Bach Flower Database

Botany: Agrimonia eupatoria
Production: Sun Method
Represents: Honesty

Negative agrimony states can sometimes be difficult to recognize because people in this state are extremely adept at "manning up" or "putting on a good face", even when faced with serious personal tragedy. Their problems are their problems, they think and they deeply fear showing negative emotions.

Negative agrimony states also tend to encourage denial of a problem. People in this state will often overwhelm themselves with work or personal activities as a way to avoid dealing with a problem.

Imagine a woman who has been diagnosed with very serious but completely curable medical condition. She needs surgery and that surgery will be followed by a months-long period of recuperation. When word gets out that this woman is ill, the people in her life will rush to help. They'll stop her in the supermarket to ask how she is, leave loving messages on her answering machine and drop by with small arrangements of flowers to cheer her up.

But their concern is almost always met with the same response, "Oh, I don't know why everyone is making such a fuss. I'm fine. Really." After her surgery she turns down every single offer to help with housework, carpooling the kids and grocery shopping. "I'm fine. Really."

She takes this stance even with the people who love her most. Even her family doesn't realize just how uncomfortable she is.

This woman is in a negative agrimony state. She cannot bear the thought of inconveniencing other people and she sees making even a small request a burden. But she also has another problem. She can't admit to herself that she is as ill as she really is.

The truth is, this woman is desperately afraid that she might become sicker than she already is and that she really will become a burden on people. Putting on a happy face and going about her day as "normally" as possible is her coping mechanism.

The Positive Agrimony State

In a positive agrimony state a soul embraces honesty and finds ways to learn (and grow) from both positive and negative situations. Agrimony personalities are marked by a feeling of inner peace, a respect for truth and a deep sense of optimism. They realize that even the most serious crisis is only temporary; positive agrimonies look for the "light at the end of the tunnel".