Observations by Regina Celia de Freitas

Resolving group conflict and reaching concensus

A group of professors in a department of a university had met three times to discuss the same problem, but were unable to reach a concensus because of a difference of opinions and no one listened to the others’ points of view.

I was invited to open the next meeting in order to help resolve the conflict. I had prepared a spray bottle of Quaking Grass flower essence and sprayed it in the meeting room three times at thirty minute intervals before the meeting started.

At the start of meeting, I reminded them that many of them had been working there for a long time, and that the flower arrangement that I had put at the center of the table represented a variety of colors, shapes, and aromas, that enrich a garden, and if they respected the qualities and differences among themselves, they could enrich their work.

Furthermore, just as seeds are watered to produce flowers, I would be watering their hearts and minds with a spray of harmony and union so that they could reach a clear objective for that meeting.

After a forty-minute meeting, the problem had been resolved and everyone was satisfied with the decisions that were made.

Developing group cohesion while maintaining individual integrity

A classroom of students between 16 and 17-years-old was having difficulty getting along. According to the principal, there were trouble-making leaders of cliques which were in rivalry with each other. The students were distant, inattentive, restless, uninterested and they didn’t complete the work that was assigned to them. The teachers did not want to instruct this class, seeing no point in teaching the worst class of students in the school.

I considered creating a more harmonious and participatory environment using a flower essence spray, in order to help both students and teachers remain in the classroom free of the mental and emotional blocks impeding the healthy development of the group.

The flower essence formula I used was:

Quaking Grass – to awaken group consciousness toward a common goal, in which each one would do his part to balance the group

Wild Oat – to help them to realize their individual purposes

Calendula – to help them be more receptive to words, and to help create dialogue between students and teachers

Clematis – to help them to be more present and participatory

California Wild Rose – to help them to develop positive ideals and seek to serve the world through their work

The first week using the essences, the negative attitudes of students in the classroom was exacerbated with serious disagreements between students and teachers.

We continued using the spray and at the end of four weeks, the students showed more classroom participation and more respect for each other. The teacher, who had wanted to quit the class, was already staying after hours to help students.

Two weeks later, the principal held a meeting with the teachers of the group – all of whom confirmed a tremendous improvement in the class. Significant changes were perceived in behavior, mutual respect, focus, clarity of purpose and joy in being part of the group.

It was clear that Quaking Grass was fundamental in obtaining these results in which the students realized something greater than themselves individually, as well as showing the importance of each member of the group to improve performance. Furthermore, it appears that Quaking Grass was the basis from which each of the other essences was able to help individual needs in the group.

Regina Celia de Freitas is a post-graduate in Floral Therapy at UERJ/ Rio de Janeiro, and an astrologer and art therapist. She has had extensive training in flower essence therapy and also has participated in many courses with producers and researchers of different national and international flower essence systems. She attended the first FES certification course taught by Ruth Toledo and Olympia Gimenes as authorized FES teachers in Brazil. In addition to teaching other flower essence therapy courses, Regina has become one of the authorized FES teachers in Brazil and a FES Certified Practitioner.

Contact Regina: reginafreitas@gmail.com