by Patricia Kaminski

In the midst of hate,
I found there was, within me, an invincible love.

In the midst of tears,
I found there was, within me, an invincible smile.

In the midst of chaos,
I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.

…no matter how hard the world pushes against me,
within me, there’s something stronger –
something better, pushing right back.

These words from the French philosopher, Albert Camus – who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957 – are ones that speak strongly to us in these turbulent times.  They are echoed also in the “Flower Words” of Nature , especially in the Penstemon.   Penstemon davidsonii is one of the remarkable plants that grow in rugged mountain terrain above the tree line. For 9 months or more of its annual cycle, this resilient plant is blanketed by snow;  and then during the 3 months of its brief growing period, it is assailed by howling winds and pelting rain, and riveted by lightning and thunder.  Yet, miraculously amidst all these forces,  one finds in high summer, the ethereal tubular blossoms of the Penstemon davidsonii, resplendent in hues of delicate violet-purple.  Its leaves are not hardened by all that it endures, rather they are soft and succulent, storing precious reserves of water-imbued life that prevail against its harsh surroundings.

As in the eloquent expression of Camus, one feels that within the Penstemon flower, “no matter how hard the world pushes against me…there is something stronger … pushing right back.” The Penstemon flower essence helps the soul to kindle the same force from within its deepest life source. It is a flower which certainly speaks to our time as humanity is called upon to face numerous challenges from a world health pandemic, to numerous natural disasters, and social upheavals.

TAPPING INTO RESERVOIRS OF STRENGTH

Penstemon helps the soul tap into reservoirs of will forces that may have not been previously recognized or utilized.  For instance, this was the main flower essence used for nearly a year to help a middle-aged woman reclaim her life when she lost her job and then soon after, her husband in a tragic accident. She described, “I came from a family where the men played the strong roles and handled money and decisions.  I replicated the same in my marriage.  When things got tough or too stressful, my pattern was to melt into a puddle of tears or “escape” with a box of chocolates…When I started taking Penstemon, something in me triggered a different response.  I began to feel I could figure it out, I could put one more step in front of the other.  I felt like the little engine that could, chugging up the mountain in the classic children’s story…”

Penstemon is very beneficial for those who must recover and re-build against odds that can feel insurmountable. It is frequently used for those in rehabilitation, who may have lost a bodily part or critical function such as neurological damage from a stroke and must build  completely new brain patterns.  It is helpful for children who are born with disabilities and must summon a grit and determination to achieve what other children take for granted as a normal course of development.  For example, it was a highly significant flower remedy for an athletic  woman who endured a tragic spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed from the waist down.  In the early months of her recovery she experienced deep pain and anguish along with suicidal tendencies. The Penstemon flower essence helped her reclaim her former athletic grit, but now focused in a completely new way to master her physical condition and develop new abilities.  She now helps others coping with similar life altering injuries.

HELPING ANIMALS SUMMON NEW FORCES OF ENDURANCE AND ADAPTABILITY

Penstemon is also a very popular and beneficial remedy for animals.  Dr. Laura Cutullo, an esteemed veterinary doctor in Milan, Italy who teaches and writes about flower essences therapy for animals (North American Flower Essences for Pets), finds that Penstemon helps animals who feel defeat from chronic illness, to identify new possibilities for growth.  As well, she also uses it for animals who are facing the end of their lives, to summon forces of courage and endurance.

Also see this heartwarming case report from FES certified practitioner Kamrin MacKnight, who used  Penstemon as one of the primary flower essences  for helping a tracking dog recover from a devastating injury and be able to perform again.

Discover more about Penstemon flower essence here.

DISTINGUISHING PENSTEMON ALONGSIDE OTHER FLOWER ESSENCES

While other flower essence can certainly be used with Penstemon, it can be helpful to understand some essential distinctions:

Mountain Pride –  This flower is also a Penstemon (Penstemon newberryi), but grows at lower levels in the mountains and is a bright magenta color. It also imparts forces of strength and determination, but in this case, the focus is directed to one’s courage to speak or take a stand.  It is a flower that encourages us to find new levels of initiative and authenticity when one is too passive or apprehensive.

Red Penstemon – Penstemon rostiflorus is a botanical cousin, growing at lower elevations in harsh, dry and rugged conditions, typically found in marginal areas such as unstable, rocky cliff sides.  Its bright red color and elongated tubular form suggests a bold reaching beyond physical boundaries.  Indeed, the Red Penstemon encourages a positive kind risk-taking and sense of adventure and exploration, especially when one’s life has become too routine and detrimentally “comfortable.”  Red Penstemon helps us to create new psychic edges and expand into both mental and physical frontiers that challenge one’s complacency and social conformity.

• Gentian –  This flower is indicated when one experiences defeat or setback and consequently wants to give up.  There is a loss of hope, a feeling of why try again, for it will only mean that one fails yet again.  Accompanying this feeling is a hidden conviction that one is not really worth much, a sense of inward defeat.  By contrast the Penstemon addresses feelings of weakness, overwhelm and depletion,  helping to draw upon and  create new reservoirs of strength that reach from the soul right into the physical will.

Scotch Broom – This flower essence addresses a profound sense of pessimism and even cynicism – especially about one’s larger identity in a social setting or the world culture as a whole.  A negative image has taken root in the soul from external influences that too strongly impinge on the sense of Self.  One is essentially paralyzed by these forces, believing they will prevail anyway, so why should one make an effort to counter them?  Scotch Broom addresses a kind of spiritual depression in the Soul’s core that stymies one’s sense of free will and initiative.