Month: July 2018

An Bhean Feasa – Shining Chakras

Posted on by Terri Conroy
Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day and the light in the garden, here in Connemara, was stunning as usual. (No wonder so many artists come to Connemara to paint!)  I looked around the garden and I was aware of how the flowers were really shining – their colours were vibrant.
I felt guided to make a flower essence for the Solar Plexus Chakra and so I organised my clear glass bowl and pure water and picked some Dandelion, St. John’s Wort, Sunflower, Evening Primrose, Marigold and Goat’s Beard.
I felt better immediately, in myself, just looking at the flowers floating in the water and then I realised I had to make a Root Chakra flower essence also.

For the Root Chakra Flower Essence I chose to include Fuschia, Red Rose, Red Geranium and a red Nicotiana flower.  If you don’t know anything about Chakras here is a link to a site that will inform you.

www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/concepts/chakras.asp

Chakras are also known as Light Wheels and they are positioned through the body from the Root, (at the anus or bottom of the spine), up to just above the top of the head.

To me, they are energy conduits and I would often balance them, i.e get them spinning or vibrating at optimal movement, for my clients.
Having now made two Chakra Flower Esssences I decided to go all out and make one for each of the Chakras. As colour has it own vibration it makes sense to me to harness the power of the colour of flowers, as I work with plants and flowers every day. Flowers in themselves are such great healers too so they add their own magical and vibrational qualities to these Chakra essences.

 

The second Chakra is the Sacral Chakra and its colour is orange.

Here you can see California Poppy, Wild Carrot and Monbretia .
So far, Root, Sacral and Solar Plexus.  Next is the Heart Chakra. For some this Chakra is pink, for others it is green – the colours are interchangeable but I prefer green.  I included a rose in this mix because the rose is symbolic of the heart and I was thinking of energy throughout this process – energy of the colour and of the flower.

There are three Roses, pink, white and red, along with Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Nettle.  These plants are suitable for the heart both physically and metaphysically.
The fifth Chakra, the Throat Chakra, is blue and reminds us to speak our truth. Because that can take courage to do, I chose Borage with a blue flower as Borage has always been associated with courage. I also included a blue Nigella flower, (Love in a Mist) because it is a beautiful blue and because it can be empowering for women.

Don’t they look beautiful!
The sixth Chakra is in the middle of the forehead and is known as the Brow or 3rd Eye Chakra.  It enables us to “see” clearly and also to “see” what is hidden.  When spinning or vibrating at the correct speed this chakra helps us to hone our intuition.  The colour of this chakra is Indigo or Purple.

These flowers are Self-Heal, Purple Knapweed, Vervain, (a druidic herb of magic), Daisy, (once known as Day’s Eye) and Chamomile.
For many people the 7th or Crown Chakra is the last one as you ascend from the Root.  Its colour is violet.  It was difficult to find any truly violet flowers at this time of year.  The closest I could find was Wild Geranium or Crane’s Bill, a Canterbury Bell, Cornflower and a pink/blue Borage.

I added one more Chakra flower essence in yesterday’s endeavours .  In my training, there are at least 10 Light Wheels or Chakras.  I have gone to number eight with these flower essences, the eighth Chakra representing Pure Spirit.  For the flowers in this essence I was guided to Meadowsweet, (Peace and happiness), White Clover, a White Rose and the just flowering tops of the magical Mugwort.

I will use all of these infused waters as healing flower essences and I will also make aura sprays for the benefit of myself, family, pets, places and of course, my clients.  The finished flower essences and aura sprays will be available to buy, through this website, (with a complete description of each flower and how it will help each individual chakra to harmonise). They will also be on sale in my etsy shop TheSageWomanHerbals.
If you love flower essences, let me know how they have worked for you. Which ones are your favourites?If you work with Chakras, or have had your Chakras balanced leave a comment about the experience below.

 

 

 

 

An Bhean Feasa - Growing Medicine

An Bhean Feasa – Growing Medicine

Posted on by Terri Conroy
The wonderful warm weather (ok, hot) weather, has really helped my garden to bloom and blossom this summer.  Last month I created a new vegetable bed using the “lasagne” method, building up a bed with layers of organic material.

This is the bed newly planted on 7 June.  This is the bed below, on 10 July.

Despite the drought, the vegetables and fruit are doing ok so far.  There is some wilting to be sure and the courgettes that are outside in another bed are not swelling as they would do if we had some occasional rain.  Despite the lack of rain though, all the medicine plants are doing great and keeping me busy.  Every day I have to harvest the amazing bounty from Mother Earth.  I have noticed that the most prolific of the medicinal plants growing here are nervines.  The plants that help stress and anxiety.
In the polytunnel, my lovely Passiflora has self seeded in three other places and is threatening to burst out of the door.

The flower is stunning, almost like an interstellar spaceship and is used alongside the glossy leaves to relieve insomnia, relaxing the muscles and easing frazzled nerves.  It is very beneficial if there are physical symptoms related to the tension and anxiety.
St. John’s Wort is shining like a beacon of light, the colour of sunshine and I have already harvested twice in the last couple of days.

St. John’s Wort is an ideal ally for the woman going through menopause as it eases emotional upheaval and aids relaxation. It lifts the spirits and can lower blood pressure.  As a nervine it is especially helpful with nerve pain such as neuralgia and sciatica and its anti-viral quality makes it vital for shingles. I prepare it for internal and external use.

Here is my first tincture and first oil of the year.  These will both turn red within the next few days.
Lovely Lemon Balm, another herb to soothe the nerves and lift the spirits is a little bit scorched but still effective in tea.  It can also help the digestive system if it is upset due to stress.

Lemon Balm was the first medicinal herb I ever grew and I love the way its lemon sherbert taste takes me back to the younger me.  I think I will go and make a Lemon Balm tea right now!
Yum! Delicious. What a lovely lemony and uplifting taste.
In our ancient past, the Celts believed that Borage gave courage and I suppose modern science bears that out.  Borage can calm palpitations and helps the whole body to relax as well as supporting the adrenal system.  I imagine that someone who was fearful about going into battle, might well have felt their courage lifted, literally encouraged by this beautiful plant.  We are currently living in a world so stressful that sometimes we all need a little courage to face each day. Borage is known as a herb to support adrenal burn out for those who have been living in a state of constant stress whilst not realising it.
Now on to many people’s favourite – Chamomile.  This lovely daisy like flower is perfect for the nervous digestion, reducing spasm and tension.  It is a relaxing and sedative herb and is gentle enough for babies and children.
Chamomile is my “go to” herb when I cannot sleep and I used it for my children when they were small during teething and whenever they were fretful.
I believe that Mother Nature brings whatever you might need right to your door and whilst all these plants are already in my garden, they are doing especially well this year.  It could just be the weather or it could be a sign that people are really in need of this medicine.
Of course, what I have outlined here about each plant is just the tip of the iceberg.  Each plant has so much more to offer and to help us with.  If you would like to know more, I am running a workshop on 21 July – Plant Wisdom for All the Family – where I will identify which plants can be safely used to build up a family Herbal First Aid Kit for all the little emergencies that can occur, including problems relating to stress. We will be making teas, tinctures, salves and liniments. Have a look at the workshop page for more information.  In the meantime, leave a comment below telling me which plant you find most useful for stress and nervous issues.