The Story of the

Travellers
and other remedy stories
Edward Bach
1
The Story of Clematis Itself and The Story of Centaury Itself were written in 1933.
The Story of the Travellers. The Story of the a! Tree and " Story of the #odiac
were written in 193$. The %alnut Tree was written in 193&.
This edition ' The Bach Centre( )*1$.
Co+yin, and distri-ution of this +u-lication is allowed for non.commercial +ur+oses
+rovided nothin, is altered. "ll other ri,hts reserved.
1.*
/isit www.-achcentre.com for more free te0ts and
information on the wor! of The Bach Centre.
The 1r Edward Bach Centre
2ount /ernon
Ba!ers 3ane
Bri,htwell.cum.Sotwell
0on 41* *5#
6nited 7in,dom
2
Contents
5a,e
" note from the editor $
The Story of the Travellers &
The Story of Clematis Itself 1*
The Story of Centaury Itself 1)
" Story of the #odiac 1$
The Story of the a! Tree 18
The %alnut Tree 19
3
" note from the editor
The short +ieces collected here all touch on remedy indications. The
first and lon,est dates from early 193$( when 1r Edward Bach had
discovered si0teen remedies that he divided into twelve healers and
four hel+ers. The last and latest was written in 193&( shortly -efore
Bach com+leted his system and reclassified its 39 remedies into seven
,rou+s( dro++in, the healers:hel+ers structure and refinin, and
refocusin, the indications for each flower.
6sed to havin, 39 remedies to choose from( modern readers may
find some of these early descri+tions confusin,; we would -e correct
for e0am+le to wonder whether Beech would -e a -etter name for the
<oc! %ater character in The Travellers. But viewed as a historical
record( even the more dou-tful indications are valua-le. They ,ive a
,lim+se of Bach=s wor! at a time of chan,e( when its creator was
ed,in, towards the final( sim+le understandin, that he achieved -efore
his death.
1
The Bach Centre( )*1$
1 See e.g. www.bachcentre.com/centre/simple.htm for more on the historical
development of the system.
4
The Story of the Travellers
>193$?
5
nce u+on a time@ and it is always once u+on a time( si0teen
travellers set out to Aourney throu,h a forest.
"t first all went well( -ut after they had Aourneyed some distance
one of the num-er( ",rimony( -e,an to -e worried as to whether they
were on the ri,ht +ath. 3ater in the afternoon as they went dee+er into
the shadows( 2imulus -e,an to -e afraid( afraid that they had lost the
road. %hen the sun set and the shadows dee+ened and the ni,ht noises
of the forest were heard around them( <oc! <ose -ecame full of terror
and was in a state of +anic. In the middle of the ni,ht when all was
-lac!ness( Borse lost all ho+e and said( I can ,o no further@ you ,o
alon,( -ut I shall stay here as I am until death relieves my sufferin,s.
a!( on the other hand( thou,h feelin, all was lost and that they
would never a,ain see the sunshine said( I shall stru,,le on to the very
last( and he did in a wild way.
Scleranthus had some ho+e -ut at times he suffered so from
uncertainty and indecision( first wantin, to ta!e one road and almost at
6
once another. Clematis +lodded on Cuietly and +atiently( -ut carin, oh
so little if he fell into the last sound slee+ or whether he ,ot out of the
forest.
)
Bentian at times much cheered the +arty( -ut at others fell into
a state of des+ondency and de+ression.
thers of the travellers never feared -ut that they would ,et
throu,h and in their own way wanted so much to hel+ their
com+anions.
Deather was very sure he !new the +ath and wanted all the
com+any to ta!e his way.
3
Chicory had no concern a-out the end of the
Aourney -ut was full of solicitude as to whether his fellows were
footsore or tired or had enou,h to eat. Cerato had not much confidence
in his Aud,ement and wanted to try every +ath to -e sure they were not
wron,( and mee! little Centaury so wanted to li,hten the -urden that
he was ready to carry every-odyEs -a,,a,e. 6nfortunately for little
Centaury( he ,enerally carried the -urden of those most a-le to -ear
their own -ecause they called the loudest.
<oc! %ater( all afire to hel+( a little de+ressed the +arty -ecause he
would criticise what they were doin, wron,(
$
and yet <oc! %ater
!new the way. /ervain should also have !nown the +ath well enou,h(
-ut althou,h he had -ecome a little confused( held forth at len,th as to
the only way out of the wood. Im+atiens( too( well !new the +athway
home( so well that he was im+atient with those less s+eedy than
2 With the fll system to choose from we might interpret this as more li!ely to
be a Wild "ose state. See www.bachcentre.com/healers# page 2$.
