Cromer pier and the Pavilion Theatre where the Conference took place

Rosana Souto S. Vieira

The idea of bringing people together from all around the world to celebrate and to share the common inspiration which we draw from Dr Bach and his work {1}, an old dream of Julian Barnard and Nickie Murray, on the occasion of Dr Bach’s centenary birth, would only come true now, twenty years later, at the International Bach Cromer Conference, held on September 23 and 24 in England.

However, the Conference was much more than a celebration of Edward Bach’s 120th birthday. It was also a mark for the unification of the Bach flower remedies  world, thus signaling the dawning of a new phase of cooperation between the several researchers and flower essence producers. A tribute to Edward Bach and his loyal friends, Nora Weeks and Victor Bullen, who were responsible for the propagation and consolidation of his work after his death.

The conference was the result of two years of intensive work by the Bach Essence Producers, a group of Bach flower remedies producers, composed of Vivien Williamson, from England, Gerard Wolf, from France, and also Julian Barnard, who took the initiative of inviting Judy Howard, the present Bach Centre’s trustee,  to join them in the job. With a non-commercial event in mind, Judy joined the group as well as several Bach flower essences authorities  linked to the Bach Centre, enabling this old dream to come true.

The sidewalk along the upper shore	As soon as I arrived in Cromer, I could understand why Edward Bach liked that charming little town so much, known as the “gem of the Norfolk coast “. The sidewalk along its entire upper shore invites us to walk and observe the sea waves meeting the shore. It is possible to view the pier from everywhere. It’s the main tourist attraction where everything happens, as well as the conference.

From the distance, the sea reflects like a mirror. However, this calmness is misleading because it was in Cromer where Dr. Bach, rescuing a castaway, started to gather some of the first essences of his emergency combination. Cromer even has a museum dedicated to the men who risked their lives in the sea to save others.

Everything went well and according to schedule. The organizers surprised us with an overdose of hospitality, good humour and creativity to overcome any difficulties we might have. Everything had been thought out and structured carefully and tenderly – from the beautiful Cerato identification badges, to the tours to visit the place where Dr Bach found that plant in the past, and the cakes to sing “happy birthday”. We felt at home and entirely welcomed by the large support staff.

Richard Katz, director of the Flower Essence Society (USA) was responsible for the Conference’s opening lecture. Richard was there to pay a tribute to Edward Bach and did so in a magnificent way.

Combining his skill in dealing with technological advances, to his deep sensitivity, simplicity and clarity of expression, Richard Katz gifted us with a historical panorama of the challenges we have to face through time to keep loyal to ourselves, to our true origin and purpose. By making a retrospective since the earlier times of Edward Bach as a physician to the present times, he presented several Bach remedies with reverence, wisdom and humbleness, deeply touching our hearts. Brilliant!

Richard Katz

Judy spoke to us with her heart, and transmitted to us her love, caring and respect for the inheritance she had received from her antecessors.

Later on, on the first day, we would still hear the representative from Japan, Dr. Makio Ishikawa, who traced a parallel between the oriental philosophy and Edward Bach’s, and presented his clinical research of the flower remedies effects on the blood of depressive patients. Teresita Spinosa, from Chile, shared the initiatives of using flower essences in penitentiaries and other public institutions, as well as the steps taken at present to regulate Flower Essence  Therapy in her country.

Sílvia Afarano and Mario Schwartz, from Argentina, brought a film – Bach in Latin America – with testimonials from several researchers of Edward Bach’s work, especially in Spanish-speaking countries in South America. Through Eduard Grecco, Barbara Espeche and Claudia Stern among others, we came to know the course of the Bach remedies and the development of flower essence therapy in those countries. A beautiful work by our colleagues who live so close to us.

Siliva Alfarano, Mario Schwartz & Gerard Wolf

The nice representatives from Cuba, Drs. Concepción Campa and Sol Inês Rodriguez brought a marvelous panel of the flower essence  therapy development in their country’s health system. Due to economical embargos, not only did fitotherapy find its space in Cuba, but the flower essences as well represent an alternative in the majority of the hospitals, which benefits the Cuban population.

Mechthild Sheffer	Mechthild Scheffer, from Germany, with her characteristic accent and good humour, brought us her practical view of Flower Essence Therapy by presenting the recently created cards which she uses to help when selecting the Bach remedies.

