HAHNEMANN’S HEAVENLY ROSE To penetrate into the essence of all being and significance, and to release the fragrance of of that inner attainment for the guidance and benefit of others, by expressing in the world of forms truth, love, purity, and beauty .
This is the sole game which has any intrinsic and absolute worth. ~ Meher Baba
Photo courtesy of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust
by Sarah Schall
© 2012 Sarah Schall All rights reserved
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ABSTRACT
Aude Sapere! Hahnemann’s motto has an element of courage inherent in its meaning, encouraging the homeopath to ‘Dare to be wise’. Both wisdom and courage include the domain of the heart, described throughout spiritual literature for several millienia as the location or abode of God. However, the central importance of of a spiritual perspective in modern homeopathic literature
is largely overlooked, in part due to modern misconceptions of both God and the heart (Love). Hahnemann’s references to God appeared in all the versions of his Organon , as well as throughout every aspect of his life, and in personal
correspondence with fellow Homeopaths and colleagues, including the overall practice of Homeopathy. Yet, modern provings are most often interpreted from a materialistic (i.e., as if nothing exists besides that which is material) and psychological perspective, which is considered to be compatible with modern science and modern allopathic medicine. The psychological perspective appears to address the aspects of mind that includes feelings, delusions, aberrations, etc. Both the materialistic and the psychological approaches do have valid functions, no doubt. However, the absence of a spiritual perspective in the modern practice of Homeopathy may at times create a distortion of the data from provings.
Similar distortions
encompassing all of the areas of homeopathic practice may be discussed in a later paper. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the validity of a spiritual perspective for the Homeopath according to Hahnemann and many of the early great Homeopaths, and to demonstrate how distortions are created from the absence of a spiritual perspective in modern homeopathic homeopathic practice. This paper mainly addresses the spiritual history of Homeopathy and spiritual references that are relevant to the interpretation of modern proving data, using the proving data of Rosa spp., as a pointer to the necessity of including a spiritual understanding as it applies to the overall practice of modern Homeopathy.
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INTRODUCTION
‘Aude Sapere!’ Sapere!’ is is ‘Know ThySelf’ ThySelf’
Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (German, 1755-1843), the founder of Homeopathy, characterized disease as ‘the spiritual dynamic mistunement’ of the human organism. Thus, Homeopathy has been inclusive of a spiritual perspective since its inception, as will be further illustrated. In his landmark work Organon of the Medical Art , (42) Hahnemann introduced the homeopathic ‘Proving’ as the prime method for creating a medicinal remedy database of signs and symptoms for clinical application of the heretofore neglected Law of Similars. Provings are the method developed by Hahnemann for the practical utilization of homeopathic medicines, as quite different from clinical drug trials. One significant difference is that provings are performed on healthy individuals called provers, and generally the provers’ own health improves after the proving. For more information about provings, read about Hahnemann in the annotated bibliography. bibliography. For this stated purpose, Hahnemann guides the Homeopath to perform medicinal provings upon oneself, describing provings as an aid to ‘know thyself’. As a Free Mason throughout his life, Hahnemann undoubtedly recognized the theme of ‘know thyself’, for this theme had been a cornerstone concept for the spiritual practices in Free Masonry for centuries. “Know ThySelf’ had also been a traditional concept, during and before the times of Hahnemann, for the mystical traditions of all the major Religions including the ancient Hindu Valmiki’s story of Lord Ram in The Ramayana (94), dating back some 3,500-5,000 yrs: “You may hide hide at night from from the Sun But never from your own heart Where lives Lord Narayana.”
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Hahnemann gives some indications throughout the Organon for broadening one’s perspective by including a deeper spiritual understanding. Likewise, as will also be demonstrated later, many of our great and influential Homeopaths throughout the history of Homeopathy have guided us to utilize a spiritual approach for homeopathic therapeutics. therapeutics. A good example of Hahnemann’s quietly understated spiritual outlook may be found in his references to the Rose, which, as we know, is neither poisonous nor even the least bit harmful in its primary action to the great majority of human beings. In fact, the Rose has been associated with love and spirituality throughout the ages. Hahnemann uses the Rose as an example in his section on provings (41, 42), as we shall see later (p.34), three distinct times. Why did Hahnemann choose the Rose? Hering (47) expressed a conviction that Hahnemann was inspired: “One might think Hahnemann Hahnemann must have been inspired when one reflects and considers the many details upon which he built his new doctrine; the particulars being as astounding as the whole”. What does Hering mean by ‘inspired’? It is possible that Hering meant that Hahnemann was inwardly guided. Although Hahnemann mentioned the Rosa spp. in his Organon in the ‘Provings’ chapter, and even though Hahnemann had the facilities to prove a number of Rosa spp., it seems puzzling that he did not actually do so. Or if he did, he chose not to publicize his findings. John Morgan, a homeopathic pharmacist at Helios (UK), has made many remedies. Morgan observed (83): “as the years go by I am more and more convinced that remedies themselves choose when to be made and the timing must must be right to create the perfect conditions. This is especially true
for new proving remedies...”
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Both Hering and Morgan’s observations render it reasonable to suggest that Hahnemann’s choice of the Rose as an example used three times in the section of ‘Provings’ was not simply an accident. It may be that Hahnemann laid a foundation stone to a future timing in which the more psychologically, spiritually and scientifically aware practice of Homeopathy might better utilize the proving information of this potentially invaluable remedy, the Rose. The Rose (Rosa spp.) is the quintessential flower since time immemorial. It has long been held as a symbol of love, romance, beauty, purity, victories and confidences. A rose, when offered, is an appreciation of beauty, a protection of that essence which remains hidden or secret, an offering of love, and also it has been used traditionally to signify a pronouncement of true victory; spiritually speaking, the highest victory for humankind is the mastery in consciousness over one’s lower desire nature. The Rose has been used to convey a wide range of symbolism, from the
mundane
to
the
mystical
experiences
of
life,
including
the
wounded/healing experiences. experiences. In fact, ‘Love’ has been attributed as a ‘healing force’. Paracelsus wrote (89): “The highest and most effective medicine is love.” The highest form of love is Divine Love according to a spiritual perspective, and the lowest form of love is of the lowest desire nature. (2, 8, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 29, 30, 37, 43, 45, 56, 63, 65, 66, 72, 74, 75, 79, 80, 94, 95, 104, 118) In mystical understanding, Love when fully matured and victorious in the human consciousness signifies a flowering of human potential, a union between the lover and the Beloved. Traditionally, in spiritual parlance the ‘path of Knowledge’ and the ‘path of Love’ eventually converge, leading to the Goal of Life, wherein Knowledge, Power, Bliss become all-pervading. This Knowledge is achieved through the medium of Divine Love. Divine Love is thus considered to be ‘total significance’. This process of the growth of consciousness is often referred to in short form as ‘Know ThySelf’, mentioned by Hahnemann in the Organon section section on ‘Provings’. (41,
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42, 46) This flowering of human potential in consciousness, often presented in mystical poetry as a longing for union in love, has also been reflected in the experiences of provers in the modern proving data of Rosa spp. During the past twenty years, provings conducted on Rosa spp have spiritual themes of ‘awakening’ (Herrick), ‘transformation’ (Herrick), ‘return to the God Force’ (Maule), a ‘spiritual quest’ (Maule), ‘idealizing love’ (prince on a white horse – Scholten), and many more spiritual metaphors. (48, 71) Herrick (48) observes a major significance of the essence of the Rose from her recent proving of Rosa St. Francis (a species of thorn-less Rosa canina): “The legend of Rosa St. Francis and the proving challenge us to contemplate the intimate connection between the spiritual and the physical world. The rose bridges these two worlds and becomes a compelling symbol of transformation.” transformation.” And yet, the implications of these spiritual themes in recent proving data of various Rosa spp. may sometimes be misunderstood, misinterpreted, mischaracterized, or inadequately presented. Modern provings seem to be challenging us to deepen our collective homeopathic spiritual understanding. Recent provings conducted on Rosa spp. will be analyzed to discern the difference between a psychological perspective perspective (which is more compatible with materialistic and scientific perspectives), and a spiritual perspective, which is all-encompassing in its relationship with the former perspectives, and yet as different as night and day.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMEN TS
I thank with profound gratitude our dear Lord and Benefactor of Homeopathy, and Meher Baba, along with His close disciples. Before I knew what the word Homeopathy meant, I was assigned to clinic duty to study Homeopathy by Dr. Goher Irani, MBBS, under the kind and scholarly tutelage of Dr. Alu Khambatta, MBBS, DHom (Bom). Dr. Goher, as we affectionately called her, encouraged the further study of Homeopathy, and I owe a great debt of gratitude to both Dr. Goher and Dr. Alu. Eruch Jessawala, Katie Irani, V. S. (Bhau) Kalchuri, Dr. Goher Irani, and Jaloo Dastur, all of whom are Meher Baba’s close Mandali (disciples) members, have given much encouragement and support to me over the years in the practice and further study of Homeopathy. I wish to thank them sincerely for their great love, wisdom, and guidance. Murshida Conner, of Sufism Reoriented in the USA has likewise offered her benevolent words of wisdom for this article. And also the thesis of Dr. Kaplan on Esoteric Knowledge helped to shape this project. Also I send much gratitude to the British Institute of Homeopathy for their generous support. I wish to especially thank Dr. Vivienne Freeman, for her knowledge, skills, and patience over many years now. Further thanks goes to Dr. Trevor Cook, whose insights have contributed to this article as well. From the homeopathic global community, I wish to thank Dr. Jan Scholten and Vivien Maule for their generosity in sharing unpublished research data on Rosa spp.; Dr. R. Sankaran for generously donating materials for this project; Dr. P. Shah for sending a copy of her article on Rosa spp. published in Links; Dr. Herrick, Vivien Maule and Dr. Scholten for their amazing insights into Rosa spp. provings and their encouragement to publish this paper, Dr. K. Degkwitz (Dr. Kittler, Muller), Dr. B. Ostermayr, Dr. C. Shukla, A. Wirtz, Wirtz, Dr. Merizalde, Merizalde, J. Morgan, Dr. Morrell, Morrell, Dr. Deborah Deborah Collins for invaluable editorial assistance, and to all those in spirit whose
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contributions continue to remain irreplaceable – also to Elija Horn for the translation of Rosa spp provings from German into English. Also, I wish to thank my family, friends, and in particular, my dear husband and fellow Homeopath, Mike McDonald, and my darling sister Marie, without whose support this never would have been possible. This includes all those who have helped to edit and proofread, including Mette Ipsen and Adam Pierce, and many others who who have donated donated their time and expertise.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page………………………………………………………………………… Page……………………… …………………………………………………….. …..
1-2
Abstract..…………………………… Abstract..…………………………………………………… ……………………………………………… ………………………… …
3
Introduction: ‘Know ThySelf’ is ‘Aude Sapere!’ ………………………….. …………………………..
4-7
Acknowledgements………………… Acknowledgements………………………………………… …………………………………………… …………………….. ..
8-9
Table of Contents……………………………………………………… Contents…… ……………………………………………………………. ………….
10 - 11
Chapter 1
The Central Role of Spirituality in Homeopathy
A. Homeopathy and Spirituality.………..…………… Spirituality.………..………………………. ………….
12 - 14
B. Modern Conflicts Between Science, Psychology, Homeopathy and Spirituality 1. An Overview…………….…………………………………… Overview………… ….……………………………………
15 - 18
2. Homeopathic Provings and Spirituality…………….. Spirituality……………..
19 - 26
C. Spiritual Insights for Prominent Themes of Rosa spp. Provings 1. Timing………………………… Timing…………………………………………………………… …………………………………
27 - 29
2. Awakening.……………………………………………… Awakening .……………………………………………………. …….
30 - 33
D. Hahnemann’s References to Rosa spp. ( Organon )………. )……….
34 - 35
E. Relevant Literary References to Rosa spp..………………… spp..…………………
36 - 42
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Chapter 2
Part 1 - Rosa spp. Proving Themes
A. Modern Rosa Rosa spp. Provings Provings Themes 1. Introduction……………………………… Introduction……………………………………………………. …………………….
43 - 45
2. Themes of Rosa spp. Provings………………………… Provings…………………………
46 - 48
B. Three Major aspects of the Personality: Ego, Heart and Intellect ………………………………………… …………………………………………
49
1. Arrogance Arrogance (Ego)……………………………………… (Ego)…………………………………………….. ……..
49 - 56
2. Expansion of the Heart Chakra (Heart)..……………
57 - 62
3. Irritation (Intellect) ……………………………………….. ………………………………………..
63 - 70
Part 2 - Effects of Spiritual life on Provers
C. The inner and outer shift into greater awareness 4. Preening - Self-Awareness....……………………… Self-Awareness....…………………………. ….
71 - 74
5. Synchronicity - World Awareness……………………. Awareness…………………….
75 - 82
6. Transformation Transforma tion - The God Quest ..………………….
83 - 91
7. Divine Love - The Goal of Life………………………… Life…………………………
92 - 96
Conclusion .………………………………………… .……………………………………………………. ………….
97 - 101
Supplements ………………………………………………… …………………………………………………… …
102 - 104
Annotated Bibliography Bibliography ………………………………….
105 - 121
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Chapter One
A. Homeopathy and Spirituality A Brief Overview Overview
Highlights of Hahnemann’s spiritual inclinations, as well as aspects of mystical symbolism, are presented in this section to demonstrate the validity of a spiritual perspective for the modern Homeopath. This may prove helpful in deepening our understanding of proving data collected from modern provings of Rosa spp., while also highlighting the spiritual underpinnings of Homeopathy. In a letter to Stapf in 1816, Hahnemann (17) described his life of spiritual endeavor: “In these hours I have always vowed to cultivate simplicity, honesty and truth, and to find contentment and happiness in the eyes of the Great Father of all life, on the one hand by perfecting the innermost growth of the soul, and on the other hand, by making those around me happy… In this way I have created for myself, during these heartrending hours, an inner life, such as we need for eternal survival, ...and to enter calmly and cheerfully into the reign of the All-Loving, the reign of truth, vision and peace.” More recently, Homeopath Paschero (a modern prominent Argentinian Homeopath and M.D.) wrote (90): “Precisely because humility is required, the art of medicine is an occupation of the highest spiritual order…, any profession, no matter how humble, offers the possibility of satisfying a quest for the meaning of life, as long as it is practiced with integrity.” Hahnemann (17) was clearly ahead of his time. This is evident not only in his materialistic developments such as pharmaceutical protocols currently being used by allopathic pharmacies worldwide, or his recognition of invisible microbial agents in Cholera epidemics that inspired the later development of Microbiology, but also in the integration of his spiritual understanding within the material world.
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This may be why Sri Aurobindo (widely considered a Saint and one of India’s greatest philosophers) regarded Hahnemann as a ‘demi-mystic’ in his following comment (19): “What I am now considering is whether homoeopathy has any psycho-physical basis. Was the founder a demi-mystic? I don’t understand otherwise certain peculiarities of the way (homeopathic) medicines act”. Regarding Hahnemann as a ‘demi-mystic’ may be signifying a union of two perspectives - the spiritual with the scientific material world. Homeopath Morrell (84) wrote that Hahnemann was “a lifelong Freemason and an active member of a Masonic lodge in every town wherever he lived”. One of the guiding messages in the mystical traditions of Free Masonry is “know thyself”, which is found engraved on the entrance gates of some Masonic Lodges. (115) What is the meaning of ‘know thyself’? Know thyself is a mystical maxim signifying inner spiritual development towards the Divine. This maxim has been referred to in many sources including: the Hindu Bhagavad Gita , writings of spiritual Perfect Masters, the Christian New Testament , written works by Islamic Sufi Saints, the Delphic Oracle, and by religious philosophers over several millennia. (2, 16, 44, 51, 52a, 55, 56, 63, 74, 75, 94, 95) Although the modern concept of God often leaves God out of ordinary daily living, Hahnemann himself chose not to do so. Hahnemann, in referencing ‘know thyself’ in the Chapter on Provings in his Organon , quietly acknowledges a path towards increasing spiritual awareness. Similarly, he mentions Rosa spp. and guides the Homeopath to perform provings upon oneself. It is possible to observe throughout the Organon Hahnemann’s Hahnemann’s own fully alive and active mastery of a highly developed spiritual understanding. Modern Homeopath Paschero (90) echoed Hahnemann’s spiritual leanings when he wrote: “Only by realizing the highest values is it possible to practice a medicine such as Hahnemannian homoeopathy, which requires a grasp of the essential symptoms of the patient as a whole, unique, and
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singular human being. These values can be perceived and described only when the physician has discovered his or her own true self.” Modern provings of Rosa spp. are now likewise challenging Homeopaths to broaden their perception of Love, of the Divine Force, of God, and of spiritual awareness. (48,71) Homeopath Merizalde observed (81), “although the reports are anecdotal, it seems that this method of treatment (Homeopathy) is very suitable not only in the process of restoration of health but also in the pursuit of a spiritual quest.” In recent provings, as we will see later, the Rosa spp. effect on provers ranged from ‘company with the Divine’, with ‘blissful peaceful states’, to an ‘inability to integrate integrate into this world - I don’t even know know what planet I am on’, and from profound ’irritability with this fog-brained state,’ to varied romantic imaginings. (21, 48, 71) The modern provings of Rosa spp. may be valued as an offering in several ways: to assist in connecting and integrating the spiritual with the material world, to help dissolve obstacles preventing the innate knowledge of one’s true self, to find the Divine within our ordinary daily lives, and to assist in fulfilling one’s higher purpose in life, i.e., to know thyself.
