Gift from plants -  Essential Oils and Flower Essences
By Diana Pepper

Spritz. Ah!! What a refreshing scent and feeling! Scents. They are all around us. Some are pleasant and some are not, yet all scents serve a purpose. The human brain retains impressions of scent coupled with bits of emotional memory often relating to the time, place, and activity associated with the smell. The smell of baking cookies can conjure images from childhood. Smelling a rose can take us to our first love.

Aromatherapy is the art and science of using scents, usually essential oils, for healing. Essential oils are distilled or extracted by pressure from plants. These oils contain the physical life force of the plants. They evolved to help the plants grow, protect against disease, repel predators, and reproduce by attracting pollinators. Over the ages humans have learned the qualities of individual plant oils and how they can help us.

Essential oils work through the emotional subtle body and the brain where impressions of emotions are retained. It is important to use real essential oils and not synthetic oils, often called perfume or fragrance oils, since they do not carry the healing qualities of the plants. You can actually tell the difference by the smell. Synthetic oils have a cloying, hanging on quality and flatness to the scent. Genuine plant essential oils are bold yet soft, delicate yet full bodied. There is richness to the scent, which stays in the air or on your skin for a time. When the healing property is shared and its job is done, it passes like all natural things.

Flower essences are different than essential oils. Essential oils contain actual molecules of the plant. Flower essences do not. They are the highest frequency of the plants, the spiritual life force, somewhat like an electrical current, held in water. Flower essences are generally made by floating flowers of the plant on pure water in a clear glass or crystal bowl while Òcalling in the plant spirit or devaÓ. You can think of flower essences in terms of quantum physics, plant spirit/deva or the unique aspect of Creator expressed through each plant. They work below the symptomatic level to address the underlying energetic imbalances that create dis-ease on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels.

Together flower essences and essential oils facilitate deep healing and profound wellness. That is why we blend both essential oils and flower essences into our misters at Tree Frog Farm. The pump mister sprays are in a base of aloe vera and water. Spray around your head for a refreshing shift in your personal energy, or spray into a room to clear and reenergize the air. What gifts plants give to us!

Starting Over - Supports creating a new life for yourself after major life changes like marriage, new family member, career change, trauma, accident, or loss. It contains flower essences of: Bleeding Heart - supports compassion for yourself in the process of shifting from wanting to change another person or situation to realizing you can only change yourself and your reactions to situations.Comfrey - aids in the healing of wounds so deep and traumatic that they affect your soul's journey.
Moon Shadow Rose - helps release shadows of your past and open you up to the lessons that can be gleaned.

Essential oils include: Bitter Orange - brings peace and happiness for the mind, body and spirit.Melissa - reduces stress and anxiety, relaxing, promotes restful sleep, mood uplifting.Vetiver - reduces stress and tension, calming, promotes restful sleep, grounding.

Menopause Ease - Carry this refreshing mister and spritz yourself when you have a hot flush, headache, feel irritable or dizzy. It contains flower essences of: Lady's Mantle - brings deep spiritual peace to your whole body and being; Red Clover - peaceful ease while stepping into expanded states of consciousness. Self-Heal - supports mind and body integration that helps to balance the pressure in your head.
Valerian - settles raging fires under your subconscious skin.

Essential oils include: Clary Sage - calming, contains estrogen-like hormone. Valerian - cools hot flashes, relieves headaches and irritability, calms emotional stress. Chamomile, Roman - reduces stress, restlessness and tension, promotes restful sleep.

Golden Armor - helps to soften your armor against the outside world as we realize that our true armor is the Light from within. It contains flower essences of: Blue Elderberry - peace. Devil's Club - solace to those who are world weary. Golden Celebration Rose - illumines a column of golden light through the center of your body, creating protection from the inside out. Pennyroyal - strength to stand firmly in the centre of whatever may assail you and wisdom to perceive when danger has passed.

Essential oils include: Chamomile, Roman - reduces stress, restlessness and tension, promotes restful sleep. Sweet Birch - shifts perceptions from external sensations to the heart of Mother Earth. Vetiver - reduces stress and tension, calming, promotes restful sleep.

This article was written by Diana Pepper who is a lecturer, consultant and producer flower essences at Tree Frog Farm, in the USA Pacific Northwest. Contact her at www.treefrogfarm.com 3679 Sunrise Rd, Lummi Island, WA 98262, USA. The aromatherapy essences are available in the Soothingminds online shop.