Professional Documents
Culture Documents
by Sarah Schall
ABSTRACT
Aude Sapere! Hahnemanns motto has an element of courage inherent
in its meaning, encouraging the homeopath to Dare to be wise. Both wisdom
and courage include the domain of the heart, described throughout spiritual
literature for several millienia as the location or abode of God. However, the
science
and
modern
allopathic
medicine.
The
psychological
Similar distortions
INTRODUCTION
timing must be right to create the perfect conditions. This is especially true
for new proving remedies...
mundane
to
the
mystical
experiences
of
life,
including
the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank with profound gratitude our dear Lord and Benefactor of
Homeopathy, and Meher Baba, along with His close disciples. Before I knew
what the word Homeopathy meant, I was assigned to clinic duty to study
Homeopathy by Dr. Goher Irani, MBBS, under the kind and scholarly tutelage
of Dr. Alu Khambatta, MBBS, DHom (Bom). Dr. Goher, as we affectionately
called her, encouraged the further study of Homeopathy, and I owe a great
debt of gratitude to both Dr. Goher and Dr. Alu.
Eruch Jessawala, Katie Irani, V. S. (Bhau) Kalchuri, Dr. Goher Irani,
and Jaloo Dastur, all of whom are Meher Babas close Mandali (disciples)
members, have given much encouragement and support to me over the years
in the practice and further study of Homeopathy. I wish to thank them
sincerely for their great love, wisdom, and guidance.
Murshida Conner, of Sufism Reoriented in the USA has likewise offered
her benevolent words of wisdom for this article. And also the thesis of Dr.
Kaplan on Esoteric Knowledge helped to shape this project.
Also I send much gratitude to the British Institute of Homeopathy for
their generous support. I wish to especially thank Dr. Vivienne Freeman, for
her knowledge, skills, and patience over many years now. Further thanks
goes to Dr. Trevor Cook, whose insights have contributed to this article as
well.
From the homeopathic global community, I wish to thank Dr. Jan
Scholten and Vivien Maule for their generosity in sharing unpublished
research data on Rosa spp.; Dr. R. Sankaran for generously donating
materials for this project; Dr. P. Shah for sending a copy of her article on
Rosa spp. published in Links; Dr. Herrick, Vivien Maule and Dr. Scholten for
their amazing insights into Rosa spp. provings and their encouragement to
publish this paper, Dr. K. Degkwitz (Dr. Kittler, Muller), Dr. B. Ostermayr, Dr.
C. Shukla, A. Wirtz, Dr. Merizalde, J. Morgan, Dr. Morrell, Dr. Deborah Collins
for invaluable editorial assistance, and to all those in spirit whose
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page..
1-2
Abstract..
4-7
Acknowledgements..
8-9
Table of Contents.
10 - 11
Chapter 1
The Central Role of Spirituality in Homeopathy
A. Homeopathy and Spirituality....
12 - 14
15 - 18
19 - 26
27 - 29
2. Awakening..
30 - 33
34 - 35
36 - 42
10
Chapter 2
43 - 45
46 - 48
49
1. Arrogance (Ego)..
49 - 56
57 - 62
3. Irritation (Intellect) ..
63 - 70
71 - 74
75 - 82
83 - 91
92 - 96
Conclusion ..
97 - 101
Supplements
102 - 104
Annotated Bibliography .
105 - 121
11
Chapter One
A. Homeopathy and Spirituality
A Brief Overview
Highlights of Hahnemanns spiritual inclinations, as well as aspects of
mystical symbolism, are presented in this section to demonstrate the validity
of a spiritual perspective for the modern Homeopath. This may prove helpful
in deepening our understanding of proving data collected from modern
provings of Rosa spp., while also highlighting the spiritual underpinnings of
Homeopathy.
In a letter to Stapf in 1816, Hahnemann (17) described his life of
spiritual endeavor: In these hours I have always vowed to cultivate
simplicity, honesty and truth, and to find contentment and happiness in the
eyes of the Great Father of all life, on the one hand by perfecting the
innermost growth of the soul, and on the other hand, by making those
around me happy In this way I have created for myself, during these
heartrending hours, an inner life, such as we need for eternal survival, ...and
to enter calmly and cheerfully into the reign of the All-Loving, the reign of
truth, vision and peace.
More recently, Homeopath Paschero (a modern prominent Argentinian
Homeopath and M.D.) wrote (90): Precisely because humility is required, the
art of medicine is an occupation of the highest spiritual order, any
profession, no matter how humble, offers the possibility of satisfying a quest
for the meaning of life, as long as it is practiced with integrity.
Hahnemann (17) was clearly ahead of his time. This is evident not only
in his materialistic developments such as pharmaceutical protocols currently
being used by allopathic pharmacies worldwide, or his recognition of invisible
microbial agents in Cholera epidemics that inspired the later development of
Microbiology, but also in the integration of his spiritual understanding within
the material world.
12
This may be why Sri Aurobindo (widely considered a Saint and one of
Indias greatest philosophers) regarded Hahnemann as a demi-mystic in his
following comment (19): What I am now considering is whether
homoeopathy has any psycho-physical basis. Was the founder a demi-mystic?
I dont understand otherwise certain peculiarities of the way (homeopathic)
medicines act.
Regarding Hahnemann as a demi-mystic may be signifying a union of
two perspectives - the spiritual with the scientific material world.
Homeopath Morrell (84) wrote that Hahnemann was a lifelong
Freemason and an active member of a Masonic lodge in every town wherever
he lived. One of the guiding messages in the mystical traditions of Free
Masonry is know thyself, which is found engraved on the entrance gates of
some Masonic Lodges. (115)
What is the meaning of know thyself?
Know thyself is a mystical maxim signifying inner spiritual development
towards the Divine. This maxim has been referred to in many sources
including: the Hindu Bhagavad Gita, writings of spiritual Perfect Masters, the
Christian New Testament, written works by Islamic Sufi Saints, the Delphic
Oracle, and by religious philosophers over several millennia. (2, 16, 44, 51,
52a, 55, 56, 63, 74, 75, 94, 95)
Although the modern concept of God often leaves God out of ordinary
daily living, Hahnemann himself chose not to do so. Hahnemann, in
referencing know thyself in the Chapter on Provings in his Organon, quietly
acknowledges a path towards increasing spiritual awareness. Similarly, he
mentions Rosa spp. and guides the Homeopath to perform provings upon
oneself. It is possible to observe throughout the Organon Hahnemanns own
fully alive and active mastery of a highly developed spiritual understanding.
Modern Homeopath Paschero (90) echoed Hahnemanns spiritual
leanings when he wrote: Only by realizing the highest values is it possible to
practice a medicine such as Hahnemannian homoeopathy, which requires a
grasp of the essential symptoms of the patient as a whole, unique, and
13
singular human being. These values can be perceived and described only
when the physician has discovered his or her own true self.
Modern
provings
of
Rosa
spp.
are
now
likewise
challenging
14
15
16
spirituality
is
not
inherently
inimical
to
scientific
has
conclusively
demonstrated
that
the
alchemists
were
the
17
18
19
To know thyself has been traditional spiritual teaching of all Ages, for
such knowledge is self-realisation.
Socrates, in Platos Charmides, referred to know thyself inscribed over
the temple of the Delphi Oracle of ancient Greek mythology. (52a)
Conybeare wrote (Civilisation and Chaos) (16a): When Jesus referred
to the Kingdom of Heaven being within us, He stated: And whoever knoweth
Himself shall find it.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna explains (16a, 105): There is true
Knowledge, Learn thou, Arjuna, this, To see One Changeless Life in all that
lives, And in all that separate seems, The One Inseparable Self.
Lord Krishnas words are clarified in modern times by Dr. Chopras (11)
observation: Although each person seems separate and independent, all of
us are connected to patterns of intelligence that govern the whole cosmos.