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B. Modern Conflicts between Science, Psychology, Homeopathy, and Spirituality
1. An Overview
One possible obstacle to consider in deepening the understanding of provings for Rosa spp. concerns modern conflicts between Science, Psychology, Homeopathy, and Spirituality. While it is not within the scope of this brief paper to resolve these issues, it is of interest in better understanding the Rosa spp. to consider some positive aspects of each of these areas of study in the next two sections. Indeed, the recent provings of Rosa spp. encourage us to explore these issues. In our modern world, science/materialism and spirituality/Divine Love are often thought to be mutually exclusive. Yet, there may be much to be gained from exploring the relationship of spirituality with the essence of Rosa spp. and its connection with the material world. One western allopathic physician, who is well versed in the ancient spiritual practices of Ayurvedic medicine, (India), Deepak Chopra, M.D. (11) observed how modern physicists are exploring the external world we live in: “Einstein realized that time and space are the products of our 5 sense; we experience events as happening in sequential order. Yet Einstein and his colleagues were able to remove this mask of appearances. They reassembled time and space into a new geometry that has no beginning and no end, no edges, no solidarity. Every solid particle in the universe turned out to be a ghostly bundle of energy vibrating in an immense void.” Yet, for centuries the materialistic paradigm dominating scientific and philosophical thought has increasingly created divisions between modern psychology, psychology, science, spirituality, and Homeopathy. (32, 44, 54, 81, 84)
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However, historically, during and before the time of Paracelsus (1500’s), it was common practice to blend all the various disciplines of higher thinking (44): “Among the ancients, philosophy, science, and religion were never considered as separate units: each was regarded as an integral part of the whole. Philosophy was scientific and religious; science was philosophic and religious, and religion was philosophic and scientific. Perfect wisdom was considered unattainable save as the result of harmonizing all three of these expressions of mental and moral activity.” (italics added) Perfect wisdom implies a blending of the feeling and the mental aspects of the human mind. The heart knows what to value, and the intellect is competent in negotiating worldly materialistic matters. This concept is reflected in the writings of Meher Baba. Meher Baba (1894-1969), who declared himself in public as the Avatar of this Age in 1953, authored many books and discourses on a wide and diverse range of spiritual topics. While his descriptions of human consciousness and the goal of human life remain unparalleled in the world of Literature to this day, he has stated that (56), “I have come not to Teach, but to Awaken.” Meher Baba addressed the apparent conflict between religion and science (74): “The mind is the treasure-house of learning, but the heart is the treasure-house of spiritual wisdom. The so-called conflict between religion and science arises only when there is no appreciation of the relative importance of these two types of knowledge. Mind cannot tell you which things are worth having; it can only tell you how to achieve the ends accepted from intellectual sources.” Moreover, modern physicists are openly acknowledging the existence of God or a Creator of the Universe. Dr. Goswami (32, 33), author of The Self-Aware Universe: How Consciousness Creates the Material World, is a
Professor of Physics at the University of Oregon and a member of its Institute
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of Theoretical Science. Goswami is part of a growing body of scientists who in recent years have ventured into the domain of the spiritual in an attempt both to interpret the seemingly inexplicable findings of their experiments and to validate their intuitions about the existence of a spiritual dimension of life. Likewise, spirituality is not inherently inimical to a scientific perspective, as is often imagined in our present world. Meher Baba observed (76): “It is a mistake to look upon science as opposed to the spirit. Science is a help or hindrance to spirituality depending upon the use to which it is put. Just as healthy art is the outflowing of spirituality, so science, when properly handled, can be the expression and fulfillment of the spirit. Scientific truths about the physical body and its life in the gross world can become a medium for the soul to ‘Know Itself’. However, if they are to serve this purpose, they must be fitted properly into a greater spiritual understanding that includes a steady insight into true and enduring values.” From the homeopathic perspective, Hahnemann explicitly blended science, art, spirituality and medicine, and he recognized God in all the editions of his Organon . God was not a mere concept to Hahneman. (41, 42) Bradford (7), Hahnemann’s biographer, wrote: “Hahnemann always modestly said that his discovery was God's gift to him for the benefit of mankind." Furthermore, according to a psychological perspective, writing about esotericism, (known during medieval times as Alchemy) Edmond Whitmont wrote (113), “Contrary to general popular opinion, which considers alchemists simply charlatans or, at best, primitive pioneers of modern chemistry, C.G. Jung has conclusively demonstrated that the alchemists were the psychologists of their day. Their truest practitioners were seeking the ‘philosopher’s stone’, the mysterious mysterious lapis that symbolized symbolized the total total man.” Hahnemann referred to the ‘philosopher’s stone’ of physicians – ‘simplicity’ in his writings (38e). The ultimate goal of simplicity accomplishes
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the most complete overlap, a total merging of these seemingly disparate disciplines. Simplicity was described by Socrates (52a) as temperance, by Confucious (46) as the golden mean. Pelikan (91) described the Rosaceae species as perfect moderation in the midst of plenty. Thus, ultimately, there is no inherent conflict between science, homeopathy, psychology and spirituality. All these perspectives can support the purpose of life, and assist in deepening the understanding of each individual perspective, even whilst acknowledging their inherent limitations. Meher Baba clarified the end result of pursuit of purely materialistic perspectives (79): ‘The greatest scientists themselves are becoming dismayed at the areas of knowledge still beyond them and appalled at what their discoveries may unleash. It will not be long now before they admit complete bafflement and affirm the existence of this eternal Reality which men call God, and which is unapproachable through the intellect .’ (italics added)
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2. Homeopathic Provings and Spirituality Spirituality
In this section we explore the necessity, according to Hahnemann and many of the greatest Homeopaths, to apply a spiritual understanding to Homeopathic provings. That spirituality is central to the practice of Homeopathy will be illustrated in this section. Hahnemann referred to the usage of a spiritual perspective in the process of conducting provings. In his chapter on Provings in The Organon , Hahnemann observed (42): 141: “Of all the provings of the pure actions of simple medicines in altering the human condition, and of the artificial disease states and symptoms that they engender in the healthy person, the most excellent provings remain those that the healthy, unprejudiced, conscientious and finefeeling physician employs upon himself , with all the care and caution taught here. He knows (is aware) with the greatest certainty that which he has perceived in himself”. (italics added) Hahnemann continues: “Footnote 2: By means of such remarkable observations, he will develop an understanding appreciation of his own sensibilities, of his mode of thinking and emotions, which is the basis of all true wisdom , know thyself .” .” (42) Hahnemann implied that there is some reason or purpose for the Homeopath to ‘know thyself’, and to perform Provings upon oneself. However, a purely materialistic outlook proposes that we cannot hope to “illuminate our inner selves with hidden Light from concealed depths” as Aurobindo (2) describes, as no such Light exists. Yet Hahnemann implied in ‘know thyself’ that there is a concealed consciousness which is deeper and greater than our superficial self, and this is a concept which opens up infinite possibilities. possibilities. (2, 15, 46, 56, 63, 69, 70, 74, 75)
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To know thyself has has been traditional spiritual teaching of all Ages, for such knowledge is self-realisation. Socrates, in Plato’s Charmides, referred to ‘know thyself’ inscribed over the temple of the Delphi Oracle of ancient Greek mythology. (52a) Conybeare wrote (Civilisation and Chaos ) (16a): “When Jesus referred to the Kingdom of Heaven being within us, He stated: ‘And whoever knoweth Himself shall find it.’ In the Bhagavad Gita , Lord Krishna explains (16a, 105): ‘There is true Knowledge, Learn thou, Arjuna, this, To see One Changeless Life in all that lives, And in all that separate seems, The One Inseparable Self.” Lord Krishna’s words are clarified in modern times by Dr. Chopra’s (11) observation: “Although each person seems separate and independent, all of us are connected to patterns of intelligence that govern the whole cosmos. Time does not exist as an absolute, but only eternity….What we call time is a reflection of how we perceive change….If we could perceive the changeless, time would cease to exist as we know it…” Dr. Chopra further observes that yogis and sages throughout India, China, Japan have been able to remain youthful by retarding the process of entropy (deterioration), using nothing more than attention, “for at a deep level, attention and Prana (life force, creative intelligence) are the same - life is awareness, and awareness is life.” From Hahnemann’s writings, it can be seen that his own world-view was not blinkered by materialistic limitations. In “The Medicine of Experience” (1805) Hahnemann wrote (38c): “Medicine is a science of experience… This art, so indispensable to suffering humanity, cannot therefore remain concealed in the unfathomable depths of obscure speculation, or be diffused throughout the boundless void of conjecture; it must be accessible, readily accessible to us, within the sphere of vision of our external and internal perceptive faculties .” .” (italics added)
Meher Baba confirmed (78), “The spiritual and the material aspects of life are widely separated from each other. They ought to be inseparably united with each other. There is no fundamental opposition between spirit
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and matter or between life and form. The apparent opposition is due to wrong thinking.” Though Hahnemann, Conybeare (the teachings of Christ), Lord Krishna (The Bhagavad Gita, Song Celestial ), ), and Meher Baba all confirm that ‘know thyself’ is obviously a spiritual undertaking, our modern homeopathic literature largely ignores the necessity of this work. The absence of a spiritual perspective used in tandem with the scientific, psychological, materialistic perspectives is clearly lacking in true wisdom, and, as will be demonstrated, is misleading in the presentation and assimilation of proving data. Furthermore, the inclusion of a spiritual understanding in modern homeopathic practice has a strong foundation in the history of Homeopathy. Many of the great Homeopaths were spiritually minded like Hahnemann. For example, Hering, Clarke, and Compton Burnett were keen on Paracelsus. (12, 64) Ghatak (31) referred to the teachings of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. Hering, Kent, and the Boericke were avid followers of Swedenborg. (107) The list is much longer than these few examples. Kent observed (59b, 62), “ the love of Truth, for the sake of Truth, in the voluntary, conjoins with an equivalent of Truth in the understanding; and this is the measure of wisdom in any man” .
Kent continues: “The crafty man memorizes facts, to use for a given occasion in order to acquire remuneration or fame, and should be known as smart in proportion to the success of his undertaking. This is not wisdom. Love, wisdom, and use make one, and inasmuch as they are one in the life of man they make him a man; and wherein he lacks these, he falls short of being a man. These in man are the wherein he exists in the image of God, and when he has thus made Truth alive in him, he has become “free indeed”. (italics added) Kent’s implications implications of making “Truth alive in him, him, he has become “free indeed” echo statements of spiritual mysticism, wherein true freedom is considered as a state of consciousness known as Liberation, Mukti, or Bliss. This ‘freedom’ of ‘Truth alive in him’ referred to by Kent acknowledges the co-
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relation or union of the Divine within one’s being. It also signifies the spiritual practice of ‘know thyself’. (46) Hahnemann makes some remarkable statements concerning a spiritual approach for life in The Organon (41): “9: In the healthy condition of man, the spiritual Vital Force….retains all the parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious, vital operation, as regards both sensations and functions, so that our indwelling, reason-gifted mind can can freely employ this living healthy instrument for the higher purposes of our existence .” .” (italics added)
What does Hahnemann mean by the ‘higher purposes of our existence’? (97) Is it to ‘buy, consume, die’ as the metaphor is commonly used in the West? Is it purely materialistic or egoistic? These are merely a few representative questions that are pertinent for the understanding of proving data for Rosa spp. One of Herrick’s (48) provers of Rosa gallica expressed this issue with materialism poignantly as being: “ fed up with with the world of buying and selling. When will we wake up and move beyond the lower aspects of materialism?!!” This prover continues with the query “What is beyond?” (italics added) Meher Baba (79) observed that, ‘the ordinary man, although he is completely fed-up with being cheated of the prize that materialism promises and appears to deny the existence of God and to have lost faith in everything but the immediate advantage, never really loses his inborn belief in God and faith in the Reality which is beyond the illusion of the moment. His apparent doubt and loss of faith is because of a desperation of mind only, it does not touch his heart. Look at Peter. He denied Christ. Desperation made his mind deny, but in his heart he knew that Christ was what He was. The ordinary man never loses faith. He is as one who climbs up a mountain a certain distance and, experiencing cold and difficulty breathing, returns to the foot of the mountain. But the scientific mind goes on up the mountain until its heart freezes and dies . But this mind is becoming so staggered by the vastness still
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beyond it, that it will be forced to admit the hopelessness of its quest and turn to God, the Reality.” (italics added) In modern provings of Rosa spp., provers throughout the world struggled with these issues. These provers collided with materialism, literally and figuratively! It seems many provers had difficulty integrating glimpses of a greater and higher state of consciousness into their worldly affairs. Indeed, the experience of higher states of consciousness is not very well-supported or understood in modern awareness. This difficulty may also be a current world dilemma facing all of humanity. As one heroic prover of Rosa damascena observed (21), ‘my heart tried by all means to express itself, to become softer to the outside world’. How may homeopathic provings act to connect the spiritual with the material world in the consciousness of the prover? Hahnemann refers to the ‘soul of the plant’ and their corresponding ‘divine elements’ when when describing the the medicinal properties properties of plants in general (42): “118: Every medicine exhibits particular actions in the human body which do not come about in exactly the same way from any other medicinal substance of a different kind.” “Footnote: This fact was also perceived by Albrecht von Haller who wrote: “A great diversity of strength lies hidden in these plants themselves, whose external features we have long known but whose souls, as it were, and whatever divine element they they have, we have not yet perceived .” .” (italics added) Hahnemann is thereby connecting the spiritual ‘soul’ and its corresponding ‘divine elements’ with the material ‘medicinal substance’. According to these aphorisms of Hahnemann each kind of plant and mineral has a unique soul that that is different in various aspects from each other. These differences may appear imperceptible in their inner essence, though their outer manifestations may be readily visible. Each ‘soul’ of the remedy when proven has some unique effect on the healthy prover.
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The ‘soul’ of Rosa spp. is beginning to emerge via modern provings of Rosa spp. (104) Furthermore, our homeopathic literature in general is rich with spiritual references and metaphors. It is fruitful to explore some of these areas in particular, to create a deeper understanding of the spiritual dynamics in provings. For example, Kent, like Hahnemann, connects the material with the spiritual in the context of the external material versus the interior internal qualities of the plant and mineral kingdoms (59a, 62): “It is not generally known that the three kingdoms exist, as to their interior, in the image of man. Neither is it generally understood what it is to exist in the image of man. It is not even known what man is, nor what the plant kingdom is, and much less what the mineral kingdom is. If all these statements related to geology, botany and anatomy, they could be presumptuous, as these sciences are highly cultivated, but they treat of the kingdoms only as to their exterior or material relation. The internal qualities have been left for the homeopathist, and such an exploration is within the province of homeopathics.” homeopathics.” According to Kent, exploring the internal and external relationships is part of the practice and ‘province’ of Homeopathy. Likewise, Hahnemann encouraged the Homeopath to dive deep within themselves, via provings, and yet also to be objectively balanced externally in a precise and detailed scientific manner concerning the collection and recording of proving data and subsequent prescribing. Early in his career, in “The Medical Observer”, Hahnemann wrote about provings (38d): “The duty of the observer is only to take notice of the phenomena and their course; his attention should be on the watch, not only that nothing actually present escape his observation, but that also what he observes be understood exactly as it is… The medical observer… has constantly before his eyes the exalted dignity of his calling, as the representative of the all-bountiful Father and Preserver, to minister to His beloved human creatures… He knows that observations of medical subjects must be made in a sincere and holy spirit, as if under the eye of the all-seeing
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God , the Judge of our secret thoughts, and must be recorded so as to satisfy
an upright conscience, in order that they may be communicated to the world…” Thus, Hahnemann encouraged a balance, a harmony, between the inner and the outer experience of human consciousness. He emphasized the necessity to evaluate the inner and outer experiences of the souls of the plant and mineral kingdoms during provings for a more complete understanding of their medicinal properties (42): “119: As certainly as each kind of plant is different in its outer form, in its own way of life and growth, in its taste and smell from every other plant species and genus, as certainly as each mineral and each salt in its outer as well as its inner physical and chemical properties (which alone should have
prevented any and all confusion) differs from every other, just as certainly are they all different and divergent from one another in their morbific, thus also, in their curative actions.” (italics added) Hahnemann observed that not only each kind of plant, but also each mineral and salt are unique in their ‘outer as well as their inner’ properties. properties. Hahnemann recognized the value of exploring the ‘inner properties’ in the mineral kingdom, and the ‘souls’ of of the plant kingdom. Twentyman writes of exploring the inner properties in a proving (110), “We can respond to a remedy in many ways. We can eat it and through taste and its continuation in our digestions we can prove it. But I believe that the responses of our thoughts and feelings, when we bring to bear our other
senses and the whole of our personality upon a remedy, belong also to the fuller proving .” .”
Likewise, modern medical practice currently acknowledges the role of thoughts and feelings in direct relationship to health and well-being, i.e., anxiety may be associated with tension headaches. For example, Dr. Deepak Chopra observed (11): “Our cells are constantly eavesdropping on our thoughts and being changed by them. A bout of depression can wreak havoc with the immune system; falling in love can boost it. Despair and hopelessness raise the risk of heart attacks and cancer, thereby shortening
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life. Joy and fulfillment keep us healthy and extend life. This means that the line between biology and psychology cannot be drawn with any certainty.” In summary, clearly a spiritual perspective is needed when conducting provings and interpreting proving data. The spiritual significance of ‘know thyself’ was expressed in quotes of Lord Krishna, Conybeare on Christ, and Meher Baba. Concerning the provings of new and old medicines, Kent explores the internal nature of man (know thyself), Hahnemann refers to the ‘soul of the plants’ and their corresponding ‘divine elements’, and Twentyman includes as part of the proving data the non-material (psychological /spiritual) responses to these medicines. Furthermore, Hahnemann stated early in his career in the Preface to his first edition of the Organon that that (40), “The physician who enters on his work in this spirit becomes directly assimilated to the Divine Creator of the world, whose human creatures he helps to preserve, and whose approval renders him thrice blessed.” This next prover illustrates and exemplifies the self-reflective spiritually aware standpoint from which Hahnemann recommended that provings be done (Maule’s proving of Rosa canina) (71): “Right now I feel very creative but I am very conscious of not being at the helm. It even feels exciting to surrender. It feels very important to ‘pray’; not to ask for anything at all, but to go back to that simple place of being with the God force in total simplicity.”
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C. Spiritual Insights for Prominent Themes found in Modern Provings of Rosa spp.
