Fringe Tree Research Study

by Jennifer Elmore March 11, 2021 2 Comments

Intro

I’d like to thank all of the volunteers who participated in the Fringe Tree study. We’re grateful for your insights and feedback! Reporting on this essence has taken me a little longer than I expected. I gathered responses from the group in the fall, and for the past few months, I’ve been working with the Fringe Tree essence, myself — taking a stock-level tincture at intervals, holding the mother essence in meditations, and keeping a record of its effects.

I took my time with this essence because it appears to have the potential to move a lot energy. Essences like this are best started when you feel intuitively ready and generally supported in your life and when you have the time/space to process and release any material that may come to the surface.

Background on the Fringe Tree

I saw a Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) for the first time a few years ago in the Boston Public Garden. It caught my attention because it was covered in white, fringe-like flowers that were incredibly fragrant.

A member of the the olive family, the tree isn’t all that common here in Massachusetts/New Hampshire. In the U.S., its natural habitat is more to the south — ranging from Texas to Pennsylvania and a bit up the Atlantic Coast. It tends to prefer full sun or partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. The more sun it gets, the more profusely it blooms.

We planted a small Fringe Tree at the entrance to our garden several years ago and watched it grow for a few seasons before I made the essence last June. Last year’s bloom was really lovely and abundant, and I got the sense that the tree was established enough in its spot to lend its energy to this project.

Making the Essence

The morning I made the essence was clear, warm, and breezy. I try to pay close attention to whatever is happening both in me and in nature when I’m making an essence. The conditions always feel significant since they seem to affect (and maybe even reflect) certain aspects of the essence’s qualities.

On this particular day, I really noticed the wind, the movement of air around and through the tree. The tassel-like flowers were constantly stirring, so much so that I had a hard time taking a picture that wasn’t blurry. Standing with the tree and its flowers, I felt very clear, light and free — feelings that do seem to be connected to the essence, itself.

Feedback From the Community

Fourteen people volunteered to participate in the study, and I received feedback from everyone.  Most people took the essence regularly (3 drops 2-3x/day) for a week although a few varied their dosing based on their unfolding experiences with the essence and what felt intrinsically right for them.

I’ve condensed everyone’s responses to make for an easier read — all of the qualities I’ve listed came up in at least 4-5 reports.

Italicized text = quotes from participants

Cleansing & Purging

The Fringe Tree essence appears to clear dense emotional and/or mental material that may be weighing us down or in some way preventing us from feeling free, joyful or fully expressed in ourselves and our lives. Some people experienced sensations of clarity and expansiveness immediately when they started the essence.

* I felt a lightness of being and a quiet joy within — a sense of uplift.

* When I first took it, I felt an expansive opening in my chest, as if my shoulders were spread wide, and my arms opened up.

Other people did not experience these sensations right away but reported more of a purging effect initially. For these folks, the essence seemed to draw buried material up from the depths for release.

* I could see in my mind a deep dark pond with things floating from the depths to the surface — dark leaves that were submerged, rising from the floor of the pond…I had a feeling of being repulsed by what was floating up. I could hear the following: “treasures will surface” or “treasures will rise.” This phrase felt…powerful to me and felt like it was directly from the essence or the tree.

* When I began taking the essence, I noticed that my dreams started to revolve around fear and then grief. Later in the week, I remembered an event from childhood that drew feelings of fury to the surface, and I started to understand how this buried anger has carried into my adult life.

* I found the Fringe Tree essence to be quite powerful in the experiences it brought me and what it stirred and brought forward. The first evening that I took the Fringe Tree, images and dreams of deep-seated fears of mine…were highlighted. Every night was similar…I would have very unnerving dreams, revealing deeper-seated fears, each time showing me my part, and how I created the fear.

* In the last few weeks, it seems that some old grudges and traumas have been bubbling up within the family — I don’t know if it’s coincidence or synchronicity with the taking of the essence. I wondered about the essence and if it might bring up repressed memories or just buried burdens from the past.

* The first day I took the essence, I felt a deep sadness, emotions and vulnerability.  The sadness seemed to be about the loss of a complicated friendship…feelings I felt I had mourned already.

One person who felt a strong attraction to the Fringe Tree initially and was eager to join the study reported seeing images that were unpleasant to him when he started the essence. He also noticed some depressed feelings coming to the surface, feelings that he’d experienced in the past. He said that he felt some resistance to taking the doses, and a few days into the trial, he accidentally spilled half the bottle.

Another person also reported feeling resistance to starting the essence, but when she began taking doses, she experienced clearing/purging effects on a couple of levels.

* I struggled for some reason initially…I realized I had some resistance to work through. I felt it offered a sense of calming and centering and clearing. Each day taking it, I sensed more calming and clearing…One of the strongest activations I felt from taking Fringe Tree was a sense to start to clean and purge items in my house that I no longer needed. It really surprised me how strong this activation was.

