by Jann Garitty

Reina Maria Garcia Suarez works as a pianist and coordinates a chamber group of professional musicians in Cuba, the trio "Anima Voice," which includes violin, viola and piano. She is a pianist repertorist specializing in violin, while the other two musicians are instrumentalists with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba. As therapists, they work to increase public awareness that art is not just a result of culture but is spiritual in nature. They play music that characterizes the flower remedies, and also other works from a more universal repertoire. Their concerts usually offer tea in addition to a flower essence formula that allows the public to tune into the spiritual message of the works. They provide this at no cost to the public, and the benefits are explicitly enjoyed by all present.

Their musical repertoire consists of chamber works that are difficult to execute, such as the Eight Trios Op 83, Max Bruch, Schumann Fantasy pieces for viola and piano, Mozart and Leclair Sonatas for violin and piano, etc. Though they wish above all to facilitate spiritual opening and raise awareness for the listeners, at the same time, they also invite other artists, painters, dancers, actors, to share the scene by doing improvisational work after sharing a flower essence formula taken by all who are present.

In addition to her work as a musician and flower essence therapist, Reina Maria has recently completed a book written in Spanish, entitled “In essence, and sounds.” The following is excerpted and paraphrased from the first chapter of the original manuscript written in Spanish:

Musicians are capable of receiving vibrations much more subtle than others; they can continue to hear a sound when it ceases to be perceptible to the average ear, and they capture minute differences in intensity. This can also cause them to overestimate their mistakes and those of other musicians, even while the general public is entranced by a performance. Likely, these abilities make them particularly sensitive to vibrational therapies, specifically flower essence therapy. “Therefore, we see results almost twice as fast than we see for patients who are not musicians. It is as though the body of a musician is an expert in vibrational medicine, in the interaction with the vibrations, even in the purely physical form.”

Flower essence therapy is helpful for musicians in the following areas of performance:

Management of stage fright

Excellent results have been obtained for not only reducing stress but for increasing the technical quality of performance and musical understanding of the material. Of course, flower essence therapy does not perform miracles, and this treatment does not create talent, but helps to facilitate it.

Releasing emotional blockages

Physically, contractions in the muscles are energy blockages in one area caused by emotions that are constantly imbalanced. Our body is but a map of feelings and emotions, and flower essence therapy helps to harmonize and unlock the places in the body which reflect the imbalanced emotions.

Attunement with the spiritual aspect of the music

The essences also help to attune with the spiritual message of the work. This therapy is not a sensitivity amplifier but a “tuner” that allows one to align emotionally and vibrate at the frequency of the music, based on authenticity and spiritual openness.

Enhancing creativity

Those who have satisfactory professional performances and are able to handle stress without negatively affecting the quality of their playing note increased creativity and understanding of music that makes them effectively, and which also opens new horizons.

Overcoming emotional blockages due to characteristics of composition and the music

One case of a musician was a student, a violinist, who played the Concerto in C Major by Haydn. He was a boy of fifteen, very talented and responsive, but the success of his entrance exam to the Middle Level was threatened because he did not understand the musical composition. One of his biggest problems was that it was too much for his temperament. He felt like he was imprisoned in a corset of iron, and even had a physical sensation of shortness of breath when he played. In the case of this student, given the characterized difficulties with Haydn, Saguaro flower essence was chosen. It was as though the student was constricted by the authority of Haydn. After only forty-eight hours we saw results; he felt better, even much safer, and was no longer opposed to the excessive order of the work. He had begun to see that he would not fail. He began to tune into the soul of the German musician of three centuries ago, to understand and respect his musical work.

Building confidence in technique and abilities

Another student violinist playing the "Adagio and Presto" by Johann Sebastian Bach had serious problems memorizing Presto and had difficulty playing steadily. He felt he was not up to technical requirements of the work and it caused real anguish for him at the thought of being evaluated on his playing. Buttercup was given to him in his formula to help achieve fluent expression. His emotional imbalance was addressed and he went on, was evaluated and obtained the highest score possible.