1. Timing
This section addresses two spiritually significant characteristics that are found throughout the modern provings of Rosa spp.: Timing and Awakening. Both ‘Timing’ and ‘Awakening’ are presented in a peripatetic style. The purpose for this style is to broaden and widen the range of view when interpreting recent proving data Rosa spp., in moving from logic and reason into synthetic understanding. The first characteristic under consideration in this section is ‘Timing’ and its spiritual spiritual significance. As mentioned earlier, Morgan’s (83) observation observation as a well-known homeopathic pharmacist from Helios Pharmacy in UK, is that homeopathic medicinal ‘remedies themselves choose when to be made and the timing must be right to create the perfect conditions. This is especially
true for new proving remedies…’ (italics added) Hahnemann’s comment (42), “It was high time that He allowed Homeopathy to be found”, clearly indicates a causative relationship between our ‘Heavenly ‘Heavenly Creator’ and the development of Homeopathy. Homeopathy. At the same time, it implies a ‘hide and seek’ quality between the Creator and the individuals of His Creation, as well as a sense of timing . In modern provings, a ‘ sense of timing’ was was referred to by Maule in her proving of Rosa canina (71): “Time and how we live within it, was the central theme of this proving… There was the feeling that the time span of our life is precious and from this came a strong desire to choose carefully how to spend this time. It appears in this proving that how we use that time and how much choice we have in using that time is a source of health or ill health.” Maule (71) further observed that the genera of Rosaceae family (Cratageus, Laurocerasus, Spirea, Prunus) have an affinity for the heart and circulatory system. “The heart is our timekeeper , carrying us forward on the
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ocean of life, helping us to experience that which life brings, with less resistance. Time and tide wait for no one.” (italics added) The next reference to ‘Timing’ in a spiritual sense is from Bulleh Shah (102), a 17th Century Saint of the Islamic tradition who was an enlightened spiritual Master and also a mystical poet. Bulleh implied that a sense of timing is involved in the union between the lover and Beloved (in his heart) in his remarkable couplet: “Banish the timekeeper, timekeeper, my Beloved Beloved has come come home, my precious one! Again and again again the timekeeper timekeeper strikes the gong, diminishing this night of our union.” All four of these these references to ‘Timing’ ‘Timing’ have deep spiritual significance. significance. Thus in summary, ‘Timing’ in a spiritual sense is referred to above by Hahnemann in reference to our Heavenly Creator providing us with the gift of Homeopathy; by Morgan’s reference to the remedies choosing their own timing; by Maule in her Proving of Rosa canina with the ‘heart is our timekeeper-time and tide wait for no one’; and lastly, by the mystical poet Bulleh Shah in his mention of the ‘timekeeper’ with reference to the union within his heart of the lover with the Beloved. Historically and in modern times, the ‘timekeeper’ and ‘a sense of timing’ may be used to express a timely movement towards a deeper spiritual understanding. The ‘timekeeper’ of the heart, and a ‘sense of timing’ in each case are symbolic pointers directing one’s attention to the awakening process in Consciousness that connects the material world with the spiritual. The awakening into one’s daily life from the ordinary sleep state of consciousness is often used, both historically and in modern times, as a spiritual metaphor to parallel the awakening from ordinary consciousness into Divine consciousness. This awakening process is connected to an eternal sense of timing that intersects our sense of ordinary timing.
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Bulleh Shah’s quote of union with the Beloved within his heart implies an awakening process connected with timing, signifying true victory and triumph in attaining that complete transformation of consciousness, which is widely considered by many and also alluded to by Hahnemann as ‘the goal of all life’, aka ‘know thyself’.
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2. Awakening
‘Awakening’ is another prominent characteristic in the recent provings of Rosa spp. It is ‘awakening’ that gives significance to ‘timing’. In spiritual literature, Time begins with the Soul’s desire to know its eternal Self, and ends with its awakening to the fulfillment of this desire. Exploring historically and in modern times, we find that this Rosa spp., proving theme of ‘awakening’, which will be illustrated in the next chapters, has been used throughout history to connect the spiritual with the material world. A well known allusion to spiritual spiritual awakening is found found in the first lines The Rubaiyat of of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (Edward Fitzgerald’s version) (30):
AWAKE! for Morning Morning in the Bowl Bowl of Night Has flung the Stone that puts the Stars to Flight: And Lo! the Hunter Hunter of the East East has caught The Sultan's Turret in a Noose of Light. Although in modern modern times he is sometimes misconstrued misconstrued as a hedonist, hedonist, Khayyam was a physician, an astronomer and author of treatises on mathematics and physics. In his later years he pursued the spiritual disciplines of the Sufis while he was writing The Rubaiyat. Yogananda (118) gives credence to these spiritual insights of Omar Khayyam in his following interpretation of this Khayyam poem:
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The Inner Silence sings : "Awake! Forsake the sleep of ignorance, for the dawn of wisdom has come. Hurl the hard stone of spiritual discipline that breaks the bowl of dark unknowing, putting to flight the pale stars of mock-lustered material desires. "Behold, the Eastern Wisdom, the Hunter and Destroyer of delusion, has caught the proud minaret of the kingly soul in a noose of Light, dispelling its imprisoning mortal darkness."
‘Awakening’ from ‘the sleep of ignorance, for the dawn of wisdom’ is also metaphorically reflected in our homeopathic Journals. Twentyman observes (108): "The human soul responds to the processes and substances of our world with myth, legend and poetic imagery, and these can be understood as the revelation of the ‘ higher reality’ lying latent , like a sleeping princess , within the natural phenomena. They constitute, one might also say, a homoeopathic Proving in a very clear and heightened form . In
contemplating these images and symbols we may be led deeper into the hidden genius of the substance and its remedial actions than by confining our attention strictly to the realm of material effects and the statutory rubrics of official provings." (italics added) Thus, in his description of a ‘sleeping princess’ with a ‘higher reality lying latent’, Twentyman confirms the spiritual metaphor of ‘awakening’ from the ordinary consciousness of natural phenomena into a ‘higher reality’. Historically, Hildegaard of Bingen has some interesting observations regarding the soul’s response to ‘awake’ and ‘sleeping’ on the subject of ‘sneezing’, a prominent keynote clinical symptom of the Rosa spp. ‘rose cold’ (112): awake and lively , but rather “Whenever the blood in the vessels is not awake and
just lies there as if it were sleeping , and also when the body liquids do not move fast enough, but are lazy and slow , the soul notices this and and causes the body to tremble through sneezing and in this way wakes up the blood and
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juices of the person so that they return to their correct behaviour.” (italics added) Here the soul’s tendency to awaken sleeping sleeping bodily fluids via sneezing is suggested. Von Bingen’s description of sneezing may also be considered as ‘awakening’ the sluggish sluggish heart circulation, circulation, a response that is ‘prompted by by the soul’. The soul’s response to the sluggish heart circulation may be similar in principle to Paschero’s perception of “the vitalist teachings of Paracelsus, Haehl, Hahnemann”. Paschero observed (90): “Because the soul directs and regulates the body, the disturbances it suffers generate disease and pathology.” Furthermore, the historical writings of Hildegaard von Bingen and myths and legends alluded to by Twentyman have similar themes of awakening that that correspond with modern provings of Rosa spp.
Recent provings of Rosa spp. have themes of the ‘sleeping princess’, not ‘awake or lively’, ‘lazy and slow’, ‘awake’ or ‘awakening’, and ‘fainting’, etc. (21, 48, 71, 87) These themes imply an underlying spiritual significance in the experiences of these provers of Rosa spp. Twentyman’s ‘sleeping princess’ and the connection with the spiritual world correlates with Herrick’s observation (mentioned earlier) in the Proving of Rosa St. Francis (48): (48): ‘connecting the spiritual spiritual with the material world’. world’. Is there any relationship between the essence of the Rosa spp. with the myths and metaphors of the ‘sleeping princess’? It would seem that the essence or the soul of the quiescent Rosa spp. has been sleeping in the world of homeopathic literature and proving data until very recently. In Grimm’s Fairy Tales (34), ‘The Sleeping Princess’, Princess Briar Rose is put under an evil spell to sleep for 100 yrs, in a castle tower that becomes overgrown with briar roses comprising a hedge of thorns, and is awakened when a Prince on a white horse comes and kisses (awakens) her . ‘Awakening’, ‘sleeping’, ‘idealizing love’, ‘prince on a white horse’, etc., are all themes presented in the modern proving data of Rosa spp.
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Maule, who recently conducted a proving of Rosa canina (dog rose), describes the inspiration in the form of a vision that came to her, and which caused her to make this Rosa spp. proving: “First the headline: “The Sleeping Princess”, followed by images and sensations of crumbling castles or towers; the need for the outer appearance to be maintained, for the clothes to be right; then followed by an image of a crumbling tower held up by a thorny network of briars. Finally a clear instruction that the briar rose (dog rose) be made into a remedy at the end of June in the environment of a newly (2yr) created rose garden planted with 35 old fashioned roses. This is the only ‘vision’ I can ever claim to have had, how could I ignore it!” (71) Maule’s vision reflects many of the experiences described by Rosa spp provers all over the world. In the spiritual realm, ‘ awakening ’ is the higher purpose of our human existence, often used to describe the shift from ordinary worldly consciousness into ‘God consciousness’ or ‘know thySelf’.
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D. Hahnemann’s Hahnemann’s References on Rosa spp. in Organon of the Medical Art
Hahnemann referred to qualities of the Rose in the ‘Provings’ section of The Organon of the Medical Art (2nd through the 6 th ed). Embedded in the
footnotes to clarify his points on Provings, Hahnemann makes the following observations concerning homeopathic homeopathic ‘Provings’ and the ‘Rose’ (42): the smell of roses roses ...” “Footnote: A few persons can faint from the ...”
Furthermore Hahnemann observes the clinical usage of Rosa spp. (42) (italics added): “Footnote: In this way, Princess Maria of Porphyrogeneta Porphyrogeneta helped her brother, Emperor Alexius, who suffered from faintings, by sprinkling him with rosewater in in the presence of his aunt Eudoxia. Also, Horstius considered rose vinegar to to be helpful in cases of faintings.”
Hahnemann also quoted historical references that Rose water or Rose vinegar can awaken a person who has fainted. It seems serendipitous or perhaps synchronistic that one of the more spiritually prominent qualities of Rosa spp. mentioned by Hahnemann (i.e., the princess awakens her sleeping brother, who has fainted) corresponds to the theme of awakening found in modern provings of Rosa spp. Kent mentions that “some people will get sick from the smell of roses. I have known a number of patients who became sick in this way. It is common enough, and the sickness is known by the name of rose cold or rose fever.” (59) In Homeopathy, the tendency of the ‘Rose’ (Rosa spp.) is to cure a ‘rose cold’ in some, while in others to awaken them them from fainting (according to Hahnemann). Are these qualities of awakening the the sleepy or sleeping souls somehow connected with Rosa’s ‘conceptual essence’? (14) Is this a Signature of the Rose? (110)
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In the above situations, the concept of awakening - Hahnemann (a historical princess who awakens her brother), Twentyman and Maule (the mythical sleeping princess), Von Bingen (the metaphor of the soul awakening the circulation via sneezing), and modern data from Rosa spp. provings such as ‘sleeping princesses’, ‘awakening’, ‘idealizing love’, ‘prince on a white horse’, ‘being in the presence of God’, etc., all collectively serve to connect material world with the spiritual in an illogical yet valid understanding.
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E.
Relevant Literary References to Rosa spp.
Historically, myths and metaphors were often used to facilitate a deeper psychological or spiritual understanding. In this section we introduce the famous story of The Little Prince (St. (St. Exupéry), a charmingly sweet yet very tiny story (98), which will be used throughout the remainder of this paper as an example to demonstrate the spiritual aspects found in the of provings of Rosa spp. spp . Here are online links to The Little Prince , and Howard’s translation: http://cs.swan.ac.uk/~cswill/T http://cs.swan. ac.uk/~cswill/The_little_prince.p he_little_prince.pdf df http://www.odaha.com/antoin http://www.o daha.com/antoine-de-saint-exupery/m e-de-saint-exupery/maly-princ/the-little aly-princ/the-little-prince -prince http://www.goodreads.com/ http://www.g oodreads.com/book/show/157 book/show/157993.The_Littl 993.The_Little_Prince e_Prince Excerpted from The Little Prince , this next quote describes the Rose as ‘rising up towards the Sun’, which may be a simile for the heart’s awakening towards the internal Sun: Starting with the seed, “they sleep deep in the heart of the earth’s darkness, until some one among them is seized with the desire to awaken ….to ….to push a charming little sprig inoffensively upward toward the sun …” …” (98) (italics added)
The awakening process of consciousness is often reflected as a process of unfoldment, as is illustrated in the following Sufi quote regarding a spiritual understanding of the Rose. Sufism, originally part of the Zoroastrian religion, was brought to the West from India during the early 1900’s, via the Indian saint Hazrat Inayat Khan (63) of the Moinuddin Chisti lineage (i.e., the strongest Sufi lineage with the greatest number of spiritually Perfect Masters). (15b) The current American Murshida of Sufism Reoriented, M. Conner observes:
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“The structure of the rose is an emblem for the infolded tissues of consciousness that reach and complete the ‘bud form’ at the end of the evolutionary phase and mature within their ‘calyx’ or outer shell of impressional matter during the reincarnational phase. When involution begins, the ‘calyx’ breaks open, and the tissues begin to unfold, exactly like the petals of the rose under the influence of the sun. But this movement is propelled by the internal sun, sun, and it unfolds in successive layers very similar to the plan of the rose. No wonder it is loved by seekers everywhere and intuitively recognized as the perfect flower by all mankind.’” (15a) In her proving of Rosa gallica, Herrick corroborates Murshida Conner, “For the Sufi’s, the Rose is the symbol of the opening heart; it embodies the enduring capacity to love and absorb oneself in mystical union with God. The heart, like the Rose, starts as a tightly closed bud which, when exposed to the bright light of the Sun, Truth or Love, gradually opens wider and wider until it bursts itself, and merges with the Beloved.” (48) Furthermore, Meher Baba illustrated this same concept “Spiritual progress is not a process of accumulation from without, it is an unfoldment from within.” (76) As we explore the spiritual essence of Homeopathy and also the modern provings of Rosa spp., patterns and shapes begin to emerge. These are patterns which include timing, awakening, the ‘soul of the remedies’, loveheart-circulation, and ‘sleeping princesses’ who are ‘awakened by a prince on a white horse’. These patterns begin to reveal that the fabric of human existence is indeed enmeshed with the Divine. In a larger worldly context, for those who are familiar with Harry Potter (96) and The Lord of the Rings (106), (106), each of these literary works also give us a glimpse as to how many cultures and peoples, including our patients, may be influenced by these inner spiritual longings. The Lord of the Rings has has many spiritual metaphors. For example, Tolkien’s creation Gollum Smeagol symbolizes the ego when associated with only the material world (65). In colloquial vernacular, it
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might be seen as a sort of rhyming rhyming slang - ‘ego schmeagol’. Furthermore, his his philosophy also included a transformation of ego, i.e. an ego that was identified with that which is immortal. This would necessitate a transcendent state of being, reflecting a transformation of consciousness. Meher Baba compared Frodo’s journey to the spiritual path: “It’s like in the spiritual path. All the things that you go through are similar.” (29) For example, Frodo and Sam, the hobbits who are ‘pure in heart’ are given the task by the Grey Wizard (an illumined guide who underwent transformations through fire from the grey to the white wizard) to carry the ‘Ring’ (the lure of the lower desire desire nature) to the ‘fires of hell’ (penances). Traveling along with Frodo and Sam, their almost constant companion is Gollum, i.e., the expression of the ego when it is connected to the lower desire nature (65,88). The journey of Frodo to accept the duty and responsibility to carry this ring ‘for the well being of all mankind’ may be a spiritual metaphor for the aspirant on the spiritual path passing through many trials to overcome lower desire nature and still remain true to a higher love. The journey of the hobbits, like spiritual seekers, takes place in the world. But just as the hobbits were not a part of the world in the sense of its wars or worldly ways, likewise the spiritual seekers traverse the spiritual path in the world but are not connected to the world in an ordinary materialistic sense. Their journey is to rise above lower desire nature towards union with the higher self, with the Divine, in their own hearts. The vehicle of this journey is provided by loving sacrifice in the form of “selfless service.” Meher Baba observed: “Selfless service is unaffected by results. It is like the rays of the sun that serve the world by shining alike on all creation : on the grass in the field, on the birds in the air, on the beasts in
the forest, on all mankind; on saint and sinner, rich and poor, strong and weak, wholly impervious to their attitude or reaction.” (77) In best selling modern literature, a similar theme is expressed by Hafiz from the renderings of Ladinsky (66a):
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The Sun Never Says
Even After All this time The sun never says to the earth, “You owe Me.” Look What happens With a love like that, It lights the Whole Sky. ~Hafiz
Furthermore, there are numerous literary references to the spiritual life being lived in a worldly sense. For example, in the Lord of the Rings, the ‘fate or destiny of all mankind’ depended upon the hobbits’ success in undergoing the hardships to put the ring (of lower desire nature) into the fires of hell. At the end, the hobbits Bilbo Baggins and Frodo Baggins leave with the white wizard and some elves on a ship that sails away from the known and ordinary world. This may be seen as a metaphor for the journey of individual consciousness leaving the ordinary state of consciousness and entering into and traversing the planes of higher consciousness, a process referred to earlier in this paper as ‘awakening’. Similarly, the recent literary work of ‘Harry Potter’ has been translated into many languages around the world and has been a best seller which
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appeals primarily to the adolescent and young adult populations, which undoubtedly includes some of our patients. What are some spiritual messages of these works of fiction to our patients? Harry Potter had to run his head directly into a brick wall in order to reach his school of higher learning, his school of training in ‘wizardry and magic’. Running one’s head ‘into a brick wall’ gives us a glimpse of the transformation required between the heart and the intellect with respect to the spiritual and the material world. The intellect struggles to grasp any spiritual knowledge of higher planes of consciousness within the context of the ordinary world, and that struggle may be experienced as ‘running one’s head into a brick wall’. When the intellect encroaches upon the innate wisdom of the heart, it often becomes frustrated with its lack of dominion over the affairs of the heart. What often happens is that the intellectual perspective labels the perspective of the heart as ‘difficult’ or ‘complicated’, and then the perspective of the intellect departs from the perspective of the heart, full of justifications. This is well illustrated in the story of the Little Prince. Achieving a balanced harmony is the ideal goal of ‘Know thySelf’. Meher Baba’s translation (75) of the following Hafiz couplet reveals the difficulties encountered by the intellect in its dominion over the heart: “Hafiz describes the truth about about love when he says:” ‘Janab-e ishqra dargah dargah basi bala bala tar-azaq'l ast; Kasi in astan busad kay jan der astin darad.’ 'The majesty of love lies far beyond the reach of intellect; only one who has his life up his sleeve dares kiss the threshold of love.’
