I hope that your week is going OK. Mine has flown, but throughout it I keep finding myself thinking about what things were like this time last year. So many parts of the country had been badly and tragically affected by weather events, and those of us living in Hawke's Bay had no idea what was about to hit us.
Cyclone Gabrielle hit our region on the evening of Monday 13 February, and on the morning of 14 February the rivers burst their banks.
For everyone who was affected by those events, my heart goes out to you. I feel strangely conflicted about writing this email, but the winning emotion is one of wanting to say, one year on, I hope you are OK, and I want to acknowledge the past year and send wishes of good fortune for the year to come.
One week after the cyclone hit last year, I made a plant essence (flower remedy) blend from plants growing in my garden and I called it, Love & Resilience, I donated all sales to the disaster relief fund and was able to raise around $2000.
In recognition of this first anniversary, I have bottled up some more from that original mother essence, and I will be giving a 10ml Love & Resilience bottle away with every order until midnight on 14 February.
What's in Love & Resilience?
As I gather the plants last year I selected them for their ability to help with stress, anxiety, remembrance, love, and how we digest life. This elixir contains energetic extracts of:
- Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) - the lion-hearted
- Silver Birch (Betula alba) - Lady of the woods
- Calendula (Calendula officinalis) - Digest all that life throws at us
- Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) - Remembrance
- Sage (Salvia officinalis) - The healer
- Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) - Wash away worry & fear
- Rose (Rosa damascena) - Beauty in life
- Hebe (Veronica speciosa) - This land will heal
- Marshmallow (Althea officinalis) - soothing safe passage
- Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) - Bend and flex
- Basil (Ocimum basilicum) - Light through tears
- Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) - Flexibility under pressure
- Aquilegia (Aquilegia vulgaris) - Gentleness of the dove, strength of the hawk
- Kowhai (Sophora microphylla) – Holding space
It may seem like a lot of plants, and it probably is, but as I started to gather a few flowers and leaves from various plants in the garden, others started saying ‘me too!’. Their resilience through this trauma is a gift they are offering us too. We are all in this together.
