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Plant Spirit Essences

Contents:

Introduction……………………………………………………………….3

1. Four leafed clover – Talk with Nature Spirits………………8

2. Five leafed clover – Dynamic Will…………………………..8
3. Hawthorn – Innocent Heart……………………………………8
4. Wild Thyme – Mother of Intuition…………………………...8
5. Stinking Iris – Finding invisible Limitations………………..9
6. Comfrey – Cut past negativity……………………………….10
7. Rosa Rugosa – Sense of Self…………………………………..10
8. St. John’s Wort – Wake up…………………………………….10
9. Nasturtium – Protect Happiness……………………………..10
10. Purple Foxglove – Doorway to Faery Realms………………11
11. White Foxglove – Doorway to Spirit Realms………………..11
12. Mountain White Gentian and Dakini – Kaleidoscope of the
Future…………………………………………………………….12
13. Touch-Me-Not – Protect the Heart……………………………12
14. Blue Morning Glory – Power Plant Ally……………………..13
15. Datura – Power Plant Ally……………………………………..13
16. Pennyroyal – Purifier…………………………………………..15
17. Snowdrop – Simplicity…………………………………………15
18. Cowslip – Give up Overwhelm……………………………….16
19. Sunflower – Grow into Yourself………………………………17
20. Papaya – Make my own decisions………………………...…17
21. Flamingo Lily – Pleasure Principle…………………………..18
22. Vipers Bugloss – Unbinding Power………………………….18
23. Ivy Leafed Toadflax – The Spirit of the Gate………………..19
24. Lily of the Valley – Notice……………………………………..20
25. Periwinkle – Dynamism…………………………………….….20
26. Cuckoo Pint – Astral strength…………………………………20
27. Gorse – Object of Desire………………………………………21
28. Hedge Woundwort – Spirit guardian………………………..21
29. Nine-petalled Buttercup – Adaptability……………………..21
30. Water Forget-me-not – Etheric consciousness…………….22
31. Self-Heal – Dream experience………………………………..23
32. Oxtongue – Find sense in suffering…………………….23
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33. Chickweed –I am good enough……………………...…24

34. Black Tulip – Unique & Individual………………………27
35. Cornflower – Vision………………………………………27
36. Centaury – Balance……………………………………….28
37. Rose Bay Willow Herb – Grow anew…………………..28
38. Scarlet Pimpernel – Create with laughter…………....29
39. Yellow Archangel – Basic Sanity………………………..30
40. Bluebell………………………………………………….....31
41. Honesty……………………………………………………..31
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Introduction

We human beings depend entirely upon the plant life on this planet for our
very existence. Plants are the basis of all the food we eat, even the air we
breathe. The Plant Spirit is truly the greatest of all friends to humanity. All
the medicines of modern medical science have their origin in plants. Plants
and flowers gladden the heart with their beauty and raise our spirits when we
are down. We give nothing to plants, mostly not even our love or respect, we
take them completely for granted – yet still they give us everything including
their own life-force.

Working with the Plant Spirits will not only help us to heal, it will gradually
awaken in us the love and respect for all of Mother Earth and her inhabitants,
bringing us the realization that we all depend on each other. Beyond personal
healing, the message from the Plant Spirit is that we need to wake up (and
fast) to the global pollution and destruction of natural habitats that we are
causing – or we humans may not survive at all.

These Plant Spirit Essences have been made with the greatest of care under
the direction of each Plant Spirit itself. It has taken a year and many
thousands of miles of travelling to put together this small collection. The
range will gradually be expanded and explained more over time.

The explanations in this booklet use the language of my particular training

and experience – this is how I have translated what each plant spirit told me.
With experience you will find your own words and explanations. ‘As above,
so below’ is a universal doctrine – your words may differ from mine, yet the
essence will be the same.

Plant Spirit Essences work at the level of spirit. That is to say they work
powerfully, yet subtly in the background, helping us to understand our
situation, providing us with tools to move through our difficulties. Taking the
essences is really a process of learning, empowerment, and change. Healing,
mental, emotional, and physical, happens as a result of this process.

The Essences are not like pills, they do not work at all like conventional
medicines and it would be a mistake to think of them in this way. They
contain none of the physical plant material and are simply spring water
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containing the vibration of the Spirit and brandy to stop the water spoiling.
Physically there is nothing to see, nothing to react with (unless you are
sensitive to brandy). They work purely at the level of Spirit (where your
spirit meets the plant spirit) and the subtle body systems. I have chosen,
therefore, to explain some of their actions in terms of Oriental Medicine –
acupuncture, the chakras and so on.

How to Choose Essences

The general principle when choosing Essences is to choose the ones you
want. Not the ones someone else says, not the ones you feel you ought to
have because someone says you are a certain way. Choose for yourself. Work
on the things that you want to work on, in the way you want to work on them.

Here are a few methods which may help:

1. Read the explanations in this booklet. I am confident that the
explanations, though by no means exhaustive, are good ones.
2. Look at pictures of the flowers or see them in your mind’s eye.
Which ones call you? Which ones feel right?
3. Use your intuition to guide you to each essence. Talk to the plant
spirit in your mind and ask for help. Hold it in your hand – does it
feel right? If your mind is not too busy you may even notice a
message from the plant spirit itself – an image, a word, a feeling, a
sensation, maybe more.
4. Ask for help from your Guide, or Angel to direct you to what you
need. If you have not consciously communicated with your Guides
before, know and trust that they are always with you and allow them
to show you.
5. Take Four leafed clover essence for a month. This will improve your
ability to resonate with Nature Spirits, including these plant spirits.
Choosing will be easier. If you also allow yourself some quiet
contemplative time each day, you will really begin to realize the
amazing potential that working with plant spirits holds.

