I'm writing in praise of trees this month, having met some fabulous specimens in the Scottish highlands and islands recently. Their wonderful steady strength and slow rhythm gives us the perfect antidote to today's fast-paced lifestyle with its emphasis on action and achievement.

It's noticeable that the thirteen trees in the Bach Flower system help us with states where we need to slow down, regroup and get a new perspective such as Sweet Chestnut for the dark night of the soul, Elm for overwhelm, Oak for strength, Olive for exhaustion and White Chestnut for an overbusy mind.

Support from our Woodland Healers
In the wider essence world we have Ash which helps us when we're facing a loss of income, Cedar which cleanses our mind of negative thoughts about money, Yew which gives us wisdom and perspective, She Oak which helps fertility and the menopause and fruit trees such as Peach which helps with trauma, grief and rejection or Nectarine which gives us the support of a strong, gentle father.

There is a reason why children build tree houses and why many of us feel nourished by a walk in woodland. I had a client once who would always go and sit in her special tree as a child when things were tough. When we looked at that particular tree essence it gives the feeling of being safe, peaceful and protected and creates a shield for those of us who are very sensitive. An intuitively perfect choice!

Absent Parents
It isn't surprising that trees offer much of the love, support and wisdom we would ideally get from our parents. When helping clients I can see the devastation of a childhood in which we either lost a parent or our father or mother (or both), through no fault of their own, were emotionally and sometimes physically unavailable to us.

As I go back through family lines many fathers were absent in wars or because their work took them away. Sometimes it's the other way round and the child was sent away to boarding school. A lack of a strong, present father is passed down to sons who then have no model how to be the kind of involved husband and father they want to be. Daughters are then brought up by mothers required to be self-sufficient. This creates a model where it's hard for a daughter to accept help and support from her partner when she's older, feeling she has to 'do it all herself'.

And the Consequence is...
No wonder we have such trouble in relationship, when many of us either don't know how to give or how to receive love and support!

A Worthwhile Journey
So much of relationship is about educating ourselves in the skills of communication and emotional intelligence which haven't always been available to previous generations. It's sometimes a tough journey but the biggest, scariest dragons are always sitting on the largest pot of gold. And the rewards will be reaped by the next generation as well.

Looking after our Heritage
As Sarah Raven points out in the film featured below, we've cut down 50% of our woodland pharmacies since the 1930's making the UK the least wooded country in Europe. So, whilst the Amazon Rainforests are high profile, let's also protect and nurture our own forests, in the same way they protect and nurture us.

I love to work with individuals on these issues. Just call on: 01273 77 33 24 Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays 9.30 - 6pm or click below.

I first heard this beautiful channeled greeting from Sheila Whittaker, a gifted musician and sound therapist. It was passed to her by Gongmaster Don Conreaux who in turn received it from the gentleman in Japan who channeled it. I find it powerfully heart-opening - I hope you do too and it serves you at appropriate times.

The Universal Greeting
I offer you peace,
I offer you friendship,
I offer you love.
I hear your needs,
I see your beauty,
I feel your feelings.
All wisdom flows from the highest source.
I honour that source in you.
Let us work together,
For you are my own true Self

If you have never tried a therapeutic gongbath, check out Sheila's website; they are wonderful!

Saturday 15th November, 2008 for 3 days.

For years we've explored the mind-body-spirit link as the foundation of holistic healing, but an unexplored mystery remains - the role of grace.

Healing has been approached as a mystery of the mind and emotions, an expedition into why events happened as they have in our lives. The deeper truth, however, is that genuine healing - complete remissions of diseases within the body - are mystical acts of God and not just the result of shifts in attitude.

Join us to explore the mystical component of healing and the role of grace and prayer.

Click for free videos of Caroline Myss talks

I was inspired by Sarah Raven on the Gardener's World Special on Friday 29th August. She was showing how, by slicing up our land into intensive arable fields and destroying so many hedgerows and meadows, we've disconnected our wildflower areas from each other.

As a result, instead of a network along which insects can travel and pollinate we have a series of isolated islands. Verges rich in wildflowers for example, which cannot connect to other areas as they are surrounded by intensively farmed arable land.

Sending out an Esso S
This has resulted in cutting off nectar supplies to our bees who are in sharp decline. A speaker in the film described it as similar to cutting off our petrol supply. Imagine running low on petrol on the M25 and the nearest filling station is in the Outer Hebrides - well, this is what we're doing to our bees!

