Show Notes:

In this episode, we discuss flower essences to help us adapt to change. Whether we are trying to change an old habit, or establish a new one, there are flower essences to help. We also talk about weathering the changes that happen to us, and how to stay grounded and well in our bodies and spirits.

Flower Essences discussed during the show:

• Walnut – Bach
• Willow – Bach
• Fennel
• Sweet Pea – FES
• Aster – Lavender Aster FOA, Delta Gardens Asters
• Fireweed – Fireweed Combination AFEP, River Beauty AFEP
• California Valerian – FES
• Honeysuckle – Bach, Morrow’s Honeysuckle FOA
• Tidal Forces – AFEP
• Japanese Alder – FOA
• Hairy Butterwort – AFEP
• Wilmott’s Rose – FOA
• California Wild Rose – FES
• Angelica – FES

Show Transcript

Kathleen Aspenns [00:00:40] Welcome to the Flower Essence Podcast. I’m Kathleen Aspenns and I’m here with my co-host Rochana Felde. Today we are going to be talking about everybody’s favorite thing: change. Is there anything more stressful than change? And yet it’s absolutely a constant. The environment that we live in is changing. The world that we live in is changing. Our lives are constantly changing. Our bodies are changing. Our relationships are changing. What can we do to help support ourselves to navigate these changes, because they’re gonna happen anyways, as gracefully as we possibly can. So we had a bunch of ideas about different topics on change, and essences that can help us with change. Is this your favorite topic or what? 

Rochana Felde [00:01:34] Yes and no, it’s that love hate relationship. It really is a yes or no. And yes and no. I love change, I love changing when I’m in control. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:01:51] It’s all about the control isn’t it? 

Rochana Felde [00:01:53] Exactly. Changes that happen to me, or crises, or events, can take a little more to deal with. But I do love the concept of being a catalyst for personal development and personal change. Just on this internal level no matter what kind of change is happening, whether it’s something that I am attempting to change in my life or whether something happened that I need to deal with. So this is a really exciting episode to talk about all of these aspects and how the flower essences can help move us through that and get us to the other side. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:02:37] Agreed. I think that it is one of those pieces that people come to, at least to my practice, more often when something in their life is changing, when something feels perhaps out of control or when they’ve elected a change. And yet it’s really  very stressful and hard to deal with. I think flower essences are extraordinarily helpful to help us navigate these changes and to be supported during them because you know change is always going to be happening. What can we do to go through this with fewer rope burns and skid marks as we are dragged into these changes that happened to us. 

Rochana Felde [00:03:19] Absolutely. So what are some of the first flower essences that you turn to? 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:03:24] Well I always start by thinking through the Bach essences because they’re just so foundational to the practice. And there’s something in them that are nice and accessible, most people can find them. And then we build on that. So the classic change essence is Walnut. Dr. Bach made this essence from the English walnut tree and in his terminology he called it “the link breaker”. Anytime you have changes going on, anytime you’re moving, or changing jobs, or really anything that happens, I think you can be thinking Walnut because it really helps you to shift an old pattern to help it release, and then to start building a new pattern. So this could be for changing a habit. You know if you decide to start going to the gym, Walnut is a good friend for you. 

Rochana Felde [00:04:18] Absolutely and I love that it’s helpful in both ways – I see it as about the way that the walnut tree grows and lives in its environment. It’s protective for people going through change, sort of shielding the energy of it. And interestingly, it has some of those allelopathic growth, the juglones, as part of what the tree produces. That chemical it produces keeps other saplings and plants from growing around it. Not all of them, but there’s an area that certain plants don’t grow under the canopy of  walnut trees. So it’s really it’s sort of an interesting energetic,in my opinion, because it feels that way, sitting under a walnut trees. It feels protective and like there’s a clearing, and the bubble around you. And then the other interesting part of that plant signature is the nut meat inside the shell which looks like a brain. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:05:36] It does yeah. 

