Fifteenth Chapter HOMEOPATHY AND THE RELATED CURRENTS OF THOUGHT Homeopathy does not hang suspended in a vacuum and it is related to many systems and currents of thought. They all have one thing in common - they look inwards rather than outwards for the causes of events. The homeopath administers a homeopathic remedy in order to cure the immaterial governing centre, where disorganisation has caused a disease, suffering. In reality an ailment does not necessarily have to mean incapacity but may sometimes even bring about increased activity of the organism, in the physical as well as psychological sense. The common element of all diseases is suffering. The determining factor of health is a lasting peace and calmness. So if we are to find any related currents of thought, we have to look for those that attempt to eliminate the inner suffering and install calmness and peace, deliverance from the pain. It becomes instantaneously obvious that this applies to practically all religions, or let us say that there are trends existing in every religion, which have such aim, and that they endeavour to reach while the person is alive, through curing the inner being, the governing system, the "heart". The Method that Eliminates Suffering Homeopathy is (so far) neither a philosophy nor a religion. It however has its own peculiar philosophy, which has not sprung out of speculations or derivations from other systems, but was formed on the basis of observing the effects of homeopathic remedies on both the healthy and the diseased. Its only aim and mission is "... to make sick people healthy - to heal, as it is termed." (Hahnemann: Organon, paragraph 1.). The homeopath was thus never concerned whether his speciality could be ideologically linked with this or that, he quite practicably zeroed in on his one and only target. He conceived homeopathy simply as a method of "elimination of suffering", "rooting out of a chronic disease", while disease in homeopathy is a very broad term. Almost any life manifestation could have (depending on its particular level or adequacy) it own pathological aspect. Homeopathy expresses itself almost exclusively in negative terms. In reality it describes the whole life as pathology (which, in a system aiming at therapy, is quite logical). The book of thirteen hundred pages, Repertory by J. T. Kent, contains a tabular list of all, in the history of homeopathy recorded symptoms, and to each of these, a list of remedies is attached, capable of curing this particular symptom. If we look up the entry on the Mind, among others, we will also see the entries: Anger, Anxiety, Apathy, Arrogance, Confusion, Depression, Dullness, Hatred, Illusion, Impatience, Sadness... The list of mental symptoms is in an essence a list of all human bad qualities and of all that the various religious and philosophical systems tried to eliminate or at least restrain for thousands of years. Buddhism Particularly comes to mind the association with Buddhism, which likewise conceives life as pathology, envisioning it in negative terms and like homeopathy, gives us practical advice on how to "eliminate suffering", without defining the state of bliss "after the elimination of suffering" in any way. In like manner to Buddhism, in homeopathy too, suffering is to be eliminated gradually, not by a sudden leap. Buddhist meditation brings about calming of a passion (passion=suffering=disease), as the monk concentrates his attention to it. Similarly in homeopathy - if a particular chronic symptom is to be eliminated, having received the remedy, the attention of the patient has been attracted to this (perhaps even a secondary) symptom. More particularities could be found, and this may be why in Europe in the past, some propagators of Buddhism were doctors of homeopathy (Dahlke, Palmie). A certain contemporary Canadian Buddhist declared that the Buddhist meditation is, in an essence, a homeopathic way of understanding reality. In connection with this it is useful to recognise that the chain of causality in Buddhism is as follows: In dependence on the mind, mental formations are created, in dependence on mental formations, perception is formed, in dependence on perception, sensation is formed and in dependence on sensation, matter is formed (the so-called Five Groups of Fixation). This is the causal chain "from above to below", or "from inside out", the same as in homeopathy. Of course, homeopathy originated in times when in Europe there was as then knowledge of Buddhism. The Buddha, in many of his utterances, puts the mark of equality between elimination of suffering, elimination of delusion and restoration of health. He declares the process of Buddhist progress to be that of a cure. The Grail Homeopathy defines the cause of a disease as disorganisation of the non material governing centre, dynamis. The king is ill, the kingdom is on a decline, it is disintegrating, it is falling asleep. How often we see this symbolism in fairy tales and myths. The legend of the Holy