Four drops can be taken from the stock bottles directly onto the tongue or in a hot or cold drink (carbonated drinks are the only drinks which are not suitable for use). The standard dose is 4 drops four times daily. An alternative method is the purchase of a 30 ml. dropper bottle (available from chemists) into which a small amount of brandy, cinder vinegar or vegetable glycerine is poured. The bottle is then topped up with mineral water (avoid the use of tap water). This is termed the dosage bottle. To the dosage bottle 4 drops from the chosen stock bottles can be added (no more than 8 different remedies are recommended at one time). Once the dosage bottle has been prepared, 4 drops four times daily can now be placed on the tongue. Using flower remedies at the dosage level of dilution presents an ideal solution for those who do not wish to consume alcohol, even the small amount of four drops in a cup of tea or coffee.
Take the first dose in the morning, the fourth when you retire to bed and space the other doses throughout the day as evenly as possible. A good time to take the remedies is prior to eating when the stomach is empty, but it is fine to take the drops straight after a meal, or any time that proves convenient.
Self-Adjusting
All seed essences, like flower remedies, are self-adjusting, meaning their healing will work at whatever level the individual requires or is able to accept. We can trust the flower remedies to find the depth of healing we need and work at that level. One well-voiced fear is that by taking seed essences we may well suffer a healing crisis, have to get a lot worse before returning to health. Such a pattern is common to many holistic healing disciplineso but not so common with these remedies because they adjust to the needs of our being. However, some of us do need a deep and cathartic release so seed essences can produce powerful effects.
The fact that seed essences are self-adjusting influences the dosage. As stated the standard dose is 4 drops, 4 times daily. Start off by adhering to this dose but bear in mind that it is only meant as a rule of thumb. The dosage is also self-adjusting: you will find yourself remembering to take the remedies when you need to. Do not worry if you are not taking the remedies 4 times a day, this means you do not need to take them that often. You may also feel the desire to take them more often, this too is perfectly acceptable. Allowing your body to dictate the frequency of the dose will result in an accurate dosage level.
Frequency of Dosage
Seed essences needs to be viewed from a different perspective than drug based medicines where more powerful doses are administered by increasing the physical quantity of the medicine. It is not the quantity of the dose which determines the potency of a seed essence but the frequency it is taken. It is not how much of the essences we take but the frequency of the dose which makes them more powerful. Drinking a whole bottle has the same effect as taking four drops. Taking one drop every hour is a much more powerful dose than taking four drops every four hours. The use of 4 drops in the standard dose could be changed to one, two or even three drops for it is the fact that the flower remedies are taken 4 times daily which is of importance, not the quantity of liquid taken. The convention of using 4 drops is of psychological benefit; numerologically 4 is a stable, firm and reliable number, one that can be trusted. The frequency of dosage allows us to adjust the potency of the remedies we are taking.
Caring for our Flower and Seed Essences
Flower Essences contain the consciousness of the flower angels which have agreed to maintain their presence in the flower remedies. It is important we treat our flower remedies with respect in order that the consciousness of the angels remain in the bottles and keep the essences potent. Flower essences have their own vibrational frequency so it is important that this is not damaged or interfered with. Here are some basic guidelines.
* Keep all flower remedies away from loud noises. Do not store the essences next to a radio, loud speakers or television. Avoid dropping the essences or treating them harshly as the vibrations of any knocks are unsympathetic to the essences.
* Avoid contact with any form of microwaves. If travelling by air make sure any flower remedies are not subject to security scanning.
* Keep flower essences away from strong smells and lights. The kitchen is not the ideal place to leave bottles. Perfumes are not enjoyed by flower essences. If you use aromatherapy be diligent with the separation of essences and oils. Do not store under bright lights or in direct sunlight.
* Avoid extremes in temperature. Stock bottles are preserved with brandy and do not need to be placed in the fridge, even during a heat wave. The only exception to this is with dosage bottles which contain only a small amount of brandy; these can be stored in the least cool part of the fridge if they are not to be consumed within one month. Flower remedies that are left in a car during the summer will have their vibrations badly damaged.
* Avoid any petrochemical product when using or storing essences. Petrochemicals have invaded our lives considerably but are detrimental to flower essences. Do not store any flower essence in plastic bags or such like. Make sure there are no petrochemical residues on your hands before handling the bottles, make sure soaps that are used before treatments are vegetable based. Since petrochemical products are so widely used exercise great care to avoid flower essences coming into contact with them.
* Do not store individual bottles in contact with each other. The vibrations of flower essences permeate their glass storage bottles, the bottles themselves contain the energies of the flower remedies. So if individual bottles are touching their vibrational energies start to mix. This is rather like the artist needing to keep the purity of his colours by avoiding contaminating with an unclean brush.
Hygiene is an important aspect of any form of healing. With flower essences there is a need for basic hygiene standards that are used in the kitchen, clean hands and surfaces etc. However the main area of hygiene standards is vibrational in nature. We need to maintain clean and healthy vibrations within the essences and the above list is an attempt to demonstrate ways in which this can be achieved. It is also necessary to recognise the degrees of potentially harmful substances and environmental conditions: exposing a flower remedy to microwaves is much more harmful then leaving two bottles in contact for a week or so. Imagine the teeth on a saw blade. Flower essences uncontaminated by harmful vibrations will be like a new blade, sharp toothed, able to perform effectively. Any form of contamination is going to blunt the blade to a certain degree, knock the tops off the teeth. The blade will still function but not as well. Care of our tools means we get better results.
Returning Essences to Health
If a flower essence is considered to have been blunted there are a number of methods available to sharpen it up.
Place the flower essence under a pyramid. Well known for sharpening old razor blades, pyramids will also return essences to health. Leave under the pyramid for twenty-four hours.
Place the essence on a piece of clear quartz. This method is not as powerful as the pyramid but a good alternative when visualisation is also employed, see below.
Take the essence to a special or sacred place, your own private alter in the home, a beautiful tree or a holy site. Say the following words, or make up some of your own, "I ask the angel of (name of flower) to fully incarnate in this bottle, fill it full of its love and light." Visualise white light emanating from the heavens entering and filling the bottle until it shines with intense white light. "I thank the angel (name flower) for its gift and endeavour always to use it with wisdom and compassion."
