Could the energy of a flower essence be reflected in the shape of the plant’s flowers?
A few years ago, I heard a talk which suggested this. I can’t remember the name of the speaker but she linked various flower essence systems together through flower shape. It’s an interesting idea and, if true, could be useful if, for example, we find ourselves somewhere we can’t access Dr Bach’s remedies or plants and we could select from the local flora based on flower shape.
So I thought I’d have a look at this in a vaguely systematic way. I took the Australian Bush essences and used a list of their indications to map them to the closest Bach remedy (or often remedies). Currently there are 66 Bush essences that come from single flowers, some of which are very specific or relate to the physical or metaphysical (for example, Mulla mulla for fear of flames and heat; She oak indicated for female imbalance and Angelsword for spiritual confusion).
Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum); image from pixabay.com
For those which related to emotional states, I compared photographs of the flowers from the Bush Flower Essences and Bach Centre websites and if this didn’t give a clear answer, from internet searches of the species’ botanical names.
Fringed violet (Thysanotus tuberosus); image copyright ABFE
It proved to be good revision of indications for me! But what about the flower shapes? The example which was given in the talk linked Star of Bethlehem with Fringed violet (one of the indicators for this is shock). The photos look convincing, with each having flowers with six narrow petals but is it just a coincidence?
The table shows the results from the 20 best matches of indications, other than Star of Bethlehem/Fringed violet and my comparison of flower shapes (flower shape similarity, Fss).
| Bush flower essence | Bach remedy | Common indication(s) | Fss |
| Billy goat plum
Black-eyed Susan Boronia Dog rose• Dog rose of the wild forces Grey spider flower Gymnea lily Isopogon Jacaranda Kapok bush Mountain devil Red grevillea Red lily Southern cross Sturt Desert pea Sturt Desert rose Sundew Sunshine wattle Tall yellow top Yellow cowslip orchid |
Crab apple
Impatiens White chestnut Mimulus Cherry plum Rock rose Vine Chestnut bud Scleranthus Wild rose Holly Walnut Clematis Willow Sweet chestnut Pine Clematis Honeysuckle Water violet Beech |
Unable to accept physical self
Impatience Obsessive thoughts Fearful; shy Fear of losing control Terror Dominating, over-riding personality Inability to learn from past Changeable; dithering Apathy Hatred; anger Affected by criticism and other people Daydreaming; lack of focus Complaining; victim mentality Deep hurt; emotional pain Guilt Daydreaming; vagueness Stuck in the past Isolation; loneliness Critical; judgemental |
None
None None None Slight* None None Slight** None Some*** None None None None None None None None None None |
*Dog rose of the wild forces has 6 petals compared to 5 for cherry plum, but otherwise, there is a slight similarity in shape.
**Isopogon is slightly bud-like.
***Kapok bush flower petals are the same shape as wild rose flower petals, but narrower. There are the same number of petals in each.
•Dog rose Bush flower essence is from Bauera rubioides not Rosa canina (from which Bach Wild rose is made).
There are three flowers where there appear to be some similarities with the Bach flowers, the most similar being Kapok bush and Wild rose (Rosa canina) – see photos below. Kapok bush/Wild rose is fairly convincing but I would have expected more if the link was any more than coincidental (there aren’t that many potential shapes of flowers!)
Not in any way a comprehensive or exhaustive study, but I can’t find any compelling evidence that there is a link between flower shape and the indications for the remedy (and by implication, the energy of the flower).
What do you think? Have you found any examples, either among the Bush flower essences or any of the other remedy systems, where the flowers seem similar to the Bach flowers? Post comments on facebook.
Kapok bush (Cochlospermum fraseri); image copyright ABFE
Dog rose (Rosa canina); image from pixabay.com
Sources: www.bachcentre.com
http://ausflowers.com.au/Products/Single-Essences
Australian Bush Flower Essences info sheet; Bush Biotherapies Ltd
The Plants of Dr Bach (https://www.cambridge-bach.co.uk/plants-dr-bach/)