Grail, to which profound esoteric symbolism is attached, describes precisely such a situation. The king (the soul) has fallen ill, and with him the whole kingdom. Parsifal (the symbolical ego), originally a total outsider and a simpleton, has to undergo a number of trials and adventures, before he becomes an adult, a hero, and before he succeeds in formulating the correct, if seemingly somewhat illogical question: "Whom does the Grail serve?" The answer then comes from above, somewhat automatically: "The Grail serves the King of the Grail." This could be interpreted as meaning the higher king, or God. Only at that moment, the king and with him the whole kingdom, is cured. The cure comes to him only when he realises, whom, or rather what, he is obliged to serve. Is not the information about pathology, given in the form of a homeopathic remedy to the immaterial governing centre, really such a non verbal question "what next?" "where are you going from here?" "is it this pathology, that you wish to serve?" And also the answer? Alchemy The symbolism of the ailing king can also be found in alchemy. The objective of alchemy is to cure the king, the governing centre. On alchemical woodcuts, we see an ailing king lying bed under a canopy, the picture symbolises the beginning of the work, the recognition of the state of illness, and thus of the necessity of treatment. One of the best known alchemists was Paracelsus, who also became famous as a physician (which was in his time a common association). It is known that he based his treatment on the law of similarity, curing the like by the like. However he had not, as opposed to Hahnemann, formulated any communicable system of treatment. It is notable that Hahnemann was, by his contemporaries, sometimes likened to Paracelsus; while he refuted such comparisons with exacerbation, even vehemence, stating that Paracelsus was "but will-o'-the-wisp". To an attentive observer, an obvious likeness of the two men would not remain unnoticed, even a visual likeness! It appears, that both men had far more in common than it is generally admitted. In any case, Hahnemann should be in many ways held to be Paracelsus' heir, this can hardly be denied. The famous Swiss philosopher and psychologist C.G.Jung once wrote in an answer to a letter from one of his readers: "...regarding homeopathy, you are quite right to see it as a continuation of alchemical practice." (Jung: Letters). Coming from Jung this is not at all censorious, as he had, in a certain sense, based his whole system of psychology on alchemy and on its detailed study. The alchemistic notion of refining the materia, of repeated distillation, the "cure" of materia - of its exaltation from the state of decay, of corruption, to the higher state of purity, such are the concepts that are close to homeopathy. The motto of alchemy written on the Emerald Tables of Hermes Trismagistos - as above, so below - can be so interpreted that the alchemist refines the matter (below), while also working on his spirit and refining it (above). The conception that alchemy should serve to manufacture a physical gold does no longer hold much these days, not even with the general public. It is evident, owing particularly to the studies of C. G. Jung, who in his way had dusted off alchemy to present it to the modern public, that the gold of the alchemists was of a symbolical value. The aim of an alchemist was to achieve spiritual liberation, purification, and this freedom then had its consequences even in the material world, in which he dwelled. Jungian Psychology The American Jungian psychoanalyst and homeopath Edward Wittmond was the first to consider the so-called constitutional remedies from his speciality’s point of view (E. Wittmond: Psyche` and Substance), and he assigned them the role of an archetype. This is an extraordinarily interesting observation, which can be pursued further and further. According to C. G. Jung, archetypes are inherent organs of the psyche, a kind of primal form, and they play a prominent role in the formatting processes of thinking, living and attitudes of any human. They issue from the collective unconscious and directly manifest themselves in the mind of man, particularly in dreams, during creative activities, in myths and fairy tales, in religion. They are variegated to a large degree, but they always maintain their specific content. As Jung considers everything that happens in the "outer" world to be a reflection of the psyche (all perceptions pass through our psyche), all perceived processes of the physical world are, in the reality, psychological processes. Here there is virtually a total agreement with the alchemical philosophy, but also with Buddhism. The archetype is a sort of idealistic (quite within the sense of the platonic idea) primeval form, which creates the world and the human psyche. Thus an archetype can become manifested not only in the human psyche and its creations, but also in the nature and in the world generally. It is appropriate