ARIES March 21 – April 20

Each Sun Sign can be roughly equated to a life phase, and Aries is the baby of the zodiac. In the Northern Hemisphere, where western astrology originated, the 21^st March is the Spring Equinox, the official start of the solar year, as Mother Earth stirs from her long wintery sleep. It is a time of new beginnings and new life – green shoots, blossoms, birth. Everything is fresh, shiny and new. There is an air of optimism, renewal and hope – an awareness of all the possibilities contained by this new year, and in the new life that we see all around. Such is also the energy of Aries.

POSITIVE QUALITIES

Fearless, pioneering, honest, energetic, enthusiastic, independent, generous, confident, inspirational, passionate, decisive and idealistic. Natural leaders who get the ball rolling.

NEGATIVE QUALITIES

Impulsive, naïve, arrogant, impatient, bossy, aggressive, violent, bloody minded, extravagant.

If you study ancient Roman mythology you will see these traits embodied in Mars, the God of War, and ruler of Aries. According to Carl Jung, myths are archetypes; stories reflective of actual personality types – their strengths,  weaknesses and challenges, and the way to resolve these. Myths can be viewed as therapeutic stories – stories as medicine.

Equally, the Bush Essences, as medicines for the emotions, can be used to help heal and bring into balance the negative traits of any sun sign, allowing the positive traits to be more easily expressed. For each sign, there are certain flowers that are frequently needed, and these can be viewed as constitution remedies.

Black-Eyed Susan is a very important flower for Aries. It is very useful for rushing, something Aries are renown for, so it helps them to slow down (and smell the roses). Unchecked, this tendency to speediness can become impatience or impulsiveness and can further escalate into frustration, anger and aggression. As the mind goes, energy flows. An imbalance in the thoughts and emotions will ultimately be reflected in the physical body, in a very predictable manner. Physically, rushing can manifest as hyperactivity, clumsiness, stress, burnout, aggression, violence or accidents.  Bolting down one’s food leads to indigestion. Black-Eyed Susan addresses all these issues at a causal level. Antarctic Essence is also very appropriate.

Mountain Devil too, is very high on the list of Essences for fiery Aries. If impatience has progressed into anger, aggression, violence or hatred, Mountain Devil is called for. It is also very good for the Aries tendency to become overly ambitious and overly competitive (they like to win). With fire comes passion, and at times jealousy – which Mountain Devil will also help soothe. In western herbal medicine, anger is held in the spleen; in Chinese Medicine anger is held in the liver. Either way, I have found Mountain Devil very useful for assisting restore health in these organs. In medical astrology, the spleen is ruled by Aries, and is vulnerable under stress, so therefore needs to be especially supported. Mountain Devil supports the spleen energetically, and therefore physically.

Aries natives are at risk of burnout. They have so much natural energy that, like children, they go and go and go and then suddenly they drop. Usually, following a good sleep they awaken refreshed – and off they go again. However, as with the young, Aries can take this enormous vitality for granted, and get into a habit of burning the candle at both ends. They’ll get away with this for quite some time, especially in their youth. Sooner or later though, it will catch up. Down they go in a flaming burnt out heap of squandered energy. Macrocarpa is the flower they need to get back up again (Aries always gets back up again). Better still, give Macrocarpa before they crash and burn (prevention is better than cure). Macrocarpa also brings with it the wisdom to ‘eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are tired’ – to leave something in reserve, to husband your energy well. Macrocarpa is specific for balancing the adrenal glands, another of the vulnerable organs in Aries.

It has to be said that Aries is not naturally the most elegant of signs. Like children, they can be socially inept, gauche and naïve. Kangaroo Paw is very beneficial for helping them develop and grow in this direction. The tendency to rush can bring physical clumsiness no matter what their age. Apart from Black-Eyed Susan to slow down, try some Bush Fuchsia to help improve their physical co-ordination.

Fortunately we have Mulla Mulla to help Aries with their tendency to frequently burn themselves – on the iron, cappacino machine, stovetop, oven, kettle…  you get the idea. Put it on the outside and give it on the inside. Leave a bottle in the kitchen. Aries often have a reddish tinge to their hair, courtesy of their ruling planet Mars. This can bring the temper to match, and a tendency to sunburn. Try Mulla Mulla before, during and after sun exposure.

