Clematis - The Reality Flower

CLEMATIS -  The Reality Flower; Bringing us back down to earth 

I often hear amusing stories of children, when asked where say bananas come from, answer “supermarkets”, obviously not knowing the natural source!!  We have all become so divorced from nature, that it is easy to lose sight of what our ancestors would have considered common knowledge (although let’s face it - some of them might never have seen an actual banana -  but you get the idea!!)

For years I used Bach Flower remedies and simply thought of them as essences in bottles, without giving a thought to the actual flowers used to make them. This all changed when I started studying the essences in earnest and now I enjoy going on an adventure in the wilds (!!) of Surrey, trying to spot as many as possible.

Seeing the actual flowers, where and how they grow, can often give us clues as to their wonderful qualities. A good example of this is when we look at CLEMATIS.  This weekend, in between all the excitement of Olympic cycling in Dorking, I came across lots of Clematis when out walking with friends.

Clematis is a late bloomer, appearing on the scene in July and August. It is a creeper with no means of supporting itself, so uses trees, hedges and fences to support it as it climbs its way up towards the sky and light. The profusion of its exquisite creamy-white tufted flowers can give its host the appearance of having a cloth of lace draped over it. In Winter, when everything else is bare, Clematis, aptly nicknamed “Old Man’s Beard”, resembles fluffy balls of grey cotton wool, giving hedges an out-of-world appearance.

When in a Clematis-state, a person has no interest whatsoever in the here and now. “In cloud cuckoo land”; “Off with the fairies”; “In La-La land” are all apt descriptions for such people. Ordinary life holds no interest; reality is too mundane and dull and the day to day BBN (boring but necessary) tasks are not for them!  They wish to escape into their fantasy world, perhaps thinking about a place where they would love to live, or a dream job, but in reality they do no ground work to change their current circumstances to achieve these!  Often those in Clematis state are very drowsy, using sleep as an escape.

Clematis Essence can help ground us and bring us back to the present.  It helps us concentrate and have a realistic perspective on life. This doesn’t mean that it stops our dreaming and creativity. Instead it can help to channel it into something concrete. Often with Clematis type people, artistic gifts can go wasted. The essence can help such creative creatures translate their visions into for example a painting or poem.

Clematis is one of the five essences used to make up Rescue Remedy and is included to alleviate the out-of-body feeling which often precedes fainting or loss of consciousness.  

In all situations, whether in a day-to-day dreamy state or in an actual emergency, Clematis Essence can help bring us back to earth.