According to C.G. Jung, the mother is the most powerful archetype
of all. Imagine a child having to grow up without this powerful
force -- you could say this child is lacking the basics of
life. Every child has the right to be welcome on Earth and
beyond that to be protected, nurtured and supported.
Children brought up without emotional support will become
adults who always feel somehow uncomfortable and alienated.
From a superficial or materialistic perspective everything may
seem to be all right. The people may appear to be perfectly
adapted, and yet the signs of emotional deficits can be very subtle.
When the mother archetype is not fully developed, the
individual's relationship to the parents is usually of a superficial
type, but it can also be a kind of love-hate relationship.
Often there are signs of dependency and abuse. Mariposa Lily (Calochortus leichtlinii)
is very helpful healing the wounds of childhood when a child
did not get the necessary support during the most vulnerable years.
For instance, premature infants are exposed to the outer world
when they have not even reached the stage of a healthy baby,
which we all know is vulnerable enough.
Other possible origins of a need for Mariposa Lily can be a serious birth trauma, a long-term disease during childhood, the parents' divorce, a lack of love, and of course childhood traumas like beatings and abuse. In order to find whether Mariposa Lily is indicated, we must notice the distracted child in the adult. This child is locked up within himself or herself, often stubborn, lacking common social skills, unable to express needs and desires,
is afraid of being touched, and feels helpless and lonely.
Indications for Mariposa Lily in Adults
It is a typical indication of Mariposa Lily when people do not feel loved, even lovable at all. They simply do not know how it feels to be loved; they only know how it feels to be abandoned. This is what they are able to cope with, while being loved is so unknown, impossible and unbelievable that they reject the feeling and return to what they are familiar with -- loneliness. Even if they wished to open up themselves to love, they cannot, because what they
fear most is experiencing deep love and then being deserted again. Anything would be better than that. Feeling nothing at all seems much better than feeling nothing but pain.
So if loving is what the person fears, how can one get something else less risky to fill the gap the lack of love leaves? Some Mariposa Lily types look for something as sweet as love but without the pain it could cause: sweets. Chocolate can partly fulfill the desire -- and beyond that it helps to increase the body's armor by building up a fat layer. Thus the practitioner should also consider this essence when a client has to cope with any form of eating disorder.
The Course of Healing with Mariposa Lily
However we are in error if we believe this flower essence could
give these people everything they need. Mariposa Lily can
be a good starter essence. It softens the armor and sends
some warm rays through it. A combination with Star of Bethlehem
or similar trauma-healing essences is recommended. The results of neglect and abuse however take some time to work through. The longer a traumatic stage lasted, the longer it takes to overcome. The Mariposa Lily type of person has to find his way back to life. Beliefs like "I am worthless" and "nobody will ever love me" are located in the core of one's being, and that level of trauma is usually accompanied by deep fear of life. People cling to their negative beliefs, since they build their entire inner and outer world according to them. If the negative beliefs are taken away, these people feel as if you have taken their backbone from them.
Mariposa Lily cannot give them back what they lacked years ago. But it works like an love-injection right into the heart. It can take a long time until people start to consider fate might not be as evil as they used to think. Step-by-step, they open up to new experiences that help them replace negative old beliefs by new and more healthy ones. The essence brings insight into what happened. Little children usually feel responsible for everything that happens to them, like dad being an alcoholic or the parents always fighting. Essences can enable them to notice it was not their fault at all. This is a major step to accepting oneself. More steps are yet to come: to learn to forgive, to get rid of the pressures from the past, to experience oneself as lovable person and to learn to trust in others. This cannot all be done in a day or a month, so Mariposa Lily should be considered a long-term remedy.
How Children Respond to Mariposa Lily
The essence is good for children as well as for adults -- in fact,
it works even faster with children. It brings strength,
courage and confidence even when times are hard. Mariposa Lily
protects the child from emotional injuries and helps the mother
to accept her role, develop loving feelings for her child and
take over responsibility. Mariposa Lily can also be used by pregnant
women who want to start bonding even before their child's birth.
Editors' Note: Follow this link to find this author's article Essences That Help During Pregnancy and Childbirth in a previous edition of Vibration Magazine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: DIRK ALBRODT is the maker of several essence kits and the author of
several books on essences, including the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Domestic Flower
Essences and Essences in Pregnancy (both in German). See his Frequent Contributor Page for more information about him and other articles he's had in Vibration Magazine.
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.
