Making the Walnut Essence

by Star Riparetti

Part 8 of the series The Moment of Bloom ~ My Ecstatic Journey Making the Bach Flower Essences in a Golden Bowl

Walnut

I couldn't get going fast enough.  The only thing I wanted to do in the world was to go make a flower essence.  I didn't even know which one.  Several were calling.

The week before, Honeysuckle had looked tired and dry.  I had looked at it and thought, Maybe next year.  The next day it was totally glowing.  I was amazed.  I know they hear me, even when I'm not addressing them consciously.  It perked right up for me.

So today it was perhaps the Honeysuckle, or it could be the Indian Paintbrush (not one of the Bach essences) that was calling me every time I drove by it on the way to my land, ChaskaNorte.  I stopped near the large stand of Indian Paintbrush- and suddenly wondered how I would get up the very steep hill to get to it.  Hahahahaha.  As I was pondering I thought, Wouldn't it be cool if there was some place where it would be really easy to get to?  I stepped around a corner and magically there they were, out of site of the road- and very easy accessible.

Still, I felt pushed/guided-- to go on to my land.  When I got there I looked at the Honeysuckle and it looked really windblown.  Still lots of blooms, just looking a little tired, and like it would like a drink after the dry winds.  Not really the day to make its essence.  Should I go back to the Indian Paintbrush?

I had been looking at the Walnut tree for a couple of weeks, and couldn't figure it out.  At first I thought I saw little flowers, then I saw catkins… So I wasn't sure what the blossom was supposed to look like.  I researched Online and saw that there are male and female flowers on the same tree.  At that point I was pretty sure I had missed the moment of bloom.

So today... I went to have a talk with Walnut and tell it I would pay better attention next year.

As I was having a look I noticed there was a little flower- like a quarter the size of a dime.   Then - as I continued to look, I noticed more.  They are really, really tiny, and green, so they blend in.

Walnut blossoms (female)

It wanted me to make it's essence now, not next year.  And there were fresh catkins as well.

That is how Walnut got chosen (or how Walnut chose?) today, and I used both male and female flowers.

Male (catkins) and female (blossoms) Walnut flowers in the Golden Bowl

Walnut: Moving forward and willing to change (or willing to change and move forward)…  and reveal our pearls.  Transformation.  Trusting and following our own inner inspiration. Self approval.

NEXT: Making the PINE Essence

Making the Rock Rose Essence

by Star Riparetti

Part 7 of the series The Moment of Bloom ~ My Ecstatic Journey Making the Bach Flower Essences in a Golden Bowl


Rock Rose

The Rock Rose has always been one of my favorite plants.  I have them planted in different places around my ChaskaNorte property.  In contemplating my Golden Bach essence project, I was originally concerned that they were the pink variety, rather than the yellow used in Dr. Bach's Rock Rose essence.  There are yellow ones in the Santa Barbara area, and- I had a strong feeling to make it from a particular pink Rock Rose on my land.  There came the message that this essence could carry the vibration of all Rock Roses!

The wind had come and blown off blossoms, and what was left on the Rock Rose was not looking so great… I had the thought that I would make the essence sometime later- when and if there are a lot of buds open.  The very next day, quite unexpectedly, the Rock Rose plant was blazing with tons of beautiful open blossoms!  It was 11:11 on the clock (always a good sign for me), and I had time and energy to make the essence.  Easy breezy.  It was saying YES! Choose Me!

Rock Rose

Rock Rose in the Golden Bowl

NEXT: Making the WALNUT Essence

Making the Aspen Essence: Tractor Tango Magic

by Star Riparetti
 
Part 6 of the series The Moment of Bloom ~ My Ecstatic Journey Making the Bach Flower Essences in a Golden Bowl

Aspen

One of my favorite things to do is to watch a skilled tractor driver move dirt around at ChaskaNorte- my 20 acres of land on a mountain top here near Santa Barbara.  The land is very steep, and when I first got it, it didn't have much flat space.  Over the past 10 years we have been creating terraces, roads, and paths, so there would be more accessible land with trails, contemplation stations, and places to grow things.  I like to say I'm building a mini Machu Picchu.

