Author: Steven Lydford

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What Some Of Our Practitioners Are Doing To Help Those In Need

We are working on more ways to help people and animals in need with First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand®.Stay tuned for an update on how you can join us. As thousands of New Zealanders are struggling to recover and get back ‘on their feet’ after the devastation caused by floods and the Cyclone Gabrielle, many of our practitioners are making up First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® […]

February 2023 New Zealand Cyclone Gabrielle – Enabling 7000 Crisis Support© Blends to Help People and Animals in Distress, in Collaboration with with Anna, Gaia and Shanti

We have donated 100 x 10ml stock bottles (valued $3300) to enable 7000 x 25ml Crisis Support© blends to be created for people and animals in distress In the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle amidst the devastation that affected many parts of New Zealand, it has been inspirational to see selfless members of our community helping people and […]

Updates from the Crisis Support© Roadie to Hawkes Bay, March 2023, After Cyclone Gabrielle, NZ

What an amazing few weeks it has been for young equestrian sisters, Gaia Aplin (18 years old) and Shanti Aplin (15 years old), who have so far made up and handed out just over 2000 Crisis Support© blends to help people and animals in distress after Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc throughout New Zealand this year on […]

2020-2022 COVID Global Community Support Initiative – Enabling 7000 Crisis Support© Blends to Reach to People

We are Donating 100 x 10ml stock bottles of First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® Crisis Support© to our Global Community As an unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic sweeps through communities worldwide, First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® are donating 100 x 10ml stock combination essence bottles of First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® Crisis Support©, […]

Support From Nature When You Need It – Our Community Share Their ‘Go To’ Flower Essences For Help During Covid ‘Lockdown’.

Mother Nature is always at hand to help in the most practical of ways – and we asked some valued members of our First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® community to tell us how they choose to navigate their way around their changing worlds and what their ‘go to’ First Light® flower essences might […]

Become a Flower Essence Practitioner

We are noticing that there is a powerful shift in the world with more and more people making conscious choices towards holistic and natural ways of living. It is evident that the opportunity to assist those who are seeking natural ways for self-healing and holistic wellbeing has never been greater. Revolutionary Holistic Healing With New […]

A Path to Holistic Healing: How Native New Zealand Flower Essences Support Transformation, Balance & Growth.

The full significance of knowing how to access the vast wisdom of Mother Nature has traditionally been understood in all cultures and healing traditions from time immemorial. Throughout the ages, humanity has looked to nature to facilitate healing by having recourse to Mother Nature, our guide and teacher. The sacred healing methods and resources that […]

How New Zealand Fern Essences Support Emotional Healing

Aotearoa, New Zealand is a very special country for many reasons one of which is the sheer variety and proliferation of ferns that are endemic to this land. As a distinct feature of the landscape of New Zealand, ferns can be found growing on the highest mountain peaks right down to where the land meets the […]

How New Zealand Fern Essences Support Healing From Trauma

Many people are surprised to learn that trauma doesn’t just disappear one an event has passed and they start to feel a bit better. According to Franchelle Ofsoské-Wyber, founder and creator of First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand®, experiences such as shocks, accidents (even a minor one), a bereavement, sudden change in circumstances, giving […]

Why True Healing Requires Addressing the Root Cause

A Path to Holistic Wellness with Flower Essences. As somebody supporting others on their holistic healing journey – or navigating your own – you may have noticed something very curious. Some people seem to be doing all the ‘right things’ to help themselves and yet they struggle to make a real break-through. They may be […]

Feeling Fearful? Flower Essences to Support Calm, Courage & Emotional Safety

With so much happening in the world right now, it’s completely understandable to feel fearful. It is true to say that collectively humanity is experiencing significant and unprecedented challenges and it is easy to get swept into the negativity, chaos and fear that we are constantly confronted with in others and by the media. If […]

How Anna Gentry Found Her True Purpose in Life and Now Helping Young People Experience ‘Magical’ Transformation

There are many paths that lead a person to discovering First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand®. Sometimes it is through trying the very first personalised blend made by a friend or a practitioner, sometimes it is a synchronistic find on Google search or a serendipitous encounter on social media. Today I am sharing a powerful […]

