PROFILE OF A WOMAN IN THE POSITIVE BLACKBERRY FLOWER ESSENCE STATE
A student (who asked to remain anonymous) wrote a brilliant personality profile of a client and friend who exemplies the purity of thought of the Blackberry Essence. Here is what she wrote…
 Blackberry is about assuming the best, giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. It is about fresh, clean thoughts, expecting good things. It offers the vibration of a fresh, clean rain, dispelling negativity, working like white sage for a cleansing mental smudging.
All dark berries are antioxidants, tackling the free radicals in our bodies that may lead to cancer. And negative thoughts can be like cancer, growing inside us when our natural immune systems have trouble differentiating between invader cells and aspects of our true selves.
It is a fun coincidence that blackberries are in the rosaceae (rose) family. Rita (our Blackberry example in human form) has an incredibly extensive social network, though I don’t think I’ve ever heard her say anything negative about anyone. She can be observant, seeing the reality of the situation, but not in a judgmental way. I know her fairly well because we trade massage for yoga classes.
Rita’s primary job is handling plane scheduling for employees at a large corporation, plus she has her own small travel business on the side. She and her husband are co-owners of a winery with another couple. She also teaches a variety of fitness classes, and she’s forever running her children to their activities. Her network of acquaintances is very wide, because everything she does involves dealing with lots of people. Her challenge is in juggling it all, but she never complains (although I have seen her get overwhelmed/discouraged when she feels that she doesn’t have time to be present enough for her family).
 Sometimes other moms seem to get jealous of Rita, and a few get truly angry with her (I’m guessing because they have their own self-esteem issues), but she doesn’t understand why they’re upset (maybe because she’s thin, athletic, successful and beautiful, with a great family — and she makes it all look easy?). When another mother doesn’t want to be friends with her, Rita gets upset and confused. It seems that they sometimes feel competitive with her, but she’s baffled because Rita herself is not competitive with anyone but herself. People who’ve known her longer than I have (and who see her at a wider variety of functions) say that she’s just nice to everyone. I think sometimes people who don’t know her well tend to assume she’s too nice to be authentic. But there’s nothing fake about her.
Occasionally Rita feels bad about being “just a gym yoga teacher,” which she sees as being inferior to “real” yoga teachers. She sometimes questions whether she’s not pure enough, since she drinks wine and doesn’t live a simple organic lifestyle. Then her yoga mentor has to remind her that by living the way she does, she’s able to reach a totally new group of people. Rita’s mentor assures her that her purpose is every bit as valid as that of the more ascetic practitioners, so she cannot judge herself so harshly.
Rita is a natural leader, and most people don’t seem to mind following her because she’s upbeat and kind, without the negativity of an un-evolved ego.
Rita says she was feeling good while she was on the Blackberry. “I was happy those three days I took it,” she says. She said she’d like to give it another shot when things settle down in her life. I told her she could try it again whenever she likes.
AFFIRMATIONS TO OVERWRITE NEGATIVE SUBCONSCIOUS PATTERNS
Article by Flor Taboda,
Bath, England
This response was submitted by Flor Taboda in Bath, England, in completing Level I Certification. Here, she explains the subtler meaning of affirmations and what can be accomplished when using them in conjunction with flower essences.
Affirmations are a way to help “overwrite” subconscious negative messages and old mental patterns. Affirmations can therefore be very helpful to change negative beliefs and assumptions about ourselves. By repeating an affirmation out loud and consciously, we are impersonating the message, boycotting the “inner critic,” and creating direction and focus. When saying an affirmation at the same time as we take an essence, we are reinforcing the properties of the essence and making the whole process more conscious and powerful.
My Strawberry essence person (Gill, see question 2) said the affirmation while taking Strawberry Essence. Then I gave her Grape (to deal with feelings of isolation) and asked her to take it for a week without doing the affirmation. Her response to both essences was very different but I’m not sure to what extent this is only due to doing/not doing the affirmation or the fact that she was more in need of Strawberry that she was of Grape. In other words, it is difficult to know how different her response would have been had she not done the Strawberry affirmation or had she done the Grape one. What is certain is that her response to the 2 essences was very different.
Here is what she said about Grape:
“Just to let you know that I’m not influencing myself, no affirmations, no looking it up……. Actually I wondered whether there was essence in the bottle (!) but last night (day 4) felt my first connection with it – a warmth and fullness which tickles, around my heart, which reaches my smile!”
THE POWER OF AFFIRMATIONS
Article by Roberta Ciskey,
Spirit-in-Nature Essences Practitioner and Holistic Therapist,
Bethel, CT
Roberta’s article, in her own words, documents her experiences in combining affirmations with her own personal flower essence program. Here’s what she writes:
The power of words at times seems beyond comprehension. We use them all day everyday and oftentimes without much thought or care. It’s just something we naturally do. Words are much more powerful than most people think. Little do we know that when we speak about something we want or desire, we are actually using a form of affirmation.
What are affirmations? They are wonderful, positive statements much like a prayer, wish or a goal only more structured, focused, and specific. We have been saying affirmations our entire lives. Many people are unaware of this phenomenon because words are a part of our everyday life. Affirmations are so powerful that they can help to bring about a change we wish to make in ourselves; taking flower essences along with saying affirmations we help to further cement the idea and bring about the desired outcome.
