FEP69 Finding Your Purpose
In this episode we dive into the concept of life purpose, what that means, and how to uncover and pursue it with support from Nature and the flower essences.
We talk about the Japanese concept of Ikigai to look at the different pieces that come together to inform an overall sense of purpose, how to center ourselves, listen to our inner wisdom, and embody the guidance coming in from higher realms. We bring in essences to help with that, to give us the strength to forge ahead and permission to spark our creativity in this process.
FEP68 Calming & Soothing the Nervous System
This episode is an excerpt from an upcoming course we’re working on, Foundations in Flower Essence Therapy, which will be available from the School for Flower Essence Studies in early fall 2024.
We talk about the importance of using calming and centering essences when beginning to use essences for ourselves and others. It’s a really good first step, and sometimes all that’s needed. There are times we may want to skip over this and go right to essences that work with deeper challenges, but we’ve seen time and again the value of starting with calming and centering approaches to help the nervous system feel safer and more embodied.
FEP67 Creating Potent Flower Essence Formulas with Lindsay Fauntleroy
Lindsay Fauntleroy joined us for a live discussion about creating potent flower essence formulas and her upcoming course in archetypal flower essence formula design.
We had a fascinating discussion about various approaches for creating potent blends, including formulation frameworks borrowed from herbalism, perfumery, numerology, and sacred geometry.
This recording was excerpted from a live discussion held for students of the School for Flower Essence Studies (our school) and students of Lindsay’s school, the Spirit Seed.
Stay tuned for more info about upcoming live chats at the School for Flower Essence Studies.
FEP66 Starting a Flower Essence Business Practice
In this episode, Kathleen and Rochana discuss what it’s like on the business side of being a Flower Essence Practitioner. We share our stories and some of the common challenges when setting out on your own as a service entrepreneur (hello imposter syndrome, overwhelm, and undervaluing!), and offer some helpful essence ideas for working through them.
We’ve found that participating in masterminds, group coaching/mentoring, and community forums are incredibly helpful to this process. The value of hearing from your peers, their struggles and questions, learning how they solve them, and the wisdom that evolves from the group mind, cannot be underestimated.NEW! Announcing the Professional Practice Mentoring Group launching at the School for Flower Essence Studies. It’s a unique online community space with live group coaching meetings, beginning May 1st. We’re piloting it for 6 months, and we’d love for you to be part of it!
FEP65 Creating an Abundance Mindset with Sara Artemisia
Sara Artemisia returns to the podcast in this illuminating episode about money consciousness. Sara is a Plant Spirit Wisdom Teacher, Flower Essence Practitioner, Financial Coach, and Host of the Plant Spirit Podcast.
We talk about identifying the source of our beliefs concerning money, addressing our blocks in allowing abundance, and viewing money as an ally and energy to partner with. The plants and essences offer powerful support on this journey of embodiment and learning to accept nourishment from Nature.
FEP64 Flower Essence Myths and Misconceptions
Kathleen and Rochana address misconceptions about flower essences and how they work. Get answers to these common questions and concerns:
Will they take away my stress?
Are higher doses more powerful?
How long will it take them to “work”?
Why does an essence stop working?
Can they help me endure an intolerable situation?
Why can’t they fix all my problems at once?
Can I take an essence if I’m allergic to the plant?
If I feel resistance to an essence does that mean I should take it?
FEP63 Cultivating Your Power of Discernment
Misinformation, Disinformation, Propaganda, Artificial Intelligence, Deep Fakes, Brainwashing, Phishing, Spam, Scammers, PsyOps, Cults, and sleazy Marketing, oh my!
There’s a war at play for our attention, our thoughts, our beliefs, and of course our money – whether it’s just an advertisement to buy a product or something more complex with higher stakes.
Every email and message we get that has a link – is it trustworthy, should we click on it?
Friend requests – is it really our friend or is it a fake account?
The news reports we watch or read – who’s delivering it and what’s their bias?
That gifting circle invitation from a trusted friend that we really like – is it really an illegal pyramid scheme?
