- Note: This article was originally written for my email newsletter - Messages from the Animals - you can receive new articles directly via email, by signing up free here.
On Friday 25th June, 2021,Ā I was out walking with my dogs, Daisy and Ralph, when I received a message that the Rhagodia bush was about resilience. "Thatās interesting", I thought. Two days later, I found myself actually making the SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ (Rhagodia) Mother Tincture!
(Above) Seaberry Saltbush.
Image Ā© Kerrie Searle
SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ (Rhagodia condolleana) is evergreen with succulent bright green leaves and tiny vibrant red berries. Aboriginal people used the red berries as bush food and as a dye for face paint. They also boiled the leaves and stems to be eaten like vegetables.
ItĀ grows abundantly on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia, and SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ easily grows up, over, around and through obstacles. It doesnāt attach itself to the things around it, but instead easily co-exists. It endures and thrives in tough conditions, having incredible drought tolerance whilst also being fire retardant and resilient to frost (now thatās two extremes!). It grows in 'dark and light' (sun and shade) and doesnāt need a lot of attention to thrive. Adapting easily to different environments and surroundings, SEABERRY SALTBUSH establishes easily and regenerates from very little. It is hardy, low maintenance, and a vigorous climber which clambers over obstacles easily. This incredible plant is useful for the rehabilitation of degraded sites as it is great for wind protection and is good for areas of erosion as it stabilises the soil. It also takes the salt out of the soil so heals the ground as it grows. As if all that isn't enough, SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ is also a habitat refuge for birds, lizards and small mammals and is a host plant for butterflies.
(Above) Seaberry Saltbush cutting.
Image Ā© Kerrie Searle
As I gathered the foliage from the SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ on my property to make the Mother Tincture on Sunday 27th June, 2021, I was taken to the place of realising what I had endured in my life and what it felt like to have this survival mechanism operating at such a deep, unconscious level. As I journeyed deeply into my own feelings, I also connected into the collective consciousness and the energy of what having to endure felt like for others as well. It brought thoughts and feelings of:
- Extreme powerlessness
- Being unable to do anything about it
- Deep, endless suffering
- Utter exhaustion
- Never-ending
- Constant drudgery
- I canāt do this
- Itās too much
- I just have to take it
- I just have to put up with it
- Thereās no way out
- This is it, itās as good as it gets
- I just want it to be over
- I just want it to be done
- I just want it to go away
- I just want it to stop
- I canāt take anymore
- Iām barely surviving
- Itās constantly at me
- It never lets up
- I get no reprieve/respite from it
- Iāll just make the best of it as it will never change
- Iāve tried everything and nothing works
- Iām barely hanging on
- Iām just getting by
- Constantly waiting for the next thing to go wrong
- I have to take it on.
Whilst tuning into the survival mechanism of having to endure, I became aware that this was a deep ancestral pattern - not only for myself and my family, but for what seemed like most humans on the planet. It became apparent that to some degree, most humans have had to, or are, enduring something in their lives. For example, here in Melbourne, Victoria, it has been reported that we endured one of the longest and harshest Covid lockdowns and restrictions of anywhere on the planet.Ā The media even use the word 'endure' to describe each of the lockdowns. Itās pretty safe to say that most humans and animals on the planet feel the energy of having to endure each time they go into lockdown.
The survival mechanism of having to endure is something that has persisted over a long period of time.
As I worked with the energy of what having to 'endure' meant and felt like, I allowed myself to be immersed in the energy of some of the beings who have had to endure extreme situations - such as concentration camps, wars, the Suffragette movement, dogs in puppy farms and animals who endure neglect and abuse, just to name a few. In order to be able to survive the pain, trauma and suffering and not feel the deep core essence of it, it is common to accept that having to endure, or put up with it, is a normal way of life. In reality, it is not. To normalise any enduring behaviour is a way of keeping this survival mechanism in place, in order to cover up and suppress what sits beneath it.
The energy of SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ helps us to rise above the survival mechanism of having to endure, and brings it into consciousness. It allows you to step outside it and be able to witness it - instead of being driven by it. It takes the intensity away so that the feelings can be dealt with. For me, I was able to see that I devised the strategy of being able to endure (and thinking that it was 'normal') in order to survive and cope with much trauma, pain and suffering. It was such a relief to finally be able to see how I had been driven by it at an unconscious level. It also explained the level of severe exhaustion I had always endured (which I address with the use of my ADRENAL BLEND). I realised that most of my life force was being diverted into the enduring survival mechanism which left very little life force for anything else - such as living (as opposed to surviving), thriving, playing or having fun.
