How To Make Flower Essences!
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What Are Flower Essences?
Flower essences as we know them were first discovered and created by Dr. Edward Bach in the 1930s in England. Through his research on plants and homeopathy, he learnt that there was a way to distill the energetic imprint of flowers into water to create a vibrational medicine. Flower essences are an extremely subtle but potentially potent healing therapy that work on the energetic, mental, emotional, and spiritual level.
They are felt more strongly by some than others, depending on how sensitive you are to energetic frequencies in general, and work their magic over time, in tandem with your own intention, although some people experience their effects very quickly! There is recorded use of floral medicine being used for emotional problems in Ancient Egypt and Indigenous Australia too.
There are 38 official Bach Flower Remedies in total, each operating on a different facet of personality, current emotional conditions, or for specific situations. You can see the full list and their descriptions here. Through communing with the plants, Bach discovered that they each hold their own personality and ability to assist with different facets, much like we would use different herbal medicine for different physical ailments, we can use their flowers energetically for different mental, emotional and spiritual ailments.
The topics covered can vary greatly, from general and unexplained fear, anxiety or uncertainty, to lack of confidence and insecurity, to overworking and tending to others at the expense of self, to feelings of loss, aimlessness, apathy, sadness, despair and many more!
How do floral essences work?
They work based on vibrational energetics, rather than biochemical, and stimulate the body’s natural ability to bring itself back to homeostasis. All plants carry vibrational energy patterns, and it is said that flowers are the pinnacle of this energy. Doctrine of Signatures (DOS) play a major role in identifying the specific characteristics of each flower.
DOS originates within Alchemical and Hermetic traditions, where the most important thing was to understand how the macrocosm (universe) corresponds to the microcosm (individual). When viewed through the lens of DOS, the energetic qualities of floral essences present themselves through their colour, shape, habitat and growing patterns. Since then, flower essences have been created all over the world, with the Australian Bush Flower Essences with hundreds of combinations gaining a lot of popularity too.
One of their great attractions is that they are very safe and can be used by everyone, including children and animals, either internally or externally. Positive outcomes from using floral essences may include greater peace and calmness during stressful episodes in your life, experiencing more joy and optimism, finding forgiveness towards yourself and others, a deeper connection and understanding in relationships, having greater clarity and focus, and even insight into your life’s purpose and direction.
Read on to find out about flower essences and how to make your own!
How To Make Flower Essences
Before you make a flower essence, it is necessary that you pick a day that will be completely clear and free of clouds and place where your essence will have access to at least 3 hours of direct sunlight. As close to sunrise as possible is best, even better if you can pick the flowers while they still have some dew on them!
It is also essential that you pick a day where you are calm and serene, free of ulterior motives and with a grounded, present state of awareness. Making flower essences is like a meditative process. it’s an act of love and communion with the plant that takes time. You need to come to it from a place of peace and patience.
If you like, you can also add crystals to your flower essence to make a gem elixir- make sure they are water safe beforehand! You should also cleanse and clear them of ay lingering energies by burying them in salt or the earth or bathing them under the sun or moonlight for 24 hours. You can also cleanse them with smoke, sound, or visualisation (just make sure they are actually clean before you place them in the water). You can also check with a pendulum if their energy is aligned for the process (check out our post on how to use a pendulum).
For inspiration on which crystals to use, check out our post on the best beginner’s crystals.
Select your flower
This can be done by selecting one you are called to (often this will be for a reason), or researching the specific properties beforehand. The native plants of the land around you will generally be what you need based on that location, climate, surrounding energy etc, so any local flowers will always be potent medicine for you.
As there is no actual flower parts in the final essence, there is no need to check for toxicity- it is vital however that they are clean and free from pesticides, so it is best to choose one in your garden or somewhere wild in nature if possible. As an example, one day I had left a glass jar to dry outside in Bali and a Frangipani flower fell directly into it! I had already wanted to use a Frangipani flower to make an essence because they are so beautiful and smell delicious, and I was called to them and they are so abundant in our local nature- I knew now was the time!
When I looked up the properties of Frangipani flower essence, its properties included the balancing of yin and yang energies, dream interpretation and protection, assurance in going after one’s dream, and getting in touch with one’s spirituality- all things that were highly relevant to me at the time.
Ask the plant for permission
Before picking your flower, it is recommended to sit and meditate a moment with the plant. Introduce yourself and ask for its permission to be used and for what purpose, let it know that you will be returning some of the essence back to its roots when you are done. In the example above, I had already told the tree I would like to use a flower for essence and asked for its permission.
Gently pick the flower
So as to not get any of your energetic imprint on the flower, it is said to use a leaf or stick to pick the flowers. Make sure to remain mindful and clear-headed as you do so, this is an act of love and communion with nature, like a moving meditation or prayer.
Place a layer of flower in a glass bowl of spring water
If you do not have access to spring or mineral water, bottled water is fine too (it is not advised to use tap water or distilled water as the ionisation process breaks down the energetic molecules). Fill your clear glass bowl or jar so that the top surface is covered with a layer of flowers, or until you feel it is enough. It is not necessary to go over board, in fact- just one or two in a jar are enough even! You will be using very little of the final essence.
Leave in the sun for 3-4 hours
Make sure that it stays in direct sunlight the whole time and is not obstructed in any way (including with your own shadow)!
Set an intention
As you wait for your flower essence to infuse, you can meditate on your intention. You can also perform Reiki, place a crystal grid around the bowl (this is useful for non-water safe crystals), or place the bowl on a piece of paper with a written intention on it. If you like, you can play healing music or singing bells- anything that you feel called to so long as you do it mindfully. If you have a mantra, you can say it silently or aloud. For the Frangipani essence I made, the affirmation was “I am divinely guided and spiritually aligned”.
Decant the essence
Again, use a leaf to remove the flowers and pour the essence into an ounce amber glass dropper bottle until it is half full. Fill the remainder of the bottle with apple cider vinegar, brandy, or vegetable glycerin to preserve it. This is known as the mother essence or stock bottle. Tap the dosage bottle 100 times to diffuse the essence while meditating on your intention. Pour the rest of the bowl back onto the roots of the plant or tree while giving it your thanks, you can also save some for a ritual bath or aura spray.
Make your treatment bottle
Add 10 drops of the mother essence to a small 10ml dropper glass bottle, fill the rest with a 50/50 mix of spring water and apple cider vinegar, brandy, or vegetable glycerin. Tap it again a hundred times while musing on your intention.
Take mindfully throughout the day
Place 4 drops on your tongue 4 times a day or into a glass of water and mindfully come back to your intention as you do. When you are finished with the bottle, you can repeat the process with the mother essence for as long as you feel necessary. Flower essences also make lovely, thoughtful gifts for loved ones!
If you would like to combine the essences of multiple flowers, you can add 1-2 drops of up to 7 different flower essences to your treatment bottle. You may be familiar with this form in Dr. Bach’s popular Rescue Remedy, but you can use any flowers that you feel called to. It is usually recommended to work with floral essences for at least 4-6 weeks with each one.
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So that’s how to make your own flower essences! It’s a sweet and simple way to connect with the nature around you, the elements, and then with yourself every time you use them. They can be a wonderful complement to other healing modalities you use, or simply on their own. I personally love making flower essences (as well as using store bought ones), I’d love to hear how you get on with them in the comments section below, or let me know if you have anything else to add!
For other herbal magic, check out our blog posts on How to Use Essential Oils, and The Healing Power of Adaptogens.
