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Because they maintained an unwavering sense of self through experiences of violation, subjugation and explosive events, the islands of Sicily and Santorini and their Flower Essences help us gain an equally immutable sense of self and help us anchor in our eternal identity and soul purpose even when we too face of these kinds of tumultuous situations.
MORE ABOUT THE SICILY AND SANTORINI COLLECTION
The island of Sicily has a strong sense of self, born in part from experiences of violation, subjugation and attack. Through trial and tribulation, Sicily came into an ability to move through tumultuous experiences while anchored in a clear experience of her eternal identity. She learned to be Sicily no matter what transitory experiences swirled around her. This wisdom is one of the essential gifts she imparts to us via her Flower Essences.
Islands frequently have a very strong sense of self-identity and self-awareness, and this is particularly true of Sicily. Her Flower Essences help us take forward a similar deeper understanding of self and soul purpose no matter what events fill our daily life. These Essences help us harvest the wisdom from painful experiences while also helping us understand ourselves to be undiminished by these events. These Flower Essences help us anchor in our eternal identity as a soul.
Santorini is all that remains of a volcanic explosion that destroyed a larger island 3600 years ago during the height of the Minoan civilization. Just as Santorini pulled the threads of its geography together again, its Flowers echo the strength it found to recreate itself. These are Flower Essences to help us find a bead on ourselves after explosive experiences.
ORIGINS OF THIS COLLECTION
Emily Sheehan lived in Ortigia, the oldest part of Siracusa, Sicily during the winter and spring of 2010. She created this collection of Flower Essences in the same order as her travels in the Mediterranean. Initially, Emily perceived her time in Sicily and her geographical travels in the Mediterranean to be random, yet as she learned about each of the Flower Essences she had been called to make along the way, she discovered this collection reflected and offered a purposeful journey of self definition in the face of challenges and self expression in alignment with a deepening experience of self.
Emily made these Flower Essences and took on the responsibility of bringing them forward as a collection. She designed a logo for the collection based on the landscape of Cefalu and La Rocca, Sicily. All photographs posted on the website with the collection were taken by her. In the following document, Emily describes each Flower Essence as well as the places where they were made. The writing process was a collaborative effort of give and take with the Angels, Emily Sheehan and Molly Sheehan.
This collection of Flower Essences and these descriptions were over a year in the making as we worked to find the authentic voice of each Flower and its Essence. Ultimately, Emily and Molly felt they had been given an experience of what it was to be Sicily, holding fast to her truth and authentic self.
Descriptions for this collection’s Flower Essences are given in chronological order of creation. On the order blank they are listed alphabetically.
ESSENCES IN THE SICILY AND SANTORINI COLLECTION
All of our Sicily and Santorini Collection Flower Essences are single-flower Essences. They are available in 2 sizes: a 1/2 ounce size bottle for $7.35 each and a 2- ounce size bottle for $25.00.
FROM OUTSIDE OF SIRACUSA, SICILY
Early on in my time in Sicily, I took a walk with a friend in search of green space. About an hour walk outside of the city of Siracusa, I discovered a lemon grove in a field of Wildflowers. Here in the fresh soft light of late afternoon and early evening, I found myself surrounded by Flowers and enveloped in love and light. The first steps in any journey of self-discovery are self-care, surrounding ourselves in love, light and comfort as well as asking for what we need.
These two Fumitory Flower Essences support us to take care of our most basic needs and essential selves by seeking fundamental and simple ways to comfort and wrap ourselves in loving light. On that day in the lemon grove, it was reading and napping in the shade of the lemon trees, lying in a bed of Wildflowers. At that moment when my body and soul were craving nature to hold me and help me let go, breathe and just be, I found these two Flowers calling to offer their support.
Click on the name of the flower essence for an expanded definition and photograph of the flower:
FUMITORY BELLA- Help to sustain an energy reserve when we are doing the tiring work of self-articulation
RAMPING FUMITORY- For finding the balance of self-protection without defensiveness
FROM TAORMINA, SICILY
FLOWER FROM THE GARDENS OF TAORMINA- Trusting the plan even when things fall apart
SEASIDE FLOWER FROM TAORMINA- Support to stay positive in the face of uncertainty and change
FROM SANTORINI, GREECE
My time in Santorini was complicated. I felt hopeless, wandering with no purpose. I didn’t feel the place was spiritually grounded, and in that moment, I didn’t feel I was either. I floated unhappily through my visit, unsure what I was doing, where I was going and how things were meant to work out in my life.
Looking back I believe this trip was when I arrived at clarity about my circumstances, though on the surface all was confusion. During my time in Santorini, I was beginning to take hold of what I really needed to do to bring my life into balance, but I wasn’t quite ready to completely look at what being asked of me. The Essences from Santorini were Flowers that called to me in this period of my spiritual journey.