The Seaberry Saltbush plant thrives easily - even in the harshest conditions, and assists us to do the same.
The energy of SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ shows resilience in an ever-changing, and at times harsh, environment. It brings this resilience into our lives so that we can remove the patterns of survival mechanisms and addictions. The plant doesnāt physically 'attach' to anything and easily climbs up and over things around it and so this energy assists us to not be attached or stuck in anything, helping us to move forward. It assists us to move out of the drudgery of just surviving into living and thriving. The Seaberry SaltbushĀ plant grows no matter what comes at it and assists us to do the same.
Over time, the energy of having to endure erodes away our life force. In other words, the developed survival mechanisms enable you to exist, but not to live life. As the Seaberry Saltbush is useful for the rehabilitation and regeneration of eroded and degraded soil, the essence can also assist us to do the same for the parts of ourselves that have been eroded and degraded by having to endure for any period of time. It brings stability and balance to the enduring energy that erodes away our ability to move out of the energy of enduring and into moving forward. The Seaberry Saltbush plant can be a vigorous climber and so the essence brings vigour to the situation as an alternative to having to 'put up with it'. It also helps you to step out of the heavy, smothering feeling that comes with having to endure something, as the Seaberry SaltbushĀ plant can dominate as well as co-exist with other vegetation - although never being smothered or overrun by anything around it.
Seaberry Saltbush doesnāt just survive, but grows and thrives in both dark and light conditions. This means that the resulting essence assists in being able to move us out of being stuck in surviving and enduring the dark, and into being able to choose to live and move forward. As the plant is a habitat refuge for animals, the essence brings the feeling of shelter, comfort and resilience. Instead of being in a vulnerable place and therefore needing to constantly protect ourselves, the SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ brings resilience which allows us to live from a place of being open and resilient.
Being someone who is often described as an empath, I thought I had to take on every energy that came at me. SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ has brought a level of resilience which has shown me that I do not have to be defined or restricted by all that comes with being an empath. Accordingly, I have added SEABERRY SALTBUSH to my LIBERATION BLEND (which you can read about in an earlier blog post hereĀ and can order from me here).
(Above) Rye Ocean Beach, Victoria, where I was guided to pour Seaberry Saltbush Mother Tincture.
Image Ā© Kerrie Searle
A few weeks after preparing the SEABERRY SALTBUSH Mother Tincture, I received a message that I needed to pour some of the Mother Tincture at both the ocean and bay beaches in Rye, Victoria (where I live). So on Monday 12th July, 2021, I went to the Rye Ocean Beach and was guided to the spot where I was to pour the SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ Mother Tincture.
It was a cold, windy and sunny day. I was drawn to a place where the waves were reaching the furthest up the shore. As I poured the Mother Tincture into the ocean, I was wondering what sort of impact this would have and how far it would reach, when I felt the energy of a huge expanding ripple push me backwards almost knocking me off my feet. I certainly got my answer as I was pushed backwards with such force! It brought memories of the time I revisited Ground Zero in New York and did a similar process at the base of the 'Survival Tree' and felt a similar energy. I immediately remembered my own words, that I have spoken many a time, "We can never truly know or measure the impact of such things we do, and need to trust that when 'asked' to do them it is for a reason. A reason that at the time, or indeed in the future, we may never fully know or understand."Ā So trust it was, that I was doing what was needed.
It was interesting, too, that as I was doing this process there were a number of people watching from the car park at the top of the cliff. I only noticed them as I climbed the stairs back to the car park. I was surprised to see them standing there as there had been no-one around when I arrived, and as I got to the car park, they then all walked down onto the beach. It was a moment when I felt that they had been waiting for me to finish before coming down onto the beach.
(Above) Rye Bay Beach, Victoria, where I was also guided to pour Seaberry Saltbush Mother Tincture.
Image Ā© Kerrie Searle
I then drove to the Rye Bay Beach and again I was drawn to a particular spot. As I poured the SEABERRY SALTBUSH into the bay, I was shown a picture of the two places 'linking together' and I was catapulted into space and found myself looking down upon planet Earth. The entire planet was vibrating with a tremendous energy and vibrant colours. In that moment, I could feel my heart and the heart of planet Earth vibrating and beating loudly together in time, sounding like a drum. I have consciously journeyed to this space regularly since. My intention was to spread the energy of the SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ as far and wide as possible across the planet, so such an experience as this confirmed for me that this was happening.