There are many books, newsletters, tapes, and workshops that address the importance of affirmations and how to use them. An affirmation starts with a thought. When I first thought about writing this paper, I panicked and consequently got stuck thus becoming paralyzed with fear that I could not accomplish this goal. It seemed so distant and impossible.
What actually happened? Certainly I can write. People are constantly telling me I should write, as they find my writing engaging, entertaining and full of great information. What was standing in my way? I was being encouraged to forge ahead and just go for it. My goal seemed so far away and unattainable. I thought I believed in myself and knew what I wanted to accomplish. I had waged quite an interesting battle with myself.
It is of the utmost importance to keep our thoughts and desires positive. I wanted to write my paper and finish the (Home Study) course. However, at the same time I didn’t believe I could do it properly. What a revelation this was and just what I needed to hear to march gallantly in the direction of success. I began to compile information and do some research all the while struggling and procrastinating, which made the thought of doing this paper impossible.
I prayed, took more yoga classes, meditated, chanted constantly, recited affirmations by the bushel and worked in my gardens. Finally, I decided to take my own advice and seriously look at myself to find the entire answer to my dilemma. The first step was to begin a flower essence program. After all, my clients were having incredible success with taking their essences and using the affirmation cards. I stressed that saying the affirmation was an integral part of the program. During each consultation, we reviewed the affirmation that coordinated with the client’s essence according to the instructions of the Spirit-in-Nature Essences founder, Lila Devi. The method suggested on our instructional CD(3) for the third level of certification is as follows:
- First, say the affirmation out loud to attract the attention of the conscious mind.
- Next, whisper it to penetrate the subconscious, where issues may be harbored and uncovered so they can be worked on.
- Finally, silently say it to yourself so it will be absorbed in the superconscious self.
The power of this method is unbelievable. When I taught my class and presented this method, the students were so excited and asked that I repeat the instructions so they could write them down. Just the thought of doing their affirmations in a new way has a powerful impact.
I had copied the affirmation card corresponding to the Pear Essence I had given each person and asked them to look at the picture of the pear flower. We then proceeded to read the affirmation as instructed above. There was a tremendous upward shift of the energy in the room by the time we had completed this exercise. Each person became calmer, more centered, spiritually opened and intrigued with the essences. They were anxious to inspect and experience the beauty of each card and requested to see the entire deck of affirmation cards.
The comments were amazing. They squealed with delight at the sight of each card and hearing the affirmation given to support the flower essence it represented. I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears the power that affirmations in this manner held. Why wasn’t I following my own advice and instead choosing to stay in such an ugly, horribly uncomfortable negative state? Enter the Spirit-in-Nature Essences.
The gifts I have received and continue to receive from these amazing essences just keep coming. It was high time to seriously work on myself and my own issues. Fear had taken over my life and I was completely frozen and stopped dead in my tracks. I discovered this rather frightening realization while doing my research and taking my essences.
Having learned early on in my studies of the of the Spirit-in-Nature Essences that it was often difficult to see ourselves in the essences, I began to search for the clues that the universe always provides for us and to seriously look at the people who were showing up in my professional life as well as my personal friendships to see what it was they were there to teach me. I firmly believe that our lessons are always right there in front of us. We just have to open our hearts and be willing to see the lesson waiting to be learned.
I listened carefully to the conversations I participated in and took a good hard look at whom and what I had attracted to me. My clients were talking about being depressed and hardly able to get through each day. They were already being treated for this condition by medical doctors and were disturbed that nothing was working. Listening intently and seeing and hearing with intuitive eyes and ears, I realized they were unknowingly affirming and identifying with feeling dark, heavy and depressed. They were uncomfortably comfortable with their suffering with depression, wearing it proudly like a shiny badge.
Was I doing the same thing? How could that be possible? I knew all of the signs and people were seeking my help to get out of the doldrums. When I looked deeper into myself, I suddenly noticed that I, too had practically turned off the bright light people were always saying I brought with me wherever I went.
Immediately, I took out the flower essence affirmation cards and my essences. There was no doubt in my mind what to do now. All of the signs had been there for quite some time. Constantly reaching for my orange-scented body and room spray, using an orange patchouli sea salt scrub, and buying orange marmalade (I’ve never bought this before), I couldn’t get enough of the scent or taste of oranges and was forever reaching for my orange colored clothing. Even my son commented on how I never bought him orange juice anymore. Wow!
The universe was desperately trying to get my attention. Finally, I got the message loud and clear and began taking the Orange Essence, proudly displaying the affirmation card in a prominent place. I felt a sudden change in my thinking almost immediately. I knew I was now well on my way. I saw that the task ahead had more wonderful and exciting lessons to teach me. I would be so much wiser by the time I was finished. Saying the new affirmation on the card, along with the visualization exercise and suggested essence enhancers, I found myself smiling, inside and out.
The impact of these simple tasks was delightful. I could feel a smile form as I proudly recited my affirmation with feeling, and once again trusted that things would most certainly be okay. Seeing, feeling, and hearing the words, “My thoughts dance on air with cosmic energy. Singing joyfully, they soar above every dark valley of sorrow!”, renewed my sense of hope and enthusiasm. A zest for participating in the dance of life had returned with a vengeance. I no longer felt defeated.