There is one particular tractor driver, Jon, who is especially amazing in his skills.  He also teaches Tango.  I feel like he also does "tractor tango," the way he dances with the tractor and the land in such a beautiful and graceful way that the land feels good about it, rather than abused (which I've also seen happen).  Recently Jon was available do some more work.  I felt very strong guidance to have him come and make some new terraces.  It's like that was the very most important thing that wanted to happen- and I can't say that I have any idea what these terraces are for.  I do know that all of the energy was there for it to happen, and I was in joy for the whole 6 days.  He works and I go away and come back and check every  hour or so to see what he has done.  It is like being gratified every hour!  So many changes, and new places that I had never been able to access before.

We were going to work thru Sunday.  On Saturday afternoon he had done everything I wanted and more.  I didn't know what else for him to do so I told Jon to go ahead and explore.  He had already done such an amazing amount of road/terrace work-  I let him go ahead and follow his intuition.  (Most guys do seem to love tractors- and I felt this made him happy.)  There is this even steeper section of land where Jon went that I never expected to penetrate.  The tractor was going into uncharted territory.  I will mention here that there is a tree in that area that is taller than all the other trees.  I had never been able to get close enough to it to see what it was.



I walked away to let Jon "tractor tango" on the hillside, assuming he would go up up up.  A little while later I came back and, whoa- I noticed he had not gone up, instead he had gone straight down.  Like literally, straight down.  There was no way to go back up that way, he would have to find another way out (which of course he did).  I crawled down the super steep passage he had made to go look for him.  All of a sudden I was standing close enough to that tall tree to get a look at it.  Could it be what it looked like?!  I went and found Jon and asked him what he thought that tree was.  I needed validation, as I was so surprised.  He said, "Looks like an Aspen."  I was in ecstasy!  This was cosmic!!! I had no idea Aspens even grew here.  It is definitely the only Aspen on the land!

Aspen buds

Jon had no idea why he went straight down at that point, he said he was just guided to do it somehow.  He didn't know the tree was there, you couldn't see it from the angle he was going.  To me it was pure magic- as Aspen was the first essence I ever took, and it was the tree I was sitting under when I got the message to make the Golden Bach essences.  An interesting aside is that Jon's father was a homeopathist, and when he passed away Jon got his remedies, including a set of Bach essences- so he even knew what they were.  We spent a few moments in awe.

The Aspen tree was still unreachable.  I looked at the tree with my telephoto lens, and had this feeling there was a possibility that it was actually in bloom.  That would be the coolest thing ever!  We talked about that possibility, then he had to find a way out of where he was, as it was getting dark.  I was wondering how in the world we could get closer to the tree.  To me it seemed impossible, as even with a big ladder, I wasn't going to get close enough to get to those potential buds.



The next day was slated to be the clean-up and finish-up day.  When Jon came he immediately said he thought he should go back and work around the Aspen tree.  He was feeling it was just too synchronistic that he ended up there, to not try and make an essence.  He ended up cleaning up all around it- altar like.  He made a lovely road to it.  Still- how to get to its foliage.  Jon had the answer.  He climbed out on the tractor arm.  Miraculously, there were flowering buds!  By this time, I was truly in an ebullient and altered state.  I brought the bowl and everything we needed, and we made the Aspen essence.  I think the only other time I was that high was when I made the first Orchid essences.  It is an indescribable feeling- of co-creating with Nature.  It is like all of Nature is conspiring to get me to make these essences, and it is happening so fun and gracefully.