How to use the Essences

Take 4 drops 4 times per day. Either drop straight into the mouth or put in a
glass of water.
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Taking the Essences is a spiritual practice in itself. Firstly it is a practice of

discipline and of mindfulness. Secondly, it is a powerful act of magick,
empowering the vision and intent of a positive future. Thirdly, you are
working on the interrelation of your beliefs with your experience, realizing
after a while that they are interdependent and moveable, not fixed.
Dedicating any benefit you receive from taking the Essences for all beings
(including yourself!) is a powerful way to protect and multiply that benefit.

The effects of taking the Essences is enduring, yet the process is flexible. If
the spirit is taking you through change at a rate you are not able to withstand
then stop taking it. What you have gained so far will stay with you, and the
continuing influence of the plant spirit will diminish very fast – being mostly
gone within a day and completely gone within 3 days.

You can use many Essences together – they do not interfere with each other.
You can also take the Spirit Essence of any plants that you are taking as
herbal extracts. Commercially produced herbs have lost their spirit. Taking
the Spirit Essence as well as the herb will greatly enhance the effectiveness
of the herb. St John’s Wort, Evening Primrose and Hawthorn herbs benefit
especially well.

A Note on Meditation and the Ego

There is no greater gift that you can give yourself than learning how to
meditate. Start today and continue for the rest of your life. It doesn’t matter
what your religion, what your spiritual path, how you choose to express what
you find, meditation will empower you in this life, in death, and beyond.

People mean many things these days by ‘meditation’. When I mention

meditation in this booklet I mean shamatha and vipasyana. That is to say
Calm Abiding through the Practice of Mindfulness and Insight. It is the basic
(ie forming the base or foundation) meditation, explicit or implicit, of all
spiritual paths.

This is not the place to talk in depth about meditation so please refer to some
of the many books available on the subject and find a teacher.
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When I mention the ‘ego’ I mean the ‘negative ego’. That is the smug,
selfish, limiting, dualistic ego. The ‘demon’ ego, you could say. The ego
always works against our best interest and continually tricks us into adopting
its agenda as our own.

‘Ego’ is also used, by for example the psychoanalytical tradition, to mean

‘sense of self’ (from the Latin ego ‘I am’). At no time in this booklet do I use
‘ego’ to mean sense of self. A healthy sense of self is very important and we
should distinguish carefully between our sense of self and the ego. This
distinction as I use it comes from the teachings of the Buddha Dharma and
further study in that system will make the meaning clear if you don’t already
understand.

And finally…

It is my sincerest hope and wish that these Plant Spirit Essences enrich your
life and help you to develop the qualities and abilities to overcome your
difficulties and limitations whatever they may be. The process of bringing
them to you has been sometimes joyous, sometimes difficult, yet always
fulfilling. I hope your experience of taking them is just as fulfilling.

David Harris
Warwickshire Sept 2006
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The Spirit Essences

1. Four leafed clover – Talk with Nature Spirits: Our 4 leafed

clover essence is made with 4 plant spirits from high in the
Kaueranga valley in New Zealand. The presence of the 4th leaf
shows that a nature spirit has made its home in the clover. I have
found it to be very helpful and well-disposed towards human beings.
It helps open us to the dimension of wonder and magick in nature,
teaching us how to talk with nature spirits direct and bringing us a
certain type of stability and peacefulness. It gently and progressively
opens the door to our psychic nature in general. It can be taken
continuously over a long period and will constantly bring you fresh
insights into the miracles of Nature – and how you are a part of that
miracle!

2. Five leafed clover – Dynamic Will: Our essence contains the spirit
essence of 5 5 leafed clovers all found within 5 minutes in a very
magickal spot in the Kaueranga valley. Five leafed clover is always
red and works with the dynamic of Fire – it is very dynamic and
transformative! By itself it strengthens and balances the Will. It
works with what it finds in the intention – so take it with a specific
purpose in mind. It strengthens the effects of any essence(s) that it is
mixed with.

3. Hawthorn – Innocent Heart: Protects innocence. Connects with

the deepest heart essence of pure intent. Eases the heart through
spaciousness, reminding a very deep part of us that truly we exist
beyond cares and concerns; that we are unlimited, beautiful and free.
Helps rebuild self-value, trust and love of self and others. In this
way, helps heal the deep cause of heart problems.

4. Wild Thyme – Mother of Intuition: Awakens and strengthens

psychic and empathic abilities. We learn more and more how to use
our intuition. Taken over time builds penetrating psychic awareness
to gradually widening spheres. The spirit of Wild Thyme reminds us
(and shows us!) that the more we open to universal love and genuine
compassion, the more our psychic abilities (which are a natural part
of us) develop.
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Psychic abilities (siddhis) develop as a matter of course with the

progressive integration of the personality, or as obscurations are
removed (which is another way of saying the same thing) on the
spiritual path. The energy of Wild Thyme is beautiful and ethereal,
lunar and feminine. Take it under a New Moon on top of a hill in as
wild/ natural a place in the countryside as you can find. Maybe ask
Bluebell for help in composing a prayer to the Goddess (or whatever
your vision of the Creator is). Then relax in the stillness.
Alternatively, dance with the Wild Thyme spirit under the Full
Moon, then sit or lie down and just feel. These simple exercises will
bring much greater benefits and insights than you may presently
believe.

5. Stinking Iris – Finding invisible Limitations: Saturnine.

Underworld. Metal Element (esp Large Intestine meridian). Brings
clarity concerning problems where we always get stuck and have no
idea why. The gate to the underworld, though not particularly a
protector. Brings knowledge of ancestral patterns which have come
down to the present. Good to show the cause of eg Fertility
problems and seeing the root of a problem. Taking this essence can
be quite challenging. Begin first with Comfrey if you have no
experience of Underworld working. Combine Comfrey with Hedge
Woundwort and Snowdrop for a while before taking Stinking Iris.
This establishes your Guides and Allies at the level of the Heart and
empowers your sense of inspiration in the Now, in simplicity. Then
when the previously invisible patterns of your Underworld become
visible, you will comprehend them and re-integrate them easily.
Combines well with talking therapy also.

