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Medical Professional, Medical Doctor, Bacteriologist, Botanist, Surgeon, Vaccine Researcher, Homeopathy “And may we ever have joy and gratitude in our hearts that the great creator of all things and his love for us has placed the herbs in the fields for his healing. " As a young boy, Edward Bach was no mere dreamer. His certainty, his intensity of purpose, and his interest in all things, however small, combined to make a character of great genius; Though, as is usual with genius, he was destined to stand alone, for few can follow and understand the determination of one who knew his life’s work from the start and would allow nothing to interfere with that great aim. There were two significant interests in his life overwhelming compassion for all who suffered, whether human beings, birds, or beasts, and love for nature, for her trees and plants. These two things combined led him to the knowledge of the healing that he sought. The one love helped the other, for he found in nature's storehouse the flowers of the field which heal all those in sickness and pain. Bach started his studies as a student at the University College Hospital of Medicine in London, England, His enthusiasm and intense desire to find true healing filled his life to the exclusion of all else. He had no love for city life. He loved the country and all its nature. Financially school was hard for him. The money he had saved from working in the factories with his father from age 18 to 20 was running out. His parents had little money to help, so he helped to substitute himself for money by correcting tests of the students for the teachers. After he graduated from medical school and started his practice, he noticed that many doctors had little opportunity to study their patients. They were taught the orthodox treatment of medicine and surgeries for long-standing chronic cases. Many of his patients improved, and many were cured, but their health was not always maintained. The apparent failure he felt, was because the majority of medical men had little opportunity to study their patients. They were kept too busy to think of the human side, concentrating too much upon the physical body and so forgetting that each individual was not in any respect built to a specific pattern. They were taught to be so concerned with a disease that they ignored the personality of the human being, and he was convinced that in this way, they were neglecting the most important symptoms of the patient. This made him look around for other methods of healing, and he became interested in different branches of medicine, like the immunity medical school. He became the assistant bacteriologist at the University College Hospital and hoped for bacteriology to find the answers to his problems. He discovered that certain intestinal germs, which up to now had been considered of little or no importance, were closely connected with chronic disease and its cure. These germs were present in the intestines of all persons suspected of suffering from chronic illness and were also present in healthy individuals. Still, in the first instance, they increased in numbers; in the latter, they were present in smaller proportions. Weeks and months of investigation followed, and as his research progressed, he became convinced that a vaccine made from these intestinal bacteria and injected into the patient’s bloodstream would have the effect of cleansing the system of the poison causing the chronic disease. The results he obtained by so doing were beyond all expectations. Not only did their general health improve, but also the patients remarked that they had never felt so well before and headaches, arthritis, rheumatism, etc., had disappeared. He and his colleagues were so thrilled with this discovery. These important discoveries revolutionized the treatment of chronic diseases. A few years later, and another school of medicine, the Homeopathic Hospital of Medicine, he continued his research upon improving and simplifying his discovery with added success and even better results than before. Dr. Edward Bach worked so many long hours that his own Health at this time was not good. The great war had started, and much to his sorrow, he was refused again and again for service abroad. However, there was much for him to do In London. He was in charge of over 400 War soldier's beds at the University College Hospital in addition to his research work in the bacteriology department, and he was also a demonstrator and clinical assistant of bacteriology at the hospital medical school. He worked unceasingly, giving himself no rest until he felt so ill that he fainted on the laboratory bench. His great determination was not to give in to his disabilities while there was so much to be done as so many needed help, so he kept himself going for a time, but in June, he had a severe hemorrhage and became unconscious. He was immediately operated on because of the hemorrhage caused by cancer. He survived the surgery but was still very gravely viewed by his colleagues. They told him he had three months to live as he woke from the anesthesia. After his operation, he lay in bed for weeks in excruciating pain from the surgery in an agony of body and mind. Those few weeks were almost beyond bearing for one who was so active and of a sensitive nature, with the burning urge to live and accomplish his purpose in life. Three months left in which to finish the work he knew had barely begun!! Gradually he became reconciled to the thought but determined that if he were to leave his work unfinished, he would make as good use as possible of the few weeks of life remaining to him. Still very weak, just able to walk about, he returned to the hospital laboratories, where he took entire charge of the department for some weeks. At once, he became so immersed in his experiments that he lost all count of time, working day and night until the light shining from his laboratory windows was called the “Light that never goes out.” As weeks and months slipped by, he forgot His disabilities and found himself growing stronger, and when the three months had