Sources:
Anonymous of 379. The Treatise on the Bright Fixed Stars.Berkeley Springs, WV: Golden Hind
Press, 1994.
Ashmand, J.M. Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos.New ed. North Hollywood, CA: Symbols and Signs, 1976.
Brady, Bernadette. Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars.York Beach, ME: Weisers, 1998.
Harding, Michael. Hymn to the Ancient Gods.UK: Penguin, 1992.
Lockyer, J. N. Dawn of Astronomy.New York: Macmillan, 1894. Reprint, Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press, 1964.
Ptolemy, Claudius. The Almagest.Multiple editions.
———. The Phases of the Fixed Stars.Vol. III. Translated by Robert Schmidt. Berkeley Springs,
WV: The Golden Hind Press: 1993.
FLOWERREMEDIES ANDASTROLOGY
The flower remedies—also known as flower essences—are liquids that catalyze
changes in problematic patterns or emotions, such as guilt or low self-esteem. They
are not herbs or aromatherapy oils, but a greatly diluted essence of the flower of the
plant, similar in nature to homeopathic remedies or cell salts. They are sold in many
health food stores in concentrate form, four drops of which are mixed in an ounce of
spring water. The resulting mixture is taken by mouth at the rate of four drops four
times a day. The best known are the Bach remedies, developed in England in the
1930s, and the so-called California remedies, developed by the Flower Essence Society
(FES) in the 1970s. By the 1990s, however, companies all over the world were making
remedies from their local flowers.
The remedies are an easily learned tool to incorporate into the practice of
astrology. The astrologer’s reading clearly identifies character patterns in the birth
chart and current issues brought up by transits or progressions. The astrologer can
then give a mixture of remedies relevant to those patterns or issues to clients who
want to continue to work with the insights gained in the reading. In taking the reme-
dies, clients reportedly gain new perceptions and conscious awareness of where their
difficulties originate. As more clarity is gained, even long-standing patterns are gradu-
ally released and are replaced with a healthier outlook and mode of behavior.
The guilt-ridden client, for instance, may be given pine by Bach, while the
client with low self-esteem may benefit from FES’s sunflower. The child who continually
demands to be the center of attention may be given Bach’s chicory. FES’s lotus is useful
for those who wish to pursue meditation and spiritual development. The first remedy the
astrologer may wish to acquire is Bach’s famous rescue remedy, which can be given to
clients who are in a crisis situation or who are emotionally upset. A few drops of the
concentrate to sip in a glass of water or a cup of tea are used to quickly restore calm.
As astrologers become more skilled in using the remedies, they can more easily
link them with the concerns of various planets or signs. Issues related to the planet
Pluto, for example, include control (treated with vine), resentment (assuaged with
willow), and envy or the desire for revenge (mollified with holly)—all of these thera-
pies for Pluto ailments are Bach remedies. FES’s offerings abound with remedies for
Venus concerns, such as dogwood, for gentleness and grace in relationships; bleeding
heart, for the brokenhearted; and quince, for developing the positive power of love.
THEASTROLOGYBOOK [251]
Flower Remedies and Astrology