I always think that whatever season I am in, that is my favorite season. However, not only is it summer, but it’s also berry season! This has to my favorite. I love spending my mornings harvesting wild berries for my family’s breakfast. We get delicious berries and I learn a lot from the berry bushes. Regardless of what life is serving up for you, you can always return to Nature to be reminded of Beauty and the pleasures of life. I hope that you are able to find some berries (or other edibles) and taste the Wild. Eating wild food nourishes our bodies AND our souls. Wild foods remind us of our innate connection to Nature, which as a society we have cut or ignored, but that is only a facade, for we can never really sever this connection.
I tend to think of events in my life as having themes. My most current theme is overcoming fear. I thought it was serendipitous that my family and I recently watched Defending Your Life (which I highly recommend). The basic plot is that after we die, our lives are reviewed. If we have overcome fear (the purpose of life according to the movie), then we are allowed to move on. If not, then we are sent back to Earth to try again.
When we allow fear to dictate our lives, we limit ourselves from truly experiencing life and from being our whole selves. Sure there are people who are so filled with fear that they can’t leave the house. It’s easy to see how their fears limit them. It’s not as easy to see it when we have a fear of heights or success or Love or people who are different than us, etc. Well, maybe when you know someone else has these fears, you can see how their fear cripples them. Can we see how our own fears keep us from living our full lives?
Every time that I have faced one of my fears, I discovered that it was not actually true. It was just an illusion to keep me in some small box. When I released it, I was suddenly able to enjoy more of life and breathe freer. I wrote last month about facing my fear of heights and being rewarded by an amazing, breathtaking view. Facing our fears does not always have such immediate rewards. Sometimes, it can be really scary and difficult; but, (and this is a big BUT) anytime we face our demons, we automatically win. When we face our fears, we are standing up for ourselves, we are fighting for a richer and more fulfilling life.
Don’t get me wrong, I do think that fear has a place. For instance, if I’m in the woods, and the hair on the back of my neck stands up, I want to pay attention to this. But, most of us live our lives in fear and it is this fear that prevents us from living our true lives and being our whole selves. Besides limiting ourselves, our fears can make us sick. Plus, we unconsciously project these fears, so often we begin to attract that which we fear the most. What to change this?
With the amount of fear in our society (have you watched the evening news lately?), it is no wonder that there is a long list of Flower Essences to help with fear. Overcoming fear was a focus of Dr. Bach. Now, there are many, many essences that help to overcome specific fears, non-specific fears, and to strengthen and build confidence.
I find it interesting to note that the organ most associated with fear is the liver. Anyone who pays attention to all the chemicals that we are inundated with can understand that our livers our taxed and need much healing and support. So it really isn’t a surprise that there is such rampant fear in our society.
As we have just celebrated Summer Solstice, this is the time of year to absorb the Light and to release what no longer serves you. What do you fear? What are your fears keeping you from experiencing? Are you ready to release any fears? I hope so! Live life to your fullest potential!
Here is a small list of Flower Essences that help with fear:
Bach’s Rescue Remedy- great for support during the moment of fear or anxiety
Quaking Aspen- fearful and unsure why, courage
Mimulus- known fears (ie spiders, dogs, losing job, etc.)
Jewelweed- fear of intimacy, fear of being touched
Rusty Sunflower- Fear of change
Lobelia- Ability to speak truth without fear
Borage- Courage
Red Cedar- Courage, strength, wisdom, great support
Again, this is just a small sampling of the many different Flower Essences that can help with fear. Their description is a brief snippet, it does not even come close to describing their depth or the many ways in which each Essence works.
The point is that we do not need to allow our fears to limit us nor do we need to face our fears alone, the Plants are ready to support us.