Nine months ago my house burnt down. I had had a party the night
before to celebrate my birthday and woke around 3 AM to see
flames pouring out from the power point [electrical outlet] opposite my bed. I ran
out into the dining room where my dogs slept and yelled "Get out!!!"
to my son who had stayed overnight for the party. We managed
to ring the fire department and police and made it outside with my two dogs.
We had only minutes to spare before we saw the lights go out
and heard the glass of the windows breaking and the popping sound
of all the electrical appliances exploding.
Afterwards, the fire chief told us how lucky we were to survive,
as most houses, even brick, are burnt to the ground within seven
minutes. Thank god, my cat Hamish had escaped through the cat door. So there I was in my pyjamas and pink bed socks, alive, as were the most important parts of my life: my adult son Tom, dogs Roxy and Aggie, and cat Hamish.
In the days and weeks that followed as I settled in a house I had leased on the other side of the town, I explored what was left of the charred remains of my life and possessions. I had been working with the essences before the fire, using a pendulum to dowse and then send to the subtle bodies, and was just starting out as a practitioner working with clients in this way.
Friends and others from the community came to help me recover
what was left. Everything that had managed to survive the fire -- which
wasn't much -- was damaged by smoke and water. I wanted to throw it all
away. The smell from the fire was acrid, and somehow I felt that if I touched anything ravaged by fire, then I would be consumed by the fire, too.
After sorting through a box of fire-fused objects from my
dressing table, my son found my rose quartz pendulum. Remarkably,
it was intact -- just needed cleaning. At the same time the names
of essences that I needed came into my mind -- Pink Seaweed from
Pacific Essences (patience before new beginnings, harmonizing thought before action), and Ribbon Pea of the Australian Living Essences range (to rise above fear and foreboding, a sense of nameless dread, and the panic of a fear of annihilation).
Within a week of the fire, Mint Bush, an Australian Bush Flower
essence, came up strongly. I kept getting messages that I needed to
take this one. After just one dose, I was able to meditate and felt
a golden light flowing through me and down to all the burnt
and damaged things in boxes under the house. The next day
I was able to touch and sort through my possessions, including my
essence books and sheets which, interestingly, survived as I had
moved them into the study just the day before, and that room was
less affected by fire than the lounge or bedroom.
Wanting to know more about this essence that was helping me so much,
I read from Ian White's book Bush Flower Healing:
Mint Bush is for the trials and tribulations that one goes through just
prior to ... spiritual initiation. It is for the period when you feel you
are being tested ... to your limits. There is the burning off of all the
dross to allow you to emerge to a new spiritual level ... Many people find
their old beliefs and values obsolete, falling like crumbling stone pillars
around them, crashing to the ground and smashing to smithereens. ... you get
to the point where you feel as though you are going to crack up. ... There
is the feeling that everything is too difficult and too much to deal with
and resolve. (1999 edition, p.66)
Since then, I have moved on. My life is totally
different now: richer, stronger, deeper. I
took many different essences in the days that followed
and still do, as they are an essential part of my life.
I am now following a very clear spiritual path and
although I pretty much lost everything in terms of
material possessions, I have found a new life. My dogs and cat have also recovered with the help of the essences. My cat Hamish's favorite is Pink Fairy Orchid from the Australian Living Essences range; but that's another story in itself!
Editors' Note: For a collection of articles about Australian
essences or by Australian authors, see our Virtual Booklet,
Australian
Contributions to the Essence World.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kate McManus is a Reiki Master who uses flower essences from around the world for self-healing and her clients. She has recently started to combine astrology and essences with great results. In July 2002 her home burned down (the day before her birthday) and on the anniversary of becoming a Reiki Master. Kate lives in Hazelbrook in the Blue Mountains of Australia with her two dogs Roxy and Aggie and Persian cat Hamish. Her passions are the Australian bush, singing and the essences. She can be reached by email.
ART CREDITS: Page design and tiles by Word of Mouth Web Design.
Illustrations from Art Today, animated pendulum by
The Animation Factory.
The World Wide Essence Society does not mean to imply any recommendation of nor give certification to any individuals or companies above. This article is provided purely for informational purposes. We ask consumers to make their own determination as to quality of the services and products offered above. This article is not meant to be advice, and the information is not meant to replace medical or psychological treatment.
