Make the most of the present with Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle will come in handy during closet-cleaning sprees for those who have difficulty parting with items they no longer have a use for.

by Linda Crider — 

As a physician, Dr. Edward Bach was always mindful of the emotional well-being of his patients. He recognized the importance of living each day joyfully cherishing what every moment has to offer.

When he assembled his 38 flower essence healing system, he included remedies that would assist those who dwell too much in the past or the future, missing the value of living in the present. For individuals who cannot seem to let go of the past, there is the essence of Honeysuckle.

As a botanical, honeysuckle is a climbing shrub that bears lovely flowers with an intoxicating fragrance. However, it is important to note that, unlike aromatic essential oils, flower essence remedies are a form of vibrational medicine, and healing is done at the energetic level to restore emotional balance.

Honeysuckle is recommended when individuals experience a life-changing event, such as losing a spouse or significant loved one, moving to a new house, changing jobs or realizing that a valued goal will not be reached. These individuals find themselves looking backward instead of forward. Bach wrote that this remedy is for those who “do not expect further happiness such as they have had.”

It is a part of life to suffer losses and, certainly, allowances need to be made for a grieving process or passing moments of nostalgia, especially if the change was unexpected or unwanted. However, when individuals insist on living in the past, stuck in the “good old days,” they lose precious opportunities for happiness and growth that are right in front of them. This applies to holding on to negative memories, as well as to positive ones.

Bach scholar Mechthild Scheffer puts it succinctly when she says that these folks are “mentally lingering in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Taking one or several doses of Honeysuckle will encourage those who are overly attached to memories to learn from and appreciate the past without the constant need to relive it.

Pets and young children that have been moved to new homes may miss the familiar atmosphere of their old locations, even if the current environment is an improvement. In such cases, Honeysuckle will allow them to more easily adjust to their new surroundings.

Although it may seem a bit far-fetched, plants can also get attached to a particular location and may become homesick when moved. So if your philodendron does not appear to be adapting to its new residence, a few drops of Honeysuckle added to the plant water or mixed into a misting bottle will encourage it to settle in. Outdoor gardeners may find this is a valuable remedy when transplanting seedlings.

Honeysuckle will come in handy during closet-cleaning sprees for those who have difficulty parting with items they no longer have a use for. A few drops of the essence will help put any nostalgia in perspective. It will become easier to root out clothes that do not fit and discard things that are not needed, thus making space for what is useful and important in the present.

Linda Crider, BFRP, has been a promoter and educator of botanical healing practices for 15 years. She specializes in flower essence therapy and is a Bach Foundation registered practitioner and founder of Blooming Vibrations, LLC. 602-774-2382 or www.bloomingvibrations.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 32, Number 4, August/September 2013.