Flower Essence Essentials - Our Online Essence Journal
Our Online Journal for all things related to Flower Essences & Vibrational Essences
The BFVEA Gathering 2026 – Friends, Flower Essences & More
It was such a pleasure to be at this year’s British Flower & Vibrational Essence Association (BFVEA) Gathering. This year saw us back again at the Ammerdown centre in Somerset – a lovely venue set in its own beautiful grounds – and with a really interesting programme of speakers and events themed around Consciousness and Dr. Bach. This year carries a particular significance as 2026 marks 90 years since Edward Bach’s passing, and so the Gathering was both a celebration of his legacy and an invitation to listen to come together as practitioners, colleagues and friends and to learn and to grow together.
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April’s Karmic Choice Point | E-Light April 2026
In this month’s E-Light we look at how we can best navigate the highly focussed, intense energies of April and explore the important karmic choice point that is clearly being offered to us in the unprecedented cosmic line up that we have in Aries this month.
We also look at how important it is for us to stay as grounded and focussed as we can in this energy flow so that we can make conscious choices from the heart. We also highlight the need for us to be willing to own both our light and shadow aspects and to choose to step firmly out of any vestiges of victim consciousness that we might still have within us.
As always, we highlight some flower, gem & crystal essences that might be particularly useful to help us move through the month in harmony & balance, along with our latest special offers.
April’s Karmic Choice Point
Make your choices wisely
April promises to be a big month energetically. The cosmic alignments and the energetic flow for April are unique, unprecedented, hugely focussed and unequivocally intense. Yes, even more intense than the energies of March! If you think of March as having been a practice run in intensity to warm us up for April, you will not be far off. Intense energetics like this can be challenging and might initially give us a bit of a bumpy ride as we negotiate them, but they are also exciting and chock full of opportunity if we remember to use them to their full advantage. Just do your best to stay grounded, connected to yourself and follow the flow of your heart.
The energetics this month are signalling to us that as a collective, we are at a major Karmic Choice Point. How do we want to go forward? Are we ready and willing to make new choices, to step out of the old boxes, restrictions and belief systems and to step into our power and light? If so, the doorway is wide open for us to create something new.....
Our E-Light Newsletter: each month we explore the month's energetic themes from a spiritual and astrological perspective and recommend some Essences to help you surf the cosmic waves! Receive spiritual guidance, wisdom and clarity, learn more about our collective expansion of consciousness, and make the most of opportunities for personal inspiration, healing and transformation.
Subscribe to E-Light Inspiration hereMaking an Aspen Bach Flower Remedy Mother Tincture
One of the joys of working with the Bach Flower Remedies is spending time in nature preparing the mother tinctures. With spring in the air, we spent last Thursday morning making an Aspen mother tincture.
Astrology: Astrological Essence for the Month
Towards the end of his life, Dr Bach was exploring the link between the first 12 Bach Flower Remedies he discovered (The Twelve Healers) and the 12 astrological signs.
Impatiens Flower Remedy for Arians
We are in Aries season, the astrological sign that Dr Bach felt would most benefit from Impatiens essence.
Confident and fearless, with unstoppable energy and strong individuality, Arians naturally take the lead in all areas of their lives. As the first sign of the zodiac, they like to be first out the gate and have a strong drive to succeed in their goals and ambitions.
However, they can be impatient and impulsive and easily get irritated or aggressive with others who are slower than they are.
If your Sun or Moon is in Aries, Impatiens Flower Remedy can help you to slow down and be in the moment instead of rushing ahead of yourself all the time.
Slow Down and Be Present
Are you driven by an inner sense of urgency and pressure? Is your mind often racing ahead of you thinking about ‘what’s next’? Do you get impatient and irritable and have a quick temper? Do you prefer to do things yourself because other people are way too slow?
The soul lesson for Aries is to slow down and connect with the still part of yourself that lives in the present. Taking Impatiens will help you to feel patient and calm, knowing there is time for everything. It helps to release inner tension and irritability so you can feel peaceful and present.
Dr. Bach's Fear Group of Remedies
After Dr Bach discovered the last of his Bach Flower Remedies - his final remedy being Sweet Chestnut in 1935 - he divided the 38 remedies into seven personality groups.
