The Complete Book of Flower Essences: 48 Natural and Beautiful Ways to Heal Yourself and Your Life

Plants and flowers have long been the basis for many traditional healing practices. Many modern medicines have their "roots" in the worlds of herbalism. And yet, there has been little integration between systems of thought and practice.In this volume, Rhonda Pallas Downey has amassed a body of work that brings a variety of disciplines into balance and perspective. She skillfully weaves the historic precepts of herbalism, homeopathy, and flower essences, demonstrating a deep knowledge of not only the principals of healing, but the application of precepts to practice. With a strong background in healing systems, she also skillfully correlates the use of flower essences to the chakra systems, thus demonstrating the web that brings all healing systems into a cohesive whole.Rhonda shares a wealth of personal experiences that illustrate how flower essences are created, shared, and used. She guides the reader through the exacting process of choosing, gathering, preparing, and using the flower essences. There is a sacredness of this process which is clearly inspiring and meditative. The proving process, in which the essences are blindly tested, adds credibility to this healing method.Forty-eight plants, indigenous to North America, are carefully detailed in the Materia Medica section of the book. Each plant or flower is detailed as to physical characteristics, botanical names, traditional and homeopathic uses, and suggestions for healing uses. Data from the original provings is provided to assist the reader in a greater understanding of the plant's properties. Case histories, observations, and affirmations round out each profile. Rhonda's own exquisite photographs accompany the text.This is not a book to read cover to cover, but one to ponder and explore. Just as Rhonda encourages us to look at healing on a higher level, the book brings additional layers and dimensions to common plants we may see but not really experience. This is an exceptional work that deserves a place in the body of knowledge of healing.