It’s crucial now more than ever to cultivate skills of discernment – to be able to listen to that voice inside that raises a flag on what we see and hear. Yet, the daily practice of this can breed skepticism and distrust that may block the flow of life energy.
How can flower essences help us with this practice in a healthy way, so we can navigate and survive these times?
FEP62 Deep Flower Essence Integration with Tracy O’Meara Smith
Meet Australian Flower Essence Practitioner Tracy O’Meara Smith!
Tracy combines Flower Essence Therapy with a gentle and holistic form of bodywork (Bowen Therapy), and through this integration guides clients through periods of profound inner transformation, crisis, and pain. She empowers individuals to trust their intuition, act on newfound insights, and discover effective ways to cope, live, and ultimately be.
Well-versed in the Australian flower essences, Tracy was recently certified by the Flower Essence Essence Society through the online FES Practitioner Certification Training course taught by Ruth Toledo Altschuler.
Our conversation spans her profoundly connective experience of participating in an Aboriginal flower pit ceremony, how the FES training up-leveled her understanding of flower essence therapy, and the deep integration that bodywork brings to the process.
👉 Learn more about the Flower Essence Practitioner Certification Training Program at the School for Flower Essence Studies.
FEP61 The Flower Essence Renaissance with Ruth Toledo Altschuler
Ever wonder how we got from Dr. Bach’s research to where we are today? In the late 1970s and 80s there was a simultaneous explosion of new flower essences being discovered, researched, and produced around the world. Yet, this “second wave” of producers didn’t initially know about one another until the first international conference was held.
Ruth Toledo Altschuler came on the scene just as these gatherings began to happen, and she became a major importer of essences into Brazil at that time. In this episode, we have the honor of hearing her stories and adventures — how she met the people and visited the places of the FES, Alaskan, Australian essences, and more, in these early days of the post-Bach flower essence renaissance.
Join us for this rare treat and glimpse into the modern history of flower essences.
FEP60 The 5 Elements of Stress & Anxiety with Lindsay Fauntleroy
In this episode, we welcome Lindsay Fauntleroy back to the podcast! Lindsay is a medicine maker, educator, acupuncturist, and author of In Our Element — a self-help guide that integrates acupuncture theory, flower essences, yoga and ancestral spirituality.
We talk about the naturally rising levels of stress and anxiety during this time of year and the corresponding elemental forces.
Exploring the way stress and anxiety manifest in the context of the different elements, we offer our favorite flower essences for each scenario. And wow do we cover a lot!
Join us on this whirlwind dive into the elements as a lens for Flower Essence Therapy.
FEP59 Feminine Empowerment
We went to the movies! And saw Barbie! This was a rare treat for us, as we live on opposite sides of the county. We laughed so hard, then had a great chat about it during lunch, and we knew right away we wanted to discuss some of the themes in our next podcast.
We address some typical challenges experienced by those of us not at the top of the patriarchy:
constant feelings of not being enough and having to work twice as hard to get less
feeling obligated to do more for others than for ourselves and letting our self care suffer
being too “nice” and putting on a happy mask to appease those with more power
We talk about essences for these states and to boost a general feeling of empowerment.
There’s no spoilers except for a certain kick-ass monologue that we just had to repeat. But if you haven’t seen the movie, go take some self-care time and do it!
FEP58 Essence Making as a Spiritual Practice
Have you ever thought about the co-creative act of making a flower essence as a spiritual or self-development practice in and of itself?
It requires surrendering to the moment, really listening to Nature, and going with the flow to accept all parts of the experience. The lessons the plants impart in the process may continue long after the essence is bottled, so an awareness must also be cultivated to notice, interpret, and work with what comes up.
Kathleen and Rochana reflect on how years of essence making have enhanced their individual personal growth — in all its messy glory.
Do you make flower essences? We’d love to hear your experiences and thoughts on this topic!
If you haven’t made them yourself, is this something that you’d like to try?
