Star of Bethlehem and Rock Water to the Rescue

"Essences of the Month" by Arielle Christner, April 2015

The timeliness of new essences here at Star Essence never ceases to amaze me. That magical and quintessential "moment of bloom" that Star speaks about relates to seasons and cycles far above and beyond the physical world. Whether it's a flower, a gemstone, or another vibrational offering, it always seems to show up in perfect divine timing when its gifts are of heightened relevance and value, both collectively and personally. (For "energetic forecasts" of upcoming/incoming frequencies and themes, we could often watch the essence producers of the world just as effectively as the astrologers, channels, psychics etc.!)

    The new Golden Bach Flower Essences Star of Bethlehem and Rock Water were an especially prime example of this. Having the honor of preserving the Mother essences and collaborating with Star on the descriptive information, I had tuned in and immediately resonated with their gifts on a personal emotional level. So when I was guided to take a bottle of Star of Bethlehem home over the weekend, and add Rock Water to that same bottle, I assumed it was for my own process.
 
    The next afternoon while at his restaurant management job, my soul partner Marlon cut his hand deeply on a broken champagne glass and had to have stitches. We were waiting for over 2 hours to be seen by a doctor, and initially he was very agitated and upset- not just from pain, but anger and sadness that it had happened and concern about his hand’s mobility, as he is a guitarist and would be starting classes at Musician's Institute in less than 2 weeks.

    I administered drops of the Star of Bethlehem/Rock Water essence to both of us every 15 minutes, in addition to some Reiki energy healing. Within a very short amount of time Marlon completely calmed down and felt peaceful and optimistic about the outcome of his injury (Star of Bethlehem). Though he had been planning a rigorous schedule of guitar practice, he was able to let go of these high expectations of himself and trust that recuperation time would not impact his ability to perform in his classes (Rock Water). By the time we got into the exam room he was joking around with the nurses and doctor. I continued to give him more of the essences throughout the examination and treatment, and he maintained an excellent sense of humor throughout the whole thing and was in high spirits for the rest of the day. He also had extremely minimal pain or discomfort and was back on the guitar within a week!

    We are both deeply grateful that the injury was so minor, and that we had Star of Bethlehem/Rock Water to support us. The bottle I made of these essences has already needed refilling a couple of times and we continue to utilize it daily! It has additionally been of immense value seeing us through some shocking but ultimately positive changes and events in our extended family.

    I will be carrying these beautiful allies with me for some time!

As Within, So Without... As Above, So Below

"Education Corner" by Kristine Marie, April 2015

Copyright Isabelle Dow

When I was a teenager I was fascinated by the metaphor of the hologram; that no matter how many pieces you break it into or how small each piece is, there can be seen, in each fragment of the original whole, an image of that whole. Around this same time, one of my favorite high school teachers, Mr Roche, showed us how to turn over the hand we were using to point the finger of blame at someone else in order to see the 3 fingers there pointing to ourselves. Wow.

    These 2 metaphors do so much to help us take responsibility for our own personal environments, internal and external, before sending judgment and anger outward to others. Where, in our own lives are we careless with the thoughts and words we put out about others, releasing thought pollution into the environment? Where are we sending negative energy out that weakens our own ozone layer (aura)? What emotions are we refusing to love, embrace and process and instead dumping them into a collective ocean of unconsciousness?

    We are of the earth, we are an integral part of her and what we do and feel and heal, so does she.

    For those in the Santa Barbara area, I am offering an event on Earth Day called “Heal Your Self and Heal the Earth with Vibrational Essences.” This playshop will offer tools that will help us each take responsibility for our personal Global Climate Change, raise our own resonance and therefore assist with the transformation process of the Earth. Look more for information soon at www.facebook.com/staressenceremedies or call (805) 965-1619.

The Art of Synchronicity

"Education Corner" by Kristine Marie, March 2015

 

“Synchronicity is an ever present reality for those who have eyes to see.”

- Carl Jung

It is said that Paracelsus, a physician and Alchemist from the turn of the 16th century collected dew from flowers to heal emotional disharmony in his patients. I’ve seen a film where indigenous peoples of the rainforest offer dew from plants and flowers to modern westerners who come to them for healing. While Dr Bach trained in Public Health and had a successful career in Homeopathy, he left it behind in 1930, at age 43, to research an even more subtle yet powerful healing modality. Our modern definition of Flower essences comes from his work of initially collecting the dew from the petals of flowers he felt supportive of emotional and thought transformation; eventually he found he needed more liquid and experimented with flowers floating in water in the sunshine. How did he happen to notice that emotional states created by thought patterns, had anything at all to do with illness in the body? What led him, I wonder, to hold his hand over a flower while he was feeling a certain emotion and notice the difference it imparted to his thoughts and feeling of well-being?

