My desire is to compassionately listen with my clients, not just to them, and to accurately provide them with the energy and wisdom of nature through the essences. With these highly sensitive, responsive tools, I seek to address the underlying cause that is holding the negative pattern in place. It does not matter whether this is a physical symptom, emotional distress, a relationship issue, a spiritual challenge, or a simple desire to creatively evolve... I trust nature's repertoire to support the necessary changes. (Except where otherwise noted, these are my own Raven Essences.)

Frank was referred to me with Ménière's Disease, a debilitating condition with mild deafness, periodic bouts of vertigo, and tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears. A busy lawyer, Frank was happy with his work and family. He noticed that when he was under additional stress at home or work that his vertigo could flare up. Clearly he wanted the problem to go away, but did not know how to make any changes to assist the healing process. "What if you didn't have this condition?" I asked. "What other signs would help you recognize when you are out of balance?" He admitted that he didn't have any other indicators. "So, for now, this condition is your ally," I said.

As we talked further, he said he readily put other people first, and had done so all his life. Frank's parents had modeled this approach by putting all their energy into raising their children, and then they divorced as soon as the children left home. When I asked him what he enjoyed for himself, he was stumped. "What did you love doing when you were young?" "Basketball," he said instantly but he had not considered this sport an option in his busy life now. A hard worker and conscientious parent, Frank -- like many busy people -- had lost touch with the activities that nourished his soul. I made him a combination of essences to help him release the inherited pattern of over-giving to others while putting himself at the bottom of the priority ladder. Amongst many essences, his key one was Forsythia, which ignites the feeling 'anything is possible.' He worked with it for about a month, and enjoying the mini-ritual of taking the essence as a means of connecting on a daily basis with his own needs and desires.

Later, Frank reported that he had not had a vertigo episode all month and he was beginning to recognize when he put others first at his own expense. He had started running, and was endeavoring to form a basketball team. While his condition was still present, he had accomplished the first step: the pattern, set down by his parents and reinforced through conscientious hard work, had been broken. Frank was listening to, rather than trying to fix, his body. He was changing his priorities and starting to feed his soul.

Recently I met Sally, a massage therapist with a host of minor physical ailments. She loved hiking but often was in too much pain to walk. Her nervous system was in a constant state of agitation, and she suffered from irritable bowel syndrome. I made her an Emergency Trauma Solution, which acts like a personal Rescue Remedy. This kind of personal essence gives us a wealth of information about how the individual handles stress. Two months later, she told me she was pain-free for the first time in eight months. Amazed, I listened as she described her revelation during a brief holiday, that her husband's tantrums and her mother's constant demands were deeply affecting her health. She saw that she had been unconsciously absorbing the negativity of those she was close to. "It's as if I'd been lost somewhere and am finding myself again," Sally said. With enthusiastic soul-searching, she was reconnecting with some of her long-lost dreams and reconnecting with friends she had left behind. Her second essence now includes Black Walnut to help her release her attraction to psychically toxic environments while protecting her blossoming radiance.

Looking for underlying cause is a sacred exercise requiring imagination, dedication and love. This road is rarely obvious; usually it is a winding path that leads us towards wellness. A simple rose, a stone, or a tree may offer the inspiration, wisdom and balance needed for change. In the subtle territory of the heart, there are very few external guides. We each embody elements of the wise seer, the intrepid magician, and the gifted healer. We only need listen to the whispers within our own hearts, echoed magnificently by the natural world, as they constantly call us back to our joy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Raven Essences were created by musician, writer and teacher, Andrea Mathieson, in her garden in Maple, Ontario, in 1995. For three years prior to that, she worked co-creatively with nature to develop a bountiful flower garden in her urban setting, gradually turning a hobby (and a life-long interest in healing and spirituality) into a new career. Created in the tradition of the Bach Flower remedies, the first essences were proofed by thirty practitioners across North America. Since then, seven years of intense work has gone into their production, research and development. Throughout the process, Andrea has worked full-time with clients and colleagues to deepen her communication with nature and explore the potential of flower essences. Visit her web site or write to her by email.

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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