Ian's Update: April 2023

I welcome you with very exciting news, our Flower Insight Cards have been totally revamped and are now available. They are absolutely stunning!

I am so thrilled to be able to offer them to you as they even more fully reflect the beauty and potency of our Essences. They will help you more easily understand the clues nature has given to the healing qualities of each flower by its shape and colour - what ancient herbalists termed, the Doctrine of Signatures.

Many of the individual cards have been changed for an image of the flower that is even better than the original one. The old design of the cards was looking a tad dated and jaded – they first came out 26 years ago! 

On the new cards we have removed the border and all text on the side of the card with the image so that the image is larger and more striking. The design of the box has also been redone.

When the Insight Cards first came out the only criticism we received was having the name and the quality of the flower on the same side as the image. Some practitioners felt that this could lead to a bias when their client was looking through the pack to choose the three cards they were most attracted to.  Now people will be choosing the cards solely on the image, as we have moved the name and quality of the flower to the back of the card. 

Below are a few examples of ways you can work with the Insight Cards.

Divination – close your eyes and focus on a situation, relationship or area of your life that is stressful or feels out of balance. Shuffle the cards while still focusing on this issue then pull a card from the pack. Reflect on what insight the flower and its message is giving you regarding this stressful situation.

Visual Tuning - slowly and deliberately look through the cards and select the three flowers you are most attracted to. Are the messages from these three cards providing new insights into the major issue or issues you are currently dealing with? If there is a card that you have a strong aversion to, pull this out as well. This card may be relating to something important in your life that perhaps you are resisting or unconscious of. For many practitioners this process represents the full session with their client. Once the cards are chosen, they then spend the session discussing the relevance of the cards to what is happening with their client. Many practitioners use this method as they find the Insight Cards open a doorway to get into the very core of what with their client is needing to address.

Contact Healing – choose up to five cards and intuitively place them on your body for as long as you feel appropriate. During this time bring your awareness to the areas of your body on which the cards are resting. You can even have a second person toning or sounding the images while the cards are on you.

Tarot Reading – The cards can be incorporated into any traditional tarot spread e.g. a Celtic Cross. The interpretation of the reading can be determined intuitively by looking at the flower, its position in the Cross and what it is revealing in relation to the question being asked. At the end of my update there is an article that was originally published in the June 1997 newsletter, when the original Flower Insight Cards were released.

You can use the Flower Insight Cards with animals too. You could either select a card yourself or ask the animal’s owner to select on behalf of the animal. Alternatively, you can allow the animal to choose for itself. Jan Fowles and Jill Franks, animal carers who worked in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, had a special room with a one-way mirror, in which they laid out the Insight Cards and then allowed the animal they were treating to select its own Essence either by sitting on it or repeatedly sniffing or showing other interest in a particular card.

I would love to hear your experiences of using the Flower Insight Cards and of course if you are using them in any other unique way.

I hope that the Flower Insight Cards provide you with much joy, delight, awareness and practical benefit in using the Bush Essences.

At the 1997 Level 3 workshop 1 invited Shakti to be a guest lecturer and present a demonstration of how to do a Tarot reading using the newly released Flower Insight Cards. Her unique way of doing this was so insightful, creative and well received that I asked her to share her technique in our Newsletter. Her readings with the Flower Insight Cards are very practical and can be easily incorporated by anyone working with the Bush Essences. Below is a reprint of that original article which was first published in 1997. 

Much Love, Light and Respect

IAN WHITE

Founder & Managing Director

Exploring Tarot and Using Flower Insight Cards by Shakti

Hi everyone! I am a physiotherapist who over 8 years ago branched out from the more traditional forms of therapy studied at Cumberland College of Health Sciences to include other modalities such as tarot, counselling and rebirthing in my treatment regimes. For the last three and a half years I have been using Ian’s set of photos of the Bush Flower Essences in the same way as I would a traditional tarot pack.

So began an exciting journey into mediumship that I had not bargained for. Despite having worked clairvoyantly for some years prior to this shift, I found reading flower photos was indeed different.  Where I had previously received messages directly from the Light and various spirit guides, it felt as though angels and other beings were now whispering in my ear. The soft and most definitely different energy coming through opened up a whole new world of relationship for me which was further enhanced by the experience of working with Bram Zaalberg in 1994. Bram is an extraordinary, sensitive man who dearly loves the flowers, angels and all the other beings he has come to know. He works with techniques that help us develop a greater connectedness to this world. Consequently, I was able to receive more of the information and thus had more to give in my readings.

