Bringing Dreams to Reality with Clematis

Early spring can be a difficult time of year. In some ways it seems a paradox. When the sun is shinning it looks warm and inviting as though you should be outside and yet, it often isn't warm enough to really "do" anything out there. When it's rainy it looks dark, dreary, and cold, and yet it's often surprising warm out. Perhaps it's just the "in-between" nature of spring that leads to daydreaming and makes it difficult to focus or feel "settled". It's often a good time of year to turn to the Bach Flower essence Clematis.

Clematis was one of the first remedies Dr. Bach discovered. In "Bach Flower Remedies; Form and Function", Julian Barnard, claims Dr. Bach was an Impatiens type himself. Things couldn't happen fast enough for him. He was quick to rise from bed, didn't need much sleep and was constantly on the go. It is somewhat surprising then, that one of the first remedies he discovered, Clematis, is almost the exact opposite of his Impatiens nature.

Clematis people, in contrast to Impatiens, require many hours of sleep, don't want to get out of bed, and are described as "laid back" in nature. Clematis people really can't be hurried. They live in a world of their own.

Barnard explains that Dr. Bach discovered Clematis in 1928 and may have used it for people who had an illness called "Encephalitis lethargica". This sickness may have been linked to the aftermath of the influenza outbreak of 1918. According to Barnard, this illness had both an unknown cause and cure. It also seems to have both mysteriously appeared, and disappeared. One of the hallmarks of the illness was that the person seemed to withdraw to a place inside themselves, and lose interest in life. Makes one wonder about chronic fatigue syndrome...

It's easy to spot a Clematis child in a classroom. They will be the one absently looking out the window, pencil posed in their hand, but nothing on the page. They seem oblivious to their surroundings. A lot of times, daydreamers are romanticized as being in a "better place", but the Clematis dreamer really isn't happy with life. Dreaming is a form of escape. In fact, the Clematis state can be a coping mechanism to escape pain and discomfort. For some school-aged children, springtime brings an overhwelming sense of workload. Exams pile up, homework projects are due, it seems a long way between Christmas to June and the feeling of being "cooped up inside" can be discouraging.

If you find yourself escaping to a world of your creation rather than changing the situation around you, Clematis may be indicated. People that have imbalances of the root chakra may benefit from Clematis. They may feel they are missing a sense of belonging, safety, and security. In order to compensate, they retreat to an imaginary world. Retreating however, doesn't solve the situation. Taking Clematis can help people bring their dream desires into reality. It can help ground them so they can bring their visions into the present state. Like much of life, it's a balancing act. Creative people need to be able to envision new ideas and states of being, but they sometimes need the grounding nature of clematis to bring those states into action and reality. Clematis can make the difference between "thinking up a good story" and actually "writing a good story". It helps bridge the gap between thought creation, and physical evidence.

It isn't just humans that can benefit from Clematis. The Clematis state is not uncommon in horses and cats. These creatures seem to be very good at basking in the sun and being quite removed from their surroundings. A sudden movement can startle them from the dreamworld causing them to react dramatically, sometimes violently. Who knows what frightful creatures exist in their dreamland. To transition from that world to the present is not always easy, and it can have unpleasant consequences for the person that startled them! Animals that have been abused may have learned to remove themselves from the pain by entering the "Clematis world". Once the abuse is gone, they may need the grounding nature of Clematis to contain them in the present and allow them to trust and adjust.

Clematis is one of the ingredients in Rescue Remedy. In a shock situation, people or animals may move into a state of unconsciousness. Clematis is included to keep them grounded in the present, so they can engage the body's healing abilities to solve the problem, rather than drift away.

Spring can be a wonderful time of year. It is the beginning of the creative cycle after all, with new plants, animals, and evidence of nature's rebirth stirring all around. It's a good time to be present. Really present. Consider a couple of drops of Clematis if you could use help coming out of your sleepy state of hibernation in order to recognize the future is shaped by the present.