Rochana Felde [00:05:38] So when you think about Walnut as an essence to help to reprogram the brain it’s perfect for changing behaviors and attitudes. And it’s so interesting that it has that signature. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:05:59] It is interesting and I think that piece of protection, I think is a really valuable thing to remember when you’re needing that protection. Like you said, it projects its own space and doesn’t allow other woody plants to grow underneath it. And that it also protects its nuts very carefully in these perfectly sealed shells. So I think it is useful in that it helps to protect us as we go through change as we’re doing the reprogramming and process of of altering whatever pattern needs to be altered. I think one of the fun things that I’ve learned about walnut, from studying the Persian Walnut. This is one the one that that I’ve made. The English walnut, Juglans regia, there’s actually nothing “English” about it really other than its name. It’s actually native to Mediterranean regions. When I went to look up the species of the wild one which I’ve made, it’s very similar, it is still Juglans regia but it is a subspecies variety. And the curious thing about the walnut is nobody really knows precisely where it’s native to because the Romans moved them around as part of doing what the Romans did, where they built roads and they had a whole culture that they created and they took walnuts everywhere they went and planted them, obviously for oil, and nuts for food. So it’s kind of interesting that the native range of the walnut is unknown precisely. 

Rochana Felde [00:07:47] That’s really interesting. And if you think about it as in the terms of change, it’s changing origin, or changing identity and a sense of where it came from. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:08:05]  I think that when another piece that I like to put in to a formula, when somebody is working through change, are some of the environmental essences. I think the environmental essences can be very very helpful for giving a sort of a framework. A lot like we’re talking about the Walnut where you create that bubble around you. The environmental essences can give you an energetic framework through which you create this new reality. I think of Glacier River, which is one of the Alaskan environmental essences, because it has this quality of just letting everything go that’s no longer needed. You can just release it. And it helps to un-grip your hands, and allow things to flow, and allow it to flow through. And then you add essences on top of that to fine tune the process.

Rochana Felde [00:09:02] Yeah and I would imagine all of the watery environmental essences are great because of “going with the flow”. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:09:12] Oh completely, right. You’re right, because anything with that water signature of any sort is relevant. Water is the most inherently… Well maybe not more than air… But it’s an inherently movable element. It doesn’t tend to stay put. You get some of the other air elements involved in formulas too, and that’s something that we think about when we’re dealing with change. I think Willow is an interesting merge between those two elements. So, if you think about the willow tree, where they grow right near the water. They just absolutely love growing near water, but they are this drapey tree that moves with the slightest breeze. So it kind of has that signature of of going between water and air. What do you think? 

Rochana Felde [00:09:59] Yeah. What I like about Willow is, with its flexibility and ability to help one go with the flow, is that it’s such an essence for self care. It helps with easing pain as far as trauma. So when things happen to us that that we’re not expecting, or things trigger past traumas, Willow is like a divining rod in the body, helping to get to the root cause of where that pain is coming from. It’s very soothing and with that watery energy I I always feel the presence of Guan Yin or the Bodhisattva of Compassion, or even the Virgin Mary, but all of those ascended master energies that have to do with water and compassion really come through to me when I worked with Willow. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:11:06] That’s really interesting. I never thought about it in that sense, but I can really see what you’re talking about because it does have that that quality of stillness while the movement goes all around you know. If you think about the way that Guan Yin is depicted, she’s always on this swirling cloud. And I think that’s what her energy is, she holds up above all of that swirling wild energy, and holds that quiet compassionate place. And I think you’re right that Willow really has that energetic as well. That’s really interesting. I think of Willow because if you look at the polarities of the essence, and the qualities of the essence. If we’re looking at Willow, we have extreme flexibility on one hand, and then the alternate polarity would be that rigidity and and fixedness. And I think Willow really will help you move from that more fixedness, in those fixed ideas about what you think that things are supposed to be, and that things aren’t going the way you’re expecting, and it helps you find a way of flowing with it. 

Rochana Felde [00:12:23] And interestingly you know the white willow is used in herbalism as an anodyne, for pain relief. One of its constituents, salicylic acid, is what they derived aspirin from when they invented aspirin. And I look at the flower essence as a way to get the information from the pain. Kind of like I said it finding where it is in the body and then what is it? What is it telling you? So it’s another level to work with. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:13:06] That’s interesting that illuminating the origins of where you’re holding, where you’re stuck, where you’re fixed, and helping to create a little bit of more awareness, a little pop of light in there, so that you can see what you’re doing and then you can make the choice whether you want to change or not.  What are some other essences that you think about when you’re thinking about change? 

