**Disclaimer** While the word of wisdom gives us basic guidelines for health, it leaves the interpretation of those guideline up to the individual members. This blog is not intended to replace your medical professional or the divine revelation of the Word of Wisdom, but rather it is practical knowledge that I have accumulated over the years in my own pursuit of a healthier lifestyle which I am passing along in the hopes that it will benefit others.**

Our mental state at any given moment is affecting not only our own health and well-being, but others in our circle of friends and family. And it doesn’t stop there. The energy that we bring with us has a ripple effect that can impact people we have never even met.

Think for a moment how your mood, good or bad, affects those around you. Sometimes it’s the things we can’t see that are the most powerful. For instance, our state of mind and the energy that we bring with us when we come into a room, affects everyone in that room. Their energy also, whether negative or positive, affects us as well.

But the effects don’t end there. For example if you have an unpleasant altercation with someone at work and leave the room without resolving your feelings, the next person you come in contact with will also be the recipient of that argument, as will the next person your co-worker encounters. This may take the form of a sullen or unpleasant attitude, or being openly hostile with someone else when even mildly provoked.

This will continue affecting more and more people until someone breaks the chain of emotions.

It isn’t enough to just put on a happy face, because that isn’t fixing the root of the problem and will eventually wear thin. Change must come from within.

We may not at a moment’s notice be able to get away and sit quietly under a shady tree, or take a walk by a winding river, but we can take the time to do these things when we are not otherwise engaged with the daily cares of life. By doing this we will have the strength to draw upon when we do need to find that quiet place within us during times of stress.

Most of us are familiar with the story The Secret Garden, where a sickly young girl discovers a forgotten garden, and while working to make the garden grow again she and her invalid cousin, with the help of a friend and a friendly robin, are brought back to both physical and mental health.

The neglected garden is symbolic of this lonely girl and her cousin, both forgotten by those who should have loved them, and left to find their own happiness.

The garden works its magic still further, through them, into the lives of those around them. Their improved health and positive feelings bring life and joy back into the lives of the cranky old gardener, and her cousin’s grief stricken Father.

While it is only a children’s story, there is a great deal of practical wisdom in it that can be applied in or own lives about finding a special place where we can work and grow and be ourselves. It’s about having a place where we are not judged by others, where we can let our guard down and allow our spirit to thrive.

The secret garden in the book is a physical place, but can each have our own spiritual secret garden within ourselves.  Is our garden neglected, or well-tended?

I have written before about the benefits of meditation to help in quieting one’s mind and soul, and now I am going to explore the world of flower essences and how they can be used in tandem with meditation to improve one’s overall mental and emotional health.

Flowers have powerful healing properties, and can be used in different ways depending on what you need them for.

• Herbal Medicines use the body of the plant, the leaves, roots, and flowers. They are crushed and then made into a tincture or a tea. These remedies are for use when the body is sick.
• Essential Oils and Aroma Therapies use the juice of the plant and can be used to strengthen the immune system as well as the nervous system, in addition to lifting our moods.
• Flower Essences are energy based, and are for addressing the mental, emotional, and spiritual parts of ourselves, i.e. the energy within us. They are super gentle and very safe with no contraindications listed even for pregnant women or small children, but as you would for any other medication follow the directions and the advice of a professional practitioner.

Flower essences are very popular in Europe and Australia, and come in a variety of types for different life issues. Take 5 drops in a beverage, 4 to 5 times a day, and in 2 to 3 days you will begin to see a change in your state of mind.

There are as many flower essences as there are flowers, and they address a multitude of issues.

For Example:

• Passion Flower is for relaxation and sleep
• Red Bird of Paradise for focus and clarity
• Yarrow for over exposure to waves from technology or nuclear radiation

• Hong Kong Orchid for self-acceptance
• Bird of Paradise for quieting the mind

Studies have been done using flower essences and placebos to gage the benefits of different plants on mood, emotions, stress, sleep, and other functions.

In addition to using flower essences and meditation, spending time in nature is also very beneficial to your overall health and well-being. One of my favorite places to spend time in nature is a botanical garden a little over a mile from my home. This garden is placed near a small river, and has wind chimes of varying sizes hung in the trees. There are benches in the shade of the trees, positioned along the path, where you can sit and listen to the river tumbling over the rocks on its way to the reflecting pond by the museum. This is overlaid by the tinkling of the smaller chimes and the deep resonant tones of the large chimes overhead. Nothing could be more relaxing or soothing to the soul.

According to Katie Hess, founder of Lotus Wei Floral Apothecaries, current medical studies coming out of Japan show that even a short amount of time walking through a forest greatly increases your white blood cells, your immunity, and decreases stress. So just spending some time each week out in nature is a really powerful way to reduce stress and heal the body.

In the industrial nations too many of us live in urban environments. Whether we realize it or not it is critical to connect on a regular basis with nature. Spend time with plants and flowers. If you can, get out into a park or even better the woods as often as possible. If you live in the city buy a few pots, work in the dirt and plant some flowers that you can keep on a porch or patio. You can also visit a botanical garden, most cities have them.

Combining regular visits with nature, and meditation while taking flower essences not only benefits you, but all of those around you by helping to even out your moods and clearing your emotions of the extremes of living in our hectic world. It will help you to feel and understand with your heart instead of your mind which is critical to emotional well-being.

Our conscious mind is simply incapable of taking in the concept of all that we can be. But as I pointed out in my article Mind, Body, and Spirit, it is in those moments of non-thinking, the quiet places during meditation or prayer that our spirits can be touched by wisdom and pure intelligence.

To read more of Denise’s articles, click here.

It’s not about clearing the mind:

The goal is not an empty mind, but rather a quiet mind that is able to witness and observe without daily distractions.

Meditation with the relaxing properties of flower essences can help you handle life’s issues and the excesses of our thinking minds, so that our hearts will stand a chance of making better choices that will bring us, and those around us, more peace and joy!

Resources:

The Transformative Power of Flowers for More Happiness and Fulfillment in Your Life by Katie Hess ~ Hay House World Summit

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Related posts:

Be Still and Know That I am God Kid’s Health- Part 2 From Earth’s Bounty: Home Gardening Favorites Herbs from the Garden