Time does not exist as an absolute, but only eternity.What we call time is a
reflection of how we perceive change.If we could perceive the changeless,
time would cease to exist as we know it
Dr. Chopra further observes that yogis and sages throughout India,
China, Japan have been able to remain youthful by retarding the process of
entropy (deterioration), using nothing more than attention, for at a deep
level, attention and Prana (life force, creative intelligence) are the same - life
is awareness, and awareness is life.
From Hahnemanns writings, it can be seen that his own world-view
was not blinkered by materialistic limitations. In The Medicine of Experience
(1805) Hahnemann wrote (38c): Medicine is a science of experience This
art, so indispensable to suffering humanity, cannot therefore remain
concealed in the unfathomable depths of obscure speculation, or be diffused
throughout the boundless void of conjecture; it must be accessible, readily
accessible to us, within the sphere of vision of our external and internal
20
and matter or between life and form. The apparent opposition is due to
wrong thinking.
Though Hahnemann, Conybeare (the teachings of Christ), Lord Krishna
(The Bhagavad Gita, Song Celestial), and Meher Baba all confirm that know
thyself is obviously a spiritual undertaking, our modern homeopathic
literature largely ignores the necessity of this work. The absence of a spiritual
perspective used in tandem with the scientific, psychological, materialistic
perspectives is clearly lacking in true wisdom, and, as will be demonstrated, is
misleading in the presentation and assimilation of proving data.
Furthermore, the inclusion of a spiritual understanding in modern
homeopathic practice has a strong foundation in the history of Homeopathy.
Many of the great Homeopaths were spiritually minded like Hahnemann. For
example, Hering, Clarke, and Compton Burnett were keen on Paracelsus. (12,
64) Ghatak (31) referred to the teachings of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda.
Hering, Kent, and the Boericke were avid followers of Swedenborg. (107)
The list is much longer than these few examples.
Kent observed (59b, 62), the love of Truth, for the sake of Truth, in
21
relation or union of the Divine within ones being. It also signifies the spiritual
practice of know thyself. (46)
Hahnemann makes some remarkable statements concerning a spiritual
approach for life in The Organon (41):
9: In the healthy condition of man, the spiritual Vital Force.retains
all the parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious, vital operation, as
regards both sensations and functions, so that our indwelling, reason-gifted
mind can freely employ this living healthy instrument for the higher purposes
of our existence. (italics added)
What does Hahnemann mean by the higher purposes of our
existence? (97)
Is it to buy, consume, die as the metaphor is commonly used in the
West?
Is it purely materialistic or egoistic?
These are merely a few representative questions that are pertinent for
the understanding of proving data for Rosa spp.
One of Herricks (48) provers of Rosa gallica expressed this issue with
materialism poignantly as being: fed up with the world of buying and selling.
When will we wake up and move beyond the lower aspects of materialism?!!
This prover continues with the query What is beyond? (italics added)
Meher Baba (79) observed that, the ordinary man, although he is
completely fed-up with being cheated of the prize that materialism promises
and appears to deny the existence of God and to have lost faith in everything
but the immediate advantage, never really loses his inborn belief in God and
faith in the Reality which is beyond the illusion of the moment. His apparent
doubt and loss of faith is because of a desperation of mind only, it does not
touch his heart. Look at Peter. He denied Christ. Desperation made his mind
deny, but in his heart he knew that Christ was what He was. The ordinary
man never loses faith. He is as one who climbs up a mountain a certain
distance and, experiencing cold and difficulty breathing, returns to the foot of
the mountain. But the scientific mind goes on up the mountain until its heart
freezes and dies. But this mind is becoming so staggered by the vastness still
22
beyond it, that it will be forced to admit the hopelessness of its quest and
turn to God, the Reality. (italics added)
In modern provings of Rosa spp., provers throughout the world
struggled with these issues. These provers collided with materialism, literally
and figuratively! It seems many provers had difficulty integrating glimpses of
a greater and higher state of consciousness into their worldly affairs.
Indeed, the experience of higher states of consciousness is not very
well-supported or understood in modern awareness. This difficulty may also
be a current world dilemma facing all of humanity. As one heroic prover of
Rosa damascena observed (21), my heart tried by all means to express itself,
to become softer to the outside world.
How may homeopathic provings act to connect the spiritual with the
material world in the consciousness of the prover?
Hahnemann refers to the soul of the plant and their corresponding
divine elements when describing the medicinal properties of plants in general
(42):
118: Every medicine exhibits particular actions in the human body
which do not come about in exactly the same way from any other medicinal
substance of a different kind.
Footnote: This fact was also perceived by Albrecht von Haller who
wrote: A great diversity of strength lies hidden in these plants themselves,
whose external features we have long known but whose souls, as it were,
and whatever divine element they have, we have not yet perceived.
(italics added)
Hahnemann is thereby connecting the spiritual soul and its
corresponding divine elements with the material medicinal substance.
According to these aphorisms of Hahnemann each kind of plant and mineral
has a unique soul that is different in various aspects from each other. These
differences may appear imperceptible in their inner essence, though their
outer manifestations may be readily visible. Each soul of the remedy when
proven has some unique effect on the healthy prover.
23
24
God, the Judge of our secret thoughts, and must be recorded so as to satisfy
an upright conscience, in order that they may be communicated to the
world
Thus, Hahnemann encouraged a balance, a harmony, between the
inner and the outer experience of human consciousness. He emphasized the
necessity to evaluate the inner and outer experiences of the souls of the plant
and mineral kingdoms during provings for a more complete understanding of
their medicinal properties (42):
119: As certainly as each kind of plant is different in its outer form, in
its own way of life and growth, in its taste and smell from every other plant
species and genus, as certainly as each mineral and each salt in its outer as
well as its inner physical and chemical properties (which alone should have
prevented any and all confusion) differs from every other, just as certainly are
they all different and divergent from one another in their morbific, thus also,
in their curative actions. (italics added)
Hahnemann observed that not only each kind of plant, but also each
mineral and salt are unique in their outer as well as their inner properties.
Hahnemann recognized the value of exploring the inner properties in the
mineral kingdom, and the souls of the plant kingdom.
Twentyman writes of exploring the inner properties in a proving (110),
We can respond to a remedy in many ways. We can eat it and through taste
and its continuation in our digestions we can prove it. But I believe that the
responses of our thoughts and feelings, when we bring to bear our other
senses and the whole of our personality upon a remedy, belong also to the
fuller proving.
Likewise, modern medical practice currently acknowledges the role of
thoughts and feelings in direct relationship to health and well-being, i.e.,
anxiety may be associated with tension headaches. For example, Dr. Deepak
Chopra observed (11): Our cells are constantly eavesdropping on our
thoughts and being changed by them. A bout of depression can wreak havoc
with the immune system; falling in love can boost it. Despair and
hopelessness raise the risk of heart attacks and cancer, thereby shortening
25
life. Joy and fulfillment keep us healthy and extend life. This means that the
line between biology and psychology cannot be drawn with any certainty.
In summary, clearly a spiritual perspective is needed when conducting
provings and interpreting proving data. The spiritual significance of know
thyself was expressed in quotes of Lord Krishna, Conybeare on Christ, and
Meher Baba. Concerning the provings of new and old medicines, Kent
explores the internal nature of man (know thyself), Hahnemann refers to the
soul of the plants and their corresponding divine elements, and Twentyman
includes as part of the proving data the non-material (psychological /spiritual)
responses to these medicines.
Furthermore, Hahnemann stated early in his career in the Preface to
his first edition of the Organon that (40), The physician who enters on his
work in this spirit becomes directly assimilated to the Divine Creator of the
world, whose human creatures he helps to preserve, and whose approval
renders him thrice blessed.
This next prover illustrates and exemplifies the self-reflective spiritually
aware standpoint from which Hahnemann recommended that provings be
done (Maules proving of Rosa canina) (71):
Right now I feel very creative but I am very conscious of not being at
the helm. It even feels exciting to surrender. It feels very important to pray;
not to ask for anything at all, but to go back to that simple place of being
with the God force in total simplicity.