Rochana Felde [00:13:31] You know what I really like, a nice simple helper in letting us digest what’s happening to us is Fennel. So again talking about a flower that has herbal history, Fennel classically is used for digestion, cramps, bloating and excess air in the system. And the flower essence works on the level of helping us digest what’s happening in life and allow changes with ease. It tells us to listen to our gut and accept what’s going on. And then it also helps release the trapped energy from our physical body so that it helps letting that whatever is stuck, letting it go. This is very balancing when we’re going through any kind of shift in our life. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:14:35] I love to look at the fennel on the side of the road. Because the plants that grow in these damaged areas, roadsides get mowed, they’ve been trashed. The process of constructing a road is inherently damaging to the land. I mean, it’s necessary, but this is what happens. And the plants that come in to heal are  these undiscovered heroes, unappreciated, that come in and say “I can take that soil that’s been really damaged and trashed and probably has all sorts of toxins from the things that go off the road”. Things like fennel are totally capable of that. And so that there’s that quality of resilience and flexibility that the fennel brings energetically. 

Rochana Felde [00:15:30] The plants that grow like to grow in disturbed areas are some of my favorite flower essences. They all have such a personality, and so much strength. Roadside fennel, Queen Anne’s lace, poison hemlock, dandelion…the list goes on. These are all pretty big personalities in the world. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:15:57] You get into teasels and milk thistle and all of these other plants that are really not respected plants, but they have some interesting qualities. If we looked at them, if we really recognized what they’re bringing… If you look at them from the ecological basis, when things have been disturbed and damaged, what comes in to help heal that? What can grow in that space? And these can be really great plant allies for us. 

Rochana Felde [00:16:28] Absolutely. And you know if they’re growing along the road you know they’re obviously resilient to changes that are happening in their environment. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:16:42]  And we could just drive fast and go “Hey there you are again”. There you are helping me deal with the changes that are going on, right? And I think that this might be a place where we could sort of diverge in this conversation about change, what we are talking about. There’s lots of different types of changes. You know, the intentional changes, the things that we decide to embark on. You know those can be stressful, but perhaps they’re less stressful somehow than the changes that happen to us. You know these types of crises, and whether they’re fast moving or slow moving crises in our life. But I think that those are two very different wings of this whole topic. Should we dive into the intentional change one first? Because that’s a little easier to think about and we already started it in a way with Walnut. 

Rochana Felde [00:17:34] I think with reprogramming and establishing new patterns. Right. 

[00:17:39] That’s the perfect going back to school essence right? Walnut is a great starting point especially for these types of changes because you are breaking a pattern. You are breaking a habit. So instead of in the morning you’re going to this one location, you’ll be going to a different location, and the time will have changed, and your schedule will have changed. And all of these different elements will have changed. There are just so many interesting essences. I’d like to talk about Sweet Pea a little bit. Because Sweet Pea, the one I use is from the Flower Essence Society, it can help you when you’ve gone through a significant change, such as moving. Essentially you’re joining a new community, you’ve left your old community behind, and you need to recreate, or create, a community of of people. You know I even see the environment around you, the plants around you, are part of your new community as well, but Sweet Pea helps you connect in with your new allies and people whether they’re human or green. And to help you feel more at home. Because I think that’s one of the most challenging parts of change, aside from just the details of remembering how to get where you need to go, and adjusting your schedule, but to feel like you really belong. Do you think that’s one of the things that that comes up for your clients a lot?

Rochana Felde [00:19:06] Yeah. I haven’t really worked with the Sweet Pea though, the FES Sweet Pea, so that’s really interesting. I’ve been noticing it a lot lately, growing around me. And that’s another one that grows all over the sides of the road along with vetch. They’re very similar. And I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. So it’s interesting that you bring that up with home and community. I like that a lot. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:19:33] One of the one of the qualities I think that’s that’s interesting in this topic is the color. You know all of the sweet peas have that remarkable magenta color. At least the wild ones in California do. Of course there are cultivated ones in all sorts of crazy colors, but the Flower Essence Society made an essence from the magenta one that grows wild on our roadsides here in California. And that color magenta is really wonderful for re patterning. In much the way that if you look at all these different essences that carry that quality, that carry that color in their flower, are about that re patterning process, into a new framework, into a new field. Whether it’s re patterning the heart after heartbreak, whether it’s patterning the body after an injury… And this one is like re patterning your community. 