6. Comfrey – Cut past negativity: Whatever we have done in the

past, and whatever the past has done to us, in a negative way, we
carry with us in the present – either in conscious awareness or
slightly submerged. Comfrey brings the perspective of a type of
non-attachment which allows us to cut the cycle of repeating
negative patterns. Releases the Large Intestine meridian and
empowers the Lung meridian. Good all round Metal Element
remedy. Modern medical research is looking at Comfrey as a
curative in cancer – the correlative of this in its spirit is its ability to
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help us release limiting conditioned behaviours, especially those

with roots in very early childhood.

7. Rosa Rugosa – Sense of Self: Brings protection to the Heart in the

sense that it helps us distinguish our sense of self from the ego. Just
as the rose’s beauty is protected by its thorns, with a strong sense of
self we value the beauty of life and know when it is appropriate to
protect ourselves.

Red Rosa Rugosa: Better for those who need more passion and
involvement with life.

White Rosa Rugosa: Better for those who need to find more time
and space for the beauty of simplicity.

8. St. John’s Wort – Wake up: Sunshine. Strengthens the pineal/

spleen connection and solar plexus chakra. In this way helps connect
us with our inspiration and enthusiasm to rebuild positive
expectation. Helps depression, especially that stemming from giving
away power in interpersonal relationships. Also good for helping us
re-establish good relationships with food where these have gone
awry.

9. Nasturtium – Protect Happiness: The Will to live and enjoy.

Restores Will and Faith in life and love after suffering from abusive
people or situations. Raises the vitality of the Gao Huang (the palace
of the life force, situated below the heart) and thereby acts as a
shield from psychic vampirism and/or emotional manipulation. Sets
a shield in the aura, thus allowing lesions to heal from within. This
nasturtium essence also includes a Sentinel or guardian spirit that
actively deters people from interfering with you.

10. Purple Foxglove – Doorway to Faery Realms: This essence has

been used as a doorway & guide to the Faery realms and to
empower Astral projection generally. The herb’s association with
helping the heart is a reflection from the power of the spirit to
connect us with the Void space of peace beyond ego attachment.
This space of peace arises naturally when we connect to the
harmony of Nature. And this is what purple foxglove enables us to
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do, if we have lost that connection, teaching us in the mean time to

love and protect our Mother Earth.

11. White Foxglove – Doorway to Spirit Realms: Sister of the purple

foxglove, her sphere of operation is above the Void in the realms of
spiritual manifestation. She may ask you for a password before she
guides you in her realms. This word is secret in the real sense that it
is incapable of being told to anyone else. It is linked to the 3rd Eye/
Ajna chakra and in finding it you will find what is necessary and
how to be in order to link with the White Foxglove and your own
higher spiritual nature. Work first with Purple Foxglove and then
with White Foxglove and they will show you how to find your
word.

White Foxglove is closely connected with the energy of the

Governor meridian in acupuncture and brings you vision from the
overall perspective of your spirit. Her assistance is very helpful in
divination and in the over-view of creating new systems and
strategies. The actual implementation from the realm of spirit is then
facilitated by, eg White Gentian.

She protects the outer layer of the aura – like a ‘bell cover’: you are
‘clad in spirit’ and lower energies do not see you or do not
comprehend you.

12. Mountain White Gentian and Dakini – Kaleidoscope of the

Future: Gathered from the slopes of Mount_________, the most
active volcano in New Zealand. This is a unique and very special
essence as a White Dakini appeared and blessed it with her energy
(of purifying clarity). In Chinese medicine, the energy of this plant
spirit would appear along the wood-metal axis. The virtue of this
essence is to widen our view of our possible futures. Through
negativity we close down our expectations and eventually lose sight
of any possibility in our Future, settling instead for an uninspired
present and a vague belief that we are somehow ‘fated’ to be
miserable and unfulfilled. This essence opens us again to the
kaleidoscope of possible futures that are ours already and helps us to
realize that we are free and able to choose whichever we will. It
opens the door to the future with uncompromising clarity – ground
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yourself well and if it’s still a bit much, take an essence such as
Hedge woundwort to re-establish the awareness at the Heart Centre.

13. Touch-Me-Not – Protect the Heart: This essence was gathered

from Far North Queensland in Australia, during monsoon – the
prevailing environmental conditions enhancing its natural qualities
of balancing Fire & Water Elements. In acupuncture terms this is
the essence to bring discriminating awareness/ discernment (Water)
to the Heart Protector (Fire). If our Heart Protector is over-sensitive
we can shut down and withdraw into ourselves at the slightest
provocation, feeling hurt, confused and unloved. Touch-me-not
strengthens the Heart Protector, enabling us to talk through the
painful situation, thus re-establishing the links of loving
communication at all levels, that is so necessary for our well-being.
The Heart Protector is also called the Circulation Sex meridian and
touch-me-not helps re-establish the right balance between Will and
Flow (Fire and Water) to empower sexual energy.

14. Blue Morning Glory – Power Plant Ally: When we wish to

‘escape’ from where we are or even what we are, we can become
depressed, dreaming utopian fantasies, wishing upon a star, wishing
we were far away, better, different, hankering after the land of milk
and honey. This state is all too often accepted and indulged in our
society, even encouraged as some kind of ‘naïve optimism’. It is
nothing of the sort. Naivety as innocence, and optimism as hope,
may well be virtues – escapism, however, traps us where we are (ie
where we don’t want to be) – its message is pessimism (the utopia is
distant and unattainable). This is exploited by consumerism (to keep
us unhappy, yearning for what we don’t have and therefore buying
stuff) and all too often results in the dreadful ‘sweetness and light’
kind of spirituality which is really neither ‘sweet’ nor ‘light’!