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Harry Potter may offer wisdom to teenagers, irrespective of whether these depths of understanding are well or poorly understood, rather like the Sun shining on all creation. Harry Potter deals with issues of how to live in this modern world that appears unsafe: how to gather a few good friends and treasure/value them, how some adults or other children are actually unsafe and even dangerous. In short, the Harry Potter books may be seen as a survival manual for kids to negotiate the world we currently live in. Harry Potter may likewise be helpful in facilitating an understanding of the more recent proving data of Rosa spp. from a spiritual perspective. Proving data of Rosa spp. likewise presents themes of ‘running into walls’, ‘fog-brained’, of ‘being pursued by a person’ intending to do harm, ‘violence’, ‘transformation’, ‘transformation’, etc. Furthermore, it seems quite likely that a person feeling innocently open and ‘looking for love’ or ‘idealizing love’ in today’s world, might logically have some concerns of ‘being pursued’ or in ‘danger’, as some provers of Rosa spp. experienced. Is it really ‘safe’ to be ‘openly loving’, as experienced by provers of Rosa spp. around the world, in a world that readily devalues or dismisses the higher quality or essence of that love? One prover of Rosa spp. recorded, ‘more disposed to love others’ (48), and another prover wrote, ‘during the day I am on the look out for love’ (21). Looking for love can be a very tricky business in these times. As stated earlier, our modern world is predominated by the perspective of the intellect mountain until its heart freezes and (79): the scientific mind goes on up the mountain until dies .
These issues from Rosa spp. proving data of ‘openly loving’ and ‘seeking love’ are clarified from a spiritual perspective, as Sri Aurobindo observed (2): “For there is, concealed behind individual love… a mystery which the mind cannot seize… which in the end makes one the Form and the Formless, and identifies Spirit and Matter. It is that which the spirit in Love is seeking here in the darkness of the Ignorance, and it is that which it finds
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when individual human love is changed into the love of the Immanent Divine incarnate in the material universe. ” (italics added)
As has been shown, Hahnemann and Kent, and now modern Homeopaths such as Sankaran et al, have guided Homeopaths to regard the souls of the plant kingdom. The souls of Rosa spp. in the plant kingdom are currently challenging us to ‘awaken’, to ‘look for love’, and ‘the timing’ is now. And yet, Rosa spp. is not without thorns (except that of Rosa St. Francis, which has its own spiritual significance). For many of our provers, the thorny side of the provings brought out issues of frustration, irritability, anger, arrogance, and fog-brained states, to name a few.
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Chapter 2
Part 1
A. Modern Rosa Rosa spp. Provings Provings Themes 1. Introduction All of our proving data and corresponding interpretations, by provers and those organizing these provings, are precious and valuable to our homeopathic profession. The possible interpretations given below are designed, hopefully, to enhance a way of looking at these and further proving evaluations. The author owes a debt of gratitude to the incredible wealth of information presented to our homeopathic community by those who have set up and performed these modern provings of Rosa spp. The author wishes to express most especially a sincere appreciation and heartfelt thanks to Herrick, Maule, Scholten, and Degkwitz, Muller, Ostermayer, and Shukla for their proving data used in this paper, and also to R. Sankaran et al for their work with all the kingdoms, particularly the plant kingdom. The modern provings of Rosa spp. present a challenge to our concepts of Love, of the material heart versus the spiritual heart (23), of our awareness of God, of altered states of consciousness, and even of what has traditionally been left to mysticism, esotericism, or alchemy during previous centuries. These provings likewise challenge us to integrate spirituality into our material world and overall practice of Homeopathy. When asked his motivation for doing physics, Albert Einstein replied (26b): “I want to know how God created the world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are details.”
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More concretely, the physicist Dr. Goswami (32) acknowledges that because science is now capable of validating mysticism, much that before required a leap of faith can now be empirically proven. Hence, the materialist paradigm that has dominated scientific and philosophical thought for over two hundred years can finally be called into question. That is, when we perceive that energy dominates matter, then the subtle worlds of energy, and the role of intuition, synchronicity, etc., will lend more credence to diagnosis and remedy choices in clinical practice, and in the provings of modern remedies. Indeed, it has been speculated by some that we are presently in a transition from the Age of Reason into the Age of Intuition. Demonstrating evidence from recent research in cognitive psychology, biology, parapsychology and quantum physics, and leaning heavily on the ancient mystical traditions of the world, Dr. Goswami is building a case for a new paradigm that he calls "monistic idealism," the view that consciousness, not matter, is the foundation of everything that is. Exploring a spiritual perspective is not only in the realms of modern physics. Data from modern provings of Rosa spp. also encourage us to deepen our understanding in how we experience ‘Love’ and ‘the purpose of life’. Rosa spp. provings offer this challenge, a potential for inner transformation, a deepening of understanding, in blending the scientific and the material world with the spiritual. For the materialists, science is limited to ordinary states of consciousness. For the true spiritual mystics such as the Free Masons like Hahnemann, scientific method is used as a ‘divine tool’ of understanding the higher planes of consciousness that intersect with the material world. Higher states of consciousness are hierarchical and supervening in nature, resulting in the progression of greater knowledge, awareness, and bliss as the seeker traverses the inner planes. (56, 57, 73 - 79) The end result of ‘know thyself’ is an awakening and recognition of the Divine within one’s own heart.
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One point that is perhaps relevant for the modern Homeopath to recognize is that spiritual-esoteric thinking is quite distinct from asceticism. Ascetics turn their backs on the world and their worldly duties and responsibilities, retreating into isolated places to practice meditations, and enter into trance-like states of inner absorption or ‘samadhi’. In contrast, esotericists, such as the historical alchemists, mystics or spiritually minded people of any profession, work in the world by participating fully in education and all requirements of one’s culture, but in terms of the highest wisdom (gnosis) of which one is capable. These distinctions between esotericism and asceticism are well understood and documented by Pascal Kaplan in his thesis titled “Esoteric Knowledge: Toward a Theology of Consciousness”. Esoteric knowledge is now readily available to the world at large, and is helpful in understanding provings of Rosa spp. (2, 10, 15, 18, 27, 44, 55, 58, 63, 67, 68, 69, 74, 75, 84, 115)
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2. Themes of Rosa spp. Provings
Historically, provings of the quiescent Rosa spp. from more than a hundred years ago presented a sparse few paragraphs only (Farrington, Clarke’s Dictionary ). ). (13, 28) However, modern Rosa spp. provings are springing into life and currently fill several books presenting numerous themes, metaphors, and physical symptoms. symptoms. (21, 48, 71, 87, 99, 101, 104) Although clinically still elusive, Rosa spp. provings are beginning to proliferate. And they are increasingly revelatory of introspective depths in the provers. Certain Rosa spp. themes presented repeatedly in modern provings remain poorly understood, particularly when viewed as MIND symptoms in most of our Repertories all of which largely reflect a predominantly materialistic perspective.
A materialistic approach to understanding certain rubrics may hamper their clinical usefulness of the Rosa spp. proving data. For example, consider this small list of proving data collected from a variety of Rosa spp. provings: (21, 48, 71, 87, 99, 101, 104) 1. world pain 2. out of this world, other worldly 3. spatial orientation: colliding with other objects, accidents 4. confusion: “where am I?”; getting lost on familiar roads 5. spacey: out of touch with reality, as though high on drugs; disorientation in Space 6. sensitivity to danger is increased 7. integration into the material world 8. connectedness vs disconnectedness 9. ‘idealizing love’, i.e., ‘prince on on a white horse’
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10. “an issue: joy vs sorrow” 11. “Heart attunement” 12. “Prayer to God” 13. “feeling ‘not at at the helm”, “surrender “surrender to God God and simplicity” simplicity” 14. “Spring feelings” 15. “looking for love”, “universal love for everything” 16. “center of the heart is very active” 17. “something new, an awakening” 18. “opening up, can’t hide feelings” 19. ‘symptoms of the heart’ 20. ‘flowers blossoming and roses’ Taken individually, perhaps half of these symptoms might be somewhat retrievable in our current Repertories. On the other hand, seen as a whole, although this list is only a thumbnail sketch, there is an essence that eludes substantiation in current presentations of proving data as found abstracted in drug pictures, keynote synopses, or Materia Medicas. For example, Maule based her proving of Rosa canina on a vision she experienced of ‘The Sleeping Princess”, who is awakened by a ‘prince on a white horse’. And in Scholten’s (101) summary of Rosa spp. provings we find idealizing love, (i.e., ‘prince on a white horse’ - see no. 9 on the list above). This is considered to reflect a romanticized world-view (particularly Rosa damascena), with perhaps a trace of naivety. Scholten refers to this quality as ‘waiting for the the ideal love’. Yet, this quality of ‘ideal love’ may also be a spiritual metaphor for ‘The Return of the King’ (94, 95), or the return of the Hindu ‘Kalki Avatar’, a.k.a. Meher Baba, the White Horse Avatar (57), and also the Christian ‘White Horse (Messiah or Avatar)’ (Rev 19:11), or the Maitreya Buddha, any of which may have deep spiritual significance for thousands, or perhaps even millions of peoples across many cultures. ‘Idealizing love’ amongst the provers thus may be symbolic of a higher yearning or longing for Divine Love to manifest in one’s heart. This challenge
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from Rosa spp. is, in part, to recognize that spiritual suffering is beyond the realm of merely physical symptoms and also beyond the scope of ordinary intellect. For how does one interpret or treat ‘world pain’ (weltschmerz) or ‘the agony of spiritual longing’, or ‘dil ka dard’ (heartache)? dard’ (heartache)? How does one recognize this pain/agony as the initiating cause of psychological/physical symptoms such as depression, drugs/medication addictions, or acts of violence towards one’s self or others, etc.? How does one apply the spiritual aspects of modern Rosa spp. proving data into our homeopathic clinical environment?
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B. Three Major aspects of the Personality: Ego, Heart and Intellect
In this section, we will examine 7 of the categories given in the recent proving data publications (during the last two decades) of Rosa spp. These 7 categories are currently categorized in modern proving data as: arrogance, expansion
of
the
heart
chakra,
irritation,
preening,
synchronicity,
transformation, transformation, and love. Three major aspects of personality, ego, heart, and intellect, reflect a wide range of human experience. In this section we will explore these aspects of human nature from a spiritual perspective using modern Rosa spp proving data.
1. Arrogance (Ego) (Ego)
One common Theme characteristic of the Rosa spp. provings is the manifestation of what appears as ‘arrogance’. However, this term ‘arrogance’ has an egoistic imputation and may be falsely attributed to those awakening to a higher perspective, and likewise to sincere seekers amongst the provers who may be ripe for transformation. This false attribution may be inherently unavoidable because our homeopathic categories are sadly lacking in a spiritual dimension. Quoting the spiritual authority Meher Baba (22a) regarding the earnest seeker of Truth: “In and through his waywardness, there is a logic of his own; and all his idiosyncrasies and aberrations can be understood only if they are viewed in the light of the inner motive power. Their true significance cannot be appreciated unless they are seen in relation to the objective of the animating and dynamic pattern that he has created for himself.”
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For example, in a proving of R. canina (Maule) (71), some of the provers experienced ‘Delusions’ such as ‘he is in the presence of God’, ‘she is a Goddess’, ‘things look wonderful and beautiful’, that ‘she is and wants to be beautiful and wonderful’, ‘he is trapped in time’, ‘time is suspended’. Actually there are a variety of prover recorded instances for Rosa spp., of past/present/future experiences of being suspended in some type oblivious fog-brained state or alternatively in God’s Presence, Bliss, etc. Regarding the peak experience of God’s presence, one is reminded of Brother Lawrence (The Practice of the Presence of God) who once said (67), “we should fix ourselves firmly in the presence of God by conversing all the time with Him”. However, these proving experiences would be categorized in our proving data as ‘delusional’, obviously distorting the essence and significance of such experiences and practices. Worthy of note is a homeopathic journal editorial (25): “To live consciously in this union with the Creator and all creation is blessedness, wisdom. It is felt in the heart as love and acts in the world as virtue and order.” It appears that the goal of all life, ‘know thySelf’, alluded to by Hahnemann, St. Francis of Assisi, and Sri Aurobindo, Paschero etc., falls into the psychological category of ‘Delusion’. This ‘delusion’ is most often perceived as a form of arrogance, since it is commonly believed that people cannot aspire to be in God’s company or to become ‘God Realized’. Thus, the spiritual understanding and value of this type of Rosa spp. proving data are often overlooked or dismissed in homeopathic Repertories, Prescribers, Keynote Synopses, Materia Medicas, Journals, etc., where these experiences are recorded as Delusions, and wherein they are psychologically classified as arrogance (an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance), preening, etc. Aesculapius in the Balance , 1805) (38a): However, Hahnemann wrote ( Aesculapius
“Art thou not destined to approach by the ladder of hallowed impressions, ennobling deeds, all-penetrating knowledge, even towards the great Spirit whom all the inhabitants of the universe worship?”
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If in fact such goals of life as Hahnemann describes, or purpose of life from a spiritual perspective, are considered in our reference works as ‘Delusional”, we may start to wonder if our world is somehow turned upside down, with the human ego/intellect standing on top of, or at the center of all of life, and the Divine Love of Higher Self/God/Enlightenment being ‘somewhere else’, ‘if at all’, ‘after death’, death’, etc. In ancient times (circa 400 BC), Plato, a chief disciple and scribe of Socrates, had a similar message (52b): “Tell me, Socrates, are you in earnest, or only in jest? For if you are in earnest, and what you say is true, is not the whole of human life turned upside down; and are we not doing, as would appear, in everything the opposite of what we ought to be doing?” Later, in the late 1500’s, a contrary example of this ‘upside down’ perspective is found in the ancient spiritual Chinese text titled Monkey (9). The overly clever Monkey (i.e., the restless intelligence/ego) at one point imagines himself to be the ‘King of Heaven’, ‘all seeing and all knowing.’ He only awakens from his ‘delusion’ (which actually is a delusion) when God challenges him to locate the end of the universe, which he imagines he has found and ‘marks’ it, and upon his return to be in God’s presence reveling in his great feat, is amazed to discover that he was only pissing on a finger of God’s Hand. The arrogance of the modern Monkey Mind (intelligence/ego) is matchless, and it is actually arrogance - it is not falsely labeled. However, what is commonly considered ‘Delusional’ or ‘arrogant’ seems, at least in the case of Rosa spp., provings, to be mis-categorized, perhaps due to the socially tolerated inability to discriminate between the false claims of arrogant monkey-minds and sincere reports of valid spiritual experiences. Making this distinction is often deemed judgmental, inappropriate (rude), undemocratic (all men are created equal), etc. This potentially results in a mislabeling of people in the world and of provers who are actually having valid spiritual experiences (triggered during the medicinal proving). The next example demonstrates this possibility of confusing ‘arrogance’ with a heart awakening towards a deeper spiritual experience.
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“Just now I did some meditation with the remedy and again I had the feeling of being from this higher perspective and looking down”. This prover had another similar experience during a meditation just prior to the proving in which he had this image: “Suddenly I sit on a high place on a mountain and look way down in a very deep depth.” (21) This prover’s experience is found in the homeopathic category of ‘arrogance’, that is, ‘to be above others’. It is possible that the prover in his meditation may be: 1) witnessing the world from an inner ‘higher’ perspective, or 2) simply visualizing himself sitting on an imaginary mountain overlooking a deep valley or 3) maybe re-experiencing a past life memory as a yogi. At present, the most socially, intellectually, and for many spiritually, acceptable option from these interpretations is something like number 2, as ‘being above others’ while visualizing grandiose scenery, which is sometimes perceived as a sort of mountebankery. Thus it is labeled as arrogance. However, one great yogi saint, Sri Aurobindo, observed (2): “for it is from higher summits where dwells the intuitional being that they derive knowledge which they turn into thought or sight and bring down to us for the mind’s transmutation.” Aurobindo’s clarity might give more credence to points 1 and 3 mentioned above, and reduce the appearance of arrogance to one of misunderstanding. misunderstanding. Hering mentioned a dream experience of the spiritual world from which the material world appeared small (64): “I had a very vivid dream toward morning. I had a look into the spirit world. All material things there seemed small to me; everything, people and objects, were diminutive. I saw children at play, and people walking about and conversing. It then appeared to me as if I heard a voice saying: ‘If thou wilt, this world may be opened to you’. I said: ‘No! I do not wish it,’ and awoke.” The spiritual dimension descends into and influences the human psyche as Light, which illumines the mind as it affects the intellect (satori), and it also blossoms from within the mind of the heart as an opening of very direct
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expressiveness in a desire for love. The result of this spiritual ‘awakening’ is a wide diversity of experiences and expressions that manifest according to the inner development of consciousness. When an inner experience of great and joyous well-being arose within provers of Rosa spp., some responded in a self-consciously egoistic manner of arrogance, preening or irritability, while others responded to a ‘state of grace’ with appreciation, acceptance and effacement befitting the opening of the heart to higher love. Arrogance (i.e., ego-centricity, or an exaggerated sense of one’s importance) is usually an observation made by others, not by the person (Prover) themselves as a self-reflection. ‘I feel arrogant’, as some of the Rosa spp. provers expressed, is a verbal paradox that may display a remarkable degree of self-awareness for a person who is presumably arrogant. Arrogance usually implies a lack of selfawareness. So it is surprising that some of the provers describe themselves as arrogant. This is all the more evident when a few of the provers questioned being described as arrogant by close friends or family. One prover expressed the irony of this paradox as: Prover 8 (21): “My brothers have recognized that I have become egoistic, but I don’t like egoistic people - I know that I am not really egoistic - it shocks me when they say I am egoistic - why should someone be egoistic?” In this prover’s experience, being perceived as egotistical (arrogant) is a puzzling issue. The irony seems to lie in exactly what it is that is seeking ‘excess recognition’. Is it the ‘rise in a loving feeling expressing itself’, or is it the ‘fall in self-deluded self-importance’ ? In our modern times, people commonly ‘fall in love’ and seldom ‘rise in love’ to a higher understanding and expression. Hence the tendency to presume ‘arrogance’ for anyone having a ‘higher experience’ would be the common interpretation. Again, this misinterpretation reflects the distortion of the psychological perspective in the absence of a deeper spiritual understanding.