26
the timing must be right to create the perfect conditions. This is especially
true for new proving remedies (italics added)
Hahnemanns comment (42), It was high time that He allowed
Homeopathy to be found, clearly indicates a causative relationship between
our Heavenly Creator and the development of Homeopathy. At the same
time, it implies a hide and seek quality between the Creator and the
individuals of His Creation, as well as a sense of timing.
In modern provings, a sense of timing was referred to by Maule in her
proving of Rosa canina (71): Time and how we live within it, was the central
theme of this proving There was the feeling that the time span of our life is
precious and from this came a strong desire to choose carefully how to spend
this time. It appears in this proving that how we use that time and how much
choice we have in using that time is a source of health or ill health.
Maule (71) further observed that the genera of Rosaceae family
(Cratageus, Laurocerasus, Spirea, Prunus) have an affinity for the heart and
circulatory system. The heart is our timekeeper, carrying us forward on the
27
ocean of life, helping us to experience that which life brings, with less
resistance. Time and tide wait for no one. (italics added)
The next reference to Timing in a spiritual sense is from Bulleh Shah
(102), a 17th Century Saint of the Islamic tradition who was an enlightened
spiritual Master and also a mystical poet. Bulleh implied that a sense of timing
is involved in the union between the lover and Beloved (in his heart) in his
remarkable couplet:
Banish the timekeeper, my Beloved has come home,
my precious one!
Again and again the timekeeper strikes the gong,
diminishing this night of our union.
All four of these references to Timing have deep spiritual significance.
Thus in summary, Timing in a spiritual sense is referred to above by
Hahnemann in reference to our Heavenly Creator providing us with the gift of
Homeopathy; by Morgans reference to the remedies choosing their own
timing; by Maule in her Proving of Rosa canina with the heart is our
timekeeper-time and tide wait for no one; and lastly, by the mystical poet
Bulleh Shah in his mention of the timekeeper with reference to the union
within his heart of the lover with the Beloved.
Historically and in modern times, the timekeeper and a sense of
timing may be used to express a timely movement towards a deeper spiritual
understanding. The timekeeper of the heart, and a sense of timing in each
case are symbolic pointers directing ones attention to the awakening process
in Consciousness that connects the material world with the spiritual.
The awakening into ones daily life from the ordinary sleep state of
consciousness is often used, both historically and in modern times, as a
spiritual metaphor to parallel the awakening from ordinary consciousness into
Divine consciousness. This awakening process is connected to an eternal
sense of timing that intersects our sense of ordinary timing.
28
Bulleh Shahs quote of union with the Beloved within his heart implies
an awakening process connected with timing, signifying true victory and
triumph in attaining that complete transformation of consciousness, which is
widely considered by many and also alluded to by Hahnemann as the goal of
all life, aka know thyself.
29
2. Awakening
30
princess, within the natural phenomena. They constitute, one might also say,
a homoeopathic Proving in a very clear and heightened form. In
contemplating these images and symbols we may be led deeper into the
hidden genius of the substance and its remedial actions than by confining our
attention strictly to the realm of material effects and the statutory rubrics of
official provings." (italics added)
Thus, in his description of a sleeping princess with a higher reality
lying latent, Twentyman confirms the spiritual metaphor of awakening from
the ordinary consciousness of natural phenomena into a higher reality.
Historically, Hildegaard of Bingen has some interesting observations
regarding the souls response to awake and sleeping on the subject of
sneezing, a prominent keynote clinical symptom of the Rosa spp. rose cold
(112):
Whenever the blood in the vessels is not awake and lively, but rather
just lies there as if it were sleeping, and also when the body liquids do not
move fast enough, but are lazy and slow, the soul notices this and causes the
body to tremble through sneezing and in this way wakes up the blood and
31
juices of the person so that they return to their correct behaviour. (italics
added)
Here the souls tendency to awaken sleeping bodily fluids via sneezing
is suggested. Von Bingens description of sneezing may also be considered as
awakening the sluggish heart circulation, a response that is prompted by the
soul.
The souls response to the sluggish heart circulation may be similar in
principle to Pascheros perception of the vitalist teachings of Paracelsus,
Haehl, Hahnemann. Paschero observed (90): Because the soul directs and
regulates the body, the disturbances it suffers generate disease and
pathology.
Furthermore, the historical writings of Hildegaard von Bingen and
myths and legends alluded to by Twentyman have similar themes of
32
33
The Organon of the Medical Art (2nd through the 6th ed). Embedded in the
footnotes to clarify his points on Provings, Hahnemann makes the following
observations concerning homeopathic Provings and the Rose (42):
Footnote: A few persons can faint from the smell of roses...
Furthermore Hahnemann observes the clinical usage of Rosa spp. (42)
(italics added):
Footnote: In this way, Princess Maria of Porphyrogeneta helped her brother,
Emperor Alexius, who suffered from faintings, by sprinkling him with
rosewater in the presence of his aunt Eudoxia. Also, Horstius considered rose
vinegar to be helpful in cases of faintings.
Hahnemann also quoted historical references that Rose water or Rose
vinegar can awaken a person who has fainted.
It seems serendipitous or perhaps synchronistic that one of the more
spiritually prominent qualities of Rosa spp. mentioned by Hahnemann (i.e.,
the princess awakens her sleeping brother, who has fainted) corresponds to
the theme of awakening found in modern provings of Rosa spp.
Kent mentions that some people will get sick from the smell of roses.
I have known a number of patients who became sick in this way. It is
common enough, and the sickness is known by the name of rose cold or rose
fever. (59)
In Homeopathy, the tendency of the Rose (Rosa spp.) is to cure a
rose cold in some, while in others to awaken them from fainting (according
to Hahnemann). Are these qualities of awakening the sleepy or sleeping souls
somehow connected with Rosas conceptual essence? (14)
Is this a Signature of the Rose? (110)
34
35
E.
36
37
all creation: on the grass in the field, on the birds in the air, on the beasts in
the forest, on all mankind; on saint and sinner, rich and poor, strong and
weak, wholly impervious to their attitude or reaction. (77)
In best selling modern literature, a similar theme is expressed by Hafiz
from the renderings of Ladinsky (66a):
38
39
40
dies.
These issues from Rosa spp. proving data of openly loving and
seeking love are clarified from a spiritual perspective, as Sri Aurobindo
observed (2): For there is, concealed behind individual love a mystery
which the mind cannot seize which in the end makes one the Form and the
Formless, and identifies Spirit and Matter. It is that which the spirit in Love is
seeking here in the darkness of the Ignorance, and it is that which it finds
41
when individual human love is changed into the love of the Immanent Divine
42
Chapter 2
Part 1
A. Modern Rosa spp. Provings Themes
1. Introduction
All of our proving data and corresponding interpretations, by provers and
those organizing these provings, are precious and valuable to our
homeopathic profession. The possible interpretations given below are
designed, hopefully, to enhance a way of looking at these and further proving
evaluations. The author owes a debt of gratitude to the incredible wealth of
information presented to our homeopathic community by those who have set
up and performed these modern provings of Rosa spp. The author wishes to
express most especially a sincere appreciation and heartfelt thanks to Herrick,
Maule, Scholten, and Degkwitz, Muller, Ostermayer, and Shukla for their
proving data used in this paper, and also to R. Sankaran et al for their work
with all the kingdoms, particularly the plant kingdom.
The modern provings of Rosa spp. present a challenge to our concepts
of Love, of the material heart versus the spiritual heart (23), of our
awareness of God, of altered states of consciousness, and even of what has
traditionally been left to mysticism, esotericism, or alchemy during previous
centuries. These provings likewise challenge us to integrate spirituality into
our material world and overall practice of Homeopathy.
When asked his motivation for doing physics, Albert Einstein replied
(26b): I want to know how God created the world. I am not interested in this
or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know
His thoughts, the rest are details.
43
44
45
materialistic perspective.
