Oak Essence
Bach says of Oak, “They will fight on...”
This is an essence for those stalwart souls who never say die. Battle-worn and bone-tired, they get back on their feet, palm their sword - and fight on. “They are brave people, fighting against great difficulty, without loss of hope or effort.”
They embody the positive soul quality of ‘Endurance’ and this is the lesson Oak teaches us, to endure.
But what of those who endure past the point of endurance, who stand in the storm rather than find shelter, who face the onslaught without thought of asking for help or support? There is something to be said for knowing *when to quit*. And not quitting in the sense of giving up the fight, or losing hope in the cause, but when in a negative Oak state, any alternative to simply standing and bearing the brunt of force feels like failure, it’s anathema. And, like many an old Oak, they snap and break. Their rigid determination to Be All and Bear All does them in in the end.
People in an Oak state deeply resent anything that keeps them from ‘pulling their weight’. Life is duty to them and not being able to do their duty causes acute pain- the fact that they are sick or ‘unable’ is more painful than anything going on in their body. “Put me back in, coach, it’s not that bad...” they say, with their leg badly broken or a fever of 105. Soldiering on, they refuse to throw in the towel, or even tag in a teammate to help.
There is a rigid solitude to the Oak type, sometimes born of necessity. Not many people can face what they have and been able to stand it. Sometimes they say, “I’m the only one who Can...” perhaps from a place of quiet despair or even misplaced pride. Their strength has often been forced upon them and now they believe it is a core aspect of their identity. If they stop enduring- they stop being.
Oak is considered a ‘Chronic Remedy’- this is a state we are not often born into, it is developed and acquired over time and through experience. It’s a learned response. Working with Oak essence can undo that layer of habit and release us into a deeper, more fluid place where our strength and endurance is fueled by Joy and Reasonable Expectations. We can bend, we can look to either side and allow support to enter our view. We don’t feel like needing help is an abject personal failure. Oak can help us release relationships that we have planted ourselves in as the ‘One Who Endures’- when you find yourself being the one who constantly holds the line, picking up the slack, weathering the storms. It can help us to develop reasonable boundaries; where can I bend? Where do I need to be strong? Am I simply enduring?
It brings to mind a long-suffering parent or spouse. Life beats on them, home beats on them- they simply push on, do what needs to be done and fall into bed exhausted and Hard. There is a tightness, a hardness to this energy. This is not a highly emotive state, they tend to store away their woes like a squirrel hiding nuts for the winter. The Oak in nature is a magnificent example of community living, it can house and feed hundreds of species of life - there is much energy and nourishment in its Being. Oak helps us to not just be beating posts in life- we are more than battering rams and stoic soldiers- we are nourishing, growing members who give and provide so much for those around us. It is a gift to be able to endure, and these souls have it.
Oak essence helps to refine and humanize that tendency so that we are able to endure with joy.