Support Through Physical or Financial Difficulties with No 37 King Fern

We recently received a question from a young mum who is facing a difficult situation financially. We know that there are probably other people and families who are facing similar issues so with permission we are sharing this question and the answer we gave in this email with you. “I feel so traumatised with what is […]

Maria’s Story and How She Funded Her Studies to Become a Flower Essence Practitioner

This is an inspiring story from Maria Gerathy, a First Light® flower essence practitioner who is a mother of 4 and has been using flower essences with her family and with her clients for over 25 years. People are drawn to First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® for different reasons… Some are looking […]

The Voice of the Plant Spirits… The Sacred Plant Medicine of Aotearoa Vol 1

It always fascinates me to hear stories about how people find their way to First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand®. My book The Sacred Plant Medicine of Aotearoa Vol 1 was first published in 2009 and thousands of copies have been sold to people around the world. Over the 12 years since it was published, […]

Dec 2010 – Jan 2011 Queensland Flooding – First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® Community Support

Facts: Significant flooding occurred in many areas of Queensland during late December 2010 and early January 2011, with three quarters of the state declared a disaster zone. Contacts and Collection Points: Brisbane Julie Hannah First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® Registered practitioner Email [email protected]

Sep 2010 – Feb 2011 Christchurch Earthquake – Volunteers Helping 4500 People with First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® Disaster Relief©

Facts: A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand at 4.35am, 4th September 2010. In the six weeks following over 1500 aftershocks, many of them violent and up to magnitude 5.0, continued to traumatise the people of Canterbury. A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand just before 1pm, 22 February 2011. First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® […]

November 2010 Greymouth Coalmine Explosion – 1000 x 25ml Blends of First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® Disaster Relief© Donated to Greymouth Red Cross

Facts: An explosion takes place at the Pike River coalmine near Greymouth, on 19th November 2010 at 3.45pm trapping 29 miners underground. A second explosion on the 24th November occurs at the mine and it was publically announced that none of the 29 trapped miners could have survived. First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® immediately donates 1000 ready […]

March 2011 Japan Earthquake – First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® Community Support

Facts: A magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan on 11th March 2011, triggering a series of tsunami. Concerns around impact on unstable nuclear plants. Contacts and Collection Points for First Light® Disaster Support© and Crisis Support©: Minako Hama First Light Flower Essence of New Zealand® Registered Practitioner and Tutor 2-12-3 Omorinaka Ota-ku,Tokyo, Japan Ph: +81-(0)3 […]

Jul-Aug 2013 Wellington Earthquake – First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® Disaster Relief© Blend

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Wellington, New Zealand at 5.10pm, 21st July 2013. Another magnitude 6.6 earthquake was confirmed on Friday, 16th August 2013 at 2.31pm centred just off Seddon at the top of the South Island. A specially formulated First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® Disaster Relief© – Quake Mix flower essence blend is available in exchange […]

The First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® Founder Community Initiatives 2013 – 2015

First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® is built on the foundational principle that nature is and has always been the greatest healer and teacher. Nature teaches us that everything is interconnected, inter-related and an integral part of the great pattern or web of life. At First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® we see this web […]

Celebrating Young People and Their Passion for Helping Friends, Family and Communities

PHOTO: (left to right) Anna Gentry (tutor), Shanti Aplin (15 years old), Faline Davis (16 years old) and Gaia Aplin (18 Years old) at the First Light® Plants – Life Enhancement workshop in Tutukaka coast, New Zealand, May 2023 We loved seeing Faline, Tallulah, Shanti, Gaia and Selena attending recent First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® workshops and […]

How Flower Essences Can Help With More Sleep

There are some things that you may not know about the First Light® College of New Zealand Native Flower Essence Therapy Online School. One feature that students tell us they really love is the “Ask Franchelle” Section where they can submit their study related questions and any questions they have about flower essences and holistic healing […]

True Love Chocolate Truffles

A divine love-filled treat that is easy to make and melt-in-the-mouth delectable. Includes a special combination of flower essences to support heart-based connections and the light of true love. Cream together: Then add 1 cup chopped nuts and/or dried fruit. (We used pistachio nuts, crystallised ginger and dried apricots, finely chopped.) 4 drops each of […]