elapsed, he suddenly realized he was in better health than he had been for some years. The men who had seen him at his worst were astonished at his recovery, so much so that one medical friend who had attended his operation and then left immediately for the war, on meeting him suddenly sometime afterward, exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, I thought, but you would be dead!" This made Bach pause to consider the reason for his marvelous recovery, of his return to life, as it were. He concluded that an Absorbing interest, a Great Love, and a Definite Purpose in life were the deciding factors of man’s happiness on earth and were, indeed, the incentive that had carried him through his difficulties and helped him in the regaining of his health. In his later work, this great truth was emphasized, for the herbal remedies he discovered held the power of soul revitalizing, of the mind and body, that they wish to live and do one’s work in life is regained, and with that desire good health returns. All he had done so far, he considered, was but a step towards this new healing, and he was impatient to begin seriously upon the fresh theories. He told his friends that he was about to give up his work in London and devote himself to the task of finding world types and searching for the future remedies that would heal these types and, by so doing, heal all the diseases from which they might suffer. This took his colleagues by surprise, but they had always looked upon him as a leader of scientific research, a genius who had made and would make, further discoveries in that branch of medicine. His Harley Street practice was bringing him an income of over $5000 a year, the work of preparing Vaccines to send to medical Doctors all over the world was in itself a full-time occupation, and, in addition to this, he was looked upon as an outstanding genius as a Physician and scientist, with an even bigger future before him. What concerned him most in his life at this point which became stronger as the days passed, was that his work lay in other directions and that he would find what he sought among the trees and plants of nature, which were already prepared for men by nature herself, and were only waiting to be discovered. Dr. Edward Bach, then 43 years old, was preparing to begin his work all over again, in an entirely different line. His great intellectual powers led him to make many scientific discoveries, the use of which brought and is still getting, through orthodox medicine and homeopathic, relief and healing to many suffering. Still, he felt within him that divine inspiration, intuition, the true wisdom. Guided by this, he was ready to forsake all scientific and artificial healing methods and return to nature's simple ways. Dr. Edeard Bach decided to leave London and devote all his time to new work and the finding of future herbal remedies. He divided his existing practice among his medical friends and closed down his laboratory. The evening before he left London, he was greatly encouraged by the words of one physician Dr. John H. Clark, who said to him, “My lad, forget all you have learned, forget the past, and go ahead. You will find what you were seeking, and when you have found it, I will welcome you back and give you my support. I have not long to live, but may I live to see the day of your return, for I know what you find will bring great joy and comfort to those for whom we, at present, can do so little. And I will, instead, set up as a practitioner of the new and better medicine you’ll find.”Dr. Clark lived to hear of the findings of the herbal remedies called the “12 Healers,” and before he died, he published the first account of them in his journal, the “Homeopathic World Journal.” During the years that followed, Dr. Bach walked many hundreds of miles, wandering all over the country, in Wells, the southern and eastern countries of England, by river and sea, watching people and nature, observing and gaining an understanding of both which led to the findings of the new system of herbal medication. Dr. Edward Bach had always looked upon healing, not as a profession. But as a divine art, he had grown more and more to feel that those who have the privilege of doing this work of healing should be prepared to give their services, for help was not a commercial commodity but something that was the right of every individual, therefore from the time he left London to the end of his earthly life he charged no fees for his advance and his help either, to the rich or the poor. His big-heartedness would never allow him to see others in need or go without; out of his little, he would always find enough to share with them. It was said of him he gave away more than he had. With contributions from grateful patients and gifts from understanding friends from time to time, he could continue his great work, and whenever he contemplated a fresh journey or some new departure in the work he found he always had enough for what he might need. This confirmed that he believed he was on the right track and that all he had to do was go ahead with complete trust in the Divine Source of all, Which he knew as God and Jesus Christ. Bach eventually settled down in a small Welch Village to work out his theory in the search for new remedies. He had no idea which plants held the medical properties he sought beyond the fact that he knew they would all be beneficial and would have a very high order, for he was convinced that poisonous substances in plants could have no real function in the healing of the human body. He felt the right remedies would cause no severe reactions either. Nor would they be unpleasant to take. They would be gentle and sure, healing body, mind, and spirit. He also felt that a new method of preparing these remedies would have to be discovered, a simpler process than had already been used. Doctor Bach’s botanist background helped him as he spent many long days examining the great variety of plants, noting where they grew, what soil they chose to expand upon, the color, shape, and number of their petals, what they spread by, tubers, or route of seed? He sat for hours by a