In my first book (Australian Bush Flower Essences), there is a chapter entitled The Magic of Making Bush Essences where I wanted to share about the incredible synchronicity and undeniable guidance so evident during the making up of all the remedies.
There is no essence where this is more evident than with Sturt Desert Pea. Every time I have prepared the mother tincture of this flower there has been an incredible story – and magic – connected to it. I have just returned from an Essence-making trip which included the making of Sturt Desert Pea in a very remote area of South Australia, over 700km north of Adelaide. Again, the magic was flowing to get this Essence created!
Drought can certainly play havoc with your essence-making plans. The last few times I’ve been making Sturt Desert Pea it is has been in the far north-west area of NSW which necessitates a 13-hour drive to get there. Fortunately, I am in contact with Daryl, a ranger in this area, who lets me know when and where to find this elusive flower. However, this area has been in drought and Sturt Desert Pea hasn’t flowered there this year. Daryl in fact had advised me on one occasion the very day before I was about to fly up to make it, that there had been a hailstorm the previous night which had wiped out all the Sturt Desert Peas.
On this recent expedition, which I had booked well in advance, all my enquiries, made the week or so before departing, regarding finding some Sturt Desert Pea were met with, ‘We’re in drought, we haven’t seen any for a long time’. Anyway, I took the chance to travel up to the Flinders Range to see if I might be lucky. On arrival I checked in with a local ranger who again assured me there was none around. As it so happened, standing behind me was a woman waiting to check in to the campground with the ranger. She overheard my conversation and told me that she had just come back from an area 4 hours north that day and had come across some Sturt Desert Pea on a walk. Very excitedly I got her to point out on a map exactly she had seen them. The only problem was it was a very rough dirt road I had to take to get there and I was in a standard rental sedan with a very low wheel base. Nevertheless, nothing was stopping me on my quest, even though there were many times when a high patch of rocks struck the underneath of the car and I was convinced I had lost the muffler.
After 2 hours of rather torturous driving, a message popped up saying the engine had lost power and then we seemed to be going rather slow. There had been no cars coming in the other direction that whole time and I did wonder what would happen if we broke down. After 4 hours we reached a large private station where someone with some mechanical skills was found and had a quick look at the car. He thought it would be OK, but was concerned because the engine light had come on and we still had another hour north to drive. Fortunately, we got there and were very glad we had been told to start the 7-hour walk clockwise rather than anti-clockwise as we were able to find the Sturt Desert Pea after about 45 minutes.
Traveling there had taken a long time but it worked out that I was able to do the preparation and make the Essence - with just 15 minutes of light remaining. I was convinced this was the only Sturt Desert Pea in the whole of South Australia and very grateful for all the unseen help and guidance that is present when I am trying to prepare an Essence – especially the Sturt Desert Pea. This gratitude and the most stunning of sunsets more than consoled me for the very long drive back along the same route, even though it was much slower this time with it being dark and harder to look for big, jagged rocks on the road. Fortunately, the various wallabies and kangaroos we saw – driving at night is not recommended in the outback – didn’t decide to jump out in front of the car and we eventually got back – very late, to our base camp. Another typical day in the office!
Whilst preparing the mother tincture I received some new insights about the Sturt Desert Pea. If you look at the flower there’s a little stem directly behind red and the black part of the flower, which holds it up. It is almost like a mask, is being held out in front of them. Sturt Desert Pea is for someone who is putting on a brave front but underneath there’s a lot of sorrow, which they don’t want people to see. They’re trying to put on a bright and happy front, but there’s that blackness, the unexpressed sorrow in the very core of their being, which is still there and which you can see in their eyes.
The flower grows very upright and vertical from the main stem. This essence will help give people the bravery and courage to stand up and address their deep unresolved hurts and sorrow. Sturt Desert Pea is such a deep and powerful essence. Usually, I just prescribe it by itself, however last year I added it to our new combination remedies, Boost and Men’s as it was very well indicated and pertinent for both. It was the first time I had ever added it in a combination.
On another occasion when making up the Sturt Desert Pea mother tincture, I had not found any after much searching in the southern part of the Northern Territory. Someone suggested contacting the police station just over the border in South Australia – Sturt Desert Pea is in fact the floral emblem of South Australia. The police mentioned there had been a good patch of it, but a tourist had picked it all to decorate their car! They mentioned that the drought had really restricted the flowering and they hadn’t really seen any anywhere else though they suggested trying to contact a particular indigenous woman who lived in a community outside of Marla. I would, however, have to get a permit to enter this community. Though tracking down this woman wasn’t an easy task when I did make it to the community.
Finally, I was told where I could locate her and there found two Telstra linesmen working at the front of her property. I mentioned to them that I was trying to get in contact with her and asked if they had seen her. At that point an old car came reversing up the driveway at very fast speed. One of the Telstra men thought it was her and knowing my urgency bravely jumped in front of the car which fortunately stopped. I quickly introduced myself and told her about my mission to find the Sturt Desert Pea. She smiled and said I would find some just past the golf course out of town. I can assure you that neither Tiger Woods nor any of his colleagues would ever call this a golf course! It was just a barren piece of desert. Though, as she said, at the very end of the golf course there was a little ditch and there was Sturt Desert Pea growing. Again, because of the drought, I would certainly swear that this was the only patch of Sturt Desert Pea in the whole of the Centre of Australia.
Sturt Desert Pea is one of the deepest acting of all the Bush Essences and is both the Boost and Men’s combination remedies. I highly commend it to you as so many of us carry around old sorrows.
Much Love, Light and Respect
Ian White
Founder & Director
