Buttercup Flower Essence- Origin Story
Dear Janina,
To describe the medicine of this flower essence, it takes a story. As you may know, flower essences are the subtle, vibrational medicines of the herbal medicine world. They are extracted using high quality water and the energy of the sun and/or moon to imprint the essence of the flower into the water.
This little flower has been talking to me for a few weeks now. It started when Jay, Zinnia, Enzo, and I went on a hike at Bridgeport a few weeks back. Jay and I were having a little spat when I took a break and sat down on a rock in a patch of these little yellow flowers. I noticed their bright faces turned up to the sun and the light shining through them, giving the effect that they were glowing with sunlight from within. I then found that I had absolutely no charge around whatever Jay and I were spatting about. Not that I was not drained, I was just at peace and at ease. I spoke out loud that “this argument really doesn’t matter.” We went on to have a lovely time together in presence in nature.
I again noticed these flowers on a hike in Petaluma, then again the other day when I was walking Zinnia down the driveway. Shortly after noticing them is when I ran in to you when you and Mark were unloading the boards. I asked you how you were. You were burdoned by the whole business with the county. As I walked away from you, it hit me that I needed to make a flower essence with this sunny little flower.
When I make flower essences, one of the key pieces of making the medicine is meditating with the flower. As I sat in a patch of these flowers, all of my responsibilities and to dos melted away and I again came into a place of peace and presence.
This is what I feel the medicine, the essence, of the buttercup flower is- to turn up our natural inner light when it’s been dimmed by the burdens of the human experience. Reflecting the light of the sun, its own brightness glows.
After I have my own experience with a plant with which I’m making medicine, I then go and look up it’s qualities from a book. In researching this little flower, I found that it is a ranunculus- and of course it is! I have been so in love with ranunculus lately, but the more ornamental type that are often in bouquets of cut flowers. I was so taken with an arrangement in a coffee shop a few days ago that I snapped a picture. This flower has really been drawing me in as of late. And that is normally how it goes for me before I make an essence. The plant will continue to whisper and pop into my consciousness, romancing me until I hear it’s desires to co-create in medicine making.
I added apophylite crystal intuitively as it is a high vibrational stone connected to the angelic realms. It is often used to assist energetic work such as reiki.
When referencing my flower essence repertory, it states that buttercup’s positive qualities include radiant inner light and self assurance. “Buttercup flower essence helps the soul to realize and sustain it’s beautiful inner light, which becomes a great source of great healing and peace for all whom it contacts” (Kaminski & Katz, Flower Essence Repertory).
I felt you were the tipping point in the conversation butterup has been having with me- the ‘a-ha moment’ to make it into an essence. I therefore feel it is medicine both for you and for me.