who we are. What could be more healthy than that?
I am going to list each ingredient separately and try and make an Angel like quip to describe some of the strengths each of these Flower Essences bring to this mix. Just remember that this mix is greater than the sum of its parts. Also, I am writing rather human centric descriptions, but Bella reassures me animals understand these Essences without any words needed.
Allamanda– Support to hear the positive and screen out the negative
Angelica– It’s never too late to get up and dance or to experience our glorious interconnection to all things
Bignonia– Yup! This one ALSO encourages us to get dancing especially if we have been through a lot of sorrows.
Blackberry– Life has its rhythms- Let this one help you keep finding yours.
Boneset- More than just for bone health, this one helps us own the bare bones of what matters to us.
Borage– Bee happy even when the world says life is too serious for happiness.
Bottle Gentian– We can see our lives clearly and still choose happiness. I am personally finished with the attitude that happy people must be stupid.
Capeweed ( Bermuda Additional Essences List)- This tiny Bermuda Flower reminds us that tiny things can make us happy, It’s really more than okay to savor the little things.
Coltsfoot– Life is quite the journey.. This one helps us to stay flexible, to be present and to put one foot after the next – not with a woe is me sort of attitude, but with the anticipation of a colt heading out to the pasture on a beautiful spring day.
Comfrey– It really is time to clean out those memory closets and let anything go that weighs us down.
Coralita– Problem solving health issues that seem to defy solution and connecting the dots so we can be in the pink of health
Daffodil– The wonderful thing about downtime is that it opens us up to talk more to the Divinity within us. This one helps us hear this inner conversation more clearly.
Dandelion– This dynamo is for spiritual metamorphosis as well as the more prosaic muscle aches and pains
Eyebright– As the book says, Take Off Your Glasses and See
The Fairy Rose– You’re never too old to enjoy the world as you did when you were a tiny little person. Wonder is our birthright.
Goldenrod– This powerful friend helps us be non-recordant to the peer pressure of our whole age-ist society.
Honeybees in the White Hawthorn– Helps us sail along through life’s ups and downs, ever savoring the only real thing: Love.
Lilac- The Elementals of the Lilac bring particular backbone to anyone following their spiritual calling
Mallow– Better than botox
Maple– Sweet Maple is the dearest,most uplifting, balancing, encouraging friend!
Medlar- (Green Hope Farm Additional Essences List) A very wise Flower Essence reminding us of the sacred gifts given only to the elderly
Mustard- Helps us awake to the zesty joy of life if we have temporarily lost a bead on this
Osteospermum– If we are being true to ourselves, not everyone likes it. This one helps us get on with being ourselves when others have tried to rain on our parade.
Peach– You are love in a sea of love.
Pearly Everlasting– Stamina to go along with all that sass
Rhubarb- (Green Hope Farm Additional Essences List) Keeping the immune system vibrant and tart
Shrimp Plant– Support to put it all together and keep it all together
Snapdragon-Helps keep the chakras humming, whirling and spinning- This is how it describes itself, “I AM indestructible health.”
Wild Aster – (Wildflower Additional Essences List) Asters go nuts in the fall. You can too.
Zinnia– Enduring joy!
