THE PSYCHIC THUJA*
DIMENSION
OF
(*An earlier version of "The Psychic Psychic Dimension Dimension of Thuja" Thuja" was published published in the Journal Journal of the American American Institute Institute of omoeopath omoeopathy y! olume #$! %umber %umber & ('inter ))+,+
Thuja! made from the twi-s and leaves of the Thuja occidentalis or arbor vita vitaee! was intr introd oduc uced ed into into the the homo homoeo eopa path thic ic mate ateria ria medi medica ca in #) #) by ahnemann! who then proceeded to di-nify the remedy by establishin- it as the soverei soverei-n -n anti.sy anti.sycos cosis is medici medicine! ne! servin servin- to counter counteract act the malefi maleficc effe effects cts of -onorrhoea/whether in acute! suppressed (with lon-.term se0uelae+! or inherited miasmatic form, Thus distin-uished! Thuja immediately too1 its ri-htful place amon-st the homoeopathic polychrests and has been favored with respectful treatment in the classical as well as more recent literature, 2et to this day its own particular personality presents somethin- of a mystery to even the most 1nowled-eable physicians, ubbard spea1s for a number of her collea-ues when she writes3 "Thuja is one of the most difficult remedies to learn ,,, its personality only emer-es after lon- delvin- and e4perience," The reason for this is readily stated, 5or a proper understandin- of the medic medicin ine6 e6ss uni0u uni0uee prop proper ertie ties! s! one one need needss to pene penetr trat atee bene beneath ath the the patie patient6 nt6ss consci conscious ous mental mental.em .emotio otional nal levels levels into into the subconsc subconsciou ious, s, There! There! in the dar1 dar1 recesses of the psyche! lie the archetypal stru--les and challen-es of which the rich arbor vitae symptomatolo-y is a manifestation, 7ne needs! in short! to e4plore the psychic dimension of Thuja, The Physical Dimension 7n the physical level this remedy presents little difficulty, Due to the heroic self.sacrifice on the part of the early homoeopaths who! in an attempt to "prove" the substan substance ce thorouthorou-hly hly!! not only only willin-l willin-ly y subject subjected ed themse themselve lvess and their their families families to the routine headaches! headaches! joint pains! eye and respiratory respiratory tract infections! ailments of the di-estive system! insomnia! and other nervous disorders! but even stoically suffered decayin- of the teeth alon- the -um line! erosion of the -ums! and none too allurin- eruptions on the s1in of fun-oid -rowths and e4crescences! Thuja is easily reco-ni8ed,* In fact! there has been established in the homoeopath6s mind such an inseverable lin1 between between the remedy and various s1in e4crescences e4crescences that that the foll followi owinn- reac reactio tion n of a doct doctor or to his seem seemin in-l -ly y Thuja Thuja and and seem seemin in-ly -ly wattless patient is 0uite le-itimate3 "Do you have any warts9" the physician in0uires, "%o," "%ot even one sin-le solitary little wart9" "%o," The patient is sure about that, "%o warts," "Perhaps a raised mole9" "%ope, :orry," The physician! defeated! si-hs! "Too "Too bad;" "I be- your pardon9"
(*The variety of s1in out-rowths is sta--erin-, It comprises moles! corns! fatty tumors! polypi! condylomata! haematodes< also warts of every conceivable si8e si8e (lar (lar-e -e!! medi medium um!! or minu minuscu scule le+! +! shap shapee (co4c (co4com omb! b! mush mushro room om!! fi-! fi-! or cauliflower< pedunculated! crater.li1e indented! flat! raised! or s1in tab+! color (flesh.colored or pi-mented! blac1! brown! or red+! odor (emittin- a fetid fluid< smellin- of sweat! herrin- brine! or old cheese+! consistency (hard or soft< horny! -ranular! ja--ed! spon-y! or moist+! nature (painful! itchin-! stin-in-! sensitive to the touch! bleedin- readily/or none of the above+! and a-e (lon-.standin- or newly blossomed+,+
A brief e4culpatory e4planation is proffered concludin- with the re-retful "It is a bit of a setbac1, %othin- missin- in your case e4cept the warts," The The pati patien entt polit politel ely y offe offers rs what what sympa sympath thy y he can can and and the physic physicia ian! n! rallyin-! remar1s! "'ell! I -uess we6ll simply have to ma1e do without warts, Pity! thou-h, 2ours! 2ours! otherwise! would have been a te4tboo1 te4tboo 1 case,"* (*The fallin- off of warts can occur with li-htnin- speed (twenty minutes after administration of the remedy! a child6s lar-e! lon-.standin- wart dislod-ed from the fin-er+ or at a more leisurely pace, And not only warts, It mi-ht be appropriate to mention here that in thirty. five years6 e4perience! the only times that the author witnessed the disappearance of raised blac1 moles from the torso or face (i,e,! observed them spontaneously shrivel and drop off+ was on three occasions when patients had received Thuja,+
Thuja is furthermore easy to spot on the physical plane in maladies of the male male urina urinary ry trac tractt and and repr reprodu oduct ctive ive or-a or-ans ns,, =eca =ecaus usee of its its lead leadinin- role role in complaints arisin- from the -onorrhoeal miasm! a physician readily identifies this remedy remedy pictur picturee in urethra urethrall dischar dischar-e -es! s! inflamm inflammati ations! ons! and strict stricture ure,, (Indee (Indeed! d! accordin- to the homoeopathic ha-io-raphy! Thuja is reputed to have been brou-ht to ahnemann6s attention precisely by a youn- man6s developin- acute urethritis after chewin- on the leaves of the arbor vitae >cf, :hepherd?,+ @i1ewise -enital sores! sores! pains! pains! and prostat prostatic ic compla complaints ints!! includinincludin- the "prosta "prostatic tic neurasth neurasthenia enia"" (=o-er6s pithy phrase+ that so fre0uently accompanies prostate.related maladies! cede cede before before this medicine6 medicine6ss healinhealin- action, action, Thuja Thuja either either alone clears clears up these these various conditions or! as often happens! follows well and completes the wor1 of @ycopodium! Pulsatilla! Aurum! and other remedies, har harac acte teri rist stic ic!! too! too! is the the reme remedy dy6s 6s cura curati tive ve powe powers rs in the the fema female le -eni -enito tour urin inar ary y sphe sphere re/a /alt ltho houu-h! h! save save in prof profus usee leuc leucor orrh rhoe oeas as and and wart warty y e4cr e4cres esce cen nces ces arou around nd the the vulv vulvaa and and in the the per perineu ineum! m! Thuj Thujaa mi-ht i-ht not not be immediately apparent, A teena-er had lon- been sufferin- from e4cruciatin-ly painful menstrual cramps, avin- ta1en her case history and identified no sin-le outstandin- remedy! the physici physician an procee proceeded ded to round round up the usual usual homoeo homoeopat pathic hic "suspec "suspects" ts" and prescribed! in turn and over a period of many months! :epia! Pulsatilla! =elladonna! hamomilla! Ba-nesia phosphorica! %atrum muriaticum! alcarea phosphorica! Bedorrhinum/all to no avail, These repeated failures to identify the simillimum simillimum were becominbecomin- increasin-ly increasin-ly embarrassinembarrassin- to the pre.scriber! pre.scriber! until the patient mercifully volunteered that she had recently detected an uncharacteristic "1etchupy" odor to her perspiration, True blue (and doubtless 1etchup.lovin-+ 2an1ee thou-h Cent was! the possibility was sli-ht that this particular adjective would be listed under
(*The variety of s1in out-rowths is sta--erin-, It comprises moles! corns! fatty tumors! polypi! condylomata! haematodes< also warts of every conceivable si8e si8e (lar (lar-e -e!! medi medium um!! or minu minuscu scule le+! +! shap shapee (co4c (co4com omb! b! mush mushro room om!! fi-! fi-! or cauliflower< pedunculated! crater.li1e indented! flat! raised! or s1in tab+! color (flesh.colored or pi-mented! blac1! brown! or red+! odor (emittin- a fetid fluid< smellin- of sweat! herrin- brine! or old cheese+! consistency (hard or soft< horny! -ranular! ja--ed! spon-y! or moist+! nature (painful! itchin-! stin-in-! sensitive to the touch! bleedin- readily/or none of the above+! and a-e (lon-.standin- or newly blossomed+,+
A brief e4culpatory e4planation is proffered concludin- with the re-retful "It is a bit of a setbac1, %othin- missin- in your case e4cept the warts," The The pati patien entt polit politel ely y offe offers rs what what sympa sympath thy y he can can and and the physic physicia ian! n! rallyin-! remar1s! "'ell! I -uess we6ll simply have to ma1e do without warts, Pity! thou-h, 2ours! 2ours! otherwise! would have been a te4tboo1 te4tboo 1 case,"* (*The fallin- off of warts can occur with li-htnin- speed (twenty minutes after administration of the remedy! a child6s lar-e! lon-.standin- wart dislod-ed from the fin-er+ or at a more leisurely pace, And not only warts, It mi-ht be appropriate to mention here that in thirty. five years6 e4perience! the only times that the author witnessed the disappearance of raised blac1 moles from the torso or face (i,e,! observed them spontaneously shrivel and drop off+ was on three occasions when patients had received Thuja,+
Thuja is furthermore easy to spot on the physical plane in maladies of the male male urina urinary ry trac tractt and and repr reprodu oduct ctive ive or-a or-ans ns,, =eca =ecaus usee of its its lead leadinin- role role in complaints arisin- from the -onorrhoeal miasm! a physician readily identifies this remedy remedy pictur picturee in urethra urethrall dischar dischar-e -es! s! inflamm inflammati ations! ons! and strict stricture ure,, (Indee (Indeed! d! accordin- to the homoeopathic ha-io-raphy! Thuja is reputed to have been brou-ht to ahnemann6s attention precisely by a youn- man6s developin- acute urethritis after chewin- on the leaves of the arbor vitae >cf, :hepherd?,+ @i1ewise -enital sores! sores! pains! pains! and prostat prostatic ic compla complaints ints!! includinincludin- the "prosta "prostatic tic neurasth neurasthenia enia"" (=o-er6s pithy phrase+ that so fre0uently accompanies prostate.related maladies! cede cede before before this medicine6 medicine6ss healinhealin- action, action, Thuja Thuja either either alone clears clears up these these various conditions or! as often happens! follows well and completes the wor1 of @ycopodium! Pulsatilla! Aurum! and other remedies, har harac acte teri rist stic ic!! too! too! is the the reme remedy dy6s 6s cura curati tive ve powe powers rs in the the fema female le -eni -enito tour urin inar ary y sphe sphere re/a /alt ltho houu-h! h! save save in prof profus usee leuc leucor orrh rhoe oeas as and and wart warty y e4cr e4cres esce cen nces ces arou around nd the the vulv vulvaa and and in the the per perineu ineum! m! Thuj Thujaa mi-ht i-ht not not be immediately apparent, A teena-er had lon- been sufferin- from e4cruciatin-ly painful menstrual cramps, avin- ta1en her case history and identified no sin-le outstandin- remedy! the physici physician an procee proceeded ded to round round up the usual usual homoeo homoeopat pathic hic "suspec "suspects" ts" and prescribed! in turn and over a period of many months! :epia! Pulsatilla! =elladonna! hamomilla! Ba-nesia phosphorica! %atrum muriaticum! alcarea phosphorica! Bedorrhinum/all to no avail, These repeated failures to identify the simillimum simillimum were becominbecomin- increasin-ly increasin-ly embarrassinembarrassin- to the pre.scriber! pre.scriber! until the patient mercifully volunteered that she had recently detected an uncharacteristic "1etchupy" odor to her perspiration, True blue (and doubtless 1etchup.lovin-+ 2an1ee thou-h Cent was! the possibility was sli-ht that this particular adjective would be listed under
perspiration odors in his epertory, owever! 1etchup smells "sweetish" or "honey.li1e" (Cent+! as does Thuja6s perspiration! and the remedy was immediately roped in to serve its curative term, 7ne could continue continue indefinitely indefinitely citin- Thuja6s Thuja6s remar1able remar1able physical cures in every area of the body! but the homoeopathic literature is already crammed full of impressive cases and addin- to their number would belabor the point without enli-htenin- it,* To repeat! the remedy on the physical plane presents no problem to the prescriber, It is on the mental.emotional plane that Thuja6s identity! -rowincomple4! becomes less clearly defined, (*Apart from the ori-inal compilers of the provin-s and cures! the =ritish homoeopaths! in particular! as citi8ens of a tea.drin1in- culture! have accorded the remedy/with its prominent modality "worse from drin1in- tea"/full justice (cf, =urnett! lar1e! :hepherd! Tyler! Tyler! 'heeler! and others+,+
The Mental-Emotional Dimension and Natrum muriaticum In the comparative materia medica! Thuja has been lin1ed in various ways with with a numb number er of reme remedi dies es/t /the he most most prom promin inen entt of whic which h are are %itr %itric ic acid acid (ahnem (ahnemann+ ann+!! Pulsat Pulsatilla illa!! I-natia I-natia!! @ycop @ycopodiu odium! m! and :epia :epia (=oenn (=oennin-h in-haus ausen< en< cf, "Bind" in "oncordances "oncordances"+! "+! :ilica and :taphysa-ria :taphysa-ria (erin-+! Arsenicum album (Cent+! (Cent+! alcar alcarea ea carbon carbonica ica (=oeri (=oeric1e c1e+! +! @aches @achesis is (Eibson (Eibson+! +! plus! plus! of course course!! the -onorrhoeal -onorrhoeal nosode Bedorrhinum Bedorrhinum (, , Allen+! Allen+! as well as the never.to.be.le never.to.be.left. ft. out.of.anythinout.of.anythin- :ulphur (=oennin-haus (=oennin-hausen+/a en+/and nd stron- ar-uments can be made for each one of these relationships, The field is essentially a free.for.all, 7n its deepest emotional level! however! it is to %atrum muriaticum that Thuja is most closely related, This important affinity has already been noted by =o-er (who! inciden incidentall tally! y! in his :ynopti :ynopticc Cey! Cey! ran1s ran1s the potent potenti8e i8ed d salt hi-h for suppresse suppressed d -onorrh -onorrhoea oea+< +< yet it remain remainss for the practic practicinin- physicia physician n to establi establish sh wherei wherein n e4actly lies the profound affinity between these two remedies, To be-in be-in with! with! the trouble troubled d Thuja Thuja patient patient (who is see1insee1in- homoeopathi homoeopathicc assi assista stanc ncee for for more more than than a speci specifi ficc physi physica call comp compla lain int+ t+ is apt! apt! li1e li1e %atr %atrum um muri muriat atic icum um!! to view view hims himsel elff as sinsin-led led out out by desti destiny ny to be the reci recipi pien entt of amlet6s "slin-s and arrows of outra-eous fortune"< also to evince the all.too. familiar conse0uences of repressed emotions3 an4iety! depression! and difficulty with relationships followin- in the wa1e of an inability to as1 for what he wants! to e4press his feelin-s! or to deal with an-er (a fre0uent observation is "I feel horrible and and mora morall lly y bad bad when when an-r an-ry" y"++, Bore Boreov over er!! he tend tendss (a-a (a-ain in li1e li1e %atr %atrum um muri muriat atic icum um++ to reta retain in in his his inmost inmost beinbein- not not only only thos thosee "slin "slin-s -s and and arro arrows ws"" fortune directed at him personally! but also any other spirit.of.the.times injury or ne-ative emotion currently in circulation (P+, :o deeply entrenched! however! are these injuries (le-itimate or ima-ined+ that sometimes the patient himself is not aware of the e4tent of his problems, A distinction that can be drawn between these two constitutional types is that Thuja does not project as une0uivocal an aura of despondency as do persons of the salt diathesis, 5or! despite all noble attempts to camoufla-e a heart bowed down by wei-ht wei-ht of woe! woe! your true %atrum %atrum muriat muriaticu icum m so obviousl obviously y carrie carriess the sorrows of the world on his shoulders/what he is feelin- is so plainly inscribed on his face! conveyed in his manner! in his voice! and in his every -esture/that he can be spotted by the observant homoeopath from the moment he wal1s into the office (P+, Thuja is either more adept at dis-uisin- his dejection ("uneasiness of
mind >where? everythin- seems burdensome and distressin-"3 Allen+ or his pain lies lies so deep deep that that it dare daress not/ not/ca can n not/ not/su surf rfac ace! e! even even in body body lanlan-ua ua-e -e,, onse0uently! even when harborin- a low self.ima-e! even when condemninhimself ("reproaches himself3 Cent+! or 0uestionin- the meanin- and validity of life life ("wear ("wearine iness ss of life"3 life"3 ahnem ahnemann+ ann+!! he appears appears to be "li-hter "li-hter"" than %atrum %atrum muriaticum ("the arbor vitae has a cheerful! jaunty appearance with >its? uptilted branches"3 Eibson+, Additionally! this personality type -ives the impression of more openness and trust< certainly! for the most part! he continues to function ade0uately or even well in his circumstances! both physically and socially, 5inally! althou-h to the na1ed eye Thuja is less redoubtably determined than %atrum muriaticum to e4tract the ma4imum pain from love relationships and more willin- to for-ive or let -o of a heavy parental relationship! still! there is that aspect of clin-in- on to his misery, The followin- case is representative of the two remedies6 complementary roles, In searchin- for relief from lon-.standin- insomnia! a youn- woman was drawn to homoeopathy, 7ther complaints were internal tremblin-! a poundin- or racin- heart that was worse upon lyin- down (at times to the point of thumpinaudibly+! and sensitivity to the sun, In appearance she was oily.haired and wa4y! oily.s1inned, The The reaso reason n for for her her symp symptom tomss was was not hard hard to asce ascert rtai ain, n, Thre Threee year yearss previously she had wal1ed out ou t of a prolon-ed! painful relationship which involved many subtle ways of bein- e4ploited and some not so subtle ways of bein- abused by her former lover, 2et here she was! thirty.si4 months later! still feelin- an intense lon-in- for the obvious loser of a man and! at the a-e of thirty.three! despairin- of ever a-ain e4periencin- a "happy (9;+ relationship," :he found no consolation in lifelon- friends and was not e4ertin- herself to ma1e new ones, Althou-h durin- the consultation the woman made every effort to remain stoic! she bro1e down when permittin- herself to tal1 of her loneliness/e4hibitin-! when cryin-! a blotched and swollen face and bri-ht red nose, 'ith such a patent %atrum muriaticum picture (red nose and all+ as well as history! prescribin- any remedy but the potenti8ed salt would have rendered the physician -uilty of criminal ne-lect, Accordin-ly the remedy was administered! first first in the Fc potenc potency! y! then! then! movin- -raduall -radually y up the scale! scale! in the GFB, The The rataplan heart and internal tremblin- abated after the lower potency< the hair needed to be washed only on alternate days instead of daily! and a hi-her tolerance of the sun developed after the middle potencies< and the mood was uplifted after the hi-hest potencies ("a certain cryin- inside has ceased"+< also the patient loo1ed li-hter and happier, =ut her insomnia persisted, It was characteri8ed by a fre0uent need to urinate and a tea a--ravation ("I6m doomed for the entire ni-ht if I so much as drin1 a -ulp of tea anytime after lunch"+! althou-h! even without this pernicious bevera-e! she would awa1en around 3FF a,m, to urinate! after which sleep was impossible, This last bein- Thujds a--ravation and wa1in- time! a sin-le dose of Thuja Thuja B was administered as a con brio finale to the cure be-un by the healinsalt, Cent! in his @ectures on omoeopathic Bateria Bedica! offers little in the way of a mental mental descripti description on of Thuja Thuja apart apart from from severa severall "fi4ed "fi4ed ideas! ideas!"" merely merely citin- in one place the "violent irritability! jealousy! 0uarrelsomeness! u-linessH >that? the doctor may not be able to find out about because the patient has in her
nature a disposition to cheat," 2et from this acorn of a picture a mi-hty oa1 has sprun-, :ubse0uent homoeopaths! fallin- in step with Cent6s typolo-y as well as with the -eneral uncharitable treatment received by the sycosis miasm in the hands of oberts and others! have elaborated upon it, Thus ubbard3 "@i1e all sycotic remedies! there is an element of deception! cheatin-! and lyinly in- in Thuja,"* (*e (*efl flect ectio ions ns on the the moral moral aspect aspectss of the the syco sycosis sis miasm miasm are alway alwayss dan-erous dan-erous territory for even the -reatest -reatest homoeopat homoeopaths! hs! and the near.li.belo near.li.belous us moral sti-ma attached to the sycosis remedies has been discussed in Bedorrhinum (P+, 5or instance! Cent6s above 0uotation must be ta1en in conte4t, The precedinwords are3 "'hen the ovaries have been affected for some time there will be violent irritability , , , ! etc," In addition! the reader6s attention is drawn to the ori-inal Thuja provin-s of ahnemann! erin-! and Allen! where the only truly ne-ative listin-s the stalwart provers could come up with were "sul1y! "sul1y! an-ry at innocent jests" (ahnemann+< "e4ceedin-l "e4ceedin-ly y ill.humored ill.humoredHpeevi HpeevishHand shHand inclination to an-er" (Allen+< "very irritableH0uarrelsome! easily an-ered over trifles" (erin-+,+