A materialistic approach to understanding certain rubrics may hamper
their clinical usefulness of the Rosa spp. proving data. For example, consider
this small list of proving data collected from a variety of Rosa spp. provings:
(21, 48, 71, 87, 99, 101, 104)
1. world pain
2. out of this world, other worldly
3. spatial orientation: colliding with other objects, accidents
4. confusion: where am I?; getting lost on familiar roads
5. spacey: out of touch with reality, as though high on drugs;
disorientation in Space
6. sensitivity to danger is increased
7. integration into the material world
8. connectedness vs disconnectedness
9. idealizing love, i.e., prince on a white horse
46
47
from Rosa spp. is, in part, to recognize that spiritual suffering is beyond the
realm of merely physical symptoms and also beyond the scope of ordinary
intellect.
For how does one interpret or treat world pain (weltschmerz) or the
agony of spiritual longing, or dil ka dard (heartache)?
How does one recognize this pain/agony as the initiating cause of
psychological/physical symptoms such as depression, drugs/medication
addictions, or acts of violence towards ones self or others, etc.?
How does one apply the spiritual aspects of modern Rosa spp. proving
data into our homeopathic clinical environment?
48
of
the
heart
chakra,
irritation,
preening,
synchronicity,
49
50
51
Just now I did some meditation with the remedy and again I had the
feeling of being from this higher perspective and looking down. This prover
had another similar experience during a meditation just prior to the proving in
which he had this image: Suddenly I sit on a high place on a mountain and
look way down in a very deep depth. (21)
This provers experience is found in the homeopathic category of
arrogance, that is, to be above others. It is possible that the prover in his
meditation may be: 1) witnessing the world from an inner higher
perspective, or 2) simply visualizing himself sitting on an imaginary mountain
overlooking a deep valley or 3) maybe re-experiencing a past life memory as
a yogi.
At present, the most socially, intellectually, and for many spiritually,
acceptable option from these interpretations is something like number 2, as
being above others while visualizing grandiose scenery, which is sometimes
perceived as a sort of mountebankery. Thus it is labeled as arrogance.
However, one great yogi saint, Sri Aurobindo, observed (2): for it is from
higher summits where dwells the intuitional being that they derive knowledge
which they turn into thought or sight and bring down to us for the minds
transmutation.
Aurobindos clarity might give more credence to points 1 and 3 mentioned
above, and reduce the appearance of arrogance to one of misunderstanding.
Hering mentioned a dream experience of the spiritual world from which
the material world appeared small (64):
I had a very vivid dream toward morning. I had a look into the spirit
world. All material things there seemed small to me; everything, people and
objects, were diminutive. I saw children at play, and people walking about
and conversing. It then appeared to me as if I heard a voice saying: If thou
wilt, this world may be opened to you. I said: No! I do not wish it, and
awoke.
The spiritual dimension descends into and influences the human psyche as
Light, which illumines the mind as it affects the intellect (satori), and it also
blossoms from within the mind of the heart as an opening of very direct
52
53
This prover seems to feel that she is not being egoistic, that in fact she
does not like egoistic people and is shocked she is being labeled egoistic.
She seems to feel that something else, which is difficult to articulate, is
actually happening within her. This misinterpretation or misunderstanding
seems to be a strong Rosa theme.
Misunderstanding the higher aspects of love was a multi-level theme of
The Little Prince (98). The little prince perceived his rose as not any too
modest, yet she was moving and exciting. In the verbal dance interplay
between the prince and the rose, the prince perceives the rose as making
false assertions, requesting of him to serve her with seemingly ridiculous
requests, and as being full of inaccuracies and inconsistencies, selfcongratulatory,
unnecessarily
complicated,
all
of
which
created
an
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
provers
experienced
many
types
of
heart
symptoms
61
62
3. Irritation (Intellect)
The soul has been given its own ears to hear things that the mind does not
understand.
~ Rumi (4b)
We live in a predominantly secular world that values an externalizing
perspective of doing, achieving, and successful undertakings in worldly
matters. Clearly, the materialist paradigm of consciousness has dominated the
subtle conscious perspective of energy since the Age of Reason, during the
last 500 years or more.
One consequence is that our modern world values the thinking intellect
almost exclusively when contrasted with the feeling mind of the heart, whose
qualities may include: love, compassion, introspection, being-ness, solitude,
increasing inner awareness, angelic guides/companions, awakening ones
heart to the higher Reality (Love) which lies dormant within, like a sleeping
princess, or as one prover described, all this sitting around doing nothing.
Provers would naturally experience issues, often expressed by them
as irritation, impatience, annoyance, etc., when suddenly introduced to
glimpses of a greater and perhaps higher awareness, whilst striving to
maintain a hectic and fast paced work schedule oriented towards the material
world. This hectic world does not readily support or sustain the integration
of this expanded awareness, and the result is often one of mental irritability.
When an individual consciousness is operating predominantly out of a
worldly oriented intellectual framework, these other-worldly experiences
might be most unwelcome or even irritating. To be blissfully unable to
concentrate or focus on any task, school studies, or while driving to a specific
location, etc, and also, at the same time, to be on a strict schedule or
timeline, is not quite the same thing as sitting in a cave meditating, wherein
these experiences might be more welcome.
63
64
of grace, etc. (It might be useful to know if any of the provers were having
flashbacks of a previous drug experience.) It is interesting that there are no
narcotic properties associated with the Rose, and that this drug-induced
altered state had only come from the provings.
As mentioned above, these fog brained states appear to be due to the
feeling mind of the heart opening or awakening, thereby confusing the
perspective of the intellect, along with disrupting its working capability of
negotiating worldly matters, in the process.
Irritability may also be connected with the experiences of provers who
had of a disturbing lack of ambition. One prover described this lack of
ambition as one of the causes of irritation (21): Today in the morning I was
feeling rather irritable and very impatient. Everything was too slow for me
and I became impatient. And This day is getting on my nerves. I am
extremely angry. This stupid sitting around, I have no interest at all, no
happiness, no drive, no desire to do anything - I hate it. Its increasingly
complicated to let these states be as they are - but the more I resist them the
worse these states become, and then I get more angry at these states and so
it is even more difficult to bear it.
However, other provers enjoyed the stupid sitting around, the calm
and blissful states, and became irritated whenever they were disturbed!
(21): I am very irritable when people try to take away my quiet atmosphere
and the feeling of being alone, and when people approach me I get irritable.
Many other provers expressed being edgy or irritable as a result of
being slightly off balance internally, and described various states of
heightened awareness, anxiety, nervousness, etc. Here is a small sampling of
Rosa spp provers expressions of irritability (21):
Irritable, Im exploding over trivial matters, and screaming around.
I recognize a certain irritability when something gets on my nerves...
I feel irritable today and woke up in a sad mood.
I became highly irritated and impatient, which actually was very close
to an inward desperation, which went as quickly as it came.
65
place they go to daily or very often, again for no apparent reason, is another
66
brave efforts of provers who ran into walls, fell off their bikes, were incredibly
clumsy, couldnt study anything at all, got lost while driving to school and
other familiar places, or got stuck in various dreamlands.
Indeed, it appears as if this heart process of awakening is a dual-edged
sword, as many provers expressed a dichotomy between blissful states of
calm, serenity, patience, courage, benevolence, love for all, etc., in contrast
with experiences of danger, robbing others, impatience, rage, powerlessness,
being chased by others intending to harm them, lust, greed, humiliation, loss
of focus, clumsiness, etc.
As of now, collectively as Homeopaths we have no bearings, no fixed
points to identify what is happening with consciousness in such experiences.
At one point, not too distant in our collective past, it was deemed that the
earth was flat, that the Sun rotated around the earth, and that knowing the
Truth of these speculations was beyond ordinary knowledge or thought.
Nowadays, we reach a similar abyss, in understanding the true nature of
the human mind with its relationship to the Soul, and its greater relationship
to a unity of consciousness, inherent in know thyself.
In a time when the world was perceived as flat, people actually
imagined walking to the edge and falling off!, as they had no accurate
understanding of their material world back then. During the Middle Ages
people regarded a scientific approach to understanding the world they lived in
as magic and diabolical, or as attempting to know that which cannot be
known. (2)
We have made great strides in understanding our material world, yet
we lack the understanding of our inner world, of consciousness, of what is
separate and what is shared and the laws governing higher realities.
