Larch:
A Blossoming of Self-Esteem

Like Holly (for self-love) Larch, which relates to self-esteem, is one of the more generally applicable of the Bach Flower Essences.

Self-esteem relates to capabilities, i.e., what you feel you can do, what level of risk and challenge you can take on, how much confidence you have in your ability to surmount obstacles. It is a quality in which most people are lacking.

To some extent, this lack stems from the unique nature of human infancy and childhood. We are born relatively helpless and take a relatively long time to learn how to protect ourselves. Our parents, as guardians of our safety, feel that they must warn us against danger, constantly telling what not to do , where not to go. Thus, many of us may get the impression that anything our parents hasn't told us is safe, is dangerous, an impression which may persist into adulthood.

This feeling (and resultant cautious behavior) may be aggravated when parents, while consciously believing that they're protecting their children try to keep them from living more adventurous lives than they have done (and straying too far from the family fold). Such a parent may say, "I'm only thinking of your own good, and you'll never make any money as an artist" or "she's a very nice girl, but too different from you."

Classic Larch types are the people who say„without resentment or jealousy„"I can't do that." They may use excuses, such as "I'm not well enough," or "It's because I'm a woman," but they genuinely believe that those who can are superior to them. This is rarely the case.

Milder cases of Larch are much more common. I often have clients say that they've been working on their self-esteem levels, but that there's lots of room for improvement.

This is also a very good Essence for anyone who's about to do something new. When I was initially learning the coding needed to build a website I took Larch frequently.

Larch can also be given as an adjunct to other flower essences. For example, People who need the courage to stand up for themselves (Centaury) find that a dose of self-esteem strengthens their resolve.

There are probably few emotional imbalances whose cure can't be hastened with the addition of Larch into the mixture.

And for those who lack the confidence to choose their own flower essences Larch is a beautiful beginning for your explorations.

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