7ther respected homoeopaths li1e =orland! however! have contested this depicti depiction on of the type! assertinassertin-!! "That "That is not the Thuja Thuja familia familiarr to me, >These? >These? patients are sin-ularly well.mannered< they are sensitive! polite! -ratefulH responsive to 1indnessHtruthful and scrupulous in everythin- they do," These conflictin- opinions may be reconciled if one ta1es into account the de-ree de-ree of illness illness,, In cases cases of severe severe pain and emotional emotional disturban disturbance ce the Thuja Thuja individual may well e4hibit Cent6s "u-liness" of conduct (as we shall observe below+! and a whole family will dance on the invalid6s strin-s in an unsuccessful attempt attempt to please or alleviate his distress, =ut then many ill people are an-ry! an-ry! and when in pain or discomfort behave in a 0uarrelsome! un-rateful! irascible manner< the tyranny of the invalid is a familiar phenomenon, As for deceit3 Thuja shares with %atrum Buriaticum a certain reserve or reticence! and presents a stron- front in adversity! to-ether with a partial denial of his hardships even to himself (P+, =ut because Thuja is considerate (=orland6s "polite"+! less socially aw1ward than %atrum Buriaticum! and more adroit at dis-uisin- unacceptable emotions ("she min-les in society as usual! behaves correctly and even jo1es"3 Allen< "is able to control herself amon-st stran-ers"3 Cent+! the individual dissimulatin- his or her true feelin-s may appear deceptive ("furtive"3 ubbard+, 7ne is tempted to as1! 'ould it not be more accurate to consider such deception in the li-ht of a protective techni0ue that the patient has developed in an atte attemp mptt to deal deal posit positive ively ly with with his hards hardship hipss and and in consi conside dera rati tion on of othe others rs66 feelin-s9 An e4ample of this trait is portrayed in the followin- scene from Joyce ary ary6s 6s The orse orse6s 6s Bouth Bouth wher wheree the down. down.an and. d.ou outt paint painter er Eully Eully Jims Jimson on is stoppin- the ni-ht with Planty! a former cobbler! who has lost his ri-ht hand and! bein- unable to wor1! is now forced to live impoverished impoveris hed in a @ondon @ondo n poorhouse! poo rhouse! tryin- to ma1e the best of a wretched e4istence3 In fact! >Jimson narrates? in spite of a certain rudeness in my cou-h! due to indi-nation with the weather and some an4iety about finance! I passed a ,,, -ood ni-ht in a bed of chairs, 5or althou-h I could not sleep! I had a -ood view >of the s1y?! as Planty pointed out! throu-h the top of the windowH Planty himself did not sleep either, 'henever I loo1ed his way! I could see his little eye -litterin- as he stared at the ceilin-, =ut what he was thin1in- of! I
don6t 1now, An old man6s thou-hts are an old man6s secrets! and no one else would even understand them, e only once spo1e to me when he heard the chairs crea1 and said! "2ou all ri-ht! Br, Jimson9" "I6m all ri-ht! Br, Plant, 'hy aren6t you asleep9" "I6ve had my sleep, I wondered how you were sleepin-," "@i1e a top!" I said, 5or it saves a lot of trouble between friends to swear that life is -ood! brother, It leaves more time to live, Prior to concludin- this section! truth! born of e4perience! compels one to ac1nowled-e (thou-h it is stressin- a ne-ative characteristic of this already sufficiently mali-ned remedy+ an undeniable duality in the Thuja nature/which alone is able to account for certain aspects of the personality, 5or instance! the swiftness with which the individual can switch from 1indness to cruelty is remar1able, 7ne moment he is all sweetness! openness! and lovin- consideration< the ne4t he is callous! disa-reeable! spiteful, This dualism is especially noticeable in the rebellious adolescent or youn- adult, The youn- Thuja6s duality is multifaceted and is not limited to attitude and social behavior alone, It is also met with in tastes and preferences, 5or instance! the patient mi-ht harbor a li1in- for both horror boo1s and movies and for refined and even sentimental ones, 7r he (or she+ is the athlete who writes esoteric poetry, A committed ve-etarian for "spiritual" reasons! he will yet! simultaneously! indul-e in substance abuse, And for friends he chooses both the finest spirits amon-st his peers and! antithetically! the most wanton,* (*In the small child! this trait manifests primarily as inconsistencies in li1es! disli1es! and desires, 7ne can never anticipate his reaction to any -iven situation, 7ne time he li1es some activity! another time he doesn6t, e be-s for a certain food! but as soon as it is prepared! he rejects it, 7ne moment he is sweet and affectionate! the other nasty, 7ne hour some child is his special friend! the ne4t hour he hates him, Tuberculinum children! also! are notorious for their contrary! chan-eable! capricious behavior (P+! but Thuja (also Bedorrhinum+ acts out and e4presses himself in a more incoherent! illo-ical! and unsettlin- (to others+ manner,+
The rebellious youn- :ulphur presents a different problem, The type is innately so independent that it is near impossible for him to obey social rules not in accord with his wishes, =ecause he is creative (whether productively or disruptively >P?+! -iven the sli-htest opportunity he -rabs hold of the ball and rushes off with it! ma1in- up his own rules as he -oes alon-! heedless of the ori-inal ones, Indeed! little short of maturation can alter this characteristic, 'ith the rebellious %atrum Buriaticum adolescent! conflicts arise because resentment a-ainst one or both parents (or other authority fi-ures+ cuts deep and is complicated by his insistence that these resented fi-ures mold themselves to his taste, Thuja possesses neither %atrum muriaticum6s futile reformin- 8eal! nor :ulphufs refusal to follow any rules but his own< he is not interested in convertinhis parents to his way of thin1in- and is perfectly willin- to comply with a chosen -roup6s rules, Partly because of these reasons! also because a dual nature permits an easy flippin- bac1 and forth! often the very first dose of the medicine will spar1 off a fundamental chan-e of attitude, ertainly! there can be bac1slidin- to the ori-inal undesirable behavior! and to sustain the chan-e of heart re0uires constant vi-ilance on the part of all concerned (includin- the homoeopath! who must
prescribe Thuja at judicious intervals+, 2et the fact remains that it is with this remedy! more often than with any other! that parents than1 the physician for restorin- to them their lon-.estran-ed! but now once a-ain lovin-! deli-htful child, The trun1 of the arbor vitae is nearly as infle4ible as a pillar of salt! and! once a-ain similar to %atrum Buriaticum! Thuja can be characteri8ed by emotional infle4ibility3 ri-idity of outloo1! fear and resistance to chan-e! and a -eneral inability to -o with the flow ("fi4ed ideas"3 erin-+, =e-innin- already in childhood! Thuja.re0uirin- individuals do not respond well to transitions of any nature/either e4ternal (a chan-in- environment+ or internal (the normal course of -rowth and development+, The infant mi-ht scream with terror on bein- carried from one room to the ne4t or when transferred from one pair of carin- hands to another< and a chan-e in diet is occasion for stormy weather, Transitions from sleepin- to wa1in- and vice versa are another trauma, The child wa1ens in a -rumpy! petulant mood! ready to cry on the sli-htest prete4t! and then is so wired up before naps or at ni-ht that he cannot -et to sleep< the more tired he is! the more hysterically he carries on, And every new sta-e of -rowth/ teethin-! be-innin- to sit up! to crawl! or to wal1/throws him off balance, The older child is disoriented by fluctuations in the family routine that his siblin-s accept with e0uanimity, e has a tantrum when switched from one form of occupation to another or if not allowed to wear a piece of clothin- on which his mind is set, And yet! simultaneously! this is the youn-ster who "loses it" when discipline is lac1in-, ven the Thuja adult becomes unreasonably distrau-ht over chan-es in routine! possessin- fi4ed notions about the way thin-s are done3 when! where! and how, Thus! he is an-ered by bein- as1ed to wal1 the do- in the evenin- instead of his usual afternoon turn< while varyin- the schedule in a shared or communal 1itchen! someone occupyin- his favorite chair in front of the television! or any form of interruption in whatever he is en-rossed! are all a cause for distress ("crossness when all does not -o accordin- to his wish" >or plan?3 ahnemann+, In view of lar-er life issues! such minor concerns should be inconse0uential! as Thuja himself reali8es perfectly well< nevertheless they affect him profoundly, "I find myself!" said one patient who had e4hausted the action of %atrum Buriaticum for her headaches and unstable bowels (diarrhea alternatin- with constipation+! "frettin- over the pettiest! most insi-nificant matters such as the heels of my shoes wearin- down faster than they used to, I can6t understand why this is, I should be happy and carefree, All is -oin- well with me, 2et instead of enjoyin- life! some trifle crops up to pla-ue me, 'hat does it mean9" The physician did not even attempt to e4plain the phenomenon e4cept to say! "It simply means that you are now in need of Thuja," The patient was touchin- li-htly on a trait that has far.reachinramifications, Individuals of this constitution find themselves ade0uate only to those situations that are patterned! prepared for! and re0uire of them no adjustments, :uch intransi-ence reflects! of course! deep.seated fears and insecurities! compellin- the subject to concentrate on unimportant! peripheral matters in hopes of thereby controllin- the lar-er! unpredictable ones, ven more! it is indicative of fra-ility! of a tenuous mental balance ("unsteady"3 erin-+! also of an underlyin- chaos or disorder in the psyche ("chaotic"3 Cent+ on the ver-e of brea1in- into consciousness, To stave off this last (that is! to propitiate the dar1 forces threatenin- to erupt+! the individual sets up e4tra ri-id rules and framewor1s
within which he can operate in relative security! and then abides by these/with tenacity; Thuja6s ri-idity is also a method of counteractin- an inherent indecisiveness ("irresolution"3 Cent< in the epertory! under this rubric! the remedy ou-ht to be raised to the third de-ree+, Pulsatilla6s indecisiveness over daily matters is a corollary of dependence! a way of brin-in- others into his (or her+ supportive networ1 (P+, Thuja6s irresolution stems from an uncertainty concernin- his whole life, ow can he focus on ma1in- one choice over another re-ardin- relatively small matters when he 0uestions! 'hy was he born9 'hat is he doin- in this world9 'hat should he be doin- here on earth9 5urthermore! similar to %atrum Buriaticum! the type can be burdened with a troublesome conscientiousness/over matters both lar-e and small ("e4tremely scrupulous about small thin-s"3 er.in-+/prompted in e0ual measure by infle4ibility (the conviction that thin-s must be done in one precise way+! by dread of bein- in error (en-endered by a touchy pride and wantin- to be "a -ood boyK-irl"+! and by that dull! heavy! joyless virtue 1nown as a sense of duty, 7ver conscientiousness! infle4ibility! and ta1in- life ultra.seriously reflect! in part! a fundamental unease around people, "Althou-h I may not show it! I feel unwanted and out of place amon- my peers" is a familiar Thuja refrain (a %atrum muriaticum6s similar lament! as he fluctuates between withdrawal from and a--ression vis.L.vis humanity >P?! would not include the introductory phrase+, Thuja6s unease stems from a number of causes and assumes a variety of forms, A ready assumption of -uilt and remorse is one fertile source/an all pervasive -uilt that has its twofold ori-in in the individual6s own uneasy conscience and in a tendency to shoulder the -uilt of the world, hildren feel responsible for their parents 0uarrelin- or brea1in- up< one little -irl even felt in some way responsible for her mother bein- in a wheelchair from polio, An adult suffers from -uilt when leavin- a poor relationship or escapin- from a violent and alcoholic spouse, Abused children or women feel somehow to blame for beinabused ("constant an4iety! as if he had committed a -reat crime"3 Allen+, Thus! -uilt! arisin- in part from a fear of havin- injured others! is an underlyin- Thuja motif that can e4pand into the most tortured and convoluted rationali8ations! 0uite worthy of Dostoyevs1y6s "Mnder-round Ban," 5or instance! because the remorseful individual does not feel entitled to love! his initial response to 1indness and consideration mi-ht be too much -ratitude, @ater! turnin- round! he smarts under his own disproportionate response, =ut then (he reasons+ it is not really inappropriate because! thou-h he is habitually insufficiently appreciated! still his response was commensurate with the feelin-s of love! support! and -ratitude that should ideally flow between all man1ind, Althou-h (with another mental swerve+! admittedly! perhaps his -ratitude was e4cessive, In fact (and here he be-ins to wa4 indi-nant+! the scant reco-nition proffered him (in a world in which he is chronically undervalued+ was an insultincrumb; e then -rows uneasy wonderin- whether it was a "crumb"/or possibly as much as! or more! than he deserved< and this state of mind is but a step from self.condemnation for his rancor towards that which was! after all! meant to be a 1indness/which brin-s him bac1 full circle to his essential unworthiness, And! predictably! all the while! his dis0uiet carries a %atrum muriaticum K :taphysa-ria smolderin- resentment (P and P+ as he waits for an apolo-y from life! some reparation! some e4planation as to why he does not feel at ease in this/ his own/
world, "I spend one third of my life dealin- with people and the other two thirds recuperatin- from the e4perience!" said one fine social wor1er who was about to be -iven Thuja for his prostatitis, "I 1now that I am full of an-er which I can neither e4press nor assimilate, I just ta1e it in and watch it build up," =arrin- certain specific physical symptoms! this picture of impotent! unresolved an-er that dares to simmer but not to bla8e could just as well have been %atrum Buriaticum or :taphysa-ria, And it could e0ually have been one of the two who! when the patient returned a month later with symptoms cleared and spirits revived! volunteered! "Instead of feelin- deprived around people! I now have a sense of abundance, I feel I have much to -ive! with an ability to put out love, I6m not always shrin1in- from people," The patient was fortunate in havin- recourse to homoeopathy, 5or the combined force of a pervasive sadness ("very depressed and dejected"3 ahnemann+! ima-ined -uilt ("fancied scruples of conscience"3 Allen+! and an unease at bein- a burden to friends and family ("a consciousness that they are not doin- everythin- they ou-ht to be doin- , , , that they are a trouble because they re0uire attention"3 =orland+ can result in Thuja6s becomin- isolated and withdrawn/an emotional state that finds its physical counterpart in an aversion "to bein- touched or approached" (erin-+, e has decided that dealin- with people -enerally involves hurt! little pleasure! and even less fulfillment< and in his e4ternal relations! he becomes morbidly sensitive about thin-s he should not notice ("an-ry at innocent jests"3 ahnemann+ and increasin-ly insensitive about thin-s he should ("thou-htlessness" >about others?3 erin-+, The injured Thuja can also resemble :epia, =ecause feelin- is painful! he -rows evermore "0uiet! absorbed in himself (Allen+/as incapable of receivin-! as of e4pressin- affection ("does not care for her children or relatives"3 erin-+/and eventually be-ins to detach himself from all emotion ("I feel drained and empty and dead inside"+, :ensin- the mere contact with people! even a lovin- connection! as a burden! he desires to be left alone in his misery ("shuns people"3 erin-< "company a--ravates"3 Cent+! to be allowed to crawl into his lair and lie undisturbed! lic1in- his wounds (P+, A Thuja case history mi-ht well entail ne-lect! deprivation! a traumatic birth e4perience or early separation from mother! due to illness or adoption! or childhood abuse, :uch a bac1-round can obviously en-ender in a person more than merely a sense of his own inade0uacy, 7n a deeper level! it en-enders feelin-s of alienation from humanity, :imilarly! %atrum muriaticum! often a victim of injury! ne-lect! or an unhappy childhood! will feel himself to be an outsider< no type is more aware of his isolation or is more convinced that he can never be a part of the con-enial human scene ("It6s always the same old story3 never belon-in- anywhere in this world;"+, %onetheless! althou-h burdened by loneliness and saddened by his inability to establish easy and comfortable relations with man1ind! he 1eeps tryinto do so, ven while feelin- uncomfortable! and at the ris1 of pain or rejection! he is always endeavorin- by means of a hi-h.minded altruism to adjust to the world (P+! and his psyche is firmly lod-ed in this reality, 'hereas Thuja6s estran-ement! albeit less obvious (because! as mentioned earlier! the type is more socially adroit+! is of a more radical nature, is psyche has already commenced a protective distancin- or disconnectin- from this world
("feels everythin- as from a distance"3 Allen+! a process which culminates in a sense of bein- forei-n,* And it is this particular "forei-nness" that distin-uishes Thuja, ere the type brea1s away from %atrum Buriaticum! :taphysa-ria! :epia! :ilica! and other remedies and be-ins to assume an identity distinctly its own/the nature of which plun-es us strai-ht into the heart of our thesis, (*This often unconscious process differs from the sensitive :ilica6s "disconnectedness" (i,e,! his conscious desire not to relate too closely with people! and eelin- out of emotionally demandin- situations+, :ilica is aware of his limits and has learned how to conserve his ener-y and -uard a-ainst psychic trauma (P+,+ The Psychic Dimension ither because he has been so profoundly injured in this lifetime or! as sometimes happens! affected by an e4a--erated or an ima-ined victimi8ation! some part of Thuja6s spirit has withdrawn from this world and unconsciously sou-ht refu-e in some other sphere of reality where it hopes to feel more at ease, In other words! a certain psychic brea1/a certain noninte-ration between his spirit and mortal frame/has already ta1en place! even if the patient only partially comprehends the phenomenon, ence the 1ey "stran-e! rare! and peculiar" Thuja symptom3 "feels as if soul were separated from body" (Allen+, %o lon-er his old self but not yet understandin- his new self ("as if divided in two parts and cannot tell of which part he has possession"3 Cent+! he is under-oin- the -rowin- pains of transition from e4istence entirely in this world to an awareness of other dimensions,* (*The reader is reminded that by no means will every Thuja patient e4hibit a picture of partial alienation from the world< nor! conversely! will every troubled patient e4hibitin- a psychic estran-ement re0uire Thuja,+
A case in point was the lon-time homoeopathic patient! cured of mi-raine headaches in the past with %atrum Buriaticum and occasional doses of Pulsatilla! who came to the doctor because of a recurrence of his former malady! in milder form! and two new physical symptoms3 heart palpitations! worse sittin-! and burnin- sensation on the tip of his ton-ue, The mental picture revealed that some ten months previously his spiritual master had passed away and that the -rief was still acutely with him, The intense mournin- period was perhaps le-itimate! but the patient himself felt that he was too weepy for a -rown man! too sensitive to criticism! and too emotionally unsettled ("discombobulated" was his word+< that it was! in short! time for him to move on from his prolon-ed -rievin-, The physician was debatin- between %atrum muriaticum and Pulsatilla and! while -ivin- himself time to thin1! casually in0uired about the other6s recent vacation on an island off the Atlantic oast, ontrary to the patient6s own e4pectations (since he usually loved beinnear the ocean+! the vacation had not been a success, e had felt as if the island were haunted/and was continuously aware of unfriendly spirits hoverin- around him, "It was an eerie and unpleasant sensation that I6ve never before felt there," 7nly later did he learn that he had been stayin- near the alle-ed burial -rounds of an American Indian tribe which had been massacred by white settlers, The patient6s newly awa1ened sensitivity (the spirits on the island had never made their presence felt to him in all the years he had previously vacationed there+
su--ested Thuja, And! with a clearin- of his physical symptoms! an interestinchan-e occurred on the emotional plane, The mournin- for his master had lessened because! as he said! "I feel as if one part of me has joined him on an other plane, %ow I6m communicatin- with him as never before, =ut the other part of me! stran-ely! feels more -rounded/and alto-ether I6m more 6combobulated,6" 7nce the physician becomes aware of a psychic dimension! the remedy is easier to reco-ni8e/even in seemin-ly strai-htforward physical complaints such as arthritis! ec8ema! asthma! irritable bowel syndrome, e may! however! have to wor1 hard to e4tract this -uidin- symptom, A woman! still youn-! was crippled with arthritis, =urnin-! swellin- joints were disfi-urin- her hands and feet! with restlessness and pain drivin- her out of bed in the early hours of the mornin-, At first hus to4icodendron! prescribed in the B potency and repeated at re-ular intervals! almost entirely cured her condition, =ut nine months later! the remedy in every potency ceased beineffective and the physician deliberated on how to proceed, %aturally! Thuja as well as Bedorrhinum/both major remedies for the rheumatic joint pains and swellin-s which are so fre0uently associated with the sycosis miasm/su--ested themselves as li1ely candidates! but a clinchinmodality or mental symptom was needed to decide between the two, The patient refused to cooperate, There was no discernible Thuja 3FF a,m, a--ravation! nor a--ravations from humidity! heat or cold! onions! or tea< the pain was not worse durin- the wa4in- moon (note! for mnemonic purposes! the lin-uistic correspondence to the remedy6s "wa4y" s1in+< and on the emotional plane there was no -uilt! no unease with people! no feelin-s of estran-ement or a sense of bein- victimi8ed/save by her illness, 2et neither was there a Bedorrhinum amelioration by the ocean! between sundown and sunrise! nor a need to lean far bac1 to pass stool< she was not better lyin- on her stomach or in the 1nee.chest position! nor was she particularly fond of oran-es, Time passed neither too slowly (Bedorrhinum+ nor too 0uic1ly (Thuja+, omoeopathically spea1in-! she was a complete washout, The physician then bethou-ht himself of probin- deeper into her dreams, "By dreams are not particularly disturbin-! as I told you before! and there are no recurrin- ones as far as I can recall," :he hesitated, "There is! however! one thin-, :ometimes at ni-ht! just as I am about to fall asleep! I sense the presence of my departed mother hoverin- round me, It is by no means an unpleasant presence but it is unsettlin-, :he seems to want somethin- of me or is tryin- to tell me somethin-! but! althou-h I 1eep as1in- her! I don6t 1now what, owever! this probably has little bearin- on the case," @ittle bearin- on the case9; This symptom! in its close appro4imation to the classical Thuja symptoms "sensation as if a person is beside her!" "sees phantoms of dead persons!" "fancies someone is callin-!" "converses with absent people" (and constitutin- as it did a sensitivity to the supernatural+! was the very 1ey to the patient6s case, And Thuja B! administered infre0uently! -reatly diminished the woman6s stiffness and swellin- and has 1ept her free of pain over the years, 7ne other case by way of illustration3 a buddin- sensitivity to the psychic realm was unearthed in a -irl in her late teens sufferin- from aller-ies and chronic nasal catarrh involvin- the frontal sinuses! accompanied by a constant need to haw1 up mucus, These ailments would respond acutely to various remedies but resur-ed at the sli-htest cold spell, learly! the case needed to be addressed on the