single plant, also wading through bogs and marshes, climbing to the mountain tops, and tramping 4 miles along the lanes and through the fields in search of fresh specimens, learning all he could of the habitat and characteristics of each flower and plant and tree. Not finding what he was searching for, Bach concluded that the plants he needed would be found later in the year, they would bloom when the days were most prolonged and the sun was at the height of its power and strength to obtain their medical properties to the full he would need to use the flower heads alone, for the life of the plant was concentrated in its flower, that held the potential seed. The plants chosen would be the most perfect of their kind, with blooms and beautiful shapes, and, as nature was always lavish in her gifts to men, they would grow in profusion. One early morning in May, as he was walking through a field upon which the dew still lay heavily, the thought flashed into his mind that each dewdrop must contain some of the properties of the plant upon which it rests for the heat of the sun, acting through the fluid, would serve to draw out these properties until each drop was magnetized through the water. Then he realized that if he could obtain the medical properties of the plants he was seeking in this way, the resulting remedies would contain the plants' full perfect, uncontaminated power. They would heal, surely, as no medical preparations had been known to heal before. He decided to test his theory by collecting the due from certain flowers before the sun caused evaporation and trying it out upon himself. Through trial and error, none of the flowers contained the healing properties he sought, but he found out that the dew from each plant held a definite power of some kind. The important fact he gathered from this experiment was that the sun's heat was essential to the process of extraction, for the dew collected from plants in shady places was not as potent as that from the plants in full sun. Having proved that the sun-warmed dew absorbed the properties of the plant upon which it rested. So he set himself to perfect the new method of preparing healing remedies. By doing this, he found great satisfaction, for the water had been impregnated by the power of the plant and was very potent. He had now discovered the new method of preparation of medical remedies, which he had hoped for some years earlier in an address he had given at the British Homeopathic Society saying, “Perhaps at some future date a new form of potency may be discovered.” The first 19 of the herbal remedies he would later find were all prepared in this way. Bach was overjoyed at the discovery, for this method entailed no destruction or injury to the plants used, the whole process was carried out in the open air in the field where the plant itself group and the few flowers picked were at their freshest and in the perfection of their bloom lost none of their power during the process of making the tinctures. He was convinced that true knowledge was to be gained not through man’s intellect but through his ability to see and accept life's natural, simple truths. Dr. Bach kept journals of everything he did, and as he found flowers that he could use, he would document them, write his reports, and send them to medical journals to be read by medical professionals. In Dr. Bach’s journals, it has been made clear that disease of the body is not primarily due to physical causes but to certain disturbing moods or states of mind which interfere with the normal happiness of the individual, and how these moods, if allowed to continue, lead to a disturbance, of the functions of the bodily organs and tissues. The mind is in absolute control of every human's mental and physical condition. Thus any disturbance of mind, such as continued worry, fear, or depression, would not only result in a loss of peace and security but would be communicated to the physical body through the nerves, causing disorganization of the property of the proper functioning of its organs and loss of tone and vitality in its tissues. But so soon as the mind regained its normal peace and happiness, it would also regain its wise and perfect control over the body. Which would automatically be cleansed of any disease or complaint from which it suffered. These disturbing moods, then, are the actual indications for the treatment of illness, and the function of the remedies of the new farm-a-copia would be to assist the patient in ridding himself of the state of mind that was causing his ill health. As Bach wrote in his papers, the herbal remedies stated that the herbal powers would help elevate our negative vibrations and thus draw down spiritual power, which cleanses the mind and body and heals... At this point, Dr. Bach had written a book called “Heal thy Self” Bach stresses the importance of happiness in life, for not only does it bring help, but it indicates that the individual is living his life on earth to the fullest, and un-influenced by others, in so doing, bring the greatest help and service to his fellow man. From his own experience and through watching others closely, Bach realized that man, if he did but know it, was endowed with all the wisdom and knowledge necessary to guide him through his earthly life in the utmost happiness, joy, and health. This wisdom was imparted to him through his intuition and instincts, this was the means of communicating between man’s higher self (Spirit) and his earthly personality (physical body) and, being of divine origin, should be obeyed and trusted implicitly. True happiness, then, resulting from opening the Communication of our soul, or higher self, which we learn through instinct, is not only man’s birthright but brings with it all the qualities he strives to attain during his life on earth, the rates of gentleness, strength, of courage, steadfastness, wisdom, peace, and love. Unhappiness attracts the reverse side of these qualities: greed, cruelty, self-love, instability, ignorance, pride, and hate, which are the underlying causes of disease. The final paragraph of “Heal thy Self” again emphasizes the importance of