Before summer slips away and feels like an other-worldy dream, I wanted to touch on one of this season's most exceptional medicines: the Sunflower. I had the privilege of being around these luminous beings when I lived in Orlando, and last fall my partner and I made essences from their heavy flower heads in his back yard. This fall, I am using the essence to get grounded in my intuition, and to be confident in making decisions from that innate, perceptive place.
Summer skies and Sunflower inflorescence
#FlowerEssenceFriday - Sunflower
I've been using Sunflower medicine this past week by simply having the mother bottle on my altar with the rest of my daily herbs as a reminder of my intention to get in touch with my intuition. As someone with GAD, it can be difficult to differentiate between my mind's chatter and my gut feeling, but this essence has been very helpful in working with and through that aspect of myself. Every time I look at its photo, I feel it's warmth and support of my journey.
Personal Experience with Sunflower
The gap between thinking and feeling - This essence helps us get out of our thinking mind and into our feelings. It gives us the strength to say "I trust my intuition and I trust myself to make this decision on my own," and it gives us the boost we need to make it. Sunflower helps us to stand tall in our intuition, being as comfortable following it as the sunflower is following the Sun. This essence is very helpful for people who have GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) based indecisiveness, as well as for people in recovery from addictions, so that they can begin to trust their intuition again, which isn't always easy or safe in the beginning stages of recovery. I recommend it for anyone who second-guesses themselves, or who feels like they aren't equipped to make decisions for themselves.
Balanced sense of ego - Sunflower essence helps us balance self-awareness and positive self-image. It allows us to look inwards with an honest and compassionate eye so that we can be self-aware without being overly critical. Sunflower allows us to shine light and awareness to the places that we have been ignoring in a warmhearted and genuine way. This is an important essence for anyone with a history of mental health problems - it allows us to be honest about our current and past actions, without shaming ourselves for slipping up.
Sunflower Broken Down
- Name: Sunflower (Helianthus annus)
- Actions: Radiant, expressive, warming
- Indications: low self-esteem, especially arrogance/inflated pride that stems from low self-esteem, dark, damp depression, inability to make decisions due to anxiety about making the "right" decision
- Dosage: This essence is best used long-term, from at least a New Moon to Full Moon. I recommend taking 3 drops, 3x a day with a firm intention set when you take it. If you feel extra magical, take it with the sun at sunrise.
If you have access to land, I highly recommend growing these annual beauties and inviting their reassuring energies into your yards. The petals are edible and really jazz up a salad , and, of course, at the end of the season you will have a heavy and full head of sunflower seeds, of which are brimming with minerals and nutrients.
Thank you for reading this blog and for joining me in this flower essence journey! I hope you are enjoying the last weeks of summer and that you have a great weekend.
In radiant health!
Blaire