Then I started going to this awesome senior center in my neighborhood that has over 100 affordable classes and activities, the Elsie Stuhr Center. Far from the picture I had of such places, their programs are full of livewires who are having the time of their lives and don't seem to GET that they're growing "old." From the looks of these vibrant folks, 70 is the new 50. With them as companions -- and with lots of help from my flower essence mainstays -- I seem to be gradually getting the hang of retirement.

I'm not alone in this rite of passage -- anyone born by 1942 is officially and irrevocably a senior this year, with hordes of Boomers hard on our heels. And yet, Vibration had only ever included ONE article for seniors in our going-on-ten years of publishing. Well, actually there was another one we published, but it's about essences for aging pets. And there's only one essence I could find that's specific to the senior passage, and that's one made by my co-editor for Whole Energy Essences. The Senior blend description says it helps "draw all the loose threads together and weave them into a large tapestry: the 'big picture.' Senior knows how small the little things truly are. Finally feeling comfortable within yourself... finally knowing your soul as a familiar home... finally accepting what has been and what is: these are what are important. This essence supports fine, clear, higher intellectual functioning and the handing down of earned wisdom."

When I searched the websites of major essence companies, there seemed to be an otherwise similar avoidance of the topic. (Can you spell "denial"?) There were a few pieces on death and dying, grief, yes, but those sad situations are not limited to seniors. I found only one article focused on aging well, albeit a fine one, in all their literature online and in the essence books I surveyed. (See the one by Cynthia Athina Kemp Scherer in Desert Alchemy's collection of Core Issue articles.)

Eager to rectify that glaring omission in the literature of our field, I lobbied for a special theme issue on Essences and Aging, and this is the result. I Googled my heart out, looking for material about seniors +flower essences, seniors +remedies, seniors +alternative medicine, you name it. I encountered some quality authors who are new to us, and I also browbeat some of our oldie but goodie contributors into writing pieces especially for this topic.

The resulting collection of 18 articles presented here is, I believe, a singular and invaluable contribution to the lives of seniors, as well as a help for family members who care for their well-being. It should also be instructive for essence practitioners, whose clients will increasingly be in their 60s and beyond, because our ever-growing older population is now looking at alternative forms of healing

You may find it odd -- or possibly not -- that there are so many articles about tree essences in this issue. It's fitting: trees are the botanical world's seniors, since they take so long to grow into such substantial and enduring presences. It takes a heap of living -- and a lot of years -- to make an adult tree, and they last and last, despite all kinds of weather. The same could be said about today's amazing seniors!

What You WON'T Find in this Issue

One major concern for seniors that we will NOT be addressing here directly is physical ailments, despite the fact that aging does tend to bring on a variety of complaints. It is not that we don't care, and it is not that essences are irrelevant to health. Au contraire -- at least one of us is wrestling with age-related health issues of her own as we speak, and she wouldn't dream of neglecting the quest for essences that pertain. The reason we do not address it is because of FDA regulations against claiming that flower essences and other alternative methods cure physical or mental illness. (See the special theme issue of Vibration Magazine about Essences and Physical Health.)

We've been warned against publishing such claims by some of the established remedy companies. They tell us that there are employees of that particular government bureau whose sole job it is to troll the internet for sites making such claims. If one of these trolls found you, it'd cost you. You'd have to hire an extremely expensive law firm that specializes in advising and defending those who have been cited. Next, you'd have to fund research to prove or disprove your claim. And if your claim didn't hold up, you'd be required to reprint all literature and product labels and redo your website. Costly and upsetting.

In consequence, to protect ourselves AND our authors, Vibration's policy is to delete or reword all references to essences making a difference in physical healing. Now we know and you know that, since Mind, Body, and Spirit are one, essences often do make a major difference in clearing out an illness. If you talk informally with essence practitioners, you hear some amazing stories. You could probably cite them yourself. So could we.

However, like many in the field, we do believe that the mental healing comes first, followed by improvement on the physical level as the individual addresses the emotional, mental, and spiritual levels of the difficulty. To preview editor Deborah Bier's article in this issue:

"Users of vibrational essences may find that as their thoughts and emotions change, their physical symptoms also shift. Even when the physical symptoms remain the same, however, the patient's attitude about them can undergo a transformation."

Enough of my rant. I just wanted you to know why we handle this concern the way we do. I also wanted to alert our fellow practitioners and potential article contributors -- many of whom are practicing in more alternative-tolerant nations abroad -- to the lay of the land that is called the USA.

Welcome to the Golden Zone!

So here we are in the Golden Zone. Not only are we focusing on seniors in this issue, the next issue will be golden as well, because it's our Tenth Anniversary issue. We're not entirely sure of the theme -- sometimes we're the last to know. It only gradually reveals itself as the articles start coming in. If you've been thinking of contributing an article, by the way, don't make us hunt you down like I did some of the goodies in this issue. Read our Writer's Guidelines and get in touch. We especially like meaty articles from practitioners and users of essences who relate their experience with essences from a variety of companies.

As for me, I am not retired from writing or from editing Vibration, the twin loves of my life. I'm only retired from the things I didn't want to do anymore anyhow. Now THAT is golden!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Vibration's co-editor, Donna Cunningham is the prolific author of 19 books, the nine most recent being published as ebooks to help save her beloved trees. See her ebooks, including one about essences, at Moon Maven Publications. She's started offering an email astrology correspondance course for intermediate students, which you can read about here. And she thinks she's retired! RIGHT!!

DESIGN CREDITS: This page was designed by Deborah Bier and Donna Cunningham; 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.

©2008 Vibration Magazine/The World Wide Essence Society
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