Bach Flowers and The BaGua

by Kac Young Ph.D, DCH, N.D.

Bach Flowers (pronounced Batch) heal from the inside out. They work at the invisible level of energy and transform a negative condition into a positive one.  If you’re an old-hand at Bach Flower Remedies you will understand this concept right away. If you’re new to the remedies, maybe the explanation ahead will help you.

Decades ago I became interested in the Bach Flower Remedies because I liked how I responded to Rescue Remedy – the Big Daddy of the remedy collection. Rescue Remedy was my go-to potion when I was under stress or facing a challenge. It worked so well for me, and changed my pent-up anxiety into such a calm front, that I bought a book so I could learn more.

I found the information in that book to be  dense and intimidating. I bought another book thinking  the new author would make learning easier. It didn’t happen. The more books I bought, the more confused I became. Ten books later, and a great deal of experience with the remedies,  I decided to cut to the chase and write my own book. I honed down volumes of information onto one page to make the information not only easy to digest, but also easy to apply and us.

According to Dr. Bach, illness is an imbalance in the systems of the mind, body and soul. He believed that if you could change the mental state causing the illness, you would heal the person. He spent his life looking for compatible plants that held the vibration of qualities that would alleviate various conditions.

Dr. Bach was not an airy-fairy bark-eater who lived in the woods and only conversed with squirrels. He was a celebrated, leading-edge medical doctor who had been educated in London and who invented vaccines to cure bacterial infections which caused many illnesses. He related certain strains of bacteria to specific types of personalities and thus made the mind-body connection back in the 1920’s.

Bach grew up in Wales and his greatest joy came from his love of the countryside.  He was curious and observed everything he came into contact with. His pulse raced when he was in natural surroundings and he loved how nature made him feel when he was engulfed by it. He learned huge life lessons from nature and was so inspired by what he observed that his entire career was dedicated to bringing harmony, balance and connection to each person suffering with illness so they might heal through their minds, hearts and bodies, simultaneously. He believed our mental states bring about our ills and, by changing those, perfect health would ensue.

Bach chose flowers as his messengers and through the essences he cultivated from the blossoms, he was able to transfer living, healing energy into each person as they consumed a potion of his remedies diluted in spring water.

His first set of floral remedies were called the Twelve Healers. With the success he garnered in healing people from this first group, he expanded his research and created the 38 remedies and the bonus 39th, Rescue Remedy. Dr. Bach was a selfless man, in love with the idea of curing all illness through non-invasive techniques which brought out the highest of human qualities in each person. His lab was a place where “the lights never went out.”

Each flower used in the remedies possesses a specific vibration, that when transferred to water, can be used to shift a blocked mental state into one with positive qualities.  Each essence fosters the top qualities of human existence. These positive vibrations help us overcome the harmful, limiting pulsations caused by a negative mental picture. In other words, thoughts create our reality and we can control our thoughts using the remedies as helpers and guides.

Often we are unaware of the mental state that is causing illness or imbalance. It’s invisible and imperceptible in many cases. In the back of my book I created an index of mental states and emotional response that will help you identify what remedy you need to alleviate the physical condition you wish to improve. All you have to do is follow your emotions, whatever they are, and they will lead you to the cause of your discomfort.  By “diagnosing” the cause, you can apply the remedy and begin healing.

Bach’s discoveries are not dissimilar to the principles we use in Feng Shui. Our bodies, like each square of the BaGua, are energetic centers of positive and negative charges.  When the ions, hormones and systems of our physical selves are in harmony with each other, we experience health. When our parts are out of balance, we experience distress.  Even though Dr. Edward Bach did not learn or practice formal Feng Shui, he understood the inner summons to balance the energies and forces of nature.

Each precious square of the BaGua Chart is infused with power, consciousness and vitality. Every day we have the opportunity to mindfully use the nourishing energy each square provides to enhance and improve our lives. We can also disregard this energy, ignore it, block it and watch it wane and stagnate or we can remedy the situation.  So too with Bach Flowers.

As babies our energy fields are neutral. As we progress in life, we pick up the mental and emotional fields that will govern how we think, feel and react in life.  Just like baby bodies, energy starts out neutral in each Gua. It either flows freely, like water through a garden hose,  or it becomes kinked and restricted. The good news is that we have our hand on the spigot at all times. We control whether the current flows freely and nourishes our lives, or whether it is stopped-up and we become parched and dehydrated. In Feng Shui we learn how to balance the Guas,  so we become the maestros of our music. We can use Bach’s Remedies to assist us.

If you think of your body as a BaGua Chart, you can apply certain flower remedies for each Gua to enhance your mental outlook and create a new vibration that will elevate the negative quality which is blocking your path.