I never fail to be amazed at how the teacher shows up when the student is ready, to paraphrase Paramhansa Yogananda, the first Indian yogi, great teacher and mystic to spend his lifetime in America. When affirmations are done properly, they always work. She was right. All of this information is in The Essential Flower Essence Handbook that I use on a daily basis. Reading this book reinforced the steps to success in taking flower essences and actually brought me closer to the essences. By seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting the affirmation excites and awakens the subconscious mind and brings results quicker. Using the Spirit-in-Nature Affirmation Deck along with taking the flower essence orally creates an undeniable force.
I have had clients report that they taste the fruit of the flower essence they are taking and can smell the flower or fruit when gazing at the affirmation card. The affirmation cards help to make the art of visualization much easier and also takes some of the stress off of the client, especially if they are new to the whole concept of flower essences and energy healing. Some people have also reported smelling the flower or fruit when gazing at the card. The pictures on the cards are so real you feel as though you can touch the plant and often a person’s mouth starts to water with the thought of tasting the fruit. In some ways it helps to see the flower, fruit, vegetable or nut and connect its energy with the essence.
There is a definite advantage to taking flower essences and saying affirmations together. You actually get a double dose of encouragement, since the flower essences themselves are a kind of affirmation. It’s like finding a good bargain while shopping. You can never beat a two-for-one sale! Now, armed with a renewed sense of hope and encouragement from the boost towards healing I received from taking my Orange essence, I was eager and ready to march gallantly ahead towards my ultimate goal. It no longer seemed so far out of reach.
The next step in my personal flower essence program was the Strawberry Essence. I chose this one to address my self-worth, feelings of inadequacy, and leaving a dysfunctional childhood in the past. This seemingly quiet little essence uncovered some rather intense issues. Once brought to the surface, I was determined to resolve the messages planted in my head when I was a young child. They continued throughout my school days and accompanied me all the way through adulthood and, to my surprise, into the present.
>p>At first, this revelation was shocking, followed by a feeling of comfort in knowing that I could do something about it. I had been told over and over by my teachers that I could not write And because of a fight my father had with some of my relatives and my best friend’s father, people very important to me were removed from my life; through no fault of my own, at the tender age of seven, I was abandoned. The burden of carrying around the neatly wrapped package of worthlessness and low self-esteem had surfaced. It hit me like a tornado. No hiding under the covers anymore.
I didn’t feel I deserved the praise and support I had been receiving since beginning my journey with the essences-even though I knew in my heart that I had finally found what I had been searching for continuously throughout my professional life. The flower essences were a piece of my life’s puzzle that fit perfectly. Who knew that feeling accepted and cheered on could feel so uncomfortable? Wasn’t this exactly what I had been seeking?
I took my essence regularly, reciting the Strawberry affirmation throughout the day everyday for a week. The Strawberry affirmation is a perfect example of the power and strength that words can yield. After reciting, “I am strong in myself for I am one with what IS!” for a week, I felt like nothing could get in my way. I was ready to face whatever was put in my path without reservation.
This affirmation has become a permanent part of the daily chatter in my head. Even the red color of the strawberry fruit reminds me of the power and courage that this essence has helped me to find. To me, the words alone are not the only affirmation on the card. The gorgeous picture of the strawberry flower and fruit on the card could also be considered an affirmation too.The strong yet unassuming nature of the delicate flower sprouting from this tiny plant inspired me to continue my journey to maturity with grace and dignity. Since the strawberry plant stays so close to the ground throughout its entire lifetime, I saw the remaining grounded throughout any situation was of the utmost importance in following my own dreams.
As I continued to become more familiar with the affirmation cards and to study them closer, I found them to be invaluable. I discovered that they awakened all of my senses and therefore reinforced the affirmations and power of the flower essences. The cards pack an extra punch in support of taking the essences by helping us to envision our goals.
I have found in taking the essences that they are in themselves affirmations, since they help to reinforce the beauty and knowledge we already possess. Their messages are powerful in the vibrations they carry. The flower essences help to awaken those parts of us that are hidden. Reading the Quality/Message of Self-Mastery, and Positive Expressions sections in The Essential Flower Essence Handbook are just like saying affirmations as they begin the process of healing.(6) Even reading the negative indications and conditions is somewhat positive because these statements show us what we can address and give us the hope that we can turn them into something beneficial. Once we are able to view everything presented to us as a gift and learning experience leading us to our true self, life becomes lighter and viewed as less of a burden. It is so easy to get lost in the darkness of negativity, which serves only to dim our light and move us further away from our goals.
Then I remembered the chapter on how flower essences work in The Essential Flower Essence Handbook. Flower essences are a type of vibrational energetic healing. This is why the flower essences encourage us to want to change. They help us to create what we desire.
The law of attraction or magnetism comes into play here as well. A strong negative thought or statement is such a strong force that it would cancel out the weaker positive thought. This works in a similar way to be around a strongly negative person and shaking their hand. The weaker person would be influenced by the stronger one. This would occur because shaking hands with someone is a way of sending magnetism because our hands are actually magnets of energy. Flower essences are living vibrations and therefore both contain and give out magnetism. Their magnetism is stronger and more positive than that of a person who is unbalanced. Taking the flower essence helps to bring us back into balance; it makes us feel better. By saying the suggested affirmation along with taking the flower essence, our vibration is raised and we are able to initiate the change. Since the essences themselves are positive and, in effect, are affirmations, the desired change is better able to take hold.
