About Star Essence

Star Essence is a company dedicated to creating impeccable vibrational essences. This includes using sacred activated water, exquisite quality flowers and gemstones, intention and attention. Star Essences are made during powerful planetary activations and alignments in energetically powerful places. They address healing as well as evolution, with an ultimate goal of PEACE, within ourselves and on our planet. They are made with love! www.staressence.com

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Making the Penka Penqa Essence: The Story of Brave Heart

by Star Riparetti

[During the 2009 Peru Sacred Adventure] I went specifically looking for a particular Orchid that I kept seeing in my inner vision. Roger told me it was the Ellianthus capitatus Orchid. Roger knew it wasn't its real time to bloom, and we also knew that magic always happens and anything is possible. We began our search by looking in two different Botanical Gardens at Machu Picchu (places I had never been). We were looking to get an idea of what was in bloom (not to make an essence in the gardens...). What we found were many of the Ellianthus- ALL with very spent blooms... After seeing so many of them with last year's blooms, I felt the obvious message that essence wasn't happening. [It happened a year and a half later: click here to read the story of Making the Ellianthus Orchid Essence.]

The next day I went on a hike on the trail thru the Sun-Gate from Machu Picchu to Winay Winah to see what I might find. I stopped at a beautiful place with giant stones and did a meditation. I was told that "for everything there is a season" and this wasn't the season for the Ellianthus to bloom; that it would be good to get in touch with my own cycles; that Nature could create magic and miracles and I could find the Orchid blooming, and- it would be better to make it in its own timing... and that there would be a particular tiny flower blooming at the Chilca Lodge at the base of Ausangate Mountain where we would be going in a few days. I would know the flower- that it was a strong survivor growing there at 14,000 ft- and there would be signs- and - it would be for Post Traumatic Stress.... Yikes! It felt like very specific information...

When we reached the spot where we hike in to the Chilca Lodge it was raining. There was a choice of hiking or taking the bus at that point, and one traveler- Lori Ann, and myself decided to hike in the rain. She is a botanist (among her myriad other gifts) and we were looking at the flowers. There were 2 or 3 possibilities, and nothing that had an absolute yes.

Gentiana sedifolia 
"Brave Heart"

That night it rained a lot. (I love it when it rains before I make an essence, and everything is cleansed.) Then they got the first snow (purity of purpose) of the season... and as magic would have it the sun came out! I gathered the essence making stuff and we headed out. Nilo - our guide- was telling me about a flower he had been talking with the locals about: the Penka Penqa (as with many things in Quechua, it is spelled many ways- so I have chosen this way). They said it was for shyness and had other medicinal qualities. At that point I wasn't sure which flower was the Penka Penqa. We were walking along and Lori Ann called to me to check out this little flower with a bluish purple tint- that was RADIATING. Indeed- it was literally glowing!!! We had not seen this flower before! It had come out after the snow. Of course, this was the Penka Penqa- and as we looked around, they started popping up everywhere. Again, everything that could go right, went right. It was very easy and graceful to make the essence. We had two beautiful local gentlemen join us in the essence making (one named Santos- saint, and one named Cruz- cross...). 

After we made the essence, the sky clouded over again. It cleared for the perfect amount of time for our essence making. 
The Penka Penqa's scientific name is Gentiana sedifolia (thank you Lori Ann for botanizing and finding out who it is). We have christened it Brave Heart- which is the message that came from Betsy (thank you!) in our group. It is a happy survivor. The night I got home I was thinking about the trip and the essences and for some crazy reason I turned on the TV. In the 15 minutes I had the TV on, I heard the words "Post Traumatic Stress" three times. (That was enough TV- I got the sign- and turned it off...)

The Penka Penqa "Brave Heart" essence, addresses Post Traumatic Stress disorder and supports flourishing in the face of adversity. It fosters courage, encourages confidence, and helps one to move forward feeling graceful, gracious, safe.