However, Vivien Williamson and Gérard Wolf were in charge of the most fun and relaxed part of the afternoon. Both chose to do a performance to talk about sex and the Bach remedies. A Frenchman and a shy English lady - what a couple! Applauses to Vivien and Gerard who surprised us with their talents.	Vivien Williamson & Gerard Wolf

At the end of that day, Martine Winnington and her assistants conducted the participants in a lovely Bach flower circular dance session at the pier in the evening. A wonderful scenario full of joy.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay. Before returning to Brasil, I had been invited to take part of a round table discussion at the Red Lion, a pub Dr. Bach used to go to. The symposium, as it would be called, was an opportunity to debate issues concerning the participants. The organizers invited some people to answer and discuss the audience’s questions. I was one of them, along with Dominique Bourgeois and Philipe Deroit, from France, Ricardo Mateo, from Spain, Bárbara Espeche, from Argentina, Derian Turner, from Australia, Donatella Tordoni, from Italy, Arden Wong, from China, among others. Glen Storhaug, editor and poet, was our mediator and our time controller. A true gentleman!

The symposium was an important opportunity to share my way of working with the Bach remedies, in a way to guarantee the freedom to address my clients’ needs regardless the rules - the freedom for the work of a man who preached freedom in all levels. Later on, some people approached me and thanked me for the way I exposed my opinions. Thank you for that opportunity, Julian!

We went back to the hotel feeling tired. I still managed to catch the ending of a jazz concert that was on that night. But it didn’t last long. I thought it was better to walk than trying to sleep. The excitement was enormous; my head was spinning from speaking and thinking in English so much. Enjoying the safety of the place, I went to admire the sea.

The following day would still be the source of great joy to all of us. After all, it was Dr. Bach’s birthday.

Patricia Kaminski

Patrícia Kaminski, director of the Flower Essence Society, began the day’s work with enthusiasm and inspiration. Informally, she got loud applauses from the audience when she reminded us that we were flowers from Edward Bach’s seeds. Besides that, Patricia Kaminski showed us why she is considered one of the greatest authorities in Flower Essence Therapy. Her presentation which was based on Alchemy and the tradition of ancient civilizations applied to the Bach remedies, gave us a deep insight about the healing level that the Bach remedies represent in the evolution of mankind.

Unfortunately, time was short to go through the alchemic work of all the Bach remedies she brought. That was a pity, because the subject is truly fascinating, even more so when presented by Patricia Kaminski with such depth, assertiveness and enthusiasm. We were left with the promise of having this subject in a future book soon.

Next, Dr. Audun Myskja from Norway, enchanted us all with his guitar, and made us understand the reason why he received the “2005 Doctor of the Year”  title {2} in his country. For years Dr. Myskia has been linking work with the flower remedies to music, by finding rhythms and composing appropriate songs for his private patients or for patients from geriatric institutions, including the ones who suffer from Parkinson’s disease. Fantastic!

Dr. Audun Myskja

That morning, we still had the presentation by Dr. Julia Tsuei, from Taiwan, reporting the beneficial effects of her “massive” flower essence therapy in that country. What can we do when there are so many to be attended and we can only afford a few minutes for each one?
To guarantee her great number of patients to have access to the flower essences, Dr. Tsuei started working with formulas addressing the main issues of the population in question.  By tracking and registering the effects of the essences, she has been able to consolidate flower essence therapy in her country and to promote the research in this area, with the creation of an important data bank.

Following, Derian Turner, responsible for the introduction of the Bach remedies into Australia, shared the story of that pioneering journey.

At present, that property which once belonged to Dr. Bach’s friends, is the headquarters of a religious institution that maintains the gardens by charging a small fee for visits. There not only did we find Cerato, which certainly wasn’t like the old days, but we also saw some other specimens of the Bach flowers like a beautiful Honeysuckle and lots of Holly bushes. Near the parking lot, Clematis was spreading over other plants on the hillside that lined the sea. We took the chance to take a close look at it.

Cerato

Honeysuckle	Clematis

We almost missed lunch. When we went back, there wasn’t much to eat at the bars near the pier. We got some sandwiches that we could still find at a deli, and ate them on the way to the auditorium.

The following lecture was by Glenn – Glenn Storhaug, editor and poet – and he would present the results of one of his latest adventures.  Not in the Himalayas,  searching for Cerato, but in Chicago, in search for more information about Edward Bach.

And so it was. As I entered the hall, Glenn was starting his lecture about his research through Gregory Vlamis archive (author of Rescue – Bach Flowers for immediate relief, Ed. Roca –), possibly the most extensive existent archive on Dr. Bach’s life and family.

Glenn Storhaug, Rosana Vieira & Graham Challifour

With a quick, precise and poetic speech, typical of his nature, Glenn Storhaug gifted us with excerpts and new images of Edward Bach’s life. He told us of his mentors, his relationship with Mary Tabor and Nora Weeks and, finally, he left us with an original frontal photo of Edward Bach, with his receding hairline and soft smile. It was great to finally see our dearest master in a frontal picture! I became deeply thankful to Glenn for having undertaken this journey. It was worth it!