    In a seemingly well known anecdote, Dr. Bach had a patient who was suffering from an acute attack of asthma. It turned out that her son had moved away and she hadn’t heard from him. When her son finally got in touch with her, a few months of continued asthma symptoms later, to tell her he had a job and was doing well, her asthma disappeared.

    Coincidence? Synchronicity?

    According to Wikipedia, “Synchronicity is the occurrence of two or more events that appear to be meaningfully related but not causally related. Synchronicity holds that such events are "meaningful coincidences". The concept of synchronicity was first defined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, in the 1920s.”

    He coined the term as a direct result of working with a patient, at an impasse in her healing process, who had dreamt of a gold scarab the night before her session and had an emotional breakthrough when a golden scarab (not at all usual for that place or climate) flew into the office and made itself known.

    In Star’s book Bliss and Blessings, she has an entire section on Synchronicities and she speaks about them in her Online Practitioner Certification Course as well. Synchronicity has a strong hand in the world of flower essences.

    As I was pondering what to write for this month’s Starry Starry News, the word "Synchronicity" popped into my mind. That’s silly, I thought, how does Synchronicity fit into the education section of a spring-y March newsletter? I dismissed it and then went on to re-read my post from last month. And lo and behold, the first thing I noticed is the date that very first blog I ever wrote for Star Essence was published, which was February 3, 2015: which happened to be my 45th birthday! OK, I get it, Synchronicity it is.

    My Journey to working here at Star Essence began with the end of a job I loved, at a graduate school of Jungian and Depth Psychology. It was an unexpected liberation from a self-inflicted grind so all encompassing that when my grip on it was freed all I could do was look at my hands in wonderment at the process of letting go, of surrender.

    Later that week I was offered some Prosperity Alchemy Spray at my Dentist's office and as I was scared silly about my financial situation, I decided to act prosperous anyway and buy it with the wish that it would support me through the changes and allow me to have faith in the abundance of the Universe. The gal in the office who sold it to me (who just happened to be related to Star) asked me if I knew Star, in fact assumed I knew her. Then other people started asking if I knew Star, and making the same assumption. After the 3rd person said to me "You know Star, right?", I decided I was going to go and meet her. (I usually get the Universe's hints by the 3rd occurrence if not by the second ;)

    So I went down to the Star Essence office here in Santa Barbara, which led to a part time job/internship which introduced me to Star and her incredible essences, and supported me on further journeys towards what I feel is my purpose and calling!

    And speaking of calling, while in the midst of writing this blog, the Essence of the Month was announced and so I looked up the definition for the Golden Bach Wild Oat on the Star Essence website, which reads as: Clearly knowing and able to make decisions about life purpose and direction. Manifesting meaningful and fulfilling vocation, service.

    The first time I walked into the Star Essence office the energy felt very bustling and busy so I introduced myself, made a little paper shot glass of essences at the Star Bar (pretty sure I remember choosing Divine Goddess, Radiant Sensuality, Prosperity Alchemy and Soul Purpose) and went on my way. The neighborhood that Star Essence is in, here in Santa Barbara, was always a place I had wanted to live, and about a block away there was a great deal for an apartment, indicated by a "For Rent" sign planted in the front yard. I knew of these magic apartments because of an acquaintance who lived in the building and told me, months before, they very rarely come about. As I had just lost my job I had immediately dismissed the idea of being able to move, so I passed it up. That was Friday, by Monday morning I realized I was crazy to give up the opportunity to live there and went back. The sign, of course, was gone with the apartment.

    So, instead, I felt myself compelled to return to Star Essence, and as I did so I had the thought of asking them if they needed any help in their office. Actually, it wasn't a thought, it was a push, at least that's what I felt as I walked through the gate and into the office: Ask them, Ask them, Ask them! I interrupted a meeting/conversation between Aanjelae, the office Goddess extraordinaire and Star, whom I had yet to meet and who slipped away to other work upstairs as I walked in. When I asked the question, Aanjelae gave me the requirements and details of the job and it fit perfectly for my needs; so after she spoke with Star, I was hired. It turns out the conversation I interrupted was basically about getting someone in to help out as soon as possible. Ha ha ha :)

    So many Synchronicities to get me into the office. How well my job history actually fit into what was needed, the timing, and effortlessness. I had already planned to attend a week-long workshop at Esalen the week after I started, so I worked for a week, went to the workshop (where I met people who eventually led me to my 3 journeys to South Africa in 2012 and 2013 which you will hear about in future blogs) and returned to attend my first Star Essence Certification Course. Perfectly timed and orchestrated by the Universe, and following the flow of my own heart and intuition, following what I love.

