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Aspen – Form and Function

If we look for an indication of the positive aspect of the Aspen state it is not much in evidence. In part we can see the growing strength of the Aspen as it nears the earth: the trunk begins to furrow at ground level, showing a stronger network of energy. But this is not a clear emblem of the strength that overcomes fear. Perhaps we might claim to see that in the golden-yellow leaves in autumn, which fall to the earth early but are slow to rot. But when the essence is made by the boiling method the scent of balsam is strong, sweet and aromatic. The mother tincture is a plum coloured, or light claret. Here we see a gentle warmth and fire that penetrates the grey mists of early spring, driving away the occult penetration of our peace.

Bach comments of Aspen that ‘sufferers often are afraid to tell their troubles to others’. This is a silent apprehension, a kind of quiet anonymity that is apparent in the tree. Yet of all Bach’s remedies, the Aspen tree most clearly proclaims its gesture of trembling fear. It is, perhaps, the easiest to see and understand of all the plant gestures. The signature of the tremulous leaf has been noted by poets since Chaucer, but Bach was the first to make the connection between this signature and the healing potential of the flowers. He saw how the qualities of the Aspen inform the physical tree and how they resonate the positive expression of strength and protection; protection from a fear of the supernatural.