Bach Flower Database

Botany: Fagus sylvatica
Production: Boiling Method
Represents: Tolerance

Beech people are tolerant, loving people who foster understanding in others. They are the teachers, the community activists, the church leaders. In a positive beech state, these souls are powerful agents of social change. They are especially good with children because they recognize that each person is born with a unique set of gifts and struggles. They accept these differences as perfectly normal and work with each child to nurture the potential hidden within. They do not fight these differences or try to mold a child a certain way. In a negative state, though, beech personalities can quickly become exactly the opposite of all they once espoused.

One hallmark of a negative beech personality is the desire to withdraw from society. Bach believed that negative beech states could extend to entire communities and this is often why people leave their homes and jobs to live in isolated communities with like-minded persons.

Imagine a woman who grew up in a very poor family. In school, she was often mocked for her poverty. She wore hand-me-down clothing that was never in perfect repair and perhaps it was often ill-fitting. She never had the "right" shoes or the "right" book bag.

Our woman dealt with a lot of humiliation and social rejection in the cruel world of public school. To cope with the rejection, she drew herself inward. She promised herself that when she grew up, she would never treat anyone that way. She would be a good person who looked beyond the possessions or personal appearance of others.

As she grew older, these coping mechanisms became insufficient. To better deal with her humiliation she learned to channel criticism into a very arrogant form of judgement against others. Like an old schoolmarm, she walks through life with her back just a little too straight and her chin pointed just a little too high. When others look at her now, they see a boorish, arrogant person who is quick to judge and quick to condemn.

This woman is in a negative agrimony state. She has lost touch with her true purpose in life and has long-forgotten her childhood promise to grow up to be a tolerant, loving person.

The Positive Beech State

Souls in a positive beech state have learned that, indeed, there really are two sides to every story. They criticize constructively and only after examining a situation from all angles. They are tolerant, patient people who welcome opportunities for self-growth. Positive agrimony personalities nurture growth in others, too, and encourage tolerance and acceptance.