Theme and Plot Essences: A New
Paradigm for the Essence World
By Lila Devi, Founder/Director of Spirit in Nature's
Flower Essences since 1977
(originally
appeared in Vibration
Magazine: The Journal of Vibrational and Flower Essences,
Feb 2003 issue)
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Flower essences are often described
as vibrational medicine, holistic therapy, or more metaphysically,
bottled affirmations. Yet the standard terms for explaining
the application of the essences themselves are quite limited.
Dr. Bach reduced the human personality to "types"
and classified personalities according to his flower essence
line, creating "type remedies."
In her book Flower Remedies,
Christine Wildwood notes that "Bach observed that the
way a person behaved when unwell is often a key to the type
remedy." A fine doctor and a sensitive healer who pioneered
the subtlest of healing sciences, Bach was nonetheless influenced
by his medical background. Physicians are trained to see pathology.
Health of the complete organism is invisible to the medical
model, in which an ailing organ is often treated in isolated
fashion with medication or by other means, or surgically removed.
This dynamic applies to the realm of psychology as well; most
therapists focus on their clients' dysfunction and how to
return them to a functional status.
I was recently told this true story. Upon
meeting for the first time, one flower essence practitioner
said to the other, "Oh, you're just an Agrimony type,"
indicating a person who hides mental torture and worry behind
a mask of false cheeriness (agrimony is the yellow flower
pictured on this page beween sections of text). The other
practitioner took offense to this assessment of her character,
and understandably so. There is no greater insult to human
dignity than to be labeled by our faults -- which is the basis
of the type remedy concept. Almost as an aside, we learn that
the Agrimony type is also an optimistic, peace-seeking individual.
The type remedy model reflects a mixed bag of both positive
and negative personality traits, based on a strong identification
with one's faults.
In The Essential
Flower Essence Handbook, I present two new paradigms:
theme and plot essences. Every living thing possesses life
force, expressed through its unique personality. Inherent
in each personality is the presence of at least one positive,
predominant quality, such as love, kindness, or peacefulness.
The THEME ESSENCE supports and strengthens this core trait.
(The theme essence construct is generic to any flower essence
and any essence line. Whereas essences from different lines
will often parallel each other, rarely is there an exact duplication.)
Referring back to the Agrimony type remedy, its theme essence
equivalent is the Spirit in Nature's Cherry Essence. Here is the optimist
who is basically cheerful, remaining even-minded through life's
eternal roller coaster of ups and downs.
The PLOT ESSENCE paradigm is closer to
the type remedy concept by definition, with one key distinguishing
factor: plot essences do not define who we are, but rather
illumine the path we need to take to achieve wholeness. Put
another way, we have plot essences, but we are our theme essence.
The need for an essence or the lack of a particular positive
quality in our lives indicates a plot essence usage; the predominant
presence of an essence's positive qualities in the personality
suggests a theme essence.
A plot essence addresses the need to learn
a specific lesson or tackle a certain challenge. Thus, a person
who expresses Agrimony's negative qualities could be called
either an Agrimony plot or the Spirit in Nature's equivalent, an Apple
plot. Apple Essence (apple blossoms shown along the left and
right margins of this page) helps one transmute worries, fears
or doubts. It usually addresses health-related fears in particular,
but it is also indicated for unhealthy attitudes that create
inner conflict and weaken the aura, thereby inviting in the
unwelcome guest of dis-ease.
Does this mean we need never take our theme
essence? Not at all! Sometimes we grow by reinforcing our
positive strengths. To paraphrase one of my correspondence
course student's papers on the subject, "If we understand
the theme essence of the individual, we can understand that
any imbalance can be assisted by giving his/her theme essence.
Also, the theme essence can be given without having to figure
out the client's negative problem."
What does all this mean in down-to-earth
terms? With permission to comment on a delightful article
on type remedies in this same issue, the author Ivory Phoenix
calls herself a Water Violet type. With admirably unflinching
honesty, she describes herself as "capable, brainy, but
rather aloof." Translating this self-portrait into the
theme/plot paradigm, we could re-label Ms. Phoenix as having
a Water Violet pivotal plot essence -- meaning this remedy
encapsulates major life lessons she is needing to learn.
Or, we could give her a theme essence. Ivory's
writing style exudes self-confidence, her personality shining
through in a gutsy and delightfully outspoken way: a perfect
portrayal of the Pineapple theme in the Spirit in Nature's Essences
range. These themes are totally entertaining. Their self-assuredness
is refreshingly healing to others, and it is said they go
to themselves for a second opinion. In the essence chapters
of The Handbook, I list famous people who typify the various
essence themes. What do such stars as Madonna, Sean Connery
and Miss Piggy have in common? They are all listed as Pineapple
themes, along with a few paragraphs profiling John F. Kennedy.
As Ms. Phoenix pointed out, people don't
change that much in a given lifetime. "Why, you haven't
changed a bit!" is a common phrase used by old friends
meeting after decades of separation. Consider that statement
in light of the saying that life is too short. We want to
ask ourselves where to put our energy and focus: on correcting
our unlimited flaws or enhancing our existing strengths? This
question leads us back to the theme essence paradigm.
One further comment on Ms. Phoenix's experience
with her Water Violet type remedy bringing up so much pain
as she cleared through her issues. I rarely -- and I mean
almost never -- get this kind of feedback from people taking
the Spirit in Nature's Essences. I often liken the taking of an essence
to walking into a room and turning on the light: flip the
switch and the darkness disappears. In taking an essence,
the process of returning to wholeness is one that can happen
quickly. It is an experience of celebration, not crisis, and
need not be painful. This is based on the truth that we already
are perfect, we already are balanced: a philosophy that, according
to over 25 years of documented case histories, filters through
people's experiences with the essences. The theme essence,
then, is who we are in a state of rest -- "a human being
and not a human doing."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lila
Devi is founder and director of Spirit in Nature's Flower Essences since
1977, the oldest essence line outside the UK. She is also
the author of The Essential Flower
Essence Handbook and Flower Essences
for Animals. Also available on this site are homestudy
courses and product information.
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