About Flower Essences | Products: Spirit-in-Nature

What Are Flower Essences?

Flower essences are herbal infusions that stimulate positive qualities within our own nature. How do they work? Just as plucking a string on one violin will cause the same string on another violin nearby to vibrate in unison, flower essences awaken certain qualities that we already possess: love with the Grape Essence, for example, or strength and courage with Tomato Essence.

The 20 Master's Flower Essences, prepared from the blossoms of fruit trees and vegetable plants, are as familiar to us as the foods on our table.Everyone knows apples, oranges and pears. Now we can also understand their nutritional benefits.

History of Master's Flower Essences

Master's Flower Essences, established in 1977 by founder Lila Devi Stone, are the oldest essence line outside the U.K. It was the Indian sage, Paramhansa Yogananda (1893-1952), who explained that specific uplifting influences are inherent in certain foods. To develop these qualities, he recommended eating the corresponding foods in their fresh and natural states, such as cherries for cheerfulness. Just how many cherries would we have to eat to receive these benefits? Certainly more than we could comfortably eat at on sitting! It takes time to reap the full benefit from even the best of foods. In the present age with its exaggerated restlessness, people are impatient for results. The most effective and immediate way of obtaining such results is in their essential form, extracted from the fruit or vegetable blossoms, which contain 90 percent of the life force of the plant.

Decades of case studies, direct testimonials, and ongoing research support this ancient wisdom. Nature has given us fruits and vegetables so that we might benefit from their nutritional sustenance; flowers so that we might be inspired; and flower essences to help us transform ourselves through their purity and power. In taking Master's Flower Essences, we become masters of our own lives.

How the Essences are Made

Master's Flower Essences are prepared in the clean desert air of the Sierra Nevada foothills at Ananda Village, outside Nevada City, California (the tropical varieties, are made in Hawaii). The blossoms of the particular plants or trees are carefully selected and floated on pure spring water in a glass bowl. After sitting in the direct sunlight for 3 to 4 hours, the blossoms are discarded. This "mother essence" is stored out of heat and sunlight in a dark bottle half-filled with a brandy preservative. From this solution, the Stock Concentrate is prepared. The essences will retain their potency for 6 to 10 years.

The Master's Essences Spectrum Chart

This Spectrum Chart defines and categorizes Master's Flower Essences. It is divided into halves: 10 essences that are masculine in nature--creating, building, outwardly expressive, and reason-oriented--and 10 feminine in nature--yielding, nurturing, inwardly directed, and feeling-oriented.

The Spectrum also contains 4 Quadrants of 5 essences, each representing a different stage of life and season of the year. Quadrant 1 captures a lighter, softer quality, much like the awakening of living things in springtime. The second Quadrant depicts drive, the fire of youth, and the blossoming energy of summer. The third, symbolizing autumn and middle age, expresses a continuation of the masculine drive to complete tasks, and the harvesting of a deepening maturity. Quadrant 4 of feminine essences signifies the return to a gentler nature ripened with love, much as winter concludes the natural order of the seasons.

How to Take Them

Stock Concentrate may be used in two ways: Most people prefer to take it directly, 2 to 4 drops under the tongue, 4 times a day or added to water, juice, or tea. Topical application is equally as effective and is recommended for those with brandy sensitivity. Or add 16 Stock drops to a tub of bath water or 4 Stock drops to 1/4 cup of lotion or oil, or to a misting bottle. The same directions apply to infants and children. (Please see our pets brochure for directions for animals.) Taking them more often--even 10 to 20 times a day--can be beneficial, especially in acute or emergency situations.

Our research shows that using one essence at a time gives quicker and more noticeable results than combination formulas--usually within the first 3 days. With this method, you will know which essence is working for you. Most people take an essence for several days to two weeks, though longer is also common. Before bed and on arising are two especially helpful dosage times. Repeating affirmations, which helps to engage the conscious mind and uplift the subconscious mind, can strengthen the benefits of the essences. As with homeopathy, take them without food--10 minutes before a meal or one hour after. How to know when to stop taking an essence? Continue a day or two after you notice the results you are looking for. Will the desired changes be permanent? In most cases, yes--but since we don't live in a vacuum, it is possible that certain issues will resurface and need to be addressed again.

