GEMINI May 22 – June 21

The symbol for Gemini is The Twins, alluding to the dextrous, multi-tasking, adaptable nature of those born under this sign. Perhaps the best way to understand this attribute would be to ponder that the ruling metal for Gemini is Mercury. For those of you old enough to have been given the metal Mercury to explore during school science classes, you will know that it is liquid at room temperature, skates rapidly across any surface – “like quicksilver”- and has a tendency to split into many fragments which then take quite an amount of effort chase down and reintegrate. Likewise, Geminis think fast, move fast, and can get more things done in a day than any other sign (even Aries). Out of balance though, they can become split, unfocused, scattered and frazzled.

Out of Balance Gemini Energy

Stressed, burnt out, lacking discernment, impatient, changeable, easily bored, fickle, gossipy, sarcastic, superficial, bends the truth, can’t switch off mentally

Balanced Gemini Energy

Adaptable, witty, charming, sociable, agile, intelligent, curious, persuasive, industrious, multi-talented, communicative, playful

Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the God of Communication in ancient Roman mythology. Twice a year this planet goes retrograde, meaning it appears to be moving backwards in the sky due to its relative motion to Earth’s. This lasts for about 3 weeks each time and is a renowned time for delays, misunderstandings, missed calls, packages going astray, travel delays, getting lost, things breaking and contracts falling over. Good advice is to know when this is happening and make plans to minimise the disruption as much as possible by staying close to home and not buying or signing anything. On the up side, it is a good time to dedicate to anything starting with “re” – repair, redo, reorganise, revisit… For the inevitable frustration as things unravel, take some Black-Eyed Susan, remind yourself you are in the right place at the right time (even if it doesn’t seem like it), and give thanks to Mercury for normally keeping things running so smoothly. If this is difficult, try some Pink Flannel Flower.

It is one of the key roles of the Geminis of this world to circulate information – to communicate. Their gift is to be able to talk to just about anyone about anything, and they are both interested and interesting as conversationalists. There is a great deal of charm and often a razor sharp wit. They therefore can make careers in sales, marketing, customer service and within the mainstream media.

Analysing the information they hear and read is not a natural strong point, and the need to do so is often learned the hard way, with discernment being one of the major spiritual lessons for this sign. Angelsword helps enormously with this. Any problems with communication for Gemini natives are going to have a significant impact, and Bush Fuchsia would be appropriate.

On a physical level, Gemini rules the nervous system, the arms, the hands and the lungs. In medical astrology these body parts are most vulnerable when a person is under load – i.e. under pressure these areas will be the most likely to be affected and experience dis-ease. To energetically support them you can use the following Essences: Nervous system -  Black- Eyed Susan and Spinifex;  Arms and hands – Bush Fuchsia and Flannel Flower; Lungs – Sturt Desert Pea.

Jacaranda is also a very important flower for Gemini, because scatteredness can be one of their greatest downfalls. If you look at the Doctrine of Signatures of the Jacaranda tree, you will see that its branches often criss cross and go off in many different directions. A person who does this in life, no matter how much energy and talent they have, will not be as effective or successful as they could be, because their efforts are fragmented and erratic. Their endeavours scatter to the four winds, like Jacaranda leaves. However one of the most beautiful aspects of the Jacaranda tree is the gorgeous purple carpet that forms as it drops its flowers; these are quite sticky and stay in a clearly defined area beneath the branches.  This is the positive healing quality of Jacaranda – to bring much needed focus and stick-ability. It is also good for those who gossip.

An out-of-balance Gemini is prone to stress, rushing and impatience. If these are chronic, this wreaks havoc with the adrenal glands and the person can be in real danger of physical burnout, so I would also rank Macrocarpa quite high on the list of Gemini flowers. To prevent it going this far in the first place, a daily dose of Calm and Clear will never go astray. The lady in a workshop who said we should invent an atomiser to mist Calm and Clear over every person who crosses the threshold of our homes, was probably living with a Gemini!

For those Geminis with a tendency to become emotionally split, Sundew is good, as are Bluebell, Crowea and Pink Mulla Mulla.

Keep an eye on the website for when the next One Day Workshop “Astrology and the Australian Bush Flower Essences” is being held near you. In it I go into each sign in more detail.

Copyright Linn Wiggins.

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For approximately 2,000 years, Maca has been an important traditional food and medicinal plant in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia, where it is well-known and highly respected for is medicinal qualities. The Peruvians regard it as a highly nutritious, energy enhancing food, and as a medicine that increases strength, endurance. Ancient Inca Imperial Warriors reputably ate Maca before a battle to increase their strength and power.