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This prover seems to feel that she is not being egoistic, that in fact she does not like egoistic people and is ‘shocked’ she is being labeled egoistic. She seems to feel that something else, which is difficult to articulate, is actually happening within her. This ‘misinterpretation or misunderstanding’ seems to be a strong Rosa theme. Misunderstanding the higher aspects of love was a multi-level theme of The Little Prince (98). The little prince perceived his ‘rose’ as ‘not any too
modest’, yet she was ‘moving and exciting’. In the verbal dance interplay between the prince and the rose, the prince perceives the rose as making ‘false assertions, requesting of him to ‘serve’ her with seemingly ridiculous requests, and as being full of inaccuracies and inconsistencies, selfcongratulatory,
unnecessarily
complicated,
all
of
which
created
an
overwhelmingly large ‘doubt’ in him causing him to abandon her. Furthermore, he mistakenly refers to her as ‘a weed’. In contrast, if the story is viewed from the perspective of the Rose, the essence of this story becomes much more clear. The Rose perceives the little prince as chilly, causing her to need a glass cover and thorns to protect herself from all the ‘tigers’ of intellectual misunderstandings, including being mischaracterized as ‘a weed’. Her quality of being a beautiful rose whose scent and beauty are to be admired appears to be overlooked, and she is mistakenly regarded as being a conceited or arrogant no-account weed. The little prince confuses the Rose’s ‘need for love’ and ‘natural expression’ variously as ‘conceit’ (preening), or ‘arrogance’, etc. Yet, in his interactions with both the self-appointed ‘king’ with his ‘magnificent air of authority’ and the ‘conceited man’ visited by the little prince a little while later there is a tone or ring of falseness, especially when the latter claims to be the ‘handsomest, the best-dressed, the richest, and the most intelligent man’ by his own estimation. The prince then experiences ‘monotony’ (boredom) (boredom) in being being requested to admire this this conceited man.
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In contrast, the rose was not at all monotonous, being beautiful in appearance and scent, and being sweet and loving. Yet, the little prince failed to appreciate all these qualities of his rose, and abandoned her. The idea of the rose not being too modest, i.e., arrogant, is inherently false, because the rose is actually being what she indubitably is: beautiful, fragrant, lovely, graceful, even elegant. She is unlike the conceited man who is requesting, even demanding, admiration for traits which he claims to possess, traits which are not at all visible to the little prince, and which create in the little prince a feeling of boredom. Yet these concepts of love versus arrogance/preening are similarly confusing when interpreting data from provers of Rosa spp. Is the so-called arrogance of the provers actually an unexpected spiritual experience, perhaps something like an inner glow, which is seeking accompaniment? Or is it a ‘Gollum-type’ of an egoistic expression, or both? Another example of ‘arrogance’ ‘arrogance’ is from a Prover Prover (21) who, in the course course of everyday life, encounters an arrogant transgression of rudeness, and who is ‘very direct’ in responding to to the situation: situation: “Today on the bus a businessman with his briefcase sat next to me with his head on my dress and I thought thought to myself ‘who does he think he is?’ and I was angry and disgusted by this smell (of tobacco). ‘These men, they just do whatever they like’. I stood up from my place and said, full of arrogance, “Chi”; if I had sat there longer I would have started an argument, for he had behaved inappropriately; inappropriately; moreover, he became very impolite when I got up.’ When one is dealing with clever ‘monkey minds’, arrogance is often disguised by false counter-assertions. There is a literary example of this type of arrogance found in Moby Dick , where the whalers arrogantly made false assertions when referring to the whales as ‘demonic’, holding the natural response of the whales towards the aggression of whalers as an independent unprovoked ‘demonic’ phenomenon. The whalers conveniently and cleverly viewed these ‘demonic’ qualities as something disconnected from the context of their own aggressive behaviour.
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In this last proving example, the arrogance and counter-assertion of the businessman transgressing transgressing boundaries is a commonplace occurrence. Yet this prover was made to feel arrogant due to the business man’s clever ‘monkey mind’ and ‘willful ignorance’ and also due to his impolite reply, the drama of which made the prover appear to be the one who was provocative and arrogant. Many provers experienced similar episodes of arrogance. Also, many provers of Rosa spp. experienced becoming ‘very direct and intense’, and even some of the provers were taken aback by their newly discovered expressions of ‘directness’. (87, 104) From an ordinary perspective, the directness of these provers might appear as arrogant. However, from a striving towards a higher understanding of being in the world in a more ego-less manner, these provers might be witnessing themselves and the people around them in ‘a different light’. Ortega, a prominent Mexican Homeopath, distinguished the difference between the personality, and the individuality, the latter which he described as the ‘essential essence’, ‘the innermost core of Being’, ‘unadulterated unpretentiousness’, aka self-effacement. (86) Rosa provers appeared to respond to this proving according to whether it was their personality, or their individuality that was uppermost in their development of consciousness. There is no doubt that the impediments of the ego represent obstacles needing to be overcome. However, that which may be labeled by the provers themselves as ‘arrogance’ might simply be a diminished tolerance with arrogant behaviour, behaviour which has become socially prevalent and even acceptable. Standing up for oneself is not always arrogant, even if the ‘transgression’ has been overlooked, willfully ignored, or has become commonplace.
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2. Expansion of the Heart Chakra (Heart-Feelings) (Heart-Feelings)
Heart issues expressed during all of the provings often have deep spiritual significance. Some provers of the Rosa spp. described aspects of heart expression as an opening into a greater conscious awareness. In the mid 1800’s, Homeopath Edwin Hale, M.D., (43) wrote: “It is my conviction that but few physicians have realized the importance of the subtle relations of the brain or mind with the heart; or appreciate the connection between the soul and that centre of physical life. We might go so far as to assert, that as there is a corporeal heart, so there must be a spiritual heart, which is the centre of soul-life… A physician may be treating the heart with medicines, when his efforts should be directed to a ‘mind diseased.’ We should never lose sight of the psychological [or psycho-spiritual] relations of the heart, as well as its anatomical, physiological, physiological, and pathological history.” When considering the feeling aspect of the mind, located within the heart, it is helpful to view this from a spiritual perspective. Meher Baba wrote (92): “The mind has a dual function… The first function is that of thinking. The second function of mind includes all feelings and emotions; that means the heart. So what is known as the heart is actually the second functioning of the mind itself.” One prover (48) expressed this concept from the ‘mind of her heart’ as ‘bursting with with excitement’: “Expansion in the area of the heart chakra, a sense of expectation or excitement, like a feeling of being just so excited about something, like children get, about to burst.” Hafiz, a Persian Perfect Master and sublime poet, connects ‘love and laughter’ with the spiritual awakening process of the Soul (66a):
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What is this precious love and laughter Budding in our hearts? It is the glorious sound Of a soul waking up! ~ Hafiz Another literary metaphor for this prover’s experience of being ‘so excited, like children get, about to burst’ is that of George MacDonald’s (69) story titled, The Light Princess (perhaps originally based on the Briar Rose fairytale). The Light Princess is so light that she floats in the air, has difficulties with gravity, and on being questioned regarding her ‘state of being’ (i.e., consciousness) by her concerned parents (the King and Queen) she replies: “I have a curious feeling sometimes, as if I were the only person that had any sense in the whole world.” ‘She had been trying to behave herself with dignity, but now she burst into a violent fit of laughter, threw herself backwards over the chair, and went rolling about the floor in an ecstasy of enjoyment.’ Here, the Light Princess is full of light, love and joy. However, she may appear as arrogant when imagining herself as being “the only person that had any sense in the whole world”, or as frivolous, whimsical, unreliable, etc. To the perspective of the intellect, her claims of having much sense, and her quality of emotional volatility may, at times, be exasperating. Furthermore, provers of Rosa spp., described people around them as ‘stupid’, which is similar to the state of mind of the Light Princess, and even more exasperating to the intellectual perspective when fiction becomes reality. (69) Yet to the feeling-based mind of some individuals, the intellectual types may be just as exasperating. Giving more credence to MacDonald’s Light Princess, is the ancient esoteric fact that “the ‘I’ of every self-aware
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entity is a “pure, immaterial light.” (18) The esoteric practice of circulating Light is said to put “10,000 eons and 1,000 births at rest”. (68) Being of Light and joy is the outcome of a highly cultivated practice (of Self-Knowing), to such an extent that for one who is experiencing this sublime state, it might appear as ‘stupid’ to necessitate claims to be otherwise. Again Hafiz renderings give some insight into this experience of true freedom (66b): “The Friend has has such exquisite taste That every time you bow to Him, Your mind will will become lighter lighter and more Refined; Your spirit will will prepare its voice to laugh laugh In an outrageous freedom.” ~ Hafiz In Ostermayer’s (87) proving of Rosa canina, several provers provers describe “happy moods almost running over, like a glass which is running over with water”, and “full of power, full of energy, high mood, euphoric during the whole day”. Another prover felt so much happiness and energy and power that on waking up in the morning, said to the mirror, “Good morning!” This next prover also resembles the Light Princess who felt “as if I were the only person that had any sense in the whole world”. However, this prover appears to have had some difficulties integrating a higher awareness into ordinary awareness, having become more aware of their own ego and its stumbling blocks during the Rosa spp. proving (48): “My ego and the desire to utter my opinion were very important; …all the time I have the feeling that I am right and the others are completely wrong: I am more right than all the others, they are all completely stupid. During the communication I was aware of my ego, after taking in the remedy my ego was hurt; usually my ego is not so much in my way…”
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This may appear as a self-evaluation of one’s arrogance, or as an evaluation of the work that lies ahead, one of spiritual transformation towards a state of egoless-ness. When one begins to become free of the ego, one can see the ego acting more clearly and begin to rise above its limitations. If Rosa spp. provers are stumbling over their own egos, what does this actually mean? How does one interpret the ‘ego’ according to its function and role? Meher Baba wrote eloquently about the true nature of the human ego (77): “The ego “has a destined place and performs a specific mission in the evolution of consciousness. The formation of the ego serves the purpose of giving a certain measure of stability to conscious processes; it also provides a working equilibrium that makes for a planned and organized life…” “However, the ego has ‘ingrained in its very nature’ the ambition to transgress the boundaries of its ordained domain and to assume dictatorial powers over the soul. The most cunning weapon of the ego in achieving this is its fostering of a sense of separateness from the rest of creation; emphasis on difference from other forms of life and provocation of conflict with them are its favorite ammunition. Moreover, to conceal its identity and design, the ego masquerades under the false conceit of identification with the body. As long as its disguise remains undetected, it is the source of all the illusion that vitiates experience. “Unsurpassed in subtlety and deception, ruthless in tactics, the ego proceeds to consolidate its position by fair means or foul. The chief aim of its strategy is to deep-root and perennialize the sense of individual separateness, for the ego can best thrive in the jungle growth of spiritual ignorance thus fecundated in the mind of man. The ego is acutely aware that the sprouting of the first shoots of spiritual curiosity marks the beginning of its own doom. All its crafty maneuvering is consequently centered on one plot: to thwart or at least postpone indefinitely the germination of hyperphysical inquisitiveness .
Inevitably, then, the ego becomes the chief hindrance to the enlightenment of consciousness, the most formidable foe of spiritual emancipation.” (italics added)
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In our homeopathic literature we find a similar editorial observation (25): “Acting for the separate ego…man has created so much disorder and suffering that the world itself has become suffering, life has become darkness!” And “how extraordinary it is that man, being from the start perfection and living within the spirit, should think himself and the world to be separate from God...” What may be relevant in the deepest curative sense of well-being, is Meher Baba’s observation of the work needing to be done within each individual (78): “The vicious circle circle that needs to to be broken through is that that the distorted mind-heart of the limited ego cannot see the meaning of life, and therefore, it also cannot free itself from its own distortions and resistances.” Patients may not be able to express their needs so eloquently, and yet, their physical symptoms may be the outer manifestations of their internal struggles. This gives more significance to Hahnemann’s guidance for the Homeopath to ‘know thyself’. This same prover (21) who experienced ‘stumbling blocks’ with his ego also expressed an aspect of humiliation as well: ‘I think it is humiliating that he makes the new one sit inside while I have to do this meaningless job’. Humiliation was likewise expressed throughout many of the Rosa spp. provings. Humiliation is often seen as the spiritual solution for excess of egoness, in order to produce humility. Other
provers
experienced
many
types
of
heart
symptoms
energetically. Provers described variously ‘expansion in the area of the heart chakra’, ‘protection by the active power of grace’, numerous reports of protection by guardian angels and spirit guides, ‘awareness of my heart, the vibration now felt there’ and many more similar experiences which can easily
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be misunderstood or poorly represented in our current homeopathic literature. Likewise, the spiritual aspect may be overlooked or disregarded. These provings may trigger awakenings that the provers did not prepare for, and so they may not realize what is happening to them. Another prover expressed heart issues as the: ‘mind’s judgments and/or conditioned-learned habits which drain the heart without replenishing’. In this case the prover appears to be describing the overbearing role of the intellect and or ego when it drains the heart without replenishing it. Some provers simply labeled this overbearing quality of the intellect or ego as ‘stupid’. Other provers recognized the need for disciplining the ego or intellect to allow for the gentle wisdom of openness and compassion of the heart. Without this necessary discipline, the heart becomes drained of its vitality and nourishment. Another prover expressed the issue of the heart versus the intellect eloquently as (48): “What made an impression on me was the image of opening to new opportunities, good fortune; heart energy in abundance, with a petty line that puts the brakes on things. Afterwards I thought, it takes great discipline to have an open and compassionate heart. If the mind is not aligned to the heart’s generosity, much could be wasted in the distraction of mind’s judgments and/or conditioned-learned habits, draining the heart without replenishing.” Thus, as with arrogance, the misinterpretation of light, joy, laughter, and labeling of people as stupid when the heart is opened or awakened to a higher perspective, can be misleading. A true spiritual approach to life welcomes such experiences of heart awakenings.
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3. Irritation (Intellect)
“The soul has been given its own ears to hear things that the mind does not understand.”
~ Rumi (4b) We live in a predominantly secular world that values an externalizing perspective of doing, achieving, and successful undertakings in worldly matters. Clearly, the materialist paradigm of consciousness has dominated the subtle conscious perspective of energy since the Age of Reason, during the last 500 years or more. One consequence is that our modern world values the thinking intellect almost exclusively when contrasted with the feeling mind of the heart, whose qualities may include: love, compassion, introspection, being-ness, solitude, increasing inner awareness, angelic guides/companions, awakening one’s heart to the higher Reality (Love) which lies dormant within, like a ‘sleeping princess’, or as one prover described, ‘all this sitting around doing nothing’. Provers would naturally experience ‘issues’, often expressed by them as irritation, impatience, annoyance, etc., when suddenly introduced to glimpses of a greater and perhaps higher awareness, whilst striving to maintain a hectic and fast paced work schedule oriented towards the ‘material world’. This hectic world world does not not readily support support or sustain sustain the integration integration of this expanded awareness, and the result is often one of mental irritability. When an individual consciousness is operating predominantly out of a worldly oriented intellectual framework, these ‘other-worldly’ experiences might be most unwelcome or even irritating. To be blissfully unable to concentrate or focus on any task, school studies, or while driving to a specific location, etc, and also, at the same time, to be on a strict schedule or timeline, is not quite the same thing as sitting in a cave meditating, wherein these experiences might be more welcome. 63
The listing is excessive of experiences from provers of Rosa spp.: of being ‘irritated’ because they ‘couldn’t get anything done’, or ‘being out of this world’, being ‘irritated with incompetence’ or ‘irritated with materialism’, etc. Irritation sometimes also appeared as being opinionated. For some provers, feelings of separation manifested as rebellion or independence, accompanied by anger. One prover observed observed (21): “I realize that the the feeling of being being in a fog goes away slowly; but it is replaced by an extreme irritability.” “….still feeling irritable, but I have an enormous desire for Truth, so I speak frankly and hope that my fellow beings recognize that I do not want to hurt them.” So the fog does lift, but there is an underlying irritability, accompanied by an enormous desire for Truth, and speaking frankly, or as other provers described, being amazingly ‘direct’, while at the same time not wanting to hurt others. It appears as if the proving triggers a heart opening or awakening which floods the intellect, confuses it, fogs it, and then irritation soon follows, and then the feeling mind of the heart speaks ‘with directness’ with a desire for Truth (‘frankly’ may also mean ‘openly and honestly’ or ‘directly’). This shift in awareness to a feeling mind, which is speaking openly and frankly, came as a surprise to a number of provers for Rosa spp. In our modern world, the shift in consciousness into a blissfully awakened state as the feeling mind begins to surface when the heart opens to a greater love for all, is normally considered to be what happens in spiritual ashrams, or perhaps with evolved yogi’s living in the Himalayas, etc. That is to say, it’s not something most people think about on a daily basis. Actually, it seems rare to find someone who blends spiritual awakenings with a hectic work schedule in a modern city, like a demi-mystic. (19) This proving appears to challenge our cultural ‘norms’ that for the most part include a hectic life. Many provers of Rosa spp sometimes expressed irritation when an internal shift occurred, moving them from their ‘ordinary consciousness’ into what some provers described as a ‘drug induced altered state’, described variously as ‘fog-brained’, ‘cottonwool’, ‘out of touch with the real world’, or as ‘a state
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of grace’, etc. (It might be useful to know if any of the provers were having flashbacks of a previous drug experience.) It is interesting that there are no narcotic properties associated with the Rose, and that this ‘drug-induced altered state’ had only come from the provings. As mentioned above, these fog brained states appear to be due to the feeling mind of the heart opening or awakening, thereby confusing the perspective of the intellect, along with disrupting its working capability of negotiating worldly matters, in the process. Irritability may also be connected with the experiences of provers who had of a disturbing ‘lack of ambition’. One prover described this ‘lack of ambition’ as one of the causes of irritation (21): “Today in the morning I was feeling rather irritable and very impatient. Everything was too slow for me and I became impatient.” And “This day is getting on my nerves. I am extremely angry. This stupid sitting around, I have no interest at all, no happiness, no drive, no desire to do anything - I hate it. It’s increasingly complicated to let these states be as they are - but the more I resist them the worse these states become, and then I get more angry at these states and so it is even more difficult to bear it.” However, other provers enjoyed the ‘stupid sitting around’, the calm and blissful states, and became ‘irritated’ whenever they were disturbed! (21): “I am very irritable when when people try to take away my quiet atmosphere atmosphere and the feeling of being alone, and when people approach me I get irritable.” Many other provers expressed being ‘edgy’ or irritable as a result of being slightly off balance internally, and described various states of heightened awareness, anxiety, nervousness, etc. Here is a small sampling of Rosa spp provers expressions of irritability (21): “Irritable, I’m exploding exploding over trivial matters, matters, and screaming around.” “I recognize a certain irritability when something gets on my nerves...” “I feel irritable today today and woke woke up in a sad sad mood.” “I became highly irritated irritated and impatient, impatient, which actually was very very close to an inward desperation, which went as quickly as it came.”