miasmatic level, ememberin- the well.1nown homoeopathic dictum "Eonorrhoea is the mother of catarrh!" the doctor! to confirm his choice of Thuja! be-an a search into the youn- patient6s e4trasensory perception e4periences, After first denyinvi-orously any such! the -irl finally admitted to havin- recently ta1en up the study and interpretation of tarot cards/which is! of course! a form of psychic divination, 'hen the doctor! reachin- out for his Thuja! as1ed this patient why she had held bac1 this crucial bit of information! the answer was! "I6m tired of people re-ardinme as a 6fla1e6 when I tell them about my interest in tarot, >This conversation too1 place a number of years a-o when such pursuits were loo1ed upon as1ance in polite society,? And! besides! I6m only a be-inner/althou-h! if I do say so myself! I6m -ettin- pret.ty -ood at readin- the cards," ntertainin- of an-els unawares is li1ewise (if less often+ encountered in male patients in their middle or advanced years! in whom si-nificant spiritual chan-es are startin- to ta1e place which have not yet been assimilated, In the meantime the subject resorts to stout denial, The only complaint of a man in his early fifties was difficulty emptyin- the bladder! with fre0uent incomplete calls occasionally accompanied by burnin-, e e4hibited the classic Thuja for1ed stream and occasional yellow! -lutinous urethral dischar-e< but when the physician! fallin- into his usual routine! tried to draw out some e4perience of a spiritual nature! the patient was not forthcomin-, 7nly after the remedy had cleared up the physical condition did the physician learn that the patient! who was a city resident! had opted to ta1e his annual mea-er two.wee1 vacation not at a mountain or seaside resort but in %ew 2or1 ity (;+ so as to attend a conference on Tibetan =uddhism, 'hen as1ed why he had chosen to do so! he replied airily! "7h! out of sheer! unadulterated curiosity/nothin- more spiritual than that," 2et to subject oneself to a full fortni-ht of listenin-! for -ruelin-ly lonhours! to the teachin-s of Tibetan mystics (when the audience spent most of its time tryin- to fi-ure out whether the Tibetan interpreters were spea1in- a -arbled n-lish or had lapsed into their native ton-ue+ ar-ued for some spiritual leanin-s /none the less valid for bein- unconscious, owever! to plead the devil6s advocate! there was a case of a woman with recurrin- urinary tract infections who responded only temporarily to antharis or Pulsatilla, In searchin- for a deeper remedy! the physician e4tracted from her a truly "stran-e! rare! and peculiar" symptom3 the sensation of somethin- alive in her ear, "A worm in the ear9" the physician in0uired/in which case Bedorrhinum would have been his choice, "%o, %o crawlin- sensation, Just somethin- throbbin-/and worms don6t 6throb!6 do they9 =ut as if alive," A well.1nown Thuja symptom is "sensation as if a livin- animal were in the abdomen" (erin-+! and =o-er lists this medicine in his "alive sensations" under "Eeneralities," =etween the two listin-s the physician felt justified in prescribinthe arbor vitae in the FFc potency, 'hen the patient returned much improved! the physician! ever pursuin- his favorite Thuja theme! be-an pressin- the patient for the psychic dimension to her case, "Are you sure that nothin- in your life could be viewed as e4periencinsome supernatural phenomenon9"
"Nuite sure," "mmmmH=ut perhaps the 6somethin- alive6 in your ear was the merest intimation of a spirit tryin- to communicate with you," "'ell! perhaps!" the patient ac0uiesced/but without conviction, "7r perhaps/" "%ope, 5or.-et it;" And the physician was forced to leave it at that, %evertheless! it is intri-uin- how! when dealin- with the sycosis miasm! often some -rowth in psychic or spiritual awareness does accompany the physical complaint, Bedorrhinum appears to be at a crossroads of destiny! and the remedy brin-s to the fore possibilities wellin- up inside which the patient can elect either to confront or not/the choice is his, 'ith Thuja the picture is different< he no lon-er has a choice, is physical and mental symptoms are compellin- him! for his very emotional survival! to e4plore the re-ions of other realities< and the remedy thus serves to stren-then a process already be-un, very constitutional type is on a spiritual path of its own and has different lessons to learn, Psorinum too readily senses himself to be a victim of circumstances beyond his control and needs to establish a healthier balance between Predestination and 5ree 'ill, Tuberculinum6s archetypal challen-e is to find a viable way to satisfy both the primitive and civili8ed sides of his nature, In the Bedorrhinum state! the patient is assailed by presentiments of some chan-e that is about to ta1e place and is challen-ed to respond with commitment! even if the forces bec1onin- him onward are still unclear (see appropriate passa-es in P+, Bany other constitutional types already feel secure and at home in the e4trasensory dimension (clairvoyants! clairaudients! psychics! or mediums will fre0uently re0uire Phosphorus! @achesis! or other remedies3 cf, "lairvoyance"+, Thuja! on the other hand! appears to be called for durin- that sta-e in a patient6s spiritual development when his particular challen-e is to -row more aware of! and at ease in! the new spheres of reality that are openin- up to him, Two middle.a-ed women with almost identical physical complaints! one helped by :epia! the other by Thuja! offer an instructive contrast, =oth women suffered from periodic left.sided frontal headaches and e4hibited small! recently sprun-! brown or flesh.colored warts on different parts of their bodies, =oth wor1ed in the alternative healin- arts! each one e4cellin- in her own particular field, The patient re0uirin- :epia was a psychic who was in clear communication with -uidin- spirits from other planes of reality and felt perfectly comfortable in the supernatural realm, er particular difficulty (and life challen-e+ was to inte-rate wor1 with family life/she was feelin- too stron-ly drained by home ties! duties! and affections (P+, The second patient! with a history of se4ual abuse in childhood! was a more tortured soul, Althou-h a true healer who was helpin- her clients by means of -entle adjustments with her remar1able hands! she herself had no clear comprehension of the powers with which she was wor1in-, A dread of the un1nown and a resistance to chan-e were restrainin- her from venturin- deeper into the spiritual realm! with the result that she suffered periodic brea1downs, At these times an incapacitatin- indecisiveness! complete loss of self.confidence! as well as the Thuja aversion to bein- touched/e4tendin- to an abhorrence of touchin- others/all conspired to put a damper on her -ood wor1, Thuja B was prescribed/to-ether with a visit to the :epia psychic who! in
a sin-le readin-! elucidated the spiritual lesson behind the patient6s sufferin-s, :he also instructed her in techni0ues for -ettin- in touch with her -uidin- spirits/"to assist me to fulfill my role in the osmic Plan!" as the Thuja woman! availinherself of "%ew A-e" terminolo-y! put it, @ater! she herself interpreted her frontal headaches as the concrete physical e4pression of her "third >spiritual? eye" attemptin- to open up! yet bein- bloc1ed, In any case! the pain pro-ressively decreased in fre0uency and severity under the influence of the occasional dose of Thuja and her own untirin- efforts to raise her spiritual consciousness, Bental onfusion and "Delusions" The Thuja patient fre0uently complains of wea1 memory and concentration ("mental dullness"3 erin-< "distraction"3 ahnemann< "has -reat difficulty fi4inthe attention , , , for-ets everythin- he does not write down"3 Allen+ and mental confusion ("ideas confused and mi4ed"3 Allen+, 7r as one Thuja described his wea1ened mental powers! "The machinery whirs around for a while/and no results," This is hardly surprisin-, @ost as the type is between two worlds! feelin- at ease in neither! his mind is bound to be in a turmoil of thou-hts! feelin-s! sensations ("confusions as if in a dream"3 Cent+, The lac1 of mental clarity thus reflects a -eneral spiritual bewilderment and psychic disorientation, Indeed! as we discussed earlier! Thuja seems unable to contend with the normal flow of e4istence, The individual sets up a ri-id framewor1 for his daily life precisely because he is so readily confused by the -ive.and.ta1e of the physical aspects of this world, is very sense of time may be confused, The feelin- that "time passes too 0uic1ly" (Cent+ arises in part from mental abstractedness! with a tendency to bein- lost in a sad or "happy reverie" (Allen+, In contrast to the hard.wor1in-! productive Arsenicum who is able to accomplish more in a day than any two ordinary persons (P+! the "spacy" Thuja never seems to have the time to accomplish anythin-, onfusin- reverie with reality! his e4cuse is that he has been too busy (watchin- the clouds9 the birds9 enjoyin- the afternoon9 or an-uishin- over the past9+! so that before he is aware! the day is over, Absence of mental clarity may e4tend even to a lin-uistic confusion ("confusion of the head! with difficulty of speech"3 Allen+, As if his own lan-ua-e were "forei-n" to him and no lon-er under his dominion! Thuja e4hibits lapses, e uses wron- words! misspells familiar ones! omits words or syllables when spea1in- and writin-! or insi-nificant words interpolate themselves, e tal1s either too hastily! swallowin- words! or too slowly! in monosyllables! huntin- for words! and e4hibitin- -reat hesitation, 7ther features are repetitive.ness! bro1en or interrupted sentences! a @achesis.li1e saltation from one subject to another! and an inability to finish sentences due to vanishin- thou-hts (consult the classical literature! especially er.in-+/any of which may be spotted from the way a Thuja patient re.counts his symptoms, A woman in her thirties was ve4ed by increased hair -rowth on her face and body, Thuja! of course! is notorious for endocrine imbalance ta1in- the form of e4cessive hair -rowth in unusual places (as well as for loss of hair in unusual places/not on the scalp! but in eyebrows! beard! a4illae! pubic area+, 0ually ve4atious to the patient was her mental state, :he held the post of assistant professor in philosophy and was! as a rule! very much in control of her mental faculties, ecently! however! she was findin- it difficult to concentrate on the te4ts
("when readin-! unable to follow the meanin-"3 Allen+! to thin1 coherently! to recall perfectly familiar information! or "to ma1e connections" when or-ani8inmaterial for her lectures, verythin- scholarly! formerly so mentally attainable! was now a source of confusion, The woman! in turn! was confusin- to the physician in her case presentation3 a medley of scattered thou-hts! symptoms described with many repetitions! and a way of interruptin- herself to in0uire! "Am I ma1in- myself clear9 Do you understand what I6m sayin-9 I would hate to be unclear, Do you follow me9 Please! tell me if I am not clear," The one thin- emer-in- crystal clear was her need for Thuja, oberts maintains that "over-rowth" or the e4cessive proliferation of cells (includin- hair cells+ is a 1ey characteristic of sycosis, And! ta1in- up his torch! other homoeopaths have attributed to Thuja a parallelin- e4cess of speech, This characteristic may not be true of every individual re0uirin- this remedy! but certain patients themselves would be the first to a-ree heartily with ubbard6s succinct depiction of their lin-uistic style3 "Bental embroidery and proliferation is ever the enemy of continuity, The Thuja patient has too much matter and too little form," :ulphur! incidentally! can also display lin-uistic e4cess! but not confusion, ven if the spea1er is proli4! he is not muddled, And the @achesis proli4ity/an easy flow of free association (recall the discussion of Biss =ates from mma >P?+ /-ives the impression of water flowin- in a cascade, Thuja is reminiscent of water passin- over cataracts, A form of mental confusion that stri1es still deeper is the remedy6s so.called "delusions," Thuja is -enerously endowed with "stran-e! rare! and peculiar" delusions that are of particular value to our thesis! pertainin-! as many of them do! to the e4trasensory realms and ta1in- the form of altered or out.of.body sensations and of encounters with presences or voices from other planes of reality, To enumerate some of the si4ty.plus delusions found in the classical literature (here a-ain! erin- leads the field+3 of animal in abdomen of all 1inds of animals passin- before him that body is brittle< delicate that body is li-hter than air that she is made of -lass< easily bro1en that flesh is bein- torn >also beaten? from the bones that body is thin or is -ettin- thin that body is dissolved that body has the appearance of buildin- stones that body is heavy as lead that le-s are made of wood that his s1ull is too ti-ht that he is divided in two parts< of bein- double that body is too small for the soul that body is separated from the soul that he is under superhuman control that his continuity would be dissolvedHthat he must die that he hears music that someone is callin-
that he hears voices in abdomen that he sees people , , , stran-ers are beside him that he is conversin- with the absent that he sees -hosts! spirits! specters! and visions Cent employs the word "delusion" for these symptoms/in part! no doubt! to facilitate repertori8in- but also because! hitherto! they have almost invariably been interpreted as indicatin- mental instability and imbalance! if not actual insanity, And 'ebster6s defines delusions as "false beliefs or fi4ed misconceptions< a state of bein- led from truth into error," owever! in the present day! our under. standin- of Thuja.li1e "delusions" is under-oin- a si-nificant metamorphosis! and these sensations are be-innin- to be viewed rather as a confused perception of paranormal phenomena,* (*To be sure! the Thuja picture also encompasses insanity (cf, erin- and others+! but true insanity does not lie within the sphere of this analysis,+
5or instance! few enli-htened healers of the psyche would today consider Joan of Arc! who heard voices! to have been insane, %or was she sufferin- from delusions, Adoptin- a broader perspective! healers would now re-ard her as havinhad access (without confusion+ to re-ions where -uidin- spirits were instructinher what to do, Therefore! rather than view the above symptoms as delusions (with this word6s ne-ative connotations+! it would be more respectful of individuals communicatin- with the spirit re-ions! as well as perhaps more accurate! to har1 bac1 to erin-6s ori-inal classification of these symptoms as "sensations as if," And venturin- even further! perhaps Thuja is not merely ima-inin- that someone is beside him! or tal1in- to him! or appearin- before him! but is -rowin- more sensitive to other levels of consciousness where such occurrences are ta1in- place, It is necessary! however! to append the words "as if to these symptoms because our lan-ua-e has no specific terminolo-y for representin- the supernatural processes, ence! the affected individual6s mental confusion and inability to describe his stran-e e4periences and behavior ("when as1ed with whom she is tal1in- aloud! does not 1now what to thin1"3 Allen+, The sensations as if stran-ers are approachin- and accostin- him or that someone is beside or callin- him may well be sensations of actual spirit entities that are approachin- the patient! tryin- to tal1 to him or to ma1e their presence felt, ertainly! most of this remedy6s "delusions" are 0uite a different 1ettle of fish from! for e4ample! annabis indica6s ima-inin- himself to be "a -iraffe or a locomotive! an in1stand or a bottle of soda water" (Cent+, In fact! Thuja6s "sensation as if he is made of -lass! is brittle! is emaciated! as if his body and soul were separated! or his continuity would be dissolved! could be viewed as accurately representin- his delicate psychic state on the ver-e of brea1in- down< while the symptom "feels as if s1ull is too ti-ht" or "as if body were too small for the soul" could reflect an inner attempt to brea1 throu-h some barrier or confinement that is preventin- him from acceptin- the encroachin- new dimensions, 5inally! the "fear of bein- under superhuman control" may be a le-itimate dread felt by this confused and fra-ile individual who! sensin- the nature of spirits without understandin- them! is livin- in terror lest he fall unduly under their influence, Indeed! few types have a more fra-ile hold on 1armic life than Thuja,
:eemin-ly balanced patients of this constitution! with no visible traces of paranoia or mental imbalance! have described their reluctance in venturin- near seedy bars and rundown bus or subway stations! even in broad dayli-ht, As one patient put it! he objected to encounterin- not merely the unfortunates who han- around these public places! but even more the spirits of departed drun1ards and other outcasts from society, e insisted that these lost! tormented spirits! who are still attached to their addictions or vices! are see1in- to pounce onto some passin- vulnerable soul (inevitably a Thuja+ and satisfy their own cravin-s throu-h a livin- person6s e4perience, All in all! that which sets the seal to Thuja6s mental.emotional confusion is havin- no conventional paradi-m or frame of reference within which to shape and ma1e meanin- of his paranormal e4periences, =ecause our very vocabulary is not e0ual to describin- e4periences befittin- other planes of reality! our emotions are often not e0ual to their comprehension, And "I don6t feel 6inside6 my body" is one of the more common! hopelessly inade0uate ways a patient e4 presses the spiritual upheavals he is under-oin-, e is already psychically vulnerable (or even unstable+! unable to sift and sort out amon-st the entities! both mali-nant and beni-n! that assail him (which contributes to his "feelin- of bein- double" >Cent?+! and one reco-ni8es how a lac1 of discriminatin- lin-uistic tools for -rapplin- with the psychic dimension would contribute to ma1in- him feel the more betrayed, All this is threatenin-! and he -rows apprehensive! an-ry/at times even despairin("be-ins to weep bitterly and says >he? can no lon-er thin1 or live< thou-hts of suicide"3 Allen+, 5urthermore! the whole condition is a--ravated by the fact that Thuja initially tries to e4tricate himself by fleein- bac1 to the familiar reality of his old self, =ut! of course! he is unable to do so, The pil-rim cannot retrace his steps, ather! pic1in- his way throu-h the confusion and perils of alien territory! he must 1eep journeyin- onward, The remedy6s first objective! then! is to assist the menaced patient to feel more at ease in the psychic realms, An unhealthy -um condition (helped by sur-ery in the past but now recurrin-+ brou-ht a middle.a-ed woman to homoeopathy, 7ther physical symptoms were one.sided headaches around the time of her menses! with the classical Thuja symptom "as if a nail were driven throu-h the temple!" inordinately swollen veins on her le-s! and brown spots on her arms and hands which would periodically appear! then disappear, These symptoms were the physical manifestation of -eneral mental collapse! which followed close on the heels of a divorce! especially traumatic for a strictly raised oman atholic, 'ei-hin- e0ually heavily on her spirits was a new distress, :he was hearinvoices, :ome were minatory and accusin-! others were comfortin-< some voices were instructin- her to ":top!" others to "Eo" (Anacardium+< some were tellin- her she was evil! others that she was -ood, Alto-ether it was chaos and confusion! ma1in- her wonder if she were possessed ("deran-ed and unfit to live"3 Allen+, The patient was started on one dose of Thuja FFc! which was repeated a month later< then durin- the course of a year she was -iven two doses of the B, The physical symptoms all improved! includin- the mysterious materiali8in- and vanishin- brown spots, And! as to her voices3 "7h, I continue to hear them, I suppose they are here to stay, =ut they are no lon-er menacin-, And the way I loo1 at it is! if the voices insist on bein- heard!
