©2007 by CJ Wright

Flowers have spoken to us always. Since the time that the very first flower was plucked and handed to a beloved, we have instinctually understood the meaning behind such a soulful offering. The Language of Flowers (called floriography) became haute couture in the Victorian era. Romantic gestures were accepted or rebuffed, marriages were agreed, and last goodbyes were spoken through flamboyant arrangements or a single stem. Picture this scene in Spring, 1852 -- a parlor in the Wilson home in Victorian London. Lily, desperately in love with Edwin, is in tears because she has seen Edwin walking arm in arm with Beatrice. Her best friend, Iris, enters excitedly with a large bouquet of flowers.

Iris: Lilly, look! Roses from Edwin!
Lily: Roses?! He speaks of love? What does he know of love, he who would betray me?
Iris: Sixteen! Sixteen roses! One for each birthday. And sweet alyssum.
Lily: Oh, sweet alyssum? He thinks my worth "beyond beauty?" (She is enraged now.) Am I so horrid? Am I a hag?
Iris: Angelica, pure and white.
Lily: Inspiration!?! Did my hideous face inspire him to turn away? Is Beatrice so fair that the sun rises solely on her and I am cast aside -- a toad! -- warted and doomed to moonlight? (She raises the bouquet in the air, about to smash it to the floor.)

Send him cruel nettles in response. Add marigolds for more cruelty, and mush plant to remind him of his weakness. Let nightshade speak the bitter truth of his betrayal.
Iris: But, Lily, Beatrice is his sister.
Lily: His sister?
Iris: Yes. Home from abroad. She's to marry Albert Sunday week.
Lily: (Embracing the bouquet) Oh, sweet Iris, what lovely news you bring. Look! (going to the window) The peach tree blooms. (turning to Iris) Send him boughs and boughs of blossoms. Oh, dearest Edwin, my love, my peach, my heart is thine!
This poetic floral language was not confined to lovers, but was used as a way of sending greetings and regards to friends and relatives, as well as responses to floral messages received. The language extended to the meaning of trees, grasses, and herbs. List after list of flower meanings became available, with the meaning of each flower affected by the author's intentions.

How does a Study of the Language of Flowers support The Bach Remedies?

Since The Language of Flowers reached full bloom in Dr. Bach's native England, it's not surprising to find many of his flower remedies in floriography lists. Researching their more common names led to the discovery of meanings for all of the original 37 flower remedies. Below are these original remedies, the root causes of discomfort Bach attributed to them, and their most common sentiments in the Language of Flowers.

Many of the meanings mesh nicely while others are opposite or seem disassociated completely. The root cause of discomfort associated with Heather is "self-centeredness and self concern." Is it any wonder that heather's sentiment of "solitude" is so appropriate? Self-centered people are completely focused on themselves, which ultimately leads to rejection or withdrawal, resulting in solitude whether it is desired or not. The remedy Beech is linked with intolerance, yet its sentiment is prosperity. The very nature of tolerance is allowance and equality, an end to frugality of the heart. Opening our hearts and minds to embrace the differences of all people will bring prosperity to our souls. Surely the thankfulness and gratitude associated with agrimony's sentiment will help bring relief from the torture of unauthentic cheer.

Remedy	Root Cause of Discomfort	Language of Flowers
Agrimony	Mental torture behind a cheerful face	Thankfulness, gratitude
Aspen	Fear of unknown things	Lamentation
Beech	Intolerance	Prosperity
Centaury	The inability to say "no"	Felicity (great happiness)
Cerato	Lack of trust in one's own decisions	(Hardy Plumbago) Holy wishes
Cherry Plum	Fear of the mind giving way	Good education
Chestnut Bud	Failure to learn from mistakes	Do me justice
Chicory	Selfish, possessive love	Frugality
Clematis	Dreaming of the future without working in the present	Artifice, mental beauty
Crab Apple	The cleansing remedy, also for self-hatred	Ill nature
Elm	Overwhelmed by responsibility	Dignity
Gentian	Discouragement after a setback	Intrinsic worth: "you are unjust"
Gorse	Hopelessness and despair	Endearing affection
Heather	Self-centeredness and self-concern	Solitude
Holly	Hatred, envy and jealousy	Foresight
Honeysuckle	Living in the past	The bond of love, rustic beauty
Hornbeam	Procrastination, tiredness at the thought of doing something	Ornament
Impatiens	Impatience	Impatience
Larch	Lack of confidence	Boldness, audacity
Mimulus	Fear of known things (Chickweed)	I cling to thee; rendezvous
Mustard	Deep gloom for no reason	Indifference
Oak	The plodder who keeps going past the point of exhaustion	Hospitality, bravery, independence
Olive	Exhaustion following mental or physical effort	Peace
Pine	Guilt	Time, pity
Red Chestnut	Over concern for the welfare of loved ones	Luxury
Rock Rose	Terror and fright	(Cistus) Popular favor; (Cistus gum) "I shall die tomorrow"
Scleranthus	Inability to choose between alternatives	(knawel, German moss) Maternal love, ennui (boredom, listlessness, dissatisfaction, lack of interest)
Star of Bethlehem	Shock	Reconciliation, purity
Sweet Chestnut	Extreme mental anguish, when everything has been tried and there is no light left	Do me justice
Vervain	Over enthusiasm	Enchantment
Vine	Dominance and inflexibility	Intoxication
Walnut	Protection from change and unwanted influences	Strategem, intellect
Water Violet	Pride and aloofness	(Featherfoil, Feverfew) Fire, warmth, protection, good health
White Chestnut	Unwanted thoughts and mental arguments	Luxury
Wild Oat	Uncertainty over one's direction in life	The witching soul of music
Wild Rose	Drifting, resignation, apathy	Simplicity
Willow	Self-pity and resentment	Forsaken

Perhaps the Language of Flowers and the Bach Flower Remedies are not always perfectly attuned, but the essential meaning of each is to bring a focus to a particular character trait or emotional state that needs attention. Speaking them -- through the flowers -- is a way towards expressing our intentions, healing our wounds, and moving toward wholeness and fulfillment. Flowers speak to our very souls through their essence, their beauty, and their fragrance. They find the words when we cannot. As Bruce W. Currie once said, "When words escape, flowers speak."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CJ Wright is an astrologer and tarot reader, and the author of Year~Seer: The Nine Year Cycle of Life, a guide to using tarot and numerology to achieve your spiritual goals. Based on the Personal Years in your numerology profile, Year~Seer offers specific advice on how to navigate the spiral of cycles we encounter each nine years of our life. Year~Seer is illustrated with the minor arcana cards of the tarot and taps into the correspondences of numerology and tarot. Year~Seer is available from Sacred Oaks Publishing, www.sacredoakspublishing.com/books.jsp. CJ also leads an online astrology group for beginning students: www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ChartTalkStudy. If you would like a consultation with CJ, contact her at yearseer@yahoo.com.

DESIGN CREDITS: This page was designed by Deborah Bier; photos are from Clipart.com.

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.

©2007 Vibration Magazine/The World Wide Essence Society
PO Box 285     Concord, MA 01742
wwes@essences.com

Website: Windfall and Word of Mouth Web Design