Anything we read that encourages us to cast off the old and live in the present is a form of affirmation. This is something that is also strongly stressed with the use of flower essences. The flower essences encourage us to take a closer look at ourselves. Thus they can bring long-buried issues to the surface. We are often not even aware that incidents or messages from our past are affecting the way we live in the present. The true gift of the essences is the way they gently bring to the surface what it is time to address. I feel we are never given more than we can handle. With the flower essences and affirmations, we have a simple method of initiating changes by discarding what no longer serves us or those around us. With the positive messages the essences possess, we start from an advantageous place and are better able to grasp a positive state of mind. Once again we return to how our thoughts shape our present, which leads to the manifestation of our future.
It was now time to bring out “the big guns.” The next essence in my personal program was Blackberry, “The All Purpose Purifier”. This amazing essence quickly brought to the surface the manner in which I had been approaching not only the task of writing the term paper, but my general outlook on life these days. I had gotten mired in dark thoughts with clouded thinking, and wasn’t seeing the wonderful life waiting for me. The affirmation card that accompanies this essence stated exactly what I had been reading about our thoughts creating our future. When I first uttered the words on the affirmation card, it was as if a light bulb had just been illuminated-nothing could stop me from marching forward into my already created bright future. I only had to reaffirm what I already knew. I could indeed do anything I set my mind to, and I would do it in my own fashion.
The beauty of the human experience is that we are all different and unique. Not everyone approaches things in the same manner, nor is there only one way to do anything. After reciting this very special and eye-opening affirmation, I began to regain my perspective and stop procrastinating.
Saying the words, “Pure thoughts, like rays of sunlight, penetrate the dust-covered windows of my mind. They fill me with good will toward all” helped me reach into the corners of my own mind and remove what no longer served me in this lifetime. The power of this affirmation was almost overwhelming in its truth and beauty. Now I could get to work and put into action the thoughts that had been trying to seep through my temporarily dimmed light. I had been desperately seeking outside myself the very qualities I already possessed and was not acknowledging.
How many times had I said exactly this to my family, friends and even clients? Thankfully, I had been guided by my own internal radar to follow my own suggestions. This essence had a bit of a different effect when I began taking it. I was so disappointed and angry at myself for letting things get so far out of control. I cried often. Sometimes, I was smiling through the tears.
I was a bit confused as my emotions bounced around like a ping pong ball during a very heated match. Then I remembered that this is exactly what the Blackberry Essence is supposed to do. It puts right in front of you what you are ready to address. The visuals with this essence were stronger than I had with any other essence. I began to see myself dancing freely and singing. The next thing I knew, I was doing precisely that. I was, once again, dancing and singing in my kitchen with a bright smile while I cooked for myself and the family I hold so dear. It was now easier to meditate and chant loud and clear and really mean it. My yoga classes meant more to me than they ever had and became more enjoyable as people flocked to me like flies asking people to move so they could put their mat next to me.
It’s amazing how differently people are relating to me now and their kindness is at times almost overwhelming. I have these beautiful essences and affirmations to thank for helping to uncover and bring out into the open the real me. Wonderful, good things are coming to me sometimes at breakneck speed. It’s as if the floodgates have opened. Things are flowing at an incredibly rapid rate and the life I wanted and thought I was already living is a quickly becoming a reality.
The flower essences, being liquid words or liquid affirmations, and their accompanying beautiful affirmation cards are life-changing, powerful words. In using the Spirit-in-Nature Essences and their companion affirmation cards, we have the best of both worlds. These gentle tools of healing wield incredible power.
Affirmations have been a major part of my life and healing practice for a very long time. The universe has an interesting way of sending us precisely what we need when we need it. As I mentioned earlier, the clients who had been showing up recently were looking for someone to help take them from the dark seat of depression to happiness. Once again, I thought about why these people, along with constant reminders of people and incidents from my past, kept showing up almost on a daily basis. I had started this journey with the Orange Essence, to lift the dark, heavy energy I had been surrounded and consumed by in recent months.
In faithfully taking my flower essences, things came to light. I remembered how I kept thinking that I couldn’t be depressed. I was working actively on this with my own doctor. Each time I saw her, she would ask if I was taking my own essences. I would respond-of course I was. What I did not realize at the time was that the essences were doing their job. They were bringing out into the open the many hurts and disappointments I had experienced in my life’s journey. These issues were consequently buried so deeply that I was innocently believing they had long since been resolved; they could not possibly be affecting me now.
To really be effective, affirmations need to be said with feeling and visualization. All of these tools are also in The Essential Flower Essence Handbook. I had all of the answers at my fingertips.
So often we think in negative affirmations without even realizing what we are doing. When we say something like, “I never could write a decent term paper because I never have in the past”, we in fact reaffirm that we cannot do precisely what we are trying to accomplish and will only attract more of the same thoughts. The next thing we know, one seemingly honest and insignificant statement has snowballed like an out of control avalanche, becoming a fact in the present. It can then strongly resemble a cancer that grows larger every day. Even stating, “I will write a great term paper” is not enough to plant the message for the desired outcome. The influence our words have on ourselves and those around us is stronger and more powerful than we think.