3 %ach&s draft indications for 'eather inclded characteristics he wold later
find better reflected in (ine.
4 See the introdctory note# page 4.
)
himself. %ater /iolet had travelled that way -efore and !new the ri,ht
road and yet was a little +roud and a little disdainful that others did not
understand. %ater /iolet thou,ht them a little inferior.
&
"nd in the end they all came throu,h the forest.
Fow they ,o as ,uides to other travellers who have not made the
Aourney -efore( and( -ecause they !now there is a +athway throu,h(
and -ecause they !now the dar!ness of the forest is -ut the shadows of
the ni,ht( they wal! as ,entlemen unafraid( and each of the si0teen
soAourners teach in their own way the lesson( the e0am+le needed.
",rimony strides alon, free of all care( and Aests on everythin,.
2imulus can !now no fear@ <oc! <ose in the dar!est moments is Aust a
+icture of calm( serene coura,e. Borse in the -lac!est ni,ht tells them
of the +ro,ress they will ma!e when the sun rises in the mornin,.
a! stands steadfast in the stron,est ,ale@ Scleranthus wal!s with
+erfect certainty@ the eyes of Clematis are fi0ed with Aoy on the
AourneyEs end( and no difficulties or set.-ac!s can discoura,e Bentian.
Deather has learnt that each traveller must wal! in his own way
and Cuietly strides in front to show it can -e done.
G
Chicory( always
waitin, to lend a hand( -ut only when as!ed( and then so Cuietly.
Cerato !nows so well the little +aths that lead to nowhere( and
Centaury ever see!s the wea!est who find their -urden heavy.
5 *ompare the final indications for Water (iolet# where self+reliance and
independence are more characteristic of this personality than pride and
disdain. See www.bachcentre.com/healers# page 23.
6 ,i!e the negative state# the positive -ality associated here with 'eather also
has in it a strong echo of %ach&s later description of (ine.
.
<oc! %ater has for,otten to accuse( he Aust s+ends all the time
encoura,in,.
8
/ervain no lon,er +reaches -ut silently +oints the way.
Im+atiens !nows no hurry( -ut lin,ers amon, the hindmost to !ee+
their +ace@ and %ater /iolet( more li!e an an,el than a man( +asses
amon,st the com+any li!e a -reath of warm wind or a ray of ,lorious
sunshine( -lessin, everyone.
) /gain# see the introdctory note# page 4.
0
The Story of Clematis Itself
>1933?
1$
"nd do you wonder that I want to ,o awayH Iou see( I have fi0ed
my thou,hts on earthly thin,s( on earthly +eo+le( and if they ,o I so
want to follow them. I Aust want to fly away and -e where they are.
Can you -lame meH 2y dreams( my ideal( my romance. %hy should I
not -e with all these thin,s( and what can you offer me that is -etterH
Fothin, that I can see. Iou only offer me cold materialism( life on the
earth with all its hardshi+s and sorrows( and there far away is my
dream( my ideal. 1o you -lame me if I follow itH
"nd Clematis came alon, and said( "re your ideals Bod=s idealsH
"re you sure that you are servin, Dim %ho made you( %ho created
you( %ho ,ave you your life( or are you listenin, Aust to some other
human -ein, who is tryin, to claim you( and so you are for,ettin, that
you are a son of Bod with all Dis 1ivinity within your soul( and instead
of this ,lorious reality you are -ein, lured away -y Aust some other
human -ein,.
I !now how we lon, to fly away to more wonderful realms( -ut(
-rothers of the human world( let us first fulfil our duty and even not
our duty -ut our Aoy( and may you adorn the +laces where you live and
strive to ma!e them -eautiful as I endeavour to ma!e the hed,es
,lorious( so that they have called me the Travellers= Joy.
9
. 1ravellers& 2oy is a contry name for Clematis vitalba.
11
The Story of Centaury Itself
>1933?
12
I am wea!( yes( I !now I am wea!( -ut whyH Because I have learnt to
hate stren,th and +ower and dominion( and if I do err a little on the
wea!ness side( for,ive me( -ecause it is only a reaction to the hatred of
hurtin, others( and I shall soon learn to understand how to find the
-alance when I neither hurt nor am hurtin,. But Aust for the moment I
would rather that I suffered than that I caused one moment=s +ain to
my -rother.
So -e very +atient with your little Centaury( she is wea!( I !now( -ut
it is a wea!ness on the ri,ht side( and I shall soon ,row -i,,er and
stron,er and more -eautiful until you will all admire me -ecause of the
stren,th I shall -rin, to you.
13
" Story of the #odiac
>193$?