Jon with the Aspen Tree

As soon as we got the blossoms in the bowl, and we were standing there admiring our work (well, mostly Jon's work) a Red-tailed Hawk circled us.  That was a beautiful sign- and just when we thought things couldn't get any better, another big bird began to circle.  We kept looking...  It was big, and it wasn't a Turkey Vulture.  What was it?  We discovered it was- hold on- A Golden Eagle!!  I found out there is a big nest not too far away, and they are in this territory, which I hadn't known before.  One other time on the land (in 10 years), at an auspicious moment, I had seen a condor.  The Golden Eagle, with the Golden Bowl, in this new Golden Age- it was truly a sign that gives me even more confidence that I am doing the right thing.  Abounding happiness and fulfillment!!!

Bird omen

Dr. Bach was ever-present during this time.  He didn't want to leave, as he too was enjoying it so much.

Ahhhh - the magic magic magic of the Moment of Bloom.



Aspen in the Golden Bowl

NEXT: Making the ROCK ROSE Essence

Making the Mustard Essence

by Star Riparetti

Part 5 of the series The Moment of Bloom ~ My Ecstatic Journey Making the Bach Flower Essences in a Golden Bowl

Mustard

Mustard had been talking to me since 12-21-12.  It was instrumental in getting me moving on this project.  It seemed to be everywhere. 

I had been meeting with a powerful group of priestesses, and one of them, Aurora, was working on an Art installation called "Nest" at El Capitan Canyon.  We were helping to hold the energy for that art installation, and for other things to happen on that land.  One day while we were there I noticed a particular field of golden mustard.  We talked about it and agreed to meet on the full moon and make the Mustard essence right there.  (This was even before the Golden Bowl had arrived.)  We had a plan.

It is very interesting about energy, and making essences.  It seems like such an easy thing, and- lots of factors need to come together for it to happen. 

Mustard plans--- (hahahaha) how to know when the answer is no.

The first thing that happened was that looking at the weather report the whole week had symbols of sun, sometimes with a cloud- except on Thursday, the day of the full moon: the sun was totally gray. I do like to have sun directly on the bowl when making an essence.  I know that the weather changes, and it was only Monday, and- WE can often change the weather, as well.  I wasn't too concerned, yet looking at the week of bright suns, with one gray circle on that day did log into my consciousness.  I asked Aurora to do a Mustard check.  She got back to me with the surprising message that the on the one spot where we were planning to make the essence,  the Mustard was gone.  Done.  There was still plenty of other Mustard that we could use, and the specific spot we had chosen was not in cooperation.  Hmmmm.  Interesting. 

On that full moon day I woke up feeling like the energy was wonky.  Intuitively I was feeling a NO regarding the essence.  It was indeed foggy.  Wanting to push on through, and not disappoint the women I was meeting with, I still knew the sun could break through by the time we were ready.   

Driving there it was interesting- the fields were full of Mustard.  I didn't think I had ever seen so much Mustard at one time.  The Mustard seemed to be saying yes.

Mustard field

There were 8 of us women meeting.  We were going to do a ritual with the "Nest" project and make the essence.  That was the plan.  When Aurora arrived energy was pretty much askew.  She had run into road blocks and difficulties on her way, in particular on this property.  By the time we had done our parts with the Nest and we were heading to the beach to have a meeting, and to make the essence, the answer was very clear to me that this was not the day to make the essence- even if the sun were to come out.  The energy just wasn't right, even though the Mustard was in bloom.  There are a lot of things to take into consideration when making an essence.  It is not only the fact that the flower is in bloom, there are other signs to be aware of, and- in particular, my energy and the folks who are there making the essence.  We all agreed, this was not the moment.  I was happy to know that there would still be time to make the Mustard another day- when it would be more graceful.

 

Mustard flower (with friend)

The mustard kept saying yes yes yes- and a few days later I made that essence very easily, by myself, on my ChaskNorte land, on a beautiful sunny day.  Mission Accomplished.  Most of the magic around the making of the Mustard was in learning to know when the answer is no...  And also paying attention to when it is YES!

