RESTORING THE BLOOM
FLOWER ESSENCES ADDRESS ANIMALS' EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

     A Mt. Shasta Woman creates flower essences and prescribes them for animals after communicating with them psychically.

By John Crowe
Staff Reporter Redding Record Searchlight 4-3-98

     Flower Power is not a catch-phrase of the '60s for Sharon Callahan. It's what her business, Anaflora, is all about. The Mt. Shasta resident prescribes flower essences for animals.

     And just what are flower essences?

     The question is best answered by first saying what they are not, which is perfumes. They are not a distillation of floral scents.

     Rather, the liquids, which are usually shipped out in one ounce eyedropper bottles, are, in the words of one of Callahan's brochures "potent non-aromatic vibrational liquids that are taken internally to create profound healing and change."

     Callahan said her clients have sought out her flower essences to help their cats overcome their avoidance of litter boxes, to soothe a skittishness and hyperactivity in dogs and cats, even to get a painfully thin elephant back on her diet and out of a deep depression.

     The names given the essence formulas make it clear what condition they are intended to treat: Return to Joy (for the animal that has suffered abuse of any kind), BeGone (for pets bedeviled by fleas), Calm Kitty (calms and soothes everyday nervousness), Senior (eases arthritis pain, helps strengthen kidney and bladder function), Harmony, (to aid the introduction of a second animal or a new baby into the home) and many others.

     Because Callahan believes there is a spiritual connection among all living things, she says many of her essences are good for people, too.

PSYCHIC COMMUNICATION

     The flower essence business grew from Callahan's work as an animal communicator, which remains an essential part of her flower essence therapy.

     It works like this:

     The pet owner gets in touch with Callahan by mail or phone and describes whatever particular problems the pet has. Following and sometimes prior to the communication with the owner a photograph of the animal is sent.

     Callahan then "reads" the photo, communicating with the animal on a psychic level.

     She rarely deals with the animal directly, explaining "I get a clearer reading with the pictures than directly. It (the photograph alone) cuts out the extraneous sensory input from the animal and owner.


     "Distance doesn't matter with psychic information. Animals have never lost the ability to communicate over great distances."

     For her part, Callahan says she has refined her ability to tap into animals' vibrations or psychic signals from years of experience and because she works in her Mount Shasta home free of distractions.

     It's a place where there's no TV and where quests leave their shoes at the door. Once she's tuned into what a dog, cat or elephant needs, the essences come into play.

     She might prescribe Tranquility for the oversensitive animal. Or, St. Francis Formula for Injured Birds.

     The essences are taken orally, a few drops a day.

     Callahan says her essences are intended to deal with animals' emotional problems while other therapies are used for physical problems.

     "I always work with the vets. Flower essences work as complements to other therapies," she said. Herbs and conventional medications are bioactive they interact with the physical body. She added. The Anaflora essences are psychoactive they interact with the emotional, spiritual or soul side of the animal.

     She added, however, that "all illness originates at an emotional level."

     She also admitted that her clients, most of them women-try the flower essences only after trying more conventional medical approaches first.

     And when veterinarians turn to her, it is often as a last resort.

     Callahan said the essences she prescribes almost always have a positive effect, "but I don't give false hopes. If (an animal) is going to die, I say so."

THE ESSENCE OF IT ALL

     Creating the essences is a multi-step process that begins among the flowers.

     First, Callahan takes a clear glass bowl out to an area where particular flower are at the peak of their bloom.

     Enough blossoms are picked to cover the surface of the bowl. They are left to float in the water for about four hours.

     Callahan explained that during that time the "vibrational imprint" of the flowers is transferred to the water.

     This "original tincture" is then poured into a quart jar that's half full with brandy.

     This "mother essence" is then further diluted in one-ounce stock bottles that again contain a combination of water, brandy and two drops of the mother essence.

     From the stock bottles, various blends are made, which are then sold.

     For example, the Aggression flower essence includes flower essences of tiger lily, snapdragon, bog orchid, baby blue eyes, Oregon grape, and surprisingly, poison oak. There may be anywhere from 2 to 7 drops of the different floral essences in the final product.

     Callahan said most of the essences are derived from wild flowers. Although about 10 percent are drawn from garden flowers.

     "Each flower represents a different quality and elicits a different response," she said.

DOES IT REALLY WORK?

Here are some comments:
"I've been into holistic medicine so I was familiar with flower essences. Our Lhasa Apso had a painful back. We didn't know what had happened. After going to the vet and not finding any physical cause, Sharon came to our house. She could pick up on Tigger. She mixed a special essence for him and he is wonderful now."
Joyce Meir, Mt. Shasta

"Dr. Edward Bach pioneered the use of flower essences. I prescribe them according to emotional imbalances. Animals are emotional beings. If a dog dies, for example, one still living is left with despair, uncertainty and loneliness. Flower essences help remove emotional energetic imbalances. There is an energetic exchange that goes on. It's hard to see, but we're drawn to it. Before we get physically ill there is emotional imbalance."
Neil Weiner, Lewiston Veterinarian

"We handle behavior problems through training. If a dog is fearful, for example you can try to get them used to a reward system-giving the dog positive reinforcement.

There is a basis for homeopathic medicine. The bottom line is that homeopathic methods are being evaluated scientifically."
Doug Ginno, Redding Veterinarian

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