notes 26/8/10

Call on Archangel Uriel for help through this transition and for help in dispelling any negative energies.

He came through holding marigolds as a herb/flower essence/homeopathic remedy, (see below for a summary researched from various websites/blogs)

The Basics of Using Marigold to Improve Your Health
http://thebasicsofanything.com/the-basics-of-using-marigold-to-improve-your-health

The common marigold, also known as calendula, with its cheerful orange flower is a familiar sight in cottage gardens and has been popular at least since the days of the Romans. They used the flowers as a tea to relieve fevers and the juice of the crushed flowers to apply to warts. The flowers were used as a cosmetic, a dye and to colour a variety of foods including soups and conserves.

Marigold or calendula flowers, according to Culpeper, are a herb of the sun and under the influ­ence of Leo. They have always been associated with the sun’s journey across the sky because they open when the sun rises and close as it sets. Shakespeare, as the lines above suggest, was aware of marigold’s association with pain and grief. Some say this is because the flower daily mourns the departure of the sun when its petals are forced to close.

Marigold’s healing properties were well known to the old herbalists throughout the centuries. It was considered a magic plant: apparently if you wore marigolds you could see who had robbed you. It was also used to protect against evil influences and dis­ease including the plague. Despite its being a symbol of grief, Culpeper and Gerard refer to marigold as a ‘comforter of the heart and spirits’. In the Middle Ages St Hildegard and Albert the Great used it for intestinal troubles, liver obstructions, insect and snake bites. In the 16th and 17th centuries marigold tea was used for eye complaints, headaches, jaundice and toothache.

Herbal remedy
Marigold flowers have antiseptic and astringent properties provided by the volatile oils, tannins and a yellow resin called calendulin. They stimulate the immune system and enhance the body’s fight against infection. Research has shown marigold to be effec­tive in controlling flu and herpes viruses, to reduce lymphatic congestion and infections, and swollen lymph glands. It is antibacterial, it can check amoebal infections and worms in the bowel and is one of the best plants for treating fungal infections such as thrush. It has been used for pelvic and bowel infections, including enteritis and dysentery and for viral hepatitis.

In hot infusion marigold stimulates the circulation and promotes perspiration, and thereby helps the body to throw off toxins and bring out eruptions such as measles and chickenpox. It improves poor circulation and varicose veins, and is a good remedy for treating fevers and infections, such as colds and flu, particularly in children.

Marigold has an affinity for the female reproduc­tive system. It regulates menstruation, reduces tension in the uterine muscles and relieves menstrual cramps. It has an oestrogenic effect which helps relieve menopausal symptoms and reduces breast congestion which cause tenderness and mastitis. Its astringent properties help reduce excessive bleeding and uterine congestion. Marigold has a reputation for treating rumours and cysts of the female reproductive system, such as fibroids and ovarian cysts, as well as cysts in the breast and digestive tract. During child­birth it promotes contractions and delivery of the placenta. For this reason it should not be used during pregnancy.

In the digestive tract marigold makes a wonderful healing remedy for gastritis and peptic ulcers, for inflammation and irritation of the lining of the stom­ach and bowels. It dries catarrh in the stomach, checks diarrhoea and stops bleeding. The bitters stimulate the actions of the liver and gall-bladder, relieving congestion and preventing gallstones. They enhance the secretion of bile and digestive enzymes, improving digestion and absorption. They also stimu­late bowel function and relieve ‘liverish’ symptoms such as headaches, nausea, lethargy and irritability. By enhancing the function of the liver, the great detoxi­fying organ in the body, marigold helps to cleanse the body of toxins. It also has a diuretic action and increases the elimination of toxins through the urine. Marigold has been used to relieve rheumatism, arthritis and gout – aided by its small salicylic content which adds to its anti-inflammatory action.

Externally, marigold has pride of place as a first aid remedy to staunch bleeding of cuts and abrasions, as an antiseptic healer for sores and ulcers, and to prevent putrefaction of cuts and wounds. Used in tincture, infusion or simply by crushing a flower, it rapidly promotes tissue repair and minimizes scar formation, resolves inflammation, swelling and exudate due to injuries, and reduces venous congestion. Compresses applied to bruises, sprains and strains will reduce swelling and pain. A crushed flower can be rubbed on to insect bites, wasp or bee stings.
An infusion can be used as a mouthwash for inflamed gums, a douche for vaginal infections, or an eyewash for sore, inflamed eye conditions.

Homeopathic remedy: Calendula
Calendula is used for injuries where the pain is out of all proportion to the injury. As a tincture, it is taken internally for its remarkable ability to speed healing. It is particularly useful for wounds which may suppurate, and to prevent cuts, injuries and inflammatory problems becoming infected. It can be used after operations and tooth extractions, for skin conditions, particularly erysipelas, and for catarrhal conditions and deafness.

As in herbal medicine, calendula has an affinity for the female reproductive system. It can be taken for heavy or irregular periods, chronic cervicitis, uter­ine pain with a feeling of stretching and dragging in the groin, and an enlarged uterus

The flower essence
To the Aztecs marigold represented the cycles of life. As it followed the sun’s journey across the sky so also it developed from seed to leaves and stem, then it grew buds and flowers that opened with the sun, and once again produced seed, the womb of the flower. Such is the flow of life eternal. As a flower essence marigold is related to the Word, the source of all creation, the womb of all life. ‘In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God as the apostle John wrote. There is a connection between the Word and marigold’s affinity with the womb in both herbal medicine and homeopathy. Marigold’s use extends into the creative force of the written or spoken word and can be used to enhance communi­cation through this medium. Calendula helps people to listen compassionate­ly to others, to understand their message clearly, and to express warmth and caring in return. This can be applied well to those in healing, teaching or counselling professions and to help authors to be aware of the power of the written word. Calendula helps to balance the feminine aspect of receptivity with the masculine aspect of dynamic activity.
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Also good for emotional trauma, grief, self judgement, enhancing pyschic abilities.
Vitality. Provides a greater flow of life force.