"Look at
the flowers
with critical insight.
How could
the flower evolve
unless there were
intelligence there?"
— Paramhansa Yogananda
Flower Power |
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by Lila Devi Stone
"Yogananda's Spirit-in-Nature Essences are a logical extension of Paramhansa Yogananda's discovery of the psychological and spiritual qualities of fruits. I believe much good can come of these Essences, and I am eager to see the results of what could be an important step forward in natural medicine." Swami Kriyananda, 1980 There is a story of a musk deer who lives in the highest climes of the mighty Himalayas. Frenzied by his own ignorance, little does he know that the fragrant oil he seeks resides in a pouch on the underside of his stomach. In search of the hypnotic scent of musk, the magnificent stag literally runs off a high cliff to his death. This story illustrates the wisdom of the great Indian master, Paramhansa Yogananda. There is only one illness, he says, from which all other disease originates: ignorance of our innate perfection. As in the tale of the musk deer, when we seek happiness anywhere other than at its root-within ourselves-it will eternally elude us. When we realize our true identity in Spirit, we come to live in the perfection that is ours by birthright. Nature offers us an avenue to return to that state of inner joy. "God smiles at us through the flowers," says Yogananda. Through their astral beauty and etheric scent, flowers have healed humanity since time immemorial. They have been used to celebrate birth; to commemorate death; to remember birthdays and anniversaries; to comfort the ill; and to honour love. The healing power of blossoms extends far beyond their beauty, as Yogananda suggests. The majesty of flowers offers us a glimpse into uplifted states of consciousness that we too possess. "Look at the flowers with critical insight," he says. "How could the flower evolve if there were not intelligence there?" In this article, I would like to share with you the story of my journey into the magical intelligence of flowers. Arrival at Ananda Like many people born with spiritual inclinations, I never felt quite at home in this world without understanding why, even as a child. Unbeknownst to my mother when she put me to bed for my afternoon nap, I would spend that time stretching my spine in certain ways and twisting my limbs just so. I had no idea that these poses were called asanas -words such as chakrasana and janushirasana never entered my young mind. All I knew was that it felt good to do them. This was my first awareness of subtle flows of energy and their accompanying bliss. Although I grew up in a bustling suburb of a major American city-Detroit-the call of a back-to-the-land lifestyle beckoned to me throughout my teenage years. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours from the University of Michigan in English and Psychology, I left these credentials to gather dust and dove into the lifestyle I had always dreamt of but never known. For several years, I led the rugged life of a homesteader: raising vegetables for food and goats for dairy products; baking bread on a wood stove with hand-ground flour; chopping wood for warmth; and hauling water for drinking and bathing when none was close by. Nature was a brilliant teacher. It guided me, step by step, to my spiritual path and my life's work. In those quiet days filled with the honest labour of hard work, I read Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi , an unparalleled spiritual classic. Learning to meditate-or at least flailing my consciousness in that direction-was the next step. Herding my goat companions over mountain trails and beside freshwater lakes in the Northwestern United States provided the backdrop for my early efforts to find "the pouch of musk." My life was rich and full, yet somehow inwardly empty. S atsang was a new concept to me, but a deep longing to live with like-minded seekers of truth drew me to a place called Ananda Village outside Nevada City , California . Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains , the fledgling community of about one hundred disciples of Yogananda was founded in 1968 by Swami Kriyananda. (Today, over one thousand members live in eight Ananda communities worldwide, the newest in Gurgaon outside Delhi.) I arrived in December of 1976. Not long after, I developed a product line under Kriyananda's guidance, that he said a quarter of a century ago, "could be an important step forward in natural medicine." A Miraculous Beginning To backtrack a bit to my arrival, two full days of trains and buses found me at Ananda's doorstep, travel-worn and bleary-eyed. The community's residents seemed to emanate light rather than merely reflect it. Their smiles were radiant. They were kind to me, a stranger whom they barely knew. What was this place all about? Ananda is a Sanskrit word that means bliss-that same bliss I had experienced at naptime as a child. This world was no longer a foreign land in which I felt so alien; here was my family and this was my place. Home at last! Even so, the trip had left me feeling drained and mentally disoriented. I felt completely overwhelmed. While unpacking my few belongings in a small cabin that served as the women's dormitory, a soft-spoken woman walked up to me and introduced herself. We chatted about our journeys. Seeing my fatigue, she then offered me a form of vibrational therapy, a flower essence known as the Bach Rescue Remedy. Why not try it, I thought? I took several drops under my tongue and experienced what might be called a miracle: a complete dissolution of the exhaustion from traveling. All too often, we identify ourselves with the passing conditions of our physical body, and equally so with fleeting emotional states. Taking this essence had cut through a layer of illusory identification with who I wasn't, to who I was: energized, refreshed, and joyful. Immediately, I