Excerpt from

Flowers that Heal—How to Use Flower Essences
By Patricia Kaminski

© Patricia Kaminski 1998. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, without permission of the publishers.

Although flower essences are selected by focusing on feelings and emotions they have a great deal to do with physical health.  The soul is the mediator between body and spirit.  Only by developing a vibrant relationship to and respect for the physical body can the soul meet its destiny.  The body allows us to experience many soul qualities: strength, courage, and discipline.  The trials of the physical body teach us to accept, to surrender, and to endure.  Our bodies literally help us to come to our senses to experience the joy of physical existence and the miracle of creation.  When we use flower essences in connection with physical ailments, our goal is to understand the soul meaning or message such illness has for us.  In some cases we may be more spiritually inclined, then our work with this MetaFlora level focuses on accepting the physical body, being more earth-centered and warmly embodied. On the other hand, we may be over-developed in our bodily identity.  In this case we need to learn how to lighten and refine our physical nature, so that it can be permeated by soul and spirit.  The following are key archetypal essences for the Body MetaFlora level:

Wild Rose  To develop enthusiasm and strength; to counteract apathy, and indifference which cuts us off from life force

Shooting Star  For those who have a strong spiritual inclination and are deeply resistant to physical incarnation; such souls may have experienced trauma at birth, due to the soul's ambivalence about being born

Manzanita  For aversion to the physical body, especially the sense that the body is lower or unimportant; eating disorders and harsh dietary or ascetic regimens are prime indicators for this essence

California Pitcher Plant  Anemic tendencies, along with poor digestion and elimination; need to integrate the animal or instinctual aspects of the soul for added strength and vigour in the body

Self-Heal  For deep seated self-doubt or over-dependence on others which undermines one's vitality; also to encourage self-awareness, self-responsibility and self-direction in the healing journey

Crab Apple  To help with toxicity in the body, or over pre-occupation with dietary regimens or other cleansing rituals for bodily impurities

Rock Water  For breaking down hardened bodily structures or belief systems that isolate the physical body from full and flowing participation in life

Penstemon  To accept and endure handicaps or other physical limitations to the body; to accept and transform pain or suffering

Oak  For overly strong or heroic personalities that over-extend their true bodily capacities; cultivates receptivity and surrender

Hound's Tongue  For an overly-materialistic or physical perception of the world, often promoting too much gravity and bulk in the physical body; helps to lift and refine bodily awareness

Rosemary  Builds warmth and vitality in parts of the body which may be numb, or lacking in circulation; helps the soul to retrieve cellular memories which are locked in various parts of the body, thus preventing full recovery

Arnica  For various levels of shock and trauma which cause the soul and spirit to disassociate from the body

Blackberry  Helps the soul move into physical manifestation, especially when the tendency is for abstraction or mental procrastination