Maca has been used for centuries to increase energy and fertility, and has a reputation as an aphrodisiac.

It is popular with menopausal women to prevent and treat the unpleasant symptoms of menopause, and can also be used during the child bearing years to regulate the menstrual cycle.

As with all herbs, avoid in pregnancy unless specifically recommended to you by a qualified herbalist.

Maca is a natural super food now available as a dietary supplement. It contains numerous minerals including calcium, phosphorous, zinc, magnesium and iron. Other  nutrients include Vitamins B1, B2, C, E, as well as 18 amino acids, essential fatty acids, and sterols.

Maca is beneficial for:

• Increasing energy and stamina
• An aphrodisiac for both men and women
• Improving general well being
• Menstrual problems
• Menopaual symptoms
• Supporting and nourishing the body

Click below to purchase in Australia:

If you live in the USA, click here to buy Maca

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A clinical trial a few years ago concluded that stress plays a role in sickness. This idea is not new to natural therapists, who have always believed in treating “the whole person” – hence the term “wholistic” therapies. Natural therapists work on the premise that you as a person are more than just your body parts and need to be treated on more than just a physical level.

On the first evening of my herbal medicine training with renown Australian herbalist Dorothy Hall, we were drawn a triangle (pyramid) to represent any disease. The top apex represented the physical body. The bottom two apexes were “Emotions and Attitudes” & “Environment and Circumstances” respectively. This, we were told, was how we needed to view every single person who ever sought our help.

As time went by, we were taught that herbs treat the physical body, and that flower essences are the tool for treating emotions and attitudes. Dorothy Hall always maintained that once strengthened and balanced physically and emotionally, most people then feel strong enough to make the necessary decisions about and changes to their environment and circumstances. I have continued with this philosophy in my own clinical practice and find it extremely effective. Flower essences are literally medicine for the emotions.

Flower Essences are not therapeutic drugs but work on the mind, soul and spirit. They are obtained by extracting the healing vibrational quality from the highest evolved part of the plant – the flowers. They work on an emotional level and heal the negative emotions and belief patterns, held in the subconscious mind. Australian Aboriginals have used flowers to heal emotional imbalances and physical injuries for thousands of years. Flower Essences were also used in Ancient Egypt, as well as Asia, Europe and South America. This system of healing was rediscovered and popularised seventy years ago by Dr. Edward Bach with his use of English flowering plants. Naturopath, Ian White has further developed this method using plants from all over Australia for his Australian Bush Flower Essences. His grandmother and great grandmother were herbalists, among the first white people to research the medicinal qualities of Australian plants, and his grandmother taught him from an early age. Ian has taken their knowledge one step further and worked with the plants and their influence on emotions.

Flower Essences are completely natural, perfectly safe, free from side effects and adjust to the needs of the individual taking them. It is not possible to overdose or harm when prescribing. If an inappropriate remedy is chosen, it simply will not work. Adults and children as well as animals can use the Essences. We are all functioning on beliefs and emotions, which may not necessarily be helpful to us. By changing our thoughts and beliefs we can relieve stress, which can then ultimately assist in restoring our health. Flower Essences can improve the quality of our life and bring us clarity, courage, strength and commitment to follow and pursue our life goals and visions. As well as resolving upsets and distress in one’s life they also help us to develop a higher level of intuition, self esteem, spirituality, fun and creativity.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been associating certain emotions with specific body areas for over five thousand year, so this concept is not new. The notion that emotions affect our physical health has been explored in modern times by Louise Hay, and detailed in her classic book “You Can Heal Your Life”.  The beauty of the Australian Bush Flower Essences is that some also work energetically on specific organs and body systems. For example Dagger Hakea addresses the emotions of resentment, irritability and bitterness. These feelings have traditionally been thought by TCM to be held in the liver. Ancient wisdom held that clues to a plant’s healing qualities were clearly visible via a language and process known as the Doctrine of Signatures. When this system is applied to Dagger Hakea, it is found that this plant has a strong energetic resonance with the liver and gall bladder.

If you would like to learn more about the healing qualities of Australian Bush Flower Essences, click here to see when Linn is teaching a workshop near you in the USA or Australia.

Or click here for the full workshop schedule of Australian Bush Flower Essences in Australia, the UK, North and South America, Asia and Europe.

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Herbs have safely been used to treat illnesses in dogs for thousands of years, just as they have been used by humans.

