Transitions do seem to be the toughest times to get through. You're nine-and-a-half months pregnant and wishing to God the kid would get here already. Or you've resigned from the job, but before you can leave, you've got to finish closing out all your files and breaking in your replacement -- not to mention enduring the inevitable going-away party. Or you're pretty well packed to move to your new home, but you're living out of boxes, waiting for the movers to arrive. Or you're finally there and the moving van has left, but you've got a zillion cartons to unpack, and it will be weeks before you know where anything is.

The good news is that there are flower essences that support us through these neither-here-nor-there times of transition. I call them bridge essences because they help us bridge the old and the new with a greater degree of comfort and clarity.

Bach's Walnut is the first to come to mind, the classic remedy for people in transition. In a major geographic move, say cross-country, I have known people to need Walnut in their dosage bottle continually for up to six months. When the dosage bottle runs out and they forget to mix a new one, they sometimes re-experience the disorientation of having moved so far from everything familiar.

As explored elsewhere in this issue, Bach's Honeysuckle is a classic remedy for homesickness. (See more about essences to help adjust to a major relocation here.) However, there are many kinds of transitions in our lives, sometimes more mental or emotional than tangible, and for these, a variety of remedies by other makers can serve to bridge the gap.

At various stages of life, people go through age-specific transitions -- weaning for infants, puberty, childbearing, menopause, and retirement are but a few. Though they are a natural and normal part of the life cycle, the fact that these transitions are common to most people of a given age does not necessarily make them any easier. Otherwise there wouldn't be the plethora of self-help books for new parents or menopausal women! Certain essence companies have pioneered in making essences for these times of our lives -- usually combination formulas containing several remedies that address various facets of the particular change.

Whole Energy Essences' LifeStage Essences is an entire kit devoted to helping make a smooth transition through the various stages of human development. The formulas include Childhood, Adolescence, Young Adult, MidLife and Senior, but their applications are not limited to any age. For example, the Senior formula could be useful at the end of an important project, bringing it to a natural ending place wherein the whole span of its process can be appreciated.

Desert Alchemy's kit, Celebration of Womanhood, contains combinations for many women's issues, including the phases of the female reproductive cycle. For instance, The Miracle at Menarche formula is to help girls just emerging into womanhood adjust to the multitude of changes in their bodies and emotions. Women of Wisdom is for those in the menopausal phase of life and beyond, a support in embracing a new status as an elder in the community. These essences are helpful at other times as well -- for instance, The Miracle at Menarche can help any time that issues unresolved at puberty get stirred up.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For articles about essences to support the new mother and newborn through their momentous transitions, see Dirk Albrodt, Marlene Keel, Paul Wyman, Sally Smith, and Gretchen Lawlor. For Bach remedies to ease the transition into retirement, see the article by Rachelle Hasnas.

In today's global society, one need that many people have is support in bridging the gap between cultures. The international traveler may cross many time zones in less than a day and suddenly -- with no transition time at all -- be immersed in a totally different culture, with an unfamiliar language, customs, faces, and food. The individual who temporarily or permanently goes to live in another country needs support in an even deeper transition.

It may be that a mixture of essences -- some beloved flowers from the old country and some from the new -- could create an energetic bridge for the culture-shocked. As it turns out, essence makers are world travelers too, giving workshops in many countries, and so they have had to face such transitions many times. The experience has led many of them to create essences -- or combination formulas -- for this very need.

My own favorite remedy for adjusting to travel is West Australian Smoke Bush, by Living Essences of Australia. Their explanation for why it is so effective with jet lag is that our energetic body is dislocated by distance travel, especially at such high speeds, and that the remedy helps realign the physical and energetic bodies. (I wrote an article on this essence some time ago, exploring its uses in career transitions.) Other essence makers have jet lag formulas as well -- Australian Bush Essences has a combination formula.

When trying to adapt to a vastly different environment, communication is one of the most important skills. Some of the Flower Essence Society's offerings facilitate effective communication with people of other cultures. (They also help in understanding very different subcultures within your own country, like the language gap between a Goth teen and a Baby Boomer parent.)

For instance, their Cosmos helps in articulating your viewpoint clearly, while Calendula helps you to listen more receptively. Shasta Daisy is an aid in synthesizing the many new ideas and experiences you encounter with what you already know from previous experiences, finding the common ground. Yellow Star Tulip brings the intuitive faculties to bear, so that even if you don't really understand the language or culture very well, your intuition and empathy bridge the gap.

There are so many kinds of transitions that it would take a much longer piece to cover them all. The articles in this issue will provide many essence suggestions. The principle is what is important -- that one major category of flower remedy in our changing times is the bridge essence. If you are in a transitional period of your life, find the bridge essence that fills your personal need and use it consistently throughout that transition. For instance, if the transition between a rural or small town environment to a big city is throwing you off, you might need Corn. If you are feeling overwhelmed, it might be Bach's Elm. Given the bombardment of new and unfamiliar sensory input, you might need Dill.

Speaking of bombardment, my recommendation is that you not overload yourself with remedies at a time like this, especially remedies you have never taken before. During intense phases of the change, you may find it helpful to limit yourself to a single remedy. Times of change do tend to stir up old issues, and so you may find that you need a repeat of some old familiar remedies, like your Type Remedy. One thing that helps is just to remember that you ARE in transition, that at the end of the process, all these new circumstances will be easier and more familiar.

ART CREDITS: This graphics treatment created by Word of Mouth Web Design from clip art collections at Art Today and Micrografx.

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.

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