Ah, Bach's flower essences. *How* did I forget about these this spring?

So, after deciding to tighten my proverbial belt after the new year, I stopped using flower essences from Bach (or anyone else) for a while. At $14.95 per bottle, it was getting to be an unjustifiable expense (I was really burning through them last fall). I haven't used them in months, and eventually found a great deal of success improving my mood and life through therapy and other more conventional health maintenance strategies. Those methods have been working out so well that I was actually wondering the other afternoon whether my use of the essences (to the tune of hundereds of dollars) had really been a wise investment after all. But yesterday, I found a place in my city that would mix up to seven different essences in a nice two ounce bottle of purified water (? I actually have no idea what they mixed the essences with exactly, but it's not alcohol) for only $10.00. ! So, I had them mix up Walnut, Rock Water, Impatiens, Water Violet and Red Chestnut essence in one of their special containers for me and took it home, thinking, "This new combo might not be as powerful as buying the Bach's essences one by one in the bourbon-filled bottles, but what the hell. If it doesn't work, I'm only out ten bucks." My goal, incidentally, was to find a way to coast through the last of a particularly stressful period of transition without blowing any more psychological gaskets like I have this week, without derailing my recent pax familia with my relatives, the emotional stability I've gained through counseling, my sense of direction or my confidence. Basically, I'm trying to deal with a flood of new changes, get out of my old routines, be less irritable with the "slow," be more congenial with everyone (job interviews) and let go of the idea that I should feel guilty for moving away from my scary roommates or the family members who live in my town. I just felt that I needed a bit of extra support, and those vibrational adjustments had totally given me that before.

Whew. The essence mixture I bought today has had a MUCH more potent impact on me than the essences did when I was simply putting four drops of each of the Bach's bourbon-and-essence tonic right into my water bottles/coffee/tea, etc. I think it has something to do with following the instructions on the bottle from the new place, which contained an interesting tip about using flower essences that I've never encountered anywhere else: "Not to be taken within fifteen minutes before or after anything else is placed in the mouth." I heeded that warning and I swear that has increased the effectiveness of the essences by a factor of five--which is really saying something since I have what is known among herbalists and essence masters as "a delicate system." I was definitely able to "feel" the essences working through the way I used them last year, especially the ones for adjusting stronger moods. Star of Bethlehem essence, for instance? Practically knocked me out whenever I used it (I actually stopped using that particular one for this reason). It's been almost two hours since I had a tiny little swallow of a big two liter water bottle I'd placed just four drops of my new essence mixture in and I am feeling...entirely better. Plus, wow, at this rate, it's going to take me forever to get through the new bottle. My wallet will love me again.