This morning the (very) old apple tree beckoned. I could see the topmost branches in bloom from the upstairs windows. Waited until the rain stopped so I could bring my camera on the excursion. Although the tree is quite nearby as the crow flies, I’m obliged to take the longer walking route that’s quickly infested with luxuriant mounds of poison ivy. Today the first red trails of leaf shoots were everywhere.

Every year the apple tree and I have a tender reunion right around the time it begins to flower. My personal connection to the Apple flower medicine spirit was forged in 2005, when I had the good fortune to keep a dedicated flower essence garden near the top of a hillside orchard. Throughout that year’s spring, summer, and fall, I roamed all over the 65 acre farm, which included an orchard of mixed fruit trees. I got to know certain trees really well including a stately pair of pear trees, a very elderly peach, and the two rows of nectarine trees that grew closest to my garden. Below is an image of my directional orientation process while I was constructing a stone compass from the rocks I dug out of the ground.

Today I thought back to that extended season of learning and teaching that crystallized and ultimately defined the graduation stage of my life’s middle/mother phase. Spending time with the old apple tree evoked a lot of memories that span significant changes in the world, the orchard, and my own life. Gardening in a sun soaked environment prepared me for the daily ebb and flow of working in our little field, here in the present tense. Wandering among the orchard trees taught me what powerfully liminal experiences they engender. Over time I’ve found that continuing to work with the essences I co-created in the landscape above is particularly healing and illuminating when my relationship to the flowers has continued to deepen and expand. Apple flower essence shakes out cobwebs and reboots sluggishness in the mind, spirit, and soul. It also promotes optimism governed by practicality and common sense.

During the five year research project that preceded my time at the orchard, I learned that apple buds have their own unique properties. Here’s a brief excerpt from the Sparkling Lotus Handbook of Flower Essences:

NOTE:  An essence prepared from apple blossom buds is considered an especially lovely child’s remedy.  Co-create this essence as/when apples tree buds are available, rather than waiting for need to arise and attempting to find what you need from a commercial repertory.  Apple Bud serves as a wellness tonic as well as providing energetic crisis management support.  Whenever possible, add to remedies geared towards soothing the wounds of mistreatment.

I’ve found apple bud essence to be a great ally for seedling transplants, as well as keeping a clear mind and a steady energy flow at the beginning of a significant writing/research project.