Info about Flowers
Flower Fables by Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott’s first book, Flower Fables, was published in 1855. It was a collection of flower fairy stories, and there were only 8,000 copies printed. There are few people familiar with this book that Alcott wrote when she was sixteen years old. It has not been widely read and it is not her best work. However, after the release of the movie “Little Women” there was a new interest in Alcott’s work so Amazon Books made the book available again.
There are many ways to learn about the use of essences. The only way to learn about them deeply is to use a variety of sources. The essence of plants is studied through botany and plant culture along with observation of historical medicinal and culinary uses of them. The reactions of people and cultures to plants is important and it can be learned about from traditions and stories.
Alcott’s writing about plants in general and specific ways lets us glimpse her inner being and how the external world affected her. She used her unique position to show us this as an observer as well as participation of literary and philosophical movements that had connection with Transcendentalism.
A spiritual or philosophical movement that focuses on intuition being the path of knowledge and the force of life is known as Transcendentalism. The study of the inner self along with the study of nature is vital to discovering the truth.
Alcott wrote the short stories in this book for Ellen Emerson, who was Ralph Waldo Emerson’s daughter. They were neighbors in Concord, MA. Emerson was a poet and a philosopher that was one of the great figures of the Transcendentalist movement and American Literature in the 19th century. Alcott’s father was also a major part of the movement and its focal point was Concord. By 1847, the Transcendentalist movement had already taken place and had been an experience that was formative for Alcott.
Alcott was both mentally and physically restless, but she found peach outside in the world of nature. She took long runs through the forests and fields on a daily basis. Because of her personal history, she was an intuitive and interesting source of information regarding plants.
In the book, “A Magical Dream” was a metaphor for essence therapy. It is probably one of the best accounts of the way flower fragrances facilitate change, especially regarding our emotions. People who use essences understand that they are magical. Essences help us understand more about the way our thoughts create a mood of enjoyment or misery for us. We can reconnect with out inner strength through essences, so that we can meditate on our choices and make desired changes. The essence of flowers also makes the world of nature more alive for us.
Louisa May Alcott had no knowledge of the use of essences but she made a wonderful illustration of the way essences play into our awareness of ourselves and the choices we make. In this story, Annie realizes her strengths and weaknesses through interacting with the flower fairy. The magic flower reminds her that she has the ability to create beauty both within herself and in her environment. It is not the flower that changes Annie’s life, but the flower makes her cognizant of her own ability to make the changes.