happiness, which follows man’s dependence upon the wisdom of his divinity, for Bach wrote, “So come out my brothers and sisters into the glorious sunshine of the knowledge of your divinity, and earnestly and steadfastly set to work to join in the grand design of being happy and communicating happiness... The principles of the new healing method are now clearer in his mind, and he knew his immediate work was to classify the moods or states of mind of all types of individuals and find the remedy corresponding to each of these moods. The disease is a kind of awakening. The disease is a kind of consolation of a mental attitude, and it is only necessary to treat the mood of a patient then, the disease will disappear if it is in the early stage. Bach welcomed the chance to study the healthy, normal individual, for he found it gave him even greater insight and understanding of the difficulties of human nature than the years he had spent in the hospitals amongst the sick. Every individual belongs to a definite group or type. Having essentially the same kind of personality, character, or temperament as the others in that group. The members of each group are recognizable by their behavior, moods, or attitudes of mine, for instance, the nervous type was fearful of the first plunge into the sea, and the hesitant, undecided group took some time to make up their minds to go in, the impatient people walked straight in, the over-concerned tried the temperature of the water first and so on each behavior according to his type. The same thing would occur in times of sickness. The nature of the element or disease, therefore, need not be taken seriously into consideration, the moods were the indication for the treatment required, for bodily health was entirely dependent upon the state of mind. The remedies he was seeking would assist in the removal of these moods and so affect the cure. The remedies used in medicine relieve the physical symptoms of disease, but they do not remove the underlying cause, the -mood -and the patient was left without help to rise above his mental problems. For most, this was not easy, and for some, almost impossible, hence the long-continued suffering of so many. With acute disease resulting from violent or quickly passing moods, the organized effects upon the body were soon over. (Such as a car wreck or a must-have quick surgery.) These physical things happen quickly and then are over... But when the mood was not so rapidly dispelled, the disorganization continued, gaining a stronger hold on the organs and tissues. The after-effects might become permanent, resulting in chronic disease. Because of years of nonstop looking for all the remedies he needed, he finally formed the 12 healers and other remedies and declared his work was done. He trained his team with great care, for now, that his work of finding the herbs and perfecting the new method of the treatment of disease was completed, he wished to leave its application in their hands and in the hands of all those who scattered throughout the world and who were ready to use his system of herbal medication. On November 27, 1936 , his 50th birthday , Dr. Edward Bach died peacefully in his sleep at his cottage in the country , knowing t h at h is work was done. Years of his life had been short, but during those 50 years, he had worked without ceasing to find a pure and simple way of healing the sick. Then, having accomplished all that was possible for him on earth, he gladly laid down his physical body to continue his work in another sphere, content that those who had been with him would be unceasing in their efforts to spread the knowledge of these healing herbs. Those of us who had the privilege of being closely associated with Dr. Edward Bach during the latter years of his life can never be sufficiently grateful for the experience. In this healing work that he gave us, which we continue in his name, we gratefully acknowledge his inspiration and help. The keynote is "HAPPINESS." Dr. Bach believed happiness leads to good health, while unhappiness can cause disease. He identified fear, anxiety, and other negative emotions as happiness destroyers.  Dr. Bach discovered certain natural herbs and trees that can alleviate these negative emotions and help restore joy and health. By addressing the patient's state of mind first, physical ailments tend to fade away. Patients often feel better mentally and then physically after using herbal remedies.  Dr. Bach's herbal healing system focuses on restoring physical and mental health, ultimately bringing happiness and healing to individuals. A Friendship Forged in Healing: A Tribute to Dr. Bach "My first encounter with Dr. Edward Bach at the 1929 International Homeopathic Congress sparked a lasting friendship. We shared each new discovery, united by his selfless dedication to humanity. Dr. Bach found immense joy in each new remedy, viewing himself as a conduit for this knowledge.  In a letter discussing a remedy's healing properties, he wrote, "This work is not mine. All credit goes to the one who grants us knowledge for the betterment of mankind." Though gone, Dr. Bach's legacy lives on, a testament to his unwavering pursuit of healing." (F. J. Wheeler, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.) My thoughts; Bach Flower Remedies offer insight into the unseen healing powers naturally present on Earth. These remedies address our fears, anxieties, and depression, which are increasingly prevalent today and affecting the lives of our children. I am grateful for this knowledge and firmly believe that nature provides us with healing. Dr. Edward Bach followed his gift wholeheartedly, guided by the wisdom of his soul. Debra Rudd

