Flower Essences are used to help transform emotions, attitudes and patterns of behaviour which hinder the person's full development or potential.

The Summer Essences are for spiritual growth and transformation.

For Each Flower Essence there is a negative mental state, followed by a transformative key, and the positive outcome.

Indications for Spiritual Growth

Whereas for the Spring Flowers, the indications have a negative condition treated, then a transformative key and a positive outcome, for the Summer Flowers, there is no negative condition to treat. The indications usually include a statement about the stage of spiritual growth that the Flower Essence represents, and then a more general statement about the result or outcome of this stage.

Bleeding Heart is "for releasing of emotional attachment and letting go of the past, so that one is no longer attached at an emotional level to people, events, experiences and outcomes." The more general statement for this essence is "assists one to stay neutral, remain open and loving, allow external events to flow, and maintain a centre of peace, harmony and inner joy."

You can also see from this indication that there is information about spiritual growth in general, even if you do not wish to take this particular Flower Essence. The issue may be more acute if someone is held back by emotional attachment or attachment to the past, but most people would like to learn to become more neutral and centred, with inner peace, harmony and joy.

The Bleeding Heart Flower Essence is also an example of how the indications for the Christchurch Flower Essences are more on a spiritual plane than was the case for some of the earlier Flower Essences. For example, an earlier version of the Bleeding Heart was for "releasing emotional attachments, letting love exist in freedom; for those who are overly-identified, clinging and possessive with those they love; helpful when experiencing the breakup of a relationship.".

The Christchurch Flower Essence does encompass all of these issues, but goes further, to also include learning from the situation, growing further because of it, and then using what you have learned to further your own spiritual growth.

Opening and Unfolding

Whereas the Spring Flowers begin with Anemone, for "beginning to open and unfold" and Azalea, for "discovering and expressing one's wholeness", the Summer Flowers also have a gradual progression of states of consciousness.

The first Summer Flower is Arum Lily, "for an unfolding at one's self-worth, so that one can discover one's inner truth, and honour one's deepest feelings". It can be used to "enable one to stand by one's deepest truth and validate one's own beliefs and experiences, acting with dignity and power."

Among the next few Summer Flowers are Busy Lizzie, "for when one has made a quantum leap in personal development, and is impatient to bring one's own personality, body, emotions and attitudes up to the same level".

Buttercup is "for knowing the true value of one's gifts, and accepting who one really is, so that one can appreciate, validate and support oneself. These can lead to the situation where one can work with situations as energy, and live in the higher flow, moving forwards easily and effortlessly while asserting one's power and self-worth with strength, humility and compassion."

Spiritual Growth

Many of these Flower Essences are for aspects of spiritual growth that are common to other meditation disciplines, such as Canterbury Bells, "to help one become a clear channel, and connect with a high source of guidance, clarity and direction".

Dogwood is for "opening the heart centre, and an expansion of love and healing, both for oneself and others. To experience an enhanced ability for compassion and forgiveness, and start to awaken one's inner healer.".

Forget-Me-Not is "to give one the courage to deal with sub-personalities that need to be brought to a higher level of evolution. For the strength to acknowledge the part of oneself that seems to resist goals, resolutions and commitments, and the guidance to evolve, love and transform them".

High States of Consciousness

Moving on in the Summer Flowers, there are a number of Flower Essences that are related to the high states of consciousness that can be reached in meditative states.

Hollyhock is "to help centre consciousness in the higher dimensions of the soul, using one's awareness to sense reality at other levels beyond ordinary life... so that one can have an expanded sense of oneness with all of life".

Lavender is "for the ability to sense subtle energies from a cocoon of harmonised energy around the body" and Ranunculus is "for observing the continual unfolding of energy, as if of a thousand-petalled lotus... and using this experience as a base on which to play in infinity.".

Sunflower goes further "to connect oneself directly to the light, and to regulate, filter and integrate the light that is brought in, becoming an open and radiating source of light for oneself and one's environment."

Energising Daily Life

A parallel theme to the attaining of high states of consciousness in meditation is the issue of bringing these states back into normal waking consciousness, and integrating them into everyday life.

Among the Flower Essences for this are Fuchsia, "for a greater awareness and honest expression, of emotions, and an open and expansive emotional body" and Honesty, "to assist one in honouring one's deepest truth, choosing higher thoughts, speaking with love and compassion, and acting with integrity", and Jasmine, "for a sense of precision and mental clarity after returning from the higher frequencies.

Shasta Daisy, "to help with expressing in every area of one's life, as one activates one's spiritual aura."

World Service

There is a recurring theme of World Service, starting with Yellow Hoop Petticoat in the Spring Flowers, "for when the next stage of spiritual growth is to transmit light and radiance out into the world to awaken others.".

This continues into the Summer Flowers, with Larkspur: "to accept one's role as a teacher, leader and healer, and help in reaching upwards to become a source of light, awakening and higher consciousness.".

Wallflower develops quite an expanded meaning to its usual social association: "for discovering one's life purpose, looking at life from a higher perspective, and discovering more about one's path and the mission one came to accomplish."

Learning from Daily Life

These are several Flower Essences related to spiritual aspects of everyday situations. Lilac is "for a balanced and rounded accessing of sexual energy, and for using this to express the divine life force... accessing increased energy for healing and creativity, and releasing the separation between individuals".

Spiraea is "for abundance, seeking growth and aliveness,... and for following one's path of greatest creativity, joy and aliveness".

Trillium is for "rising above the limitation of family and social consciousness,... to rise above acceptance, transcend judgement, go beyond the illusions of time, and live only for the fulfilment of the self".

Health and Healing

There are two Flower Essences specifically for healing physical illnesses on a higher plane, the "Hypercal" of the Summer Kit.

Marigold is "for understanding that illness is a communication from one's higher self, that pain is a resistance to change, and that healing cannot occur until the message of the illness has been heard and understood. That disease is not evil, but paradoxically a blessing in disguise, whose purpose is solely and purely corrective". The last sentence of this indication is a direct quote from the writings of Dr Edward Bach.

St John's Wort is "for the understanding that health is a state of balance and harmony, a state of ease. That health is a state of mental harmony where all of the thoughts are focused in the present, and that once one's mind is healed, then one's form will follow."

Perhaps it is worth pointing out that the Christchurch Flower Essences are part of a tradition of vibrational medicine, where information is gained by meditative processes. They are designed to help transform emotions, attitudes and patterns of behaviour which hinder the person's full development or potential. They do not directly treat disease or illness, and are not a substitute for other medication or treatment Anyone using Flower Essences is advised to also see their health professional if they have a specific health problem.