Listening and following Soul prompts
[Soulful Experiences] My first flower essence: Impatiens
High inflation, financial instability and uncertainty marked the times we lived through after the 22 years (1964–1985) of a violent autocratic regime. By 1985, citizens in Brazil had finally reconquered freedom of assembly and freedom of the press, and were back to having direct presidential elections. But the roller coaster of economical instability, with exceptionally high levels of inflation, continued to challenge everyone for the years that followed.
In future posts, I will address the healing that has been needed related to these times.
Managing a small business through times of uncertainty
This was when I chose to pause my photography career, prioritizing a consistent routine close to my children. In order to make this possible, I created a small business half a block from home, supported by an engaged mini team.
A designer friend created a logo and label for this clothing business, inspired by images I gave her from a Unicef calendar of children’s drawings depicting the Tree of Life. I now see my Soul clearly leading me through “breadcrumbs” just like this one.
Seamstresses worked in their own homes assembling the clothes I designed. In a small warehouse close to home, an open space beautified by live plants and wood antiques, we had a workshop area, with cutting table and patterns hanging, as well as a retail area, with clothes racks on display.
There, we served clients directly, helping them find colors and prints that enhanced them, in timeless designs that were appreciated by an increasingly loyal following.
How plants and flowers began calling me
During that same time, I was strongly drawn to learn all I could about plants and flowers, including the herbal qualities they offered. I searched in books and kept asking question after question to those who knew plants from life experience. While having my gardens recreated, I wanted to know all about the requirements of each plant. For instance, I was fascinated by the fact that the Plumeria tree, that blossoms into wonderfully aromatic flowers, can be replanted as a well grown plant without its rootball and it will reroot itself. There was so much to discover about each plant!
My business provided me with resources to travel, with the goal of enlivening my inspiration. From the very first of many trips, I felt called to travel to the European Spring, yearning to walk amongst flowers in their time of exuberant blossoming.
During those years, I was living in tropical Brazil, in the Southern Hemisphere, and I had never heard about the existence of flower essences.
At the time, I did not realize that my life’s path was being decided by the flowers. I kept following what I felt called to do, through an ongoing magnetic process, a vivid succession of irresistible “breadcrumbs” that resulted in crucial encounters.
How colors drew me to life changing encounters
In the first one of a series of trips to Europe, in 1985 I landed in Amsterdam, and there, I felt an immense sense of soul familiarity (I will write more on this later). I was drawn to a guide book, and on the day after arrival, I started to walk the streets of that city, and became enraptured by the colors on a shop I later got to visit.
Fascinated by the colors, knits and fabrics, I connected to suggest a trade between our creations, and became friends with the owner, an Irish clothes and fabrics designer trained in Scandinavia and living in Amsterdam.
As the years progressed, it was this encounter that pointed me to directions that would eventually take me right into my soul path and calling!
A brochure on the Bach Flower Essences was gifted to me
In the following year, I visited her again in Amsterdam. This time, as part of our trade, I brought with me pieces from my store embroidered with flowers.
Around that same time, she gifted me with a photocopy of Heal Thyself by Dr Edward Bach, saying she thought I would be interested in it.
Back to Brazil, I immediately ordered another book on the Bach Flowers and from there, the study of flower essences became my passion for the rest of my life.
Listening, serving, feeling the call of the flowers
While I served clients in my store (which I loved doing), helping them find clothes that made them look and feel their best, I was attentively present hearing their stories, and attuning to their anxieties and yearnings.
Around these times I would notice a warmth radiating from the palm of my hands.
Only later I would come to understand what this was about.
As I look back, I can see how this willingness to serve was gradually improving my listening, aligning me towards a shift in career that I did not know was coming.
Recognizing Archetypal states
In reading these first books, I was astonished by the precision and simplicity of the descriptions of emotional and mental states of what I now call archetypal human states and life situations.
I could immediately relate to this Archetypal Language.
It was a natural process to begin correlating these Archetypal states to patterns that I could see in myself, and in the personalities and lives of friends and clients.
With all of us having lived and still going through periods of extreme instability, requiring so much adaptation, I could feel how the flower essences would be perfect companions for helping us all through these turbulent times.
Receiving my very first flower essence kit
It took a while, but finally in May 1988, this friend whom I had met in the Netherlands came for a vacation in Brazil and brought me my first Bach Flower Essences kit! After months of just reading about them, I could finally begin experiencing them.
In the light of the Bach Flower remedies, I did my self examination, and if there was one thing that stood out that I did not like about myself was my accelerated pace, my impatience with the timing of others and, when in a conversation, my inability to listen to a whole sentence without quickly jumping to complete it. This was truly compulsive, I could not help myself. And I also needed more tolerance with the timing of things and of life itself.
Taking my first flower essence: Impatiens
I decided to take Impatiens as soon as my kit arrived, and I had a really powerful experience, perhaps the most striking in my entire journey of over 36 years using the essences.
The Impatiens flower essence began showing me what changing these ways felt like. I started to experience a slowing down, and, an expanded ability to LISTEN!
At the time, I had not yet learned about human energy fields and chakras.
This is what happened: the feeling that something “opened up”, as if I had been “uncorked” at the top of my head. Hard to explain, but it felt really good. Now I know that some kind of “unblocking and clearing” had occurred. Later I came to understand that I had experienced remarkable changes in my energy field and chakras!
Even more remarkable was the feeling that something had “popped out” off my throat area, again as if a cork had come out. I felt a clear radiance expanding from that area, a sense of freshness.
This feeling of emanation from my throat area stayed on for weeks, a mixture of warmth and freshness.
From then on my voice came out brighter, more vibrant. Not that it was feeble before, but it seems that being able to attune and listen more, allowed for a different quality when expressing myself.
With the help of the Impatiens flower essence I began improving my ability to stay present and not be in such a hurry to give my opinion: I was able to step back from the opinion driven response… I became more accepting of the different pace of others.
A journey of self awareness and ongoing learning
Impatiens was the first remedy Dr Edward Bach discovered when he began preparing flower essences in the 1930’s and is part of his Rescue or 5 Flower combination.
Through Julian Barnard’s course and publications, I also learned much more about each Bach essence plant, to understand their qualities with depth and vividness.
Over the three and a half decades after my first flower remedy I continue to be endlessly fascinated by the teachings offered by plants and their essences. And I continue having them as my allies, as I move through each and every day.
How one career transitioned into another, and how the flowers guided me in deepening my learning, will be part of more stories I will share in subsequent posts.
FES Practitioner Training offered by our School
This Spring, through the School for Flower Essence Studies of which I am part, we are calling people to join a new cohort of the FES Practitioner Certification Training for which I am an authorized teacher. If you feel the calling, come and join us to dive into the study of Plant Archetypes and their application as flower essences. You can read all about the Program in this page.
This is so beautiful Ruth, I love how you highlighted the magnetic pull and the evolution of your career over time. A lovely testimony of trust.
Beautiful post Ruth, I loved reading how a soul path emerged by following what you loved/felt called to doing. 💛