The layout I generally use is the traditional Celtic cross, which I will describe in detail shortly. I also use a number of other simple formats when a ‘quick reading’ is in order. One of these is a three-card reading – 1st card for the past, 2nd card for the present and 3rd for projected future outcome or issues. In this case, the 2nd and 3rd Essences are the ones I would use in a remedy unless I got a strong feeling to bring in the ‘past’ or call on other remedies. The use of the cards is limited only by your imagination and available time in the clinical setting.

For the purpose of demonstrating the Celtic Cross method, I thought ‘who better to do a reading for than Ian.’ We chose the writing and consequent outcome of his next book to be the focus of the reading. This, of course, is only a general summary rather than a deep synopsis of Ian's personal and business life.

Below is a diagram of the layout of the reading. I have then given a description in numbered order of the card positions, what they depict, followed by an overview of what that card means in relation to the question at hand.

1. The Significator – is the card that represents the client at this time, their general ‘essence’ or who they are being in the world. In this case Sturt Desert Pea is the Significator. It tells me that Ian is going through a time of deep hurt and pain. This will of course be affecting both his motivation to be writing and also the book content and flavour to a degree. I know too that the Part 2 workshop is more experiential in nature and that Ian’s opening of the heart and letting go of past hurts is reflected in the changing nature of his face-to-face teaching as well as his writing.

The very strong red of this flower also brings to mind the red tape that has to be sifted through once again in the writing of the book. This includes censorship regarding the Essence’s therapeutic value as well as the question of how radical or alternative the information we deliver can be, in order to have it well received, without damaging prejudice or judgement.

2. The Atmosphere – or the general theme relating to the question at hand. Southern Cross tells us there has been some complaining or victim consciousness such as ‘I wish I didn’t have to do this’, ‘I don't have enough time’ etc. Clearly this is a good essence to mix into a remedy to clear any sabotaging around both the completion of the book and Ian’s ability to be joyful about writing it. This would also help clear any ‘Southern Cross unconsciousness’ of others indirectly involved in writing the book, e.g., complaints from his loved ones about taking time to write it.

I feel too that this flower symbolises the branching out into different levels and aspects of healing covered in the book. If you look closely, there are little buds contained within each ‘branch’ of flowers, symbolising new growing areas of knowledge and work contained within the different branches or spheres. I’ll have to be patient to see what these are on the book’s release but extending out into different directions is definitely a theme.

3. The Crown – this refers to the information that is crowning you or if you like coming through the crown chakra and our higher levels of consciousness at this time – usually a conscious energy needing to be assimilated into the rest of the being. Flannel Flower tells me there is a conscious opening up – an openness and sensitivity to the information coming through at this time. Ian pointed out too that the petals looked like little fingers – fingers of course being very involved in the typing of this book. This flower has a soft feel, therefore it is more the positive aspects of this Essence being manifested in the writing process so I wouldn’t use it as a remedy in this case.

4. The Root Card is what is happening at a deep level. It may point to dreams, motivations, mind-set, desires or buried pain. It can be a deep strength, a foundation or a past issue needing to surface through healing. The Dagger Hakea is a powerful card to have in this position. I feel Ian is consciously aware of these issues which are coming to the surface now. This is a situation where prayer, the forgiveness process and a conscious decision to let go could be encouraged and the Essence would of course be given in the remedy to help this occur. Note also the tie-in with the Significator card. In relation to the book, it would be good to clear any blocking of these feelings of anger and resentment coming through as any blockage will affect our entire ability to have energy and information flow through us.

5. The Recent Past – indicates energy moving out of the person’s life – it could still be a driving force, affecting present circumstances, but it is an energy that is passing away. The most obvious association to the Peach-Flowered Tea-tree to the writing of a book is the lack of commitment to follow through on projects. It could indicate some (lots maybe) procrastination that can occur. Fortunately, this card is in the past – but I won’t ask about the original time frame hoped for to release the book! Notice too that there are five petals on this flower. In tarot, five refers to conflict or a difficult time. This could well be affecting motivation and energy levels around starting the present.

6. The Near Future – this indicates what issues will be coming up soon. Boab in this position speaks to me of the Bush Flower Essence Family, that is the staff, friends and other healers contributing to the energy of the project, bonding together to make the book happen. A good one for the mix to ensure conflict, stress and sabotage issues amongst family members are cleared quickly and peacefully.

7. Fears – Indicates the fearful images being projected by the mind. I have nearly always found that the Essence that falls in this position is included ‘in the mix’. It is always a good opportunity to work with the universe in ‘giving up’ these images and to pray to have our thoughts transformed into those with which we would rather be creating our reality. Tall Mulla Mulla tells me there is some fear that once Ian starts writing he will be unable to stop. Once the obstacles are cleared and we are on a roll with projects they can become so absorbing that it is hard to stop. This can bring about the hermit-like energy of Tall Mulla Mulla and could also bring up some fear regarding other business and social commitments being handled adequately.