The initiation of morning glory puts us beyond the need to escape by

gradually awakening in us the understanding that we are beings who
exist within and also beyond time and space. The perspective of
infinite space and time, beyond the level of normal conceptual
awareness, brings a willingness to cooperate with our circumstances
as well as a natural understanding that we can change things if we
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want to, that the problems that we are ‘escaping from’ aren’t as
‘real’ or solid as we may have believed.

It also enables communication with extra-terrestrial intelligences

and combines well with Moldavite crystal essence for this purpose.
(For people who have experienced unwanted interference from
Aliens there are protectors that are very efficient – please contact the
author)

15. Datura – Power Plant Ally: Taking this essence is a journey of

initiation. It opens the central channel of the subtle body system,
which is another way of saying the same thing. The Herb has
traditionally been used as a kind of astral-projection rocket fuel!
Opening the central channel has the effect of allowing
communication between the chakras. Up to Ajna (brow) chakra this
allows for gradual integration of the personality. It is therefore very
useful to use with any kind of self-development work.

In order to travel with Datura we have to ‘let go’ of our limited self.
This is what Datura teaches. It brings our awareness to the part of us
that is beyond death. As this awareness strengthens, the dream-like
quality of life (and death) becomes more apparent and the
movement of kundalini through the upper chakras is empowered.
The practical upshot of working with Datura Spirit – the mechanics
of how it works are this: it sounds very nice to let go of our limited
self (and it is), yet if we look at what constitutes this ‘limited self’
we will get an idea of the process involved. The limited self is all
the negativity, the paranoia and fear, the greed and apathy, the
hatred and the ‘reassuring smallness’ and so on. To let go of these
things means that they rise strongly in the mind and we don’t get
caught out by them, but see through them. In other words, seeing
their lack of substance (‘reality’) we can let them ‘die’ and move
beyond.

To use Datura safely in its herbal form, the would-be shaman goes
through a death-rebirth initiation. This ‘death-initiation’ so-called, is
a powerful way of fixing in the psyche a view of beyond-death to
allow us to stay sane & aware through the most powerful of
mental/emotional risings.
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For us, working with the Spirit essence rather than the herb, we can
expect gradually to ‘see beyond’ the limited self and to gain this
view especially when our more difficult emotions and attachments/
aversions rise.

Datura daytime essence: collected during the late afternoon allows

the process to begin while the ‘sunlight’ of reason maintains a
certain control.

Datura nightime essence: collected at night under the particular

influence of Sirius, takes the process beyond reason, developing our
intuition as a guide, unlocks our deepest fears and blocks, carrying
us beyond to an abiding sense of a greater reality.

Remember this is a Power Ally. The power of Power is always Love

and Love is in essence One, yet manifests in many ways.
Uncompromising clarity is certainly the love expressed by Datura –
so hurry slowly!

16. Pennyroyal – Purifier: Links the crown and base chakras. The
process is one of integration of the personality by recognizing and
working with our own patterns and also by seeing where we have
adopted the attitudes, beliefs and traits of others as a ‘rescue’. In
other words where we have lied to ourselves and submerged our true
character through confusion and adopted the view of an external
strong Will (either of a person or of a system).

Pennyroyal gives us the vision and the strength to undertake the

journey which is actually a purification of karma. It interrupts the
process by which the ego hijacks our consciousness. The same
vision and strength is applied successively to each of the chakras in
turn bringing many benefits including the release old patterns and
limiting concepts. Pennyroyal will help you identify where you
habitually go wrong and by helping you understand it/ experience it
in a different way, help you get past it.

17. Snowdrop – Simplicity: A great Buddhist master once said that the
trouble with Western people is that we are very lazy. When it was
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pointed out to him that we rush around doing thousands of things

and in fact are hardly ever still at all, he replied, ‘Yes, that is exactly
the way in which they are lazy’. What he was referring to is the
neurotic compulsive way we rush around, our heads full of thousand
stories – we want happiness, yet we seem to do our best to avoid it.
For Buddhists the ultimate happiness comes with the enlightenment
of Buddhahood. Snowdrop essence can’t give you that! It can,
however, open the door again to our innocent nature and the
happiness that comes from our contentment simply to be, rather than
do. This is the first way we can use it: to empower our sense of
simple happiness in being – even amidst the hurry-scurry of our
daily lives. Secondly, this innocence empowers our confidence from
beyond the realm of the conceptual/ neurotic mind, allowing us to
act and react in a straightforward uncontrived manner. It is therefore
useful when our neurotic mind has entangled us so much that we
feel somehow ‘inauthentic’ and don’t know what to do for the best.
The Buddhists would say that this is all to be gained from shamatha
anyway – and they are right! And this is another clue.

18. Cowslip – Give up Overwhelm: When we feel overwhelmed by

life, we desperately push everything and everyone away, We do this
obviously, or (more often) subtly – we begin to mis-time events and
meetings to avoid people and situations (making it look all the time
like we ‘can’t help it’). We build a personality of being
downtrodden to manipulate those around us and justify internally by
telling ourselves that ‘I do so much to help others all the time’. We
don’t take anything in and we don’t really give anything out – we
just want everyone else to think we do. This is what drains us of
energy. Cowslip restores the vitality of the Stomach meridian and
the Earth element generally, working at the level of the solar plexus
chakra and its association with the spleen. In other words it helps
restore our centre, freeing us from the sense of overwhelm and
restoring genuine communication (give and take) with those around
us. This is an initial step in re-building Will. (see also Papaya)

19. Sunflower – Grow into Yourself: Sunflower brings us the qualities

of courage, optimism, motivation and joy – strengthening the basis
of these qualities: a worthy sense of self. It teaches us to make the
best of what we already have/ are while encouraging personal
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growth born out of enthusiasm. Just as a sunflower seed will

produce a perfect mini-sized plant if left in a small pot and grow
rapidly to a giant if planted in the ground, its spirit essence teaches
us to display joyfully and proudly what we are while realizing that it
is good and natural to get motivated about our goals and growth. It
combines well with periwinkle to get us moving; with orchid to
bring our desire and passion back when they are dulled; with Alfalfa
or Dandelion to deepen our root to give us the basis for further
growth. It helps us to build confidence and very importantly to
realize that contentment is kin with gratitude/ generosity and not
with stagnation or any kind of smug self-satisfaction. Sunflower
helps us to shine!

