first published in the magazine "Paracelsus" march 2006 (side 10-15) Deutsch Español

The Alchemy of Flowers - Flower essences according to Paracelsus

The origin of flower essences reaches far back in the history of folk medicine. But only now is there a flower system which links to these very ancient roots of medicine. The nine essences are produced by traditional methods of alchemy, in a costly, three months process and according to moon and planetary constellations.

By Ulrich Arndt

Light refracts in the glass flask and causes the very delicate, nearly transparent petals swimming therein to become radiant. “Here, the new harvest of flowers matures in the sun and moonlight until the planet constellation is advantageous for each flower”, explains Achim Stockardt. Since the past five years he is regarded as one of the leading representatives of alchemy, when he succeeded in producing the universal remedy “Aurum Potabile” (in English: “drink-gold”) from the Middle Ages. Although he had been successful with the most difficult works of alchemy, he now also dedicates his efforts to the work with the seemingly “simple” flower-essences. His motive is the revival of ancient curative knowledge related to the flowers, in its original form.
About seventy years ago the English doctor Edward Bach developed his thirty eight “Bach (flower) essences” and is today regarded as the “inventor” of the flower essences. He succeeded to reintroduce the nearly lost knowledge of flower remedies and has undoubtedly merited much credit for this.
But the origin of flower drops are far older: there is, for instance, a custom in the Eifel to place a bowl of water with blossoms of Genista benehoavensis in the sun on the window sill at Corpus Christi. This water, informed and energized, is filled with some schnaps into bottles; and drank particularly by older people during the cold season in order “to make it easier through the winter”. In fact, Genista benehoavensis is attributed as a soul-remedy to recollect optimism and stamina. These are qualities which may surely be helpful during the cold season. This simple way of extracting a flower essence largely corresponds to the method used by Dr. Bach. The original production of an energetic flower remedy may only be recognized to some extent. Similarly, the well-known schnaps “Danziger Goldwasser” is only a weak reminder that it had once been a remedy made from gold – the above mentioned “drinking gold” of Paracelsus –, thus, the deep knowledge of the production of flower essences has generally been lost, a production which takes sun, moon and planet constellations into consideration in order to gain the healing energy of body, spirit and soul of the plant.

Ancient Medicinal Knowledge Rediscovered

Today, gardening according to moon phases is fashionable again. People go on a diet when the moon is waning, when making an appointment with the hairdresser or the doctor the moon may also be taken into consideration. Ancient tea recipes are honoured anew and some people even collect the necessary herbs themselves – thereby also considering moon constellation and the time of day. With fascination, many people have rediscovered this ancient knowledge. But what is hardly known: for many centuries, probably already about 3’000 years ago, knowledge on healing energies and rhythms of nature was a matter of course in medicine in Egypt, India, and China. It became more and more forgotten in Europe only 300 years ago. Until then, the highest form of medicine and generally the most respected kind of science of nature was alchemy. Already about 2’000 years ago it had a very high standard. At that time the Chinese alchemist Liu An (179-122 before Christ) for instance wrote in his book of “The ten thousand infallible Arts of the King Huai” about the production of “drinkable gold” as a life elixir. And from Egypt, laboratory instructions of the alchemist Maria and comments dating from the 3rd century have been restored.
During innumerable generations alchemists have multiplied their knowledge and verbally passed it on to their students. Today, orthodox medicine at least honours Paracelsus as one of the great alchemic doctors, even though he is often quoted as the founder of modern medicine. His laboratory methods, however, have nothing to do with the purely quantitative and chemical way of producing medicine today, but pay attention to the animate in the source substances. This living energy, that is to say quality, is in alchemic understanding what really brings about “healing” and “light”.
According to the traditional alchemic teachings on health a plant has three different healing energies, which – expressed in a simple way – are connected to body, spirit, and soul of the plant (in alchemy called “Sal”, “Sulphur”, and “Mercury”). These three effective forces are also expressed in their material nature. Chemically understood they are related to salt (body), oil (soul), and alcohol (spirit). Hence the art in the preparation of the medicine is to purify and “enlighten” the chemical substances, that is to say the matter, without destroying the healing energy and information of the flower.