Flower Essences: Addressing the Link Between Dis-Ease and the Human Spirit

Healers, medicine men and women and wisdom-keepers of old saw a direct connection between the state of illness or dis-ease in a person and the condition of the human spirit. They fully understood the interconnection of the human spirit and the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of the being. They understood that all true […]

Healing Collective Trauma

A growing number of mental health professionals are calling the pandemic a collective trauma. How New Zealand Flower Essences Support Recovery A mass or collective trauma takes place when the same event or chain of events traumatises many people within the same period of time. In many ways, COVID-19 and events associated with it […]

Flower Essence For Emotional Security And Healthy Attachment

First Light® No 10 Starry Hibiscus Deva’s Blessing “I bring the gift of tenderness and inner sustenance. Through me you find the inner ocean of the cherishing light where there are no tides – only a serenity and calmness that knows no ebb.” Franchelle Ofsoské-Wyber, Founder and Creator First Light Flower Essences Of New Zealand® First […]

Feeling Afraid Of Losing Control? A New Zealand Flower Essence for Fearlessness

Have been feeling like you are holding everything together, just barely? Perhaps there’s a fear of breaking down? You might worry about losing control, snapping or being overwhelmed by feelings that seem so much bigger than you. These feelings are often a sign that you may need some support. Nature offers gentle yet powerful help […]

Plant Profile: First Light® No 84 Kawakawa – Faith

First Light® No 84 Kawakawa Deva’s Blessing I offer you the mantle of faith. Through me you reach for the impossible – believing in your zenith. Knowing no limitation, a Child of Light a Master of All.” Franchelle Ofsoské-Wyber, Founder and Creator Kawakawa is a well-known New Zealand native plant that has large shiny aromatic […]

Feeling Emotionally Stuck or Living In The Past? A New Zealand Flower Essence for Emotional Healing and Resilience

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by sad memories, emotionally stuck and unable to let go of the past? If you wish you could honour the past yet live in the present, this native New Zealand flower is your ally from nature. It offers you gentle emotional support and holistic healing. Meet First Light® No 12 […]

Carrying Guilt or Self-Blame? A New Zealand Flower Essence for Keeping it Simple

If you’re carrying guilt, self-blame, regret or self-doubt, flower essences can offer gentle emotional and energetic support. First Light® No 18 Purple Koromiko is a flower essence made from a native New Zealand flower. Flower essences work vibrationally rather than chemically, helping to restore a sense of inner harmony and balance. Meet First Light® No […]

Struggling to Keep the Peace Without Losing Yourself? A New Zealand Flower Essence for Healthy Relationships

First Light® No 20 Wineberry Deva’s Blessing “I bring the gift cooperation and harmony. Through me you are true to the principle of friendship but a slave to none” Franchelle Ofsoské-Wyber, Founder and Creator If you tend to people-please, avoid conflict, or feel tense while trying to keep the peace, flower essences can offer you gentle […]

First Light® No 82 Golden Tainui – Renewal

First Light® No 82 Golden Tainui Deva’s Blessing “I offer you the mantle of transformation. Through me you awaken to hear the call of life. Rising up and moving on – alive again, ready to respond to the wondrous sound that echoes your own soul song.” Franchelle Ofsoské-Wyber, Founder and Creator Golden Tainui is a […]

Feeling Powerless or Easily Influenced? A New Zealand Flower Essence For Initiative And Self-Assertion

There are moments in life when other people’s demands seem louder than our own inner voice. We can find ourselves too eager to please and find it difficult to say ‘no’. If you are struggling to assert yourself or feeling weak willed, and don’t know how to change that, nature offers some gentle, yet powerful […]

Flower Essence For After Shock, Loss or Physical Trauma

First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® No 37 King Fern Deva’s Blessing “I bring a healing song to the soul. Through me the traumas of physical existence are soothed – bathed in the sacred healing pools and ancient mists of the land.” Franchelle Ofsoské-Wyber, Founder and Creator A New Zealand Flower Essence To Help You Feel […]