Rochana Felde [00:20:27] I love it. The magenta color definitely is a catalyzing color. I also like the California Aster because it helps push through your own boundaries and limitations. Whether they are your own, or if they’re created by others. It likes to move through boundaries and it helps with transitions in life. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:20:56] The asters are an interesting topic in and of themselves. I don’t know if you have worked with David Dalton’s aster series. His aster series was my first introduction to the asters as essences, and since then I’ve made an aster myself. In his Delta Gardens series of asters are all about these different kinds of changes, but specifically losses. Specifically life transitions and moving to the other side of the veil. And I think it’s interesting about the asters that they bloom in the late part of the season, in the Fall or early Winter. It is working into that whole premise of things are falling away. This is the very end of things. Things are moving on. And I think that you’re right that the aster itself has this quality of helping you let go of something, and be able to move past and move forward. And I think also to have that place of really deep appreciation and gratitude for what has been. You know like when we lose a loved one, If we can connect into that that loss, in that longing, and that delight in loving and caring about that person, even though it’s sad that they’ve gone. 

Rochana Felde [00:22:21] I I did work with David’s asters and learned about that. It is what spurred me to create the California Wild Aster that was growing along a field that I found. I had visited it over the course of three years and noticed how it would cross the fence boundaries which is sort of where I got that impression that it likes to cross, push through boundaries. It was really really interesting. But you’re right, it blooms in the fall when most other things are starting to deteriorate or die. It’s one of the latest blooming of the flowers I believe. And so that’s a really interesting concept. And it’s such a sweet family, a flower in the daisy family. California Aster is a lavender color. So it’s this gentle support to to grow during changes, that may deal with death or decline, but just letting go what no longer serves and what has changed. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:23:43] I made a Chinese species of Aster that I call Lavender Aster because one of the fun and entertaining parts about the Aster family is how hard they are to pin down botanically. They cross all the time and so a pure Aster species is pretty unrealistic because they’re just constantly crossing. It makes botanists go crazy trying to pin down precisely the species. So I made one that’s a lavender color of an Aster that’s native to China. And I think the biggest piece that I’m taking from it is that quality of celebration of graduation. When you go to a graduation ceremony…It’s a ceremony, it’s a passage. It’s a celebratory occasion. But you know you’re not going back to how it was before. You don’t just go right back to your dorm or whatever your life was like going to school, going to class. Things are changing and all these people that are together now are going to be dispersed to the four winds. So the one that I’ve worked with has that quality of remembering the celebration. You came to this place, and now everything is going to be different. What was comfortable, what was fun, what was growth, for all of these things. Now it’s time to let that go and let the new thing be born. And you can’t go back. 

Rochana Felde [00:25:17] Yeah that’s a neat perspective about all of the different asters have their sort of very subtle differences but they all work on the same overall issues. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:25:29] I think it’s interesting to look at flower essences in that larger view of the plant families and what they do ecologically. All may be similar, but lots of little details that are very specific and different in them individually. 

Rochana Felde [00:25:45] Right. Just just a little subtle twists on the overall energy. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:25:50] It’s interesting to really tune into a client and find out, where are they? Which piece of this are they needing right at this moment. 

Rochana Felde [00:26:00] There’s one other that I like when dealing with attempting to consciously make changes in one’s life. And I it’s California Valerian which I I’ve mentioned before, I believe in our stress episode. And in this context however, it really seems to help us remember that we can choose our reality. That whatever’s happening, we are creating, and we can create the reality that we choose. Valerian works on that dream scape in general, the herb as well, but in a dream when you know you’re dreaming. For example, if you’ve ever had a lucid dream or have heard about that – it’s when you’re aware and conscious in a dream and you can choose to change what’s happening in that dream. And so Valerian helps us remember that we can do that in our waking dream as well as well as our sleeping dreams. And part of that is allowing us to know that we can detach from what we’re holding on too tightly. So great essence for when it’s a change that you want to make. Helping us to let go of anything holding us back, that we’re holding on to, and that from moment to moment we can design our future. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:27:33] Yeah that’s that’s really appropriate. I love to have essences that have that quality in a formula, because it really helps to “set your eye”. You know this is where you’re heading. Rather than being so wrapped up in… What we all do from time to time, is focus on what we lost, what we missed. Instead to say, OK, this is where we’re going. This is our intention. This is what we’re trying to create. So with with these types of change it’s great to kind of address both parts, the part behind, it then the part in front as well. I think that Honeysuckle is one that I might think about for that back side of the process, of helping you to release what was, and that sweetness of what used to be. And instead you can turn your head towards the future, and towards moving forward, rather than being constantly recycling and going through what used to be, what I miss, I used to have all of these things, what my life used to be like. Honeysuckle, Dr. Bach made one, and there’s a few others around that are all interesting essences for helping to release. I’ve made one called Morrow’s Honeysuckle. The element of the Morrow’s Honeysuckle that’s a little different than Dr. Bach’s, is it’s really helpful for when you’re gripping onto the old things that really served you, and now it’s time to let go of that crutch, or that pattern, or that object that you have, because it’s no longer serving you and it’s holding you back. 