20. Papaya – Make my own decisions: The energy of the Papaya

spirit is very strong and direct – like all tropical plants. Its main
virtue is in expelling ‘parasites’ from the solar plexus and
unhooking us from the grab of those who attempt to dominate us by
imposing fallacious moral/ ethical ‘codes’ on us for their own ends.
These ‘parasites’ appear in the mind as ‘should/ shouldn’t’ rules and
are accompanied by an emotional discomfort, a sense of struggle as
our own will tries to oust the invading will. When we ‘fail’ (it feels
like this) to oust the invader it shows we are carrying one or more
psychic parasites. These effectively prevent us from experiencing
our own life in an authentic way. The physical correlative of this is
stomach/ digestive problems – we cannot take in experience (food)
satisfactorily and so cannot make proper decisions and value
judgements (digestion) based on that. These ‘parasites’ stay in the
system until removed. Related to this main function, Papaya’s
second virtue is to increase our sense of ‘righteousness’ (related to
the Metal Element in Chinese Medicine) whereby further attempts
to parasitize us are repelled.

Male Papaya is useful for problems now. Female Papaya is

particularly suited to dealing with these issues when related to
Ancestral limitation patterns concerning eg ‘purity’ and ‘sin’ –
especially those attached to heavy judgementalism and control-
through-guilt.
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21. Flamingo Lily – Pleasure Principle: Pleasure is an ever-rolling

dynamic between desire and fulfilment. It is different from
happiness (see snowdrop) yet happiness and pleasure together
produce a synergy, actually an alchemy, which is a vibrant life-force
expressed in enthusiasm and joy. Flamingo lily connects us with this
exuberant force in Nature. The main effect of this is to increase our
personal magnetism. More therapeutically, Flamingo lily connects
the Heart centre and the gonads (in women & men) so is very useful
especially for couples engaged in tantric work or Taoist dual-
cultivation methods.

22. Vipers Bugloss – Unbinding Power: A problem often encountered

in developing the psychic part of our nature is that our sensitivity
can develop before our strength. In this case, strength develops out
of necessity – it has to develop for us to carry on functioning. This
is not a comfortable process. Commonly we lose our Root and our
View – this can lead to extremes mentally, emotionally and
physically.

We learn from Vipers Bugloss that Power is Love. We begin to

understand that the Power of Love is the same as and different from
the Love of Power: it is the same inasmuch as it is the Love which
is Power; it is different insofar as the ego perverts it into dualisms eg
tyranny/ slavery. The ego has done such a thorough job of enslaving
us that we can even be suspicious or afraid of developing our Power.

It is this perversion of Power by the ego that taps our insecurities as

our psychic abilities develop. It is out of these insecurities that we
can strike with venom, injuring those around us. Or, indeed, feel as
if we have been terribly wounded because we are over-sensitive.

The snake and spider signature of Vipers Bugloss is akin to that of

the scorpion in other cultures – notably the Tibetan and Egyptian.
The sting is always that of the ego. Vipers Bugloss helps us see
through this illusion and taken over time raises the vibration of the
soul in its journey on the Path of Return (of the Kabbalah), also
known as the rise of the Kundalini Shakti. In this way it unbinds us
gradually from the ego, which is another way of saying that it
progressively unbinds the chakras.
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Use this remedy to help in balancing your psychic development,

and/ or if you are perhaps over-sensitive. It can also unbind you
from charms and glamours thrown by others.

23. Ivy Leafed Toadflax – The Spirit of the Gate: It is related to all
acupuncture points with door or gate in their name – especially
those on Water (will), Wood (decision), and Metal (discernment)
meridians. A gate links two spaces and also keeps them separate. To
pass through the gate is a type of death/ re-birth experience –
leaving one realm behind and entering a new realm, a new
experience of life. If you are ready to move to a new space –
literally or metaphorically – yet somehow seem blocked then the
Guardian of the Gate is blocking your way. Ivy Leafed Toadflax
brings you awareness of what you need to work on to pass through
your gate and helps you to do it. Good also for shape-shifting. Very
good when combined with White Gentian.

24. Lily of the Valley – Notice: Firstly Lily of the Valley disconnects
the train of the consecutive thought process and then allows our
awareness to expand into the layers of our aura. This brings an
enriched experience of our interaction with the world around us –
we notice what is going on more fully and in more detail. If you take
this essence while continuing in your daily life, you will notice its
effects more and actually enhance them, when you sit quietly.

While we see/ experience our mind and brain as one thing, no higher
abilities can develop. The paradox is that while the mind and brain
remain undifferentiated they cannot be synchronized – by seeing/
experiencing them as separate, it is obvious whether they are
synchronized or not. It is this synchronicity that allows access to that
particular sort of calm in which higher abilities develop.

Incidentally, the sort of calm – which is the balance between tension

& relaxation/ tone & spaciousness/ cognisance and emptiness – is
the calm of the Heart space in Chinese medicine. No wonder then,
that as a herb Lily of the Valley has been used as a heart and
cardiovascular tonic.
 18

25. Periwinkle – Dynamism: Periwinkle is about getting going! It can

help to bring us the dynamism needed to move forward with
projects and in our life generally. It has an affinity with the throat
chakra and can thus bring this dynamic quality to our speech –
helping us to say what we need to say, when we need to say it. It can
help with all problems characterized by stuckness and lack of energy
flow (and in this regard is useful for Liver qi stagnation).