67
work
within
their
cultures
to
promote
higher
spiritual
understanding. (58)
Thus, these Rosa spp. provers may be breaking-through in the arena
of consciousness, an area which is still largely in the dark for the average
person, and at times, terrifying. One is reminded of Hering (64), the jungles
of South America, the bushmaster snake, his left arm, and also of his
dream/experience/vision in which he rejected the offer to move into the
world of spirit.
In summary, while the psychological category of irritation is an
accurate category for the proving data of Rosa spp., when overlooking the
spiritual component of these Rosa spp. proving experiences, this category of
irritation can limit or even distort the meaning and interpretation of these
provers experiences. This has been demonstrated thus far with provers
experiences being categorized as arrogance, expansion of the heart chakra,
and now with irritation. And yet, the difficulties of a spiritual approach
inherent in know thyself may be accurately expressed as:
68
69
70
Part 2
Effects of Spiritual Life on Provers
This section proceeds as a continuation of a spiritual perspective
applied to Rosa spp. provings, in an exploration of the experience of human
consciousness as it shifts its focus from the diversity of the material world to
the unifying awareness of God within us all.
4. Preening Self-Awareness
Preening may be sometimes viewed as an outward expression of Spring
feelings, which occurs when the heart is stimulated or awakened into a
greater spiritual self -awareness and an increased capacity for love during the
proving. Preening may be an expression of higher longing for the Divine.
The highest form of love is expressed beautifully in the next quote from
this 17th Century Islamic saint:
Tear down the mosque and temple too, break all that divides.
But do not break the human heart as it is there that God resides.
~ Bulleh Shah (102)
Preening is not necessarily limited to a crude form of self-adulation, it
may simply be the frequently misunderstood outward manifestation of an
inner need to feel loved. One of the many Themes of Rosa spp. in modern
provings is that of being misunderstood, be it arrogance, preening, love, etc.
What is the value of a deeper understanding of higher Love?
Meher Baba wrote: This gift of understanding is more precious than any
other attribute of Love, be it expressed in service or sacrifice. Love can be
blind, selfish, greedy, ignorant, but love with understanding can be none of
these things. It is the Divine fruit of Pure Love, the rare fruit or flower of the
Universe. It has been called The Sweetest Flower in all the world! Age
71
cannot wither it. It grows more lovely as it casts off its outer garment,
disclosing its unseen beauty within. (72)
If the individual consciousness operates more out of a feeling based
self-interest, then it appears that the hearts opening to greater love may
descend into self-preening, as if look at me, arent I pretty?
Yet, in the story of The Little Prince, the Rose - in her need for
admiration - may simply have been looking for a loving feeling. The Little
Prince observes: Oh! How beautiful you are! and the Rose responded
sweetly: Am I not? And I was born at the same moment as the Sun
As soon as he admired her, her so-called vanity began to appear as
excessive to his perspective, and the so-called preening began, perhaps
simply a need for love. His superficial admiration taking the form of
infatuation may have caused her reaction that, from his perspective,
resembled preening or self-adulation. This reflects a perspective that had not
yet experienced true Love. From her perspective, love was matter of fact or
self-evident. As she told the Little Prince when he decided to leave, of
course I love you and it is my fault that you have not known it all the while.
That is of no importance. But you - you have been just as foolish as I. Try to
be happy.
The dynamic between the Little Prince and the Rose depicts a
traditional tragic love story, reflecting a necessary part of the growth of
human consciousness since time immemorial.
There have been a number of homeopathic clinical cases published
demonstrating the preening qualities of Rosa spp., wherein the persons cited
were benefited by Rosa spp. in potency.
Scholten (101) identified the value of Rosa damascena for the
psychological need for love. Likewise, Anna Wirtz found this symptom to be
clinically effective, in treating a young adult male with sinusitis who stated, I
am an idealist, a dreamer. I like the green environmental idea, but it still
needs to be structured, and who appeared to Wirtz (116) with an openness,
giving me the feeling of a sweet child who trusted me totally to solve his
problem. Wirtz prescribed Rosa damascena MK in a solution. Priti Shah (103)
72
pathology, there is the inevitable discord between the mind and the heart in
our daily lives. When the perspective of the heart may appear to the
perspective of the intellect as too emotional, lacking in reason or logic, or
unpredictable, unnecessarily complicating matters, etc., and this list of
unacceptables becomes endless, then the all too common result is that the
intellect simply reacts by shutting its doors to the so-called quibbling
perspective of the heart.
73
74
Nature and the Psyche (1954), viewing this topic from the perspectives of
both psychology and physics.
The word synchroncity is a general term, which includes many types of
inexplicably meaningful coincidences, which may occur via clairvoyance, dj
vu, premonitions, intuitions, hunches, prophecies, etc. These phenomena are
not explainable by known physical laws, and consequently may at times
appear miraculous. For more information on Jungs definition, see the
annotated bibliography (53).
One example of synchronicity is the burning of Stockholm coinciding with
Swedenborgs vision of it. (53, 113, 114) This is a sort of miracle of
clairvoyant simultaneity, a phenomenon caused by timely supervening of
karmic law as explained by Meher Baba: (73):
The law of karma supersedes and uses the other laws of Nature without
violating them. Nor are the natural laws in any way violated by what are
called miracles. No miracle is an exception to the existing laws of the
universe. It is called a miracle because it cannot be explained by the known
laws of the gross world. Here, known laws are superimposed by unknown
laws; it is not a case of chaos or lawlessness.
Einstein (26a) echoed Meher Baba in his famous remark God does not
play dice with the Universe. The spiritual path to God-consciousness is often
replete with miraculous happenings occasioned by Gods response to the
spiritual needs of the aspirant (e.g., Little Flowers of St. Francis, cit. 111).
In Buddhist tradition, the same phenomenon may be referred to as
auspicious coincidence. The following three quotes from Homeopaths reflect
75
76
In the proving data of Rosa spp., it is cited that provers often knew
accurately who was calling before answering the phone. This is similar to
clairvoyance in perceiving things beyond normal sensory contact.
Throughout the proving data, provers of Rosa spp. had experiences of
synchronicity and clairvoyance, along with so many different types of chance
encounters or odd coincidences as to puzzle even the provers into being
worthy of notation.
Yet, all too often these perceptions are dismissed as merely coincidental,
meaningless, etc. When proving data is broken down into little pieces, the
larger whole may suffer a loss of meaning and significance.
Furthermore, proving data of Rosa spp. had similar themes of perceiving
fears manifesting, particularly premonitions of danger, which were often
dismissed as delusional, imaginary, or meaningless -coincidences.
If our interpretation of delusional is purely materialistic, i.e., externally
focused, then the actual events must happen before being considered as
non-delusional thinking. Then, if the premonitions do happen, they might fall
into the category of incidental or coincidental. To deny or discredit the role
of heightened and accurate awareness or intuition, arising from the inner
subtle worlds shared by all consciousness, may prove to be dangerous or
even fatal for some. In these times, when such tragic events happen, as they
all too often they do, it is a sad affair.
These coincidences and premonitions are only delusional if they are not
based in reality. However, in our society both danger and violence are
commonplace. If a prover is afraid of being run over while crossing the street,
and if, at the end of the proving that prover is not run over, does that mean
that the fear is unfounded or delusional?
As an example, one prover of Rosa spp., had experiences of synchronicity
during the proving, in addition to dreaming of roses. During the proving, this
prover (48) had out of the blue contacts from two separate individuals who
had been harmful in the past, one after a period of no contact for ten years,
another after two years. This presents a synchronistic meaningful
77
78
Although Jung (53) stated that, no one has yet succeeded in constructing
a causal bridge between the elements making up a meaningful coincidence,
surprisingly, Meher Baba has clarified this point (75):
Man in the dream state not only becomes involved in the drama of his
dream and plays the roles of both the creator of that dream and of the hero
in the drama of that dream, but in this drama man also gets closely
associated with the things and the creatures in their sub-subtle forms, which
are of his own creation in his dream state. This creation of sub-subtle forms
comes entirely as a result of the manifestation of mans own past and present
impressions. Thus man in his dream state associates subconsciously with
forms in sub-subtle states.