Be Thoughtful, Be Direct, Be Thankful, Be Gracious As you pray, offer a prayer for guidance, be specific. Pray for Emotional and Physical health. Ask for the guidance and support you need to help support what you are struggling with. You could ask for your nerves to unwind so they can find peace. Pray for your Physical Body to support and sustain you in all its daily functions. Ask that your Eyes may be protected to be able to see your physical world and also see the things that are unseen in this world with your spiritual sight. Pray that your Eyes will have a clear vision for you personally and those you love. Ask that your Muscles can be strong enough to be able to carry and support not only your body but other things that weigh heavy upon your mind and soul so that you may be able to find peace, strength, and courage. Pray for your Heart that it stays strong and pumps vitality through your core. Pray that your Heart will find compassion and love for yourself and others. Pray that your Mind will be sharp, that it will know the difference between good and evil, right and wrong. Pray for Understanding; Pray to find purpose in your life. Be Witty and Jovial so that your Mind and Heart can find Joy and your Lungs can find Breath to “Laugh out Loud.” Pray that your body can find a beautiful connection with your Divine Spirit. Let them ebb and flow freely, together in support of each other, and pray for understanding of your journey here on earth, that you may live it together as a well-polished symphony. Brain : Your brain holds all information that is said and done throughout your life. It helps you think through things before you do them, be it right or wrong for you. But there is a master brain or a “Spirit Brain” that takes over when it needs to teach and align you to knowledge and truth, sometimes beyond your understanding, but something to work towards, which in turn enlightens your body and soul. Eyes: Your eyes take in so much data every second of the day. It helps you to be safe and see the beauty of the earth all around you. It helps you to see others. Seeing something beautiful can charge our lungs and our hearts with joy and contentment. They work in tandem with each other. Your eyes, through compassion, can see past the physical and into the pain, sadness, or joy of another. Your eyes can read words that have been written to help you learn and become more intelligent and more gracious as you walk this earth. Ears : Your ears help to hear the noise around you. The diversity of voices from others are the words that are said for our protection and love, or hatred and pain. Be careful the things you say because once you say it, you can never take it back. Sometimes, it’s hard to hear things that people say about you. Our spiritual ears can hear the voices all around us. The Voices from above and below keep us in the loop as to what’s going on. Our physical and spiritual ears can help to protect us. Mouth: Your mouth breaks down the food that you eat to help sustain your body. Your mouth was also meant to speak kind words of wisdom for yourself and others. But sometimes, we use our words to tear down ourselves or another. As you are guided from within, you will learn compassion for one another, the lifting up instead of the tearing down. Your mouth can speak the truth, and it can teach and console those in need. Your mouth can bring forth beautiful tones through song and praise. It can speak softly and tenderly, and it sometimes gives loving kisses. Heart: Your heart is your life support here on earth. It is the remembrance of love and compassion that brings warmth to your body and soul. Your heart carries the pains of difficulties, struggles, and sufferings, as well as joys, contentment, and laughter. It is the heart of the soul which is fiercely connected to Jesus Christ, our Savior. Lungs: Your lungs bring in breath to sustain you for your survival here on earth. They also breathe in and out heavy sighs to help alleviate the pains of sorrow and grief. The pains that are intertwined with your physical and spiritual parts. Organ: Your many organs sustain you so your body can function in this world. Arms and Legs: Your arms and legs are the strength of your body and soul; your legs keep you moving forward, and your arms hold light or heavy loads. Your arms cradle your babies, they embrace your loved ones, they create things that you thought you could only dream of, they serve others, and they let your hands wipe away sad tears. Your legs carry you through your daily life; they sustain you not only physically but spiritually as they move you forward. They strive to walk the path of things that you need to learn physically and spiritually. They take you down paths of beauty in nature or sadness and pain, all of which you will gain wisdom along the way. They are sturdy and strong enough to hold all of who you are. All parts of our body sustain us in life and protect us along the way while learning the things we need to learn. We learn not only physically but spiritually. When we lose a part of our physical body that does not function as well, other parts within us will lift, sustain, and support that part physically and spiritually. For we were spiritual before we were born physically, they work together as a fine-tuned instrument. “When and if we ever lose the function of one or more of our body parts, do not fear, for we have a divine Spirit within us. The love of Jesus Christ is divinely taking care of us through our senses, our divine nature, and our knowledge of the language of the spirit. Spirit to spirit continues to connect us in life and death.” Debra Rudd

Have you ever wondered about the name behind your favorite places? Let me share the story behind Honeysuckle Cottage.  