Rochana Felde [00:29:16] Is that one of the Flora of Asia flower essences? 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:29:21] Yes, the Morrow’s Honeysuckle. 

Rochana Felde [00:29:23] So shall we talk about when change happens to us, that we weren’t wanting or weren’t expecting? Any kind of crisis or loss scenario. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:29:33] No kidding. Boy you know it’s just these sorts of changes just come up and blindside you. Sometimes they’re slow moving, and sometimes all it takes is a phone call or a text or a Facebook post. I don’t know about you. I’ve seen some of those that like everything changed after I saw that that happened. I think that the first one I think about is Tidal Forces, which is one of the Alaskan environmental essences. It’s so helpful for really releasing. You know what’s existing now? Just let it go. Because what will come back might be different, or it might be similar, but there’s no way you can hold back the tide. The tide is coming through and it’s going to change this thing. And you just have to say, OK, I just trust that what I really need will be delivered. I think that the Tidal Forces essence creates this container for when you’re just being swamped. 

Rochana Felde [00:30:33] What a great way to put it. Being swamped. I have this mental image of a big wall of tide, of the ocean, it’s coming coming at you, taking you by surprise. It happens on the California coast a lot. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:30:53] The sneaker waves or sleeper waves. 

Rochana Felde [00:31:02] It’s a dangerous situation and we need all the support we can get. So that’s a great one. As well, the Fireweed and Fireweed Combination from Alaskan Essences. I think we also mentioned that one before. It’s just definitely one of my favorites for getting through that rough patch where you’ve just been overwhelmed with change. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:31:28] Yeah the Fireweed that I love for these emotional changes – say you have a loss of a loved one, or something that was just very dear to you. And the River Beauty is a type of Fireweed that grows alongside rivers and creeks. And it’s one that really helps with that emotional component of the change. When you feel that profound loss that gets stuck in the emotions. That’s the one that I think about for this kind of change. This change that happens to us, the loss of a family member, or whatever it might be. The River Beauty helps to rebuild from after you’ve just had this deep and profound loss. 

Rochana Felde [00:32:21] Absolutely and this can also go back and be used for intentional change. I remember using it a lot when I moved. The last time I moved house was emotional and very stressful, and there was a definite sense of loss for missing the property. I was moving away from the plants and the trees that I had worked with for three years making flower essences and it was pretty tough. The Fireweed Combo was one that really got me through it. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:32:58] These sorts of changes, we see ourselves as being easily moved around. Here we have cars and planes and all these things, but there’s a part of us that’s really attached and connected and rooted to where we live. Whether that’s a home, whether that’s a piece of land, whether it’s ancestral, or just where we happen to be living right now. And I think it’s really underestimated how much change moving is. Even though our culture and our technology allows us to go all across the world, we’re missing some parts of ourselves if we don’t respect and come back to this place where we actually live, and reconnect to where we belong. And then when we move we have to re-attach ourselves to that new place in the world. 

Rochana Felde [00:33:52] And that Fireweed is all about strengthening that grounding connection. So it’s perfect for that kind of scenario. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:34:01] Yeah and I think that the trees can be really helpful in this relocation process. Any of the trees are really useful. I usually think of the Japanese Alder which is one of my Flora of Asia essences. Because it’s the alders that are really good at being the boundary pushers and the ones that come in first after some big changes have taken place. They’re pioneer species in an ecological process of restoring and rebuilding the plant life of any particular area. So you’ll often see them alongside streams and creeks and they can just drop in and grow where there are no other canopies, there are no other trees around, but they can be there. They can be their own protection and they strike out into these new areas and they create circumstances that other plants can grow in really well. So I think of the Japanese Alder for these sorts of changes. You know when you move, you need to strike down new roots and really set in. And it can help you adapt to those changes. 