felt grounded, centered, and fully present in the moment. Some months later, I happened to be standing in the lunch line in front of Swami Kriyananda after his morning program. "You know, I had this idea," he began. He too had been studying the Bach Flower Remedies and recommending them for certain members in the community. He spoke of using the Bach method of preparation-developed in the early 30s by a London physician, Dr. Edward Bach--to create a new line of flower essences based on Yogananda's interpretations of the spiritual and psychological qualities of fresh fruits and vegetables. Amazed that we'd been thinking alike, I said, "Swami, I had the same idea! But I'm a little nervous," I continued, "since this hasn't been done before"--meaning other essence lines besides Bach. (As it happens, there is another line older than ours, and a couple that were developed earlier but have since dissolved.) He chuckled and then replied, "Don't worry. Just tell people you're my assistant." And so began Yogananda's Spirit-in-Nature Essences, founded in America under the name Master's Flower Essences. An Apple a Day An apple a day keeps the doctor away, as the saying goes. Not only does this health-promoting fruit supply vitamins and minerals; it provides the "vibrational vitamin" of peaceful clarity, according to the ancient wisdom of Yogananda. Would you like to develop enthusiasm? Eat oranges, he suggested. Are you working on self-assurance? Add pineapples to your daily diet, he advised. If fresh fruits and vegetables carry such strong messages of elevating qualities, why not go directly to the most powerful part of the plant or tree-that part containing the highest concentration of prana-the blossom? Since the flower is the reproductive system of the plant from which the fruit grows to maturity, it contains 90 percent of the plant's life force. Besides, how many apples would one have to eat to equal the prana in one drop of the essential infusion? The question I am most often asked about Yogananda's Spirit-in-Nature Essences is, how do they work. These herbal infusions stimulate positive spiritual qualities within our own nature. Some examples are: Raspberry Essence, to awaken kindness; Date Essence, for tender sweetness; and Coconut, for uplifted spiritual awareness. These are but a few of the marvelous qualities that can be enhanced by these "vibrational reminders" of our innate perfection. A Peaceful Pear Story The first extract I prepared of the 20 Yogananda's Essences has since become the most popular: Pear Essence, for emergency situations as well as for inner peace. Hardly a day goes by when this infusion isn't helpful for something! The hardy pear tree grows in temperate regions, needing little if any maintenance. Just like its essence, the tree itself suggests the message that, with an attitude of inner peace, we can weather any test set before us. The pear tree's quiet white blossoms emit a splendor of the stillness of a sunset, that point of rest in nature's daily rhythms. The Pear affirmation, helpful to say when taking the essence to enhance its benefits-and likewise for all the essences--is: Smilingly I greet life's difficulties, seeing all of them as gay flowers in a meadow that nod with encouragement and opportunity . It was time to make the first essence. The preparation method is simple, yet it utilizes very potent elements from nature: water, sunlight, and the blossoms themselves. It was a perfectly clouldless spring day. Wild pear trees at the Ananda Meditation Retreat provided the necessary blossoms, each one plucked with a sense of gratitude, and with a leaf from the tree covering my fingers. One by one, I placed them in a clear bowl filled with pure spring water, to sit in direct sunlight for three to four hours. No matter how many times I make the essences, each batch is magical. During these few hours of undisturbed sunlight, the flowers' life force is magnetically infused into the water through the healing rays of the sun. The mother essence is then stored in a dark bottle, out of heat and sunlight, half-filled with an alcohol preservative to maintain its vibrational potency and chemical purity. From this solution, Stock Concentrate is prepared, which is taken directly--four times daily under the tongue or applied topically. Since it's through countless testimonials over nearly three decades that a clearer profile emerges for the benefits of the essences, here is an illustrative "Pear story." One day at lunchtime while grilling a cheese sandwich in the oven, I inadvertently grabbed the baking pan by the edge that was red hot. My thumb began to blister and bubble before my eyes, as though someone had pushed the "fast forward" button on the remote control! I fell backwards and let out a yelp; the pain was staggering. Common sense led me into the next room to grab a bottle of Pear Essence. I placed several drops on my thumb. The pain ceased instantly and never returned, though my thumb continued its healing process of blistering. This episode helped me to understand how, in a crisis situation, our peace of mind is the first quality to leave us-and the one we most need. Look at The Flowers So, this is the story of Yogananda's Spirit-in-Nature Essences-and mine as well as yours. As we look at the flowers with critical insight, let's also remember these lyrics from Swami Kriyananda's song with the vibration of the Pear essence, entitled Peace : "Peace gave us our heart's love, peace gave us our smiles. Rays of Thy presence within us, Light that all strife reconciles."
Qualities of Yogananda's Spirit-in-Nature Essences Almond: Self-control, calmness of the mind, moral vigor
(The following information has been updated here since this article was published.)
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Disclaimer: Flower essences do not replace treatment by a duly licensed health-care professional.
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