The flower essences bring our awareness to how we are at times keeping ourselves stuck in the past and thus preventing us from living in the present and experiencing the joy and happiness already present somewhere inside our psyche. The flower essences and affirmations give us a boost towards living the life we desire.
Loving ourselves and acknowledging our true beauty is where the flower essences and the accompanying affirmation cards come into play. They can both help us to change the old messages and outdated thought patterns that no longer serve us. We can cut the ties to past that so tightly bind us. The advantage of using the flower essences to initiate the changes we yearn to grasp is that they usually help to bring about the changes in a quicker manner than just saying affirmations by themselves.
I have found in my research and practice that just taking the flower essence alone will help us to arrive at the desired outcome. However, it often takes a longer time to see positive results. When the essences are taken in conjunction with saying the suggested affirmation, the qualities we desire can emerge much more quickly. Saying the affirmation along with taking a dose of the flower essence, the affirmation becomes cemented in our thinking.
More often than not, people begin to say the affirmation throughout the day. It has now become a part of who we are. When we ingest the flower essence it too becomes a part of us as it is absorbed into our body, mind and soul. This “liquid affirmation” enters our body, similarl to the way the food we eat might do. The only difference is that the flower essence is consumed more on a vibrational rather than a physical level. Its healing effect is subtle and gentle, and in no way interferes with anything else we may be doing. This makes flower essences a desirable type of healing, since they can never be abused. They only bring us goodness and can never harm us. Their message is positive and in no way invasive. This is appealing to many people who are frightened by the thought of doctors and medication. Flower essence remedies are safe for anyone, and this makes them desirable to use for entire families and even plants and animals.
I have found in my own practice that sometimes people are averse to using the affirmations because this practice makes them feel self conscious and odd, requiring too much effort on their part. Little do they know, they are using affirmations by agreeing to take the flower essence remedy in the first place, since the essence is actually an affirmation-in-a-bottle. Lila Devi refers to the flower essences as bottled affirmations. I like to point this out to clients. Once this theory is introduced, they begin to understand the power of saying affirmations along with taking their essence.
At the end of a consultation I usually make the client’s flower essence remedy and then suggest that we take a dose together. We recite the affirmations, using the three-part method suggested in our certification training. This process removes some of the fear and apprehension the client may have in beginning a flower essence program. Putting a person at ease helps to relieve some of the burden that causes the energy channels to become blocked. It assists the client in being more open to receiving and really hearing the words of the affirmation and the shift that the flower essence initiates. In this way, the task of taking the essence and reciting the affirmation becomes much less daunting. The client is then well on the way to a successful journey through the world of flower essences and affirmations.
To summarize: After in-depth research into the world of affirmations, I have discovered through personal experience and feedback from my clients that affirmations used along with taking flower essences do indeed work. Together, they are a powerful force towards uncovering the beautiful qualities that make us who we really are. Employing the five senses, along with the aid of the Affirmation Deck designed specifically for the Spirit-in-Nature Essences, has proven to be of great value in aiding my own personal growth and that of my clientele. Results for me and my clients have generally been experienced at a much more rapid pace when all of these tools were used together. By using the powerful positive words of affirmations and flower essences or liquid affirmations simultaneously, we begin to weed out what no longer serves us. We can then plant the seeds of change and movement in our own personal garden, guiding us towards our ultimate goal of living a more authentic, enjoyable life.
THEME ESSENCES FOR CHILDREN
Article by Eriko Shirakawa
Spirit-in-Nature Essences Practitioner
Tokyo, Japan
I think that knowing Children’s theme essence is a great use for promoting
healthy growth of children. Every child is different. Parents can guide
their children in order for them to behave and take actions that are matched
to their theme essence by accepting their difference and acknowledging them.
If resource the child has is enhanced and expanded, the child will be able
to express him/herself without hesitation. I think it will be good if we can
nurture wonderful uniqueness the child has and let the child do only he/she
can do in his/her life at each household.
It will be wonderful that we create a trusting relationship with the child
by recognizing pureness and wonderful quality the child has and respecting
it as a parent and as an individual thus being able to build a healthy
relationship with the child. And as we see the child with that perception,
the child will trust him/herself based on the trust from the parents then
the child can take step forward for the better world.
When it comes to finding the theme essence of the child, desire for food,
flower or color the child likes may give us a clue. For instance, the child
likes banana among fruits and he/she always choose to eat banana (in this
case his/her theme is Banana), or the child likes grapes very much and
he/she wants anything that is related to grapes (ice cream, juice, candy,
etc.) (in this case his/her theme is Grape). In this way, it is possible
that food the child likes and always chooses to eat is the child’s theme.
Not only foods, but also from the child’s behavior we can have a clue to
find the child’s theme essence. We may see the theme by observing the state
of the child when he/she is resting or playing, or by paying attention how
the child interacts with family members or friends. A child who shares with
or gives his/her toys to other children at early age has a theme of Peach,
and a child who has an atmosphere of older age than actual age and being
wise and has passion for knowledge has a theme of Avocado. In that way we
may see the child’s theme quality by closely watching them.