14
%hen our 3ord( the Breat Brother of the race( deemed it time for us
to learn yet another lesson from the ,reat Boo! of 3ife( the messen,er
came all shinin, in the dar!ness of ni,ht( in the cold of winter when
the +hysical life is inward drawn( and heralded the new revelation of
yet another as+ect of 3ove which man was now ,rowin, stron, enou,h
to -ear. But men were terri-ly afraid of the 3i,ht and the "n,els( so that
instead of feelin, Aoy and ha++iness( they had to -e told to fear not that
5eace and Boodwill would come to them. To these tidin,s they listened
with -ended !nees( with eyes downcast( to ma!e sure that the safe
earth( which they !new( was still -eneath their feet( for of this alone
they were sure. Fow the soil on which they lived and which ,ave them
food in a-undance( held many her-s for their healin, -ut these they
would have to find for themselves.
The wise Brothers of the race who had lon, a,o received the Aoyful
news from the stars sou,ht for these her-s(
9
these true friends of man(
which held +owers for their healin, and they found the Twelve Dealers
throu,h virtue of the Kour Del+ers.
0 %ach&s search for correspondences between remedies and astrological signs
may be one root of his early con3ectre that there wold be twelve main
remedies# althogh a letter written in 1033 already e4pressed dobts5 67 am
being catios as regards astrology... 7 do not wish to be associated with
anything dogmatic# ntil one is sre.8 %y 1036 it was clear that astrology
was one of the pieces of 6scaffolding8 that %ach sed to help constrct the
system# bt for which the finished system had no se.
15
The Kour Del+ers were the faith in a -etter world which they ho+ed
one day to attain( now reflected in the flamin, Borse -ush. The
+erseverance of the a! which -raved all tem+ests( offerin, shelter and
su++ort to the wea!er thin,s. The willin,ness to serve of Deather(
which was ,lad to cover with its sim+le -eauty the arid wind.tossed
s+aces( and the +ure s+rin,s ,ushin, from the roc!s(
1*
-rin,in,
-ri,htness and refreshment to those weary and sore after -attle.
1$ / reference to the "oc! Water remedy# the only %ach remedy that doesn&t
se flowers.
16
The Story of the a! Tree
>193$?
1)
ne day( and not very lon, a,o( a man was leanin, a,ainst an oa!
tree in an old +ar! in Surrey( and he heard what the oa! tree was
thin!in,. Fow that sounds a very funny thin,( -ut trees do thin!( you
!now( and some +eo+le can understand what they are thin!in,.
This old oa! tree( and it was a very old oa! tree( was sayin, to itself(
LDow I envy those cows in the meadow that can wal! a-out the field(
and here I am@ and everythin, around so -eautiful( so wonderful( the
sunshine and the -reeMes and the rain and yet I am rooted to the s+ot.L
"nd years afterwards the man found that in the flowers of the oa!
tree was a ,reat +ower( the +ower to heal a lot of sic! +eo+le( and so he
collected the flowers of the oa! trees and made them into medicines(
and lots and lots of +eo+le were healed and made well a,ain.
Some time after this on a hot summer=s afternoon( the man was
lyin, on the ed,e of a cornfield very nearly aslee+( and he heard a tree
thin!in,( as some +eo+le can hear trees thin!. The tree was s+ea!in, to
itself very Cuietly( and it was sayin,( LI don=t any lon,er envy the cows
who can wal! a-out the meadows( -ecause I can ,o to all the four
Cuarters of the world to heal the +eo+le who are illL; and the man
loo!ed u+ and found that it was an oa! tree thin!in,.
1.
The %alnut Tree
>193&?
10
This remedy( %alnut( is the remedy of advancin, sta,es; teethin,(
+u-erty( chan,e of life.
"lso for the -i, decisions made durin, life( such as chan,e of
reli,ion( chan,e of occu+ation( chan,e of country.
It is the remedy for a ,reat chan,e. The remedy for those who have
decided to ta!e a ,reat ste+ forward in life. The decision to ste+
forward( to -rea! old conventions( to leave old limits and restrictions(
and to start on a new and -etter way( often -rin,s with it +hysical
sufferin, -ecause of the sli,ht re,rets( the sli,ht heart.-rea!in,s at
severance from old ties( old associations( old thou,hts.
This remedy will soothe and hel+ to a-olish the +hysical reactions
under such conditions( whether the ste+ forward -ein, ta!en is of a
mental or +hysical nature.
It is the remedy which hel+s us to +ass throu,h all such states
without re,rets( without memories of the +ast( without fears for the
future( and therefore saves us from the mental and +hysical sufferin,
which is so often associated with such events.
2$
6ndou-tedly a ,reat s+ell.-rea!er( -oth of thin,s of the +ast
commonly called heredity( and circumstances of the +resent.
21