With Sun, Moon and Planets

Alone the moment at which the respective flower is collected is, according to alchemist production of essences, not by coincidence. In fact, harvesting will follow the position of the planet that is assigned to the respecting flower. Traditional knowledge has retained such planetary assignment, for instance in the “flower of love”, the rose. It is regarded as the most beautiful of all flowers and as a “messenger of love” – the deeper meaning is that according to ancient knowledge it is assigned to the planet venus and thereby to the goddess of love and beauty.
In Dr. Bach’s method the collected flowers placed in water or alcohol are “extracted” by sunlight and thereby a spiritual healing information is gained. The same happens in the method according to Paracelsus, but here the information of water represents only the first step in the production. Besides, the flowers remain in the solution not only for some hours, but at least for one moon month. In alchemic understanding the “spiritual” healing information can so be completely gained.
After this, the extract is distilled at low temperature in order to gain the healing forces of the soul (with the oils) and of the body (with the salts) from the flower and in order to purify them. After distillation the “body of the flower” consists of the exhausted remains of the plants. These are dried and heated until they become ashes. From these flower ashes the soluble salts are then washed out with specially distilled water. These salts are “purified bodies” of the flowers. Without them the essence can not effect the human body according to alchemy and besides, they could loose their information too easily again. “Whoever wants to make a flower essence, should at least produce these flower salts and add them to the sun extract”, Achim Stockhardt emphasizes. The degree of effectivity can thereby be distinctively increased.
In the alchemic preparation of flowers the purified effecting forces related to body, spirit and soul are reunited. For this, the salt is added to the extract and everything is distilled once again. After that the essence matures in a closed vessel in sun and moonlight for four weeks at least. Meanwhile it will “cycle”, meaning that minimal volumes will evaporate again and again and will rise in the vessel and flow down the sides. During this process the essence is energetically charged once again and will hereby become more effective.
As a matter of fact, initial experience with the alchemic flower essences show extraordinary results. Thus, trials at the LIFE-TESTinstitut in Emmendingen prove that the human energetic system is entirely harmonized by these flower remedies. With the help of measuring instruments of alternative medicine the changes before and after application were investigated. Even for amateurs the positive changes are visible in an aura representation on the basis of biopulsar reflexographic measuring.
Before application the picture of the aura shows stagnation as red, orange and yellow coloured fields. In the picture after application of a flower essence the stagnation is largely resolved and harmonious shades like green and turquoise are dominant (see figures). In order for this harmonization to stabilize, multiple application is necessary. It is also important to find the individual suitable flower or flower combination. The right choice is facilitated, because there are only nine different flower remedies, which nevertheless cover all the basic themes of the soul.

Nine Flowers for the Soul

Since time immemorial, well known medicinal plants are assigned to the nine flower essences of the alchemic healing system. Medicinal plants such as comfrey, perforate St. John’s Wort, but also apparently insignificant plants like bearbind, anemone, and lychnis. They all possess a high degree of “soul-energy”, which corresponds most accurately to the nine archetypal basic themes of man. Thus, Stockardt explains that since ancient times these nine soul themes are well known to us as archetypal qualities of planets from the myths of the gods. Because each planetary god, from the sun god and moon goddess to mars, the god of war, and mercury, the messenger of gods, represents a basic soul theme. For instance, if the matter concerns courage, activity and the body’s defense, these are the characteristics of mars, which can be found in St. John’s Wort. Loving care, growth, reflexion and self recognition on the other hand as assigned to the moon archetype and are “embodied” in the pear (see table).
According to the rediscovered teachings of chakras in alchemy, each planet also dominates a chakra (in alchemy they are called “seals of the planets” or “furnaces of the soul“). Therefore, the system of nine alchemical flower essences for the soul is a complete system for chakra therapy at the same time. In turn, chakras, the energetic steering centers of the organism, also energetically take influence on the respective glands, organs, and nerve plexus. So the system of nine flowers, the nine archetypes of the soul and the nine chakras, offers very easy self-help: For instance, when we feel uncomfortable in the underbelly, then the charka of this body region is responsible, namely the sexual chakra. So we choose the according flower essence, the pear. It is assigned to the archetype of the moon and we can ask ourselves: Are there any mental causes for this indisposition, which correspond to the subject “mother and bride”? Is “motherly care” in life or inner flexibility missing? Besides, the moon is responsible for all constitutive and rhythmic energetic processes – starting from the sleep-wake-rhythm to the cycle of menstruation. The energies of the moon stimulate the consciousness of feeling and refine it, support intuition and the energetic-erotic aura becomes intensified and “more feminine”.

Chakra Teachings in Alchemy

Surprisingly, the chakra teachings in Alchemy correspond in many ways to the teachings of Ayurveda and it seems that both have common, ancient roots. In Alchemy the knowledge of the different energy levels of chakras has been preserved the most distinctly. The lowest level “Nigredo” (the black) equates with “darkness, illness, and unconsciousness” and the highest level “Rubedo” (the redness) equates with “light, healing, health and spiritual awakening”. The aim of any alchemical work was to reach the highest energy and vibration level of Rubedo and to direct material towards the “light” – no matter if it was the production of remedies or the treatment of a patient. Achim Stockardt, the producer of these essences, feels obliged to this ancient objective in alchemy. This is the reason why he calls his flower remedies “Rubedo”. And as the readings at the LIFE-TESTinstitut demonstrate, they do in fact lead the user a step towards the “light” and harmony in the aura and soul.