This name resonates deeply with my family history and my approach to wellness. Inspired by Dr. Edward Bach's Plant Wisdom My journey to Honeysuckle Cottage began with the work of Dr. Edward Bach, a pioneer in natural healing. His dedication to finding natural cures that mirror the practices of our ancestors resonated deeply with me. Dr. Bach identified numerous plants with remarkable healing properties through his research, addressing physical and emotional ailments. One such plant that particularly struck a chord was Honeysuckle. This beautiful flower enhances the power to soothe emotional anxieties that linger from past experiences. These anxieties, often rooted in past hurts, can hold us back, leaving us stuck and lacking the strength to move forward. Honeysuckle: A Symbol of Letting Go and Moving On Honeysuckle is a catalyst for letting go of these negative burdens, allowing us to embrace the present and propel ourselves toward a brighter future. It represents a fresh start, a chance to learn from the stories of past generations and bridge the gap between the past and present. By sharing these stories, we pave the way for healing, not just for ourselves but for future generations. Honoring the Women Who Came Before Me Honeysuckle Cottage is a tribute to the incredible women in my family lineage. Their unwavering strength, dedication, and nurturing spirit have shaped me into the person I am today. Imagine the lives of these women: the tireless work ethic, the wisdom passed down through generations, and the unwavering compassion that led them to travel for days to help those in need. They were the teachers, the nurturers, the backbone of the family. Their stories illustrate a time of immense strength, perseverance, and true grit. Carrying the Torch Forward Life became a little easier with each generation, and the burdens became a little lighter. Yet, the essence of these women's strength remains woven into the fabric of my being. Today, I stand tall, grateful for the stories I carry in my heart. Honeysuckle Cottage is a testament to my family legacy. It's a safe haven, a space where we can move forward together, cherishing the memories of the past while embracing the present. It's a place where we weave together the threads of our stories, celebrating the triumphs, the hardships, the quiet moments of reflection, and the enduring love of family. Finding Peace and Sharing Stories These women have brought immense peace to my soul. I continue their legacy through Honeysuckle Cottage and the stories I share within its walls. It's a space for connection, for sharing my story and the stories of those who came before me, offering solace and hope to those seeking healing. Honeysuckle Cottage is a bridge between the past and the present, a testament to the enduring strength of family, and a space where we can all find a sense of peace and belonging. This is my story. This is Honeysuckle Cottage. With gratitude, Debra

If you can liken each emotion, mental pattern, or thought pattern as being a certain vibrational frequency, as each carries its own cell energy or vibration, then you can start to have an understanding of some of the most fundamental laws and how we are each creating in every moment energies around us and in fact, creating our own reality. These vibrations can be seen as energy fields around each of our bodies. Each vibration has its own color frequency related to the particular thoughts and beliefs we carry. These vibrational energies affect our chakras and meridians in our bodies and extend from within us through our thoughts and actions outwardly. Poor health is caused by outside forces, that in some way push us to create our own experiences and illnesses by our negative beliefs or unbalanced emotions, thus drawing negativity into our body through the subtle realms of thought, down into dense matter. (Body) Change our thoughts and change our lives. That’s what flower essences do. There is no other form of medicine that helps us bring these permanent, positive changes. They have become the tools to help us live a happier and healthier life. We can also help to rise our spiritual awareness with Prayer to a loving Heavenly Father who will help us bring peace to ourselves and others.

I think one of the qualities that reflects me the most is that there is light and life in my existence and my core, it is strong and secure yet fragile. My spiritual thought processes are extended to help balance emotional movement on windy days. Meaning, Life, and light are secure yet fragile, as the emotions that run through us are also. Some people beckon to be helped but don’t know where to start. As Dr. Bach said so eloquently, “May we ever have joy and gratitude in our hearts for the great Creator of all things, and his love for us, has placed the herbs in the fields for his Healing”. The flower remedies are emotional, vibrational frequencies and as a Bach Flower practitioner, I have discovered that sharing my feelings can Connect us all. It helps us feel less alone and a part of the circle of life. Debra

(Research on physical and spiritual depression. By Jane Clayson Johnson) Much of the research surrounding depression and other mental illnesses is focused on the physical and, specifically, the chemical makeup of the brain and how its functions and malfunctions affect our minds and bodies. But spiritual depression symptoms are just as real. We are taught that the spirit and the body united is the soul of man. The two are explicitly linked. What affects the body also affects the spirit. Depression leads to the tripping of our circuit breakers. So the powers still try to get through, but the depression keeps us foggy and confused. There is a philosophical reason why this kind of breakdown happens. The system within your body that helps regulate your stress reaction and your moods and emotions includes a component known as the thymes and pituitary, located in the brain and adrenal glands, which are just above the kidneys. These glands are always talking to each other “biochemically” to determine what’s true and what’s not. As they communicate and make sense of the messages received and sent, they activate different systems within the body to respond. One role they take is helping us determine if something is a threat. Fears, anxieties, depression, etc. From a gospel perspective, this is very interesting because it means our Heavenly Father placed something in our brains, a system that indicates we are under threat, that this isn’t safe, and something needs to happen. These threats are more internal and can come from how we think. Scientists now know that there is no difference between perceived and real threats. (hiking and seeing a rubber snake on the path) if you perceive it to be real, your reaction will be the same as if there were an actual rattlesnake on the path or trail. Apply this to our thoughts and feelings. And it’s easy to see how the feedback cycle can become negative. People believe