From these experiences we have continued to incorporate flower essence formulas for instrumentalists that relate to the emotion of each piece. The formulas are continued for some time because those emotions are still “trembling” in them even months after they have presented a program. They are instructed to begin using the formula beginning two hours before going on stage and to take it every fifteen minutes, because this is an upcoming situation.

Chapter descriptions for "In essence, and sounds" by Reina Maria Garcia Suarez (author’s translation into English)

Chapter I: "The music, the musicians"

This chapter describes the vibrational nature of the universe and the possibilities of sound waves interacting with the physical body and subtle bodies, and largely explains why musicians are more sensitive to vibrational therapies...flower essence therapy being the ideal therapy for them.

Chapter II: "Thinking Christian Bach"

Scripture quotations are collected from the texts of Edward Bach along with chapters and verses from the Bible from which they were learned, demonstrating the Christian foundation of the therapy, as well as the study of floral healings performed by Jesus that Bach modeled. Included also are the origins of the disease, freedom or freedom of man, the role of consciousness in healing, the therapist-patient relationship, and the steps of healing—all biblically based on Bach's knowledge and handling of Scripture.

Chapter III: "The sound of flowers"

It describes a relationship between each of the 38 Bach remedies and a music system that tunes emotionally with the floral virtue to be developed in each case; showing that music amplifies the work of the essence because the patient receives emotional information: bringing in the vibration in another way in addition to taking the essence, speeds up and magnifies the results of the work of floral therapy.

This chapter largely explains the action of each remedy and the characteristics of person, time, technical, emotional state, life and intent of the authors of each of the pieces of music, in addition to an analysis of each particular work from the musical and technical points-of-view.

Chapter IV: "Brughtonia and Finalis'

Detailing the use of a flower essence from Cuba, Brughtonia Cubensis, a species of orchid that only exists in Cuba, discovered by Dr. Peter Sastre and symbolizing the Cuban people's resistance. It also has a vibrational relationship to Chucho Valdes' music, performed by me. The effectiveness of this essence has been tested in Cuba and in other countries and is used by people living under extreme conditions, both physically and spiritually.

Dancer and painter in improvisation performance with "Anima Voice"

About Reina Maria Garcia Suarez

Reina Maria studied at the conservatories William Thomas, Amadeo Roldan, National School of Music and National Center for Overcoming Artistic Education, graduating in 1986. She received piano lessons from teachers Ina Stepanova, Olga Carbonell and Antonio Valiente, obtaining several acting awards during her student life in national competitions. She took a Postgraduate Course with the Masters Ina Stepanova and Chucho Valdes, Pedro Sastríques, Drs. Silva and Juan Miguel Iglesias, among others, and is currently pursuing studies as a professor in the School of Biodanza Facilitators of Havana, headed by Ms. Maria Eugenia Reyes Riz.

Since 1986, she has worked as a pianist Repertorista Violin with students of the Conservatory Amadeo Roldan, also accompanied Viola, Cello and Double Bass in contests, graduations, and performances of students at all levels of music education. Reina Maria has taught piano and chamber music. She has toured internationally accompanying the Choir of the Methodist Church in Cuba and has performed in concert halls and internationally, in duet with bassist Hansell Hernandez, soloist of the Symphonic Orchestra "Universidad de Concepción" in Chile.

In her career, she has performed important duets and trios with soloists of the country. Reina Maria currently heads the Anima Voice, linking bioenergetic medicine and musical arts, integrating the trio of violin, viola and piano that is part of it.

She is a flower essence therapist, having trained as such with Drs. Juan Miguel Iglesias Sastríques Strong and Peter Silva. She has treated with this therapy various soloists and chamber groups in the country because her work as a therapist is specifically designed for instrumentalists, yielding excellent results dealing with stage fright, internalization of the spiritual message of works and technical problems. Reina Maria recently completed her book "Essence and sounds." She is working on her second book that deals more directly work with flower essence therapy aimed at training musicians and instrumentalists in chamber groups.