What Results to Expect

Since flower essences work vibrationally rather than biochemically, they do not need to be absorbed into the bloodstream or go through the digestive system to take effect. Thus results can be immediate, ranging anywhere from mild to dramatic. Many people report that they "feel like themselves again," in the best possible way. They are completely safe to use: nontoxic and without contraindications, side effects, or the possibility of overdosing. Their benefits are complementary to other herbal therapies and treatment. Please note that flower essences do not directly treat physical symptoms.

The Essences

Almond Blossom: Self-control, moral vigor: Do you want the power to rebound from every setback in life? Almond Essence may give you the strength to live more centered in yourself.
Enhances: Calmness of the mind; synchronicity of body/mind/spirit; sense of well-being and order; to avoid "burning the candle at both ends"; balance; moderation; wholesome sexuality; being a sensitive partner in a relationship.

Apple Blossom: Peaceful clarity: Would you like to experience more inner peace amid life's swirl of activity? Apple Essence will help you to be always "calmly active and actively calm."
Enhances: Healthy and magnetic attitudes; an abundance of psychologically nourishing thoughts; hope: motivation to take better care of yourself; a positive outlook.

Avocado Blossom: Good memory: Would you like to have a clear memory? A retentive memory is important for every kind of success. Avocado Essence will encourage you to develop your memory and concentrate wholly on anything you do.
Enhances: Mental focus; remembering details; joy in challenging the mind; taking exams; doing puzzles and word games; new projects; greater awareness; attitude of "now I get it"; learning from mistakes.

Banana Blossom: Humility rooted in calmness: Would you like to have the simple courage to project your energy outward, away from yourself, instead of drawing people's energy inward toward yourself? Humility is self-honesty; it is self-forgetfulness; it is recognizing the great realities of life outside your little preoccupations.
Enhances: Calmness; ability to step back and observe; non-reactiveness; responding positively to outer environment; understanding that "what goes around comes around"; having a healthy distance from people and circumstances; objectivity.

Blackberry Blossom: Purity of thought: Would you like to have a pure mind, like a chalice of clear, sparkling water, that refreshes and vitalizes you? To free yourself from every thought that is foreign to your higher nature, take Blackberry Essence while affirming mental clarity.
Enhances: Optimism; seeing goodness within yourself and others; inspiration; being incisive and direct, yet gentle in speech; environmental awareness; purification; "sloughing off the old."

Cherry Blossom: Cheerfulness: Would you like to have a more lighthearted, less heavy attitude toward life? In all cases, Cherry Essence will brighten your life!
Enhances: Light-heartedness; hope; inspiration to others; seeing the good in everything; being optimistic; holding positive attitudes; the ability to make light of difficulties; genuine even-mindedness.

Coconut Blossom: Uplifted spiritual awareness: Do you feel in need of clearer, more spiritual focus in your life? Coconut Essence will help to give you the energy to endure, or to rise above, every test.
Enhances: Superconsciousess; endurance; perseverance; ability to complete tasks; living one's highest potential; strong, steady energy; welcoming challenges; being solution-oriented; readiness to take the next step; determination despite setbacks.

Corn Blossom: Mental vitality: Would you like always to be "awake and ready?" If so, you may find this essence is ideal for you.
Enhances: Energy; taking initiative in projects; enthusiasm; living fully in the moment; saying "Yes" to life's challenges; exuberant willingness for new beginnings.

Date Blossom: Tender sweetness: Are you able to view even strangers with tender kindness? The troubles of all human beings are much like our own. That attitude will develop naturally as you think of others as your friends.
Enhances: Attunement to others' feelings; discrimination; receptivity; open-mindedness; being easy to talk to; a welcoming presence; a magnetic nature; dealing kindly with the public; self-nurturance.

Fig Blossom: Flexibility, self-acceptance: Would you like to develop a more flexible attitude toward life? It will be easier, using Fig Essence, to become more relaxed no matter how heavy your responsibilities.
Enhances: Sense of humor; fluidity; ability to "go with the flow"; being at ease with self and others; self-liberating; energy to move forward in life; relaxation; setting healthy boundaries.

