ESSENCES: Absence of Light - Remedies for Your Darkest Hour (REMEDIES, ASTROLOGY)

[Guest guest]

Absence of Light - Remedies for Your Darkest Hour

by Donna Cunningham

 

The telephone woke me early this morning -- a woman was calling from

abroad who had no idea what time it was here. Like so many people who

are calling lately or are writing to my " Dear Abby " type advice column

in Dell Horoscope Magazine, she was in the depths of despair. Life had

never seemed more bleak or devoid of hope -- painful issues she had

struggled with throughout life without improvement now seemed too much

to bear any longer. What moves me about these individuals is that they

are not drama queens, and they are not indulging in self-pity or

bitterness. They are earnest, honest souls who have done all they can to

contend with crushing, seemingly irresolvable circumstances and

patterns, and now they are at a breaking point.

 

How do I approach them? WITH HUMILITY, for I am old enough now and have

worked with enough different healing tools long enough to know there are

no magic bullets to resolve such complex, seemingly-immutable, and

deep-seated wounds. WITHOUT JUDGMENT, and WITHOUT BLAMING THEM for their

mistakes, for I am clear enough now to know that, despite all my own

struggles for healing, I have not walked in their shoes and cannot know

the karmic and spiritual truths behind the choices they have made. And,

most importantly, WITHOUT EGO, for the answers they seek and the healing

they need are well and truly beyond me -- beyond any of us who are

honest enough with ourselves to no longer be grandiose. Only God and the

higher realms hold the Grace that can uplift this world out of the

hopelessness that so many are feeling.

 

What Light Can Astrology Shed on the Situation?

 

This sudden upsurge of despair does seem related to the current

astrological conditions. As an astrologer who has studied planetary

patterns these past 38 years, I am sensitive to the prevailing cosmic

winds, especially those shown by the major connections between various

planets in our solar system. These transiting positions, some lasting as

much as two years, affect and shape our collective experience, and

through the changes in the collective, have a profound impact on

individuals whose birth charts are affected as well.

 

The current challenge that is facing the collective is that Saturn and

Neptune are opposite one another -- in Leo and Aquarius -- in the 360

degree circle of the zodiac. Astrologers of a historical bent find that

various angles formed by this pair of planets have been associated with

very difficult world conditions, including the fuel shortages and flu

pandemics that already seem likely to happen. (Neptune and Saturn were

standing together in the sky in 1916-18 when there was a devastating

world-wide flu pandemic.) My theory about outbreaks such as these is

that world conditions of the particular era can lead to a pervasive

sense of despair and powerlessness that, unless counteracted, tends to

weaken the immune system.

 

AN IMPORTANT ASIDE: Please note that the majority of people will not be

affected directly by this astrological condition, only those with

planets in about the 17-23 degree range of the fixed signs -- Leo,

Aquarius, Scorpio, and Taurus. If your chart contains important

positions -- one or more of the planets, the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, or

Midheaven -- in this range, you would do well to consult an astrologer

for more personalized information. Find an article I wrote on how to

meet its challenges here.

http://www.moonmavenpublications.com/freestuff.html

To be technical, this opposition is exact three times: on August 31,

2006 at 17 Leo 53-17 Aquarius 53; on February 28, 2007 at 20 Leo-15-20

Aquarius 15; and on June 25, 2007 at 21 Leo 47-21 Aquarius 47. However,

its effects can be felt to a greater or lesser degree throughout much of

this time span by those whose chart it touches.

 

Sweet Chestnut -- THE Remedy for the Dark Night of the Soul

 

What did I suggest to the woman who called me in such desperate straits

this morning? Since we could not arrange an appointment for several

days, I told her to go to her local health food store this very day and

pick up a bottle of the Bach Remedy Sweet Chestnut. Over the years, I

have found that this balm in a bottle has helped to uplift so many of

the people who call me in the depths of anguish.

 

Dr. Bach described it as the remedy for The Dark Night of the Soul, but

cautioned strongly that it was not for suicidal people because those

individuals need immediate medical attention. If you've ever experienced

the Dark Night of the Soul, you know exactly what that term means, and

you can empathize with those who are there. If not, take your bleakest

hour, raise it to a power of ten to get a glimmering of what it's like.

 

Even knowing its description, I have been amazed at the immediate

difference this remedy makes for those who need it. Within a matter of

days, the despondency begins to shift, and they start to see that

something can be done with their situation. They still need the support

of an experienced counselor/healer to work through the issues and

situations that brought them to the brink, but the light of hope has

begun to penetrate their hearts and souls. I, myself, have taken it from

time to time, and it provides such a sweet solace.