There are several other Essences that deserve a quick mention – Gymea Lily if they have become bossy or domineering, Isopogon to learn from their mistakes, and Wedding Bush to help them complete their projects (not just start them). And of course Emergency Essence – this enthusiastic, fiery, loyal, adventurous, clumsy trail blazer, with an appetite for life and the exuberance of youth, is going to need it. Oh, and some Calm and Clear + Mountain Devil for when they are driving.

More Information on the Astrology & ABFE workshop

Linn’s Workshop Schedule

Copyright  Linn Wiggins.

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• pushing the contestants to breaking point emotionally during early training sessions
• then digging into their past to reveal when the weight started going on
• uncovering the emotions at that time
• identifying triggers
• then changing mindset

• Monga Waratah – feelings of emptiness, looking outside for fulfillment
• Crowea – feelings of anxiety
• Mountain Devil – feelings of anger
• Tall Yellow Top – feelings of depression, isolation or lonliness
• Bottlebrush – It’s a habit
• Boab – Your learnt this response from your family
• Boronia – You can’t stop thinking about that food (obsessing)
• Five Corners – low self esteem and/or confidence

The Australian Bush Flower Essences College Course Part 2 provides valuable additional information for students who have completed Part 1, to further enhance your knowledge and confidence.

This includes:

• More Case Histories for discussion in class
• How to choose a flower essence and formulate a blend
• Techniques for assessing clients – rational and intuitive
• How to interview and evaluate your clients
• How to confidently select flower essences
• Prioritising
• Compliance
• Follow up interviews
• Basic people skills techniques
• Naturopathic principles

Click here to see when Linn is next teaching this workshop near you.

For the full Australian Bush Flower Essences schedule throughout Australia, North and South America, Asia, Europe and the UK, click here.

If you are interested in hosting an Australian Bush Flower Essences workshop in your area, please contact Linn on herbs.to.heal@gmail.com

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When you get stressed, your brain responds by telling your adrenal glands to secrete the hormone adrenaline. This is the fight or flight hormone. If you get a fright, nature instantly turns on your survival response. Blood is diverted away from your digestion to your heart, brain and muscles; your heart and breathing rates increase, your muscles tense (ready for action) and your blood pressure goes up. All of this is designed to enable you to attack whatever is threatening you, or run away from it whatever your brain believes is the best option in the circumstances.

This is a biological hangover from earlier times, when sabre tooth tigers and marauding war parties lurked at the cave or castle entrance. The adrenal response is just as useful today in life threatening situations being accosted in a dark alley, being caught up in a natural disaster, getting stuck halfway down a cliff, finding a loved one underneath something heavy. There are many stories of people displaying incredible strength and presence of mind in such circumstances, feats that they would normally not be capable of. All thanks to the adrenal response.

However often the threat not quite so immediate or overt. Nonetheless your body still responds the way nature has programmed it to in times of danger adrenally. Good examples of this in modern times include: foreclosure or bankruptcy proceedings; wondering if you can make your mortgage or rent repayments; fear of terrorist attack; the government deciding to forcefully resume your home to build major infrastruture; your boss threatening to sack you; worrying if you can feed yourself and your family; someone nearly running into you in your car; a violent or abusive relationship; bullying. You probably call these things stress. Your body regards them as threats to your survival.

In civilised society, it is deemed unacceptable to belt politicians, bank managers or bosses whom you believe are threatening your survival in the aforementioned ways. The police tend to take you away and lock you up, adding to your stress. Often, it is simply not possible to run away from the stress either. Which leaves your body all hyped up and with no place to go.

Normally, once the danger has passed, your body secretes another hormone to return you to your former relaxed state. However with these types of ongoing modern day stresses, your body remains in a state of high alert ready to fight or flee.

The physical effects of this in the short term include any of the following: high blood pressure, raised pulse rate, poor digestion, muscle tension, aggression, anxiety, panic attacks, lowered immunity and reproductive problems.

High levels of circulating adrenaline over an extended period of time can cause heart problems, thyroid imbalance, infertility, vulnerability to communicable diseases, auto-immune disorders and cancer. Stress can, potentially, have serious repercussions on your health and longevity. There are many natural remedies that can help. with stress. Australian Bush Flower Essences have two very good combinations for stress – Calm and Clear and Emergency Essence. Click the icon below for information on these Flower essence Combinations or if you would like to buy.

Herbs that can be useful include the generally calming and soothing Chamomile Tea. Rosehips Tea, being full of Vitamin C, has a tonic effect on the adrenals and helps you to cope with large challenges. Chamomile and other teas are available for purchase at the following company.

