By: Jennifer Kruk
Rock Rose is one of the flower essences in the well-known Bach Rescue Remedy formula. It is advertised in this five-flower formula for stress as the flower for having courage. The rock rose is a hearty plant that can withstand poor soil, strong wind, drought, and extreme heat. It grows everywhere from rocky coasts to dry banks and in gardens for cover and erosion control. Similar to surviving in these terrains and holding both the soil and itself, its flower essence gives way to courage and presence in the face of fears in emergency or extreme circumstances. Part of the human condition is to face extremes and come out the other side, most often changed. These extremes could look like an accident, violent attack, life-threatening situation, or what one might experience during the process of dying. This might also be a deep letting go or acceptance process where something within us or a limiting belief dies.
In such extreme situations where Rock Rose is indicated, this can feel like gripping fear or sadness tied to fear. There might be panic at the fear of death or annihilation, perceived or real. It is experiencing the full, felt sense of the edge, or going over the edge and fear of what lies beyond, or the fear just of having gone past the edge and not knowing. There could be disembodiment and lack of presence in the immediate situation as the body’s way to protect itself. This experience can be brought on by our physical world or internally in the case of an ego death or personal transformation. There is an expansion that occurs when we go beyond what we know or face death so extremely, and a natural contraction to protect or grip to hold on. These are not your everyday moments of stress or transition. Given the propensity of the human condition to experience and respond to trauma, everyday moments of transition might trigger memories of an extreme circumstance or our nervous system may respond to threats in a way that perceives more danger than we are actually in.
Rock Rose is a powerful essence to give tangible support in these moments. It could be put on the lips of someone unconscious, used before or after surgery, taken after nightmares, used when at the airport traveling abroad when you think you misplaced your passport, after an attack or accident, in deep transformation work, during grieving, or when facing fears of an annihilating threat. It could be used by the hero in the middle of the archetypal hero’s journey. Rock Rose flower essence can bring forth transcendent courage and the ability to assume control of what you can in these extreme situations while remaining present and grounded. It can bring forth strength beyond natural capability. Working with a flower essence practitioner can be a great way to find a formula indicated specifically for you.
There is often grief in these extreme situations. In grieving, there comes a time when we need to ask ourselves “What must die in order to move forward?” As we approach this answer, get to know it and relate to it, and then release it to let it die, the gripping fear or panic can also show up in response. It might show up right here unavoidably, in a nightmare, during or after breathwork, in the middle of the night, in a vision, whispered by the landscape, or brought on by some external cue over and over again. Stepping through these thresholds is an unavoidable part of our growth and becoming who we are in life. How we deal with it shapes our capacity to be present in all of our experiences. Dr. Rachael Namoi Remen said “The way we deal with loss shapes our capacity to be present in life more than anything else. The way we protect ourselves from loss may be the way in which we distance ourselves from life.” Rock Rose can support us in the extreme places we go and are brought to in our journey.
References:
https://www.nelsons.com/en-us/rescue/range/browse-by-family/rescue-remedy/
https://www.thespruce.com/rockrose-plant-profile-4842337
https://onbeing.org/programs/rachel-naomi-remen-how-we-live-with-loss/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=795db281-b179-4c3c-900b-47e286f153a0
The Encyclopedia of Bach Flower Therapy by Mechthild Scheffer
Flower Essence Repertory by Patricia Kaminski and Richard Katz