I6d better learn how to put them to some use," "esortin- to the familiar policy! 6If you can6t lic1 6em! join 6em!6" the prescriber remar1ed, "Precisely, :o I6m readin- volumes on the subject and am tal1in- to a venerable priest with mystical leanin-s who is teachin- me! throu-h prayer and meditation! how to distin-uish between the opposin- voices, I6d li1e to be able! some day! to channel the -ood ones for the benefit of others as well as myself," The homoeopath could not have wished for a more -racious bow to the inevitable, =efore proceedin- further! it ou-ht to be mentioned that Thuja6s relation to the e4trasensory dimension need not always be tortured and frau-ht with strife, ertain patients/who! with their toil and stru--les behind them! are now free to reap the spiritual rewards/ e4perience solely upliftin- encounters with spirit entities, 5or instance! the physician may learn to reco-ni8e an underlyin- Thuja diathesis in patients displayin- an anthropomorphism/ sometimes whimsical! sometimes earnest, Bore than one Thuja patient has insisted that nature is permeated with livin- entities and that he or she senses the presence of livinspirits in flowers! shrubs! trees! and even the lowly weeds, :ome even claim that they can communicate with pi4ies! elves! fairies! and brownies, All too often! however! individuals of this constitution have to come to an understandin- of psychic phenomena the hard way, Phosphorus! in contrast! feels not only at home in the e4trasensory perception realm but actually enhanced by it, =ein- of a hi-hly receptive! impressionable disposition! he ea-erly welcomes novel sensations! emotions! e4periences O often consciously cultivatincommunication with spirits from other realities, @achesis lies midway between Phosphorus and Thuja, e may stru--le with the supernatural dimension more than Phosphorus but does not close down to the e4perience in the way Thuja initially does, Althou-h somewhat threatened! he feels simultaneously e4cited and e4hilarated by bein- under the control of a superhuman power! since this control is often accompanied by sur-es of hei-htened creativity (P+,* (*5or a more detailed analysis of the Phosphorus and @achesis psychic natures! see "lairvoyance,"+
The contrastin- natures of Phosphorus and Thuja were dramatically illustrated in two patients with near.death e4periences, A warm! friendly woman was bein- prescribed Phosphorus for her bleedintendencies, In the past she had been hospitali8ed so often for severe haemorrha-in- durin- menses that eventually! at the a-e of thirty.si4! a hysterectomy was performed durin- which she almost died, Bore recently! a brain haemorrha-e necessitated another hospitali8ation! at which point! after beindischar-ed! she turned to homoeopathy for assistance, The patient was a communicative soul and at her first visit confided to the physician! as if to a very special friend! her near.death e4perience durin- her hysterectomy (the physician was hi-hly flattered by her trust until he learned that! true to type! the Phosphorus woman had recounted this e4perience to just about every person she 1new >P?+, :he found herself (she narrated+ alone and fri-htened in a lon-! dar1 tunnel, 5ear would have rendered her unable to move were it not for
a li-ht at the far end! which! upon her approach! she saw was comin- throu-h a chin1 in the door of a bri-htly lit room, Throu-h this slit floated sounds of voices3 happy voices with lau-hin- and sin-in-/as if at a party, er one desire (she recalled+ was to be a participant in the merriment! and this propelled her onward, Just as she was approachin- the door and was about to open it wider to enter! her action was arrested by her mother6s voice orderin- her to "ome bac1; ome bac1; ome bac1;" The dau-hter had no desire to return, :he wished to ta1e part in the fun and festivities, =ut her mother6s peremptory command broo1ed no disobedience! and! as if still a child! she reluctantly turned bac1, That was all the woman remembered until she came to in the recovery room! after havin- been labored over for many hours by a team of doctors tryin- to stem her bleedin-, Beanwhile her mother! livin- in another state! secure in the belief that her dau-hter6s operation was lon- over and certain she would be hearin- from her in the mornin-! had -one to bed, That ni-ht! around a,m,! she saw in a dream her dau-hter lyin- in an open coffin that was bein- carried away by underta1ers for burial, er husband said that he was awa1ened by her shrie1in- at the top of her voice! "ome bac1; ome bac1; ome bac1;" It was just around this time of the ni-ht! the doctors calculated! that the haemorrha-in- of the patient (who had almost been -iven up for dead from loss of blood+ abated! and the vital si-ns be-an to reassert themselves, The near.death e4perience was! thus! by no means one solely of terror for this woman, 5ull of curiosity! she had wanted to pass throu-h that door to the room where everyone seemed to be enjoyin- themselves! and only force of habit had compelled her to obey her mother, Alto-ether the whole incident captured beautifully the Phosphorus trust of paranormal e4periences, Nuite dissimilar in tone was the e4perience of an Arsenicum album K Thuja asthmatic, 7ver the years! the woman had responded well to the former medicine for her acute condition and to the latter as her constitutional remedy, This! incidentally! is a well.reco-ni8ed role of Thuja3 to serve as the "chronic" of Arsenicum album in asthma and other cases when a -onorrhoeal miasm underlies the complaint ("In :ycosis! Arsenicum does not -o to the bottom of the trouble but Thuja will ta1e up the wor1Hand cure"3 Cent+, Prior to her discovery of homoeopathy! the patient also had almost died in hospital durin- a severe asthma attac1, :he! too! described findin- herself alone and terrified in a lon- tunnel with a spec1 of li-ht in the distance, This woman! however! was not hastenin- towards the bri-ht spec1< her fear was not li-htened by any curiosity as to what lay ahead, :he was stru--lin- to turn bac1 and flee, 2et no turnin- was possible in the narrow passa-e! and her e4perience was one of unalloyed terror! endin- with a sudden e4plosion of li-ht behind her! after which she re-ained consciousness,* (*The fri-htenin- dar1 tunnel with a li-ht at the end appears to be a sine 0ua non of near.death e4periences, =irth and death bein- two sides of the same coin! it is conceivable that just as we enter life throu-h the birth canal so we e4it this world throu-h a tunnel of sorts/also followed by a burst into li-ht, If so! this ma1es it clear why the alle-ed last words of the -reat Eoethe were! "Behr licht; Behr licht;" and those of the saintly Pascal! "5eu; 5eu; 5eu;" 7n the other hand! the alle-ed last words of the aesthete and wit 7scar 'ilde!
dyin- in a room hun- with u-ly ictorian wallpaper! "ither this wallpaper -oes or I do;" (after which e4clamation he promptly e4pired+! are also perfectly understandable,+
=efore concludin- this section! an additional near.death e4perience should be cited, A woman! mother and wife in a lar-e! demandin- family! recounted how! after travelin- the len-th of the tunnel! she arrived at the li-ht at the end! only to discover that it was infinite space containin-/nothin- at all; %o hrist! =uddha! Boses! or Buhammad! no -uidin- an-el was there to -reet her, Just a vast! li-ht emptiness and silence, "=ut that!" she remar1ed drily! "is precisely my idea of heaven," 'hat was her constitutional remedy9 :epia! of course; :leep! Dreams! and Inspiration 7ne swallow does not ma1e a summer! and a sin-le near.death e4perience of a partly Thuja individual is scarcely foundation enou-h upon which to raise a respectable ar-ument for the type6s uneasy relationship with other spheres of reality, 5ortunately! however! the everyday e4perience most closely appro4imatindeath/ sleep/is familiar to every mortal< and this realm offers further confirmation of our thesis, The most common Thuja sleep affliction is a persistent insomnia! characteri8ed by an early mornin- (3FF to &3FF a,m,+ wa1in- and difficulty resumin- sleep, The wa1in- may be caused by some physical condition (-ettinchilled or overheated! a drenchin- perspiration or need to urinate! or a 3FF a,m, a--ravation of on-oin- symptoms and ailments+! but it has also been interpreted by patients themselves as their subconscious wa1in- them before they have a chance to e4perience unsettlin- or threatenin- dreams! which! at this point in their lives! they are psychically not stron- enou-h to deal with ("dreams affectin- the mind"3 Cent+, This theory is rendered tenable from repeated observations that when the Thuja victim of insomnia does sleep lon-er! his sleep is disturbed by fri-hteninvisions or apparitions that remain with him a lon- time! refusin- to be sha1en off (cf, especially Allen+, 7ne woman had for several years been unable to sleep more than two or three hours a ni-ht ("sleeps at ni-ht only till o6cloc1! then lies awa1e"3 ahnemann< "short sleep"3 Cent+, This insomnia! alternatin- with visitations of menacin- spectres whenever she did mana-e to -rab a few e4tra win1s! was the one symptom persistin- in the wa1e of a nervous brea1down, It was only after Thuja had helped dispel the spectres/had in some way laid those discontented souls to rest/that she now "dared" (as she put it+ to sleep lon-er, Another patient! tryin- to recover from a bro1en love relationship! who had been helped by I-natia and %atrum Buriaticum but still suffered from insomnia! re0uired Thuja because althou-h thou-hts of his former loved one no lon-er obsessed him by day! she continued to appear to him as a disturbin- apparition at ni-ht, In addition to bein- e4tra susceptible to visitations by spirits durin- sleep! the subject matter of many Thuja dreams indicates his havin- ventured over some threshold of this reality, e dreams "of dead men" (ahnemann+! of himself either already bein- a deni8en of the nether world or that he is about to become one! also of len-thy conversations held with departed souls (consult the classical te4ts+, This
characteristic is encountered even in childhood, A -irl on the brin1 of puberty was sufferin- from an unaccountable numbness of the le-s, :he was prescribed Thuja with success partly on the basis of a certain ri-idity to her nature3 for instance! the usurpin- of her particular seat in the car or at the dinin- room table! by any siblin-! would evo1e a disproportionate reaction, At her second visit! a month later! after the remedy had be-un to ta1e effect! the physician learned that when her -randparents had died! for a while afterwards! she would sense their presence around her and! durin- sleep! pic1 up messa-es that they were tryin- to relay to other members of the family< also that subse0uently over the years! they would appear to her in premonitory dreams, :o it came as no surprise to the physician when! a decade or so later! the patient/now a -rown woman/passed throu-h a spiritual crisis where Thuja was the most beneficial remedy, :i-nificant! too! are the "fallin-" dreams,* They can be variously interpreted! and each interpretation points to 1ey aspects of the Thuja constitution, Thus! one Thuja patient will understand the dream as the astral body (which durinsleep has disassociated itself from this world and has been wanderin- up there on another plane+ hastenin- to reunite with the physical body by "fallin-" into it before the sleeper wa1ens, This interpretation partially e4plains the symptom "feels as if divided in two parts! and could not tell of which part he has possession when wa1in-" (Cent+< also the sleeper6s serious starts and jolts when wa1in- that si-nify his soul6s difficulty reenterin- the corporeal body (yet another variation on the ubi0uitous Thuja sensation "as if soul were separated from body"+, (*In Cent6s epertory! under the rubric "dreams of fallin- from hi-h places!" Thuja stands alone in the third de-ree,+
Another patient needin- Thuja views the fallin- dream as representin- fear of reachin- a new depth in awareness/somewhat similar to the way a :ulphur adolescent or a =elladonna child has dreams of fallin- which reflect a fear of -rowin- up, 'hereas to a burdened Thuja soul that yearns for a state of insensibility as a relief from too heavy responsibilities! the fallin- dream (representin- a death wish9+ e4erts an attractive force/parta1in- of Pascal6s headlon- plun-e into the abyss! leavin- the e-o and all worldly concerns behind, To the -uilt.ridden Thuja! the fallin-.dream carries the same symbolism as the =iblical "5all," e views it as a fall from Eod6s -race< thereby! in yet another way! reinforcin- his feelin-s of bein- an outcast/banished not only from this world! but even from the ne4t, The fecundity of the human ima-ination is limitless and patients can spin these in-enious interpretations of dreams indefinitely/and! so for that matter! can prescribers, A repeatedly encountered dream in Thuja patients (in this writer6s e4perience! second in fre0uency only to the "fallin-" one+ is that of the dreamer enterin- a house he has once lived in! is livin- in! is thin1in- of buyin-! or where he is often a visitor/one! in short! that he 1nows well, As he wal1s throu-h the once familiar structure! however! the rooms be-in to multiply! the house to e4pand /first in a lo-ical! then in a disorderly and disturbin- way/so that suddenly the dreamer feels out of place and fearful of investi-atin- further, There are! naturally! numerous variations on this dream of disorientation from e4pandin- structures, 7ne such finds the dreamer enterin- a moderate.si8ed buildin-! loo1in- for oom ), e is on the ver-e of locatin- it (he has already
found ooms # and F+ but must turn the corner for number ), Then be-ins the fri-htenin- wanderin-s up endless fli-hts of stairs! down lon-! dar1 corridors! alon- di88yin- aerial wal1ways! until he is hopelessly lost in the buildin-/by now -rown into a city, :ometimes! to ma1e his presence 1nown! he may cry out ("dreams of callin- out"3 Cent+! but there is no person nearby< or if there is someone in the distance! his cries -o unheard or unheeded, Another variation (this time of an unsettlin-! e4pandin- situation+ may consist of the dreamer6s encounter with an old friend from the past! which starts out pleasantly enou-h, =ut soon it be-ins to dra- on ,,, and on/the visit! for some undefinable reason! -rowin- more uncomfortable< then! as misunderstandin-s arise! more disa-reeable< and finally! when new persona-es enter on the scene to contribute to the confusion and misunderstandin-s (yet who all appear to be in perfect understandin- amon-st themselves/and only Thuja the misfit+! downri-ht intolerable, And all the while the dreamer! wishin- to escape! sees no way out,* (*Intri-uin-ly! these dreams of endless wanderin- in buildin-s or of embroilment in ever more comple4 and uncomfortable situations are often e4perienced by Thuja patients after eatin- onions/to which food the type! we recall! is mildly or severely aller-ic,+
The underlyin- theme of all! however! is that the Thuja dreamer finds himself confused and ill at ease in what should have been familiar territory/or that he e4periences fear in a situation of sycosis proliferation and e4cess, Dreams are a form of ener-y! and it is their nature per se that dictates the homoeopath6s choice of medicine! not their interpretations, %onetheless! these last can help elucidate a remedy6s particular personality, Inspiration can be ran1ed alon-side sleep and dreams as another familiar aspect of our lives that is not wholly under our conscious sway, In the performin- arts! the Thuja inspiration can be reco-ni8ed by its "transcendent" 0uality/not as much in the sense of an e4cellent or e40uisite performance (of which many types are capable+! but rather the way the performer brin-s an other.worldly 0uality to his act, The preternatural impression left on the audience/of somethin- so unusual! fra-ile! and vulnerable! as to be almost too precariously poised for this world/is the artistic e4pression of Thuja6s particular estran-ement, 5urthermore! it is important to note here that the symptom "sensation as if mind were separated from the body" is encountered e0ually in Thuja persons e4periencin- -enuine artistic! psychic! or other forms of inspiration as in those sufferin- from spiritual disease, %ot surprisin-ly! in view of the fact that this medicine helps clear the channels to the psychic realms! it can also help dispel bloc1a-es impedin- the flow of creative inspiration, A lon-time homoeopathic patient was in robust health but subject to periodic bowel troubles! as well as occasional an4iety attac1s, ssentially a %atrum Buriaticum type! with her "salt of the earth" personality and a way of always maintainin- a stiff upper lip in adversity! she also needed Arsenicum album and Aconite to control (althou-h never entirely cure+ her recurrin- symptoms, 7n one occasion! the description of her ur-ent! splutterin-! splashin-! e4plosive stool! alternatin- with constipation! pointed to Thuja! especially when the woman further mentioned a s0uea1in- sound that occasionally proceeded from her abdomen, 5or! in a physical correspondence to the remedy6s sensation "as if an animal were in abdomen" or "hears voices in abdomen"
(erin-+! the abdomen may emit (in addition to the various -ur-lin-s! -rumblin-s! rumblin-s listed in the homoeopathic literature+ bird.li1e whistlin-s or mouse.li1e s0uea1in-s, There was one other stri1in- symptom3 a perspirin- under the nose and on the bac1 of the nec1! just beneath the hairline, Idiosyncratically! Thuja perspires on "unusual" parts of the body and on parts that are not covered with hair/but brea1s out into ec8emas! pimples! or other s1in eruptions on parts that are covered with hair (scalp! beard! armpits+, 'ith such an abundance of -uidin- symptoms! the simillimum was obvious, 2et prior to administerin- the remedy! the physician! as alert to the paranormal in every Thuja patient as a hound to the scent of a fo4! cross.e4amined the woman concernin- any e4periences of a psychic nature, :he denied any such e4perience! then added! "owever! a month a-o a friend too1 me to a psychic in town, It was interestin- and I6ve tried from time to time to contact my -uidin- spirits! as instructed! but I have felt no different since," It was not much to -o on< but still! the physician reasoned! somethin- may have been set in motion! and he composed himself to wait, :everal months later! he received in the mail scrolls of paper covered with verse, The woman had! as a release from family difficulties! always resorted to writin- poetry! but for some time had been "stuc1" in her creativity, %ow! apparently! the verses flowed from her pen in almost uncontrolled abundance3 "I don6t 1now where these channels of inspiration are all comin- from; %ot from me; I feel completely disconnected from my body when I write,"* er homoeopath! however! was content, Thuja! to-ether with the visit to the psychic! had undeniably stimulated her poetic inspiration, (*Indeed! her creativity flew off into a completely new direction3 whimsical poems for children inspired by the homoeopathic types, The Arsenicum Elf 7ut into the morninThere came a happy lf, e 1new that he was needed :o he shoo1 his tiny self, Mp went his wee red shovel By! how the snow did fly; It -listened in the sunli-ht @i1e the stars up in the s1y, Away he went! a scootin-/ Till the paths! they all were clear Just fit for children6s wal1in-! And he -ave a little cheer, "ooray for winter ooray for snow I love to be a helper ven when the bree8es blow," e loo1ed to left and ri-ht And then he shoo1 his head/ "%ow that everythin- loo1s tidy I thin1 I6ll -o bac1 to bed," Printed with the 1ind permission of the patient who chooses to remain anonymous,
A curious parallel between the physical and mental symptoms further reinforced the Thuja picture, The woman6s poetic inspiration came out in ur-ent! uncontrolled! unpredictable bursts/in the same way as her bowels would spurt out in a sudden! une4pected! uncontrolled rush, In Bedorrhinum (P+! the type6s bursts of inspiration and creativity were described, learly! a pattern of ur-ency and "bursts" of intense activity! whether physical or mental! is a sycosis characteristic /an outward manifestation of the psyche6s bein- propelled! at top speed! towards some particular resolution or new understandin-, Amon- creative artists! it is @eonardo da inci who preeminently evinces the Thuja inspirational style, %ever feelin- entirely at home in this world! sufferin- from that Thuja sense of "forei-nness!" da inci spent much of his adult life wanderin- from town to town! unable to settle anywhere, 'hen he did settle! he was a recluse! livinremote from! and at odds with! society, True! he was born ille-itimate< but in the enaissance! a time when the self. made and self.educated man was respected! ille-itimacy was no ineradicable sti-ma, e was also born sensitive to sufferin-, There are stories of his buyinca-ed birds in the mar1et place! of his holdin- them in his hand for an instant! then settin- them free, 7ver and above! he displayed that Thuja uncompromisinri-idity! which wor1ed simultaneously to foster his -enius and to obstruct it, This individual who! possibly! perceived the world around him with a clearer eye than any man before or since! still revealed! both in his unsettlin paintin-s and in his voluminous noteboo1s! a soul baffled by an alien environment, A feelin- of alienation from this world compelled da inci to learn everythin- in his own way! startin- from scratch! no matter how trivial his object, (The need to reinvent the wheel in everythin- one does! the almost perverse determination to approach even the most familiar phenomena from one6s own idiosyncratic point of view! Thuja shares with that other alienated soul! %atrum muriaticum >P?,+ 5or instance! because da inci would not accept the time.tested pi-ments and varnishes of his day! insistin- instead on e4perimentin- with his own mi4tures of curious in-redients! several of his -reatest wor1s (li1e The @ast :upper+ deteriorated prematurely and then suffered from bein- clumsily restored, 5urthermore! not only was he forever startin- projects of -reat promise! only to abandon them for intervenin- ideas (the Thuja saltation from one interest to another+! but at times he could not even -et started, @e-end has it that when Pope @eo commissioned a paintin- from da inci! the latter spent so many months merely devisin- a new varnish that eventually the Pope -ave up waitin- and declared! "Alas; This man will never accomplish anythin-< for he be-ins by thin1in- of the end of the wor1 before the be-innin-," This statement proved to be both prophetic and mis-uided, It was prophetic to the e4tent that at a time when artists of da inci6s stature were turnin- out paintin-s by the score! he himself completed barely a do8en, =ut that which @eo could not have foreseen was the visionary 0uality of these wor1s! every one of which proved to be a major influence on all subse0uent uropean paintin-,* (*Technically spea1in-! @eonardo da inci was! in the Bona @isa! the first painter to impart a life.li1e luminescence to the te4ture of the hu man s1in, e was also the first to -ive an intense! broodin- naturalism to the landscapes which formed the bac1-rounds of his paintin-s/a style which was later ta1en up by the Eothic and omantic schools of paintin- (cf, his ir-in of the oc1s+, Then! too!
