Bloom: Using Flower Essences for Personal Development and Spiritual Growth

Stefan Ball, of the Dr. Edward Bach Centre and Bach Foundation has come up with a unique approach to understanding and using the Bach Flower Remedies with this book, one that looks beyond the descriptions of what the individual flowers do and how to choose and use them (scores of books are available that do this already, some with him as author, no less). The focus here, as one can gather from the subtitle, is on personal and spiritual development and growth. I am not usually one who even considers reading so-called "self-help" books, but since I am heavily involved with the Bach system, including training to become a practitioner, I already had an interest in that part of the subject. This book does cover in detail, in chapters alternating with more philosophical ones, what each of the 38 Bach Flower Remedies do, but even here, there are more in-depth descriptions and different ways of looking at the Remedies, using many thoughtful examples (some from the author's own life experiences), than usually appear in these books. Every other chapter covers topics such as intuition, peak experiences, simplicity and finding one's life purpose not only as they relate to using the Bach system, but also how they have been discussed throughout history by philosphers, authors and scientists. This sounds like it could get rather heavy pretty quickly, but Ball keeps the tone light and the style of writing almost conversational so that the book is very easy and quick to read while conveying a wealth of useful information that makes you think about your own life. For someone already using the Bach Flowers, Bloom offers fascinating, fresh insight into using them for a deeper purpose, beyond, say, "merely" taking them for relieving depression. For someone new to Bach Flowers, it provides a wonderful starting point, complete with all the basic information as well as an underlying theme that can be tapped into when the time is right. Seventy years on, Bach Flowers continue to help people change their own lives. Bloom brings forward this message in a comfortable, inspiring fashion which is destined to make it a classic.