Product Description

Qualities: Simplicity, Guilelessness

Message of Self-Mastery: Childlike zeal; without guile; trust; sense of wonder, awe, playfulness; freedom; adventurousness; carefree nature.

Pattern of Disharmony: Stress; feeling burdened or overwhelmed; mild distrust to paranoia; for an unhappy or dysfunctional childhood; “worry wart.”

AFFIRMATION

Whatever comes to me is for my highest good! I welcome it!

POSITIVE EXPRESSIONS

Living within one’s means

NEGATIVE CONDITIONS

POSITIVE APPLICATIONS

There is a saying that angels fly because they take themselves lightly. This also describes being in the positive Spinach state. Carefree but not careless, light-footed but not light-headed, Spinach is the child of our Spectrum. The jokester, the punster, the incorrigible humorist- Spinach, similar to Cherry, makes us laugh. Laughter being the best medicine, as authorities tell us, did you know that one hundred bellyaching, side-splitting laughs provide the aerobic equivalent of ten minutes of rowing? That’s one way to get yourself in shape!

All of us can benefit from Spinach at one time or another in our lives. It’s the great lightener of burdens. Spinach integrates a sense of play with responsibility and wonderment with acceptance. To understand this essence more fully, watch children at play. In the positive Spinach state, life is a game-and that game is pure fun.

For indications of the presence of Spinach qualities, look into children’s eyes. Even the eyes of baby animals reflect that sense of innocence, trust and play. We might in fact call a baby elephant-our weight many times over-“cute.” People in the positive Spinach state are like children. They relate to their environment, including their own bodies, with an attitude of, “Wow, this is really something! Let’s see what I can do with it.”

NEGATIVE INDICATIONS

As Lord Byron lyricized in the early 1800’s, “Ah! happy years! Once more who would not be a boy!” To answer his rhetorical question- the individual manifesting the negative Spinach state. The glories of youth as portrayed by many a poet are considered undesirable to those in the negative Spinach state. These poor souls, alas, are too busy, too important or too worried to pay attention to the precious life stage of childhood.

One of the sad “occupational hazards” of the work environment in today’s world is stress. The dictionary defines stress as “strain or pressure, especially a force that strains or deforms.” The psychological deformities caused by stress, such as worry and nervousness, can feed chemical poisons into our bodies, triggered by the brain. Warning signs in the physical body-such as headaches, indigestion, high blood pressure and knotted shoulder muscles-mean it is time for Spinach. To remain free of “worldly wisdom,” pretentiousness and affectedness, this essence of guilelessness is paramount.

At the end of the first day of a holistic trade show several years ago, a woman came to our booth with a splitting headache caused by the visual overload customary to these events. We shared a few words and then I mentioned Spinach-not for the headache, but for feeling overwhelmed and sensorily bombarded. (As previously explained, flower remedies do not directly address physical symptoms.) She returned the next day with one of the most frequent responses to the essences, saying, “After taking Spinach, I felt like myself again.” She explained how she had decided to walk to the auditorium instead of driving that morning. As she approached the metal spikes at the parking lot exit point with the warning sign, “Do not back up: severe tire damage,” she thought, “I wonder what those feel like”-and then gently stepped on them, out of sheer curiosity. It was a very “Spinach” thing to do!

Much attention is being given these days to the concept of the inner child and the quality of the childhood that we experienced. If it was dysfunctional-meaning that our psycho-physiological needs were not met and nurtured in a healthy way-how then can we grow into functional adults and be expected to carry on normal, healthy relationships? Spinach addresses these unmet needs from childhood that, sooner or later, can manifest as dysfunction.

ESSENCE ENHANCERS

Play games with children.

Spend time in the sun-with lots of sunscreen!

Visit the zoo or a pet store.

Go camping or backpacking.

Go to places frequented by children-the ice skating rink, roller rink, water slide park or children’s matinee.

Go to a magic show; ride a hot-air balloon; visit the circus or amusement park.

VISUALIZATION

Sit quietly with closed eyes. Imagine that you are reaching upward, grabbing a pleasant experience from your childhood-much like taking hold of the string of a helium-filled balloon. Whatever the memory, allow the details to drift; hold only to the pleasant remembrance of that memory’s spirit. Perhaps you feel a warmth, a sense of security, a calm assuredness that all is right. Whatever that feeling, bathe yourself in it now.

Let the quality of simplicity surround you like a springtime breeze in mid-afternoon. Simple, carefree, trusting: these are the colors of childhood. These are the qualities washing from your thoughts all stress, over-concern, and overwhelm.

Now relax even more deeply. Visualize yourself at the foot of a small forested hill. The sun-cloaked pine branches beckon you forward. A few yards ahead, a young speckled fawn dashes onto the footpath, startling both of you. It freezes; you crouch down slowly. The fawn responds to your inner voice that says, “Don’t be afraid. I’m as curious as you.” Her tiny ears draw back in timid wonder. Too young to know fear and sensing your gentleness, she steps forward and sniffs your outstretched palm. As she does so, you look into its eyes, so new to this world. You see in them the innocent joy of youth and the simple magic of childhood.

Embrace the memory of the fawn’s eyes, again like taking hold of a balloon. Re-member that you, too, cradle a child inside.