Explorer's Gentian:
Rekindling Ideals & Renewing Soul Purpose
A late-blooming mountain perennial wildflower
One of the delights of the late summer in the Sierra Nevada mountains is discovering a field of Explorer’s Gentian (Gentiana calycosa). This perennial wildflower, native to the mountains of Western North America, favors meadows moistened by snow melt, hence another common name, Mountain Bog Gentian. However, in the sun-baked late summer California landscape, these meadows have often dried up, leaving the Explorer’s Gentian, with its succulent moisture-retaining leaves and flowers, as an oasis of vibrant color and lush vitality.
Explorer’s Gentian grows in large communities of plants, hugging the ground, with its many flowering stalks rising from the root crowns. The leaves are in opposite pairs, sessile (no leaf stem), becoming more chalice-like as they climb the stalk, then metamorphosing into the platform of the five sepals, supporting the vertical tubular flowers
And what amazing flowers they are, large (2 in / 5 cm) for the size of the plants with five petals flared at the end, as they reach for the sky. The exterior of the petals are blue-purple, while the upper interior reveals a rich celestial blue. The lower portion of the petals are striped and greenish, with green spots in the interior, extending to the tips of the petals.
These blue chalices are raised up to the sky, mirroring its blue depths like miniature mountain lakes. In the desiccated late-summer landscape, they hold a memory of an earlier time of moist snow-melt meadows.
Gentian gives soul strength to overcome discouragement.
There are many species of Gentian, including Dr. Bach’s remedy from the small Gentiana amarella, a biennial late-blooming flower growing in the upland hills of England. Listen to Julian Barnard describe how Bach’s Gentian helps overcome discouragement and doubt when there has been a setback or disappointment in life.
Explorer’s Gentian addresses a similar theme of discouragement, especially when we feel disconnected from the inspiration and enthusiasm that launched us on our life’s path. Often this happens in mid- or later-life, when our enmeshment in the practical struggles of daily life can make us lose sight of the soul purpose that previously gave us energy and drive.
Explorer’s Gentian rekindles our sense of life purpose, and strengthens our resolve to make full use of the opportunity of earthly incarnation to follow our destiny star. Like the Explorer’s Gentian plant that holds the memory of water in its succulent leaves and receptive blue chalice of its flowers, the soul is also able to reach into the wellsprings of memory and soul purpose to re-align and re-activate life goals.
It is instructive to note that on an herbal level Gentian (particularly Gentian lutea) is used as a bitter tonic to strengthen digestion. Similarly, the Gentian and Explorer’s Gentian flower essences strengthen our ability to “digest” the bitter experiences of life and thereby gain soul strength.
Explorer’s Gentian kindles the creative soul fire.
Reports we have received from flower essence practitioners illustrate the Explorer Gentian’s power.
One healer noted that “Explorer’s Gentian appears to kindle the creative soul fire within clients who feel overwhelmed, lost, abandoned or complacent in their lives. The work it does becomes apparent after they have been motivated by their inner spiritual fire, often noticed in hindsight.”
Our ongoing research indicates that this essence is especially helpful for those who find themselves in changed circumstances later in life, and who need to re-invent themselves in a way that remains true to their life goals. Rather than feeling defeated by these new obstacles, or feeling that it is too late to make a new start, they are able, with the help of Explorer’s Gentian, to rekindle some of the fervor they felt earlier in life.
Our research also indicates that Explorer’s Gentian’s use is not limited to only the later stages of life. Anytime that one embarks on a journey to fulfill ideals, it is possible to lose the connection between inspiration and the will force to manifest that vision. For example, we received a case report about how Explorer’s Gentian helped a young college student find motivation in her school work. She loved her major in environmental studies, but she had difficulty getting her work done. She had a strong interest in spirituality and meditation, and spent relaxing times in nature with frequent use of marijuana. After a flower essence program that included Sunflower, Clematis and Explorer’s Gentian, she felt much more awake and focused, less drawn to the ungrounded world that marijuana offered. Others described her as more radiant, and sparkling with energy.
Explorer’s Gentian is part of two important Flourish Formulas.
Grief Relief, the Explorer’s Gentian helps one who has suffered loss, through personal tragedy or a larger disaster, to find inspiration and strength to re-start one’s life.
Grief Relief:
Solace and Insight in times of sorrow and searching
In Illumine, the Explorer’s Gentian helps one not to become paralyzed with depression when one’s situation seems dark, but rather to reconnect with the light of inspiration to continue moving forward in life.
Illumine:
Allowing the Light of Understanding to transform discouragement and depression.
Distinguishing Explorer’s Gentian from similar flower essences:
Dr. Bach’sGentianis more for the discouragement after the setbacks in daily life, whereas Explorer’s Gentian typically addresses a more existential crisis at major transition points in life.
Green Cross Gentian addresses discouragement that goes beyond personal considerations of destiny, but rather is connection to a sense of despair about one’s community or society. It gives one strength to serve the large healing and destiny of humanity.
Penstemon, like Explorer’s Gentian, gives strength to meet difficult situations. With Penstemon the challenge is to develop perseverance to face a challenging trial to one’s physical and/or emotional well-being, for example, a long rehabilitation after a major illness or accident. This contrasts with the Explorer’s Gentian theme of recovering the inspiration of one’s purpose in life.
Hornbeam addresses fatigue that comes from a lack of engagement with one’s activities. Everything has become dull and monotonous. Unlike with Explorer’s Gentian, where one feels a certain angst about the difficulty in moving forward, the person in need of Hornbeam appears dull and distracted.
Blackberry is another essence that helps mobilize our will. It helps people who are full of ideas of what they want to do, but have difficulty acting on those ideas. Their issue is not so much discouragement, as with the Gentians. The Blackberry personality is very active and enthusiastic in their thinking, but lack the ability to connect their thoughts to will activity.
Elm, like Explorer’s Gentian, can help us when we feel we cannot meet the demands of life. People who need Elm typically are making a heroic effort of will to fulfill their responsibilities. They need to allow help from Higher Self, colleagues and spiritual guides. By contrast, the person needing Explorer’s Gentian has lost connection with the source of inspiration.
Rock Fringeis another alpine wildflower that blooms late in the year when most other plants have withered. It helps us connect with sources of vitality and renewal of our heart’s joy, to make a new start, or re-imagine our life and work.
You can find Explorer’s Gentian flower essence here. It is part of the Range of Light set of essences.
Learn more about Grief Reliefand Illumine.
Enjoy a quick video trip to an Explorer’s Gentian meadow in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
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