When recollected by a man in the awake state, these very forms which
he has seen and associated within the dream state remind him of his
conscious associations with the gross forms as things, creatures and beings
associated with in his day-today life of the present, and link them with his
connections and contacts established in his life of the immediate and
sometimes distant past. More often than not, a man also recollects in his
conscious awake state that a particular gross form, whether of a thing,
creature or being, reminds him of having witnessed that same object in his
dream at some time in the past, either some days, months, or years ago.
Thus it actually happens that a form of the future, which he happened to
witness in his dream of the past, reappears to the man as a gross form in his
life associations of the present.
Experiences of a similar nature are also recorded in which man
witnesses certain incidences in his dreams years in advance of their actual
occurrence.
These very associations with future objects and incidents, though
experienced inadvertently and unknowingly by man in the present, are
automatically developed and are inevitably there by virtue of mans being the
creator of the drama in his dream state.
Jung, who coined the word, claimed that synchronicity is essentially
79
inexplicable. So far, both physics and psychologists have ruled out chance or
error as viable explanations for synchronistic or acausal events:
W. Duch observed in his article dated 2002 (24), that data for acausal
events distant between time and space is increasing. He concluded that, a
simple systematic error explaining such data does not seem to be justified.
He further observed: solid evidence for the influence of intentional mind
states on random events, including past and future events, has been
accumulated.
Furthermore, Jung also observed (53), The sentiment of dj vu is based,
as I have found in a number of cases, on foreknowledge in dreams, but we
saw that this foreknowledge can also occur in the waking state. In such cases
mere chance becomes highly improbable because the coincidence is known in
advance. It thus loses its chance character not only psychologically and
subjectively, but objectively too, since the accumulation of details that
coincide immeasurably increases the improbability of chance as a determining
factor.
In addition to the synchronistic events reported by Rosa spp. provers,
these provings may have triggered some of the provers hearts into opening
or to awakening into a glimpse of the subtle world, wherein consciousness is
not bound by time or distance. In some, this heart opening may have been
premature, and thus disorientating for the unprepared or overly materialistic
intelligence.
A literary example of this is found in George Mac Donalds novel Lilith
(70), which seems to describe such an experience: I beg my reader to aid
me in the endeavour to make myself intelligible, if here understanding be
indeed possible between us. I was in a world, or call it a state of things, an
economy of conditions, an idea of existence, so little correspondent with the
ways and modes of this world, which we are apt to think the only world, that
the best choice I can make of word or phrase is but an adumbration of what I
would convey. I begin indeed to fear that I have undertaken an impossibility,
undertaken to tell what I cannot tell because no speech at my command will
fit the forms in my mind.
80
Another way of looking at this is Meher Babas (92) perception that, The
West looks at things from the standpoint of reason and is skeptical about
what baffles it. This form of understanding is developed by reading, hearing,
experiment, and logic. These create an illusion of real knowledge.
Homeopath M. Evans (27) observed, Direct cognition, the perception of
the whole in unity, is the aspiration of the mystic, the spiritual person; science
seeks to understand by breaking down matter into its smallest components.
Yet, the physicist Pauli (54) is often quoted as saying Was Gott vereint
hat, soll der Mensch nicht trennen (What God has united men should not
separate).
Provers of Rosa spp. often expressed a form of synchronistic expanded
awareness by dreaming, talking about, or having experiences involving roses
during their provings. A few provers accurately identified the Rose as the
proving substance. Many provers had an unusually higher frequency of being
contacted by heart connections in the form of old acquaintances or expartners during the proving.
Provers from all over the world give colorful examples of their hearts
opening towards greater love, service and sacrifice much more than what
they would ordinarily experience. Clearly, the hearts awakening to higher
aspects of love entails a sort of synchronistic expanded awareness resulting in
a greater unity in conscious experience.
The ability to transcend the limitations of a solely externalized focus of
consciousness into a higher consciousness, to turn lead into gold, is what
the alchemists and mystery schools (Free Masons, etc) were teaching for
millennia. In homeopathic terms, it is interesting that Blackie (6) describes
Plumbum (lead), as having an inclination to cheat and deceive, which
reflects the spiritual maxim You are nothing but a living lie of the Truth that
lies within.
Also, the homeopathic remedy Aurum metallicum is used clinically for
heart heaviness associated with depression, heart ailments and blood
circulation. Gold represents symbolically the Sun all knowing and all
pervading existence experiencing a true victory of consciousness within ones
81
heart (109). The unfolding and blossoming of consciousness under the rays of
the internal sun, i.e., God within ones own heart, has been symbolized by the
rose in the Sufi and other spiritual traditions. (15, 48)
It would seem that the assessment and application of our proving data of
Rosa spp. requires a balance between the feeling knowledge of the heart and
the clever agility of the intellect. Hahnemann, Ghatak, Kent and many
renowned inspired leaders throughout the history of Homeopathy have
referred to this as wisdom. (31, 38, 59, 62)
In summary, provers of Rosa spp experienced a wide variety of different
types of synchronistic events, which may appear seemingly unrelated when
viewed from a solely externalized perspective. Whereas, if viewed from an
inner spiritual perspective, these coincidental events are ultimately connected
via links and connections contained within our internal subtle world of
consciousness. Therefore, to regard all the synchronistic experiences of these
provers as delusions, or as meaningless coincidences, creates a distortion of
their experiences and corresponding proving data.
82
83
God Speaks (75). The comments by the Little Prince regarding men
experiencing inner and outer varieties of egocentricity (the King and the
Conceited Man), leading to desperation and succeeding indifference (the
Drunkard and the Businessman), and finally the purest and most altruistic
Love (the Lamplighter and the Geographer), present a chart of the stages of
spiritual maturation as humorously caricatured in their outward expression.
One lesson from the essence of the Rose is that the growth of true love is
the necessary key to spiritual maturation leading from all states and stages
to interior perfection. This spiritual maturation process is likewise embodied
by Frodo and Bilbo, in The Lord of the Rings, (106) by their holding onto
Truth, Purity, Love, Honesty, and a sense of responsibility and duty and selfless service in the midst of their numerous trials and difficulties and
84
85
(heart). The serpent (i.e., a symbol of the lower desire nature, also a symbol
of transformation representing the kundalini) ushered the Little Prince on his
journey back to his Rose once he understood how he had abandoned the art
of loving. (98)
In homeopathic clinical practice, the serpent Lachesis is often useful when
a person is stuck in resistance during or before a process of transformation,
or shedding ones skin of self-centeredness. J.T. Kent wrote: Lachesis seems
to fit the whole human race, for the race is pretty well filled up with snake as
to disposition and character, and this venom only causes to appear that which
is in man. (61)
Resistance may appear due to their personal will being thwarted, resulting
in jealousy, anger, etc., and sometimes manifesting as writhing, twisting
abdominal complaints (Gutman: spastic contractions), possible or suspected
appendicitis, accompanied by mental/emotional tension. This may reflect an
inner struggle of the transformation necessary to rise into a higher love.
Likewise it appears that certain remedies may be pivotal to the transformative
process, thereby being curative of the physical symptoms. (35)
The Little Prince may reflect a picture of the essence of Rosa spp. in his
search for the purpose and meaning of life, of having a true friend, of having
or abandoning and regaining higher love in its purest, truest, most mutual
sense.
