Gentian for Those Who are Losing Heart

Posted by Skywriter on Mar 14, 2009
©2004 by Connie Barrett

EDITORS: NOTE: As Vibration moves from a quarterly essence ezine to a blog, it’s fitting that one of our first contributors is Connie Barrett, whose excellent and insightful articles have been a mainstay in our ezine for all of its 10 years.


Gentian, a flower remedy by Bach and Healing Herbs, is for feelings of discouragement and doubt which may be caused by even small obstacles. The cause of depression is always known. The remedy teaches faith and trust.

The Gentian Personality

“Discouragement” is a keyword for the negative Gentian personality, but what matters most is the source of this discouragement. Anyone can experience a setback that makes them feel temporarily unable to move forward to achieve their goals, and this may cause a temporary negative Gentian state. In the chronic Gentian state, though, discouragement is habitual.

Part of this state relates to their firm rooting in the physical world. They trust the evidence of their senses (”seeing is believing”), logic (”adds up”), statistics (”it’s a known fact that the physical body declines with age”), or an authority (”the doctor says that vitamins are useless.”).

A Gentian type is amazed by those friends of hers who have gotten involved with metaphysics. “Show me these other dimensions. Are you sure you aren’t having some kind of mental breakdown?” If she practices a religion, it will most likely be one that’s integrally related to her upbringing or cultural background. The refusal to believe in anything not of the physical world or in one’s own immediate perception is one source of the Gentian problem.

This doesn’t mean that people in the Gentian state aren’t spiritual seekers. They are, but they want evidence. They need, for example, to see a report that doctors are getting good results with vibrational healing methods or learn that the physician to the British royal family prescribes homeopathic remedies. What they lack and most need is faith, trust in senses other than the physical, and a sense of themselves as part of a greater whole.

The lack of faith is a key element in Gentian discouragement. They especially lack faith in themselves and in the inner voice that wants to guide them to make decisions that smooth their path in life and ease their ability to fulfill their dreams. Reason, logic, and statistics don’t tell us who we are and what we need to be happy.

Imagine that you discover within yourself a dream longing to be fulfilled. I had a dream years ago of opening a metaphysical store. The economy was in recession, I had no experience in retail business, and I had a steady job that paid good money. To consider taking such a risk was madness. The only difference between me and a Gentian person was that instead of listening to reason, I followed the voice inside that insisted this was the path of greatest joy and told me I could do it. I’ve been on that path since 1987, and though there have been moments of discouragement, it has truly been a path of joy and fulfillment.

Silencing the Voice Within

A person who needs Gentian has lost her ability to hear the inner voice. As a result, she makes choices that aren’t harmonious with her desires and dreams. When they don’t work out, she tells the world, “See, I told you so. I knew it wouldn’t come through.” She comes to expect disappointment and goes into each new experience anticipating failure. It’s no wonder that her expectation is fulfilled. A Gentian person eventually learns to avoid disappointment and discouragement by making cautious choices that involve little risk and little joy. Because she isn’t generating much life-giving energy by imagining the fulfillment of her dreams and little joy on the path to achieving them, she may end up being in a habitual state of depression.

The role of the Gentian flower remedy is to revitalize enthusiasm and optimism. After taking a course of it, Gentian people will still be less willing than others to accept ideas on faith, but they will be able to encounter difficulty without becoming discouraged. They will keep on going, strengthened by the faith that their own lives are connected to a greater purpose.

Supportive Measures

Though Gentian-style depression has known causes, those who experience it can benefit by meditating on a quotation: “If ye have faith, even as a little mustard seed, then nothing shall be impossible to you.”

Gentian people can benefit also by reading about miracles; in fact they should read about at least one a day. They will benefit from turning off the news when disasters are reported and by being actively open to hearing good news.

If a friend reports news that really excites them, they can get inspired by listening with their hearts, opening themselves to absorb their friend’s enthusiasm. I recommend the following mantra: “This could happen to me.” If you feel disbelief, stretch your belief boundaries just a little.

Sometimes initial small steps are best. Don’t suddenly launch a risky project, especially if you feel dubious about it. Build your success-generating muscles with less risky goals — and always be sure to break your goals into lesser steps, stopping to acknowledge yourself when you achieve one of them.

Think of all the things science can’t explain. Why do birds fly south, and how do they know how to get there? Did you know that butterflies go through four generations in a migration? Why do they start when they know they won’t finish?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Long one of Vibration Magazine’s most valued contributors, Connie Barrett does flower essence counseling for people and pets, including by email. Her website is at www.eftconsultations.com. She also teaches by email a course on the chakras, on prosperity, and on love, including the use of crystals and essences for realizing your dreams. She writes and publishes two free monthly email newsletters.

For more of Connie’s insights about flower essences and how to use them, visit her collection of articles at www.rainbowcrystal.com/bach/bach.html. Email her at http://www.eftconsultations.com/emailus.shtml