Re: A few more general questions:
jlbvt said:
Does a Bach remedy always work best as a combination of a certain number of elements, such as 5? Or could a person have a simple enough problem to only need one?
Does the remedy not work if you are missing a needed essence, but you have some of the appropriate essences?
Will the essences all also work if applied topically (rubbed into the skin) like for a child or pet, and is there a best place to apply?
1) It is rare that someone only needs one essence. In the homeopathic world, there are practitioners who are called "unicists" who only give one homeopathic remedy. But I have never yet met a Bach Flower unicist. HOWEVER: I do believe that we all resonate particularly with one of the essences, and if we take Bach Flower Remedies regularly for years, we will find that this Essence is needed repeatedly and over and over again. It kind of symbolizes our biggest hurdles which seem to recur in cycles.
However, if the problem is more of an event-type of problem, i.e.: I'm going to the dentist today and I'm scared; or "I have so much to do today, I'm panicking", or "I don't think I'm going to pass that exam I have to write today", then one Essence is most often enough.
But for deep-seated problems, no.
2) If you want to solve a problem, you can't solve it half-way... that would be self-defeating. It's like trying to make a sandwich either without bread or without something to put in the middle. You're not going to get a sandwich.
3) No, no. Not topically. Orally. You put a few drops of the original Essence (called the Stock Bottle) into a mixture of mineral water and brandy (brandy is necessary to prevent bacteria from forming in the water) and you take four drops four times a day (you buy a dropper bottle from a pharmacy) for a few weeks. If you don't want to use alcohol, then you'll have to remake your essences every four days or so, possibly more in very hot weather.
And you must never keep the old bottle if you are making up a whole new prescription. Always throw it away. This is very important! Because one never takes more than 6 (maximum 7 - I prefer 6) Essences at a time. And if you use the same bottle for different prescriptions, in the end the bottle has received possibly 38 different Essences and as the walls of the bottle will retain the energy and the vibration of the previous remedies, you end up getting the vibrations of all them and your body and mind and aura or whatever won't know what to do!
One can also put two drops of each essence in a small bottle of water and sip it throughout the day. But this way, your Stock Bottle gets emptied quicker. And I believe the former method (dropper bottle) is far more effective and it is the one I recommend.
