Moscow Food Co-op Producer Profile

Maria Theresa Maggi

by Jackie Molen, from the June 2003 newsletter

I see Maria all the time at the Co-op. Her son is a friend of mine, and I work with her occasionally at Families Together, an organization that helps families with children who have disabilities. Despite all this, I had no idea that she made flower essences. Maria Theresa Maggi is from Sacramento, California. Like so many others, she was lured to Moscow by a job at the University of Idaho. She and her son Michael moved to our town. That was eleven years ago.

While working at the University, she became too ill with multiple sclerosis to work. She spent a lot of time in her garden and began to grow a deeper connection with the plants and flowers. At first she was making flower essences for herself to assist in her own healing. Eventually she grew to share this gift with everyone and has been selling the essences at the Co-op for about three years.

But that’s just the beginning of her talents. Her college education focused on creative writing. This background has helped her publish a book of poems entitled “The Rings Around Saturn.” Her book can be found at Book People and at the public library. Another talent she has been known for is astrology. She has been an astrologer for fourteen years and does astrological readings and charts for people.

She named her essences Star Garden Essence after her star-shaped garden. I had the pleasure of seeing this beloved garden myself. Most of the flowers had not yet blossomed – they are probably waiting for better spring weather. It was beautiful nevertheless, and I plan on coming back in the summer to see it in its full glory. The essences are made here in Moscow and are organic.

An infusion is made with the sun, flowers and distilled spring water. It is then mixed with brandy and diluted. The result is an essence. A typical dose is two to four drops. They can be taken orally, put in bath water or even in a spray bottle. The flower essences work on an energy level instead of a biochemical level. Due to this fact a person does not have to worry about essences reacting with any other medications they may be taking.

Maria puts affirmations on each bottle to tell the customer a little bit about the flower and the aspect that it can help a person with. Maria feels that flower essences give a person the opportunity to trust their intuition. They are encouragement from the plant to heal on an emotional level as well as a mentally and spiritually. In taking these essences you are working with the plant as it works with you.

Maria’s purpose can be best conveyed in her own poet words:

As an intuitive gardener, I enjoy learning from my plants and their generous healing vibrations. As an astrologer, I view the birth chart as an ecology of energies we can choose to cultivate and grow with throughout life’s cycles. The Star Garden, an actual place in my backyard, grew out of my love for the Earth and Sky. All the blossoms used are grown in and around my star garden and home. The interactive, suffused energies from the plants, the sunlight, the moon, the atmosphere and the earth of this deeply loved place are my offering to all on the path of healing and transformation of the physical and subtle bodies.

If you would like an astrological reading and/or a flower essence consultation, Maria can be reached at 882-8360.

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