to mention here the somewhat little known fact that Jung had openly subscribed to neoplatonism. Again: The archetype becomes manifested in religion, in myths, in the thinking and behaviour of man, in nature. Let's now have a look at the homeopathic remedy Lachesis. Homeopaths call this remedy "Expulsion from the Paradise", owing to its remarkable similarity to the Biblical myth: Remedy as an Archetype Lachesis is a tree snake (its English name is bushmaster). With constitutional diseases of the type Lachesis, in the double organs, the left (female) side is always the first one to be afflicted, only then also the right (male) side of the body (quinsy, inflammation of the ovaries, pneumonia, etc.). The patient very often experiences a subjective relief when stripped naked, because of intolerance to clothing. The patient often has an irrational sense of guilt, without being able to give a satisfactory reason for this. There is always some pertinence to apples - the patient is either extremely fond of them, or allergic to them, or may often choke on them. The patient dreams of snakes and has a compulsive fear of snakes, quite out of the ordinary, even if there are no snakes in the country where he lives. He is filled with jealousy, hatred and similar feelings, in the case of a psychosis he often thinks that he is under some "superhuman influence" (Pulford: The Key to the Homeopathic Materia Medica). Lachesis patients are inquisitive, they yearn for new exciting adventures, while dreading them at the same time. Thus we could look for, and keep finding, further analogies. All that is contained in the human constitutional type Lachesis, is thus stated in the Old Testament and likewise exists in the poison of a snake, which lives in Guyana. When we prepare the poison in the form of homeopathic potency (diluting it many times), it is capable of curing practically all diseases of a person of the Lachesis type. There are other similarities between remedies and religious and mythological themes. Phosphorus can be compared to Lucifer, the bearer of light, it characterises itself through pride and revelry, by intensive outpourings of emotions and by unquenchable thirst, a desire to be seen. A patient of the type Phosphorus conforms in an interesting way to the basic quality of phosphorus, which is its spontaneous emanation. Most of the troubles lie in the less and less controllable (as the constitutional disease progresses) emanation on all levels. Psychologically it is an emotive emanation, talkativeness, attempts at exertion, desire to expose one's innermost (such as in artistic creativity). There might be an obsession with sex, outpourings of emotions, non concealment of emotions, indecency, exhibitionism (many exhibitionists belong to the type Phosphorus). On the material level such emanation, peculiar to the physical substance of phosphorus, can also be observed as a basic general tendency. There may be diarrhoea, bleeding that is difficult to check (haemophilia). There are outpourings of energy that result in weakness. It is known that the material phosphorus easily reacts, it is so combustible that it has to be stored in water, so that it does not begin to spontaneously compound with oxygen. A man of the Phosphorus type extremely easily makes contact with his surroundings, quickly forms relationships with people, lacks inhibitions. He dislikes isolation, as it prevents him from making such contacts. He needs company, he needs to constantly react with his surroundings. He dislikes darkness and particularly nightfall, when his problems often become aggravated. He needs to stay in light and be seen. He has sensations of burning inner heat, which he tries to quench by drinking ice cold water. As soon as the water gets warmed inside the stomach, the patient once again feels worse. The sensation of an inner fire also points to the inner light emanation of phosphorus. The archetype manifests itself on the level of material substance, on the level of human psychology as well as on the level of physical pathology, through similar mechanisms. A certain affinity of homeopathy with psychoanalyses can also be observed in the dreams of patients under treatment and psychoanalytic patients, who have entered the way towards individuation, the way leading to wholeness and equanimity of the ego and the unconscious. The symbols of individuation (adopted particularly from alchemy) appear very often in the dreams of people under homeopathic treatment. No study based on a consistent collection of materials has so far been published. However, a significant percentage of patients, who were given constitutional remedies of very high potency, report that: 1) Even those who have not dreamed for years (as if their ego had been detached from their unconscious), immediately after receiving the remedy of high potency, have dreams of a strong mythological character. 