 

Some time ago, Vibration published an article on the effects of

long-term use of Rescue Remedy,

(http://www.floweressencemagazine.com/may03/rescueremedy.html) written

anonymously by a woman who took it for several months because of a very

serious financial crisis. Not only did it keep her calm in the

emergency, it brought to the surface and helped her to release some

childhood wounds due to family dysfunction. Of late, I have been

remembering that article and wondering if a similar deep-level healing

might result if Sweet Chestnut were taken for several months by someone

in this type of dark passage. What would be the results of taking it

over the long haul -- not just for the few days this seeming

miracle-worker takes to shift people out of their immediate state of

despair? I intend to recommend long-term use to the woman who called me

this morning, as well as to others I encounter along the path of this

current cosmic current. If anyone who reads this tries it, I would

appreciate hearing what happens.

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: See an additional article about Sweet Chestnut here.

http://www.floweressencemagazine.com/nov04/sweetchestnut.html

 

Other Bach Remedies to Counteract Despair and Inertia

 

There are, as you will have learned by perusing this and other issues of

this ezine, many different brands of essences with important

contributions of their own to make to our field and our times. What I am

about to say, I say as an individual and a long-time clinical

practitioner, not as the editor of Vibration Magazine, and so you should

not take this as representing Vibration's editorial policy. When it

comes to healing despair, I focus first on the remedies developed by Dr.

Edward Bach for several reasons.

 

First, they are the most widely available to the public and can be found

in most health food stores and New Age shops. Second, they were

developed and extensively researched during the Great Depression of the

1930s -- another historical era when there were difficult Neptune-Saturn

aspects -- and thus, this set of remedies arose to meet the needs of a

time of widespread despair and anxiety not unlike our own. Third, the

collected case studies of Dr. Bach's individual remedies represent the

most extensively documented of all the vibrational products available,

and is the collection I most often call upon to address very serious

levels of emotional difficulty. (The version of these 38 remedies I

personally prefer is made by the company Healing Herbs).

 

Here, very briefly are some other remedies that Dr. Bach and those in

his lineage have found helpful in extreme emotional distress of the type

we are discussing here. Naturally, Rescue Remedy (and the crisis

formulas developed by various other makers) is useful in an immediate

crisis, helping those affected to center themselves and calm down enough

to function. (See case histories on Rescue Remedy here.

(http://www.floweressencemagazine.com/feb04/rescueremedy.html) I never

leave home without it, for I often seem to come across people who need

immediate help.

 

If the situation accompanied by despair is complicated by the tendency

to do things that are harmful to oneself, read detailed descriptions of

Bach's Cherry Plum to see if it applies to the urgency of the situation.

Understand, no practitioner should EVER claim that flower essences alone

will stop someone who is suicidal. Know when you are in over your head

and insist that the individual seek medical help.

 

Vibration's special theme issue in November, 2005,

(http://floweressencemagazine.com/nov05/) on the power of intention

contained much that is useful in moving out of places where you are

stuck, but you might read my article on Bach's Wild Rose

(http://www.floweressencemagazine.com/nov05/wildrose.html), as it is

amazingly helpful in off-setting the despair and apathy that has grown

out of long-standing obstacles. This, like Sweet Chestnut, is an essence

you might consider taking on a longer-term basis and perhaps as a single

essence, rather than in combination. (See an article here that discusses

how many essences should be taken at one time and why an essence taken

singly can prove surprisingly potent.)

 

What Other Essences and Lightwork Have to Add

 

While Bach remedies like the ones discussed in this article can help

lift someone out of that Dark Night of the Soul, what comes next? That's

the point when both remedies by more modern companies and lightwork

become important. In my experience, lightwork plays an essential part in

clearing out the dark and toxic emotional residues most of us have

accumulated in our lifetimes. Additional forms of vibrational healing

like essences and energy work like Reiki, MariEL, or The Reconnection

help move any residues out of our energy fields and bodies more quickly

and gently. In the other articles in this issue, you meet many essences

based on light and hear about how their makers have combined these two

modalities to boost their healing powers.

 

 

EDITORS' NOTE: For a collection of articles on astrology and essences,

http://www.essences.com/vibration/astrology/

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Donna Cunningham, MSW has a master's degree in social

work and many years of counseling experience. She is the coeditor of

Vibration and a long-time educator and writer in the fields of astrology

and flower remedies. She has written 17 books on metaphysical topics and

has columns in each issue of Dell Horoscope Magazine and The Mountain

Astrologer. To see her ebooks, visit Moon Maven Publications.

 

http://www.floweressencemagazine.com/aug06/absenceoflight.html

 

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