Stars like Jennifer Aniston and Cate Blanchett swear by flower essences and the healing energy of flowers

/ Getty Images
/ Getty Images

The mind can be a powerful healer - particularly with the help of some serious positive energy. A growing number of people are finding those good vibrations in flower essences, a form of energy healing used throughout ancient and modern history.

Practitioners believe the energy of a flower can be captured through a process using sunlight and water and that energy can be used for healing purposes. The process involves taking a fresh-picked flower, placing it on the surface of water and exposing it to sunlight. This is said to infuse the water with the flower's vibrational energy, or its essence. The infused water is then often dropped onto the tongue or into a glass of water. It can also be used in massage, as a room spray, added to food and more.

The most well-known flower essences in modern times were developed by Dr. Edward Bach, who believed disease of the body was a result of disharmony between the soul and the mind. He developed his 38 remedies - 12 of which can be found locally at Nutrition World - in England in the 1930s, and they continue to be popular today. Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Emma Watson, Martha Stewart and Cate Blanchett all sing their praises.

Flower essences are often used to target specific psycho-spiritual concerns by activating the mind's innate healing power. It's believed that flowers, which plants use to attract pollinators for reproduction, contain concentrated life-force energies. They are thought to have the ability to bring about positive change in a person's life by locating and correcting subconscious limitations and blockages. Each flower has its own vibrational energy and therapeutic properties, from bringing clarity about one's life purpose to attracting romance.

Among the most recent additions to the Flower Essence Society website are posts titled "Flower Essences for Competitive Show Dogs," "Using Flower Essences with Acupuncture in Recovery from Opioid Dependency" and "Well-Being for Warriors: Using Flower Essences with Veterans for Deep Healing."

Sometimes confused with essential oils (the alcoholic extracts of flowers), flower essences are all about harnessing the energy of the flower for healing, and do not contain a scent. But flower essence tinctures, which contain flower essences combined with floral essential oils, are scented. Pure flower essences and floral tinctures are used similarly.

Not sure what subconscious issue(s) you need to address? If you have a favorite flower, chances are that flower's vibrational energy provides the therapeutic benefits thought to address your emotional blockage.

Here's a small sample of flowers, along with the emotional issues their essences are said to address and the healing benefits they can provide.

Cosmos

Addresses: Unfocused, disorganized communication; overexcited speech; being overwhelmed by too many ideas

Instills: Integration of ideas and speech; coherent thinking; mercurial expression

Dogwood

Addresses: Awkward and painful awareness of the body; latent emotional trauma or abuse affecting the body; being accident-prone

Instills: Grace-filled movement; physical and etheric (one of three energy systems) harmony in the body

Iris

Addresses: Lacking inspiration or creativity; feeling weighed down by the ordinariness of the world

Instills: Inspired artistry and soulful creativity in touch with higher realms; radiant, iridescent vision in all aspects of life

Sunflower

Addresses: Distorted or vacillating sense of self; low self-esteem or arrogance; poor relation to father

Instills: Unique individuality; spiritualized ego forces infused into a sun-radiant personality

Sweet Pea

Addresses: Inability to form bonds with social community or to find one's place on Earth; homelessness, dislocation or frequent travel and moving

Instills: Commitment to community; a sense of one's place on Earth; ability to form social roots

Zinnia

Addresses: Over-serious and dull, lack of spontaneity or humor; overly somber self-identity; workaholic tendencies

Instills: Child-like playfulness and curiosity; detached perspective of self; sense of humor

Source: Flower Essence Society (fesflowers.com)

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