Knowing about theme essence is to understand positive quality of the child
and we would like to make a good use of this concept for rearing the child.
For instance, when you know your child’s theme is Date, we can provide a
special treatment and tell the child “how sweet you are” when the child
behaved in such a way that shows his/her theme characteristic. When it comes
to a child whose theme is Avocado, you can tell things like “I see you like
reading books” or “you well remember what you learned.”
The child becomes motivated when he/she is praised. The child comes to like
him/herself and can see positive side of the self through acknowledgement by
parents. The feelings and attitude of the child change a lot by the way
parents talk to the child. I would like parents to care for and nurture the
children so that they do not lose their original innocence of the heart.
Now, I would like to consider a good way for parents to interact with the
children by following children’s theme essence based on each characteristic
of 20 essences.
Almond: Calm and mild personality. Leads quiet life and he/she is modest and
well balanced in diet, sleep and everyday life activity. This type of child
is mentally calming to be with and he/she is just there without being
imposing or intrusive. You may not recognize the child’s existence even
being in the same house, but you recognize it when he/she is absent. Since
he/she is satisfied with the way he/she is, he/she would not behave in such
a way as to try to draw attention of parents by breaking things or making
big noise. He/she holds an attractive quality of calmness. The parents need
to let the child keep his/her pace and sometimes wait without giving too
much or being pushy even that is out of good intention.
Apple: Healthy. He/she looks OK even when being sick or ill and it is rare
to be sick anyway. The basic personality is good health oriented and he/she
does not encounter serious illness or accident because of this attitude.
His/her cheek has a hint of red color of apple flower and it has a glow.
His/her eyes have brightness that indicates joy of being in this world.
He/she is good natured and rarely gets frustrated. It is important to work
on building better health and physical strength for him/her, and this is
also the way for him/her to express the self and releasing physical energy.
It will be good to interact with the child so that they can nurture healthy
attitude and feeling without imposing him/her worries and anxiety especially
regarding illnesses. We can tell the child things such as “I see you are
full of energy all the time,” “doing physical exercise makes you energetic,
doesn’t it?”
Avocado: This type of child is always agile and living each moment fully.
He/she has a strong curiosity and wants to know everything about he/she is
interested. Has a strong desire for learning and spends time doing something
to fulfill his/her intelligent curiosity such as reading books whenever
there is time for it and never spend time doing nothing. Has a high level of
concentration and properly remember what is told. Has an excellent ability
of memorizing. The child has quality of more mature than actual age and also
looks wiser than actual age. It will be good for parents to respect and
value the child’s interest without disregarding the child’s “why?” and
curiosity. And it will be even better if parent can be sensitive to the
movement towards the original creation generated from the child’s interest
and respect it and watch over the child by consciously keeping this point in
mind.
Banana: Gentle and modest. This type of child is very calm and it is
soothing just by being with him/her. He/she does not have so much strong
ego, but not submissive nature as to not speak up when treated unfairly,
either. Always wearing atmosphere of calmness and quietness and also has
quality of persevering and does not get frustrated. Likes interacting with
family members and friends and is happy doing group activity since he/she
can show consideration for others. He/she is a good listener and talks with
mild tone. Due to being modest, he/she can accept own mistakes and have
wisdom to learn from mistakes. It will be good if parents can listen to the
child since the child can listen to parents. You can tell the child things
such as “you are a good listener,” “it is good that you can show
consideration to your friends.”
Blackberry: Purity and cleanliness. Innocence. Has a kind of innocence and
there is a brightness of knowing in the eyes. Kind and has a sense of humor,
and by nature dislikes negativity and dishonest qualities in others. We can
receive the gift of honesty from this child. Pure and straightforward, and
is faithful in keeping his/her words thus we can rely on him/her. Since
he/she likes organized and tidy environment in living space, it will be good
if we can provide such space for the child. It will be good for the parent
to keep opening the heart for the child and be conscious to be faithful and
not become negative towards the child. The parent should also be sensitive
or pay special care not only to own thoughts but also negative energies that
come from outside such as movies and TV programs.
Cherry: This type of child is cheerful and energetic. Positive thinking and
see good quality in others. Mild and non-attached personality and can
maintain cheerful attitude consistently. Good natured and reliable. Smile a
lot and steps of walking or running is very light almost looks like
floating. Since spending fun time is the high priority for this child,
he/she has fun atmosphere that makes others cheer up and laugh. You can tell
the child things such as “I feel cheered up when I am with you”, “thank you
for letting me have fun”. As long as it is fair, it will be good to respect
the taste of this child (and also it will be nice to play, sing, and dance
together at times) and provide compliments as often as possible
consistently.
Coconut: Improvement. When taking challenge, this child shows good
persistence and strong sustainability. Always look for better ways and can
overcome difficult situation with remarkable way. Capable of dealing with
situation such as it takes sense of competition with siblings and with
occasions that requires challenging or striving at school or within group of
people. When having issues that look impossible to resolve, know there is
some way intuitively and also has determination to resolve. It will be nice
that parent let the child take actions based on his/her own thinking and
decision without the parent going ahead and solve the problem for him/her
and watch over so that he/she can take responsibility of his/her action.