From my extensive reading and research on both these subjects, I believe Dr. Bach would appreciate the teachings of Feng Shui and support the remedies I’ve chosen to strengthen each Gua. How the BaGua incorporates the healing properties of Bach Flower Remedies is an extension of my book and I hope it helps us all to heal combining the principles of Feng Shui with Dr. Bach’s natural flower essences.

The remedies supporting each Gua are:

Knowledge & Self Cultivation:  Centaury, Cerato and Chestnut Bud.

Centaury promotes self-realization and individuality for self-education and personal growth.

Cerato brings out self-trust, reliance on intuition and knowledge thus supporting our edification.

Chestnut Bud brings the mental thought into fruition on the material plane. In other words, our thoughts become reality; and our dreams come true.

Health & Family: Chicory, Oak and White Chestnut.

Chicory  promotes unconditional love, which we receive and give back in a family unit.

Oak highlights strength and endurance, like our family ties.

White Chestnut gives us discernment, tranquility and balance as we separate our true family from sycophants.

Wealth & Prosperity:  Hornbeam, Vervain and Willow.

Hornbeam provides inner vitality, enthusiasm, freshness of mind and spirit; the key elements of wealth and prosperity.

Vervain cultivates self-discipline, restraint and moderation which are also attributes of building a prosperous life.

Willow enhances personal responsibility and constructive thinking like balance sheets and dollars and sense.

Fame & Reputation: Gorse, Larch, Mimulus and Impatiens.

Gorse gives us unlimited strength, faith in ourselves and an inner spark for charisma which helps us weather the challenges of putting our talents out into the world.

Larch provides self-appreciation and self-confidence with perseverance which we need if we are going to make it to the top.

Mimulus enhances our courage, conviction and confidence for the long haul.

Impatiens fosters gentleness, patience, endurance and connection with the universal flow so we know we are part of a bigger picture.

Love & Marriage: Red Chestnut, Rock Water and Wild Rose.

Red Chestnut encourages genuine love, symbiotic relationships and deep soul connections to enhance our romantic alliances.

Rock Water flows with adaptability, inner freedom, and emotional liberation, so we can be in a relationship and our own person simultaneously.

Wild Rose fosters devotion and inner motivation which helps us ride the emotional surf of longterm relationships so we are centered in the good times and in the not-so-good times.

Creativity & Children: Chicory, Clematis, Honeysuckle, Centaury.

Chicory cultivates unconditional selfless love, parenting, loving protection and gentle guidance, all the qualities of a nurturing parent.

Clematis encourages a connection between the visible and the invisible world where the spark of creativity begins and inspires creativity and artful expressions.

Honeysuckle gives us the ability to learn from past experiences and bolsters the ability to change and shift effortlessly.

Centaury provides self-determination, individuality and all expressions of the realized self.

Helpful People & Travel: Water Violet, Beech and Vine.

Water Violet gives us the confidence we need in social interactions providing us with humility and diplomacy which are always helpful when we are traveling or working with others.

Beech activates our understanding, empathy, tolerance and kindness – the qualities that strengthen our relationships and bonds with others.

Vine provides leadership and compassion for those we govern. In our interactions with others, this flower connects us to the service we receive and the greater good of all humanity.

Career: Elm, Gentian, Wild Oat and Walnut.

Elm is the essence for balancing,  is peace-producing and regenerative, which all careers need.

Gentian supplies unlimited opportunities, solid faith and belief in a Higher Order which fosters the conviction we need and the breaks we require for success in the workplace.

Wild Oat supports our true calling, our life purpose and our mission.

Walnut heralds new beginnings, fresh starts and futures all of which are components of our work in the world and beyond.

Center: Cherry Plum, Crab Apple and Holly.

Cherry Plum promotes emotional composure, grace under fire and harmony which provides the Gua with concordance and congruency.

Crab Apple represents Divine Order and perfection which allows us to see the whole in perspective and thrive in the fundamental appreciation for life, nature and its inherent balance.

Holly supplies holiness, a state of grace and universal love to keep our balance and retain our important, sacred  place in the design of life.

If you’ve ever wondered which remedy to take for what issue, you can either study for months to learn about each remedy, or you can use my new book. The Quick Guide to Bach Flower Remedies, as a shortcut to the indication, analysis, understanding and application of the right remedy for your condition. I wrote it from years of personal experience with Bach Flower Remedies and to make it easy for people to tap into the extraordinary healing qualities of the remedies for themselves and their families. I now believe that healing at this essential vibrational level is more permanent than any other type.

Using the remedies which align with the energies in the Guas will assist you in achieving your mental, physical and spiritual goals.