2) In an early phase, there are for instance dreams where an important role is played by stagnant water, which gradually begins to stream, turning into a flood, pulling and destroying old and dilapidated buildings, which symbolise the old ego, within which the symptoms of illness are being preserved. This is a powerful reminder of one of the phases of the alchemical work - dilutio, dissolution. 3) Later in the dreams appear the elements of great importance in both alchemical and psycho-analytical symbology, such as: The king, the three goddesses, Eroboros - the snake devouring its own tail, the three headed snake, dragons, underground springs, the subterranean labyrinth... The books on alchemy are usually full of such symbols of progressing work, symbols of inner processes, relating to the alchemist himself, to his gradual spiritual advancement, purification (purification of a miasma?) Unfortunately, no author thus far has synthesised the material gained by these various disciplines, which certainly would not be an easy task. Edward Whitmond in the 1950's visited C. G. Jung, to inform him of the new knowledge concerning the similarities between homeopathy and psychoanalysis; while listening to him, the old psychologist's philosophical concepts remained uninfluenced. Perhaps so, because they were already so close to homeopathy. Nonmaterial Remedy and Idealistic Spheres "The art of homeopathic cure expands to the maximum the inner, spiritual therapeutic potentials of raw substances through a specific process..." (Hahnemann, Organon). In an essence, what happens is that the substance is being diluted until the most subtle, non material condition possible is reached. And we know, that precisely the subtlest influences are the most powerful ones. A thought, a decision, creative urge, desires... none of this can be touched or measured, and yet, this is exactly what constitutes a human being and perhaps even the world. Infinitesimal homeopathic dilution of the material remedy thus represents the archetype being restored to a non material level, where it is capable of influencing the non material governing centre of man, pass on any information of disorder, of pathology, of anything that might endanger it. Archetypal connections between physical substance, mythology and human psychology and physical organs, indicate that archetype is functional on all these levels. We might say that, in accordance with Plato's idea, it emanates from purely idealistic non material spheres, passes through human mind and is substantiated in matter, while in the course of its downward journey it retains its characteristic attributes. A highly diluted material substance, in the form of a homeopathic remedy, then conversely reaches to these idealistic spheres. It is an interesting concurrence that to the artistic creations of a strong archetypal content, such as to the Greek tragedies, therapeutic qualities were being accorded - catharses, cleansing off passions and sufferings on the part of the spectator. Such influences come from all works of art, which originate from within the soul of their creator. While being a spectator in the work of drama full of dangerous archetypal situations (now also in a film, a novel, etc.), while being drawn in as a spectator, according to Aristotle, tension is being released in the spectator, there is a cleansing of the passions as they are relived. Is this not, in reality, also homeopathy? Therefore, are not the greatest homeopaths: Sophocles, Shakespeare, Spielberg? Homeopathic Cleansing The notion of corruption, the miasma, is one of the basic ones, in homeopathy. The object of treatment is to purify the patient, to root out the constitutional disease, to remove the disorder within the governing centre and thus on all other levels. To completely cure the man, from rashes and warts all the way to the spiritual sphere - "as above, so below", according to Hermes Trismagistos, the father of alchemy. I met with people, who were seriously interested in the Buddhist or other forms of meditation and who for a time honestly tried to do it, but because they could not reach the promised results they eventually gave up. I would not like to generalise in this matter, but I think that it is a fairly common phenomenon. And I might even have an explanation: We have become, towards the end of the twentieth century, far too corrupted, we are full of numerous miasma, contrary to the people who lived two thousand years ago. Our contemporary journey towards the realisation of our non material centre, etc., is longer, more complicated and perhaps even more treacherous than was the journey of our distant ancestors. A good beginning of such a journey of purification from the miasma for contemporary men, might be a homeopathic constitutional remedy. The way of homeopathy is not entirely smooth, it may even be dramatic, as dramatic as life itself, resembling those exciting pictures from the books on alchemy. It is the way of life. It is, of course, the way of the diminishing and the disappearance of suffering.
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