I recently came across my old copy of the Bach flower remedies and, browsing through its pages, I was once again attracted to the ideas of the early 20th century homeopath, Dr. Edward Bach, who believed that nature was the source of all healing, that the essence of certain plants and flowers could, together with the right attitude and the body’s own immune system, help to manage disease.
Then, I perused the herbals I had collected over the years, and I ruminated on alternative thinking, more ancient thinking, really, about the resources of the world around me.
Such a practical application of nature often has a New Age tint about it, something of the occult or hokey that is associated with belief in fairies and gnomes and angels, creatures that are marginalized in most serious conversation. The paranormal, faith, energy work and the vibrational powers of metals, stones, plants and icons are not important dimensions of Western culture.
But the philosophy of Bach’s flower remedies is a reminder that harmony with nature and the benefits of that harmony require more than science and technology. The fundamental principle of conservation and green action is love. If you don’t love something, you won’t be moved to nurture or to save it. Personal connection and feeling and fantasy in regards to the natural world build the foundation of communion with it and service to it. They also open options for receiving more benefit from it.
This is Bill Felker with Poor Will’s Almanack. I’ll be back again next week with notes for the first week of Late Spring. In the meantime, think about whether you can really relate to any portion of the natural world around you. What is that part and why? What can you do for it? What can it give you?