8. Home and Environment – this card position conveys the energy around a person’s home and environment and often their relationship if this is not a live-in situation. The purple of the Wisteria stands out strongly here. It feels like a spiritual (as opposed to more conscious) healing around sexuality is occurring. The older petals and new buds all on the same vine show a state of flux in the home environment around these issues – deep intimacy issues are prominent at this time – I would also include Wisteria in ‘the mix’. Although it is more traditionally a female remedy, it is being called on for more ‘female’ aspects of sexuality.

9. Hopes and Dreams – clearly this refers to thoughts of what is being hoped for at this time. Here Sturt Desert Rose looks to me like a beautiful pink microphone – possibly an angel’s trumpet. It feels as though Ian’s dreams here are to speak through a pink or heart chakra microphone and to be heard by many. It also indicates a desire to stay in his own integrity – calling on his courage to share the information he knows needs to come through at this time even in the face of fear of external reactions and a temptation to print only what is acceptable to say.

10. The Outcome – this is not necessarily some ultimate occurrence in the future but rather the natural resolution that exists already. Often this will change even in the space of a reading as images come to the conscious mind and negative aspects are cleared. Tall Yellow Top stands out very much as a powerful outcome. Firstly, the strong yellow in contrast to the colours in the rest of the reading tells us a story of personal power and strength and a coming from the heart – that is the hopes and dreams of Sturt Desert Rose being realised.

It feels as though this book will reach more widespread groups of people than ever before and that Ian has a strong vision of what he wants to happen with it. I was however somewhat amused when I remembered this is an Essence that can take a long time to work fully so perhaps this relates to the book taking a long time for the widespread recognition and for it to obtain a sense of belonging amongst other medical as well as spiritual teaching books. Whilst this card feels like the positive aspects are being manifested, I would still include it in ‘a mix’ to clear any underlying issues that could in any way lead to failure or sabotage occurring around the book.

So, in summary, there have been some delays in starting the book and some blocks to maintaining the energy for creating it due to the nature of Ian’s emotional state at this time. However, he has still been able to open up to Spirit and hold his heartfelt vision clearly in a way that has allowed the channelling of the book to begin to take shape, gently and powerfully, with the outlook being clear and wonderful. Good luck Ian – I look forward to its release!

So let me share some important tips when reading tarot or Flower Insight Cards in this way – firstly readings are non-rational so let your first impressions guide you. Try not to block any information – always assume what you get is relevant – TRUST YOURSELF. Speaking the information you receive, without editing, will open your intuition, further allowing more information to flow. Also give the client a chance to give you feedback during the process – knowing we are on the right track helps us follow our intuition even more. What you will find is information you already have about the different remedies will come through as needed or, as I described, you might be drawn to different parts of a flower or different positions in the card spread out of linear order. Trust this and go where your energy is drawn.

It is best to try to ‘read’ the cards before you go to the reference books for information. Empty your mind of extraneous thoughts, say a prayer or send love to the person you are reading for and ask to be used for the highest good of all concerned and just start talking! The books will never have all the information being whispered about an individual’s situation or Ian would be writing Bush Flower Remedy Britannica and we would all have to wait a really long time for its release.

If you are reading the Flower Insight Cards for yourself, it is important to let go of your desired outcome. You can even ask yourself what you would say if you were reading it for someone else. Remember a good reading of any type is simply a tool to bring up to consciousness what a person already knows to be true. Quite often this will shift what is happening for someone of its own accord. We can of course make up the remedies that we are guided to during the reading thus enhancing the healing of anything left uncleared.

At all times it is important to remember we are a channel only and that we are not responsible for the images turned up by someone. We let the flowers and angels speak for themselves and let the remedies work their magic. We should strive to allow the information to come through and convey it in a loving way whilst remaining detached. We are of most use this way.

I am very excited about the release of the new cards for a number of reasons – the first being a practical one. Any of you who have experienced a reading with me or someone else working similarly with the photos will know how hard it is to shuffle (laboriously) a bunch of 69 laminated photos – a Paw Paw or Wild Potato Bush experience in and of itself! In addition to this, a lot of the photos have been retaken and now capture the beauty and power of the flowers as they occur in nature. This enables people less familiar with the flowers in a bush setting to have a better vision of the flowers to which I refer. I wish you fun and insight while exploring this dimension of working with the flowers.