First Light® Blend: Limitless Joy

When was the last time you experienced unbridled joy and sheer delight at being alive? Was it as recent as today, or has it has been some time since you truly felt a sense of joy and lightness in your life? Joy is a quality that naturally radiates from your soul and is experienced when you […]

First Light® Blend: Receptivity and Abundance

Do you want to create greater abundance in your life? Would you like to increase your capacity to receive, and heighten your creative potential to manifest what you want in life? Cultivating abundance consciousness is more than just about money – it’s a state of being that aligns you with the life-giving, creative and regenerative […]

First Light® Blend: Nurture and Restore

Do you allow yourself the time and space you need to recharge and rest? Or, are you someone who struggles to say no to the needs of others at the expense of your own emotional and energetic wellbeing? Taking care of your emotional and energetic wellbeing is as important as looking after your physical health […]

First Light® Flower Essence Blend: Self-Acceptance

Do you struggle to see the beauty of who you are due to negative habitual patterns of self-judgement, self-criticism and not feeling good enough? The process of understanding and integrating the many facets of yourself – the ‘good’, the ‘bad’ and the ‘ugly’ – requires compassion, kindness and self-acceptance. This is often not an easy process as there […]

First Light® Flower Essence Blend: Harmony in Relationships

Are your relationships with others generally joyful and positive or are they strained, stressful and challenging? Do you sometimes get thrown off balance when you are with certain people, losing your sense of self and forgetting who you are? Relationships come in all shapes and sizes – personal or professional, intimate or platonic. Relationships play […]

First Light® Flower Essence Blend: Transform and Renew

Do you feel ready for an emotional ‘spring clean’? Are you ready to let go of self-sabotaging emotions and behaviours? Do you want to tap into deep levels of inner strength, courage and willpower to move your life forward in a new direction? Like the mythical phoenix bird that cyclically regenerates itself, burning itself to […]

Become Empowered by Change and Seize New Opportunities

The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus asserted that “Life is flux” meaning everything or all things change. That is, change is inevitable and cannot be avoided. It is the one thing that is guaranteed in life and will happen whether we want it to or not. How we respond to change will have a significant effect on […]

Things Uncertain? Tune Into Your Best Self!

In an incredibly short amount of time the way that we live on this planet has changed in a way very few could have predicted. Living with uncertainty has become one of the few certainties we have. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “The only constant in life is change”. As we navigate the changes […]

Shinrin-Yoku – No ordinary walk….

Amongst the relentless hustle and bustle of our modern lives, a timeless sanctuary exists. It is a refuge in nature’s embrace that the Japanese call ‘shinrin-yoku” – or “forest bathing.” This is no ordinary walk in the woods; it is a profound, multi-sensory communion with nature, a mindful experience that taps into our very essence, and […]

Take Charge, Be Calm and Beat Overwhelm…

As 2023 hurtles towards a close, many people are finding themselves swept up in a whirlwind of end-of-year deadlines and holiday preparations! It is not uncommon to feel pressure mounting… The art of juggling tasks and expectations, making plans, organising and supporting loved ones – and gift shopping – can sometimes leave even the most resilient amongst us feeling […]

Passion for Life 2024 – A Number 8 Year

2024 EXTENDS AN INVITATION FOR EACH ONE OF US TO EMBARK ON A ONE-OF-A- KIND, TRULY MAGICAL JOURNEY! This coming year, we will be presented with remarkable opportunities for healing, regeneration and empowerment like never before. It will be a year that has the promise of a profound shift in our collective consciousness and as […]

For Furry Friends at Festive Season: Our Top 3 Flower Essence Picks

For many people, the holiday season brings joy, fun and festivities, but it can also usher in a myriad of emotions and challenges. And just like us, our animals can get swept up into the celebrations and be affected by the whirlwind of highs and lows at this time of year. From the excitement of […]

How Rachael Helped Her Daughter with Anxiety

If you have tried First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand®, you know there is something very special about them. They are vibrational powerhouses from nature that can uplift your state of being and change your life. They can help you to feel more confident and empowered to face life’s challenges and so much more. How Rachael Brown helped […]