When we're not focused in the present - II

When we are travelling, whether by car, plane or public transport, it’s easy to see we might need the Clematis flower remedy.  Our mind is running on ahead, thinking of obstacles we may encounter, or the next stage of our trip, watching the time, going over our plans, anxious about what lies ahead.  Almost by definition we are not grounded in the present.

One of the many folk names for the wild Clematis Vitalba is Traveller’s Joy.  Relating this to the doctrine of signatures, we can see the connection with our lack of travelling mindfulness. The Clematis drifts over hedge after hedge, never content to remain in one place, forever roaming ahead.  It was termed Travellers Joy by the 17^th century herbalist John Gerard and my favourite interpretation of that comes from an article in the Guardian by Phil Gates. “… where my grandparents lived in the 1960s was half a mile from the nearest street lamp, and the bus stop across the road stood in total darkness on winter evenings… As the bus turned the corner its headlight beams would sweep along the downy clematis seed heads that clung to the hedge like clouds of smoke, before it drew to a halt and the doors opened to the light and warmth within. As we peered out through the steamed–up windows the traveller’s joy in the hedge became indelibly associated with that feeling of relief…”

Relief … interestingly, in the language of flowers, wild clematis stands for security and safety – the antithesis of woolly-headed meandering.  And so it is appropriate that when we take the Clematis essence, our energy and  attention is brought back to the here and now.  Our connection to the present is restored – safe and secure.

Drawing by Henck van Bilsen

 

 

Not focused in the present?

When we make silly mistakes, such as leaving our car keys in the fridge, or forgetting our phone, it’s usually because we are ‘miles away’ rather than living in the present.  It isn’t that we can’t focus on what needs attention right now, it’s just that our mind has temporarily escaped our control.  We don’t really hear what is said to us, we become physically uncoordinated – bumping into things – or we drive on ‘automatic pilot’, arriving home without being able to remember any of the journey.

Often this happens when we are tired and our poor brains, in struggling to cope with the endless input of stimuli or information, give up the attempt in a momentary AWOL.  Those who meditate learn how to bring their minds back to the present moment, but that’s not a choice for everyone.  Nor is escaping to a long holiday on a hot beach, which may be why we're day-dreaming.

Artist: Henck van Bilsen 

But what we can do is take a few doses of the Clematis flower remedy.  This helps us concentrate fully, bringing our energy back to the here and now.  Whether we are spaced out from tiredness, shock (after bad news, say, or an accident) or we’re just wool-gathering – instead of focusing on the work in hand – Clematis will bring our attention back to the present. “Attention is the art of connection and the reward for attention is always healing.” ~ Julia Cameron

Finding the time for patience

When we are feeling impatient we are often irritable as well, and these go together whenever time is a factor – slow-moving traffic, work deadlines, getting the children ready for school, queueing in shops and so on.

We find other people are too slow, and there are never enough hours in the day.  Some of this has arisen because technology is so instant:  it has trained us to be impatient and irritable with anyone who doesn’t reply to a text, voicemail or email within a few short minutes.  There’s a term for this impatience now – hurry sickness, “a malaise in which a person feels chronically short of time, and so tends to perform every task faster and to get flustered when encountering any kind of delay.”

Then according to British psychologist Lee Chambers*, “We lose patience with those we love who don’t move at the same speed […] and we struggle to be connected and empathetic, as emotional support for others is a time drain.”   This can lead to feeling that we are increasingly isolated from those around us.  If we constantly decline help (believing we can do everything faster by ourselves) other people will leave us to it.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” African proverb

The stress related to this impatience and irritation is, of course, damaging to our health and it is even considered to be detrimental to our longevity, as revealed in a long-term study.  In Okinawa, Japan, there are twice as many locals (per 100,000) reaching 100 years old as there are in parts of Europe.  These Japanese centenarians have a slower sense of time, and little idea of punctuality.  They apparently have stress-resistant personalities, having been found to have a stress-resistance gene that is associated with longevity. 

Socialising is also one of the reasons many Okinawans live healthily to a hundred and more.  But, adds the research lead, Dr Bradley Willcox**, their secret to a long and healthy life, “really boils down to balance.” 

Balance is what most of us are looking for, to feel at peace, and in harmony with others, rather than out there all by ourselves.  Taking the flower remedy Impatiens will help to restore our equilibrium, and to remind us that we are all dependent on each other.

Image by uniquehumour    

* In the Huffington Post.

** As reported by the World Economic Forum