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In parts of the West, anger and irritation are generally considered as socially taboo, and anger is therefore often characterized by provers as anxiety, frustration, annoyance, being opinionated, or even as rebellion. For example, one prover expressed, “I experienced anxiety in looking at the incompetence of the nurses while dealing with people.” Another prover wrote (48), “I was annoyed at their distraction by the banalities of materialism”. Irritation sometimes manifested if the form of rebellion, with a need for independence: “Why do we have to do work for you when we should be studying Homeopathy…. Homeopathy…. I rebel and leave the group and go on my own.’ (48) Yet some provers were able to experience the tides of Rosa spp provings in what might be described as a ‘state of grace’. These provers were able to detach themselves from false ego identification, and were able to appreciate the enmeshment of the human experience with the Divine as an inner serenity. “I am content, joyful, full of grace and expanding in the knowing of who I am. I am a child of God. Freedom is detaching from the opinions of others, the prejudices of others, the fear of others.” (48) Irritation, for many people, commonly occurs when they are overwhelmed with a situation that seems to be totally and completely unmanageable, such as the proving experiences of being ‘fog-brained’ or ‘cottonwool’ (German (German expression, ‘wie in Watte gepackt’). Fog-brained states may be an ego defense mechanism, which alerts the individual intellect/ego that something is not quite right somehow. If the heart is awakening after a long period of quiescence, dormancy, then this may be confusing to the overall operating system of individual consciousness as this heart opening may affect the domain of the intellect which has been accustomed to handling the daily worldly affairs. Irritability and frustration can appear when one who is accustomed to easily negotiate daily activities is, for no apparent reason, no longer able to do so, or to have no control over this situation. For some provers, the experience of being unable to locate a place they go to daily or very often, again for no apparent reason, is another
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source of irritation. To be in school and unable to concentrate can be irritating, especially if this inability lingers on for days at a time. It would be helpful if we understood more about consciousness, about how to negotiate ‘fog-brain/cottonwool’ experiences, and about how to utilize these experiences experiences in a positive positive way.
How amazingly amazingly remarkable remarkable are are the
brave efforts of provers who ran into walls, fell off their bikes, were incredibly clumsy, couldn’t study anything at all, got lost while driving to school and other familiar places, or got stuck in various ‘dreamlands’. Indeed, it appears as if this heart process of awakening is a dual-edged sword, as many provers expressed a dichotomy between blissful states of calm, serenity, patience, courage, benevolence, love for all, etc., in contrast with experiences of danger, robbing others, impatience, rage, powerlessness, being chased by others intending to harm them, lust, greed, humiliation, loss of focus, clumsiness, etc. As of now, collectively as Homeopaths we have ‘no bearings, no fixed points’ to identify what is happening with consciousness in such experiences. At one point, not too distant in our collective past, it was deemed that the earth was flat, that the Sun rotated around the earth, and that knowing the Truth of these speculations was beyond ordinary knowledge or thought. Nowadays, we reach a similar abyss, in understanding the true nature of the human mind with its relationship to the Soul, and its greater relationship to a unity of consciousness, inherent in ‘know thyself’. In a time when the world was perceived as flat, people actually imagined ‘walking to the edge and falling off!”, as they had no accurate understanding of their material world back then. During the Middle Ages people regarded a scientific approach to understanding the world they lived in as ‘magic’ and ‘diabolical’, or as attempting to know that which cannot be known. (2) We have made great strides in understanding our material world, yet we lack the understanding of our inner world, of consciousness, of what is ‘separate’ and what what is ‘shared’ and and the laws governing governing higher realities.
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Many believe it is simply not possible to know about consciousness in a scientific manner, as they regard science as being limited to the tools used to explore the material world. Yet, being practical in a worldly sense and being spiritually minded are mutually inclusive according to the esotericists. The distinction is made here in that it is the ascetics who turn their backs on the world, while the esotericists
work
within
their
cultures
to
promote higher
spiritual
understanding. understanding. (58) Thus, these Rosa spp. provers may be ‘breaking-through’ in the arena of consciousness, an area which is still largely in the dark for the average person, and at times, terrifying. One is reminded of Hering (64), the jungles of South America, the bushmaster snake, his left arm, and also of his dream/experience/vision in which he rejected the offer to move into ‘the world of spirit’. In summary, while the psychological category of ‘irritation’ is an accurate category for the proving data of Rosa spp., when overlooking the spiritual component of these Rosa spp. proving experiences, this category of irritation can limit or even distort the meaning and interpretation of these provers’ experiences. This has been demonstrated thus far with provers’ experiences being categorized as ‘arrogance’, ‘expansion of the heart chakra’, and now with ‘irritation’. And yet, the difficulties of a spiritual approach inherent in ‘know thyself’ may be accurately expressed as:
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MAN MINUS MIND IS GOD
“To try to to understand with with the mind that which the mind can never understand, is futile; and to try to express by sounds of language and in form of words the transcendental state of the soul, is even more futile. All that can be be said, and has been said, and will be said, by those who live and experience that state is that when the false self is lost, the Real Self is found; that the birth of the Real can only follow the death of the false; and that dying to ourselves - the true death which ends all dying - is the only way to perpetual life. This means that when the mind with its satellites desires, cravings, longings is completely consumed by the fire of Divine Love, then the infinite, indestructible, indivisible, eternal Self is manifested. (56, 80a) Obviously this represents a very long journey in consciousness resulting in what Hahnemann, Perfect Masters, teachings of Christianity, Hinduism, etc., have alluded to as, “know thyself’.
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Such realization of ‘eternal Self’ is generally considered to be impossible during the short duration of a ‘Rosa spp. proving’. Nonetheless, some profound awakenings in the heart may flood the mind and cause such ‘disorientations’ ‘disorientations’ as were experienced by many provers of the Rosa spp. spp. These may be misunderstood from a psychological perspective, perspective, and/or ignored from an intellectual perspective.
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Part 2
Effects of Spiritual Life on Provers
This section proceeds as a continuation of a spiritual perspective applied to Rosa spp. provings, in an exploration of the experience of human consciousness as it shifts its focus from the diversity of the material world to the unifying awareness of God within us all.
4. Preening – Self-Awareness Self-Awareness
Preening may be sometimes viewed as an outward expression of ‘Spring feelings’, which occurs when the heart is stimulated or ‘awakened’ into a greater spiritual self -awareness and an increased capacity for love during the proving. Preening may be an expression of higher longing for the Divine. The highest form of love is expressed beautifully in the next quote from this 17th Century Islamic saint: “Tear down the the mosque and temple too, break all that divides. But do not break the human heart as it is there that God resides.’’ ~ Bulleh Shah (102) Preening is not not necessarily limited to a crude form of self-adulation, self-adulation, it may simply be the frequently misunderstood outward manifestation of an inner need to feel loved. One of the many Themes of Rosa spp. in modern provings is that of being misunderstood, be it arrogance, preening, love, etc. What is the value of a deeper understanding of higher Love? Meher Baba wrote: “This gift of understanding is more precious than any other attribute of Love, be it expressed in service or sacrifice. Love can be blind, selfish, greedy, ignorant, but love with understanding can be none of these things. It is the Divine fruit of Pure Love, the rare fruit or flower of the Universe. It has been called ‘The Sweetest Flower in all the world!’ Age
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cannot wither it. It grows more lovely as it casts off its outer garment, disclosing its unseen beauty within.” (72) If the individual consciousness operates more out of a ‘feeling based self-interest’, then it appears that the heart’s opening to greater love may
descend into self-preening, as if ‘look at me, aren’t I pretty?’ Yet, in the story of The Little Prince , the Rose - in her need for admiration - may simply have been looking for a loving feeling. The Little Prince observes: “Oh! How beautiful you are!” and the Rose responded sweetly: “Am I not? And I was born at the same moment as the Sun…” As soon as he admired her, her so-called ‘vanity’ began to appear as ‘excessive’ to his perspective, and the so-called ‘preening’ began, perhaps simply a need for love. His superficial admiration taking the form of infatuation may have caused her reaction that, from his perspective, resembled preening or self-adulation. This reflects a perspective that had not yet experienced true Love. From her perspective, love was ‘matter of fact’ or ‘self-evident’. As she told the Little Prince when he decided to leave, ‘of course I love you” and “it is my fault that you have not known it all the while. That is of no importance. But you - you have been just as foolish as I. Try to be happy.” The dynamic between the Little Prince and the Rose depicts a traditional tragic love story, reflecting a necessary part of the growth of human consciousness since time immemorial. There have been a number of homeopathic clinical cases published demonstrating the ‘preening’ qualities of Rosa spp., wherein the persons cited were benefited by Rosa spp. in potency. Scholten (101) identified the value of Rosa damascena for the psychological need for love. Likewise, Anna Wirtz found this symptom to be clinically effective, in treating a young adult male with sinusitis who stated, “I am an idealist, a dreamer. I like the green environmental idea, but it still needs to be structured”, and who appeared to Wirtz (116) with an “openness, giving me the feeling of a sweet child who trusted me totally to solve his problem.” Wirtz prescribed Rosa damascena MK in a solution. Priti Shah (103)
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also gave a clinical case of the need for self-approbation, a variation of ‘preening’, which responded well well to Rosa damascena damascena 30c. It has been observed in our homeopathic literature that (25), “the inner freedom of heart and mind disappear as man seeks it in selfish gratification; the word love increasingly comes to mean selfish sensual satisfaction”. To view the provers’ expressions of love, in the absence of the clarity of a spiritual perspective, may inevitably distort or limit the meaning and usefulness of their proving data. It may be useful, both in provings and clinically, to discern the differences between higher forms of love and the qualities of love that predominate with the lower desire nature . Meher Baba clarified the higher and lower aspects of love (74): “The emergence of higher love from the shell of lower love is helped by the constant exercise of discrimination. Therefore, love has to be carefully distinguished from the obstructive factors of infatuation, lust, greed and anger. In infatuation, the person is a passive victim of the spell of conceived attraction for the object. In love there is an active appreciation of the intrinsic worth of the object of love.” “Love is also different from lust. Lust is dissipation; love is restoration. restoration. Lust is a craving of the senses; love is the expression of the spirit. Lust seeks fulfillment, but love experiences fulfillment. In lust there is excitement, and in love there is tranquility. To have loved someone is like adding another life to your own. Your life is, as it were, multiplied, and you virtually live in two centers.” Preening may also appear as self-focused delusions, extreme emotionalism, narcissism, etc.
But aside from extreme feeling-based
pathology, there is the inevitable discord between the ‘mind’ and the ‘heart’ in our daily lives. When the perspective of the heart may appear to the perspective of the intellect as too ‘emotional’, ‘lacking in reason or logic’, or ‘unpredictable’, ‘unnecessarily complicating matters’, etc., and this list of ‘unacceptables’ becomes endless, then the all too common result is that the intellect simply reacts by ‘shutting its doors’ to the so-called ‘quibbling’ perspective of the heart. 73
This is similar to the Little Prince’s response to his rose, as he hopped from planet to planet due to his initial superficial assessment of his beloved Rose. This stressful dynamic between the heart and the intellect may occur within the consciousness of a single individual, or between any two individuals. If this story of The Little Prince is is viewed from the perspective of the Rose herself, a perspective of the feeling mind located within her heart, the closed doors of the intellect from the Little Prince to her feeling-based expressions of love and needing love, appeared as ‘chilly’ to her heart. Her being misinterpreted as a sort of ‘willful nonsense’, being ‘difficult’, as some form of ‘vanity’, or as a ‘weed’, caused the Rose to require a ‘glass cover’ to protect her from these superficial misunderstandings misunderstandings of the Little Prince. Hence a homeopathic clinical symptom of a ‘rose cold’ may be the result, as the feeling mind perspective of the heart begins to ‘sneeze’ or ‘cough’ in an attempt to awaken love. The intellect responds to this ‘nonsense’ by turning its back on the realm of feelings in a similar fashion as did the Little Prince who shifted to another planet! This drama has been portrayed in literature of all cultures throughout the world since ages. Thus preening may simply be viewed from the perspective of the feeling mind located in the heart, as a need for higher love using the spiritual understanding of the word love. From preening, or self-awareness, we progress next into synchronicity, which links the timing and awakening processes of consciousness via coincidental events connecting the individual to the world.
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5. Synchronicity Synchronicity – World Awareness
Synchronicity, a word coined by C. G. Jung during the 1950’s, is most simply defined as “meaningful coincidence”, i.e., experienced as a significant discrepancy between reasonable expectation and what actually happens. Jung and Pauli (Nobel Prize winning Physicist) co-authored The Interpretation of Nature and the Psyche (1954), viewing this topic from the perspectives of
both psychology and physics. The word synchroncity is a general term, which includes many types of inexplicably meaningful coincidences, which may occur via clairvoyance, déjà vu, premonitions, intuitions, hunches, prophecies, etc. These phenomena are not explainable by known physical laws, and consequently may at times appear miraculous. For more information on Jung’s definition, see the annotated bibliography (53). One example of synchronicity is the burning of Stockholm coinciding with Swedenborg’s vision of it. (53, 113, 114) This is a sort of miracle of clairvoyant simultaneity, a phenomenon caused by timely supervening of karmic law as explained by Meher Baba: (73): “The law of karma supersedes and uses the other laws of Nature without violating them. Nor are the natural laws in any way violated by what are called miracles. No miracle is an exception to the existing laws of the universe. It is called a miracle because it cannot be explained by the known laws of the gross world. Here, known laws are superimposed by unknown laws; it is not a case of chaos or lawlessness.” Einstein (26a) echoed Meher Baba in his famous remark “God does not play dice with the Universe.” The spiritual path to God-consciousness is often replete with miraculous happenings occasioned by God’s response to the spiritual needs of the aspirant (e.g., Little Flowers of St. Francis , cit. 111). In Buddhist tradition, the same phenomenon may be referred to as “auspicious coincidence.” coincidence.” The following three quotes from Homeopaths Homeopaths reflect 75
a sense of timing and awakening in consciousness while echoing the ancient proverb “when the pupil is ready the Master appears”, as if by auspicious coincidence or synchronicity. Hahnemann wrote (42): “For truth is of the same eternal origin with the all-wise, benevolent Deity. Humanity can leave it long unnoticed until the time ordained by Providence when its ray shall irresistibly break through the mist of prejudices as rosy dawn at the break of day, in order to brightly and inextinguishably light humankind to its welfare.” Corroborating the truth of Hahnemann’s observations, Paschero describes his first contact with Homeopathy as a “chance circumstance’, which reflects a type of synchronicity in the form of a meaningful coincidence. Paschero (90) expresses his feeling as being “ashamed of my inability to respond to the complaints of patients who – intuitively aware of the relationship between their symptoms and their disease – were hinting at a medicine of which I was ignorant and asking for help I could not give,” which was then followed by his first contact with Homeopathy. This ‘chance circumstance’ (Paschero’s wording) may likewise be construed as a synchronistic significant coincidence. Similarly, Maule (71) described a sort of synchronicity in the form of the ‘vision’ that prompted prompted her to make a proving proving of Rosa Rosa canina. These ‘chance encounters’ are typically viewed as only that, with the result that many people are presently skeptical of any other interpretation. However, in recent years, modern physicists are echoing several millenia of spiritual literature on this topic. For example, the physicist Pauli states, “It would be most satisfactory if physics and psyche could be seen as complementary aspects of the same reality.” W. Duch (24) quoted this in a scientific paper titled “Synchronicity, Mind, and Matter”, wherein he stated, “The wish that Pauli expressed more than forty years ago, to see physics and psyche as complementary aspects of the same reality, may slowly become manifest now, thanks to our deeper understanding of the foundations of physics and the development of the cognitive sciences.”