Regardless the result, parents can tell the child “it was good for you to
have done that through without giving up” since the child took the best way
he/she could think of.
Corn: Full of vitality and living “now” fully. This type is full of positive
energy and always energetic. Enthusiastic and full of joy, and has attitude
to welcome new experience without fear. Brisk and full of willingness, and
never hesitate or procrastinate doing things. Surprise parents by showing
endless interest for new mischief, but it will be nice to be conscious not
to hurt the child’s gifted heart since children have been ever thinking what
the adults cannot imagine and creating what adults cannot think of. Thinking
about the fact that airplanes and automobiles were invented by new ideas, we
should acknowledge interest toward the new and welcome starting doing things
new.
Date: This type has exceptional capability to accept others and full of
warmth and charm that attract others. Has very gentle personality. Never
makes negative judgment or judge others. Since being gentle to him/herself,
he/she can see gentleness in others and see positive side in others equally.
He/she can make friends easily. Never make others upset and he/she
him/herself does not get upset or angry easily. In a Japanese book titled
“Kokoro no Hanabatake (Flower field of the heart) (Author: Seikan Kobayashi)
the author wrote that “value of human is becoming a being that makes
everyone feels warm and happy by being with them”. Child whose theme is Date
expresses this kind of characteristic. It will be good if parent can accept
this sense of value of the child and build a family where each member has
sensitivity towards others’ feelings and everyone is treated gently and
warm.
Fig: This type has flexibility of being able to be relaxed in any situation.
Can follow daily routines and also is capable of dealing with sudden change
of schedule. This type does not come across any trouble when traveling.
Within daily routines and custom there is certain rule within the family and
can have flexibility and acceptability of dealing with changes based on that
rule. Having easy going attitude toward the self and others, he/she can make
friends easily. Easy to laugh and has a good sense of humor. Those who
around this child feel good with the presence of him/her and can relax. As
long as the child can feel accepted and respected by his/her parents, he/she
can accept and be satisfied with the self and will grow up to be a person
with confidence. As expression of respect toward the child, parents can do
cleaning of the child’s room thoroughly and regularly.
Grape: Just full of love. This type of child loves unconditionally without
hesitation and does not require any reward. He/she just keep pouring love.
He/she expresses deep love and dedication toward parents and others.
Willingly open the heart to others and interacts deeply. He/she intuitively
knows that pure love does not have to do with self desire or wants. It will
be nice that parent learn unconditional love from the child and love the
child as the way he/she is. Other than telling the child “I love you”,
parent express love towards the child by holding and touching to spend happy
and healthy childhood will do very good. During the process of growing up,
it will be good that parent accept and acknowledge everything about the
child without condition such as parent love him/her if he/she grows up in a
way parents wants and does not love if he/she doesn’t.
Lettuce: This type has mild personality. Quiet and calm but has a strong
presence. Quiet but not shy and rather has strong personality, maintains own
belief and expresses him/her self clearly. Straightforward and can clearly
communicate his/her intention without being emotional, so he/she can have
healthy relationship with others. It will be good for parents to keep
emotional steadiness like the child. Has creative aptitude and engages in
creative activity such as writing, painting, woodwork and so on.
Orange: This type of child is full of joy and hope. Has infinite ability of
enjoying the world and the life in various and his/her own way he/she can
think of. Different from Cherry type child who is cheerful and laughing, joy
of Orange type child is very deep and he/she is always smiling gently.
Orange child can maintain the self without getting much influenced no matter
how tragic event happens within the family. Has ability to recover from the
deepest sorrow. This type has less to do with sadness. It is important to
raise the child so that he/she can keep living simply with soft smile by
accepting things without being depressed when coming across sense of failure
or events that do not go as wished and overcome with smile when encountering
experiences that seem to be difficult and hard.
Peach: This type of child cares more about others’ needs than his/hers own.
Feels joy in serving to others and he/she gets energy by serving others.
Loves giving to others and has a love to offer without condition. When there
is someone who does not feel well or having troubles, the child shows
consideration by acknowledging and sitting side of this person. When playing
with other children, he/she likes to share his/her toy and letting other
children participate his/her own games and has willingness to cooperate and
share with other children. For this child, others are extension of his/her
own and know that he/she will receive the same service him/herself by
providing service to others. You can tell this type of child things such as
“you are sensitive to others’ feelings,” “I see you can share with other
children,” “thank you for taking care.”
Pear: This type has strong energy that is full of peace. He/she is
emotionally steady and has a good sense of balance, and will not be swayed
easily even at the time of emergency. Provided parent can make sure
maintaining consistent environment with sense of order, an order will be
ensured to the child’s life and he/she can have mental/emotional steadiness.
Then happiness of the child will be promoted and he/she will grow up in good
shape. Peaceful atmosphere the child originally has provides positive
influence to others and make things calm. Others can relax when being with
the child. It will be nice that parent spare even a little time of a day to
spend with this child with full attention and enjoyment. This attitude will
be transmitted to the child and it will be precious experience for the child
to spend time this way with parents. At those times, parents can tell the
child “I feel my heart calm when I am with you.”
Pineapple: This type is full of confidence. He/she strongly feels sense of
self identify and place for his/her own within the family. Loves to show
healthy and innocent pride about things he/she achieved by him/herself.