Grape Blossom: Love, devotion: Are you living a full life? In order to do so, our hearts' feelings must be awakened. (See how dry life becomes without love!) Don't wait in the hope that others will love you. Love them spontaneously, whatever their feeling for you! Grape Essences helps to develop selfless love for everyone. Best of all, it helps one to develop love for all true and noble qualities.
Enhances: Realization of the inner source of love; purity; loving without condition, demand or expectation; patience with others' shortcomings; flowing with the longer rhythms in relationships; transcendence.

Lettuce Blossom: Calmness: Would you like to have greater calmness and inner strength when confronting the difficulties in your life? If so, Lettuce Essence is recommended.
Enhances: Inner quietude; clear communication skills; unblocked creative expression; success in undertakings; decisiveness; ability to speak one's truth; concentration.

Orange Blossom: Enthusiasm, joy: Do feelings of helplessness tempt you to find melancholy? Are you desirous of penetrating the fog of difficulties with greater mental energy? Do you want to become solution-oriented rather than problem-oriented? In every case, Orange Essence will give you the power to blast through obstacles!
Enhances: Energy; banishing melancholy; cultivating an inner smile; resolution of conflict; lightness; emotional integration; "Light at the end of the tunnel"; hope; renewed interest in life; the power to endure difficulties.

Peach Blossom: Unselfishness: Would you like to be able to expand your sense of fulfillment to include all in your own happiness? This essence can help you extend your generosity toward others.
Enhances: Concern for the welfare of others; empathy; maturity; nurturing; consideration; compassion; sensitivity to others' needs; giving from wholeness.

Pear Blossom: Peacefulness, for emergencies: Would you like to feel that peace bathes you gently, cooling and refreshing you as if in a weightless waterfall? For steadiness in emergency situations and throughout the day, Pear Essence provides support.
Enhances: Peace of mind; a sense of rhythm and proportion; being fully in present moment; ability to handle crisis; stability during major changes.

Pineapple Blossom: Self-assurance: Are you inclined to be lacking in self-esteem? Does others' criticism make you anxious or uncertain? If so, this essence may be ideal for you.
Enhances: Contentment with self; career fulfillment; confidence; empowerment; strong sense of identity; wisdom; clarity with money issues; the ability to draw abundance.

Raspberry Blossom: Kindness, compassion: Do you see yourself as a kind person? All beings share the same underlying life, the same underlying reality. By kindness to others, you invite life's kindness in return, and will become forgiving of your own failings also. Self-forgiveness will spark in you the hope that, with enough time and right effort, all lingering weaknesses in your nature must certainly be overcome.
Enhances: Kindness; compassion; taking responsibility for one's actions; sympathy; benevolence; generosity; releasing old wounds; desire to help others; forgiveness.

Spinach Blossom: Simplicity, guilelessness: Are you tired of "worldly wisdom" suspecting others of selfish motives? Reflect: Every human being is striving, each one as he can, toward life's final goal of perfect bliss. Even people who, out of ignorance, seek that bliss wrongly want at least happiness. And happiness is our doorway to bliss.
Enhances: Childlike joy; trust; sense of wonder; playfulness; freedom; adventurousness; carefree nature; freedom from stress; the ability to enjoy oneself.

Strawberry Blossom: Dignity: Are you seeking that true dignity that comes from being calmly centered in one's Self? When you live from that inner center, others will naturally feel respect for you, and will heed whatever you have to say.
Enhances: Strength; quiet sense of self and self-worth; being grounded; reliability; leaving a dysfunctional childhood in the past; poise; gracefulness; being fully present and comfortable in, and about, one's body.

Tomato Blossom: Mental strength, endurance: When others oppose you in the things that you know to be right, is it difficult for you to stand up for your beliefs? If so, Tomato Essence will help you to develop courage.
Enhances: The knowing that there is no failure, only another chance to succeed; conquering fear; belief in oneself; invincibility; psychic protection; stability; remaining unaffected by the diverse energies of crowds and traveling.