The representative of the Bach Centre for courses in England, Lynn Macwhinnie came next, breaking some of the magic we were in, with a fast and vehement speech about the educational proposal she follows.

However, the day would have some even more special moments in store for us with the presentations of Julian Barnard and Luciana Chammas, Brasil’s representative.

Julian came soon after the break. How to define his presentation? Sincerely, perhaps this might not be possible, because in the dimension to which we were taken by his speech, words are not the best instrument to express our feelings. The heart is enough for that. And it was with his heart that Julian Barnard, the main articulator of this event, told us about the expedition he undertook to the Himalayas, in August 2004, aiming to find Cerato in the wild. One expedition that Edward Bach himself, with no doubt, would have liked to have done.

When thanking Annie Wang, his kind guide and interpreter in China, and friends Glenn Storhaug and Graham Challifour, who went along with him, Julian didn’t resemble the one that just minutes earlier, was running from side to side, taking care of things, helping people and usually in a hurry. He simply stopped and let the yin energy of Cerato quiet him and involve him completely.  At that moment, Julian Barnard was Cerato itself, letting flow, through himself, all the wisdom of his Higher Self so that we could drink from that purest source. Thus, we were able to see him as he really is: deeply wise and sensitive, certainly, the most faithful representative of Edward Bach.

Julian Barnard & Cerato

He ended up touched by emotion as all of us were, and gave way to Luciana Chammas’s presentation, the present director of Healingherbs in Brasil, who was there with the difficult task of substituting a friend, former director and mentor of several social projects with flower essences, Elizabeth Bruno, who passed away in 2005.

Julian, made a point in leaving Luciana’s presentation to the end, as a way of causing more contemplation about the highest ideals from Edward Bach  and also to pay homage to his dearest friend Beth.

Despite the emotion and the weight of her responsibility, Luciana Chammas conducted her presentation with assertiveness and simplicity, showing the several social initiatives supported by Healingherbs in Brasil, among them, the activities performed at “Núcleo Mãe Maria/ Os Seareiros”, in Campinas, where I am a  volunteer. Besides that, she showed one of the most important actual tendencies of social work in Brasil concerning flower essences; the conducting of the so-called social courses, for social agents as well as groups in need, as a way of educating them for the Heal thyself.  Luciana Chammas shared the adventure of taking one of these courses to a little town in the Amazon, introducing the concept of health and disease by Edward Bach to the simple people, awakening them to the care and respect for themselves and for nature. A true tribute to Elizabeth Bruno’s pioneering spirit in favor of Edward Bach’s legacy.

At this point, we couldn’t hold our tears back. Lots of applauses and emotional hugs. Beth’s message had started to reach the world and Luciana, in the spotlight, had taken over, once and for all, the inheritance she had been given.

Final discussion	After that, the organizers promoted a little discussion to gather the audience’s impressions. A moment of contemplation about everything we had experienced during those two days.

Soon we would be called to sing “Happy Birthday to You” to Dr Bach, in our own languages, each one in its time. 12 cakes, with 10 candles each, were waiting for us: carefully decorated and deliciously prepared by Julian Barnard and Judy Howard’s great support staff. Crab Apple jelly-filled cakes, Cherry Plum jelly, Walnut cakes or cakes decorated with walnuts and champagne for the toast.	The birthday cakes

Annie Wang, Rosana Vieira, Raphael Kleimann & Arden Wong	Rosana Vieira e Cerato por Arden Wong

Joy was contagious to everyone. After all, we were among family members, Edward Bach’s true family. The ones giving their most and having the freedom to choose, according to their possibilities and facing different realities and cultures, the best way to lead their people to the flower essences, thus assuring the expansion and continuity of Edward Bach’s work in the world.

The conference showed us that there is no right or wrong in Flower Essence Therapy, but instead, it showed us what is possible to do in order to let the energy of the flowers benefit the greatest number of people.

The sunset at the pier was wonderful. A perfect scenario for the farewells and photographs – a happy ending for Dr. Bach’s jubilee.

Julian Barnard, Rui & Luciana Chammas	Luciana Chammas, Rosana Vieira & Teresita Spinosa (Chile)

The nightfall at the pier

References
1 – Julian Barnard for the FES summer 2006 newsletter
2 – According to Ralph Raphael Kleinman

All photos by Rosana Vieira except the one by Arden Wong ( arden@gentlemedicine.info )

INSTITUTO COSMOS DE TERAPIA FLORAL
R: Serra da Mantiqueira, 125 - Jd. Proença - Campinas / SP - CEP 13026.540
Fone / Fax: (19) 3233 4861 - www.cosmosinstituto.com.br