Children love getting compliments, so it will be good to proactively telling
them compliments such as “it is good that you have attitude to decide what
action to take based on your idea,” “it is good that you were able to get it
done on your own.” When receiving compliments, child would be encouraged to
do more. When feeling that he/she is special and being deeply accepted by
parents, the child will grow up with more confidence and brightness. This
type of child has a charismatic magnetism and has a tendency to stand out
among mass people. He/she loves being center of attention. His/her attitude
full of healthy confidence makes others uplifted and he/she respect others
not only him/herself.
Raspberry: This type is very sensitive and is considerate and always paying
attention to others. He/she has gentleness, sense of sympathy and feeling
pain in others and full of compassion. He/she expresses kindness equally,
and embraces every living life with deep compassion. This type can get along
with any type of people from someone who has strict or hard personality to
some other one with mild personality. Even when treated in a mean way,
he/she would return with love instead of hostility and express deep
forgiveness. When the child shows gentleness by playing with animals or
taking care of his/her siblings, it will be nice for parents to give
complements by telling “you are considerate,” “thank you for showing your
gentleness.” By doing so, the child will expand his/her gentle and
considerate heart. He/she will be able to grow by learning the importance of
interacting with others with generosity and gentle heart full of love.
Spinach: This type is innocent and loves having fun. He/she makes people
have fun by telling jokes. He/she would burst into laughter with his/her own
joke even when it is not funny at all. Innocent and carefree. He/she is
straightforward and not good at telling lies. Everyone would feel cheered up
and calm by having this child around. Parents would be able to recall fun
experiences of childhood of his/her own through this child. Parents can
recall own child heart within themselves and enjoy from the heart with the
child by playing games and going to zoos and amusement parks together.
Parents can feel gratitude towards the child by telling themselves that
“thanks to your having fun everyday, everyone is always feeling sense of
enjoyment.”
Strawberry: This type behaves in a sophisticated manner and has beauty and
elegance and sense of dignity. This child strongly feels his/her own inner
beauty and likes him/herself. Has a sense of self respect. You can feel kind
of nobility being with this child. Coming to like the self is very important
to this type and healthy self-love becomes source of energy to live. By
providing compliments and gifts to the child and rearing him/her with care
to the extent not to inflate the child’s selfishness, the child will form
own sense of value. He/she will know how lovable and important his/her
parents, family, friends are and will be able to value them and be kind to
them. There is a big possibility the child will rear his/her own child so
that the child will become like him/her, so we can provide children of the
next generation that sense of self- respect.
Tomato: This type is fearless by nature. He/she has ability to be keen
toward fear and weaknesses. Has mental stamina to confront difficulty with
courage. He/she would make straightforward advance without fear but with
open heart toward difficulty and does not back away from obstacles. Has
power of will different from stubbornness or obstinacy. Parent can give the
child compliment such as “you were able to take your action with courage.”
Adults also get hurt and suffer when encountering difficulty, hardship,
anxiety and fear, but children will learn courage needed in life by parents
showing them attitude to make step forward despite the hardship. By showing
the child courageous attitude and attitude to positively acknowledge life
will be guided to success, he/she will take it as good example and will get
to know there is no failure but only opportunities for success.
It will be good if parents can have the child his/her theme essence
regularly about once a month basis so that the child can expand his/her own
quality. It will be nice to make good use of theme essence such as when the
child does not seem to be feeling well or when he/she behaved in a manner
unlike him/her, for having the child theme essence will help the child to
return to the original state. Also we can get big support from plot essences
so that the child can deal with daily issues with mental or emotional
related problems. For example, we can give Corn when the child is
procrastinating tidying up the room or have the child take Fig when he/she
is trying too hard.
It will be nice for parents to sometimes take the same essence child is
taking. Family need to be seen as a whole also not only every member be seen
separately. Children, especially younger ones among siblings sometimes
reflect issues the parents have in their behavior. By taking essences
together, there will be a bridge of energy between parents and children and
can make their relationships clear. When issues one family member has are
improved, harmony will be provided also to the whole family as well as to
each family member. We can create a family where every one of family member
can a play role of his/her own and value one another.
There may be times theme essence change in the course of child’s growth.
When this type of the case happened, parents should recognize change in the
child and watch over his/her growth and find new theme that has changed. I
think loving and rearing a child is about watching the child with warmth and
paying attention to and having interest toward what the child is doing,
accepting the child as the way he/she is, nurturing, and telling
compliments.
As theme essence every one of us has is different, we are different individually. It is important to accept this “difference” and to recognize it as a wonderful thing.
In the book titled “Children Learn What They Live – Parenting to Inspire Values” (written by Dorothy Law Nolte), there is a line that says “remember the best quality of the child, then you will be able to see the light of hope without fail.” Watching the child and recognizing good quality in him/her and grow this positive characteristic of the child is to know about theme essence of the child. By feeling, acknowledging, and accepting the light and energy the child has, parents can support the child so that he/she can maintain its brightness of the light. Parents can support the child’s good qualities, uniqueness and resources. And parents should make efforts so that the child can contribute to the world.
We adults would like to have more interest how to raise our children and
value the fresh breath of the next generation. I feel that the theme essence
concept of Spirit in Nature Essences will make a big contribution in this
particular area.
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