Needing a bit of a Nudge ? Bach Flowers to Help Get You Started

It's January. We're in a New Moon phase and have just started a new year.  On some level, for a lot of people, that signifies a fresh start, an urge to move ahead, to make some change. We often set off with good intentions and even some resolutions at the first of the year but towards the end of January it's easy to feel stuck. You have an idea what you want to change, perhaps a pattern you really want to get out of, but it feels like you are spinning your wheels a little and you could really use a bit of a push in the right direction. There's a couple of Bach Flower essences for that!

There are in fact, two Bach Flower essences that Julian Barnard in "Bach Flower Remedies: Form & Function", describes are being "catalysts".  Catalysts are agents that work to accelerate a reaction. Barnard writes that both Holly and Wild Oat have the capability to do that. But they work in different ways.

At first glance, Holly is considered the remedy for anger, jealousy or envy. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2010/10/holly-for-heart.html It's typically used for sibling rivalries or a generalized state of anger. But Holly is also the remedy to consider for active, perhaps intense people that feel stuck in a situation or an emotional state. Holly my help this type of person when other remedies that seem to be a match, just aren't working to achieve the desired effect. The Holly essence is one of the few essences prepared by the boiling method. The heat and fire of this method really speak to that power of  transformation that may be required to break an old pattern or a way of being. The Holly state often develops from feelings of unfulfilled love and a sense of not being "good enough" or "lovable enough". The person turns those feelings of insecurity into a fight for survival type response and when in a Holly state tends to see the world from a place of suspicion and aggression. Holly acts on the point of change and can allow you to break out of a pattern of reacting to find another way of looking at things. It can help change your perception and therefore change your emotions. For these reasons it can be a powerful nudge towards the new direction you are seeking. I guess it's the essence that encourages you to turn the wheels slightly so that you can find solid ground.

But not all people that feel "stuck" are intense or active in their approach to the world.  There are others that seem to lapse into a weak, almost despondent, behavior. These people don't sit in the car spinning their wheels and gunning the gas peddle.  They don't try to rock the car out of it's position. They don't get out and shovel and swear and try to push on their own. Those are all Holly type behaviors. The Wild Oat person  leans their head against the seat, throws their hands in the air and gives up. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2011/01/wild-oat-for-finding-direction.html There are so many options and possibilities available when stuck that the Wild Oat person just doesn't know which one to choose. Wild Oat is typically indicated for people that are undecided in their career, or purpose in life. It can be helpful when you feel you have so may ways you might go that you can't decide where to start. If you've lapsed into that state of being bored, dissatisfied, or frustrated but can't find the direction to start and the way to begin, Wild Oat might be a good remedy for you. If you've been trying remedies that seem to be the right match for you without achieving results or you just can't find the place to start, Wild Oat might help provide that nudge in the right direction. Barnard, in Form and Function, quotes Dr. Bach as saying, "Wild oat is an all-purpose remedy to use in cases which do not respond to other essences or when it seems difficult to decide which to give.."

Bach Flower essences don't give you a huge push from behind. They are subtle in their approach to healing.  It's a gentle nudge  from Holly or Wild Oat to get to you on  a course for change. Bach Flowers essences are meant as a self-help method. You don't need a practitioner to set you on your course. But...

Every once in awhile, at least in my part of the world, you might just need a tow truck.  Sometimes that gentle nudge, even a pretty big push from behind, just won't get you out of the ditch. It's good to try some options like turning your wheels to find traction, doing some targeted shoveling, putting your transmission into 2nd gear, or putting down a layer of sand or kitty litter even to provide some grip. But, if all else fails you might just need that tow truck.

The same might be true of Bach Flower essences.  If your remedies aren't quite working the way you want them to, you don't know where to start, you can't figure out if you should be using Holly, Wild Oat, or something else all together, you could benefit from a consultation with a practitioner.  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2011/04/bach-flower-consultations-getting.html You don't need the tow truck to haul you all the way to the garage. You aren't broken.  You just might need a wee bit of help. Sometimes a gentle pull out of the ditch to get you  back on the road and solid ground is what you require to get back on your journey.

It isn't giving up or showing weakness to call that tow truck practitioner. There's no embarrassment in sliding off the road every once in awhile. It's not an indication of a horrible driver as much as it's a sign of slippery surfaces and tough conditions. Once you  understand the resources that are there for you can use them to fill the gap in your emotional management. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2012/01/emotional-emergency-management-step-3.html

It's January and "stuck happens". Safe travels.