Bach Flower of the Month: Willow (July 2021)

by Rev. Shellie Enteen

At a time when many are experiencing major changes in lifestyle that threaten to destroy structures and beliefs that once seemed secure, an attitude of despondency or despair may focus into a pattern of resentment. This is the time to reach for the Bach Flower, Willow.

Dr. Bach says Willow is “For those who have suffered adversity or misfortune and find these difficult to accept without complaint or resentment, as they judge life much by the success which it brings. They feel that they have not deserved so great a trial, that it was unjust, and they become embittered. They often take less interest and are less active in those things of life which they had previously enjoyed.”

Resentment is sometimes hard for us to ‘own’ because our thought about the situation seems so right…after all, isn’t it awful to lay off a worker who has been with a company for over 25 years in favor of a younger person who will do the job for half the pay? Isn’t it a crime for the heads of companies to give themselves a huge bonus when taxpayers are bailing them out and they have fired many people who will now lose their homes?

The issue we work on here is not changing the facts about a situation but relieving the negative energy of resentment which will end up causing more problems for us in more ways if allowed to continue. The greatest good for all comes when we can restore the connection to Divine Mind and Higher Self which always shows us our good and reveals new directions, showing why, despite current appearances, there is something better in store.

A small example of this we may all have experienced is when someone forgets an appointment, removing the opportunity for income or necessitating an unwelcome change in the flow of the day. At first this seems bad, and we may resent the person who forgot, but then something more important that needed to be done may arise and this free time was necessary. In the negative Willow state, a person would not see this Divine rearranging because they remain stuck in the resentment which might go far enough to destroy a relationship.

Bach Flower Author Mechthilde Scheffer says Willow relates to the soul qualities of personal responsibility and constructive thought. A person in negative Willow blames everyone and everything but himself and the inner self talk tends to be negative and destructive. The success or happiness of others is hard to accept, and they might go so far as to say or do things that would ruin that person’s happiness.                                                                                                      

In the chronic Willow state, a person pollutes the emotional environment for everyone, whether at home or at work, not resting until all have joined them in resentful, blaming judgment. This thinking creates a toxic atmosphere for everyone. Believing they are victims, their embittered thoughts cause them to gradually withdraw, isolating themselves from others and dropping activities they once enjoyed.

Willow brings realization of our own negativity and how creating this wall of alienation is self-destructive. We learn to look on the positive side of things and call upon an infinite knowledge and wisdom that never fails. No longer being the victim, the ability to have faith and peaceful optimism that allows mastery of circumstances is restored. We find ourselves more understanding and tolerant of people and situations. We become open to working positively for a constructive future.

Some positive affirmations for working with Willow:

“I am in the right place, at the right time, doing what I’m supposed to do.”

“The positivity within me attracts positive experiences.”

“I am a perfect child of god/goddess, loved in every moment in every way.”

Rev. Shellie Enteen is a Registered Aromatherapist with over 30 years of experience and practice. Shellie has spoken at professional conferences, taught continuing education in Aromatherapy, and continues to provide online classes and continuing education through the SC Allied Health Education Corporation. She wrote the column “The Aromatic Message” for Massage Today magazine from 2003-2013 and her articles appeared in Massage Magazine and The Aromatherapy Journal of the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy, where she served on the Board for nine years as Vice President.

We kindly invite your comments below. Rev. Shellie Enteen is also available for consultations and online classes thr