The Rain of Gold flower essence was collected in the backyard of one of the most generous people I've ever met - Martha Sanchez.

Also known as Dancing Ladies, this orchid is known as Lluvia de Oro in central Costa Rica. A local orchid aficionado in her 80’s, Marta Sanchez, noticed that we were interested in this orchid and invited us into her home and garden so we could collect an essence of it.

The essence of this orchid inspires boundless generosity, kindness and open-heartedness. It helps us open our hearts to the possibilities and surrender to the surprises of the present moment. It boosts our courage to extend ourselves and form new bonds of love.

We collected the Taiwanese Azalea in the wilderness of Yilan. Alongside a river, these wildflowers grow on a sharp cliff, occasionally falling into the water like flower offerings.

This wild azalea helps us see from a higher perspective: the moment we think we have it all figured out, something else arises. It dissolves the sense that there is only way, or that what we want is unattainable, or too much to ask for. It helps us let go of holding back, so we can engage in deeper generosity of character and offer ourselves to the world.

As we river-traced up into the luscious jungle cliffside, indigo butterflies led us to the Purple Wishbone flower. It grows in a quiet, protected area and initially the flower was unnerving to look at.

Purple Wishbone digs deep into what’s stored in our underbellies, pulls it up and liberates it from our mouths, dissolving fear of judgment. We are better equipped to face our fears of being exposed to aspects of ourselves or the underbelly of the world that contains deep, dark secrets. It softens our fears of danger, darkness and destruction, and removes the electrical charge from what we perceive as ‘scary’.

If you’re attracted to the Pink Melastoma flower (Melastoma Malabathricum), you may long for compassionate softness. You may have habits of self-criticism or self-judgment, or feel that the world around you is harsh and overwhelming. You may see aspects of yourself that you either doubt or dislike, or experience shame around some pattern, behavior or action you take part in. You may get irritated or frustrated with parts of yourself or your limitations.

The Pink Melastoma flower feels like a warm embrace. It expands your aura into greater warmth, compassion and gentleness. It helps you acknowledge and accept all parts of yourself, even your shame, anger and self-perceived limitations. It helps you welcome your own true inner nature, as well as the sticky, rocky, edgy aspects of your character. Embracing the challenging, irritable parts of ourselves with love speeds up resolution.

Sacred Datura is a desert moonflower that falls into the ‘poison cures poison’ category. Though toxic to the body in plant form, as a flower essence it actually helps us release toxins - mental, emotional, physical. It helps us cleanse energetic debris through the breath and boosts our lifeforce. We’re better able to sit with sadness, frustration, fear or overwhelm, until we reach the light at the end of the tunnel. Like bathing in moonlight, we transmute our ‘dark night of the soul’ into strength and wisdom.

We spent the day at Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona, AZ wading through the creek, gazing at the sky and the trees, observing orchids, butterflies and crayfish and finding myself again.

Being out in nature was such a great reminder that flowers bloom when we need them most. They offer their healing powers so generously -- even when we don’t even know we need them.

A divinely-scented orchid in the shape of an angel, the Radiance Orchid was collected in northern Costa Rica on a full moon.

It teaches us how to release tension and resistance around loss. It dissolves fear of getting hurt, missing out on something or separation/abandonment. When we let go of denial or fighting reality, we experience total acceptance of the way things are -- without grasping or clinging.

This flower essence helps us release money worries, relationship angst, and sadness in the grief/loss process, while magnifying an embodied state of love.

We experience deep relief and a wildness to truly be ourselves, supported by a visceral sense of our own spiritual nature. We can tune into the ‘holy’ all around and within ourselves: our spiritual power. We are so surrendered and self-loving, we can fully open up with nothing to protect or hide.

An edible wildflower collected in Iceland, Self Heal flower essence wakes up our will to survive and thrive. It awakens our awareness of what’s happening in our body and stimulates our ability to heal ourselves. It deepens our understanding that a happy body leads to a happy mind; therefore, eating, sleeping, drinking water, getting fresh air + spending time in nature are forms of protecting and cherishing our health.

Some behind-the-scenes / middle of the jungle / naked & afraid without the naked footage from the time we collected the Rein Orchid in Monteverde, Costa Rica!

The Monteverde Rein Orchid is a terrestrial orchid that uproots subconscious fears of persecution, fear or panic. When we perceive ourselves as alone, weak or vulnerable, we get amped up into fight or flight mode. Rein Orchid softens our hypervigilance and fixation on details so we can feel comforted, safe and at home. Our minds release their grip on minutia, so we can attain a bird's-eye perspective.

I spotted the Spider Orchid growing on a tree on the edge of the dense Monteverde rainforest in Costa Rica, opening a doorway for me into a new world. This was a world where animals (not humans) reign, one which I felt I didn’t know the rules to, nor if I was exactly welcome. This orchid growing directly on the precipice of two vastly different worlds serves to illuminate and support the awareness and transition as we move into the unknown of a new world.

We were traveling through a desolate, uninhabited area in central Iceland known for sighting old female trolls, when a fluorescent green patch of Icelandic Fountain Moss appeared out of nowhere. Icelandic Moss magnifies our sense of wonder, curiosity, play and discovery. It dissolves crankiness, sadness and loneliness and awakens our sense of wild freedom.

Native to Asia + Europe, the Lady's Mantle dew drops or leaf tip sap was said to promote conception and awaken a woman's life giving power in her womb. Tapping into the vibrantly-colored chartreuse flower, Lady's Mantle elixir promotes empathetic engagement with life and our surroundings. It helps us push past boundaries, get outside our comfort zone and forge the way. It dissolves apathy, boredom and the doldrums, and helps us feel energetic, cheered up and excited. It revitalizes our childlike essence, giving us a fresh perspective.

When we were in Costa Rica a few years ago, our dear AirBnb host Tonio personally took us to an organic, family-run cacao farm, toured around the 500 cacao trees with us, watched as we ground cacao beans and cracked open a cacao fruit with his bare hands for us to eat. I was so thrilled ... I had always wanted to taste fresh cacao fruit ~ and it's incredible!

The process that chocolate goes through from flower to fruit to chocolate bar is super interesting. Watch the video for a 60 second cacao lifecycle breakdown.

Katie teaches about the significance of the Bee Orchid through the lens of the Doctrine of Signatures.

Angelica is one of the most magical looking plants in Iceland. In a country where the majority of botanicals are washes of green moss across mountainsides, Angelica towers up against the landscapes with huge, whimsical puff-ball flowers. Angelica helps us recognize divine support, and gain more awareness of angelic and benevolent unseen forces. It dissolves habitual patterns of superficiality, staying on the surface or feeling that things are 'flat' or shallow. Angelica encourages us to tap into the deeper meaning of everything and connect to the rich purposefulness of life.

After searching for this rare, wild orchid across Iceland, we found it at the base of Godafoss, one of Iceland's largest and most beautiful waterfalls. The Frog Orchid is otherworldly, rare and exotic, appearing almost to hide form plain view. It's elixir activates the pineal and thymus glands, connecting the crown, third eye and heart centers, stimulating love without attachment, clear seeing and states of deep peacefulness.

Icelandic Vicia encourages us to relax and totally let our guard down. This flower essence enhances our ability to soften, let loose and experience our own magic. It dissolves resistance, tension and worry, and helps us feel loved. Without resistance, we’re more able to enjoy being in the moment and feel free.