    I am currently embracing the LAW OF LOVE and am SO GRATEFUL for SYNCHRONICITY. Trusting that the Universe, through my own heart, knows me and always leads me, via synchronicities and serendipities and “coincidences” towards what I want and need better than my little (albeit hardworking and intelligent) analytical mind could ever possibly plan or imagine. Learning to surrender, has been the most wonderful (and occasionally excruciating) thing I've ever done. Asking that brilliant organizer to let go, to trust, to allow; to surrender its plans ideas, intentions wants and desires in order to LOVE, to see clearly with my heart, has been, and continues to be POWERFUL. And funnily enough everything I ever thought I wanted, needed, desired, intended to make happen is now happening, or not, and I'm happy regardless. How the heck did that happen!

    One last Synchronicity, as I was looking up Jung’s Synchronicity quote, the following quote caught me and wouldn't let me pass it by:

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

- Carl Jung

    So, I trust if you are reading this that you are also taking your essences; this month add in some Wild Oat if it resonates for you. And please, remember to look inside and ask guidance from your heart, even if your mind doesn’t quite understand where you're going. It will all become clear eventually!

    If you have remembered some of your own Synchronicities regarding how you found Star Essences or finding your own purpose, and are feeling INSPIRED, please POST A COMMENT BELOW! We would LOVE to hear from you. And I promise to answer :)

Wild Oat Flower Essence ~ What do you want to be?

"Essence of the Month" by Arielle Christner, March 2015

What do you want to be when you grow up?

This is a question we were all asked at least once as children. A firefighter? A ballerina? A secret agent? A teacher? A veterinarian for Ewoks on Endor? Hopefully your answer was allowed to be as wild as possible, without any imposed limitations or erroneous concepts of what is "realistic." (And if it wasn't, take a moment right now to rewrite the past: pop back into that moment like a knighted Fairy Godperson, embrace your Inner Child and exclaim, "What an absolutely brilliant idea!" ...Or whatever you need to hear...)

    So now for the big question: what are you "being" now? Note that I didn't ask what you "do." And while we're on the topic, are who you are and what you do in alignment? If they're not at the moment, do you still have a strong sense of purpose or specific intentions for your life? (For the record, what you "do" can be serving food while what you are "being" is still a Wizard, Order of Merlin, First Class.) Perhaps you have lost track of yourself over time, and you keep riding that train to the end of the line with no idea where you're going, watching everyone else decisively board and disembark at their chosen place in the Universe.

    This is where Wild Oat flower essence can be of assistance. It addresses personal fulfillment and life direction, offering potential for enhanced clarity and richness of purpose/experience. If one feels adrift with no trajectory it can reconnect you with your inner compass, allowing for expanded perspective and receptivity to opportunity. Likewise if one is overwhelmed by too many passions and possibilities, or at a crossroads, it can illuminate the pathway(s) that most serve your highest good, and that of the collective. After all, it is often not enough to merely have a function or purpose; it is meaning that brings true satisfaction to one's experience.

Wild Oat flower essence being prepared
in the Golden Crystal Bowl

“We must earnestly learn to develop individuality according to the dictates of our own Soul, to fear no man and to see that no one interferes with, or dissuades us from, the development of our evolution, the fulfillment of our duty and the rendering of help to our fellow-men, remembering that the further we advance, the greater blessing we become to those around us.”

- Dr. Edward Bach

    Wild Oat can move us from "survival" mode to "thrival" mode. As humanity and planet Earth collectively evolve during this pivotal time known- among other names- as Ascension, there may not always be certainty in our external experience. It is in the inner realm where Wild Oat can first help us to have that certainty, where we can align with a higher source and move in harmony to the unique rhythm of our personal drummer. The more that we cultivate and embrace this understanding and knowing in our inner world, the more that the outer world adjusts to match this beautiful new choreography that we're dancing!

    Wild Oat can also be supportive in situations where one forgot to grow up, or is "sowing their wild oats" in perpetuity, stuck in a stunted or juvenile state of development. There may be fear around progressing to the next stage of life, or there may simply be inability to initiate change, if the individual was over-parented and didn't develop healthy self-will. In any case, Wild Oat can support the self-awareness and empowerment to gracefully progress along life's path with faith that there are always more delights to be had around the next bend.

