Bach Flower Database

Botany: Ulmus procera
Preparation: Boiling Method
Represents: Responsibility

Elm represents the soul's sense of responsibility. The elm personalities are strong, independent leaders with altruistic motivations. They are the governors, mayors and teachers of our world. In a positive elm state, these souls go above and beyond in the service of others.

But in a negative state, even the most stalwart individual has doubts and fears. Often these fears come on suddenly and without warning. Fortunately, the negative elm state is temporary but when it does happen, it can be completely and utterly debilitating.

Imagine a young mother who works tirelessly to prepare her home for a new baby. Every surface in the house is scrubbed and disinfected. The older children are carefully and lovingly lectured on the importance of keeping toys away from the baby. Meals are prepared ahead of time and frozen for later use.

Suddenly, the young mother has an unexplainable and completely unexpected moment of panic. What if something happens to the baby? What was she thinking, having another baby so close to the last one? How can she possibly give love and attention to each child? The house will be a mess and the children will be eating cereal for diner.

Then guilt and self-doubt creep in. This mother loves her children. She has worked to be the best mother she can be. How then, she wonders, can she feel this way? Is she a bad mother? Don't her children deserve better?

This woman is in a negative elm state. All the preparation for the new baby has left her emotionally and physically drained. She has lost track of herself; she has forgotten that she is, after all, a human being who gets tired, hungry and grumpy.

The Positive Elm State

In a positive elm state, confidence and self-esteem are maintained at healthy levels. Positive elms are not self-martyring; they are motived by a true desire to make the world a better place for others but they know when to say, "No." Positive elm personalities have learned to accept only as much responsibility as their experience tells them they can handle.