Aura presentation through biopulsar reflexograph measuring: In the left picture the aura before application, stagnation appears in red, orange and yellow. In the right picture, after application of the Rubedo essence, the stagnation is resolved and harmonious shades of green and turquoise become dominant.
	Historical Chakra presentation in alchemy from 1696. Correlation of planets and chakras are represented in their lowest level of vibration, the “gloomy”, “dark” state of “Nigredo”. The spiral shows the energy flow, which leads, out of this state into the phase in between, called “Albedo” the “white”. Then the highest level of vibration follows, called “Rubedo”, the “redness”.

The Nine Flowers of the Soul

• COMFREY Essence
  Basic theme: grounding, arrival
  Supports the contact with the collective elemental forces and archetypes, and facilitates the access to the power of family and ancestors. Mental stress in connection to birth and maternity are harmonized. Rigidness of the mind and emotions are resolved and the feeling of “arrival” and “grounding” is strengthened.

• BEARBIND Essence
  Basic theme: life energy, positive attitude towards life, self-creation
  Strengthens life energy, vitality, and the masculine primary principle – the “inner sun”. It brings warmth and light into the body and mind, promotes love for living and brightens gloomy moods. Stimulates the fire of digestion and sexual energies.

• PEAR Essence
  Basic theme: growth, reflection, and recognition of the self
  Guides life energy in the right direction and regulates all constitutive and rhythmic processes in the organism. Strengthens the feminine primary principle, the “principle of the moon”. The feeling of “motherly security” in life is supported and the capability for more inner flexibility is stimulated at the same time. The consciousness of feeling is generally stimulated and refined, intuition is promoted and the energetic erotic aura becomes intensified and “more feminine”.

• PERFORATE St. JOHN´S WORT Essence
  Basic theme: activity, willpower and self-settlement
  Integrates all that is foreign into the own being; the outer and the unconscious inner is formed to a “self”. Fosters the joy to be active, helpfulness and to stay calm when dealing with others. Strengthens self-confidence, willpower and decisiveness.

• DEADLY NIGHTSHADE & PROVENCE ROSE Essence
  Basic theme: love, centering, and connection to the self
  The “heart” essence strengthens the harmony of body, mind and soul. It balances feeling and thinking, brings them back to their centre and helps to overcome emotional and mental strokes of fate. It helps find access to love, power and to the wisdom of the heart; the forming of consciousness and self-consciousness is strengthened. An activation of the heart-chakra also accelerates mental and spiritual growth and supports medial abilities such as channelling. It energetically supports all “overwhelming heat processes” such as fever, infection, inflammations and allergies.

• LILY OF THE VALLEY & PERIWINKLE Essence
  Basic theme: communication, creative power, self expression
  Coordinates willpower, thinking and practical activity. Strengthens creativity, language abilities and sociability; the ability to handle with care, tolerance and natural authority are promoted. In addition, it helps to express emotions and to overcome problems.

• FORGET-ME-NOT Essence
  Basic theme: intuition, power of vision, self-regulation
  The essence for the “third eye” strengthens power of intuition and vision. The activities of the brain hemispheres are stimulated and synchronisized. It helps to find order in thinking and to undo entanglements of the world of duality. Assertiveness, autonomy and the discovery of vocation are enhanced, and charisma is generally strengthened.

• ANEMONE Essence
  Basic theme: spirituality, transformation, opening of the self
  Strengthens spiritual forces and the contact to higher parts of the soul. On the energetic level it regulates the rhythms of man, allows the energies to flow and releases rigidness in thinking, feeling, and acting. Mental clarity, concentration and insight are brought forward. It helps to accept experiences, to become independent and to set boundaries, but also to overcome limitations and to forge new paths.

• LYCHNIS Essence
  Basic theme: goal in life, dis-limitation, becoming one, the higher self
  Regulates the energetic exchange between the soul and the higher self. Harmonizing the 8th charka supports deeper insight into higher connections and thus helps to overcome a negative attitude towards life and to live higher qualities of the soul.

• “RESCUE” of the FLOWER Essences
  Basic theme: shock-like, mental tension, “rescue”-drops and “chronic” rescue for the soul
  The “rescue” of the flower essences consists of all nine flower essences and therefore is equally related to all nine archetypes of the soul. On one hand it is used as “energetic immediate help” for all energetic shocks, sudden energy blockades and disharmonies. On the other hand it is applied as a “chronic” rescue to supplement the targeted application of a single essence and helps “swing out” any blockade and disharmony on all the levels.

References
Arndt, Ulrich: Schätze der Alchemie: Edelstein-Essenzen, and Schätze der Alchemie: Metall-Essenzen. Both: Freiburg/Germany: Hans-Nietsch-Verlag
Testreports of Paracelsus essences:: www.life-testinstitut.de und www.edelstein-essenzen.de

Bildquellen: ©Ulrich Arndt 2x, ©Hans Nietsch Verlag