Chaparral, also known as Creosote Bush, is one of the most celebrated plants in the Sonoran desert. All desert natives are familiar with the scent; after a rain, the air fills with the scent of the Chaparral leaves. As a medicinal plant, its cleansing and detoxifying powers are unsurpassed. As a flower essence, it dissolves ancient feelings of loneliness, and the belief that in order to be a healer or lead a spiritual life, we must do it alone. It encourages us to access our own inner wisdom, stillness and knowingness, and find the deeper meaning behind everything.
Among the hundreds of exquisite Camellia flowers, the Speckled Camellia is a variety of Japanese Camellia with a huge multicolored blossom. Its flower essence dissolves fatigue, drowsiness and mental fog. If we have a desire to slump or slouch, it opens up the energy in our spine for better posture. It deepens our breathing and brings in more vitality, energy and cheerfulness.
Rosemary is an aromatic evergreen shrub known for its culinary and medicinal benefits. Celebrated as far back as 5000 BC, Rosemary was found on stone tablets. The Rosemary flower essence boosts mental clarity, sharpens analytical mental processes and enhances our psychic abilities. It dissolves confusion and fogginess and helps us tap into our intuition and inner wisdom with greater accuracy. We’re more able to have more confidence in our ability to see and perceive with acuity.
Desert Lupine floods the Sonoran desert landscape with washes of indigo blue in springtime. Its flower essence dissolves panic and being frozen with fear; it catalyzes movement, engagement and strength, even in adverse environments. It dissolves heartache and magnifies elegance, peacefulness and fearless expression.
A popular house plant, the Spider Plant is known for purifying indoor air pollution. ‘Spiderettes’ or ‘pups’ emerge from the plant and grow downward toward the earth. Its delicate, star-like white flower blooms for several hours; its essence magnifies our ability to cast off what no longer serves us. We can flip inside out, shed our old skin and establish our footing in a fresh, new version of ourselves.
Camellias are famous in Japan, Korea and China, and are a sign of good luck during the Lunar New Year. Japanese Camellia dissolves worry, callousness and indifference. It inspires a deeper capacity for love, compassion and appreciation of everything around. It helps us connect to our hearts and radiate from the face and heartspace.
The ornamental Pear tree has delicate white blossoms in springtime and blood red leaves in fall/winter. Its elixir helps us explore themes of belonging. An antidote for feeling like we don’t belong in any of the environments we’ve chosen, it dissolves frustration, the kind that makes us want to pull our hair out. It magnifies our sense of belonging and helps us find our roots, whether that’s through family, where we live, a spiritual path or what we’ve committed to in life. It deepens our recognition of stability, wisdom and maturity.
Commonly known for its soothing gel for burns, Aloe Vera is a succulent with 500 different varieties that grow worldwide in tropical and arid climates. Its flower essence relaxes jaw tension, gritting one’s teeth and sensitivity to loud noises. It dissolves anger, irritation and wanting things to be a different way. When we start to feel out of control, it helps us stay cool, calm and collected. It inspires gratitude and being happy with the way things are.
The Lemon Lime Prayer Plant flower essence dissolves thoughtforms like: ‘I don’t have a place. I don’t belong. What is my calling?’ It magnifies a profound understanding and acceptance of one’s offering to the world, along with a desire to be of service.
At the root of much of our patterning lies a subconscious thread of self-hatred. Ruby softens hardness, irritation and self-sabotage that intertwines with our glitches. It magnifies softness of the heart and character, helping us be more gentle, affectionate and loving with ourselves and others.
A sunset-colored cactus flower that blooms in the Arizona desert, Buckthorn Cholla helps us reconnect to the inner wisdom that arises within us when we’re silent. It slows us down so we can see the beauty and deeper meaning in everything around us. It dissolves static and distraction so we can perceive our interconnectedness with the natural world -- and be nourished and fulfilled by that connection.