About Us
An introduction to our company, Alaska, and our Threefold System of Healing
- This first part is written by Steve Johnson, who passed away 3/17/2017. The part after that is written by his wife Judith Poelarends who is now the director of Alaskan Essences, Inc.
In 1983, my job as a wilderness fire fighter allowed me to be stationed in a remote village situated on the northern shore of Lake Minchumina, the largest lake in the interior of Alaska. Located in the geographical center of the state, Lake Minchumina sits like a jewel in the crown of the Alaska Range, with an imposing view of Denali, the tallest mountain on the North American continent. It was here in this pristine wild flower paradise that I began preparing the Alaskan Flower Essences.
I founded the Alaskan Flower Essence Project in January of 1984 to coordinate the preparation and research of new flower essences from the extensive and unique ecological regions of the state. That summer, I pioneered the concept of co-creating essences directly from the environment with the preparation of the Solstice Storm essence.
Shabd-sangeet Khalsa joined the project as a co-founder in the fall of 1984, bringing her considerable botanical expertise and extensive knowledge of native Alaskan flora. Shabd-sangeet worked very closely with the project preparing and researching essences until 1991. During this eight year period, she was the initial preparer of 42 of the essences now featured in our repertory.
In 1985 Janice Schofield, a well-known herbalist and author, contributed a series of flower essences from the Kachemak Bay and Rocky River areas of Alaska.
My job as a fire fighter continued to provide me with many unique and awe inspiring opportunities to observe nature and to prepare flower and environmental essences in other remote areas of the state. In 1991, after 15 seasons of fighting fire in Alaska, I retired and moved myself and the business to Homer, a small coastal town in the south-central part of the state.
In Homer I was joined in my research and teaching activities by Jane Bell, a flower essence therapist and educator. The scope of our work together expanded in the summer of 1992 when Jane and I co-created the first forty-eight Alaskan Gem Elixirs.
Essences from The Last Frontier
My inspiration to prepare essences in Alaska began with an awareness of the vibrational purity of this land. Alaska is one of the very few places left on our planet where the environment is much as it was thousands of years ago. Less than 700,000 people live in an area one fifth the size of the continental United States, and over half of these are clustered in the three largest cities. The plant and elemental kingdoms here are still intact, healthy, and exuberant because much of the state has never been impacted by human activity.
All of the life forms here have had to develop special adaptations to ensure their chances for survival in an extreme climate characterized by constant movement and change. As we move into the second decade of this century and beyond, the skills and abilities that enable us to thrive in an environment of continual change and transformation are becoming increasingly relevant. These qualities are embodied by the Alaskan essences. Through the study and use of these essences, we can awaken and master them in ourselves.
A Threefold System of Healing
The Alaskan Essences, Inc. is the only essence company in the world that has designed a system of vibrational healing based on the co-creative relationship that exists between the plant, mineral, and elemental kingdoms. This threefold system derives its effectiveness from the special qualities of healing energy that each kingdom has to offer, and from the synergy that is created when these essences are used together. Following is a brief introduction to the three different types of essences in our system.
Flower Essences - The plant kingdom occupies the central role in this co-creative relationship, bringing the gift of spiritual consciousness to the earth. Essences made from flowers awaken dormant qualities of consciousness within us and stimulate the release of blockages that prevent us from fully integrating this higher consciousness into our daily lives. They enable us to live our lives with increased awareness and understanding.
Gem Elixirs - The mineral kingdom helps us fully anchor and embody changes in consciousness that are catalyzed by the use of flower essences. Just as the rocks and soil of this planet provide structure and stability for the growth of the plant kingdom, gem elixirs stabilize and restructure our energy systems so that our physical bodies can maintain their balance as the consciousness within us grows and expands.
Environmental Essences - The gift of the elemental kingdom is energy for change. The environment, through the elements of air, earth, fire, and water, supplies vital nourishment for all living things. Essences made from the environment provide the potent qualities of energy we need to create and sustain change at the core level of our beings.
And our story continues....
In January 2017, Steve got diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma cancer and he passed away on March 17, leaving his wife Judith and team members of Alaskan Essences behind. Judith is now continuing Steve's work, and below you can read more about how her life led to the Alaskan Essences.
I was born in The Netherlands in 1975. As a child I loved to be out in nature and be around animals. After high school I studied Animal Science and I have a Master of Science degree from the Wageningen Agricultural University in The Netherlands. I have been a researcher for 16 years and my ambition in life was to improve animal welfare, as I have cherished animals all my life.
Curiosity and a thirst for knowledge led me to learn more about animal communication, when to my amazement, I discovered I could telepathically communicate with animals. That discovery transformed my whole life and I started to learn and engage more in intuitive healing work.
I had been using flower essences for some time when I attended a one year class on flower essences by Bram Zaalberg from Bloesem Remedies Nederland. This was a very intense year in which I learned a lot about myself and how essences work. Flower essences helped me grow spiritually, clarify my emotions and thoughts and increase my self-confidence. They made me feel more at home on the planet.
This class was a wonderful enlightening personal journey. I was certified as a flower essence practitioner in 2009 and started working as a flower essence practitioner for people and animals.
One day in 2012 I heard that my teacher Bram was organizing a workshop together with his friend and colleague Steve Johnson in Homer Alaska. I knew immediately that I had to participate. So, I signed up, eager to attend this workshop but not knowing where this journey would lead me.
In the summer of 2013 a group of 25 Dutch flower essence practitioners, including myself traveled to Homer Alaska. Together, we intuitively discovered a powerful energy portal and from it, we made a new essence, called Divine Angel (sold by Bloesem Remedies Nederland).
During my attunements into that energy portal, I realized my whole life had led to this journey in Alaska and that it was my time to manifest my soul purpose. That week changed my life, I had never felt so much at home on the planet than when I first sat down with my notebook in the grass near the Homestead trail. A place where Steve had made a lot of his Alaskan Essences.
When Steve and I got to know each other better, I felt more and more like I was coming home. There was definitely a mutual heartfelt connection growing. We travelled a lot to be able to be together. In 2015, I permanently moved from The Netherlands to our home in Montana USA and Steve and I got married in May of that year. Summers were spent in Alaska, where I would join Steve, making essences together and assist him during his practitioner trainings. Steve taught me a lot about Alaska, the flowers, gems and the uniqueness of this beautiful State.
I have precious memories of our special time in Alaska. Making mother essences together was always a spiritual experience. Steve told me he felt blessed that I was able to communicate so easily with the spiritual world of the flower and gem Deva’s and Nature. We even had the opportunity to teach a few workshops together about the use of flower essences for animals.
Steve and I had a life together that was very healing, inspiring and joyful for both of us. His early passing makes me believe there is another reason why we got together in life. I believe that reason was for me to be there for him during his end of life and for me to continue his dream and life’s work.
Steve told me it was very comforting for him to know that I would continue making the Alaskan Essences, making sure they are available for people and animals all around the world. This is now my dream. I am inspired and eager to do this.