What remedy should be chosen when you can’t say no, asked Bach practitioner Suchitra Hari of her Instagram audience. Clearly, Centaury is the flower we immediately think of, but looking deeper it’s possible to consider many – if not most – of the remedies in terms of being unable or unwilling to say no.
For instance, we need Beech if we can’t say no to the temptation of criticising those around them. Or Willow if we can't refuse a chance to wallow in self-pity; Heather if we can’t resist an opening to talk about ourselves. Hornbeam when we can’t say no to an excuse to procrastinate. And so on.
Obviously the inability to say no is very different in the
case of Centaury, not least because as Dr Bach pointed out, “Centaury, she is
weak, I know [but she will] soon grow bigger and stronger.” But the real lesson
in saying no, lies in the fact that to grow spiritually, emotionally and
mentally we need to be able to recognise those occasions when we’re inclined to
think or do something against our better judgment, against our intuitive
wisdom. “I can resist anything but
temptation,” said Oscar Wilde, and part of our learning in this life is
recognising when temptation arises, and that it is an opportunity to face our
demon, to identify our ‘fault lines’, to develop self-discipline, and to overcome
an obstacle to growth so that we are stronger and wiser when we face the next.
Here are a few more Bach flowers to test your knowledge of
both the remedies and your default inclinations when you are in need of:
White Chestnut can’t
resist ….
Wild Oat is
tempted by …
Water Violet can’t
say no to …
Holly is very inclined to …
Impatiens finds
it irresistible …
Pine is
unable to reject the opportunity …
Clematis never
says no to …
Larch can’t
turn his back on …
Rock Water is
unable to resist …
Cerato can’t
refuse the temptation to …
The answers (in no particular order) are:
- going over and over in his mind
- to do the job by herself
- the temptation to shut himself away
- holding to rigidly held routines and principles
- ask others for advice
- all kinds of avenues to explore
- the habit of avoiding risk
- to blame herself, often unwarrantedly
- be malicious and hurtful
- the lure of day-dreaming
