Clematis vs Honeysuckle
Both are somewhere other than here. Clematis has drifted into an imagined future. Honeysuckle is living in a remembered past.
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Why they get muddled
Bach grouped both under insufficient interest in present circumstances, which is his way of saying the attention is elsewhere. Both people miss what was just said. The only question is which direction they went.
The differences
Which way the attention goes
Clematis
Forwards or sideways, into something imagined.
Honeysuckle
Backwards, into something that actually happened.
What it feels like
Clematis
Pleasant. The daydream is nicer than the room.
Honeysuckle
Bittersweet. There is a real ache in it.
How you talk
Clematis
About plans and possibilities, in a vague way.
Honeysuckle
About a particular period of your life, in detail.
What comes with it
Clematis
Drowsiness, forgetfulness, needing a lot of sleep.
Honeysuckle
Homesickness, old photographs, comparing now unfavorably with then.
Which one to pick
Choose Clematis if
- People tell you that you were miles away
- You would rather think about the future than deal with today
- You are forgetful about practical things, keys, stops, appointments
Choose Honeysuckle if
- You compare everything now unfavorably with how it used to be
- You feel homesick, even for a place you chose to leave
- You find it hard to get interested in new plans
What if both sound right?
If you drift into old memories on some days and into daydreams on others, both fit, and both can go in the same mix. Neither one is asking you to give up the imagination or the memories.
Common questions
Is Honeysuckle a grief remedy?
It is for the long pull backwards rather than the shock itself. Star of Bethlehem is the one for the numbness that follows a loss, and the two are often taken together when something old has never quite settled.
What if I drift off because I am bored?
Look at Wild Rose, which is flatter and more resigned, with no pleasant elsewhere to go to. Clematis always has somewhere better it would rather be.
Keep narrowing
The pairs closest to this one, if neither of these two turns out to be it.
Chestnut BudvsClematis
Chestnut Bud repeats and Clematis drifts. If you can see the same mistake three times over in your own history, that is Chestnut Bud. If you keep missing what is happening in front of you, that is Clematis.
ClematisvsHornbeam
Clematis has gone somewhere else. Hornbeam has not gone anywhere, it just cannot begin. If the work looks heavy before you start, that is Hornbeam. If you started and then vanished, that is Clematis.
HoneysucklevsStar of Bethlehem
Star of Bethlehem is for the moment it happened. Honeysuckle is for the years afterwards, when the past keeps getting more of your attention than the present does.
OlivevsHornbeam
Olive is tiredness after the effort. Hornbeam is tiredness before it. If rest genuinely helps, it is Olive. If you feel fine once you get going, it is Hornbeam.
Still not sure?
Read both profiles in full, or start from the feeling and let the quiz narrow it for you.