Rochana Felde [00:35:07] That’s really neat. Do you know if that’s something that all the alders do or is that more specific to the Japanese? 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:35:14] I think that it’s probably part of all the alders. They all have the same purpose in the ecosystems in which they grow. If you look at the alder bark, you know I’m pretty sure that most if not all alders will have that white color to the bark, that light colored bark. And part of what that does for the plant is a natural sunscreen. The alders don’t get sunburned like some other trees that need sun protection when they’re growing out on their own. And there’s no shade. And so the light hits them on all sides. If you look at a forest these plants are all growing up one in amongst each other and they have protection from direct sunlight until they get up to the very top. But something like an alder or a birch grows out all alone. It’s perfectly fine growing and all alone because it has built in sunscreen. 

Rochana Felde [00:36:06] Wow. I love learning that – that’s so cool. And it’s another signature about it being protected while it’s growing and changing and transitioning from a young plant to a big tree. So I like that a lot. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:36:33] I think that one of the other essences for these sorts of big changes that take place, and especially with the undesirable changes –  the Hairy Butterwort. It is one of the Alaskan Essences and when you say it everybody kind of giggles a little bit, but the Hairy Butterwort is very helpful for helping you go through a change without creating a secondary crisis. A lot of times when we go through change, we maybe don’t listen as much to our own selves. Like when we need to rest, instead we can get fixed thinking that we have to do all the things or maintain a schedule and aren’t quite flexible enough to realize, “oh you know I really do need to take this time off in order to reroot and relax a little bit”. And so Hairy Butterwort can help you to connect to that quality of change without creating crisis, without creating another problem. 

Rochana Felde [00:37:34] That’s great. I haven’t worked with Hairy Butterwort. But, this is so funny, I’ll just tell you. If you ever dream about flowers, in the middle of it, you just wake up and the name of the plant comes into your mind. That happens to me. So, last night I woke up about 4 – Hairy Butterwort just popped into my head. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:37:58] Wow, that’s really interesting. Somebody wants to come say hi I guess. 

Rochana Felde [00:38:04] Yeah. Yeah. It just happened a few weeks ago with the Fairy Lantern and now it’s happening with Hairy Butterwort. So I have to figure out what that means. Seeing it here today, talking about it, is hilarious. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:38:18] How interesting. So that plant’s definitely coming up. I think that’s another way that we can look at it working with essences too, like you’re talking about this. It’s a plant that wants to come say hi. So sometimes plants come say hi to us when we’re driving down the road and we see a whole stand of fennel blowing, or we see a dandelion popping up through the crack, but they can also come to us in the dream state as well. As you’re talking about, it’s happening for you.  

Rochana Felde [00:38:49] I was thinking it’d be like you know you’re a flower essence practitioner when. And then you know we could have a list dreaming about plants. What are some of the other ones for those crises-like changes? 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:39:05] I think that it’s really useful to not forget the heart in all of this. I think that whenever we go through these changes we tend to focus on getting the details of life hammered. This is my schedule, OK I need to be competent, all of those aspects of adulting are really useful. And then sometimes we can kind of forget to sort of tend our own hearts in these crises, where we’re too busy doing the things, and maybe forgetting the piece that really is asking to be loved and cared for. I wouldn’t forget to work with some of the roses in these contexts. Because soothing your heart, and caring for your heart, even if you’re doing all the things that you need to be doing. There are so many different rose essences. I could think of twenty just off the top of my head, but I think that the one that I’m thinking of the most in this context is the Wilmott’s Rose which is one of my Flora of Asia essences. The Wilmott’s Rose has this beautiful grandmotherly quality, and it also has the magenta color. And it’s really good at holding your hand, and figuratively bringing you a cup of tea and a cookie. Just sort of being that gentle presence of the ancestral wisdom that says “I know you’re having a really tough time, but it’s going to be OK, and I’m here for you.” All the roses are so good at helping with your heart. But I think that’s one that I’m just thinking of because it has that really soft sweet quality. A little bit like the California Wild Rose. Have you worked with that one? 