FEP57 Bach Flowers vs. Modern Essences
In this episode, Kathleen and Rochana explore the relevance of the classic Bach flower remedies in today’s increasingly complex and overwhelming world.
How do they compare to the more modern essences available? Are people different now than they were in the 1930s? Have our needs changed?
It’s interesting to reflect on the world events of Dr. Bach’s time and his personal evolution as a physician that led him to become the creator of these famous remedies.
We also share our thoughts about blending the Bach flower remedies with essences and elixirs from other systems, and why gem elixirs may be an important addition for those who’ve worked with flowers for some time.
Want to learn more about the Bach flower essences? Check out Julian Barnard’s Bach Flower Learning Program, recently released by the School for Flower Essence Studies. It’s an amazing resource, and free!
FEP56 Coming Home to Earth
We welcome Ruth Toledo Altschuler back to the podcast as we record a session for our upcoming Flower Essence Alchemy event.
The three of us share our early life experiences in trying to access emotional sanity by connecting to the plants, animals, and the elements of Nature.
Using the analogy of “reforesting ourselves” after processes of internal deforestation have happened, we explore the concept of re-bonding with the earth so that we can become more fully whole and embodied beings. And we share the flower, tree, and gem essences that are key for this grounding re-connection.
FEP55 Essences for the Astrology of Now with Moses Siregar
In this episode, Kathleen and Rochana speak to expert Locational Astrologer, Moses Siregar, who combines western and Vedic astrology in the unique field of astrocartography.
With a love for and background in flower essences and vibrational remedies, Moses continues to use these in conjunction with his astrology practice. We chat about the big astrological transits of March 2023 (Saturn moving into Pisces and Pluto into Aquarius) and flower essences that can support us during this time.
FEP54 Flower Essences for Mental Health with Maureen Clancy
Trauma therapist Maureen Clancy joins us on the podcast to chat about supporting mental health with flower essences.
Discover Maureen’s favorite essences for anxious states vs. depressed states, and how she incorporates them in her practice in conjunction with other therapeutic modalities such as EMDR.
We also talk about how to know when flower essences aren’t enough on their own and further mental health services are indicated.
Join us for this illuminating look into flower essences from a psychotherapist’s perspective.
FEP53 Going with the Flow: Cultivating receptivity and calm flexibility
Rather than setting New Year’s resolutions and diving headfirst to start smashing goals on January 1st, Kathleen and Rochana talk about a more Nature-based approach of first letting go, going within, and going with the flow during the dark days of winter here in the Northern Hemisphere.
True to form, Nature reinforced that lesson for us with the California storms (hello water element) that brought flooding and extended outages, testing our ability to literally go with the flow as this recording had to be rescheduled multiple times.
Learn about some of the essences we use to cultivate receptivity and calm flexibility for a more natural approach to planning and goal setting.
FEP52 Myth, Magic, and Mystery of the Artemesias
Join us in an enchanting exploration of the Artemisia plants—Mugworts, Wormwoods, and Sagebrushes—as we share stories and experiences of working with the flower essences, herbal preparations, and strong energies of this unique subset of the Aster family. 🌙🌿🧙♀️💚🧚✨
FEP51 Energetic & Emotional Detox with Flower Essences
Are you feeling weighed down by the energy of others, the constant bombardment of information, or the emotional drama and violence that pervades our media in these times? Mental stress and anxiousness are especially common during this time of year as the energy of the fall season is one of pulling in.
Kathleen and Rochana talk about helpful flower essences to clear the mental and emotional clutter that has accumulated in and around us — to discern what’s not ours, to release what’s not serving us, and to strengthen our energy field.
In this episode, Kathleen and Rochana navigate the nervous system responses when triggered or emotionally activated. How do we recognize when it’s happening and what are some things we can do immediately to cope? How can we work with these deeply embedded reactions that at minimum feel uncomfortable but often are painful and uncontrollable? We discuss the importance of releasing emotion from the body and using flower essences to assist in creating a safe container for this work, as we strive to increase resilience and regain equilibrium in our lives.