Working with the SEABERRY SALTBUSH has allowed my endurance mechanism to shift - showing me not only what had been sitting underneath it, but why I had created such a mechanism in the first place. The SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ essence helped me understand how addictions (and there are many different types of those!) are to assist with enduring. My addiction to sugar was my way of enduring. Using my FREE TO CHOOSE BLENDĀ has enabled me to step out of the addiction, which in turn has allowed the enduring mechanism to shift. Once I no longer needed to keep enduring, then I no longer needed my addiction to keep this mechanism in place.
I came to realise, too, that another aspect of having to endure meant that I was not open to being able to ask for, or receive, help. It had become so 'normal' for me to endure so many things that, even when help was offered, I was unable to accept it. I was so conditioned to endure on my own, that I was unable to be open to receiving. As I have moved from the energy of feeling vulnerable and the need to protect myself at all times, into allowing myself to be open and resilient, this has allowed me to begin the process of not only allowing myself to ask for help, but also being able to receive it.
Taking SEABERRY SALTBUSH flower essence for some weeks now has also shown me that another way of keeping my endurance mechanism in place is to 'pretend' that I am ok when there are times when I have been anything but! As I have moved through the layers of enduring, I have been able to see how much time and effort I have dedicated to the pretence of 'being ok' - not only to others, but also myself.
And it's exhausting!
As I've gently moved to a place of being more open and resilient, this has enabled me to recognise and move out of the need to pretend I'm ok. And this in turn has allowed me to acknowledge (to myself and others) when I'm not ok - giving me the opportunity to ask for, and be open to receiving, the help I need.
During the time of writing this, I received a phone call from a client. I had consulted with him, his partner and his male cat a few weeks earlier and both the cat and human had been using the SEABERRY SALTBUSH drops. The consult was needed as the cat had been taken to the vet, appearing to be very unwell. Other than removing fluid build-up from his lungs, there was nothing more the vet could do on a physical level and it was felt that the cat may not make it through the next few days. The human described his cat as being almost comatose at times and like he had given up on life. As I connected with his cat, I could feel an overwhelming exhaustion and a heaviness within his being from having to put up with feeling this way. As we spoke, the human described his life as being a drudgery and having very little to live for as he endured feeling the same day after day. As I also connected with his energy, it felt very similar to what his cat was feeling. I spoke of this and it became apparent that the two were feeling the same. I had just made the SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ some 10 days earlier and it communicated to me that it was what was needed for both this human and his cat.
The human told me that since taking the SEABERRY SALTBUSH, his cat had periods where he had started playing again, and even though he was still a bit exhausted after playing, he hadnāt gone back to being comatose. The human also reported that he himself had had times where he had moved out of the feeling of drudgery and having to endure the heaviness of his life. He could see that he would go back to the old patterns, but after only taking the drops for a short period of time, he felt that both he and his cat were making great progress. We spoke about moving through the layers of these feelings and how the SEABERRY SALTBUSH assists in riding the wave of another layer of the enduring energy and helps us to be more resilient to the intensity of the feelings as each layer comes to the surface. Such confirmation that the SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ was the perfect remedy for them both!
(Above) Seaberry Saltbush flower essence bottles (part of Kerrie Searle's Flower Essence Blends range)
Image Ā© Kerrie Searle
As one moves out of being driven by the need to endure, it opens up the possibility of other things that previously would have been unavailable. When not dedicating all your life force into the enduring survival mechanism, then thereās life force available for other things like living, having fun, creating and playing, just to name a few. In a few short weeks, the SEABERRY SALTBUSH has made a huge difference to my life and also to Daisy and Ralph - who since also taking the SEABERRY SALTBUSH, spend SO much more of their time playing.
As I do each time I make a new essence, I tune into my existing blends and add the new essence to the blends that 'ask' me to. As a result, the SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ has been added to a number of my existing blends, which continue to evolve and change over time as needed.
For those of you who attend my Animal Communication Workshops at my home in Rye, Victoria, you will have the opportunity to prepare the SEABERRY SALTBUSHĀ (as well as the MOONAH, BEARD HEATH, and BOOBIALLA essences).
If any of this resonates for you or your animal, and you feel that I can be of any assistance, please donāt hesitate to read more about my services here, browse through my range of essences, sprays and creams here, or you can get in touch directly here. Additionally, visit this page to learn more about attending one of my upcoming workshops.
Warm wishes to you all,
Kerrie Searle
Animal Communicator