26. Cuckoo Pint – Astral strength: Cuckoo Pint strengthens the astral
body in all its aspects and is an infallible guide on the astral plane, if
we gain its cooperation there. It naturally retrieves parts of our soul
that we may have lost. The sign that this is happening is that
memories and feelings that we had long forgotten surface again.
With a little thought you will see many possible uses for Cuckoo
Pint in your magick.

27. Gorse – Object of Desire: Just as the orchid spirits can help us re-
connect with our desire when we have lost it, Gorse can help us to
define or refine that desire into what we actually want: it is
connected with determining the object of our desire. Desire is
oriented towards the future (and in its positive manifestation,
empowers the present). Gorse helps us to channel that desire into
what we want. This is the natural expression of energy running
through the Stomach meridian. The Stomach meridian of our culture
generally, you could say, has gone mad: we are ‘super-consumers’
of many more things (food and also objects) than we can really use/
‘digest’. Gorse helps us to differentiate between what we want and
what others have hypnotized us into believing we want. To know
what we want is very useful – it empowers us in many ways and
also makes us less susceptible to giving away our power.

28. Hedge Woundwort – Spirit guardian: Hedge Woundwort heals

old emotional wounds. Its particular connection with the heart centre
also brings knowledge of and communication with your own spirit
guardians and power allies. These may manifest in many ways, all
positive and life-enhancing. The ego uses old emotional wounds to
keep us trapped in the past and in pain, encouraging us to blame and
manipulate others. When wounded we can be desperate and vicious,
 19

uncaring of ourselves or others. Hedge woundwort is the essence of

loving care that gives us the supportive internal space to heal.

29. Nine-petalled Buttercup – Adaptability: The virtue of this essence

is adaptability – the particular sort of adaptability that is needed
when we tend to plan our life and goals in a rigid fashion, becoming
upset or irritated when we have to change (usually it is someone
else’s fault!). Buttercup also helps us to recognize our inner passion
and bring it forward in word or deed.

30. Water Forget-me-not – Etheric consciousness: The transmission

of qi (energy) in the body depends upon the relation of the etheric
and the physical: they need to slide over one another like
membranes. Busy-ness in the mind causes the etheric to adhere at
places to the physical and the qi cannot flow. Under great mental
stress or mental disquiet for a long time, the etheric becomes more
and more tightly stuck to the physical – almost like shrink wrap. The
qi flow is greatly reduced and illness is not far away. Certainly there
will be tiredness, a lack-lustre appearance and a lack of enthusiasm.
We may either give in to this or (typically) re-double our efforts,
producing periods of frenetic activity followed by collapse.

WFMN separates the physical & etheric slightly, mimicking deep

relaxation or the early stages of sleep. It is the essence of water
moving slowly and gently – its power is coiling, sinuous and silken.
This does not mean that we become sleepy or relaxed automatically
– as with eg Lily of the Valley, you will notice how WFMN is
working more when you sit quietly or do qigong. During the day,
when you are moving around and busy WFMN works away in the
background. Its virtue is in bringing awareness to the etheric body in
oneself and others. It allows energy from the breath, from the higher
parts or our nature and from the environment to restore the etheric
body. It is thus good to use in conjunction with Taiqi practice and
for Energy working/ healing at the level of the qi.

Mentally and emotionally WFMN allows the awareness to expand at

the level of the etheric. It also brings forward an innate knowledge
of how the breath connects with the energy of the body.
 20

31. Self-Heal – Dream experience: In dream the organization of our

conscious awareness changes in emphasis from a great involvement
of the linear-rational mind to much more associative and emotional.
The emotional content of normal dreams relates to the successive
suppression of emotions through the glandular system. This is
similar to waking life, except that in dreams we have less control so
that the habitual emotional states are stronger, more visible. If we
have more consciousness in the dream state we can experience the
‘layers’ of suppression of emotions, arriving at the clear space of
resolution or freedom. We do not need to be fully lucid in dream for
this to occur – we need a background awareness that we are
dreaming and a willingness to experience the emotions without
denying them or over-indulging in them. These qualities are what
Self-Heal bring. In this way all dreams, even the worst of
nightmares becomes useful and even welcome. This truly empowers
our sleeping and also waking life. This, very valuable attribute of
Self-Heal has not been published before.

32. Oxtongue – Find sense in suffering: Oxtongue brings a sense of

equilibrium and strengthens the Hara. It is easy to meditate and do
all kinds of self-development work when we feel good and inspired.
All too often when we feel down we let everything drop. Oxtongue
brings a type of equanimity which is stability. In meditation this is
not to be swayed by the fantasies of our mind and emotions: it is a
perspective, a view, a ground of ordinariness. We can carry this into
our daily life.

Deciding to ‘tackle’ our tricky mind, our suffering, our depression is

a step in the right direction. This shows that we have not fallen
completely for the story of depression. Already we see a possibility,
some kind of hope in the situation. What we do next is usually try to
‘escape’ somehow from where we are. This involves trying to deny,
somehow, that our depression exists – that we can feel better by just
fantasizing that we are. We go for all kinds of treatments looking for
a ‘magic pill’. This like the old saying: we leave our elephant at
home and look for its footprints in the forest. In other words we
wander off into the projections of our mind. This inevitably ends in
disappointment and we collapse back into depression and dullness
again.
 21

The energy of Oxtongue connects us with a sort of courage or

fearlessness so that we can experience our depression, our dullness
fully, without being thrown by it – without believing it and without
running away from it (both of which strengthen it). Out of this a
clarity develops where we see the pattern of how we were tricked by
the ego, how we ‘fell for it’. This in itself is a liberation and further,
we begin more & more to trust in our own ability to cope with
whatever life throws at us.