    In essence, Wild Oat reminds us that we are never done "growing up"- never done expanding, stretching, blooming, reaching for the light, taking in nourishment, enjoying the feel of a fresh breeze or a friendly pollinator. Thus, it is never too late to ask: "What do I want to be?"

Wild Oat is part of the Golden Bach Flower Essence Collection. It has recently been added to the Soul Purpose Constellation.

We Are Here to Love

by Kristine Marie

WE ARE HERE TO LOVE
To Love...Ourselves and Each Other...
And To Allow Ourselves to Be Loved...
And to transform and integrate the very definition of LOVE for the planet, the universe and all of CREATION.

    These are the words that came to me the morning after I pleaded with the Universe­ / Love­ / God/dess­ / Heart / Mind /­ Creator to please please please let me know what my purpose is here on this sweet little beauty of a watery blue planet.

    I was getting anxious; I had been through a veritable ringer of change and transformation and transition after transition until it seemed as if the very fiber of my existence was actually being re-purposed to allow, surrender, trust and be more and more grateful every moment. Recently when I'm thrown something that just seems impossible and outrageous, I have been able to laugh and look forward to seeing how the answer and the possibility is going to show itself, of its own accord and in its own timing. This used to be after I had given up trying to solve things, either in utter exasperation or a fit of laughter. As I quite enjoy the laughter I am practicing more often with that reaction, and its getting better and better and easier and easier every moment to live with that paradigm of love unfolding constantly. It feels like I'm being let in on the joke and LIFE IS BECOMING SO MUCH MORE FUN!!!

    And so I've taken the hint that I need to settle in, get comfy and get out there (as well as in here) and LOVE. There is ALWAYS MORE LOVING TO DO AND BE AND GIVE AND RECEIVE and if that's my purpose, well, I am ON IT!

    I used to think that I had to be aligned with organizations and work places that were "on Mission" for me... Helping the world, teaching, supporting, healing, myself and the world. The idea that MY MISSION, MY PURPOSE, is TO LOVE is so LIBERATING. Recently I have discovered that I have the ability and capacity to LOVE ANYWHERE ANYTIME ANYONE... no matter the business, the place, the people, whether I "agree" or not, whether I "like" or not, whether I am "resonant" or not... I can still LOVE. And I do, and have been... and I've realized that the one constant in my life has been the capacity and ability to LOVE.

    Which Essences have you taken today? Which Essences do you want to support and raise your LOVE VIBRATION on Valentine's Day? What combinations of brilliant essence vibrations do you want to create and integrate into your life?

     Let's get in there, and get out there, together, and LOVE! Join us on the Love Train! ALL ABOARD!!!

Expanding the Field of Acceptance: The Story of Making Chicory-Cornflower Surprise

by Star Riparetti

I've been searching for the words... I'm not so sure that even now I have them, and I will say that the FEELINGS for me, of what happened are profound.

Making the Chicory essence was powerful. I felt the presence of the Chicory so strongly on the day I made it. I remember the feeling, and even being aware of the strength of the connection. There was also strong guidance for picking flowers in several locations. I sent out my newsletter announcing the Chicory, and when I got the e-mail from my friend saying that the "Chicory" photos were actually of Cornflower, I was pretty disconcerted, to say the least.

I went searching for answers. I centered myself and went to walk the labyrinth on my land. Right away- like immediately, and without even asking- the energy of the Chicory was in my face, very much in my energy field. That's the best way I can explain it. The message was specific that the Chicory energy was in the essence. There wasn't really a conversation. It was simply abundantly clear that I was to let this essence go out. (I would have been perfectly fine to "recall" the essence, and in fact I was prepared to do just that.)

Essences can be made without cutting the flower. Many essence makers do this. I have always done it by cutting the flower- because I didn't trust myself and my connection to the spirit of the plant, and just in case, there would be the physical action of cutting the flower into the water. I do my best to remain impeccable in this. I feel very good about my essence making, and I have often heard from my guides that I am a good essence maker- and that is why I was called on to make so many essences. (Currently I've made over 250 individual essences, and having so many products has made my business more complicated in many respects.) The plant spirits and gem guardians don't seem to be concerned about economics or logistics or storage or any of that. They are happy to have their gifts available.

I know this exercise with the Chicory is my lesson. With plants (and things that don't have mobility) there is an Oversoul. I'm not sure that is even the right word. The soul of the plant or gem is not held within it- thus the plant is not "killed" when we cut it. That is another reason I always have felt fine about cutting the flowers, and even eating them.