Mustard in the Golden Bowl

Close-up of Mustard in the Golden Bowl

NEXT: Making the ASPEN Essence

Making the Wild Oat Essence



Wild Oat

by Star Riparetti

Part 3 of the series The Moment of Bloom ~ My Ecstatic Journey Making the Bach Flower Essences in a Golden Bowl

I had asked Angel, my Angelic helper on the ChaskaNorte land, to weed whack around the labyrinth. The day he went to do it started out sunny, then suddenly got super foggy, and super wet. It happened quickly. It ended up that he only made a pathway, and didn't knock down the rest of the weeds. When I went down to the labyrinth to check it out, I realized that what he hadn't knocked down was a beautiful field of Wild Oat, that I hadn't noticed before- just calling out to be an essence. The path made it easy. I was laughing at how Nature is surely the director of this enterprise!

The Wild Oat essence was made at ChaskaNorte on a perfect Sunday afternoon, feeling ecstatic, just by myself.  So beautiful.  Lots of little bubbles.  The Golden Bowl is way beyond amazing. Wild Oat: done.

The Golden Bowl in the field of Wild Oat

Wild Oat in the Golden Bowl

NEXT: Making the MUSTARD Essence

Making the Willow Essence

by Star Riparetti

Part 3 of the series The Moment of Bloom ~ My Ecstatic Journey Making the Bach Flower Essences in a Golden Bowl


Willow

One day, before the full moon (when we planned to make the Mustard essence), my friend Aurora was going to be working on an art installation called "Nest" at El Capitan Canyon.  In fact, she was going to be weaving some Willow branches into the nest.  I casually asked her if there was any Willow in bloom.  She said she had seen some, mostly it was probably over, and she would have a look.  I decided to drive to the spot and give her a hand and check out the Willow situation.  When I got arrived, she and our friend Sarah Uma were there.  Aurora went to show me that she had only found two buds… Then she said everything else was already blooming.  I burst out laughing.  That is what I wanted.  I wanted them to be in full bloom!  Yay!  I had the Golden Bowl, and right there, the 3 of us made the essence (after first playing the bowl).  We were blessed out!!



Willow in the Golden Bowl

Close-up of Willow in the Golden Bowl

NEXT: Making the WILD OAT Essence

Making the Crabapple Essence

by Star Riparetti

Part 2 of the series The Moment of Bloom ~ My Ecstatic Journey Making the Bach Flower Essences in a Golden Bowl

As soon as the Golden Bowl arrived I kept looking at the list of 38 Bach essences.  Who was going to be first?  Where was I going to find them?  I knew Mustard was willing, and that is about all.

Crabapple tree

I sent the list of Bach flowers to the Star Essence staff, and to a couple of friends.  For some reason, out of all the 38 flowers, I felt compelled to ask, Does anyone know where there is a Crabapple tree?  I didn't know if I had ever seen one, nor what they looked like.

My dear friend Katherine Grace saw my list (and not my question about Crabapple) and casually said to me, "I saw your list and I know where there is a Crabapple tree and it is in bloom right now."  I could feel elation swarming into me.  Katherine Grace lives at El Capitan (a beautiful rural community 20 miles north of Santa Barbara), and come to find out, about 15 + years ago a man went around planting fruit trees in the area- not even on his property, just because he liked to see them bloom.  She had been following and appreciating that tree for 15 years.  The planter of the tree had made his transition, and it seemed like a nice honoring of him to make the essence from that beautiful Crabapple tree.  It's like that is what it was there for (besides being so beautiful for everyone who passed by).

Crabapple Blossoms

It was in full bloom in that very moment.  Katherine was getting ready to leave for Mexico.  By the time she returned the bloom would be past.  I was busy as well. A  sliver of time appeared where we were both available to make the Crabapple essence- and I do mean a sliver.  We both had a moment to connect, to find the tree, and to make the essence.  Just like that- it happened.  It was blissful and beautiful.  The bowl sparkled and glowed.  The Crabapple tree and its blossoms were extremely happy to participate.  Everyone felt very fulfilled.

Crabapple in the Golden Bowl

NEXT: Making the WILLOW Essence