33. Chickweed – I am good enough: Culpepper indicates Chickweed’s

use in skin problems. Our skin is our point of contact with the
world. It defines the limit of what we normally consider to be ‘us’,
as opposed to ‘everything else’, not us. More than this, it is the
‘face’ that we show to the world. When there is conflict between the
‘face’ that we want to show outwardly and how we feel inwardly,
this can manifest in skin problems.

As always, the ego is at the root of the problem – telling us we are

not good enough as we are. We are dealing with a Heart chakra
imbalance and its manifestation in the Fire and Metal elements.
When we try to move forward in our life, personally, professionally
or in any other way, the ego attacks us at our weakest points to
impede or dissuade us. Often it arouses our sense of not being
worthy or ‘good enough’ to create a conflict between what we want
and what we feel we are capable of. These are the horns of this
particular dilemma. The Heart is disturbed and the agitation causes
disturbance in the Wind/ Air of the body (this manifests as itching).
An impulse arises from the Heart centre (from the right side, the
father side) to seek reassurance from the outside, through words or
physical contact, to try to soothe the feeling of ‘not being good
enough’.

This is a no-win situation. Either we get the reassurance we crave –

in which case the control, the ‘redemption’, appears to lie outside o f
us, and we continue to be dependent for our self-esteem on the
whims of others. Or, we are rebuffed and the negative fantasy is
fulfilled – the ‘reality’ that we aren’t good enough is strengthened.
 22

From this view of ourselves as unworthy also comes a great dislike

of saying ‘no’. There are a few common ways this comes out; we
make a policy not to say ‘no’ and decide this is because we are a
Good Person (that is, we want to appear to be so, to the world at
large). We say yes, when we really want to say no and decide that
this is because other people are more important than us. We say ‘no’
and feel terrible about it, going almost immediately into
compensating behaviour. There are more versions, but you get the
idea.

The root is that we feel unworthy/ not good enough as we are, and
we want so much for others to reassure us that we are terrified of
doing anything that may mean they won’t. One upshot of this is that
we don’t allow ourselves to get ahead in life, to try, or really to
achieve (Metal doesn’t feed Water; or Air doesn’t feed Fire).

This equates with a build up of toxins in the Large Intestine and a

gathering of suppressed emotions that manifests in problems of
water balance (ie too much or too little), intestinal problems and
either weight gain or gauntness.

Because ego is always two sides of a coin, there is the opposite

behaviour – an overzealous, even rigid adherence to saying ‘no’ as a
matter of principle. This is the same pattern except that ‘no’ is used
as a shield. By saying ‘no’ we are proclaiming (we think) to the
world: ‘I am somebody. I am valuable.’ Quite often people fall for it
and only we know the truth – what we are really saying is: ‘I feel
like a nobody. Please tell me I am valuable.’ We can be on both
sides of this coin at different times.

The external manifestations of this ego-conflict arise in the skin

(conditions characterized by itching, redness etc) and the joints
(rheumatism, tendon & ligament problems) – what we look like and
how we move are common areas where we make judgements about
ourselves’ and others’ ‘worth’. (NB not all problems of the skin and
joints arise from this pattern, of course).

Incidentally, we are drawn to stimulants of all kinds in order to

suppress (ie maintain) this pattern. Stimulants tax and eventually
 23

‘fry’ the nervous system (see also Rose Bay Willow Herb). The
stimulants include dietary stimulants like tea & coffee, as well as
other things like smoking and more extremely, amphetamines, diet
pills and so on. More subtle stimulants include anything that keeps
our mind moving and unquiet – from addiction to television, to
over-concentration on activities like working. Removing at least
dietary stimulants will help first to clarify and then to resolve this
pattern. The addiction to more subtle stimulants will be
disempowered by removing dietary stimulants and by Chickweed
essence. Shamatha will further empower you in this process.

Chickweed helps resolve this ego-conflict by connecting us more

strongly with our innate sense of self-esteem and value. If you are
stuck because of such a superiority/ inferiority complex, or if you
recognize yourself in the above paragraphs, use Chickweed essence.
Combine it freely with, for example, Five leafed Clover, Periwinkle,
White Gentian, Snowdrop.

34. Black Tulip – Unique & Individual: The purple-black colour of

this tulip is the colour of the ajna Chakra, the Eye of Shiva. The
third eye is not just about visions per se, in the psychic sense – it is
about our View – how we see the world. The vision of the 3rd Eye,
of Shiva is an experience of seeing everything as it really is – not as
it is filtered through our consciousness of duality. When the Eye of
Shiva opens everything is destroyed – it’s not that anything goes
anywhere, it’s that the limitations are destroyed. Everything is
different, yet the same.

Black Tulip is connected with this sort of View, but in a more

limited, more material sense. You could say that it is a channel for
this View, like people are, but in a slightly different way from
people.

The 3rd Eye opens in the Causal Plane and it is from this level that
our view of reality changes. The freedom from restriction means
that we realize how we create our own reality. Black Tulip connects
us with this potential – we realize our uniqueness and our
individuality, expressing our originality and Will as powerful tools
to shape our life and destiny.
 24

Prosaically Black Tulip can be used to free us from dominating

wills. More profoundly it connects us with the reality expressed in
deep sleep. This realm is beyond normal personal conventions: it is
the level of the unconscious where the personal meets the collective
and is expressed in the waking mind as images of Archetypes.
Bringing even partial awareness to this realm will empower your life
very significantly and is, in fact, a key for manifestation and great
magick.