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In the proving data of Rosa spp., it is cited that provers often knew accurately who was calling before answering the phone. This is similar to clairvoyance in perceiving things beyond normal sensory contact. Throughout the proving data, provers of Rosa spp. had experiences of synchronicity and clairvoyance, along with so many different types of ‘chance encounters’ or ‘odd coincidences’ as to puzzle even the provers into being worthy of notation. Yet, all too often these perceptions are dismissed as merely coincidental, meaningless, etc. When proving data is broken down into little pieces, the larger whole may suffer a loss of meaning and significance. Furthermore, proving data of Rosa spp. had similar themes of perceiving ‘fears manifesting’, particularly ‘premonitions of danger’, which were often dismissed as ‘delusional’, ‘imaginary’, or ‘meaningless -coincidences’. If our interpretation of ‘delusional’ is purely materialistic, i.e., externally focused, then the actual events ‘must happen’ before being considered as ‘non-delusional’ thinking. thinking. Then, if the premonitions do happen, happen, they might fall into the category of ‘incidental’ or ‘coincidental’. To deny or discredit the role of ‘heightened and accurate awareness’ or ‘intuition’, arising from the inner subtle worlds shared by all consciousness, may prove to be dangerous or even fatal for some. In these times, when such tragic events happen, as they all too often they do, it is a sad affair. These coincidences and premonitions are only delusional if they are not based in reality. However, in our society both danger and violence are commonplace. If a prover is afraid of being run over while crossing the street, and if, at the end of the proving that prover is not run over, does that mean that the fear is unfounded or ‘delusional’? As an example, one prover of Rosa spp., had experiences of synchronicity during the proving, in addition to dreaming of roses. During the proving, this prover (48) had ‘out of the blue’ contacts from two separate individuals who had been harmful in the past, one after a period of no contact for ten years, another after two years. This presents a synchronistic ‘meaningful
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coincidence’ as being ‘an illogical’, yet valid, ‘feeling’ experience of her proving of Rosa spp. Likewise, some of the provers had similar synchronistic, yet pleasant, encounters during the provings, from people they have loved and whom they had not contacted for a number of years. It seemed odd to some provers that these events of ‘out of the blue’ contacts should happen with a higher frequency than usual , during the provings.
To interpret all the synchronistic experiences of these provers as ‘meaningless coincidences’ creates a distortion of their proving experiences and corresponding data, whilst also denying the validity and development of accuracy within anyone’s intuition. It is well within the scope of Homeopathy to consider the spiritual implications of synchronistic events. William Gutman wrote (35): "Thinking in Homoeopathy is a constant wandering in a realm of pictures, comparing and differentiating drug pictures in their relation to the symptom picture of a sick individual. Causal thinking leads to analytical thinking, (whereas) phenomenological thinking (leads to) thinking in synthesis (parenthesis added). Homoeopathic thinking, as rooted in phenomenological thought, leads to synthetic thinking, striving to apprehend the whole which is the essence of all living forms.” Similarly, Jung (114) viewed synchronicity ‘as the manifestation of a unitary reality that is ‘shape’, nothing but ‘shape’. The Homeopath thinks along these lines in theory when he refers to “similia similibus” and the inner “essence” or "spirit" "spirit" of the indicated remedy. remedy. The Homeopath works along these lines in clinical practice, when he uses the Law of Similars to relate the "shape" or “pattern” of the inner “essence” of the remedy to the perceived symptom pattern of the patient's disorder. From a spiritual point of view that reflects the underlying unity that connects us all inwardly via consciousness, this ‘synchronicity’ is a meaningful coincidence resulting from the natural outcome of connections and links between souls as experienced in the subtle world. This inner connection via consciousness becomes more apparent as the heart opens or awakens, as provers of Rosa spp. experienced.
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Although Jung (53) stated that, that, “no one has yet succeeded in constructing constructing a causal bridge between the elements making up a meaningful coincidence”, surprisingly, Meher Baba has clarified this point (75): “Man in the dream state not only becomes involved in the drama of his dream and plays the roles of both the creator of that dream and of the hero in the drama of that dream, but in this drama man also gets closely associated with the things and the creatures in their sub-subtle forms, which are of his own creation in his dream state. This creation of sub-subtle forms comes entirely as a result of the manifestation of man’s own past and present impressions. Thus man in his dream state associates subconsciously with forms in sub-subtle states. “When recollected by a man in the awake state, these very forms which he has seen and associated within the dream state remind him of his conscious associations with the gross forms as things, creatures and beings associated with in his day-today life of the present, and link them with his connections and contacts established in his life of the immediate and sometimes distant past. More often than not, a man also recollects in his conscious awake state that a particular gross form, whether of a thing, creature or being, reminds him of having witnessed that same object in his dream at some time in the past, either some days, months, or years ago. “Thus it actually happens that a form of the future, which he happened to witness in his dream of the past, reappears to the man as a gross form in his life associations of the present. “…Experiences of a similar nature are also recorded in which man witnesses certain incidences in his dreams years in advance of their actual occurrence…. “…These very associations with future objects and incidents, though experienced inadvertently and unknowingly by man in the present, are automatically developed and are inevitably there by virtue of man’s being the creator of the drama in his dream state.”
Jung, who coined the word, claimed that synchronicity is essentially
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inexplicable. So far, both physics and psychologists have ruled out chance or error as viable explanations for synchronistic or acausal events: W. Duch observed in his article dated 2002 (24), that “data for acausal events distant between time and space is increasing”. He concluded that, “a simple systematic error explaining such data does not seem to be justified”. He further observed: “…solid evidence for the influence of intentional mind states on random events, including past and future events, has been accumulated.” Furthermore, Jung also observed (53), “The sentiment of déjà vu is based, as I have found in a number of cases, on foreknowledge in dreams, but we saw that this foreknowledge can also occur in the waking state. In such cases mere chance becomes highly improbable because the coincidence is known in advance. It thus loses its chance character not only psychologically and subjectively, but objectively too, since the accumulation of details that coincide immeasurably increases the improbability of chance as a determining factor.” In addition to the synchronistic events reported by Rosa spp. provers, these provings may have triggered some of the provers’ hearts into opening or to awakening into a glimpse of the subtle world, wherein consciousness is not bound by time or distance. In some, this heart opening may have been premature, and thus disorientating for the unprepared or overly materialistic intelligence. A literary example of this is found in George Mac Donald’s novel Lilith (70), which seems to describe such an experience: “I beg my reader to aid me in the endeavour to make myself intelligible, if here understanding be indeed possible between us. I was in a world, or call it a state of things, an economy of conditions, an idea of existence, so little correspondent with the ways and modes of this world, which we are apt to think the only world, that the best choice I can make of word or phrase is but an adumbration of what I would convey. I begin indeed to fear that I have undertaken an impossibility, undertaken to tell what I cannot tell because no speech at my command will fit the forms in my mind.”
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Another way of looking at this is Meher Baba’s (92) perception that, “The West looks at things from the standpoint of reason and is skeptical about what baffles it. This form of understanding is developed by reading, hearing, experiment, and logic. These create an illusion of real knowledge.” Homeopath M. Evans (27) observed, “Direct cognition, the perception of the whole in unity, is the aspiration of the mystic, the spiritual person; science seeks to understand by breaking down matter into its smallest components.” Yet, the physicist Pauli (54) is often quoted as saying ”Was Gott vereint hat, soll der Mensch nicht trennen” (“What God has united men should not separate”). Provers of Rosa spp. often expressed a form of synchronistic expanded awareness by dreaming, talking about, or having experiences involving roses during their provings. A few provers accurately identified the Rose as the proving substance. Many provers had an unusually higher frequency of being contacted by heart connections in the form of old acquaintances or expartners during the proving. Provers from all over the world give colorful examples of their hearts opening towards greater love, service and sacrifice much more than what they would ordinarily experience. Clearly, the heart’s awakening to higher aspects of love entails a sort of synchronistic expanded awareness resulting in a greater unity in conscious experience. The ability to transcend the limitations of a solely externalized focus of consciousness into a higher consciousness, to turn “lead into gold”, is what the alchemists and mystery schools (Free Masons, etc) were teaching for millennia. In homeopathic terms, it is interesting that Blackie (6) describes Plumbum (lead), as having ‘an inclination to cheat and deceive’, which reflects the spiritual maxim “You are nothing but a living lie of the Truth that lies within.” Also, the homeopathic remedy Aurum metallicum is used clinically for heart heaviness associated with depression, heart ailments and blood circulation. Gold represents symbolically the Sun – all knowing and all pervading existence experiencing a true victory of consciousness within one’s
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heart (109). The unfolding and blossoming of consciousness under the rays of the internal sun, i.e., God within one’s own heart, has been symbolized by the rose in the Sufi and other spiritual traditions. (15, 48) It would seem that the assessment and application of our proving data of Rosa spp. requires a balance between the feeling knowledge of the heart and the clever agility of the intellect. Hahnemann, Ghatak, Kent and many renowned inspired leaders throughout the history of Homeopathy have referred to this as ‘wisdom’. (31, 38, 59, 62) In summary, provers of Rosa spp experienced a wide variety of different types of synchronistic events, which may appear seemingly unrelated when viewed from a solely externalized perspective. Whereas, if viewed from an inner spiritual perspective, these coincidental events are ultimately connected via links and connections contained within our internal subtle world of consciousness. Therefore, to regard all the synchronistic experiences of these provers as delusions, or as meaningless coincidences, creates a distortion of their experiences and corresponding proving data.
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6. Transformation – The God Quest
There are many types and ways and means of spiritual transformation, the maturation process, which gradually and continuously since time immemorial, converts the limited ‘I’ of all human consciousness into the unlimited ‘I’ of God-consciousness (i.e., lead into gold). Love is by far the greatest vehicle or medium of transformation, with its ‘spring feelings’, ‘awakenings’, ‘expansion of the heart chakra’, ‘blissful calm serene’ states of being, etc., as many provers of Rosa spp. recorded during their provings. It has been observed that St. Francis of Assisi went through a series of inner transformations (metanoia: “change of heart”) before he received God Realization near the end of his life. (56) St. Francis had the support and protection of the Pope throughout his life, without which it is highly likely that the inner transformations of St. Francis would have been severely challenged or even curtailed. That the actual plant named ‘Rosa St. Francis’ (Rosa canina assisiensis), which is still living in Assisi, is without thorns is significant (48). Metaphorically relating to the progress of human consciousness, it would seem that the thorns protect the rose from overbearing self-centered egos (tigers), though there is always the danger of those who would consume the rose, thorns and all, or destroy it. Another study of transformations is eloquently portrayed in the poignant story of The Little Prince , by St. Exupéry (98), who abandoned ‘his Rose’ because he got fed up with her frivolities, her inconsistencies. The Rose would say silly things like, her thorns would ‘protect her from tigers’, when obviously there were not any tigers on his little planet. The tiger is an ancient Hindu symbol for unlimited power, thus her thorns protected her against all onslaught, particularly particularly that of the marauding nature of the human ego. Infatuation is one aspect of the lower desire nature of the human ego. When the infatuation of the Little Prince with his Rose dissolved, he left her in order to search for the meaning and purpose of life, and to search for a ‘true’ friend. When he abandoned his Rose, after failing to love her or appreciate
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her inner essence of needing to love and be loved, and consequently mistaking her for a weed, he entered into a desert in his life. This bittersweet tale explores the author’s semi-autobiographical difficulty in finding meaning and purpose in his own life, in which he lived as a pilot during the horrors of WWII. In his personal correspondence, the author shared that he wrote The Little Prince after after he lost much, including his most precious friend in the world, and after 6 years of grieving the loss of love in life after the war. It is clearly evident that the author struggled with issues of higher love during a very dark period of our shared history. Yet, spiritually, out of this darkness of WWII came the greatest spiritual release from the past several millennia, in the liberation from the rounds of births and deaths for many millions of souls, and a tremendous spiritual push to millions more. (50) It is possible that the teachings of the Indian saint Hazrat Inayat Khan (63) who was in Paris, France, the UK and USA prior to WWII had trickled down to St. Exupéry, as the humorous descriptions of the planets being occupied by men in ascending stages of advancement towards self-perfection may be a spoof on the spiritualistic depictions of inner planes occupied by saints and pilgrims on the inner path. That is, these saints and pilgrims may appear as various forms of caricatures to an externally oriented perspective. perspective. The actual stages of spiritual advancement are described in Meher Baba’s God Speaks (75). The comments by the Little Prince regarding men
experiencing inner and outer varieties of egocentricity (the King and the Conceited Man), leading to desperation and succeeding indifference (the Drunkard and the Businessman), and finally the purest and most altruistic Love (the Lamplighter and the Geographer), present a chart of the stages of spiritual maturation as humorously caricatured in their outward expression. One lesson from the essence of the Rose is that the growth of true love is the necessary key to spiritual maturation leading from all “states and stages” to interior perfection. This spiritual maturation process is likewise embodied by Frodo and Bilbo, in The Lord of the Rings , (106) by their holding onto Truth, Purity, Love, Honesty, and a sense of responsibility and duty and selfless service in the midst of their numerous trials and difficulties and
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delusions/ imprisonments/ near death experiences, etc. It has been often recognized over the last few millennia that the spiritual path is not for the weak or faint-hearted. In the story of The Little Prince (98), the Rose (i.e. the heart) is not valued properly due to her ‘whimsicality’, her being ‘temperamental’, her ‘lack of logic’, her talk of ‘tigers’, her apparent ‘preening’ qualities, all of which irritated and created doubt in the Little Prince. Thus his intellect takes him into a desert of despair. The inner transformation needed by the Little Prince was delayed when he abandoned ‘his Rose’, the only Rose for him in all the world. Transformative Transformative love is the answer to the dilemma of the Little Prince. Similarly, how Socrates benefited from his relationship with Xanthippe is an example of inner perfection achieved through the self-sacrificing love of one’s God-given Rose. (117) Hahnemann’s relationship with his wife was similar to that of Socrates (36), in the sharing of a deeper love that appreciated, rather than ‘breaking’, the natural spiritedness of their respective wives. Hahnemann loved Johanna dearly with his whole-hearted devotion. Yet, Von Brunnow says that Johanna was imperious and arbitrary, which are well documented characteristics found in proving data of the Rose, and also descriptive of the Little Prince’s Rose. These superficially observed characteristics reflect the externalizing quality of the intellectual perspective. However, all who have observed and written about Hahnemann’s domestic life agree that it was a happy one. Albrecht observed: "Hahnemann was happiest in his family circle, and displayed here as nowhere else a most amiable disposition to mirth and cheerfulness. He joked with his children in the intervals which he could devote to them, sang cradle songs to the little ones, composed little verses for them, and used every opportunity to instruct them.” (7) In the story of The Little Prince , it was the fox who said, “Only the heart sees rightly; that which is essential is invisible to the eye.” The wisdom of the fox made the Little Prince aware that in order for him to accomplish the goal of finding meaning and purpose in his life, he would have to return to his rose
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(heart). The serpent (i.e., a symbol of the lower desire nature, also a symbol of transformation representing the kundalini) ushered the Little Prince on his journey back to his Rose once he understood how he had abandoned the art of loving. (98) In homeopathic clinical practice, the serpent Lachesis is often useful when a person is stuck in resistance during or before a process of transformation, or shedding one’s skin of self-centeredness. J.T. Kent wrote: “Lachesis seems to fit the whole human race, for the race is pretty well filled up with snake as to disposition and character, and this venom only causes to appear that which is in man.” (61) Resistance may appear due to their personal will being thwarted, resulting in jealousy, anger, etc., and sometimes manifesting as writhing, twisting abdominal complaints (Gutman: “spastic contractions”), possible or suspected appendicitis, accompanied by mental/emotional tension. This may reflect an inner struggle of the transformation necessary to rise into a higher love. Likewise it appears that certain remedies may be pivotal to the transformative process, thereby being curative of the physical symptoms. (35) The Little Prince may may reflect a picture of the essence of Rosa spp. in his
search for the purpose and meaning of life, of having a true friend, of having or abandoning and regaining higher love in its purest, truest, most mutual sense. What seems to be at stake with Rosa spp. transformations is the false identification with the ego, and the lack of identification with awakened Divinity within one’s heart. It appears from the proving data that provers witnessed their false identifications being shakened and loosened from their powerful grip as their hearts were awakened or opened. The result ranged from blissful states to irritable fog-brained or ‘cottonwool’ (in the German provings) states. For many provers, this experience was unsettling, confusing and disorienting, just as it was for the Little Prince. For some, the loss of ‘solid ground’ in their false identifications may have appeared as internal projections onto others, as reflected in the next two proving examples:
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“It suddenly became clear to me what was going on with all of these failed relationships - people just suddenly transformed and became someone else (but kept their appearance, name, identity).” (48) Dream: “I talked to my neighbor…He looked different in some way. I realized that he shaved his beard. Then I realized it was someone else.” (48) The beard is often a mask of the persona (86), and when it is shaven the mask is gone, the cover-up becomes transparent as the heart opens and moves into prominence. The intellect struggles to grasp what is beyond the scope of the intellect to comprehend, which includes the affairs of the heart. In recent provings by Nancy Herrick published in Sacred Plants, Human Voices , this Rosa spp. theme of Transformation was apparent in both Rosa
gallica (ancient yellow rose) and Rosa St. Francis (Rosa canina). (48) The following prover data of Rosa spp. gives us a glimpse of how clarity and insight, both of which occur naturally in an awakened heart, are an integral component of the process of transformation: Dream: “It suddenly became clear to me what was going on…” (48) Dream: “I got a strong sense that there was a theme running through all my dreams, transformation.” (48) “Just as I was coming out of this dream, when I was partially awake, I had a very strong message - ‘this is it! This is the dream that says it all about the remedy.’ The word which presented itself to me was ‘transformation.” I had the feeling that I was given a gift. It was a very powerful dream.” (48) “My pre-proving state was very overwhelmed and anxious and this changed during the proving…..Second day of teachings with the Dalai Lama. Very calm throughout throughout the day….Irritability, day….Irritability, impatience, nerves on edge, edge, easily ‘flared up” before proving…handling proving…handling any difficulties with calmer approach (less excitable)… strong contrast with pre- and post-proving states.’ (48) Transformations are not limited to mental/emotional/psychological processes. It seems obvious that some individuals, though certainly not all, go through transformations of consciousness through a variety of physical ailments.