Much more is being revealed about this essence. Many of you will know much more about this (Post Traumatic Stress) than I do- as I am already finding out. I am hoping that someone will get a grant to work with returning soldiers. I feel this is a very powerful essence.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Reflexology and Flower Essences

by Ronnie Williams

In the late 1970s when the emerging field of holistic medicine first exploded into my life (thanks to my Dad who gave me a copy of The Magic of Findhorn, by Paul Hawken), I began opening my mind to the vast mind/body/spirit arena. I was comfortable with the notion that working with pressure on reflex points in my feet could have a beneficial effect on my body and might help a wide range of symptoms. On a weekend healing course at Runnings Park in West Malvern, Worcestershire, I met Christine Jones who had set up the Midland School of Reflextherapy. Trained as a physiotherapist she came from a medical background but through her own experiences had discovered the power of reflexology, and had widened her outlook to embrace the understanding of traditional Chinese medicine. Hearing her talking at dinner about how she would cup her hands around a patient’s ankles and, doing “nothing”, just allow the energy to flow through the body, I knew without doubt that I had found my teacher. I signed up with her for a practitioners course in 1984, gained my practitioner’s certificate, and became a member of the Association of Reflexologists in 1985. I’ve been in practice since then, adding flower essences, Reiki and EFT to my “bag” as the years have gone by. I’ve taught reflexology in adult and further education and it’s given me great pleasure to turn others on to the power of this popular complementary therapy.

The earliest documented records of what we now call reflexology were found in the Physician’s Tomb at Saqqara in Egypt where there are step pyramids older than those at Giza a short distance away. Wall paintings clearly show the feet and hands of Egyptians receiving some sort of treatment from dark-skinned Nubians. These depictions have been dated to around 2,500 B.C. From those times we can trace a continuing history of people in different continents- Africa, the Americas, China, Asia, Scandinavia and Northern Europe- understanding the benefits of applying what came to be known as reflex zone therapy to all areas of the feet.

It was Eunice Ingham, a remedial masseuse working with Dr. Joseph Shelby-Riley and his wife Elizabeth in their practice in America in the early 1900s, who came to be known as the Mother of Reflexology. She drew the earliest foot charts, devised a method of walking around the feet using thumbs and fingers to apply an alternating pressure technique, and went touring round USA to teach what she knew not only to Doctors and medical workers but also to people like you and me, eager to learn something natural that could be used at home to ease simple ailments and improve overall health. Through Eunice Ingham a “lineage” of teachers was established in the early 1970s, Christine Jones and the Midland School of Reflextherapy being one of these.

The theory of reflexology is really quite simple, especially if you have an understanding of yin and yang, energy flows and meridians. Imagine making yourself very small and placing yourself over your feet, the two big toes together representing your head. The instep of each foot, from heel to the base of the big toe, links with your spine. The map of the body is then laid out in similar very small areas in each foot - the liver on the right foot, the spleen on the left, with other digestive organs, small and large intestines, traversing both feet. The soles of the feet link with all the soft, internal organs, the fronts of the feet with the front of the body. The sides of the feet link with the limbs and joints- shoulders, knees, hips etc.

The key to a successful reflexology treatment is knowledge of the map of the feet, understanding how to apply the technique, and precision. The size of a reflex can vary from a tiny area, the size of a pin-head, to a larger area representing, say, the stomach, or liver. But to have any effect each reflex area needs to receive some pressure, or at least to be touched. Walking round each foot with the thumb or fingers, using a creepy-caterpillar movement, pressing and releasing, and observing the client’s reactions, may take some time. Wherever there is discomfort indicates imbalance in the related area of the body - not necessarily Disease- it could even be “echoes” of an illness or condition going back a number of years- and these areas need to be worked until the discomfort in the feet subsides. The feet will “talk”, and love to do so, once they realize the opportunity to communicate that is being presented. Change happens both during a treatment and afterwards: the most usual responses are relaxation, improved circulation, and de-toxification, benefiting a wide range of conditions. All age groups can be treated. There are some cautions/contra-indications to treatment - a qualified reflexologist will always explain these before giving a treatment.

So how might reflexology and flower essences work together in a treatment session? Is it advisable, or even necessary, to combine the two? I have to confess I’m a bit of a purist, I’ve changed my treatment very little over 25 years and would say that less is definitely more when it comes to “extras” such as adding vibrational essences to a treatment. But the effects, which can be dramatic, can also be profound.

