Veronica chamaedrys Increases powers of insight whilst preventing us from becoming emotionally entangled with what we perceive. Speedwell is about increasing our receptivity. It represents the “All-seeing Eye” of eastern philosophy, bringing insight in such a way that it seems entirely natural. It is concerned with maintaining our equanimity within meditation so that we do not get emotionally involved with the insights that may be revealed to us. There are always difficulties when we try to expand our consciousness. It is all too easy for the ego, i.e. what we believe ourselves to be, to get in the way. This is an area where it is easy to get bogged down in religious fanaticism. Our minds can have a difficult job in trying to interpret information coming from a totally different level of consciousness: inevitably there will be errors in the translation. For example, a transcendental experience could be interpreted by a Buddhist as seeing the Buddha or by a Muslim as seeing Allah. Our conditionings or beliefs affect our interpretations. Speedwell gives us a clarity of vision whereby we become less inclined to apply stereotyped interpretations to the information that we receive from higher realms of consciousness. It helps us to open up to these higher levels of consciousness whilst keeping our feet firmly on the ground, without being swayed by personal opinions.