RED FLOWER FROM SANTORINI- Helps with fearless adaptation to new circumstances and the ability to thrive after firestorms
TREE MEDICK- Holding our light when we are bogged down or external forces have made our lives hard or heavy work
SICILIAN WILD SWEET PEA- Holds a space for us to see the truth of our situation then begin the process of harmonious change
PURPLE VIPER'S BUGLOSS- A soft pace to fall when everything is in upheaval
FODDER VETCH- Helps us find and recognize a true course then move forward in confident alignment
AMPHITRITE- Supports a release of old ideas of self to uncover a more authentic one, helps us release fears of this process so we understand it will alter the surface of our lives but not undermine our souls
FROM LA ROCCA, CEFALU, SICILY
In late March, my brother, Ben, came to visit me in Sicily. Together we traveled to Cefalu, a beautiful old city on the northern coast of the island. On our first day we hiked up La Rocca, an enormous rock mountain that sits right on the coast with the city of Cefalu curving around its base, nestling into its roots. The trail up La Rocca climbs and loops. It covers a vast amount of diverse landscapes, each offering a unique and breathtaking panorama of the surrounding sprawl of Cefalu, its mountains and coastline.
SCARLET PIMPERNEL FROM LA ROCCA, BLUE VARIATION- Supports us to know that being one with God means none of the work life calls us to can be bigger than us, we can do the work, we do have the strength
TREE GERMANDER- Facilitates a retrieval of our unwavering strengths and unique soul qualities so we can express and relish them
THE LETTING GO FLOWER- Supports us to calmly let go and unburden ourselves of things, circumstances and people that are no longer part of our journey
MEDITERRANEAN THISTLE- Supports us to expand outward into new parts of ourselves, unafraid and unedited
FROM LA MARCHESA, SICILY
La Marchesa is a place where the water and rocks meet, a world in between agricultural fields and the sea. It is an expansive coastline: open, fresh and vast.
FLOWER FROM LA MARCHESA- Help to appreciate the expansiveness of in-between times in our lives, help to let go of any fear and enjoy the adventure of the unknown
THE WEST
Reaching the end of my time on the island, I traveled through the west of Sicily where I saw breathtaking landscapes and landmarks and felt an increasing connection to this incredible land.
FROM THE ISLAND OF MOTIA, SICILY
The ancient Phoenicians transformed this tiny island into one of the most affluent cities of the ancient world. In the fight for Sicily during the 6th century BC it was a stronghold of Phoenicians and Carthaginians against the Greeks. In 379 BC the tyrant Dionysus the Elder from Siracusa destroyed Motia. The island is now empty of human inhabitants.
ITALIAN SAINFOIN- Helps us contain, validate and balance our experience and emotions when we have suffered violence against us, helps break the cycle of violence by organizing our reaction into something constructive
FROM SEGESTA, SICILY
The beautiful ruined city of Segesta was invaded by Phoenicians, Athenians, Carthagenians, Romans, Vandals and Normans among others, yet Segesta still has a fresh, clean, expansive and authentic vibration of self. Throughout all these upheavals, it was known as a place of harmonious blending of influences, peoples and cultures. Today Segesta is a popular tourist destination and archeological park, but it has not lost its strong sense of place. Segesta shines through as a genuine place with a true sense of its unique self, unaffected by transitory surface ideas, cultures or values.
SEGESTA- Help to be our authentic selves in a fluid and complex way, owning different facets of ourselves while remaining true to our core identity
FROM MORGANTINA, SICILY
During my visit to Morgantina, I soaked in the place. I’m not sure, even now, that I can articulate what I was taking in, but I felt like a sponge absorbing Morgantina’s profound vibration of ease and harmony. It was an experience of being in a place that felt like where I wanted to take my life. In that moment in time, Morgantina represented all that my essential self craved.
On the day of my visit, Morgantina was lush and green with rolling hills surrounding its heart. It was both simple and beautiful. Mist hovered over the whole area but not in a containing or closed in way. Instead, it made me feel present right where I was. Rays of sunlight shone down onto the land, cutting through the gentle mist and drawing my eyes to certain hills in the distance. Nothing beyond Morgantina mattered or felt real. The whole world, its worries, outside people and places disappeared, and I was just there. I felt overwhelmed by a deep love for the place. It felt magic and also like home. It was a still place paradoxically moving in the right divine direction. It helped me feel on track and also able to own how I felt about my life in an articulate and tangible way.
ERUCA- Seeing, being, owning the truth of our situation and who we are, finding strength in being transparent
MALLOW-LEAVED BINDWEED- Allows us to relish in things that are now in line with a more true sense of our spiritual journey, to feel wide open and willing to take in love and learning as we move forward
TASSEL HYACINTH- Help us integrate complexity of experiencing life both as a soul and as a personality immersed in daily life
STAR CLOVER- I AM one with God’s plan for me
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