In fact dogs, like most animals are wonderful herbalists. They instinctively seek out a wide variety of plants as they go about their day, and use these plants to self medicate. If you doubt this, watch your dog out in the yard actively eating grass or another plant. It is not always the same grass. Even domesticated dogs can identify dozens of plants, know how to use them medicinally, and will purposefully seek them out when needed.

Dogs are sensitive to some herbs, so never assume that a herb is safe for a dog just because you can use it yourself or on another animal. Dosage is also very important.

It takes years to train a herbalist about the safe use of herbs. A large amount of time also includes what is called “the fine print”. Which herbs should never be used. Which herbs need to be used with caution, especially in regards to dosage.

When it comes to herbal treatment of animals, what is safe in a horse can kill a dog.  A herb that can safely be used by dogs can kill a cat.

More harm is done by herbs out of ignorance from untrained lay people than by all the herbalists in the world combined.

At Herbal Dog we aim to raise awareness of how some common herbs can help maintain and improve you dog’s health and wellbeing.This is purely for informational purposes, please seek advice from a herbalist qualified in the herbal treatment of dogs before giving your dog any natural remedies.

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The Happy Healthy Kids course runs over one day, and you do not need to have ever used an Essence or attended any other ABFE workshops to attend.

If you have personal or professional contact with children, the Happy Healthy Kids course aims to assist you to support those children to heal and grow to their full potential using Australian Bush Flower Essences.

Many participants also find the Happy Healthy Kids course to be profoundly healing for their own inner child,

The main topics covered is this workshop are:

• The metaphysical aspects of children, why and how they incarnate and why they choose their parents

• The new generation of children – the bridging generation – Indigoes and Crystals

• The role of parents to enhance the full development of the child

• Developmental stages of children from conception to 12 with associated issues

• The birth experience – and emotional consequences thereof

• Enhancing learning skills

• School issues – Starting school, bullying, peer pressure, developing social skills

• Specific illnesses – eczema, asthma, allergies etc

• Understanding children through Numerology (if with Ian White) or Astrology (if with Linn Wiggins)

• Sleep problems

• Toilet training

• Accidents, bumps and bruises

• Open forum and question time

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

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The Women’s Wellbeing and Australian Bush Flower Essences Workshop runs over one day, and you do not need to have ever used an Essence or attended any other ABFE workshop to attend.

This workshop specifically explores the role of Australian Bush Flower Essences in assisting women to heal.

You will learn, how to easily, effectively and safely use the Australian Bush Flower Essences to help a woman achieve physical, emotional and spiritual balance in the following areas of her life:

• Menstruation

• Sexuality

• Fertility and conception

• Pregnancy

• Birth

• Mothering

• Enhancing relationships

• Menopause

• Growing older

• Common illnesses and health issues

Specific Australian Bush Flower Essences are covered during the discussion of each of the above themes.

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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The Australian Bush Flower Essences College Course is 16 hours in length and is available in various formats to make it more accessible. These include weekend and midweek dates. You do not need to have ever used an essence before or to have been to any other Australian Bush Flower Essence course to attend this one.

It is a stand alone course and you do not need to do Part 2.

This beautiful course is for everyone with an interest in natural healing either for themselves, their family, or professionally.

The College course was developed by, and is fully accredited by, Australian Bush Flower Essences and has been taught in naturopathic colleges for over 20 years. However because it contains such valuable knowledge (that anyone can use), it is now being made available to members of the community and practitioners in more informal venues outside major cities.

If you have already attended the weekend and one day workshops, you will find the information in this course new, and from a different perspective.

However, you don’t need to know anything about flower essences or natural healing to do this course, nor even have an intention of using the essences on anyone other than yourself, your family, pets and friends. We start with the basics and by the end you will be a confident and competent flower essence practitioner.

If you are a professionally qualified practitioner, you will find this information exceptionally useful in your clinical practice, enhancing your existing knowledge base and modality.

You will learn:

• The history of the development of Flower Essences
• How Flower Essences work
• The Doctrine of Signatures
• The Healing Power of Nature
• Human subtle energy anatomy (the chakras and the aura).
• How thoughts and emotions affect wellbeing
• The cutting edge science validating the ancient healing systems of Ayevedic Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
• Major emotional issues and corresponding Essences for each theme
• All 69 Essences in the Australian Bush Flower range
• Our ready made combinations
• How to actually prepare an individual Flower Essence, which you then take home, use, and observe its effects
• Different methods of Bush Essence application

Further, as a journey through the chakras, this course has the potential to be a gentle yet profound healing experience on a personal level. Many people describe it as life changing.