35. Cornflower – Vision: The basis of anger is actually clarity/

discernment ie ‘vision’. Cornflower transmutes the ‘heat’ of anger,
allowing a clearer vision of events and situations. It is good when,
during times of stress, you can’t see the wood for the trees and are
prone to outbursts of anger, a general tetchiness, or are feeling so
‘wound up’ that you can’t relax. In this way it is good for the deep
causes of nervous system damage. It is also good for people who are
biologically set up to live in cool/ temperate climates (ie were born
there or whose ancestry is there) who choose to live in hot climates.
Cornflower offers a cooling nature to the Gallbladder spirit and thus
helps protect the heart.

Cornflower is good for developing diagnostic ability for those

engaged in treating others. This function extends to bringing our
awareness to areas of life that we need to work on and letting us see
what needs to be done – eg in terms maybe of diet or lifestyle.

36. Centaury – Balance: When we find ourselves bitter and resentful

we have allowed past experiences to build up as a kind of toxin in
the Liver and Gallbladder systems. We are bitter and resentful
because we believe our future is limited by the past. Quite often we
intellectualise our predicament as a way of anaesthetizing our
emotions. The resulting blame shows us that we have lost authorship
in our own lives. We view ourselves as a victim of circumstances or
people and our self-pity drowns out any hope or real trust in
ourselves or others. Centaury brings us out of self-pity and engages
the reason in a good way. Centaury empowers the temporal areas of
the brain (associated with the Gallbladder meridian) and the inner
 25

ear. As cornflower is good for ‘looking diagnosis’, centaury is good

for ‘listening diagnosis’.

37. Rose Bay Willow Herb – Grow anew: Burn-out can be

characterized as a condition of nervous collapse and partial soul-loss
predicated upon a neurotic (over-) drive to prove oneself valuable or
worthy (see also chickweed). Burn out differs from other types of
exhaustion in this way.

As chickweed disconnects the neurosis of how we look to the

outside world (especially via the skin & joints) thus empowering us
inwardly, Rose Bay Willow Herb reconnects us with our inner
world – the positive emotions of self-nurturing and compassion (we
often forget that compassion is about looking after ourselves as well
as others), providing the basis for empowering us outwardly.

Here the ‘soul loss’ isn’t so much as loss as a starving or drying-up

of the ‘fuel’ or ‘pathways’ of positive gentle emotions that nurture
our soul, by the ‘heat’ of neurotic over-action.

Rose Bay Willow Herb thus provides the spiritual level support for
conditions involving paralysis and nervous-system disorders,
especially those accompanied by signs of dryness or heat.

38. Scarlet Pimpernel – Create with laughter: Scarlet Pimpernel’s

botanical name is derived from the Greek word ‘to laugh’. A full
blooded laugh, sometimes called a belly laugh actually extends
inside the body from the genitals up to the level of the 3rd Eye. Our
attention tends to focus on the belly (we laugh ‘until our stomach
hurts’) because of the action of the largest diaphragm (the one under
the bottom of the ribs) yet with a little attention we can easily feel
the upward pull on the pelvic and genital diaphragms and the easing
of tension from the chest, throat and head as the laughter energy
pours into and out of us. Incidentally laughter tonifies all the organs
and in overload (we laugh until we cry) actually cleanses the glands
of suppressed emotions.

Animals don’t laugh. ‘Ha’ is breath plus a particularly human

emotion – it is a window to the spirit and an invocation of our
 26

essential nature as humans. Kabbalists will understand this. As will

Dzogchen practitioners. This is why laughter feels so good and is so
healing.

The natural home of Scarlet Pimpernel is in the navel chakra, just as

the ‘home’ of the belly laugh is the belly. However, just as the plant
itself follows the sun and opens and closes according to the light and
the temperature, Scarlet Pimpernel spirit will act on any chakra to
empower it when directed there by the light of consciousness and
the sun of humour.

Scarlet Pimpernel is a sexual tonic and aphrodisiac. Its qualities are

enriching, magnetizing and creative. The effect on your over-all
energy will be to make you highly attractive.

39. Yellow Archangel – Basic Sanity: We need a method, a tool with

which to approach the duality of relative existence and the
seemingly inescapable ego-trap where we are always in the ‘horns
of a dilemma’, constantly faced with the choice of ‘this’ or ‘that’.
We have been caught in this trap of conditioned mundane
worldliness for a long time. The point of all spiritual paths as we
know them, has been, will be and is to free us from this trap. Yet
where to start?

The start of all paths, whether evident or disguised is mindfulness.

This has two parts: i/ mindfulness and ii/ awareness (which
mindfulness is based on). Yellow Archangel spirit energy is about
being mindful and aware. It is about starting at the only place it is
really possible to be – where we are. It introduces the possibility
which exists within us of being basically sane even in the midst of
craziness.

The practical result of this is that we become progressively more

and more unshakeable in a basic sort of sanity. The negative
emotions and confusion still rise in accordance with cause and
effect, the machinery of duality and the negative ego continue to
function. We see everything, we feel everything yet the ploys of
negativity become less & less able to move us off-centre. This is not
 27

only a very useful tool in life, it prepares us for the work ahead on
the spiritual path.

For those engaged in meditation practice or wishing to, a common

problem is that whilst in the meditation session we may be quite
mindful but on getting up and going out it is as if we never even
bothered – we go straight back to being dumb. As one Tibetan
master once said: ‘Practice is only the practice of practice’. Put
another way: formal spiritual exercises (like meditation) are only the
training for the main event which is all the rest of your life’s
activity. Yellow Archangel will help extend the benefits of shamatha
(meditation) beyond the actual meditation session.

Yellow Archangel is attributed by Culpepper to Venus. Just as love

transcends duality by union, Yellow Archangel helps us to transcend
the opposites of ego-conflict by synthesis – or at least introduces us
to this as a real possibility.

40. Bluebell: Singing and dancing with the faeries

41. Honesty: Connects us with the Blue Green Spirit and nourishes the
soul.