Rochana Felde [00:40:52] That’s one of my favorites. Absolutely, and I use it in so many formulas. A lot of the roses – I especially love the California Wild Rose though, and also the Sweet Briar Rose which is another rose that grows wild here in California. It’s not a native though, and not liked by farmers and those who have livestock in their fields because it’ll just pop up and be sort of invasive. It’s very similar in its energy and it looks very similar. It has a smell of apples. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:41:36] It’s the Rosa eglanteria? I think that’s a really cool rose. I just absolutely love the fragrance of it. So I’ve never known that one as an essence, I’ve only known it in real life. 

Rochana Felde [00:41:50] Well I’ve made it! 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:41:51] How cool is that? 

Rochana Felde [00:41:54] In fact it was growing not far from the California wild aster.

Kathleen Aspenns [00:42:00] Tell me a little bit more about it. 

Rochana Felde [00:42:03] I I find that it’s similar to the California Wild Rose. It helps with that sense of self, with heartbreak, and anything that’s emotionally difficult to go through. Sweet Briar Rose helps with feeling comforted while that’s happening and then feeling calm secure in the self. So it’s a great one for grief, for any kind of grief that’s happening, as are all the roses. But I think that one in particular. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:42:42] I think that this topic of grief will be one that we have to delve into, because I know that it’s a big part of my practice. I’ve had a lot of grief experiences in my life and work with it a lot with my clients. And I think that it would be really lovely expansion of a topic that we can talk about. But change has grief built into it. Is there one other essence that you really want to bring into this conversation about change? 

Rochana Felde [00:43:21] I would always look at Angelica for that feeling of being protected, guided, and cared for. And it’s especially helpful in times of crisis and transition of any kind that Angelica archangelica, which is the European species, but we also have a few here. And coastal California angelica works as well just for that purpose. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:43:48] It’s such an important essence I know I use it a lot. In so many cases it’s really appropriate and helpful. For those cases of transition, whatever sort of transition you’re making, whether it’s a big one, or “the big one”. Angelica can be a really good companion along the way. And it’s interesting you know once again we’re starting to get into the air element. 

Rochana Felde [00:44:14] Yeah, and Earth. Angelica really brings that energy from the sky, from the Angelic realm, divine energy channels down into the earth and out into the four directions. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:44:32] Yeah. And herbally you’re using the root mostly. So that’s kind of an interesting quality that the medicine is so grounded. It’s intrinsic, that rooted earthy quality, and then the flower essence is really working on the more elevated realms of  that plant, really helping you connect to the Angelic realm, to the ethereal realm and and helping you feel more… I think it is… Shielded and protected. So it’s sort of a summary of the way that you think about the Angelica essence? 

Rochana Felde [00:45:10] I feel like I’m being watched over when I take that that essence, sort of like somebody’s got my back, and giving divine guidance. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:45:27] I think we could all use more of that. I think that this is a good start on this topic. I think each and every individual has qualities and characteristics of where they’re at, and where they’re headed, and what’s happening with them – that’s why we really love to tune formulas very specifically for the individual. But I think this is a good overview of the topic of change and some of the essences that we love to use with it. 

Rochana Felde [00:45:57] Absolutely. I mean we’ve had a few points that could go deeper, that we’re touching the surface on. It changes part of everything that we do everything that happens and then especially the clients that come to us, are all dealing with some sort of change. I mean, there’s change – either they’re dealing with change, or they want to make a change in their life. So it’s woven like a thread throughout – what may be a different issue, or a crisis, or just something seemingly unrelated. It weaves itself through, and some of these essences are great, and to incorporate with other essences that are specific to what that person is going through. Exactly. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:46:49] So thanks so much to our plant allies and our flower essence friends. And I think  we’ve covered quite a lot of ground here. And it’s been really great spending time with you here. 

Rochana Felde [00:47:08] Yeah it’s always great talking about plants. Maybe I’ll have another dream for the next one. 

Kathleen Aspenns [00:47:14] Well, please, I need to hear about it! All right. Until next time. 

[00:47:25] You’ve been listening to the Flower Essence Podcast with Rochana Felde and Kathleen Aspenns, and we appreciate your interest in connecting with nature on a deeper level. You can find us online at TheFlowerEssencePodcast.com Or join us on Facebook and continue the discussion. 

[00:47:49] This podcast is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only. We are not physicians and do not diagnose prescribe or treat medical conditions. Please consult with your own physician or health care practitioner regarding the suggestions and recommendations made by the hosts and guests of the Flower Essence Podcast.