At the conclusion of the course, you will receive a Certificate from Australian Bush Flower Essences, equal to that obtained by naturopathic students who have completed this course in formal Naturopathic Colleges. An additional qualification of “Advanced Practitioner Certificate” is available upon submission of three cases histories of suitable quality after course completion.

Energy medicine is at the forefront of creating a whole new world of options and outcomes, not just for practitioners, but for everyone. The Australian Bush Flower Essence College Course explores and teaches this new paradigm of health and wellbeing based on subtle energy systems, creating new opportunities for “healing in the whole person”.

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

Enrol

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The longer I am in clinical practice, the moreI can see how mental attitudes and emotional stress contribute towards physical dis-ease. Listening to peoples stories, the language they use with their words and body, paints a clear picture of where we need to go with treatment.

As an herbalist, I always treat with herbal medicines. The same plants have been used by all the major civilizations down through the ages for the simple reason that they work. They have the same healing powers for us in modern times as they did with our stone age ancestors, although the challenges we face now are quite different. Herbs primarily heal on a physical level, but even that is a simpliification – Pulsatilla and Motherwort are two herbs that immediately spring to mind that have strong emotional healing qualities.

But, given that many dis-eases commence on an emotional and mental level, wouldnt it be wonderful if it could be stopped there without us ever having to get physically sick? Not that there are not lessons to be learned through illness – there are but if we are living consciously, flower essences are a wonderful tool to energetically shift and heal the negative emotions and attitudes underlying most if not all dis-ease.

This concept was what first led me to explore flower essences in the early 1990s. Flower essences too, have been used since Stone Age times. Indigenous Australians were observed by the white settlers to soak flowers in water in the sun and drink the water. Across the world many countries including India and South America, have similar traditions. For western civilization, the ancient Egyptians, Hildegarde von Bingham, Paracelsus and Dr Edward Bach, used flower essences for healing.

Flowers are the highest expression of the plant kingdom so contain the most healing potential. I always use flower essences as part of the healing regime for every person who comes to see me, as they help heal the underlying attitudes and emotions on a very deep level. Huge shifts occur for many people when they start taking flower essences.

Australian Bush Flower Essences include flowers to help improve self esteem, parent & child relationships, overwhelm, memory, learning problems, group harmony, guilt, jealousy, obsession, co-dependency, addictions, grief and anger. These are often things we all experience at one time or another. You dont need to be professionally qualified in anything to know if you need assistance with any of these issues. Imagine if you had access to healing tool that allowed you to move through these difficult emotions faster and with fewer traumas?

The great thing about flower essences is that anyone can choose what they or a loved one needs. They are totally natural, with no effects and are safe for people of all ages. Even many animals have improved on flower essences, strongly suggesting that the improvement is not due to a placebo effect.

Other remedies can assist in developing your spirituality. For example Bush Iris helps open up the third eye and clairvoyance, while Green Spider Orchid enables you to communicate with other realms. Sydney Rose gives us a sense of being at one with God. Angelsword and Fringed Violet protect you energetically. Pink Flannel Flower brings a sense of gratitude and Boab assists with releasing negative family and karmic patterns.

Australian Bush Flower Essences regularly hold their Level 1 workshop worldwide. For details on the next one nearest to you click here.

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Id like to give you an example of how flower essences can be used as preventative medicine for a sun sign.

Each sun sign has specific parts of the body which are vulnerable. As you are probably aware, everyone responds and reacts to stress differently and this is partly due to the filters we each have. We all see life differently and this is due to a combination of our genetics, our cultural background, our family patterns and our own life experience.

Another filter is our sun sign, and this has a powerful effect upon the way we think as well as our emotional responses.

Aries, for example, are high energy people who tend to be impulsive. They act before they think and dash through life, becoming impatient if anyone or anything slows them down. This can emerge as frustration, anger or rage emotionally and high blood pressure physically. Physically they can be prone to accidents due to their hasty, poorly planned actions. Aries leaps in where angels fear to tread so can find themselves in dangerous situations, requiring constant adrenaline to remove themselves from harm.

One of things adrenaline does is raise your blood pressure. With the head and adrenals glands the vulnerable parts of the Aries body, this makes Aries people more prone to strokes. Knowing this in advance, flower essences and herbs can be used preventatively to keep an Aries in balance throughout their life.

Mountain Devil is a very good essence for anger; Black-eyed Susan for rushing and impatience, and Macrocarpa for supporting the adrenal glands. So a combination of these three essences will go a long way towards keeping an Aries calm and balanced and therefore healthier in the long term.