These seven Bach groups offer a helpful framework for understanding which Bach Remedies would be most helpful for particular emotional challenges and personality patterns.
One of these groups Dr Bach called the Fear Group. Fear is perhaps the most common human emotion; it affects all of us in one way or another and at various points in our lives.
The five Bach Remedies within this group reflect the different ways fear can influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviour.
- Mimulus is for known fears, nervousness and everyday worries & concerns.
- Aspen is for vague unknown fears, apprehension and fear of the unknown.
- Rock Rose is for strong terror fears, panic or extreme fear.
- Red Chestnut is for fear for the safety and wellbeing of others
- Cherry Plum is for powerful, irrational fears, and the fear of losing control of your mind.
Which of the Fear Group Bach Remedies have you found most helpful, and what have your experiences been when using them?
Trusting the Flow of Life
Feeling Safe Essence
The Feeling Safe Essence releases the belief that ‘the world is not a safe place’ and is a really helpful combination for those who ‘never feel safe’, or perhaps have an unjustifiable sense of impending doom. It helps to promote trust in the flow of life and encourages a sense of inner security. It's also helpful if you experience difficulty coping with change or lack of trust that you will always be looked after.
Our life experiences, the beliefs passed down through our families, our genetic inheritance, past-life memories, and everything we absorb from the media and cultural narratives all shape our sense of whether it feels safe to be here or not. Many of us carry this imprint of fear, trauma and lack of safety tightly woven into our subtle energetic and emotional patterns, making it difficult to trust the natural flow of life or to embrace change with ease and openness.
Feeling Safe Essence‘It often feels difficult to really feel safe or to fully embrace life when we are carrying the underlying energetic imprints of fear and trauma, both from our own experiences and from the collective consciousness shaped over time.'
Boundaries, Self Worth & Emotions
Solar Plexus Chakra Essence
The Solar Plexus Chakra Essence is a blend of flower, gem, and crystal essences designed to open, balance, and strengthen the solar plexus chakra – the center of self-definition, personal power, will, and positive emotional expression. This essence is especially supportive if you feel oversensitive or overly open to the energies of others, experience vulnerability or low self-worth, or struggle with personal boundaries.
It can also be helpful for working through issues around anger, emotional reactivity, or emotional neediness, gently encouraging a stronger, more grounded sense of self. Here, we explore the significance of the solar plexus chakra and the benefits of the Solar Plexus Chakra Essence combination. You can find our more in-depth about the Solar Plexus chakra and the Solar Plexus Chakra Essence here...
Boundaries, Self Worth & Emotions: Solar Plexus Chakra EssenceThe Importance of Good Grounding & Flower Essences to Help
Staying grounded and connected helps you to be fully present, bringing all parts of yourself into the now. It helps you to be in the driving seat of your life, and it’s a powerful way to support your emotional and physical wellbeing. Here, we’ll explore what grounding means, why it can sometimes feel challenging, and how flower essences can help bring you back into balance.
Behind the Scenes: Catherine's E-Light Zoom Gathering
While Catherine was preparing for her E-Light Zoom gathering, “Making Space for the New You – How to Align With Your True Self,” we popped in to snap a few quick photos.
Holiday Season Reading: Bach Flower Therapy
If you're looking for a book for yourself or someone else who is interested in the Bach Flower Remedies, have you read "Bach Flower Therapy - the Complete Approach" by Mechthild Schaeffer?
Flower Essences for Abundance & Flow
The widespread collective belief that there is “not enough” lies at the root of many of the problems in our world today. The mindset of scarcity shapes our thoughts, influences our choices, and often leads to a us not feeling able to trust our own inherent abundance and divine flow. While undoing these old belief patterns can often feel challenging, stepping back into our abundance is really just stepping back into who we naturally are. Flower, Gem & Crystal Essences are very good at helping you to uncover and release any unconscious blocks that restrict the flow of abundance in your life.
