Uphold Flower Essence

A few of the gifts from the flowers of that magical season are shared here, with Mt. Shasta spring water infused with the delicate, wild, pristine blossoms that came out to share their superpowers:  Uphold, Patience, Commitment, Purity, Aspire, Sovereignty.  We all have moments when our lives are in transformation, in fact it seems to be the new normal.  And we all could use the gentle and powerful reminders and support that nature offers.    ** This family of flower essences was born in the wake of the devastation of the Thomas Fires of 2017 that swept through Ojai and surrounding areas.  Although these lands are well adapted to fires, and the element of fire forms an essential part of the delicate balance of the natural world, the extent and severity of this burn was greater than any in California history up to that time, and reveals yet another testimonial of the deeper imbalance and loss of relationship between humans and the environment.  While we as humans are slow to forget, and many of us are still recovering in some way from the trauma of that experience, nature is, and has always been, showing us the way towards healing:  Healing ourselves by coming back into right relationship with nature.  Each of these flower essences was created in the first wildflower bloom after the Thomas Fires.  The winter and spring of 2018 was tremendously bleak, with terrifying mudslides, erosion, and then months of moonscape dust storms and extreme heat.  And yet…the fire is not only about destruction.  Yes, it burns away the old, but it also renews.  The following spring brought the most abundant and diverse wildflower bloom that had been seen in decades, maybe more.  The understory literally reached out its arms and held the mountains in place, decorating the blackened hills and charred trunks with twinkling stars of every hue, lighting up the land with the energy of life, rebirth, and the promise of a new earth that began to emerge.  Likewise, the community has been forever changed.  It is hard to say exactly what is different, because everything is different. We are different.  What was not serving this community went up with that fire, and though this place continues to have its challenges, those who lived through that time seem to all agree that despite the apparent tragedy, the results have been miracles and blessings.