The good thing about flower essences is that they are completely safe and totally natural. They are incredibly easy to use just a matter of putting seven drops of the appropriate remedy under your tongue morning and night. They are also really accessible there is no need to do five years of naturopathy or three years of herbal medicine or acupuncture to be able to use them.

You can learn how to use flower essences in a weekend and because you cant hurt anyone with them, anyone can use or prescribe them. They are also, literally, medicines for emotions. This makes them wonderful for home use you dont to be formally qualified in anything to know if you or a friend, colleague or family member is feeling upset. Flower essences give everyone a tool to safely heal emotionally.

That, said they do also dovetail beautifully with any other natural healing modality, enhancing and locking in any other healing being done. For this reason, an increasing number of doctors, psychologists, counsellors and physiotherapists are using flower essences in conjunction with their more medical treatments. Flower essences
dont interact with medications and it is impossible to overdose on them, another aspect of their safety.

You can learn more about flower essences through Australian Bush Flower Essence workshops – click here for more information on the international workshop series and international schedule.

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It is estimated that 90% of our subconscious patterning is set by the time we are 3 years old. Given that much of our conscious behaviour is driven by our subconscious, this gives serious pause for thought. Parents, siblings, grandparents, neighbours, friends, teachers, TV, radio, movies young children absorb information like sponges from all these sources whilst still mostly pre-verbal. This enables them to figure out how to negotiate their environment. However if your view of the world was mostly formed by the time you were three whose programs are running in the background? How much are they pulling your strings? Are these values aligned with your own values, dreams and goals as an adult?

As a parent, are you concerned about the effect of these myriad influences on your child? If you see your child taking on values not congruent with your own, or if they experience trauma would you like to have a way to assist them?

One way is through flower essences they are literally medicines for the emotions. One of the most beautiful things about them is that they are a totally safe and completely natural and sustainable. Anyone can use or prescribe them as it is impossible to do any harm with them.

Paw Paw essence can assist with any conflict between conscious thoughts and sub conscious programming.

Is your teenager bowing to peer pressure? Sturt Desert Rose (left) can assist them to stay true to their own personal integrity and values.

If lack of confidence an issue try some Five Corners

When bulying is a problem, Rough Bluebell (above) helps perpetrators gain a sense of empathy for their victims and remorse for their actions, while Southern Cross allows those being victimised to more easily stand up for themselves.

Learning and literacy problems can benefit from Bush Fuchsia

For tantrums Mountain Devil (below) works wonders, 8/10/2009 12:30:57 PM

While those who feel like they dont fit in can benefit from Tall Yellow Top

Rebirthing is form of guided meditation – a healing technique used to discover whether specific beliefs were taken on board during the birthing process or in utero. For example experienced rebirthing practitioners have documented that if a baby got stuck during the birth, they may find getting stuck becomes a pattern later in life. If they were rescued via medical intervention during the labour, they often wait to be rescued if they ‘get stuck in life. Whereas if they went on to be born naturally, they can often push through the obstacle themselves. It really is fascinating research. Our birth story is powerful, and knowing it can lead to deep insights about our life and emotional patterns. Bottlebrush can assist with healing emotional trauma that occurred during birth, help strengthen the mother-child bond and with attachment issues.

Imagine a world where your past traumas have been healed and your negative beliefs and limiting thought patterns dissolved, so that you are free to be the best person you can be. Imagine entering adulthood knowing who you are and what you want to do with your life, with good self esteem and the confidence to go out into the world and go for it. Imagine a world full of people who are healthy in mind, body, heart and spirit. I truly believe that flower essences can help make this happen, especially when I see the profound differences they have made in countless adults lives and when I meet teenagers and young adults who have been raised on essences.

I will be conducting several one day workshops on how to use Australian Bush Flower Essences to help children deal with childhood issues and for adults to help heal their own inner child.

Murwillumbah, NSW, Australia – 2nd August 2009 – Enquiries and Bookings: Isabela Keski-Frantti

e: belaflora@hotmail.com

Adelaide, SA, Australia – 28th August 2009 – Enquiries and Bookings: Gabbie Enright

e: gabbie@healthyteams.com.au

Charlotte, NC, USA – 23rd October 2009 – Enquiries and Bookings: Ed Muir e: edm@southernherb.com

A flyer for the Murwillumbah workshop can be downloaded here if you would like more information on the content of the seminar – if you want to attend one somewhere else, just ignore the date and contact detail in the flyer and use the contact information above for the workshop you are interested in attending.

My full workshop schedule is available here – just scroll through the months to see what’s on and where, and how to book.

If you are interested in hosting a workshop in Australia or North America, please contact me here.

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