his mural representation of The @ast :upper was so visionary that not only has it remained! for almost five hundred years! the sole source of inspiration for all subse0uent renditions of this subject! but was destined to become the prototype for the classical Academic school of paintin-! as well, 5inally! in his use of li-ht and shadow! da inci anticipated all uropean paintin- that was to follow! even the Impressionist doctrines of color and reflection of li-ht,+
The Pope! however! did inadvertently touch on one fundamental aspect of the Thuja inspirational mode3 an inborn distaste for finality, An overabundance of ideas (characteristic of the sycosis miasm+ may impel the type to leap from elaborate preliminary notes! initial s1etches! or other forms of preparation (that come out in bursts of creativity+! over the necessary intermediary steps of the artistic process! to the -ratifyin- feelin- of completion, Mnfortunately! it remains completed only in thou-ht, It ta1es a self.discipline out of the ordinary for Thuja to force himself to slow down ,,, to return to somewhere around sta-e two or three of his ori-inal project , , , then systematically to ta1e up! one by one! the crucial intermediary steps re0uisite for completion of his wor1, Alternately! when Thuja does force himself to wor1 systematically he -oes to the other e4treme3 ri-idity and compulsiveness about minutiae, ither way/ whether from a distractin proliferation of ideas interruptin- the creative process or from toilin- obsessively over trivia and detail/the result can be a particular artist6s loss of interest in the final project before it sees the li-ht of day,* (*A tra-i.comic case of this placin- of the cart before the horse was encountered in a Thuja patient! who for years spent time and ener-y searchin- out and cultivatin- publishers (also investin- his little financial all in dinner and coc1tail parties for literary critics and a-ents+ to help promote the boo1 he had in mind but had not yet seriously started to write, Bore than two decades later! no section of the promisin- and hi-hly ori-inal wor1 (to jud-e from the disjointed sentences tidily jotted down in numerous small noteboo1s+ has of yet been written,+
Arsenicum album may be e0ually compulsive about minutiae but! because of superior or-ani8ation and system! he invariably accomplishes that which he sets out to do, A :ulphur! entertainin- visions of some -reat wor1 and impatient to -et to the end! mi-ht in the first sta-es wor1 carelessly or in haste! but he will follow the re0uisite steps so as to arrive at an end product that is surprisin-ly or-ani8ed! -iven his often chaotic method of wor1in-, It is further si-nificant that every one of da inci6s -reat paintin-s contains elements of an elusive! broodin-! twili-ht world ("beauty touched with stran-eness"3 'alter Pater+ that leaves the viewer feelin- baffled and unsettled/in the same way that Thuja himself is baffled and unsettled by aspects of other planes of reality crowdin- in on his, The eni-matic smile of the Bona @isa su--ests not only the comple4 inner life! but also conveys a sense of the ambi-uous! une4plored re-ions of the psyche< and the mira-e.li1e landscape in the bac1-round has the stran-eness of another planet! da inci6s love of twistin- movement (seen in the poses and loveloc1s of his fi-ures! his serpentine flowers! and his countless drawin-s of the movement of turbulent water+ can be viewed as mirrorin- the twistin-s and convolutions of the tormented Thuja psyche, 5urther! the disturbinsmile and e0uivocal pose of :t, John the =aptist! pointin- not towards the li-ht or the hrist fi-ure (as he is traditionally represented+ but bac1 into impenetrable
blac1ness! hints at the dar1 unfathomable realms outside our human field of vision, All to-ether! these elements are su--estive of the artist! true to Thuja! havin peered into realms beyond the empirical, Attestin- no less than his paintin-s to a Thuja constitution are da inci6s e4traordinary noteboo1s! of which some five thousand pa-es have been preserved, ere the Thuja inspiration! which so often appears from out of the blue! as well as the type6s proliferation of ideas! is encountered par e4cellence, The pa-es abound in mechanical and aerodynamic inventions! theories and drawin-s of the wor1in-s of the human body! s1etches of natural phenomena and -eolo-ical cataclysms/all far in advance of their time! all thrown in randomly! no matter how irrelevant! and on e0ual terms (i,e,! a helicopter! a city sewer! and a human s1ull on the same pa-e+, ven more characteristic of sycosis e4cess is the way in which! to forestall all possible misapprehension and insure that his demonstrations were perfectly clear and his ar-uments indisputable! da inci describes his findin-s from every possible an-le! repeatin- his proofs time and a-ain, The fecundity of prophetic ideas (comin- from no one 1nows where! nor why/written out with laborious minuteness in cipher or mirror writin-+ once a-ain somehow reflects the stran-e! hooded! inward.turnin- nature of a not. entirely.of.this.world Thuja -enius, Mnli1e his famous enaissance contemporary! Bichelan-elo! or follower! aphael! @eonardo da inci remains! to this day! a shadowy fi-ure! with one foot in some stran-e visionary world< yet who! because he was primarily an artist! is holdin- bac1 from venturin- further into those lowerin- realms! whose ha8e can only be dispelled by mystical concepts, motional Instability and :piritual Disease These days! Thuja is needed with increased fre0uency for disturbed emotional states and diseases of the spirit,* (*An altered or deran-ed state of mind induced by recreational or hallucinatory dru-s is a separate subject not included in this analysis,+
This remedy was prescribed for a woman! in part for a mental state that was too attuned to the dar1er side of human e4istence! in part for the small pedunculated warts that were croppin- up on her nec1 and upper portion of her torso, :he returned two months later with fewer warts and much improved spirits, "'hat medicine did you -ive me9" she in0uired of the physician, "Thuja!" he replied, "7h! but of course; I should have -uessed; The Plutonian remedy," "'hat ma1es you call it that9" "'hy! because it is prescribed for the little warts on stems that loo1 li1e the astrolo-ical symbol for Pluto 9F, And because! in -eneral! we are livin- in a pretty Plutonian a-e! don6t you thin19 2ou 1now! the nuclear a-e! where radiation clouds assume that same Plutonian shape of mushrooms, Also! a time when the whole dar1 side of the subconscious is emer-in-," The physician heard this with a shoc1 of reco-nition, The ima-e suddenly illuminated the labyrinthine comple4ities of our era, Indeed! the last third of the twentieth century! durin- which the Plutonian.li1e underworld of our natures and the shadowy realms beyond the one limited by our five senses have been openinup! savors stron-ly of Thuja,
Ta1in- an impressionistic approach! there is a constitutional -estalt to every period of modern 'estern ivili8ation, The Biddle A-es! with its i-h :cholasticism and powerful reli-ious do-ma! was a :ulphur era< the enaissance! an a-e of brilliant! sinuous! versatile minds e4plorin- every branch of 1nowled-e! seems @achesis and %u4 vomica< the eformation! in a resur-ence of mysticism paired with the birth of pure science! e4hibits the other sides of the @achesis and :ulphur< the A-e of nli-htenment! e4tollin- reason! -ood form! -ood taste! and precise thin1in-! projects Arsenicum album< and! in a natural reaction to the A-e of eason! the short.lived :entimental era at the be-innin- of the nineteenth century weeps with Pulsatilla< the remainder of the nineteenth century! swept alon by i-h omanticism and the liberation of the emotions! can be considered Tuberculinum, And when we reach the twentieth century! %atrum Buriaticum may well characteri8e the post 'orld 'ar eras, onsider the widespread disillusionment of the times and the -rowin- isolation of the thin1in- individual who! brea1in- away from traditional values! sets off on his lonely 0uest in search of a new identity,* As for the last decades of this century/an out-rowth of the %atrum muriaticum mentality/they belon- to Thuja, (*All these remedy characteri8ations/as well as (paintin- with a still broader brush+ the %u4 vomica accelerated tempo imparted to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by %apoleon/have been elaborated upon in P and P,+
There is an element of Thuja in the unleashin- of the truly "Plutonian" nuclear power (and Thuja was purportedly one of the prime remedies administered to victims of the hernobyl disaster+< li1ewise in the unleashin- of the powers of se4uality on a mass scale! brin-in- with its liberation from old mores a host of dar1 issues< lastly in the unleashin- of minds throu-h powerful hallucinatory dru-s with their Plutonian aftermaths, Also Thuja! however! is the decision amon- ever more individuals to commit themselves to the sober e4ploration of the subconscious and other orders of reality! includin- Pluto6s realm of life beyond death, And the Thuja picture! in its turn! sheds li-ht on a number of the mental illnesses of our era,* (*owever! as we enter the new millennium! there are chan-es in the wind, The homoeopathic remedy for the comin- era remains to be seen,+
omoeopathy! with its hi-hly idiosyncratic understandin- of both mental and physical symptoms (viewin- them at the very least as "-uidin-!" if not as the body6s actual attempts to heal itself+! has always been particularly sensitive to the 0uantitative rather than the 0ualitative difference between health and illness, This is to say that disease is essentially an intensification of an individual6s latent wea1nesses and susceptibilities/or even an e4tension of "normal" characteristics, Thus! one is able to trace the same Thuja picture in a ran-e of states of spiritual disease, At the mildest level one sees infle4ibility! unease around people! a sense of forei-nness! or disconnectedness from this world, At a somewhat more serious level there emer-e mental confusion! disorientation! and the various "sensations as if!" includin- out.of.body e4periences and the sensin- of the presence of other realities, Bore e4treme are the temporary emotional distur bances of patients in spiritual crisis or under-oin- nervous brea1downs, And at the most disturbed level Thuja presents with traces of what conventional medicine labels as paranoia! catatonia! schi8ophrenia! multiple personalities/all of whose symptoms
are prefi-ured! if not actually listed! in the classical literature, Approachin- the matter from a different an-le (the better to appreciate the true ele-ance and symmetry of the homoeopathic discipline+! the Thuja sensation of wea1ened tie between body and soul is often the "-uidin-" symptom for each one of the emotional states listed above! as well as their concomitant physical complaints, A veterinary variation on this protean symptom was met with in a miniature dachshund (called enry! after the poet enry 'ads.worth @on-fellow+, 'henever his master left on a journey! he would develop diarrhea and incontinence! respondin- not at all to the voice and touch of others! and driftinaround the house! li1e an autumn leaf wafted by the wind, It was as if his spirit had detached itself from its moorin-s and had floated away to join his master! and only his comically elon-ated body remained behind, Thuja FFc stren-thened the little creature6s bowel and bladder control and arrested the aimless wanderin- from room to room< and his retrieved spirit appeared to be once a-ain securely lod-ed in his physical frame,* (*And for those lovers of the 0uir1y! there was an additional twist to this case, The remedy administered to the do- came from an old.fashioned -oose nec1ed -lass bottle that was fitted with a cor1 sli-htly too lar-e, This cor1 would periodically pop out of the bottle6s nec1 of its own accord/a curious feat! and as close as any bottle could boast of its head (mind+ separatin- from its body,+
Amon- the more familiar symptoms of Thuja in emotional or spiritual disease are lability ("very chan-eable moods< -oes from one e4treme to another ,,, at one time cries or another lau-hsHspasmodic lau-hin- and weepin- at the same timeHpassionate in une4pected attac1s"3 Allen+! obsessive thou-hts ("mind cannot -et rid of a thou-ht he has in his head"3 Allen+! and depression! coupled with a complete loss of interest in the world around him ("sad thou-hts< inattention to what is -oin- on around him"3 Allen+, In more severe cases the patient mi-ht e4hibit a vacancy of mind durin- which he does not listen when spo1en to! nor concentrate sufficiently to answer 0uestions put to him, This condition is often worse in the mornin-! upon awa1enin-! when "he can hardly collect himself for half an hour" (ahnemann+ or lon-er, The inability to thin1 or respond coherently mi-ht render him unfit to ta1e on any but the most menial tas1s and responsibilities/at times even to the point of not bein- able to care for himself ("constantly re0uires remindin- to -o on with her dressin-"3 erin-+, Pic1in- up or cleanin- his room becomes a production< yet in his state of touchiness and nervous irritability! he stron-ly resents any assistance/ re-ardin- it as intolerable officiousness, And! predictably! durin- his stru--le for emotional survival! the sufferer -rows ever more absorbed in himself and estran-ed from others, This estran-ement he ma-nifies by dwellin- on le-itimate or fancied -rievances, 5or instance! if another inadvertently says the wron- thin- to him ("anythin- of which he does not e4actly approve"3 Allen+! or even says the ri-ht thin- but in the wrontone! he will feel irritated or injured, Thuja benefits not only individuals in crisis! but also those who have failed to mana-e their lives successfully or to understand how a satisfyin- life could be conducted/as well as those who attach blame to others as an e4cuse for poor performance ("he is discontented and dissatisfied as are all those who have no
order in their mentality"3 ubbard+, The remedy is li1ewise beneficial to those of insecure e-o who! in their inability to enforce emotional boundaries! merely reflect others6 personalities ("confusion as to his own identity"3 Cent+, 'hatever -uise a severe emotional disturbance adopts! the brea1down in personality is fre0uently the precursor of a brea1.throu-h in understandin-, As with the fabled phoeni4 risin- out of the ashes of its own pyre! the old must die so that the new can live! and the e-o must relin0uish the wish to return to its prior state for true healin- to commence, The almost insuperable obstacle with Thuja is that the type clin-s to the old and to his fi4ed ideas with the combined tenacity of the most obstinate alcarea carbonica and the most uncompromisin- %atrum muriaticum (P+, 'ith this individual there is no hope of a -entle layin- aside of the old identity< a veritable umpty.Dumpty shatterin- is re0uired before the e-o can reassemble itself alon- healthier lines, 'hence proceed the feelin-s of brittleness! bro1en bones! of flesh bein- torn from the bones! of separation of body and soul! of the body becomin- thin or dissolvin-! or becomin- double/all symptoms accurately reflectin- on the "sensations" level the chan-es that are ta1in- place at a deeper stratum,* (*The loss of cohesion in the individual Thuja e-o reflects a more -eneral malaise of our "Thuja era"3 the splittin- apart of entities that have lon- been bound to-ether (families! reli-ions! class values+! which phenomenon! in turn! parallels the splittin- of the atom! hitherto indivisible,+
Boreover! to complicate matters even further! the patient himself may be-in to account for all these mental.emotional disturbances/the fears! insecurities! and free.floatin- -uilt that mar1 the Thuja type ("constantly tormented by -roundless an4ietyH>feels? she is bein- punished for a fault she cannot name"3 Allen+/as traumas e4perienced in previous lifetimes, Patients presentin- past.life e4periences of the 'orld 'ars! the olocaust! ommunist pur-es! as well as of cruelties perpetrated farther bac1 in history! will often e4hibit a Thuja diathesis, Thuja illnesses! then! have a way of tri--erin- deeply buried resentments and unac1nowled-ed an-er! or of brin-in- to the surface lon-.suppressed traumas, 'hatever the ori-inal source of sufferin-! the hitherto inchoate! shapeless! smolderin- ne-ativity! 1nit up with unarticulated feelin-s of havin- been in some way cheated by life! now be-ins to ta1e on a fi4ed form, The difficulty is that the Thuja individual does not 1now what to do about this painful development, The unhealthy emotions do not lead anywhere but! assumin- a life of their own! be-in to fester in the dar1! dan1 underworld of the soul, @i1e the Thuja pattern of over-rowth of undesirable cells! they proliferate and feed upon themselves! leavin- little space for healthy emotions! and ultimately permittin- no entry of li-ht, As a result! the sufferer finds even the most primal of all instincts! self.love! too burdensome and be-ins to despise himself and to "loathe life" (Allen+, And! with no herd of Eadarene swine in the vicinity to absorb the overwhelmin- ne-ativity/thus cleansin- the subject while the animals rush headlon- down a steep slope to their destruction (@u1e #3.$+/where is all this ener-y to -o9 ow is it to be dispersed without harm to self or others9 The stron- individual is able to harness even hostile emotions! which are found in every person! and use them constructively in the world, ompetitiveness is channeled to sharpen the business instincts! cutthroat ambition to enhance the
political or professional s1ills! and jealousy! hatred! even obsessive thou-hts! can be sublimated into art or other creative endeavors,* owever! Thuja reacts differently, Mnable to derive stren-th from his surplus of ne-ative ener-y! findinno socially acceptable outlet that will channel it away from himself! he is consumed by it, (*Dante Ali-hieri6s Divine omedy is well.1nown to have been inspired! in part! by feelin-s of hatred and vindictiveness a-ainst his victorious political enemies! the =lac1 Euelphs, Placin- their leaders firmly in the poem6s "ell" to suffer eternal torments was Dante6s way of reven-in- himself on those who had banished him from his beloved 5lorence! forcin- him to live out his life in e4ile,+
Mnderstandably so/since! to return to our basic theme! he is at that sta-e in his human development where his principal challen-e is not to "succeed" in this world! but rather to investi-ate the very forces and emotions (so distressin- to him+ that are his lin1 to the spirit world, learly! then! the "deceitfulness" attributed to Thuja is not that of a powerful! connivin-! manipulative individual! such as one encounters in =al8ac6s more depressin- novels/althou-h the patient may! upon occasion! li1e to re-ard himself as such ("especially revels in dreams of overpowerin- selfishnessH himself the center point about which everythin- must turn! with an into4icated feelin- of joyous satisfaction3 Allen+, It is the deceit of the vulnerable! fri-htened! injured soul who adopts concealment as a way of stoically facin- hardship and of feelin- less e4posed, 5or! the sensation "as if made of -lass" (erin-+ refers not merely to his psychic fra-ility! to a hold on reality that could brea1 at any moment! but also (be--in- to differ with Cent who maintains that "the idea is that she will brea1! and not that she is transparent"+ to his fear of people seein- throu-h him into the dar1 part of his soul/which he is tryin- to hide from others as well as from himself, This concealment! which tends to manifest as reserve! is reminiscent of %atrum muriaticum6s well.1nown avoidance of eye contact e4cept with the closest of friends, The eyes bein- notoriously the "interpreters of the soul!" %atrum muriaticum does not fancy others pryin- (P+, 5urthermore! just as the adolescent! feelin- estran-ed from and misunderstood by his family! may be-in to fantasi8e about bein- adopted! so the failed and miserable Thuja adult! who feels useless to himself and others (and who is! all too often! stuc1 fast in the straits of adolescence+! be-ins to e4a--erate his alienation from his environment and humanity, au-ht up in a web of self.doubt and self.reproach! he needs to prove to himself that he does not belon- in this world3 that he is either too sensitive and -ood for it or too u-ly and evil, e bitterly resents those who are most an4ious to help precisely because their concern interferes with his isolation and prevents him from indul-in- in some putative "nobility" of sufferin-, The type is! actually! reminiscent of those morbidly sensitive characters in Dostoyevs1y6s novels who! proudly rejectin- all assistance and succumbin- to a profound loathin- of life! lose their spiritual direction somewhere around pa-e thirteen in a five.hundred.pa-e volume and are then unable to find it a-ain until the end/if at all, An adjective apposite to these Thuja sufferers is "dispirited," The patient is literally dis.spirited< he has lost all intuitive contact with his own inner -uidinspirit! has not yet learned to respond to any outside -uidin- ones! and is left without any healin- direction,