A Gloom That Comes & Goes - Mustard Bach Remedy
Mustard is a valuable remedy at any time of year, but it can be especially helpful now as the nights draw in and the days grow darker. Mustard is one of the Bach Flower Remedies and supports you during those times when a sudden “black cloud” of gloom descends for no clear or obvious reason. In the Mustard state, you may feel a sense of despair that you can’t hide or shake off, often leading you to withdraw and feel isolated from the world around you. Mustard helps to disperse that darkness, gently restoring light, clarity, and a renewed sense of joy.
Dr. Bach's description of Mustard was: "Those who are liable to times of gloom, or even despair, as though a cold dark cloud overshadowed them and hid the light and the joy of life. It may not be possible to give any reason or explanation for such attacks. Under these conditions it is almost impossible to appear happy or cheerful". From the Twelve Healers & Other Remedies - By Dr Edward Bach ( 1936 edition )
In the positive Mustard state we feel much happier and lighter, with a more positive outlook whatever the weather. It's easier to feel more clear headed and light hearted and we're more able to accept the ebb and flow of life’s rhythms and are comfortable with feelings of both sorrow and joy.
Flower Essence Help for Your Heart Chakra
Have you noticed an increase in emotional issues relating to the heart coming into focus recently? If so you are in good company! It seems to be something that is affecting so many people including ourselves at the moment. As we cycle deeper into the energies of transformation our hearts are being impulsed to open more fully so that we can remember who we are and reconnect consciously with the love and light of Source. In our latest blog post we have a look at the Fuchsia flower essence, which is a really good essence for releasing old patterns around your heart and opening more fully to the love within.
"We each have a Divine mission in this world, and our souls use our minds and bodies as instruments to do this work, so that when all three are working in unison the result is perfect health and perfect happiness.” Edward Bach - Free Thyself
This is a lovely quote from Dr Edward Bach, from 'Free Thyself', a pamphlet that he wrote in the spring of 1932, mainly in Regents Park, a place away from the hustle and bustle of his temporary London life. It gives a fascinating insight in Dr. Bach's philosophical outlook and his understandings about the importance of being in harmony with our souls. You can find the full text of 'Free Thyself' in the book the Collected Writings of Edward Bach.
Sweet Chestnut from the Bach Flower Remedies
The beautiful flowers of the Sweet Chestnut tree were used by Edward Bach to make a remedy for “those moments which happen to some people when the anguish is so great as to seem to be unbearable”.
The Sweet Chestnut state is not an easy one to go through. It’s often called the dark night of the soul, when you feel like you’ve reached the limits of your endurance and are at the end of the road. In this extreme state you might feel an absolute and utter despair or hopelessness – a state of desolation in which you feel isolated from the rest of mankind. Sweet Chestnut’s gift is its ability to restore your connection to your Soul’s light and love and bring back the light and joy to life, dissolving the darkness. So it’s a very supportive flower essence to use to help you to rise from the ashes after dark times and to feel connected to love and your own inner light again.
Sweet Chestnut Remedy
The Life of Nora Weeks - the story of the lady behind the Bach Flower Remedies
Over on our dedicated Bach Flower Remedy website you can find the story of the lady behind the Bach Flower Remedies....
....This is a story about Nora Weeks, the lady behind the Bach Flower Remedies. Her story is integral to the story of Dr Edward Bach and the Bach Remedies, and it is a story of quiet tenacity and dedication. Without Nora Weeks’ determination to preserve her friend and colleague’s work, it is doubtful that the Bach Flower Remedies and the understandings of Edward Bach would have flourished in the way that they have. Discover more about Nora and how she took Bach’s legacy out into the world.
Latest Special Offers
Each month we offer special offer discounts on a selection of our Flower, Gem & Crystal Essences - from individual Essences to Essence Sets. Discounts are usually 20% or more and you can find our current special offers for the month here:
Our Flower, Gem & Crystal Essences
Here at Crystal Herbs we have been making and developing our range of Essences for nearly 30 years. Crystal Herbs is run by Catherine Keattch and Sam Cremnitz, along with a dedicated team who are all trained practitioners and healers in their own right. We are a specialist Flower Essence producer and we're passionate about all aspects of Vibrational Essences.
You can find our full range of Essences in the Flower Essence Shop, or an overview of the different essences we make here and you can find out more about us here: Crystal Herbs
