by Cynthia Athina Kemp Scherer
Excerpted from 'The Alchemy of the Desert', ©1997 by Cynthia Athina
Kemp Scherer. Re-printed here by permission of the author. All rights
reserved.
(Bouvardia, Fishhook Cactus, and Sow Thistle flower essences)
Indicated when:
Change and chaos are very hard for me to accept.
I become completely disoriented during times of change or when things are unpredictable.
I am addicted to excitement and adrenaline.
Here in the desert, we sometimes have wind storms
that roll in with great force, filled with sand and
dirt. These winds, usually charged with positive ions,
can leave us feeling scattered and unable to cope with
life. When we originally made Wind and Storm Formula,
we asked for a combination of essences to help us to
be able to resist the tendency to become disoriented
by these wind storms.
What became immediately obvious as we began to use
this formula was that it helped us not to resist, but
rather to flow with, the changes that were brought by
the wind. With further use, I saw that this formula
helped myself and others to be able to flow with
situations of change in life.
Change is an interesting thing. We quite often
resist it, even when we want it. Often I have found
myself asking for something to change in my life. When
the change actually arrives, I usually notice a natural
tendency to want to push it away and keep on with what
is known to me.
The Wind and Storm Formula can help us to embrace
situations that bring changes. Chaos often accompanies
change and allows us to create a new order. The word
chaos comes from Greek and means the infinity of space
or formless matter supposed to have preceded the
existence of the ordered universe. It is a state of
utter confusion and a total lack of order or
organization, or so it seems at the time.
I think of chaos as the place from which I draw the
raw material for manifestation. If I want something
new in my life, it usually comes from entering into
the realm of pure possibility, the place of chaos.
We usually feel threatened by chaos. When we are in
a chaotic situation, we are out of control. This usually
leaves us feeling insecure. The Wind and Storm Formula
can help us find peace within ourselves as we experience
chaos or change. We allow the change or chaos to flow
through us rather than resist it. This formula is
excellent when we are feeling frenetic, rigid, or
resistant.
It is a natural response for most of us to want
to control the situations and events in our lives.
If we can keep control, then the unexpected cannot
happen. The Wind and Storm Formula can help us to
arrest this pattern of control and just flow with what
is present in the moment.
There are three desert flowers in this
formula--Bouvardia, Fishhook Cactus, and Sow Thistle.
Sow Thistle, Sonchus oleraceus, can bring resolution
with the feeling of being dominated by change. It helps
us to step beyond our tendency to respond to situations
by controlling them. Every time we are faced with
chaos or change, it is a risk to allow ourselves to
flow with it.
Fishhook Cactus, Mammillaria microcarpa,
helps us to be able to face our fears of risking,
especially in communicating. It also helps us to
harmonize the attitude behind defensiveness.
Sometimes defensiveness is a way to hide from change.
When we take a defensive stance in the midst of a
changing situation, it may keep us from flowing with
the movement that change brings into our lives.
I think that one great gift of change is that it
can illuminate how we have been in denial about
something. When we experience chaos, we may get a
glimpse of something we are resisting. We can use the
opportunity to face and then work with it, if we choose.
Bouvardia, Bouvardia glaberimma, is the essence that
helps us fortify our determination to confront life
directly rather than avoid issues with which we feel
intimidated. This essence brings us the opportunity
to see that none of our problems are ever greater than
we are. It supports us in calm, clear-headed thinking
that is unclouded by emotional reactivity.
One thing that is certain in life is change. How we
handle it can be a vital factor in our physical,
emotional, and spiritual health. The Wind and Storm
Formula can support us in finding a way to flow with
changes and not resist them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cynthia Athina Kemp Scherer is an
experienced flower essence practitioner and researcher since 1983. She
is the founder of Desert Alchemy, which provides flower essences from
the unique environment of southwestern US deserts. Cynthia is the
author of "The Alchemy of the Desert", a comprehensive guide to using
desert flower essences for self-help and professional use, and "Desert
Voice", a flower essence practitioner's subscription newsletter. For
more information about her essences or to order this book, visit Desert Alchemy's
web site.
Two additional excerpts from this excellent book appearing in Vibration back issues are: Cardon Cactus: Embracing the
Inner Darkness, June, 1999; and Sacred Datura: Paradign Shifter
for the New Millennium, December, 1999.
ART CREDITS: The spiral background tile is part of a beautiful collection at Culprit Fey.
The glowing red tile is from Absolute Background Textures Archive
The matching elements were created in PaintshopPro5. The photo of the approaching stormy weather is courtesy of ArtToday. The photos of the cacti in bloom are from the Desert Alchemy Website.
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