What seems to be at stake with Rosa spp. transformations is the false
identification with the ego, and the lack of identification with awakened
Divinity within ones heart. It appears from the proving data that provers
witnessed their false identifications being shakened and loosened from their
powerful grip as their hearts were awakened or opened. The result ranged
from blissful states to irritable fog-brained or cottonwool (in the German
provings) states. For many provers, this experience was unsettling, confusing
and disorienting, just as it was for the Little Prince. For some, the loss of
solid ground in their false identifications may have appeared as internal
projections onto others, as reflected in the next two proving examples:
86
Voices, this Rosa spp. theme of Transformation was apparent in both Rosa
gallica (ancient yellow rose) and Rosa St. Francis (Rosa canina). (48)
The following prover data of Rosa spp. gives us a glimpse of how clarity
and insight, both of which occur naturally in an awakened heart, are an
integral component of the process of transformation:
Dream: It suddenly became clear to me what was going on (48)
Dream: I got a strong sense that there was a theme running through all
my dreams, transformation. (48)
Just as I was coming out of this dream, when I was partially awake, I
had a very strong message - this is it! This is the dream that says it all about
the remedy. The word which presented itself to me was transformation. I
had the feeling that I was given a gift. It was a very powerful dream. (48)
My pre-proving state was very overwhelmed and anxious and this
changed during the proving..Second day of teachings with the Dalai Lama.
Very calm throughout the day.Irritability, impatience, nerves on edge, easily
flared up before provinghandling any difficulties with calmer approach
(less excitable) strong contrast with pre- and post-proving states. (48)
Transformations
are
not
limited
to
mental/emotional/psychological
processes. It seems obvious that some individuals, though certainly not all, go
through transformations of consciousness through a variety of physical
ailments.
87
Dream: On the other beds many ill persons were waiting for an organ
transplant (48)
It is commonly known that ulcerations of the stomach may be
accompanied by too much worry and anxiety, or that liver weakness and liver
ailments are often associated with congestion in relation to too much anger,
etc. The individual organ may experience weakness as a predisposition and
may then be targeted by external shocks. The physical organ that most
disrupts the progress of consciousness may be acting as a repository of
psychosomatic complaints from the result of false mental/emotional
identifications.
Tomas Paschero similarly described psychosomatic illness, emphasizing
the necessity of a spiritual perspective: The organism, with its complex
psychosomatic structure, and the personality together serve a purpose which
can be determined only by the innermost self that struggles to emerge to the
light of consciousness. (90)
In these examples both a psychological and a spiritual perspective are
of value for case assessment and management. It is interesting to note that
Martin Miles (82) describes three distinct levels of homeopathic prescribing,
healing the sick, creating health, and creating shining spirits. Creating
shining spirits would naturally include inner transformations.
Another type of transformation may occur via an accident, which may
create an abrupt change in someones life patterns. This may be a sudden
transformation, which has a tremendous impact on ones psyche and overall
health. Hahnemann described in Chronic Diseases how accidental emotional
stimuli can trigger the awakening of latent Psora. (39)
Rosa spp. appears to be psoric in its manifestations of suffering due to a
deprivation of higher love. Kent (60) considered the rose cold to be a Psoric
affliction: some will get sick from the smell of roses. I have known a number
of patients who became sick in this way. It is common enough, and the
sickness is known by the name of rose cold or rose feverpsora is at the
bottom of all these troubles. According to Berkowsky regarding Rose Mother
88
Tincture, the Psoric theme of rose is: If I find true love, everything will be
okay. (5)
The curative value of the Rosaceae would appear to be in establishing a
balance and reintegration of mind and heart through the medium of higher
love (91); the love channel effectively provides an outlet for the unexpressed
energy which might otherwise be dammed up and result in a terminal illness
such as cancer. Alice Bailey wrote in Esoteric Healing (3): I simply mention
over-activity of a center and the retention of energy, unexpressed and
inhibited as fruitful sources of cancer.
As consciousness has shifted from being predominantly psoric during
Hahnemanns times (1800s) into being much more sycotic and syphilitic 200
years later, the need for higher love has increased along with the
predominance of sycosis. Scholten displays the Rosaceae along the full
spectrum of stages, which cover all the miasms. (101)
The essence of transformation involves a reconstruction process, a change
in perspective that transforms ones life. Though at times it may appear as
whimsical or frivolous, as the state of consciousness moves closer into a
sublime communion with divinity, the results embody the purpose of life.
Ramana Maharishi gave a sweet example of how a simple re-orientation in
ones approach to domesticity transforms both the individual and their
offering. (93) The introduction to his poem reads:
In 1914 or 1915, Bhagavan (Ramana Maharishi) was living in Virupaksha
cave with his mother, who did most of the cooking. He himself was a skilled
cook and both then and later often helped to prepare food. On one occasion
his mother was making a poppadam, a thin round cake made of black grain
flour fried crisp, and she called him to help her. Instead of doing so, however,
he composed this poem, giving instruction for spiritual development under the
symbolism of making poppadom:
89
90
91
92
93
heart
94
with a sure science, the hidden possibilities of our mental capacity and our
moral nature. (bold and italics added)
Hahnemann alluded to the purpose of life, clarified by Aurobindo (2)
as: this world is, no doubt, based ostensibly upon Matter, but its
summit is Spirit and the ascent towards Spirit must be the aim and
justification of its existence and the pointer to its meaning and purpose.
(bold + italics added) This ascent towards Spirit implies the long and arduous
process referred to throughout this paper as know thyself.
The practice of know thyself inherently necessitates an awakened heart.
This may be one of the reasons why Hahnemann chose to title his Organon a
Medical Art, in order to include the feeling aspect of the Mind in which Love
will manifest, to allow for the homeopathic physician to actively practice the
art of know thyself. Meher Baba revealed how personality may sometimes
obscure the deeper essence of the spiritual experience of the soul (45):
Feelings and emotions are the energy of the mind, and love the energy of
the soul.
Provers of Rosa spp repeatedly demonstrated that a feeling imbalance
may occur during the process of heart-awakening, as a nave or unrealistic
quest for ideal Love, or by appearing as arrogance, irritation, preening,
disorientation, running into physical objects, falling off their bikes due to
spacey, fog brained, cottonwool states, etc.
Clinically, Sankaran (100) reports a case of a person who benefited from
Rose 30c, who when asked what the rose represents, answered: Even
though the lifetime of a rose blossom is small, it gives so much pleasure to
others. One should be like a rose. During our lifetime we need to give
pleasure to others. It brings beauty. It is offered to God. It is a beautiful
thing. It brings pleasure to others. A rose laughs all the time, even though it
is between thorns.
In his summary of her case, Sankaran (100) observed some of her
symptoms as: Longing to be loved by everybody Love is very important for
her, etc. It is possible to interpret her conscious experience as
95
96
CONCLUSION
The great error of our day, in the treatment of the human body, [is] that
physicians separate the soul from the body.
~ Plato/Socrates (circa 400 B.C.) (52a)
97
data
(using
examples
of
arrogance,
preening,
irritability,
98
values can be perceived and described only when the physician has
discovered his or her own true self. (italics added)
Indeed, as Meher Baba observes (76): Spirituality is not restricted to, nor
99
himself
instructed
the
Homeopath
to
know
thyself
(38b):The way now lies open. Every attentive, zealous and conscientious
physician may freely tread it.
Hopefully the purpose of this paper has been achieved, i.e. to
demonstrate the validity of a spiritual perspective for the Homeopath
according to Hahnemann and many of the early great Homeopaths, and to
demonstrate how limited understandings are created from the absence of a
spiritual perspective in modern homeopathic practice.
In closing, Persian Poetry often exemplifies Divine Love, from which
comes the inner calling of the homeopathic physician with respect to self-less
service and sacrifice. In one instance, the Nightingale sacrifices the blood of
his heart in order to make a red rose blossom, an homage to pure and selfless love which is the strongest energy in the world and the highest form of
wisdom.