things about themselves and the world around them that may not be true. And when we begin to incorporate these things into our minds and lives, our anxieties go into overdrive... When this happens, we get detached or disassociated from reality, and we become numb and depressed. It seems to take away love, joy, and peace. It is very important to know that when this happens we feel detached and feel like we have lost spirit. But know that the feelings you are feeling are a symptom of depression, not reality, and certainly not a permanent condition. It is important to know that our physical and emotional states can affect our spiritual states. As you change your thought processes by creating a safe place where you can start to rebuild that joy and happiness through the things you tell yourself, your body will then start to turn off the stress responses, flipping off toxic stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine and flipping on relaxation responses that release healing hormones like oxytocin, dopamine, nitric oxide, and endorphins. Not only does this turn on the body’s innate self-repair mechanisms and function as preventative medicine or treatment if you’re sick, but it also relaxes your nervous system and helps heal your mind of fears that cause depression, anxiety, anger, and feelings of disconnection.

Sometimes Life is like a dance on a stage. It takes time to strengthen the feet the toes, the legs, and the ligaments, which helps to hold you up with the grace of spirit to move freely with beauty and passion for all to see and enjoy. It’s the internal fight within to be better than what we think we are. Still, mostly it’s the hard work, the tears, the practice over and over again and again until you find perfection and then you fly on spiritual wings; it is a part of who you are, the magic within the wonder and the joy for all to see and participate in the journey moving forward. Debra Rudd

Why Bach Flowers? What do Bach Flowers help us with? They cleanse and purify us, They bring balance to our emotions, They help us to become emotionally stronger, They help us become calm and less stressed with situations in life, They help us to let go of the things that hold us back and help us to relax into life. Mood depression can be more frequent at seasonal times of the year, such as winter and fall. You can have more dips in your mood because of the lack of sun. Remember that we don't need to be on stage all the time (Heather Remedy). We need to also relax, find time to be by ourselves, and ponder our lives. Depression has a purpose in our lives. It helps us to look within ourselves and also helps us to try and understand what is going on in our lives in the moment. Depression is a Fear stigma. There is a high end and a low end of depression, but just feeling blue is a lower type of depression. (Mustard Remedy) Depression can feel like hopelessness, loneliness, self-guilt, and less faith in oneself; it can feel heavy in the heart, and despondency can make you feel less than who you are, etc. (Gorse, Heather, Pine, Larch, Sweet Chestnut, Wild Oat Remedies) will help clear the depression out. (Wild Rose Remedy) helps you to restore hope and heart forces, and it will help to pull you back to your heart center. Depression can be a spiraling downward feeling, so we want to bring more light into our awareness, and we need energetic feelings or a balanced space to be in. Usually, you can find that space within yourself; sitting in a quiet place with no interruptions will help. Give yourself time to think and ponder on your life's Quality and Value. We all have a divine purpose as human beings, as sons and daughters of God. Emotional thoughts stimulate our body. It can bring Joy or Sadness, Love or Hate, Peace or Anxiousness, etc. If you want to bring more healthy abundance into your life, try this. Every morning, you get up and say to yourself with conviction out loud, "Today is going to be a good day" 3 times, and every night before you go to bed, ask yourself, "What was good about today?" There will always be something good about the day, even if you have to look really hard to find it. The more you do it, the more your emotional brain "Will" start to accumulate more good thoughts and bring them up for you. So simple, try it!! If you're having a hard time with negative thoughts that keep re-surfacing, create a different ending to each one of those thoughts. Something positive. It will help you break the pattern. (Chestnut Bud) And, one more thing. If you want to forget some of the negative thoughts in your past, "Don't live there so often."(Honeysuckle) We are constantly moving in and out of our past, present, and future. Ideally, we want to use the past as a learning tool to do better in the present while learning the things we need to learn for our future. We don't want to be stuck in our past, and there is no movement in that. Move in a way that aligns you to your full potential. Fear prevents our souls from reaching our full potential. Always strive to be your full potential; it's the Journey that counts. Take that Journey with Bach Flower Remedies. You've got this!! Debra Rudd

A group of frogs were hopping contentedly through the woods, going about their froggy business, when two of them fell into a deep pit. All of the other frogs gathered around the pit to see what could be done to help their companions. When they saw how deep the pit was, the rest of the dismayed group agreed that it was hopeless and told the two frogs in the pit that they should prepare themselves for their fate, because they were as good as dead. Unwilling to accept this terrible fate, the two frogs began to jump with all of their might. Some of the frogs shouted into the pit that it was hopeless and that the two frogs wouldn't be in that situation if they had been more careful, more obedient to the froggy rules, and more responsible. The other frogs continued sorrowfully shouting that they should save their energy and give up since they were already as good as dead. The two frogs continued jumping as hard as they could and after several hours of desperate effort were quite weary. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to the calls of his fellows. Spent and disheartened, he quietly resolved himself to his fate, lay down at the bottom of the pit, and died as the others looked on in helpless grief. The other frog continued to jump with every ounce of energy he had, although his body was wracked with pain and he was completely exhausted. His companions began a new, yelling for him to accept his fate, stop the pain, and just die. The weary frog jumped harder and harder and - wonder of wonders! He finally leaped so high that he sprang from the pit. Amazed, the other frogs celebrated his miraculous freedom and then gathering around him asked, "Why did you continue jumping when we told you it was impossible?" Reading their lips, the astonished frog explained to them that he was deaf and that when he saw their gestures and shouting, he thought they were cheering him on. What he had perceived as encouragement inspired him to try harder and to succeed against all odds. This simple story contains a powerful lesson. Your encouraging words can lift someone and help him or her make it through the day. Your destructive words can cause deep wounds. They may be the weapons that destroy someone's desire to continue trying or even their life. Your destructive careless words can diminish someone in the eyes of others, destroy their influence, and have a lasting impact on the way others respond to them.

The potential goals our soul wishes to realize through the personality are not material. They are higher, ideal qualities that Dr. Edward Bach referred to as the virtues of our higher nature. They include gentleness, firmness, courage, constancy, wisdom, joyfulness, and purposefulness. Poets of all ages have praised these as noble qualities of character. They could also be called the ideal archetype soul qualities of mankind whose realization as part of the big picture embodies our true happiness. If these potential qualities are unrealized, sooner or later the opposite feeling-unhappiness will develop. The virtues that we have failed to realize now show themselves from their shadow side as vices such as pride, cruelty, hatred, self-love, ignorance, and greed. Dr. Bach referred to these vices as the primary diseases of mankind and stated that they are the ground from which physical illness grows.

Dr. Edward Bach’s Writings 🌺 Criteria for Choosing Plants Plants are of three types: The first group is relatively below that of a man; such as the primitive varieties, the plants that hurt us, the dodder (a parasitic climbing plant of the morning glory family), or poisonous plants, etc. The second class is on the same relative scale as men, which are harmless and may be used as food to keep our bodies healthy. The third group is relatively high or higher than average mankind. Of these, we must choose our remedies, for they have been given the power to heal and to bless. These plants are there to extend a helping hand to mankind in those dark hours of forgetfulness when they lose sight of their divinity and allow the cloud of fear or pain to obscure their vision.

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided on something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you.' The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. 'I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One very special seed…. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here after one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring and the one I choose will be the next emperor!" One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and plant-soil and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, and still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends. However, he just kept waiting for his seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the youth of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. Be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace, when Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kids laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try." When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "What great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,' said the emperor. Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor:' All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified…"The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!" When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. ’My name is Ling,' he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling and then announced to the crowd, 'Behold your new emperor… His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor? Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers, when you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor." If you plant honesty, you will reap trust. If you plant goodness, you will reap friends. If you plant humility, you will reap greatness. If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory. If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony. If you plant hard work, you will reap success. If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation. If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy. If you plant patience, you will reap improvements. If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust. If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness. If you plant pride, you will reap destruction. If you plant envy, you will reap trouble. If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation. If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation. If you plant greed, you will reap loss. If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies. If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles. If you plant sin, you will reap guilt. Remember, as you deal with others, you will reap what you sow, and what you send today will meet you tomorrow. So be careful what you plant now, it will determine what you will reap tomorrow. The seeds you now scatter will make life worse or better, your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits or you will pay for the choices you plant today...