I often think that chestnut must have been Dr. Bach's favorite tree, since four of his 38 remedies were made from different varieties -- Chestnut Bud, Red Chestnut, Sweet Chestnut and White Chestnut. When you come across one of these stately beauties with their big, soft leaves, it is easy to see why Dr. Bach would love them. When they bloom in the spring, everything around them pales by comparison. The wood of the chestnut tree -- which surrounds this article -- is also rich and lovely to look at and to touch.

Times have changed, and few of us roast chestnuts over an open fire, any more than we take the trouble to crack black walnuts for home-made fudge. It's odd, then, that these old-fashioned treasures have so much to offer as we contend with the ever-accelerating changes of modern life. When change is the only constant, it's easy to get stuck. We may plant our feet firmly and refuse to budge as a way of slowing it all down. With us or without us, however, life continues to evolve. The various Chestnut remedies help us grasp, process, and ultimately move forward through this life-altering era with some semblance of grace.

Of the four, Chestnut Bud is the remedy most aligned with stuckness. Many who need this remedy seem incapable of learning from their mistakes or of adapting to changing conditions. Creatures of habit, they repeat the same patterns over and over, even if they can admit there is a better way. A key to discerning when this particular chestnut is needed rather than another chestnut is that, in their unwillingness to grow, the Chestnut Bud type can seem immature.

Flower buds are immature by nature, tightly folded and with no more than a hint of the beauty that is to come. Given a bit more warmth and gentle coaxing by the sun, they seem overnight to burst into bloom. Chestnut Bud individuals, in particular, may surprise us with how quickly their potential unfolds with the gentle catalyst of this essence. As they continue to take it, these once stubbornly resistant folks often open up to change and begin to adapt.

Red and White Chestnut types deal with change differently than those who need Chestnut Bud -- their primary coping mechanism is worry. White Chestnut types are notorious for this, for they are the worry warts of the world. A certain amount of mental processing is necessary, since it helps us digest experience and come up with strategies to meet new challenges.

Often worry is no more than planning and processing gone awry, as we go over the possible ramifications of any new development again and again in our minds. ("What if I? What if they? Should I? What will happen IF???") However, when it continues past a certain point, these mental loops in themselves create stress and sap the energy we need to cope effectively with change. White Chestnut stops the mental loops and gets the mind back on a productive track.

NOTE: For an in-depth portrait of White Chestnut, see the article by Shirley Li-Raun in an earlier issue.

Red Chestnut types worry incessantly too, not so much about the challenges of their own lives but rather about the concerns of their loved ones. They worry about what will happen to family members or friends under changing conditions; they worry when their loved ones change, and they worry when their loved ones don't change. It is as though they believe that by dwelling on these concerns, they could sort change out for someone else.

Worry is contagious, so Red Chestnut can help the worrier be more of a support for loved ones who are struggling to adapt to changing conditions. In fact, as Donna Cunningham's article in an earlier issue demonstrated, Red Chestnut can help all the members of a family get through a crisis.

People who need Sweet Chestnut, on the other hand, have gone beyond worry into despair. In this state, which has often been likened to the Dark Night of the Soul, they believe that the painful conditions they are facing will never change and that there is no hope for a better future. Sometimes this crisis is triggered by a personal loss or devastating change that seems unendurable, and the soul finds it difficult to imagine going on.

Sweet Chestnut, to me, deserves its name, for it can help restore the sweetness to life even in its bleakest hours. Time and time again, I have been astounded to see Sweet Chestnut begin to shift this picture within a 24-hour period. The extreme grief begins to abate, a ray of hope enters, and the person finds the strength to face life again. (I must emphasize, however, that it is not for suicidal people -- they need immediate medical attention.)

Those who are helped out of a profound state of despair by Sweet Chestnut sometimes wind up needing other Chestnut remedies further along in their recovery, in order to gain additional tools for coping with change. For instance, if their own long-standing ability to adapt was a factor in creating the current crisis, Chestnut Bud can turn the crisis into a growth opportunity. Adding Red Chestnut can help the person keep calm through the crisis or bereavement period as they help loved ones who are devastated by the situation. Just as the various chestnut trees make up a family, the various Chestnut remedies are related to one another and can support one another in times of change and challenge.

EDITORS' NOTE: We all can gain a great deal of insight by comparing and contrasting remedy applications of various members of a single plant family, as Annabeth has done here. Similarly, the yarrow family with its white, pink, and golden varieties, was explored in an earlier article by Joyce Mason. Elsewhere, Joyce concluded that color itself may hold clues to these differences. We hope you will be drawn to explore other such families.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ANNABETH MEISTER is a longtime essence practitioner and therapist now retired into private life. She occasionally graces the pages of Vibration Magazine with articles based on her many years of experience, and we are always glad when she does. See her previous contributions here.

Clip Art courtesy of ArtToday. The design concept for this piece was stolen -- er, borrowed -- from an article by my Deborah Bier of Hometown Websmith in another of her e-zines, the Concord Magazine. Fortunately, Deborah Bier is also an editor and web designer for Vibration, so she aided and abetted in adapting it for this article.

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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