Hafiz (Shiraz, Iran) a spiritual Perfect Master and enlightened poet,
wrote - excerpted from Paul Smiths version (37):
100
101
SUPPLEMENTS
1. SAMPLING OF SPIRITUAL THEMES - ROSA SPECIES PROVINGS
1. world pain
2. out of this world, other worldly
3. spatial orientation: colliding with other objects, accidents
4. confusion: where am I?; getting lost on familiar roads
5. spacey: out of touch with reality, as though high on drugs;
disorientation in Space
6. fainting, lazy and slow
7. sensitivity to danger is increased
8. spiritual integration into the material world
9. connectedness vs disconnectedness
10. idealizing love, i.e., prince on a white horse
11. sleeping princess, desire to be awakened
12. timing connected to the process of awakening divinity within
13. center of the heart is very active
14. Heart attunement Divine Love - self effacement
15. an issue: joy vs sorrow
16. sensitivity to danger increased
17. Prayer to God
18. feeling not at the helm, surrender to God and simplicity
19. looking for love, universal love for everything
20. a spiritual quest
21. giving more love than they receive
22. something new-an awakening
23. opening up-cant hide feelings
24. symptoms of the heart; circulation; affinity with the heart
25. flowers blossoming and roses, Spring feelings
102
103
104
5) Berkowsky, Bruce: "The Soul Nature of Rose Oil" from: Synthesis Materia
Medica of Essential Oils. Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc, 1999.
Concerning the Mother Tincture of Rose remedy.
6) Blackie, Margery: Classical Homoeopathy. Beaconsfield, UK, 1986.
Prominent Homeopath in UK, in service to the Royal Family.
7) Bradford, Thomas L: The Life and Letters of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann.
Philadelphia: Boericke and Tafel, 1895; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 1999;
www.homeoint.org.
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
57) Kalchuri, V.S. Bhau: Avatar of the Age Meher Baba Manifesting. N
Myrtle Beach: Manifestation, Inc, 1985.
58) Kaplan, Pascal: Esoteric Knowledge: Toward a Theology of
Consciousness. Thesis submitted to JFK University, Orinda CA 94563
Kaplans thesis was instrumental in development of the overall
approach to this work.
59) Kent, James T: Kents Minor Writings on Homoeopathy (ed. K-H Gypser).
Heidelberg, Haug, 1987; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 1988.
a. The Trend of Thought Necessary to the Application of the
Homoeopathic Materia Medica, or a Rational Use of Curative
Agents, 1897.
b. The Making of a Man, 1912.
Kent is an American Homeopath who was a spiritually minded
(Swedenborgian) intellect, and who published one of the most
comprehensive Homeopathic reference materials for clinics which
is still in use today, Kents Repertory).
60) Kent, James T.: Lectures on Homoeopathic Philosophy (Memorial edition).
Chicago: Ehrhart & Karl, 1917; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 1990;
www.homeoint.org.
61) Kent, James T: Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica. Philadelphia:
Boericke & Tafel, 1905; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub 1992.
62) Kent, James T: New Remedies, Clinical Cases, Lesser Writings, Aphorisms
and Precepts (ed. W. W. Sherwood). Chicago: Ehrhart & Karl, 1926;
reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 1984.
Similar to cit. 59, but includes Kents Swedenborgian Aphorisms and
Precepts.
63) Khan, Hazrat Inayat: The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan (12 vols).
London: Barrie & Jenkins, 1973; www.wahiduddin.net.
Inayat Khan was sent from south of India by his Master (of the
Moinuddin Chisti lineage) to the West to spread the message of
Sufism. He first landed in USA, where he appointed Rabia Martin as the
first American Murshida in the early 1900s.
Rabia Martin recognized Meher Babas divinity and spiritual
status as the Head of the Spiritual Hierarchy. Consequently, she turned
the American Sufi Order over to Meher Baba. Martin appointed M. Ivy
Duce as her successor. M. Duce accepted Meher Baba as the Avatar,
114
and the Sufi Order became Sufism Reoriented, with a new charter
written by Dr. M. Ghani and Murshida Duce under the direct guidance
of Meher Baba.
64) Knerr, Calvin: Life of Hering. New York: Magee Press, 1939; reprint Delhi:
Jain Pub, 1992.
65) Kreeft, Peter: The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind the Lord
of the Rings. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005.
66) Ladinsky, Daniel:
a. The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master. NY: Penguin Books,
1999.
b. The Subject Tonight is Love. N. Myrtle Beach: Pumpkin House Press,
1996.
Widely recognized to be colorful renderings of Hafiz, using artistic
license to develop and embellish the actual meaning in lieu of lexiconic
precision. This is similar to Bucks rendering of The Ramayana, wherein
certain details were changed to enliven the story and its overall
meaning.
67) Brother Lawrence: The Practice of the Presence of God (tr. E.M.
Blaiklock). London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1981.
68) Lu Yen, Lu Tzu: Secret of the Golden Flower.;
http://www.alchemylab.com/golden_flower.htm
Ancient esoteric texts of oral tradition later recorded on wooden
tablets in the 8th century.
69) Macdonald, George: The Light Princess. NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux,
1969; www.gutenberg.org/etext/697.
Tolkien acknowledged George Macdonalds fairy tales as one of the
sources of his inspiration. Macdonalds tales have a humanistic,
psychological, moralistic, and spiritualistic blending. They are written
in a colorfully creative style.
70) Macdonald, George: Lilith. UK: Chatto & Windus, 1895.
71) Maule, Vivien, Rosa Canina: the Dog Rose, Homoeopath, 24:4, 2006.
V. Maule is a British Homeopath who conducted an inspired
Proving on Rosa canina, the data of which contained many
115
116
80) Meher Baba: Questions Meher Baba Answered. Meher Baba Pune Center,
Pune, India.
a. Man Minus Mind is God - Life Circular No.1 issued on 6 -2 -1952
81) Merizalde, Bernardo A, Homeopathy, Alchemy and the Process of
Transformation (Proceedings of the 52nd Congress of the Liga
Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis). Seattle, WA: Arnica Pub,
1997.
Merizalde was the President of the American Institute of Homeopathy,
and also a psychiatrist, neurologist, researcher, and writer.
82) Miles, Martin: Homoeopathy and Human Evolution. London: Winter Press,
1992.
From the UK, the recently deceased Martin Miles, RSHom, had strong
spiritual inclinations in his writings on modern Homeopathy.
83) Morgan, John, The Mystery of Causticum, Interhomeopathy, Sept 2009
(from a talk given at the Irish Homoeopathic Conference, 1997).
Morgan is a Homeopath/Pharmacist at Helios (UK), who wrote that the
remedies themselves choose their own timing for the proving trials.
84) Morrell, Peter, The Secretive Hahnemann and the Esoteric Roots of
Homeopathy, 1996 (published in: Hahnemann and Homoeopathy, Delhi:
Jain Pub, 2003); www.homeoint.org
85) Mother (Mira Alfassa): The Spiritual Significance of Flowers (2 vols).
Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, 2000.
The Mother is Sri Aurobindos counterpart, whom he stated was of the
same spiritual status as himself.
86) Ortega, Proceso Sanchez, Personality and Individuality, Zeitschrift fr
Klassische Homoeopathe und Arzneipotenzierung, Band 30, Heft 2/86.
English translation by KS Srinivasan, privately printed in Quarterly
Homoeopathic Digest.
87) Ostermayr, Benno & Artur Wlfel: Rosa Damascena, Eine homopathische
Arzneimittelselbsterfahrung, Die Rose Botanik, Geschichte, Medizin.
Greifenberg: Hahnemann-Inst. fr Homopathische Dokumentation, 1999.
This is a Proving done in German on Rosa damascena, one of the
oldest cultivated Rose spp., (privately translated).
117
118
119
120
115) Wilmshurst, Walter L: The Meaning of Masonry. London: W Rider & Son,
1922; www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/wilmshurstfr.html
Wilmhurst describes the esoteric spiritual side of Freemasonry.
116) Wirtz, Anne, Rosa Damascena, the Rose, Interhomeopathy, Jan 2006.
Dr. Wirtz is a well known Dutch clinical Homeopath and author of
clinical articles in Homeopathic journals.
117) Xenophon: Symposium (Henry Dakyns, transl.);
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1181
118) Yogananda, Paramahansa: Wine of the Mystic. LA: Self Realization
Fellowship Pub, 1996.
121