The author is not prepared to assert that this dispiritedness is uni0uely a Thuja phenomenon, =ut the constitutional type does have a way! due to his aforesaid ri-idity! of bein- incapable of learnin- anythin- from his unhappy situation e4cept that he is unhappy, e -ets tied up in 1nots of tan-led! conflictinemotions (remorse and resentment< touchy pride and abject self.reproach< self blame and blamin- others< conformity and unwarranted rebellion+! which he is in no way capable of unravelin- without in-ress into the spiritual realm, Intellect! instinct! intuition are simply not sufficient, A sentence in the suicidal note of the disillusioned! emotionally entan-led %e8hdanov! in Ivan Tur-enev6s novel ir-in :oil! statin- star1ly! "I could not simplify myself!" would meet with the dispirited Thuja6s perfect understandin-,* (*An even finer literary e4ample of the type6s sense of confusion and dismay is encountered in 5ord Bado4 5ord6s The Eood :oldier, A Thuja ambiance pervades this e4traordinary wor1/be-innin- with the hopelessly confused! pathetically deceived narrator and e4tendin- to the tra-ically confused love trian-les he both participates in (un1nowin-ly+ and observes, The remorse.ridden hero! whose sufferin-s are described in the eerily Thuja ima-e "as if the s1in was bein- flayed off himH>with? the flesh han-in- from him in ra-sH!" commits sui . cide< the beautiful in spirit! but too vulnerable! youn-er heroine loses her reason< and the narrator himself! who is subject to stran-e dreams of themselves as -hosts from another world! is left at the end of the novel tryin- to e4tract some meaninfrom their corporate sufferin-, "It is a 0ueer and fantastic world, 'hy can6t people have what they want9 The thin-s were all there to content everybody! yet everybody has the wron- thin- ,,,"+
'e turn now to several specific emotional illnesses benefited by Thuja, 5irst to be addressed is "adolescent schi8ophrenia"/distin-uished from true schi8ophrenia in that the youn- person has not truly lost contact with his environment! nor is he sufferin- from personality disinte-ration, It is more "as if such chan-es had ta1en place and! in the normal course of events! with most constitutional types! the malady ri-hts itself of its own accord, The instabilities and perturbations of a youn- soul passin- from the relative security of childhood into the -reat! fri-htenin-! "forei-n" world of adulthood are at best considerable< and this si-nificant transition is bound to disorient the type that responds adversely even to variations in routine, Indeed! when Thuja constitutes the underlyin- diathesis! the adolescent tends to e4perience the familiar traits of feelin- wron-ed! misunderstood! insufficiently appreciated! restless! bored! and not belon-in- to an e4ponential de-ree, 5ull of fears and contradictory emotions! incomprehensible even to himself! he feels simultaneously resentful and dutiful! insufficiently loved and undeservinof love! an-ry at bein- either noticed or i-nored, e constantly demands attention yet repels all help! he dreads bein- alone yet needs to be alone, ither he tal1s at too -reat len-th and with too much intensity! without listenin- to others! or he retires sul1y and morose! barrin- access to his room ("avoids the si-ht of people"3 Cent+, ertainly! of efforts at mood control there is little trace ("-ives way to the humor of the moment"3 Allen+< and a physical recoil from touch or irascibility at bein- addressed ("will not be touched or approached"3 erin-+ -o hand.in.hand with an unbounded capacity for ta1in- offense, =ecause this adolescent feels estran-ed from his environment and ill at ease! he is ready/nay! ea-er/to enter into combat with just about any authority
fi-ure! particularly a family member! who dares to critici8e! contradict! or in any way thwart him ("irritability is li1ely to be shown towards individuals about the houseHtowards the motherH"3 Cent+, ere! too! is amplified the earlier mentioned Thuja perverse sensitivity/a tendency to be overly sensitive about the wron- thin-s and insensitive about the ri-ht thin-s! such as the needs and feelin-s of others, 5or instance! despite his own touchiness and sensitivity to intrusion! he wills without the sli-htest compunction bar-e thou-htlessly into a room! interruptin- whatever is -oin- on! and demand of others an immediate response or favor, e is driven by the "haste >and? hurry" (erin-+ as well as the impatience and restless see1in- of e4ternal stimuli so often ascribed to the sycosis miasm (P+, Also here! finally! Cent6s "u-liness" of disposition finds its true voice! with all its 0uarrelsomeness! suspicion! secretiveness! deception! spelled by feelin-s of unworthiness and remorse, At this sta-e! too! many a Thuja adolescent (or youn- adult+ lives in a state of s0ualor! in which surroundin-s he feels more comfortable because they correspond on the physical level to the disorder he senses inside him, This! to be sure! is also a :ulphur characteristic (P and "Indifference"+, =ut althou-h the :ulphur adolescent is similarly restless and in need of e4ternal stimuli (lac1inwhich he falls into an ostentatious ennui+< althou-h he similarly abuses his hair and clothes! and is possibly even more ar-umentative! demandin-! and utterly selfish< yet he does not emit that aura of profound spiritual dis.ease, 7ne reco-ni8es that much of this cloud of adolescence (to-ether with the abuse of hair and dress+ will disperse with time! even without the assistance of homoeopathic remedies, 'ith Thuja! however! it is not merely a 0uestion of easin- this particular passa-e in human -rowth that can be so ta4in- to the tolerance! patience! and love of those around, @ur1in- in Thuja6s dar1 moods is a deeper disturbance of the psyche! which the natural course of thin-s does little to dispel, It must be consciously addressed with outside -uidance and help, As for the adult3 headaches! poor sleep! numerous aller-ies! and fleetin joint pains s1eletal.wide were afflictin- a -raduate student, It was her mental state! however! that was primarily at sta1e, er history revealed a lon- series of difficulties with friends! teachers! men! and members of her family! as well as lifelon- feelin-s of bein- unwanted and unloved, Indeed! so insecure was she! so uncomfortable around people! that she had dropped out of school and was livin- at home! 0uite incapable of resumin- her studies ("indisposition to any 1ind of intellectual labor"3 erin-+ or of underta1in- any occupation! even the most part time ("unfitted for every wor1 on account of confused whirlin- of thou-hts in the head"3 Allen+, The ma4imum responsibility she was able to assume was occasional li-ht -rocery shoppin-! returnin- from these sallies with a ba- containin- a prune yo-urt! a piece of fruit out of season! and a small jar of e4pensive 5rench mustard, 7therwise! to protect her all.too.sha1y e-o from the influence of stron-er personalities! she spent much of the day in solitude! sittin- in her room! -a8in- out into space ("she stares in front of her"3 Allen+ and "disinclined to tal1" (erin-+, 7nly at ni-ht would the patient evince ener-y< then her daytime physical and mental apathy was spelled by a frenetic restlessness and activity! forcin- her to emer-e from the house and roam the streets ("heat of bed and an4iety drivin- her out of bed and home"3 Allen< "impulse to wal1"3 =o-er+, :ometimes! in her nocturnal wanderin-s! she would find herself standin- in a da8e! wonderin- how she had landed in an unfamiliar district of town ("wal1s about from place to place
without 1nowin- what she wants"3 Allen< "confusion while wal1in-"3 Cent+, These impulses were mar1edly a--ravated durin- moonlit ni-hts! especially durin- the wa4in- moon (both Thuja modalities+, :he had her own justification for her stran-e behavior in the home3 "I have to sit perfectly still and 0uiet and hold myself ri-id because otherwise I feel as if I will fly apart"< also for refusin- to leave the house durin- the day3 "In dayli-ht stran-ers are able to see throu-h me! into my soul/and if they saw the blac1ness there! they would attac1 me" ("fear of stran-ers"3 Cent+,* (*Incidentally! this case su--ests that perhaps the latter.day increase of homeless people! whose fear and suspicion of stran-ers by day compels them to roam the streets at ni-ht! is yet another manifestation of our "Thuja era,"+
The doctor in char-e! reco-ni8in- that the sufferer and her family were in for a lon- haul! insisted that if the dispirited patient were -oin- to be treated homoeopathically! it was imperative that in addition she under-o systematic counselin- with a spiritual or psychic counselor, The form of therapy chosen for her was past.life re-ression! in part because she was already bein- spontaneously assailed by unsolicited spirit entities! in part because this method alone could supply the immediate "similar" e4perience she needed to replace her inchoate sense of injury, The patient proved to be a most receptive subject, :he became more and more convinced that the real (as well as her ima-ined+ injuries sustained in this lifetime were lar-ely lin1ed to previous incarnations, It was there! in her difficult! at times traumatic! past lives that the source of her present mental sufferin-s were to be found, er soul! it was now clear to her! was not helplessly possessed by some u-ly side of her own nature! nor was she about to be attac1ed by people evilly disposed towards her, :he was bein- besie-ed! in uncontrolled flashes! by her past. life e4periences and the surfacin- of her own previous personalities! which needed to be ac1nowled-ed and understood before healin- could be-in, "I now reali8e!" she volunteered! "that I am bein- offered! here and now! an opportunity to resolve and brea1 my 1armic pattern of repetitive sufferin-," Bore relevant to our homoeopathic purposes! the youn- woman would return from each one of her past.life sessions feelin- as if her whole body had ta1en a beatin- and received a terrific sha1in- up/a close appro4imation to the Thuja sensations as if "body is brittle and easily bro1en" (erin-+ and "all inner portions seemed sha1en" (Allen+, %ot only in this intri-uin- instance but in a number of similar cases! Thuja has proven of undeniable value in assistin- emotionally scarred patients to brave both the physical and emotional upheavals entailed in the e4pansion of psychic awareness< also in helpin- individuals remain -rounded durin- the unsettlin process of spiritual -rowth< finally in encoura-in- terrified sufferers to perceive that beni-n spirit forces are ri-ht there beside them/all lined up! ea-er to assist, Another condition that fre0uently calls for the healin- powers of Thuja is chronic fati-ue syndrome, This still lar-ely une4plained illness! which varies with every patient and yields to no reco-ni8ed conventional medicine! is ideally cast for homoeopathic treatment, ahnemann! li1e Paracelsus before him! claimed that! barrin- injuries and accidents! all illness is a disease of the spirit ("when a person falls ill it is only
>the? spiritual self.sustainin- vital force! everywhere present in the or-anism! that is primarily deran-ed by the dynamic influence upon it of a morbific a-entH"3 7r-anon! :ection +, In few illnesses is the truth of this statement more apparent than in chronic fati-ue syndrome, To be-in with! it is noteworthy that the disease appears to affect persons whose psychic balance has already been sha1en! or the delicate hold has already snapped, onstitutional remedies such as alcarea carbonica! :ilica! :epia! @achesis! %atrum muriaticum! and especially the two nosodes Psorinum and arcinosin! all have much to contribute to alleviate this particular illness (P+, =ut when a spiritual malaise overshadows even the dysfunctionin- of the immune system and the victim becomes prey to profound fear and despondency! it is time to apply to Thuja, 7ne of the more prevalent of the innumerable physical symptoms encountered in chronic fati-ue is li-htheadedness (cf, Thuja6s "sensation of li-htness when wal1in-"3 erin-< "body feels li-hter than air"3 Cent+ that finds its mental counterpart in disorientation and feelin-s of disconnectedness from one6s environment, 7r! conversely! the sufferer6s mental confusion finds a parallel on the physical level in a confusion of symptoms/the illness! li1e the remedy! beincharacteri8ed by ambient aches and pains, Thuja (listed in the invaluable "ere and There" rubric! under "Eeneralities" in =o-er+ may be precisely the simillimum when the fra88led prescriber finds himself! with different remedies in hand! chasin- symptoms all round the patient6s body in a never.ceasin- cycle, Also! fre0uently encountered in this illness is a s1eletal fra-ility3 the Thuja sensation of bones feelin- brittle and ready to brea1 from the least e4ertion/ even from pressure, :leep disturbances predominate, ither the invalid sleeps ei-hteen hours a day! then wa1ens more tired than ever! or his slumbers are fitful and insufficient, 7ne conse0uence of sleep deprivation (or unrefreshin- sleep+ is lac1 of ener-y to heal, ence! the drawn.out nature of this illness! with its lon- plateau4 of convalescence and disheartenin- relapses, The victim6s spirits mi-ht be so daunted from prolon-ed infirmity that! unable to throw off his shroud of dejection! he "despairs of recovery" (Cent+, This attitude! to-ether with the often normal blood tests and other vital si-ns! causes him! however unjust the char-e (for Thuja! li1e Phosphorus! may loo1 better than he feels or is+! to appear culpable of malin-erin-! or at least -uilty of "contributory ne-lect" in the will to heal, In addition! the free.floatin- an4iety! which is so often a si-nificant factor in the more severe cases! tends to hei-hten the sufferer6s insecurity and! therefore! his innate ri-idity! with the result that he fastens onto ne-ative opinions! convictions! patterns of behavior with a lobster.claw loc1, owever! li1e so many Thuja illnesses! chronic fati-ue can be a forcin- bed for chan-e! affectin- the ree4amination of one6s entire persona3 one6s lifestyle! value systems! emotions/at times one6s very faith, A cler-yman well alon- in years had! for five lon- years! been stru--linwith e4haustion! mi-ratory pains! poor sleep! despondency! and self.reproach for a lac1 of true love in his heart for his fellowman (not misanthropy as much as feelin- emotionally dead+, 0ually disturbin- to him was the way in which his illness had virtually stripped his faith of purpose and meanin-, Althou-h resistinevery inch of the way ("I6m an encrusted old barnacle! too stuc1 to chan-e"+! a
spiritual crisis was forcin- him to reevaluate his traditional beliefs, "I feel too old to be forced to under-o a character metamorphosis!" he lamented! "too tired to discover that all my old ideas are useless or wron- and to have my faith virtually rent asunder," =ut few Thuja individuals are spared< sooner or later! they have to face an illness that necessitates -rowth in spiritual awareness, This patient perfectly e4emplified the constitutional type6s archetypal challen-e3 to e4pand his consciousness/or continue emotionally and physically to suffer, These reflections! to be sure! emer-ed with hindsi-ht, That which initially -uided the physician to Thuja were the cler-yman6s sleep and dreams, Despite his fati-ue! he suffered from insomnia! and on those occasions when he was finally able to drop off! he was shortly afterwards wa1ened by dreams of fallin-, Thuja Fc was accordin-ly prescribed! then repeated at infre0uent intervals, As the elderly patient be-an sheddin- his physical symptoms! an emotional peace enveloped him, alf a year later he be-an a comparative study of the mystical roots of the -reat reli-ions of the world and was so happily en-rossed in his research that he felt! he said! twenty years youn-er, "5or a while there! I thou-ht I was a -oner!" he later confessed to his homoeopath, "=ut apparently there were still some embers left in the ashes/even occasionally a flame;" Parenthetically! from increased familiarity with the wor1in-s of the Thuja diathesis! even the type6s "fallin-" dream ta1es on a new si-nificance, That which the -uilt.ridden patient has hitherto re-arded as symboli8in- a fall from Erace is now transformed into the fe.li4 culpa3 the "fortunate fall" which leads ultimately to salvation, =y virtue of brea1in- down an inade0uate understandin- or shatterin- an inade0uate faith! the "fall" ma1es room for a new awareness to enter/and emer-es! parado4ically! as the fall into Erace, 7r in therapeutic terms! Thuja6s "fall" into a prolon-ed illness! offerin- as it does the sufferer an opportunity for tran0uility and reflection! at some point opens into a path of spiritual healin-, All of which introduces our ne4t topic/that of reli-ious imbalance, 7ne finds listed in the classical literature the symptom "pious >erin-? or reli-ious >Cent? fanaticism," True reli-ious fanaticism! however! probably lies outside the jurisdiction of homoeopathic remedies, 2our true 8ealot! of whatever persuasion! li1es his spiritual beliefs just fine ("Than1 you very much"+ and displays no desire to relin0uish or temper them, In step with Eeor-e :antayana6s fanatic! "someone who redoubles his effort as he loses his direction!" the 8ealot mi-ht even cultivate his fanaticism for the very ener-y it -enerates in an otherwise sta-nant emotional life, =ut Thuja can address a reli-ious state of mind which (in accordance with our thesis+ is too narrow! ri-id! or uncharitable for the individual6s spiritual -rowth /be-ettin- a petrification of ideas and behavior patterns that amounts to imbalance, To elucidate3 Thuja is so perilously close to the underlyin- turbulence! chaos! and dar1 side of his nature that he fortifies himself a-ainst its encroachment by imposin- the strictest order on his conscious moralKreli-ious nature and by submittin- it to the stron-est discipline, This individual! we recall! is e4pert at assumin- -uilt! and reli-ious rites and rituals (necessarily ordered and stable+ are a frame for his overactive conscience ("she herself desires with an4iety and despair to be ,,, treated , , , strictly! so that her fi4ed ideas may be subdued and banished"3
Allen+, 7ften! however! even the disciplinary measures of established reli-ions will not brin- peace, 5or Thuja is "petrified" in the alternate sense of the word as well, avin- lost all intuitive spiritual direction! feelin- unwanted! rejected! banished from Eod6s Erace! he understandably finds himself beset with fears lest he submit to the chaos and disorder of the dar1 forces within him, These feelin-s! combined with the earlier mentioned confusion as to his own identity! may further conspire to render the type fearful of havin- fallen "under the influence of a superior power" (erin-+, @achesis! too! e4periences feelin-s of bein- under superhuman control, =ut this sensation is not all ne-ative for individuals of the serpent constitutional type, There is usually (as many a @achesis artist will testify+ an accompanyin- sur-e of ener-y and e4hilaration! which fre0uently e4presses itself in a flow of creativity (P+, In Thuja! the e4perience! unalloyed with creativity! is wholly terrifyin-, The nature of ThujaQs reli-ious -uilt differs from @achesis6s reli-ious stru--les in yet another respect, Althou-h the latter may possess a similar insuppressible conscience! althou-h he also fears to submit to the underlyin- chaos in his psyche! yet his essentially dualistic e4perience of reality and his reco-nition of his own nature6s two warrin- sides (the hi-her versus the lower! the lovinversus the hatin-! the rebellin- versus the submissive+ 1eeps him buoyant! vital! creative, :tru--le! after all! is a si-n of an active life force (P+, 'hereas a Thuja assaulted by "an4iety of conscience" (Cent+ e4periences a monistic collapse into -uilt, This morbific mental state! which has its source deep in the past of this or other lifetimes and breeds a subliminal! if not overt! "despair of salvation" (Cent+! is unfortunately characteristic of the more precariously balanced e-os! not the more trans-ressin- ones, 5or who are the persons who feel -uilt most profoundly9 ealers wor1in- in the psychotherapeutic field or in spiritual counselinrepeatedly observe that the most severe and relentless self.accusers are actually the victims of humiliation! rejection! physical or se4ual abuse! unhappy childhoods! or other injuries perpetrated on the psyche, =y some complicated emotional process they ta1e on the -uilt of their offenders! while these last! in contrast! are less troubled by remorse, Those who believe in 1arma mi-ht e4plain the victims6 feelin-s of identity with their offenders in terms of past incarnations, Today6s victim was yesterday6s abuser! who is now e4periencin- himself the pain he inflicted on others/not! it is understood! to be accepted as simple punishment or retribution! nor with a resi-nation to sufferin-! but to be viewed as a challen-e! as an opportunity for chan-e of consciousness, 7ther healers may analy8e the phenomenon in terms of the overly empathi8in-! overly susceptible psyche! too readily ta1in- on personally any archetypal -uilt that is floatin- around in the stratosphere3 that is! the sufferer taps into the "collective unconscious" e4perience of man1ind! then assumes a universal (a Dostoyevs1yan "'e are all to blame;"+ -uilt, 2et other toilers in the field of the psyche perceive this characteristic as a perverse e4chan-e of identities in a tortured or diseased soul, =y havin- allowed himself to be injured! the victim has in some manner become an accomplice to the crime< by participatin-! even if unwillin-ly! in the injury directed a-ainst his person! Thuja feels himself tarred with the same brush as the offender ("fancies he has committed a sin"3 Allen+, Perhaps! too! beneath an e4cessive assumption of reli-ious remorse! there resides the (albeit at times unconscious+ conviction that just as -reat sin must
precede -reat redemption! so this -uilt is a necessary prere0uisite to -reat absolution,* Indeed! without this conviction and hope of absolution! how is the wei-ht of -uilt to be borne9 (*This e4a--eration of -uilt in order to draw out the meanin- and purpose of sufferin- clearly parallels the homoeopathic a--ravation of symptoms in order to cure,+