The Fringe Tree is offering us some important reminders about “release” essences. Essences that encourage movement through the system often bring heavy, buried energy to the surface, and this process isn’t always comfortable. The Fringe Tree essence will, I think, be very helpful for people who wish to explore and release lower-frequency feelings, thoughts, memories, etc., but readiness is key. We don’t always have the support, time or desire to delve into this material.

The point of the study was to explore the effects of this particular essence, by itself. But I would be inclined, in practice, to pair the Fringe Tree with things like Borage and Linden to support and perhaps soften its clearing qualities.

Most of the people who experienced resistance or a period of “purging” felt clearer by the end of the week.

* After I completed the week of using the Fringe essence, I had more of a vibe of I-know-who-I-am…and I do not need to shrink, be less-than, play nice.  

* After the first few doses, I started to feel lighter, like I’d unloaded some things I didn’t even know I was carrying.

2. Clearing, Calming & Organizing the Mind

For many people, the Fringe Tree essence seemed to focus its clearing effects in the mind. Several participants said that they were able to think more clearly and creatively and that they felt less disturbed by outside stimuli.

* I had a feeling of a clear mind, like things can be going on around me, and it doesn’t matter.

* I notice that this essence seems to be slowing down my mind a little, in a good way. My brain usually goes at about 120 mph, but I am actually functioning at a more human pace today.

* I feel more focused and clear-thinking during the day.

* I find the effects of the Fringe Tree seem more focused on my mind.  Moments after taking it for the first time, my mental patterns became simultaneously more organized and more creative…My mind feels less permeable to outside influences under the effects of the Fringe Tree. During a time when we’ve been bombarded by news, other people’s emotions, and so much stimuli, Fringe Tree seems to sort out the energy and information that matters the most and allows me to release or simply not accept the rest.

* I saw (with my inner vision) that the essence was combing through or sweeping the mental body in the aura, clearing it of debris and extraneous mental energies I had accumulated…it cleanses and energizes the mind, particularly inviting us to be less sensitive to harmful thoughts that spread and grow, creating a framework for creativity and innovation.

3. Heart & Third Eye

Many people who took the essence said that they felt sensations of energy in their chest and/or head. One person experienced a current connecting these two areas.

* Each time I take the essence, it feels like my heart is expanding and opening up through the use of it.

* The first drop I took went straight to my heart.

* I had warm sensations in the center of my forehead — with a desire to just be. It helps me to relax.

* The energy of the Fringe Tree was strongly centered on my third-eye chakra.

* I had the feeling of yellow-green energy rising from my chest to my head.

4. Other Notable Dimensions

Vivid Dreams
A few people said that they noticed that their dreams were clearer and easier to remember when taking the essence. One woman said that the Fringe Tree seemed to heighten sensory or physical sensations within her dreams.

* The images in my dreams are a lot sharper and easier to remember with the help of the Fringe Tree essence.

* I first noticed an increase in vivid dreams — often having two or three that I remembered well in the morning. I felt a strengthening of physical sensations during my dreams, as in greater awareness of my body senses.

Connectedness
A couple of people mentioned that they felt a sense of “connectedness” or a desire for more connection in their lives.

* On day one of taking the essence, I experienced a feeling of connectedness and expansion.

* I had a feeling of either being connected or needing connection with other people — a feeling of community, being in the presence of others.

Grounding
The essence helped some participants feel a bit more grounded and stable.

* Grounding is probably the word I would use in thinking about this essence.

* I had a vision of being buried in mud from my waist down. The mud felt uncomfortable, but I felt a message of safety and being “planted.”

*          *          *          *          *

Based on what I’ve learned so far from the study group and from my own experience of the tree and essence, here is my sense, so far, of Fringe Tree’s influence.

Fringe Tree ~ I am clear and free. I release heavy energy.

Indications
For those who wish to release negative or troublesome thoughts, feelings or memories; supports clear thinking and a clear energy system, allowing for insight and renewal

This is a working definition for now — one that we’ll continue to refine as we use the essence more and explore its full range.

I’d like to mention one final story that feels important. The wife of one participant expressed an interest in trying the Fringe Tree essence along with her husband, but got a “no” when she dowsed over the bottle. She happened to mention a bit later in an email that she was 8 months pregnant.  

We don’t usually give “release” essences like the Fringe Tree to women who are expecting, simply because pregnancy is a time of holding and building energy rather than expelling energy. It’s always a great idea to work with the flow of the body and to honor its cycles — so if you would like to try the Fringe Tree, yourself, or in sessions with clients, I’d recommend using it when you/they are not pregnant or actively trying to become pregnant.

If you have any questions about the essence or would like personalized suggestions on how to use it, please leave a comment here or contact me at jennifer@deltagardens.com. To purchase the Fringe Tree essence, click HERE.

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