The Karmic Connection
Interestingly Sarah mentioned that Yellow Rattle has been decimated by intensive farming as it's seen as 'the enemy'. Its effect is to stunt grass growth and allow wildflowers to flourish. Yellow Rattle is the Karmic remedy for despair. This flower's essence represents hope across generations and dimensions - so no surprise it helps other healing wildflowers to thrive as well.

How to Help
Sarah has rallied her neighbours to put aside part of their gardens and hedges to grow wild and has given them wildflowers seeds suitable for their East Sussex soil. She's creating a network of nectar stations which insects can follow running up to join her local churchyard.

To view the programme, click for BBC iplayer. This link has a limited life, though you can download the programme. Apologies to overseas readers but I don't think it works outside the UK.

The final bargains in the Clearance Sale have been updated to include:

NEW - Sale Additions

Sorry - this link was broken last month but is working fine now!

Read about two new Lightbody essences. I Am Presence and Causal Body.

N.B. These are not in the sale

In the September Issue of Soul and Spirit I give:

Click to read previous articles

How to get Soul and Spirit
You'll find it in outlets such as WH Smiths and Tescos.To have it delivered direct in the UK or anywhere in the world click below.

The Placebo Effect
An operation often offers a placebo affect, so that we feel better for a while, but then we develop a new pain. For example, the pain may move from our back to our knee. This is what he calls the 'symptom imperative' - we need a physical symptom to focus on, so that we don't look at the emotional cause, which is usually suppressed rage; so deep in our unconscious and so unacceptable to us that we are unaware of it. This in turn is often covering unmourned grief and loss.

Understanding Brings Relief
The physical pain and symptoms are totally real - it's not all in the mind - but once we use our mind to understand how this works, many people find that the mind gives up its tricks, normal oxygen flow is restored and their physical pain disappears.

A small percentage of his patients find that they then need what he describes as 'insight pyschotherapy' (as opposed to something like cognitive behavioural therapy which teaches us to cope rather than understand) to uncover the emotional roots but for many simply understanding the mechanism is enough to reduce or banish the pain completely.

Which to Choose?
Healing Back Pain focuses on back problems and is an easy read. The Divided Mind is a much weightier volume with many contributions and case studies from doctors who work with him. It also covers other symptoms which can be caused by this mechanism such as:

Used in shamanic rituals in South America, Petunia brings deep insight into spiritual states and is the dreamer's essence. It enhances inspiration and creativity, allowing the realisation of dreams and making anything possible. A sense of wonder and inner optimism at the possibilities of the future are encouraged.

How to use this essence
My guidance is to work in the most effective way possible which means creating blends of essences. These work together to create an effect far more powerful than a single essence.

If Petunia resonates for you then order a personal essence attunement. Just mention in your email that you'd like Petunia in your blend.

This summer I was enchanted by Anastasia the first book in the Ringing Cedars series. The author is a Russian businessman who, having met Anastasia in the Siberian forest, gives up his work to spread the information she gives him. Perhaps because of this it's written and translated in a rather stilted way. However, the light and love in the pages make it wonderfully uplifting and, as Anastasia promises, I felt my consciousness expand as I read.

Planting Secrets
In the first book she focuses on our relationship with Nature and how it's intended to be mutually supportive. She describes how to come into alignment with the plants and trees around you and which are vital trees and flowers to have in your garden.

Practical Advice
There is very practical advice on how to connect personally with the seeds you sow, including treading the earth in with bare feet so that the soil and seeds can absorb your vibration including any imbalances in you. This enables them to grow to include particular qualities to help you heal and rebalance. Yes, your garden can be your personal energetic pharmacy, attuned to you!

Later books in the series include Anastasia's wisdom on bringing up children, caring for our environment, sex, family and our life purpose.

The Power of Intent
Anastasia told the businessman who wrote her story that she would encode the books with an energy that would cause them to sell in their millions, and that's exactly what's happened. The first self-published copies were sold to passers by, as the author stood on a Moscow street corner. Within weeks they were selling by the thousand; now he's one of Russia's most popular authors. Get your copy now!

"Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway." Mary Kay Ash

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Nikki is a graduate of the College of Vibrational Medicine which is affiliated to the Institute of Complementary Medicine. She's also a qualified Gaia Healer and is passionate about empowering people. If you'd like to invite her to give a talk, interview or submit a quote or article, please contact her on Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays.

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In Gratitude