=e that as it may! there is no -uilt so deep.seated! so self.destructive! so ineradicable as that of the oppressed or injured individual, A middle.a-ed woman was sufferin- from a simple urinary disorder3 fre0uent urination at ni-ht with too much urine in proportion to the amount of li0uid consumed, Phosphoric acid and :ulphur had helped her in the past but were now no lon-er effective, The case history revealed her havin- been se4ually molested by a family member from an early a-e and then seduced before she had entered her teens, er e4treme se4ual -uilt! despite the fact that it was not for her to assume blame! established a pattern for later life, Throu-hout adolescence and youn- adulthood she had! in order to reach a state of insensitivity towards the past! indul-ed in a series of unsatisfyin- se4ual relationships, In actual fact! her -uilt was compounded when! in her affairs with married men! she found herself the cause of family brea1ups or disharmony, The se4ual paradi-m provin- ineffectual! the woman ne4t tried see1inabsolution in reli-ion ("she lon-s for the offices of the church in order to banish her sinful thou-hts"3 Allen+, 5or a number of years she clun- tenaciously to the strict! established! orthodo4 beliefs in which she had been raised! attendininnumerable retreats and reli-ious wor1shops, 5ailin- to find spiritual solace there! she then fell into a fren8ied pattern of espousin- one reli-ious belief system after another! embracin- each in turn with a fervor that those close to her viewed as little short of fanaticism, ("%ow I finally 1now what real prayer means!" the convert would earnestly assure one and all after every chan-e of reli-ious persuasion, "=efore it was all simply empty recitations without -enuine feelin-,"+ 5ormerly it was relationships! now it was reli-ions that she tried on and threw off li1e the latest fashions in dress< each new discovery e4citin- her for a while! none satisfyin-, The physician had never encountered any patient who had wor1ed so hard at bein- absolved of -uilt/all the while despairin- of ever attainin- a state of Erace ("increasin- despair which allows no rest anywhereHday and ni-ht"3 Allen+, Thuja FB was prescribed, 2et the physician reali8ed that the homoeopathic remedy alone could not rectify the woman6s present reli-ious imbalance nor could it brea1 her self.perpetrated pattern of seducedKseducer (whether with men or reli-ion+, And! wary of the amount of le-itimate an-er and reproach li1ely to surface durin- the healin- process ("the waves of an-er and -rief that overpower me astonish even myself;" is a familiar Thuja refrain+! he ur-ed her to visit a clairaudient of stron- reli-ious bent, ircumventin- the oft.times too len-thy psychoanalytical process! the channeler helped her client perceive her pattern of behavior in a lar-er (past lives+ perspective and instructed her in techni0ues for arrivin- at the spiritual peace that she so craved, 7ccasional doses of Thuja then helped the patient to assimilate and stabili8e the chan-es of enormous ma-nitude (and what chan-e could be vaster and more unsettlin- than embar1in- on the uncharted seas of the spirit world9+ that she was
under-oin- in the course of her healin-, This case was representative of Thuja for two reasons, 5irst (and perhaps not surprisin-ly! in view of the remedy6s close affiliations to the -onorrhoeal miasm+! it demonstrates how se4ual -uilt may lie at the source of the type6s reli-ious imbalance, Thuja does not! as a rule! present a picture of se4ual e4cess! nor the contrary aversion to intercourse, The remedy! si-nificantly! is not found under either of these rubrics in Cent6s epertory/nor even under "lasciviousness,"* As often as not! one encounters a sensitivity and delicacy with re-ard to se4ual matters, It is more that some se4ual incident (not necessarily of prodi-ious proportions in itself+ will precipitate the whole disturbin- issue of our twofold (part animal! part spiritual+ natures, 'e find seeds of this confusion already in reli-ious mytholo-y! such as the =iblical account of the "5all!" where se4uality is viewed both as 7ri-inal :in and as a means of -ainin- 1nowled-e and e4perience, 'hen such views are consciously or unconsciously held! se4ual e4perience! if abused or improperly understood! can obviously contribute to profound spiritual malaise, (*True! Thuja incorporates "lascivious dreams of coitus" (ahnemann+, =ut then! listed as this dream is under "amorous dreams" alon-side GF other remedies in Cent6s epertory! which constitutional type will cast the first stone9+
Translated into homoeopathic terms! Thuja is one of the first remedies to be considered in cases of se4ual imbalance3 when se4uality has been e4perienced too early or the emer-ence of se4uality in adolescence is especially troublesome< for adults e4hibitin- a disproportionate se4ual -uilt ("I am a -reat one for se4ual remorse!" one patient volunteered, "%o one/but no one/surpasses me there;"+< for those who have been victims of the dar1 side of se4uality or who have e4perienced romantic love as a truly Plutonian fire, The remedy also fi-ures prominently in persons sufferin- from the social or moral -uilt of homose4uality ("remar1able indifference to the opposite se4"3 Allen+, If an individual feels secure and comfortable in a homose4ual relationship! there is no issue to be addressed, =ut if family! social! or reli-ious opprobrium causes him -reat an-uish! or if despite the hi-her tolerance and acceptance of such matters in our day and a-e! he feels unease! with a need to hide or suppress this aspect of his nature! then a Thuja diathesis can emer-e, The second prominent Thuja feature of this woman6s case was the vital role of the psychic, The de-ree of comfort and assistance that a psychic! a medium channelin- spirits! or a transpersonal counselor can supply to a Thuja patient rac1ed by confusion and remorse is incalculable, It is healin- for information to surface/even if not of a particularly desirable variety, Amon- other balms! it -ives the necessary perspective on hardship and pain, 'ithout understandin- the meanin- behind his sufferin-s in archetypal terms! without framin- it in a conte4t -reater than this life! and especially without some spirit -uidance beyond the self to lead the sufferer throu-h the misty re-ions of these under and middle worlds (as ir-il -uided Dante+! many a traumati8ed Thuja cannot truly heal,* (*The pi0uant aspect of it is that the -uidin- spirits wor1in- throu-h psychics do not! apparently! -ive va-ue advice! clothed in ambi-uous or symbolic lan-ua-e, Displayin- decided preferences and stron- opinions! they can be as practical and down.to.earth as an old.fashioned -overness, The 0uestion a
physician is tempted to as1 his Thuja patients is! "Do you find your -uides6 advice always to be correct9" "It is seldom 6wron-6" is a characteristic reply, "7ften! however! it is -iven prematurely (the -uides do not always have the best timin-+ and sometimes it seems wron- because it is so undesirable, =ut in retrospect! when the spirits are pressin-! they have real reason for it,"+
To be sure! other constitutional types are also confronted with the choice of embracin- or rejectin- the realms of e4trasensory perception, =ut it is the idiosyncrasy of Thuja that he is no lon-er able to avoid confrontin- these issues, is symptoms are the thin end of the wed-e! forcin- him into the new realities, Indeed! Thuja.re0uirin- patients! after the initial shyin-! ta1e to psychic readin-s and Plutonian re-ions li1e duc1s to water, "I6m just cra8y about psychics;" one woman announced to the homoeopath who had sent her! fearful and resistant! for a readin-, And another woman! who also had been pulled into the vorte4 of the paranormal despite her ori-inal reluctance! even admitted! "I 1now that Thuja and homoeopathy have helped me! but it is really the psychic who has turned me around, Eive me a psychic over any 1ind of doctor any day;" :ome homoeopaths mi-ht shru- their shoulders! thin1in-! "Ah well! there6s no accountin- for tastes"< others mi-ht si-h over the lac1 of -ratitude in the world, =ut there is no -ainsayin- that those doctors who desire "the hi-hest -ood" (ahnemann+ for their spiritually troubled Thuja patients ou-ht always to have available for them some recourse to the psychic realm, The Child and "Vaccinosis"* (*=urnett6s term for the physical and mental traumas resultin- from vaccination (cf, his accinosis and Its ure by Thuja+,+
There still remains to be addressed one important aspect of Thuja/namely! its capacity to counter the ill effects of vaccination! particularly in children,* This topic has been left for last! as only in the li-ht of our precedin- analysis can the remedy6s si-nal role here be fully appreciated, (*5or case e4amples of vaccinosis in adults! consult =urnett! lar1e! Tyler! :hepherd! and others, Also! many of the patholo-ies described herein may well have had their ori-in in vaccination,
Initially re-arded as the "specific" for counteractin- adverse reactions to the smallpo4 vaccination (cf, erin-+! Thuja6s function has since been e4panded to include antidotin- the adverse effects of any injection of forei-n anti-ens into the bloodstream3 "This is a preeminently stron- remedy when you have traces of animal poisonin- such as sna1e bite! smallpo4! and vaccination" (Cent+, And such a well.reco-ni8ed role does Thuja play in the last instance that! as no person can unerrin-ly predict which child mi-ht be inordinately sensitive to inoculations! a number of homoeopaths will automatically accompany the compulsory children6s vaccinations with a dose of this remedy in hopes of miti-atin-! thereby! their possible injurious effects, ertainly! Thuja has proved invaluable in a number of the wide ran-e of physical and neurolo-ical disorders whose onset can be traced bac1 to the time of inoculation3 repeated middle ear infections! ec8ema! asthma! enuresis! chronic nasal catarrhs or diarrhea! sleep or eatin- problems! head.ban-in- in infancy and
e4cessive roc1in- in the older child, It is either the prime remedy for a particular affliction! the cleanser after inoculation! or a supportive remedy to :ilica! :ulphur! and others (cf, Appendi4 to :ilica >P?+, Bore salient to this analysis! however! is vaccination trauma in the mental sphere, The child is father to the man< and here Thuja6s healin- action prefi-ures its action throu-hout the psychic dimension,* (*Perhaps even the onset of the "Thuja era!" described previously! can be lin1ed with the onset of mass vaccination and its lon-.term se0uelae,+
It has been emphasi8ed throu-hout this chapter how! fre0uently! patients re0uirin- Thuja display a priori a tenuous hold on life! with sensations of estran-ement from! or ill.ease in! this world/at times to the point of feelinforei-n and disconnected from this plane of reality, Indeed! a fair number of Thuja. re0uirin- children/ whether vaccine.dama-ed or not/have a history of failure to thrive (poor sleep or nursin- in infancy+! fre0uently accompanied by much screamin-! as if in protest at bein- here on earth, onceivably! what happens durin- vaccination (we are merely offerin- a wor1in- hypothesis+ is that the injection of a "forei-n" anti-en into the bloodstream of this sensitive and neurolo-ically e4tra.delicate individual ruptures his already too fra-ile connection to reality and propels him onto some different psychic plane, As Bos1owit8 writes! vaccination -enerates "a state in which it becomes difficult or impossible for the body either to reco-ni8e its cells as un. ambi-uously its own or to eliminate its parasites as une0uivocally forei-n,"* (*The ase A-ainst Immuni8ations by ichard Bos1owit8,+
In e4treme cases/in a truly "Plutonian" aftermath of inoculation/the child leaves this plane of e4istence alto-ether, onvincin- ar-uments have been advanced for sudden infant death syndrome (:ID:+ bein- directly related to the diphtheria.pertussis.tetanus vaccine,* 7r another tra-ic se0uel is "imbecility of mind after vaccination" (erin-+, @ess sensitive victims of vaccinosis will withdraw only partially! disconnectin- from this world in a milder but still un. mista1able form, (*A :hot in the Dar1 by arris @, oulter and =arbara @oe 5ischer,+
5or instance! the infant becomes delirious from hi-h fever immediately after the inoculation or! somewhat later! seems to have "tuned out"/e4hibitin- a certain loss of emotional or intellectual responsiveness, 7r! accordin- to parental reports! an older child! after his booster shot! mi-ht display a diminution of social awareness, 7ne will suddenly start to crawl on all fours in a restaurant or other inappropriate places! oblivious to the impression he is ma1in-< another will sit da8ed! buc1led in his seat belt in the car when all others have -otten out/not movin-! as if not 1nowin- what is e4pected of him ("inattention to what is -oinon around him"3 Allen+< yet another will be-in to shir1 the normal responsibilities that the maturin- process entails! such as brushin- his teeth or ma1in- the bed prior to -oin- to school! and will respond vehemently when told to attend to the care of his person or his room (we recollect that the child is "liable to be much worse in the mornin-s"3 =orland+, :ome youn-sters re-ress in lan-ua-e s1ills andKor are later dia-nosed as dysle4ic or learnin- disabled,* (*Ibid,
ertainly many of these patterns of behavior actually stem from the ori-inal vaccine but! with infants! the correlation is difficult to prove, Direct cause and effect are more discernible to parents in the older child/hence after a booster shot,+
7ther se0uelae to the booster shots are noted by parents, The child! hitherto perfectly able to contain his bowels and urine! be-ins to lose control< or he starts actin- silly! -i--lin- inappropriately! botherin- other children by unwelcome touchin- or 1issin-! and later may display inappropriate e4pressions of se4uality, 2et another child increases the fre0uency and severity of his oppositional behavior ("the child is e4cessively obstinate"3 erin-+ or his tantrums, The intractable Thuja child screams in ra-e and terror and will not listen to reason when his fi4ed ideas are tampered with (an article of clothin- he has set his mind on wearin- or some particular food he wishes to eat/re-ardless of how unsuitable for the occasion+ or if re0uired to interrupt his wor1 or play for meals, e may also carry on 0uite out of proportion to the simple admonition or rebu1e ("at the sli-htest contradiction he throws himself to the -round in a ra-e and loses his breath"3 Allen+, This lac1 of self.discipline! self.control! when combined with inability to concentrate on the matter at hand! e4poses him to the catchall labels of "hyperactivity" or "attention deficiency," A number of these cases will respond to Thuja to a lesser and even to a -reater de-ree, The remedy has even altered truly asocial and violent behavioral patterns in children, 7ne fatherless eleven.year.old boy was consistently surly! disobedient! deceitful/and! upon occasion! dan-erous, 'hen crossed! he would attac1 his mother with scissors! 1nife! or a hammer, Afterwards he would sincerely repent< but! from early childhood! when the fit was upon him! he could not control his violent outbrea1s, lose in0uiry into his vaccination history su--ested to the physician that there mi-ht have been vaccine dama-e! and that possibly the boy! at these times! was under-oin- some form of sei8ure (yet another common se0uela of vaccination+, onse0uently! Thuja FB was prescribed! then repeated a couple of months later, That was the end to all sociopathic behavior! and the boy is now a pleasant! sweet.tempered teena-er, =ehavioral and mental chan-es as a result of vaccination at times assume subtle and even amusin- forms! probably noticeable only to the homoeopathically educated, Thus! a two.year.old -irl! after her booster DPT shot! be-an to wail loudly every time her father lovin-ly san- her to sleep at ni-ht! as he had been accustomed to do in the past, As soon as he stopped sin-in-! she stopped cryin-< he tried a-ain and! to his hurt surprise! the same thin- happened, :urely this was a uni0ue variation on the Thuja symptom "cannot endure soft tender music" (Allen+ and "music causes him to weep" (erin-+! for after one dose of the remedy it never happened a-ain, Another case was an older -irl of five who! after she was -iven her first polio and tetanus vaccines before -oin- off to summer camp! developed a tendency to confuse words in an amusin- manner, %orth 7wl :treet! to which a friend had recently moved! she now referred to as %orth owl :treet< or! envyin- her older sister6s enjoyment in readin-! in0uired as to when would she be old enou-h to read boo1s by @ouisa Bay Alcohol< serious discussions with her parents about her behavior now became serious "dis-ustions"/and she deplored the "locomotion"
they created, Thuja! somewhat re-rettably! strai-htened out these 0uaint malapropisms, A variant form of subtle lon-.term vaccine dama-e was encountered in the si4.year.old boy who! li1e a premature adolescent! moped discontentedly around the house! unable to amuse himself/ constantly see1in- stimulation but satisfied with none, "I can6t stand life, It6s so borin-; I want to die" ("desires death"3 Cent+, After a sin-le dose of Thuja in hi-h potency! he became more content! less in need of constant attention and stimulation, @yin- somewhere between the state of total withdrawal from this world (:ID:+ and a partial withdrawal throu-h re-ression in behavior! social awareness! or learnin- s1ills! we find a form of disconnectedness 1nown as autism/the onset of which has also been lin1ed to vaccination,* (*Ibid,+
%aturally! factors other than vaccination! such as brain dama-e at birth! hi-h fever or encephalitis! injuries to the head! can also cause the autistic child to shut down and escape to another plane, =ut parents have repeatedly asserted that prior to the ori-inal inoculation or one of the booster shots! the child appeared to be developin- normally, Then! suddenly! maybe a few hours! days! or at most wee1s after vaccination! the child be-ins! if youn-er! to stare fi4edly ("child stares after vaccination"3 erin-+! -radually to avoid eye contact or to -row "averse to beintouched" (erin-+, The older child loses his verbal s1ills ("child does not spea1 after vaccination"3 erin-+! or in other ways withdraws into himself! into a stran-e silence, In view of all the aforesaid! it should occasion no surprise that these silent children! with souls partially detached from their bodies and their spirit in many ways detached from this world! will often respond to Thuja/althou-h the remedy! to be sure! does not cure autism< and we are unable to -au-e its wor1 in the psychic realms, 'hat we can -au-e! however! is its effect in this! our own! reality and notice subtle improvements in the autistic child in social behavior and peripheral s1ills3 in table manners! tantrum control! bowel or urine control, There may be some relin0uishin- of ri-idity and op.positional behavior! or an increased attention span< also! at times! a mar1ed decrease in sei8ure activity, 7r sometimes after the remedy a child will establish stron-er eye contact/loo1in- at a person instead of starin- throu-h him< another will relate better with family members< at other times! the child who is intolerant of bein- touched! as autistic children often are! be-ins to respond better to physical contact and affection< and so forth (for a more detailed analysis of the Thuja aspects of autism! see Appendi4 on p, F+, It is also true that the potenti8ed arbor vitae will not wor1 across the board with lesser vaccine dama-e in children! despite lar1e6s semi.jestin- assertion that "everyone has been vaccinated and drin1s tea! so everyone can be helped by Thuja" (0uoted in Tyler+, In every ailment! includin- vaccinosis! individuali8ation remains the cardinal tenet of homoeopathic prescribin-, =ut the well.attested healin- effect of Thuja and Bedorrhinum on vaccine.dama-ed persons ar-ues for some lin1 between the sycosis miasm and a susceptibility (from inoculation+ to wea1ened ties with this reality, ven in non.vaccinated children! afflictions reflectin- varyin- de-rees of mental confusion! social unawareness! and immaturity can point to a Thuja diathesis, The child becomes too 0uic1ly unhin-ed when e4cited or tired! or is
emotionally too labile and easily upset ("causelessly e4cited,,,at one time cries! another lau-hs"3 Allen+, These mental symptoms can be accompanied by a mild neurolo-ical disorder or some form of stunted physical -rowth and development,* (*Those readers see1in- additional symptoms of the Thuja.re0uirin- child in -eneral are ur-ed to consult =orland6s hildren6s Types and =urnett6s Delicate! =ac1ward! Puny! and :tunted hildren,+