I had been wondering just what the Cornflower is about and why it was in the essence, and if I didn't even know it was there, was there a connection? And all sorts of other thoughts. There are times that I can tune in to the spirits and there are other times that it just doesn't happen. Right now it is around 4:30 AM with a visible eclipse happening. I could see it for most of it, and now it has gone below my horizon. Of course it is still happening whether I can see it or not.

There is some analogy with that.


So why do we have the Cornflower with the Chicory?

It deepens the power of the essence. It gives it a broader spectrum. It moves the vibration slightly to address the 21st century. 

The Chicory helps us to release the need to control, change or make others to be what we deem more perfect. The Cornflower helps us to release our idea of what perfection is.

It helps us to know that our idea of perfection and someone else's idea of perfection aren't necessarily the same, and it isn't necessary to change their idea. There is room for it all. The Cornflower gives another dimension to the essence. This Chicory essence isn't just about dealing with the need let everyone else know how to do it right, it's about the allowance of expanding what is "right." Chicory helps you feel okay about yourself, regardless of how you perceive that others are behaving, and with the Cornflower something deeper- a greater acceptance of everything- can happen.

The essence needed to be made the way it was because my rational mind would not have done it. I would have wanted the Chicory to be pure. I would have wanted it my way, and I wouldn't have had room to allow for it to be different from what I deemed "perfect."

Again the Chicory comes and shows me that the bottles with the drops are infused with its energy. The Cornflower laughs, because since I have the photographs of it, it doesn't have to "prove" anything to me.

I am also being shown the power of the drops, since yes, we can connect to the spirit of the plant and bring the energy to us (without taking drops), and it has taken me several weeks (and the full moon eclipse) to get to this beautiful connecting place. This place gratefully also comes on days I make essences, and I can't always conjure up the connection at at a moment's notice. I CAN take a bottle of essences and take the drops 4 X a day or more, and keep that frequency until my body continues to remember it- which can sometimes (and not always) take awhile- like days, weeks, months. Sometimes (often) taking drops is just easier than taking the time to make the connection with the plant spirit.

This is a whole lot of words, to explain a feeling that happened in seconds.

Take the essence. It will teach you, and expand your field of acceptance.

Making the Oak Essence: A Love Affair

by Star Riparetti

Oak

The Oak tree was calling. I was feeling it. I started looking around and didn't see it in bloom yet, and still I kept hearing it. I looked at the oaks I had planted on my land. No blossoms. I looked up how old oak trees were when they bloomed. 20 years. So mine wouldn't be blooming any time soon- they'll need another 10 years. I sent out a message to a couple of friends that I figured might have some in bloom. I never heard from them. Then- I was with some lovely ladies doing a Blue Lotus meditation. Right after the meditation we were dreamily talking about what we had seen. We were deep in the magic of Egypt, when out of the Blue (pun intended), Diane says: "Have you seen my Oak tree outside in full bloom? It's amazing!"

I nearly fell off the couch. She said she just felt like she had to say it right then. Of course at that moment I knew the Oak Golden Bach Essence was about to happen.

The next morning Diane e-mailed me and said I was welcome to the Oak tree(s) any time. All of a sudden, just like in the past when I had a new boyfriend- I had to see that Oak tree. That was where all of the energy was. No matter that I had only a sliver of time before I was due at a meeting, and plenty of other things to do. There was time to make the drive up the mountain, and get back in time. No question, I had to follow that energy. It's the only thing I wanted to do. I just wanted to say Hi to the tree. I would go back when there was more time to actually make the essence.

I love that feeling, that feeling of being in love.

And this time it was with a tree.

I jumped in my car and drove up highway 154 in eager anticipation. I got there, and it was in radiant glory!! I could feel its happiness and embrace. It was in total bloom. Oak flowers everywhere.

It felt ecstatic that it was going to be an essence.

Then I remembered. When Diane moved in about 4 and a half years ago, the oaks were very sad, seemingly dying. She began working with them, and giving them essences. Lots of essences, especially Earth Balancing Trinity, and other essences as they called. Now, 4 1/2 years later- have a look.

Happy Oak!

The trees are so happy to give back. They have been nurtured with essences, and now they get to BE one. They kept telling ME how grateful THEY were.

Oak in the Golden Bowl

Star communing with Oak

Such a special journey. That feeling of being in Love, for me, was such a great sign that I'm doing the right thing.