Should these fail to help, professional herbalists have many practitioner strength herbs which will be of great assistance.

If your stress levels are high, or stress has been going on for more than a month, you really need to seek professional advice and not try to self diagnose or self treat.

Meditation, yoga, massage, exercising, spending time relaxing with friends or pursuing a hobby you enjoy, are all other excellent ways to alleviate stress. A good counsellor is also invaluable for helping you put things into perspective and for giving you tools to deal with your situation.

Avoid coffee and cigarettes. They make you feel better at the time because they give your adrenal glands a boot to produce more adrenaline. However ultimately they deplete your adrenal glands, leaving you less able to cope than ever.

The natural remedies listed above not only help you feel better in the short term, but actively build your reserve energy and strength.

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Coughs are sometimes viral in origin in which case you can use the information in Colds with good effect.

However most common coughs are the result of a bacterial infection, often from the Staphlococcal family of bacteria. Garlic has been used for thousands of years for chest infections and its beneficial action is thought to be due to the large amount of Sulphur it contains. Sulphur is the bit that makes it smell, so odourless garlic (which has the sulphur removed) is not necessarily going to work on infections. Pharmaceutical companies know all about Sulphur there is a whole class of antibiotics based on it the Sulphonamides.

Honey helps make Garlic more palatable and is very soothing to a throat made sore from too much coughing, so Garlic Honey has been on the herbalist’s shelf for many thousands of years. My home always has a big jar of unheated honey and organic garlic sitting by the window in the sun, steeping all through spring and summer, so it it is ready for the coughs that many of my clients experience with the change of season in Autumn.

Coughs can occur by themselves as a bacterial infection, or as a secondary infection following a cold or flu. There are generally two types of cough dry and moist. They can also be a symptom of a more serious underlying condition including whooping cough, tuberculosis, pneumonia, emphysema or lung cancer, so if a cough persists or rapidly worsens you need to seek urgent medical advice.

Dry coughs are usually rasping and tickly and paroxysmal, so that one cough sparks yet more coughing. There are a number of herbs which are excellent for this sort of cough Pulsatilla and Mullein are two of my favourites. For the dryness in the airways, herbs such as marshmallow root can also bring relief. All of these can be taken as teas. If this sort of cough persists or is accompaned by shortness of breathe it is very important to seek immediate medical aid as it may be a sign of a serious condition such as asthma or choking.

Wet coughs are when phlegm is produced. Hopefully you are able to bring this up if not you would benefit form some expectorant herbs. These assist your lungs with their natural healing process of eliminating the phlegm. Liqourice tea is a good home remedy for milder coughs of this nature. It is very important to cough the phlegm out otherwise it can become hardened and stuck and can cause a longer term, deeper infection – including bronchitis, pleurisy and pneumonia, all of which are potentially very serious and sometimes fatal. A qualified herbalist can assist you with expectorant herbs, which loosen and soften the phlegm and give your lungs the energy they need to cough it out.

As with colds, other supportive measures include:

• Vitamin C either in tablet or powder form as per the recommended dosage or in the form of Rosehips tea, freshly squeezed orange juice, or a hot lemon drink (add some honey to soothe your throat and for its antiseptic effect).
• Keep warm, especially if its windy, paying particular attention to your chest and feet.
• Rest. Winter is a time of slowing down, going within, and restinganimals hibernate and plants go dormantthere is a good reason for this. Copy them.
• Slow cooked soups and casseroles, hot teas and warm lemon and honey drinks are perfect comfort and soul food to keep you healthy during winter.
• Eat orange foods. Mother Earth colour codes her plants so you can know at a glance what nutrition they contain. Orange indicates beta carotene and/or vitamin A both tonics for the mucous membranes. Vitamin A is also present in high quantities in fish and fish oilespecially Cod Liver & Halibut Oils.

A good herbal extract for a broad spectrum of coughs is available through my clinic if you live locally to me. THis is good to have on hand through the cough season so you can take it at the first sign. As with all natural remedies, the sooner you start using them after the onset of symptoms, the better and more rapid the result. I can also customise a mixture to suit you individual needs if you already have a cough.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine the lungs are associated with grief. Take some time to ponder whether you are holding any sadness or grief either from recently or from the past. Flower Essences can help balance your emotions. Sturt Desert Pea is used for long held grief and sadness. Red Suva Frangipani is more for fresh grief, while Illawarra Flame Tree helps to energetically support immunity.

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