In 1998 I attended the first International Flower Essence Conference at Findhorn in Scotland, and went to a workshop combining Metamorphic Technique- therapy derived from reflexology in which the areas representing the spine are very gently stroked on the feet, hands and head- with vibrational essences. Drops of Delph Essence, a dolphin essence made by Andras Korte, an essence-maker from Brazil, were very gently stroked into the sides of my thumbs, from the heel of my hand up to the thumb-tip. Not only was it extraordinarily relaxing but that night I had a powerful lucid dream which I remember to this day, traveling inter-dimensionally through a doorway to who-knows-where. The next day I felt I’d undergone a huge shift, and it took me a while to get grounded again. I have to say that I have hesitated to try anything similar with my own clients, feeling that such an experience could overload someone unused to the energy shifts that might occur.

In astrology, the feet are seen as the realm of Pisces, a mutable water sign, sharing the connection with the water that we use to make vibrational essences. Working the feet is like working a pump, stirring up the mud at the bottom of a pond to clear the water and allow it to bubble freely again. Remember that we are more than 70% water! The realm of Pisces is also that of the subconscious mind, the repository of unprocessed feelings and emotions. In reflexology we talk about our feet being our UNDER-STANDING, and through our feet we connect with the Earth. We can absorb energy through the chakras in our feet - indeed, the therapeutic properties of crushed garlic, spread on brown-paper insoles and worn inside socks, will quickly be drawn into and through the body - the garlic will be out on the breath within about half an hour. Rubbing a well-known de-congestant preparation - essential oils in Vaseline - over your feet will have a similar effect.

So if you feel drawn to using vibrational essences on the feet or hands and have not done so before, I ask you to be sure you can explain what might happen to your “client” if they have a powerful response. The book Floral Acupuncture - Applying the Flower Essences of Dr. Bach to Acupuncture Sites by Deborah Craydon and Warren Bellows (The Crossing Press) is also very helpful. With this in mind here are some suggestions:
  • Drops of appropriate essences can be chosen on the basis of the consultation with the client, and added to creams or oils, to be massaged into the feet or hands at the beginning or end of a treatment. A rescue/emergency formula would work well, or a customized formula.
  • The spinal reflex, running along the instep of each foot from inner-heel to the base of the big toe, or from the heel of the hand along the edge of each thumb up to the thumb-tip, is a particularly receptive area - the cream or oil, or even liquid drops, can be lightly stroked along this area using a “feathering” technique.
  • The solar-plexus reflex, located centrally under the ball of each foot, is another receptive area: pressure here can help regulate breathing, soothe anxious states, and improve sleep patterns. Using a rescue/emergency formula here can be very effective.
  • Using drops of essences placed with a little water in a small bowl, cotton wool swabs or q-tips can be soaked with the liquid then held in place over particular reflex points - this would work well over the kidney or adrenal reflexes, for example, for stress relief, or held under the shoulder reflexes to relieve tension.
  • Make up a spray with appropriate essences, misting lightly over the feet and leaving to dry naturally at the end of the treatment. Also mist the room before a treatment with your own formula to create a relaxing and peaceful environment.
  • Apply some cream or oil infused with appropriate essences to the area at the back of each ankle, then “cup” your hands around each ankle and just allow energy to flow - do nothing, just allow. After a while you may begin to feel the gentle pulse of the cranio-sacral system - stay with it while the energy and essences do their work. This can be a time of profound relaxation and realisation for the client.
  • Just invite the energy of an appropriate flower or tree to join with you and flow with the treatment.

To conclude
  • Keep it simple!
  • Be prepared for a response, be able to explain what you’re doing and why.
  • Try these techniques on yourself or a good friend first, and use with awareness.

The Chippewa medicine man Sun Bear had a phrase: “Walk in Balance on the Earth Mother.” When we are in balance and harmony within ourselves we can literally tread light, peace and harmony into our beautiful Earth with each step.

Ronnie Williams, M.A.R., B.F.V.E.A., Reiki Master, A.A.M.E.T.