In intellectual s1ills there mi-ht be little order or retention, :ome days the child will 1now a bit of information< other days he will not, :ometimes he will spell words correctly< other times not (=aryta carbonica+< or he e4hibits a slowness in tal1in- and difficulty findin- words, 5re0uently! lon- before he has time to finish a sentence! others will have ceased listenin-! proceedin- on to other topics, Alternately! he ma1es inappropriate remar1s! seemin-ly irrelevant to the subject at hand< or! sensin- his aw1wardness! he will tal1 a blue strea1 (and often too loudly+ so as to conceal his handicap, This mode of compensatin- for feelin- "forei-n" is reminiscent of the way people who are hard of hearin- tal1 at len-th! without listenin-! to conceal their deficiency, 7r! a-ain! in more e4treme cases the youn-ster! feelin- different and e4cluded from this world/ conse0uently unloved and unwanted/resorts to sobbin- and ra-in-, 2et! simultaneously! he combats with every fiber of his bein- the assumption of any responsibility! or ta1in- on any intellectual challen-e! that mi-ht wor1 to diminish his social ineptness and mental confusion, Accordin- to parents! the effect of Thuja on their somewhat "out of it" children is to render them "more present" or "more en-a-ed," @ast we arrive at the serious ("remar1ably earnest mood in a youn- -irl"3 Allen+! precocious! or artistic (not autistic+ Thuja child! of delicate health but powerful ima-ination! who (whether vaccinated or not+ has a tendency to "space out" or -et lost in fantasies ("happy reveries"3 Allen+, Thuja was the remedy for a si4.year.old -irl with poor eatin- and sleepinhabits and can1er sores! who was hi-hly susceptible to the subtle currents of nature,* :he heard voices in the wind and the sea! claimed that even the %ew n-land roc1s spo1e to her! and held len-thy conversations with earth spirits inhabitin- trees and flowers, er parents had to ta1e her word on these assertions! but that she displayed a special way with animals/understandin- their needs and feelin-s! and communicatin- with them almost as other children communicate with their peers/and that there was a poetic immediacy to her descriptions of encounters with nature entities were undeniable, (*Thuja! incidentally! deserves a hi-her ratin- in the "apthae of the mouth" rubric in Cent6s epertory! inasmuch as it is one of the very best remedies for this recurrin- condition,+
This child! unwittin-ly! was followin- in the tradition of "ether.ic" (ubbard+ children finely attuned to the spirit aspect of nature, 7ne such precocious little -irl! 7pal 'hiteley! born and raised in a lumber camp in 7re-on around the turn of the century! 1ept a diary between the a-es of five and seven that beautifully captures the al.most.too.sensitive.for.this.world Thuja 0uality ("e4traordinary sensitiveness to every impression"3 Allen+3 I have thin1s these potatoes -rowin- here did have 1nowin-s of star. son-sHand I have seen the stars loo1 1indness down upon themHAnd as the wind
did -o wal1in- in the field tal1in- to the earth.voices there! I did follow her down the rows, I did have feels of her presence nearH %ow are come the days of brown leavesHThey flutter on the -round, 'hen the brown leaves flutterHthey tal1 with the wind, I hear them tell of their bornindays when they did come into the world as leavesHthey told how they were part of earth and air before their tree.bornin- days, And now in -ray days of winter they -o bac1 to the earth a-ain,* *5rom The Diary of 7pal 'hiteley3 The Journal of an Mnderstandineart, The Atlantic Bonthly Press! =oston! )F,
or of a sli-htly dar1er pi-mentation3 I have thin1s I was once a tree -rowin- in the forest< now all trees are my brothers ,,, I did wonder how I would feel if I was a very little piece of wood that -ot chopped out of a very bi- tree, I felt of the feelin-s of the wood, They did have a very sad feel , , ,* *5rom The Diary of 7pal 'hiteley3 The Journal of an Mnderstandineart, The Atlantic Bonthly Press! =oston! )F,
It is not unusual for the precocious! elfin Thuja child to converse li1e an adult or employ ori-inal turns of phrase! or even to e4press himself li1e a little philosopher/to the amusement of his elders, Also! in typical Thuja fashion! 7pal was convinced that she did not belonto the family she was born into! but was a foundlin- dau-hter of 5rench aristocrats, er diary! stran-ely enou-h! is peppered with 5rench words and turns of phrases! as well as classical references! which by no stretch of the ima-ination could she have pic1ed up in an 7re-on lumber camp in the year )F, A literary e4ample of a Thuja boy is 5odder.win- (from Barjorie Cinnan awlin-s6s The 2earlin-+! the delicate! unworldly child born into a family of burly! rou-h 5lorida bac1woodsmen! who! to compensate for his physical deformity and a sli-htly affected mind! develops a fanciful ima-ination and an uncanny way of befriendin- the furry and feathered wildlife of the swamps, :o stron- is his 1inship with his natural environment that even after his death! his spirit (as sensed by his friend Jody =a4ter+ lin-ers on in the scrub country of the 5lorida Mplands3 :omethin- of 5odder.win- had been always where the wild creatures fed and played, :omethin- of him would be always near them, 5odder.win- was li1e the trees >note the arbor vitae?, e was of the earth! as they were earthy! with his -narled! frail roots in the sand ,,, A part of him had been always outside his twisted body, It had come and -one li1e the wind, In clinical practice! instances of communication with the realm of e4trasensory perception are encountered less fre0uently in boys than in -irls (perhaps because the former are more reluctant to reveal this side of their natures+ and! when this trait does emer-e! more li1ely than not it happens unconsciously, The tip of the penis of a four.year.old was so clo--ed up with a tenacious oran-e! crusty dischar-e when he awo1e one mornin- that until the crust was peeled off! urination was impossible, A dose of Thuja FFc prevented a recurrence of this symptom, It also! incidentally! assua-ed the boy6s ni-ht terrors from which he would wa1e up thrashin- and cryin- out! "Barne; 2pres; erdun;" 5or a lon- time his parents! thin1in- that he was shoutin-! "Bom; epario4 Dad;" (a remedy the youn-ster habitually re0uired for his sore throats+! would try to assure him that
Dad was just fine and had received his epar! until one day! when wa1ened from his dreams! he sobbin-ly described shootin- and the "bi- holes" he was tryin- to climb out of ("dreams of battle"3 Cent+, ertainly this 1ind of information on 'orld 'ar I trench warfare did not come from his still very limited education/ nor from watchin- television! somethin- his family did not even own, Contra et Pro Bany of the theories e4pounded in this portrait are! admittedly! open to 0uestion! and there will be those homoeopaths who see little value in dra--in- the supernatural realms into our already sufficiently complicated materia medica, Indeed! no one can say for certain whether the Thuja "sensations as if are -enuine contacts with a different objective reality or products of an overactive! overstimulated! at times even diseased ima-ination, 7n the one hand! it is bein pounded into us with ever.increasin- force that "there are more thin-s in eaven and on arth! oratio! than are dreamt of in our philosophies"< on the other hand! it is conceivable that the supernatural lies not outside us but within us/in our subconscious! our ima-ination! our unconscious memories, Perhaps the individual psyche merely relates to some archetypal or transpersonal e4perience of humanity! to what Jun- calls our "collective unconscious," Possibly! even! the whole world of positive and ne-ative entities is but an emanation of the psyche as it attempts to depersonali8e -uilt and thus minimi8e the scope of personal moral responsibility, 5ortunately! it is not necessary for the physician to jud-e how objective or scientifically valid or invalid are a patient6s sensations, 'or1in- with the sensations "as if!" that which -uides him to the simillimum is the particular form a patient6s ener-y ta1es and his resultant emanatin- -estalt, "isin- of dar1 thou-hts! causin- uneasiness and apprehension of misfortune" (Allen+! is (as we have seen+ one of the "forms" that Thuja6s disturbed ener-y ta1es, Another form is the burden of the unsupportable but insuppressible conscience, The sufferer be-ins to as1! "'hat does my ever.active conscience want of me9 'hence these feelin-s of fear! alienation! -uilt9" 7r (as psychic phenomena be-in to crowd in on him+! "'hy are accostin- spirits not leavin- me alone9" 5or! in part! Thuja is a dutiful! well.intentioned ("conscientious"3 Cent+ child who wishes to please his parent! teacher! or other authority fi-ure but! receivin- confused messa-es! does not 1now how to respond, Also! however! sensin- supernatural manifestations and feelin- them a threat to his already confused and insecure e-o ("the e4cess of the etheric leaves little room for the e-o"3 ubbard+! he rebels with the an-er and irrationality of an adolescent who rejects the -uidin- influences of those most ea-er to help him, 7verall! Thuja classes himself amon- those individuals who have been called (away from this world to e4perience richer realities+! yet who (for reasons they cannot well determine or confront+ are not chosen,* (*"5or many are called! but few are chosen" (Batthew 3&+,+
To be sure! the homoeopath himself need not have to e4perience any paranormal phenomena in order to respect its validity in others!* nor need he accept the supernatural as an ultimate truth, Tal1in- of spirit realms happens to shed li-ht on Thuja, 'ith some other remedy! li1e Pulsatilla or Arsenicum album! such ar-uments would not widen our understandin- of the medicine, (*The author! to her infinite cha-rin! has never enjoyed a journey into a
past life or been visited by apparitions or prophetic dreams< nor has she ever conversed with a pi4ie or an elf,+
=ut the physician who has espoused Paracelsus6s ma4im that man is but a microcosm of the universe and that the inside of man and the outside are one (see the "Introduction"+ will ta1e into account the e4istence of other spheres of reality, And! honorin- the capacity of the remedies to address the e4pandin- human consciousness! he can observe his patients move from a partial and clouded vision of the encroachin- spirit world to a clearer and therefore healin- comprehension of it, ("5or now we see throu-h a -lass dar1ly< but then face to face< now I 1now in part! but then shall I 1now even as also I am 1nown"3 orinthians 3< and recall the Thuja "sensation as if he is made of -lass,"+ 'ith these observations comes the reco-nition that the homoeopathic medicines achieve their profound effects precisely because they do act on the subconscious! archetypal! psychic! and spiritual levels, Boreover! only a full ac1nowled-ment and appreciation of these levels will enable both patient and prescriber to -reet the daily widenin- dimensions of the world we live in with a cry similar to Biranda6s in The Tempest! "7h brave new world that has all these levels of reality in it;"* (*In a happy serendipity! it was precisely in connection with Thuja that ahnemann! in the Bateria Bedica Pura! volume G (#$ edition+! e4panded on the counterinstinctual! counterlo-ical! paranormal parameters of the homoeopathic discipline, In his introduction to the remedy! after describin- the parado4ical phenomenon of the micro dilutions increasin- the power of a remedy! he -oes on to say in a footnote3 "This discovery that crude medicinal substances (dry and fluid+ unfold their medicinal powers even more and more by trituration and succussion , , , and e4tend further the lon-er and stron-er >the process? is carried on! so that all material substance seems -radually to be dissolved and resolved into pure medicinal spirit >author6s emphasis? ,,, is of unspea1able value ,,," 'ith these words! ahnemann himself introduced a spirit factor into the homoeopathic e0uation,+
The remedy Thuja occidentalis is derived from a coniferous tree belon-into the cypress K cedar family, 5rom ancient times! the cypress has ornamented burial -rounds< its aromatic oil was used in embalmin-< its wood! resistant to decay! served to ma1e coffins and! because of its stron- fra-rance! was burnt in sacrificial offerin- (the omoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the Mnited :tates tells us that the name "thuja" is an adaptation of the Eree1 word "thyra"/meanin- to sacrifice+, Also! accordin- to ancient mytholo-y! this tree was sacred to Pluto! ruler of the underworld and of the re-ion of the dead, Thus! in a variety of ways trees of the cypress family are associated with death, =ut bein- a hardy ever-reen! capable of survivin- in just about any climate and soil! with its unfadin- branches holdin- forth the promise of perpetual e4istence! the Thuja occidentalis is e0ually associated with immortality, :acrifice or death of the old life and birth of a new one serve as fittinima-es for Thuja6s remar1able healin- powers! as the remedy comes to the aid of those dispirited patients who! havin- lost their direction! must find it in a realm beyond the one limited by our five senses, And these associations help us appreciate the full si-nificance of this ordinary! often scrub! conifer bein- endowed
with the -randiose name of arbor vitae/or the "tree of life," Appendix itherto! children afflicted with autism have lived in their own silent world! seemin-ly lar-ely unaware of the reality around them and unable to communicate with others, =ut recently a discovery by an Australian woman! osemary rossley! has allowed us to understand a number of these children6s mentalities, Typin- out words! phrases! and whole sentences on a lap.top computer or a anon 5acilitator (a customi8ed typewriter with tic1er tape attached+! they are be-innin- to emer-e from their isolation and ma1e their thou-ht processes 1nown, Predictably! one of the most prevalent themes of their communications is the feelin- of alienation and estran-ement from other humans3 "I want to be an ordinary person"< "I want to tal1 li1e other children"< "I don6t want to be different from other children"< "'hy was I born different from other people9"< "I don6t want to be a frea1"< "I want to be in the world with people and not in outer space"< "I want to -o to school li1e other children and not with handicapped children," And one ten.year.old typed out for her teacher! "I am -rateful to you for treatin- me li1e a normal and not li1e a handicapped child," Thuja can support the healin- efforts already commenced alon- these lines, 5or e4ample! children proficient in the use of the facilitator! who yet need to have their hand held for confidence or assistance in neuromuscular control! may -row bolder or more coordinated after the remedy and as1 to have only their wrist held! or their elbow< or a touch on the shoulder to feel -rounded may be all that is re0uired,* As one child typed out after several doses of the remedy in hi-h potency! "By mind and body used to -o separate ways, %ow they are tryin- to stay to-ether," 7r the child becomes more aware of the world around him! e4hibitin- a nascent curiosity about it and a desire to participate in its destiny, 7ne older -irl! after a course of Thuja! typed out the 0uestions! "ow does homoeopathy wor19 'hat do the remedies do9 ow lon- will it ta1e for me to learn to tal19 There are lots of wonderful thin-s I want to be able to do," (*%ot to be discounted in this particular role! however! are alcarea carbonica and :ilica,+
ere! too! mi-ht be the place to mention the mar1edly Thuja "as if symptoms that children and youn- adults type out, "'henever I am touched! I feel as if I6m -oin- to brea1"< or "'hen I -et touched! it feels as if my bones -et stuc1 to-ether and can6t -et unstuc1"< or! when Thuja has helped towards decreasin- the stren-th of their antisei8ure medication! "I feel less wooden and 8ombie.li1e" (recall the Thuja sensations "as if made of wood" and "as if he is in the nether world"+, The facilitator has! moreover! enabled autistic children to share their psychic e4periences/a number of which closely parallel the Thuja "delusions" discussed earlier, They appear to live a life of their own partly in another order of reality (indeed! the very definition of autism in 'ebster6s is "absorption in ,,, daydreams! fantasies! delusions! and hallucinationsHusu, accompanied by mar1ed withdrawal from reality"+, Boreover! it has lon- been suspected by parents and care-ivers! who have observed their char-es stop to listen! as if to a voice! then smile and lau-h! or cry and loo1 displeased! that they appear to be respondin- to another6s address, %ow this stran-e behavior is be-innin- to be understood, A number of them are respondin- to -uidin- spirits,
7ne autistic nine.year.old! once she mastered the facilitator! astounded her totally unaware parents by typin- out for them that she had a spirit friend called :amos with whom she was in constant communication, This spirit friend was helpin- her understand that the purpose of her life was to study "neuro. endocrinolo-y" (a word her parents did not even 1now+ so as to help discover a neurolo-ical cure for autistic children! and that than1s to :amos! she now re ali8ed her purpose here on earth and was -lad to be alive, (The con viction that they have come into this world "autistic" so as to help others is a recurrin- theme with these children,+ Another -irl! who had screamed for three solid days after her initial DPT inoculation! and who could not even say "Bamma!" described how her spirit friend! Dorothea! tau-ht her to read when she was four years old, =y the time she was fourteen she was writin- poetry, The followin- e4cerpt from a poem by this -irl provides a rare -limpse into the mind of an autistic child3 To try is to fail! so I am served by neither! 7nly appeased for the moment by my lessened madness In some leanin- toward an ordinary show of what6s e4pected, 2ou want a normal performance, 'ell! I find the tas1 prisons me =ehind bars of mi-hty opinions ri-hteously ordained by word wieldin- others 'ho dare to declare boundaries, I try but little does nothin- , , , / ve anf.nos /
And yet these remar1able children will not tal1, Bost will not even ta1e on the responsibility of dressin- or washin-! of brushin- their hair or teeth! or even -oin- to the bathroom by themselves, 'hy are they so determinedly resistant to -rowin- up9 'hy are they reluctant to e4hibit their s1ills and often brilliant minds9 'hen as1ed this 0uestion! the reply is always the same3 "I can6t;" "I6m afraid;" "I6m too scared;" "I don6t want to be independent;" The resolutely uncompromisin- child reali8es that as lon- as he remains mute! he will be cared for< if he e4hibits any life s1ills (even the most primitive ones+! he will be forced to ta1e on responsibilities and confront the dreaded independence, An inordinate fear! then! appears to be the underlyincause, "A nameless! bottomless! unde.finable! ever.present terror" is the way one autistic youth e4pressed himself! addin- that it too1 constant wor1 and vi-ilance for him not to be overwhelmed by this constantly threatenin- emotion, It seems as if the feelin- of injustice at bein- injected (inoculated+ with a forei-n substance acts as the catalyst of the child6s innate an-er a-ainst all the harshness and cruelty of this world/a world so terrifyin- that the sensitive soul wants nothin- to do with it, In fact! some children! once they become proficient on the facilitator! type out that they remember how already "in utero" they did not wish to enter this "u-ly" world< that they do not 1now why they had to be born into this "inimical" environment< that they did not wish to "incarnate" on this planet (note the remar1able e4pressions+/in short! that they do not belon- here on earth, 5ar better! then! to remain loc1ed in their own silent world than venture out into our lar-er! threatenin- one,
%ot surprisin-ly! too! autistic children often e4hibit much -uilt and remorse, "I6m so bad/so bad;" "%obody li1es me;" "People hate me;" they type or write out, :ince nothin- in their present short! sheltered lives could justify such -uilt or terror! conceivably these youn- souls are bein- assailed by some traumatic past life e4periences/not merely remembered but somehow! in an uncontrolled way! relived, Indeed! when they are as1ed about how they themselves interpret their fears or enforced silence! they mi-ht refer to harsh laws of 1arma in such phrases as "I6m payin- for my past lives," ve! the author of the verses 0uoted previously! was of this particular persuasion, In another of her e4traordinary poems she writes3 ,,, 7h -ods I still with wonder sense This sorrow suffer! itself so intense, I an-els envy so -ood! so ether clear An an-el I can not now be! in dar1ness I am here, I am sorrow sayin- so saddened me Terrible desolation soon sa--ed at me :apped my soul! my spirit! so I am doomed to answer "no" To an-els who entice with silver words, I am another sorrow ordained by swords To cut and lonely path to follow Today and everlastin-ly tomorrow,
And yet! in the conclusion to a poem about her multiple personalities! she breathes the spirit of acceptance3 ,,, I am who we are :eparated by this ba--ed body and united by one soul ach of us alone! and all made a whole,
Perhaps many autistic children are victims of either -reat terror e4perienced in and carried over from their past lives! or of -uilt for crimes they perpetrated/or ima-ined they perpetrated/on others, =ut all this remains in the realm of speculation, That which is not speculation is that not only a few! but a number of these children appear to be endowed with hi-hly developed powers of e4trasensory perception, This stands to reason, Trapped by the limitations of their own bodies (some are poorly coordinated< others have wea1 muscular tone< still others are subject to sei8ures that leave them limp and e4hausted+! deficient in their lin-uistic and social s1ills (many of the normal! healthy! physical outlets for frustrated emotions are bloc1ed off to them! as well as the avenues of conventional communication+! these withdrawn youn-sters develop paranormal s1ills, 7ften they 1now e4actly what is -oin- on in other peoples6 minds and in the lives of distant loved ones, They are able to type out answers to their parent6s thou-hts (not words+, They can recount e4actly what actions and conversations too1 place when a family member was away in another state or country, All too fre0uently! however! in an e4a--eration of Thuja6s inherent susceptibility to! and inability to shield himself from! the fri-htenin- aspects of any e4perience! the autistic child is more attuned to the ne-ative attributes of the psychic world, Thus! one little fellow would roll up in the fetal position and start whimperin- and wailin- whenever one of his older brothers! far away! was