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Dream: “…On the other beds many ill persons were waiting for an organ transplant…” (48) It is commonly known that ulcerations of the stomach may be accompanied by too much worry and anxiety, or that liver weakness and liver ailments are often associated with congestion in relation to too much anger, etc. The individual organ may experience weakness as a predisposition and may then be targeted by external shocks. The physical organ that most disrupts the progress of consciousness may be acting as a repository of psychosomatic complaints from the result of false mental/emotional identifications. Tomas Paschero similarly described psychosomatic illness, emphasizing the necessity of a spiritual perspective: “The organism, with its complex psychosomatic structure, and the personality together serve a purpose which can be determined only by the innermost self that struggles to emerge to the light of consciousness.” (90) In these examples both a psychological and a spiritual perspective are of value for case assessment and management. It is interesting to note that Martin Miles (82) describes three distinct levels of homeopathic prescribing, “healing the sick, creating health, and creating shining spirits.” ‘Creating shining spirits’ would naturally include inner transformations. transformations. Another type of transformation may occur via an accident, which may create an abrupt change in someone’s life patterns. This may be a sudden ‘transformation’, ‘transformation’, which has a tremendous impact on one’s psyche and overall health. Hahnemann described in Chronic Diseases how how accidental emotional stimuli can trigger the awakening of latent Psora. (39) Rosa spp. appears to be psoric in its manifestations of suffering due to a deprivation of higher love. Kent (60) considered the rose cold to be a Psoric affliction: “some will get sick from the smell of roses. I have known a number of patients who became sick in this way. It is common enough, and the sickness is known by the name of rose cold or rose fever…psora is at the bottom of all these troubles. According to Berkowsky regarding Rose Mother
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Tincture, the Psoric theme of rose is: “If I find true love, everything will be okay.” (5) The curative value of the Rosaceae would appear to be in establishing a balance and reintegration of mind and heart through the medium of higher love (91); the love channel effectively provides an outlet for the unexpressed energy which might otherwise be dammed up and result in a terminal illness such as cancer. Alice Bailey wrote in Esoteric Healing (3): “I simply mention … over-activity of a center and the retention of energy, unexpressed and inhibited … as fruitful sources of cancer.” As consciousness has shifted from being predominantly psoric during Hahnemann’s times (1800’s) into being much more sycotic and syphilitic 200 years later, the need for higher love has increased along with the predominance of sycosis. Scholten displays the Rosaceae along the full spectrum of “stages”, which cover all the miasms. (101) The essence of transformation involves a reconstruction process, a change in perspective that transforms one’s life. Though at times it may appear as whimsical or frivolous, as the state of consciousness moves closer into a sublime communion with divinity, the results embody the purpose of life. Ramana Maharishi gave a sweet example of how a simple re-orientation in one’s approach to domesticity transforms both the individual and their offering. (93) The introduction to his poem reads: “In 1914 or 1915, Bhagavan (Ramana Maharishi) was living in Virupaksha cave with his mother, who did most of the cooking. He himself was a skilled cook and both then and later often helped to prepare food. On one occasion his mother was making a poppadam, a thin round cake made of black grain flour fried crisp, and she called him to help her. Instead of doing so, however, he composed this poem, giving instruction for spiritual development under the symbolism of making poppadom”:
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The Song of the Poppadam Try and make some appalams. Eat them and your longing satisfy. Don’t roam the world disconsolate. Heed the word, unique, unspoken Taught by the teacher true who teaches The truth of Being Awareness Bliss. Try and make some ….satisfy. 1. Take the black-gram (flour), Ego-self, Growing in the five-fold body field And grind it in the quern, The wisdom-quest of “Who am I?” Reducing it to finest flour. Try and make some….satisfy. 2. Mix it with pirandal – juice Which is holy company. Add mind-control, mind-control, the cumin seed. The pepper of self-restraint, The salt of non-attachment And asafetida, the aroma Of virtuous inclination. Try and make some….satisfy. 3. In the heart-mortar place the dough And with mind-pestle mind-pestle inward turned Pound it hard with strokes of T. T. Then flatten it with the rolling pin Of stillness on the level slab (of Being)
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Work away, untiring, steady, cheerful. Try and make some….satisfy. 4. Put the appalam in the ghee of Brahman Held in the pan of infinite silence And fry it over over the fire of knowledge. knowledge. Now as I transmuted into That, Eat and taste the Self as Self, Abiding as the the Self alone. Try and make some….satisfy.
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7. Divine Love – The Way and the Goal of Life
“Whoever brought me here will have to get me home.” ~Rumi~ (4a) Love appears to be the most central proving theme of all the Rosaceae spp., as stated by most who conducted the provings. (48, 71, 99, 101) Hahnemann wrote beautifully about the highest expression of Love (38b, 49): “the ever beneficent Godhead animating the infinite Universe dwells in us also, and gives us our faculty of reason as the highest inestimable endowment, whilst from the fullness of His own moral character, He implants in our conscience a spark of holiness….” Love seems to be the core theme that brings together all the aspects of the proving data of Rosa spp., as the universal theme that polishes and assimilates all other themes. Love assimilates Science, Art, Psychology, Homeopathy, Homeopathy, everything that relates to the significance of life. The ‘Love’ theme translated by various provers of Rosa spp. was described as ranging from the lowest forms of love relating to the human desire nature of attraction, up to the highest forms of Divine Love blossoming within human consciousness. Many provers of Rosa spp. recorded a wide variety of spiritual experiences such as ‘Prayers to God’, ‘attunement with the heart’, ‘expansion in the heart’, ‘love for all’, desire for “service and sacrifice”, ‘God’, ‘company with the Divine’, etc. A spiritual perspective is necessary in order to understand and appropriately categorize these experiences. The correct interpretation of these potentially ‘Divine’ experiences amongst the provers of Rosa spp. depends upon the degree of development of the individual consciousness of the prover as well as that of the Homeopath, and the perceptive capacity of our inherited collective consciousness. Development of consciousness as expressed through the heart is rarely ‘democratic’ as is often socially mandated, although “all men are created equal” in spiritual potentiality. Meher Baba described gradations of states of
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human consciousness variously as (22b): “a worldly man being on earth, a more spiritual in the air, a more spiritual in the sky, a more spiritual on the sun, and so one with it; i.e. Sun realized, or God realized.” Rumi expressed this beautifully (10): “Everyone sees the unseen in proportion to the clarity of his heart, and that depends upon how much he has polished it. Whoever has polished it more sees more — more unseen forms become manifest to him.” This development of consciousness in ‘real life’ is hard work. In The Lord of the Rings, this hard work is represented by Frodo ‘carrying the ring’, assisted by his true friend Sam, with their trials and tribulations from Gollum (ego-lower desire nature), amidst the extraordinary events in ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ In ‘real life’, this hard work is performed by all of us as we pursue the purpose of life. ‘Divine Love’ is often considered to be ‘total significance’. Meher Baba observed (74), “Love is the reflection of God’s unity in the world of duality (the material world). It constitutes the entire significance of creation.” Similarly, Carlston (8) summarized Swedenborg’s writings, which inspired the spiritual philosophy of JT Kent and his followers, as: “Love is the whole of Swedenborg’s philosophy. Love is the essence of human beings. Love is what we are and the basis of our existence. Love is life.” It is interesting that the Themes of ‘awakening’ and ‘timing’ revealed in provings of Rosa spp. is happening now, with the modern provings of Rosa spp. At a time when many fear the entire world will be destroyed, Rosa spp. has ‘chosen’ this time to assist consciousness in ‘awakening’. When our society is more inspired by ego/intellect driven self-interest than by the selfless wisdom of the heart, it seems logical that we might be collectively experiencing ‘a feeling imbalance’ in in a general way. Yet the highest forms of Love consume and dissolve all of these aspects of feeling imbalance . Meher Baba addressed this ‘feeling imbalance’ of these modern times (77): “The modern era is steeped in restlessness as man is tossed between conflicting ideals. Like mounds in a sandy desert, intellectual knowledge is
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mounting up without provision for the expression of the heart , which is so
vitally necessary to quench the need of the spirit… It is the lack of this that has checkmated man's achievements, in spite of himself and his enormous advancements in the fields of science. Unhappiness and insecurity, emotional or otherwise, are the dominant notes of the age, and mankind is engulfed in the darkness of wars, hate and fear.” (italics added) In the midst of so much modern worldly strife, one prover of Rosa spp. had the ‘feeling that the world begins to dissolve and something new should come; it’s like an awakening in Spring, but still everything is cold and dark’. This same prover had a meditation during which ‘the heart was very active felt a universal love for everything’. Rosa spp. proving data with the provers experiences of
‘heart
awakenings’, ‘hearts bubbling and bursting in laughter’, ‘love and sacrifice’, are pointing towards a change of perspective oriented towards the heart, wherein lies God, which is a perspective that values a sharing of consciousness via the inner subtle world. Although the highest form of Love is residing within everyone’s hearts, it is often buried beneath the false and oppressive dogmatism of their individualistic intellects/egos. Aurobindo (2) observed that all science and true knowledge derives from going behind the surfaces and discovering the inner Truth and the hidden law: “Although the material constituents of our world are merely formulations of a Force which we cannot describe as material and of which the senses have no evidence, yet the mind and the senses can live quite satisfied and convinced in this world of illusions and accept them as the practical truth-which to a certain extent they are. But the surface psychological functionings functionings of will, mind, senses, reason, conscience ,
etc. were formerly arranged in a dry and sterile classification; their real nature and relation to each other were not fathomed nor any use made of them… Because we do not know ourselves , therefore we are unable to
ameliorate radically our subjective life or develop with mastery, with rapidity,
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with a sure science, the hidden possibilities of our mental capacity and our moral nature.” (bold and italics added) Hahnemann alluded to the ‘purpose of life’ , clarified by Aurobindo (2) as: ‘this world is, no doubt, based ostensibly upon Matter, but its summit is Spirit and the ascent towards Spirit must be the aim and ju st .’ stification of its exi st stence and the pointer to its meaning and purpose .’
(bold + italics added) This ascent towards Spirit implies the long and arduous process referred to throughout this paper as ‘know thyself’. The practice of ‘know thyself’ inherently necessitates an awakened heart. This may be one of the reasons why Hahnemann chose to title his Organon a a ‘Medical Art’, in order to include the ‘feeling aspect’ of the Mind in which Love will manifest, to allow for the homeopathic physician to actively practice the art of ‘know thyself’. Meher Baba revealed how personality may sometimes obscure the deeper essence of the spiritual experience of the soul (45): “Feelings and emotions are the energy of the mind, and love the energy of the soul.” Provers of Rosa spp repeatedly demonstrated that a ‘feeling imbalance’ may occur during the process of heart-awakening, as a naïve or unrealistic ‘quest for ideal Love’, or by appearing as arrogance, irritation, preening, disorientation, running into physical objects, falling off their bikes due to spacey, fog brained, cottonwool states, etc. Clinically, Sankaran (100) reports a case of a person who benefited from Rose 30c, who when asked what the rose represents, answered: “Even though the lifetime of a rose blossom is small, it gives so much pleasure to others. One should be like a rose. During our lifetime we need to give pleasure to others. It brings beauty. It is offered to God. It is a beautiful thing. It brings pleasure to others. A rose laughs all the time, even though it is between thorns.” In his summary of her case, Sankaran (100) observed some of her symptoms as: “Longing to be loved by everybody… Love is very important for her…, etc.” It is possible to interpret her conscious experience as
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predominantly that of the need of her soul to experience selfless love in a world that currently predominates with self-centered loveless-ness. In summary, throughout this paper, provers of Rosa spp. demonstrated a wide variation of Love themes, expressed as ‘bubbling laughter running all over’, excessive humor, lightness and joy’, ’blissful’ and ‘calm’ states, to being in ‘the presence of God’, to a ‘universal love for everything’, to ‘that simple place of being with the God force in total simplicity’, and ‘transformation’, along with many struggles appearing as irritation, arrogance, synchronistic events, etc. A spiritual perspective can help to understand this proving data and to use it appropriately in the clinical environment. Love is the unifying factor, the essence that moves consciousness through a wide range of experiences and expressions in order to grow as it blossoms into the inner knowledge of all existence, ‘know thyself’.
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CONCLUSION
The Ascending Soul
I died as mineral and became a plant, I died as plant and rose to animal, I died as animal and I was man. Why should I fear? When was I less by dying? Yet, once more, more, I shall die as as man, to soar soar With angels blessed; but even from angelhood I must pass on; all except God doth perish. When I have sacrificed my angel soul, I shall become what no mind e’er conceived. Oh, Let me not exist! For Non-existence Proclaims in organ tones, “To Him we shall return!” ~ Rumi (75)
The great error of our day, in the treatment of the human body, [is] that physicians separate the soul from the body. ~ Plato/Socrates (circa 400 B.C.) (52a)
Hopefully, the validity and central importance of a self-effacing spiritual perspective in Homoeopathy has been clearly presented as a reclaiming of the central core role of spirituality, from the time of the inception of Homeopathy, Homeopathy, as well as during the early history of Homeopathy. The spiritual underpinnings inherent in homeopathic philosophy are conceptually beautiful and full of wisdom. A spiritual perspective embraces all the areas of Homeopathy, from miasms to research, to remedy preparations, and in clinical practice. This has
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been validated in modern times by the works of Paschero, Twentyman, Miles, and others. Further, an honest attempt has been made to demonstrate that the absence of a spiritual perspective can limit the interpretation of modern proving
data
(using
examples
of
arrogance,
preening,
irritability,
synchronicity, heart chakra awakenings, etc.). A spiritual perspective for modern proving data may substantially help to better understand and interpret these findings. Also it has been demonstrated that the absence of a spiritual perspective may result in limiting the clinical usefulness of modern proving data due to being mis-categorized as arrogant, delusional, meaningless, etc. The spiritual development of homeopathic understanding is needed for its full utilization. These Rosa spp. provings may have triggered heart awakenings that were experienced as a wide range of expression in consciousness by the provers. The substance of higher Truths as experienced by provers may be distorted or overlooked if viewed solely from an intellectual, materialistic, or psychological perspective. The proving data of Rosa spp. contains a strong spiritual component that is currently poorly categorized in our modern homeopathic literature, proving data, and clinical reference works as Delusional, Arrogance, Preening, Confusion/Disorientation, Irritation, etc. While these categories in themselves may be psychologically accurate, when they are lacking in a spiritual dimension, this deficiency can result in a distortion of their meaning. Examples were given from Rosa spp proving data, such as ‘world pain’, ‘heart chakra opening’, ‘attunement to God’, ‘idealizing love’, ‘surrender to God’, etc., which all reflect a spiritual orientation of consciousness towards the heart as a wholistic way of being in the world. Without utilizing and valuing the feeling component of the mind located in the heart, the practice of Homeopathy is like a two-legged stool, balanced upon materialism and science (including psychology), upon the outer at the exclusion of the inner properties of all kingdoms.
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Furthermore, although it was often subtly or humbly portrayed, Hahnemann clearly had a mystical aspect to his work, which both Hering and Aurobindo observed observed was an obvious obvious influence in his his development of of the Art of Homeopathy. (19, 38, 41, 42, 46, 49, 64, 113, 114) Hahnemann undoubtedly possessed a sense of timing and a highly developed awakened heart, both of which are themes of the provings of modern Rosa spp. Also, Hahnemann encouraged all Homeopaths to possess these same attributes, to ‘know thyself’. ‘Aude Sapere’, or ‘Dare to be Wise’, Wise’, aka ‘know thyself’ has been been addressed throughout this paper as Hahnemann’s motto given to the Homeopath, which is currently echoed in modern proving data of Rosa spp. Hahnemann valued the feeling aspect of the Mind (38), stated by Meher Baba (76) as being located within the heart: “The difference between love and intellect is something like that between night and day: they exist in relation to one another and yet as two different things. Love is real intelligence capable of realizing truth; intellect is best suited to know all about duality (the material world)…” Hazrat Inayat Khan (63) has stated that the intellect lies on the outer surface of the heart. The concept of God as a sleeping princess, dormant in the hearts of everyone, is reflected in the experience of Rosa spp. provers and spiritual Masters of all times. Thus, it is not sufficient merely to concede another ‘symptom category’, of that which pertains to spirituality. The spiritual life is to be lived. (75) Paschero acknowledged this when he wrote (90): “Hahnemann, Kent, Hering, Allen, Clarke, Boenninghausen, Roberts, Nash and many other brilliant teachers have not died. They have handed down that humanistic homeopathy with a spiritual meaning which was present in their own lives. Only by realizing the highest values is it possible to practice a medicine such as Hahnemannian homeopathy, which requires a grasp of the essential symptoms of the patient as a whole, unique and singular human being . The values can be perceived and described only when the physician has discovered his or her own true self. ” (italics added)
Indeed, as Meher Baba observes (76): “Spirituality is not restricted to, nor
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can it be restricted by, anyone or anything, anywhere, at any time. It covers all life for all time, and it can easily be achieved through selfless service and that pure love which knows no bondage and seeks no boundary… The most practical thing in the world is to be spiritually-minded. spiritually-minded. It needs no special time, place or circumstance. It is not necessarily concerned with anything out of the ordinary daily routine. It is never too early or too late to be spiritual. It is just a simple question of having the proper mental attitude towards lasting value, changing circumstance and avoidable eventualities, eventualities, as well as a healthy sense of the inevitable.” Paschero further states that in order for the homeopathic physician to defend the value of Hahnemann’s principles, “he or she must be aware of two main points – the assimilation of homeopathic principles and a certain level of self-awareness.” Hahnemann himself instructed the Homeopath to ‘know thyself’ (38b):“The way now lies open. Every attentive, zealous and conscientious physician may freely tread it.” Hopefully the purpose of this paper has been achieved, i.e. to demonstrate the validity of a spiritual perspective for the Homeopath according to Hahnemann and many of the early great Homeopaths, and to demonstrate how limited understandings are created from the absence of a spiritual perspective in modern homeopathic practice. In closing, Persian Poetry often exemplifies Divine Love, from which comes the inner calling of the homeopathic physician with respect to self-less service and sacrifice. In one instance, the Nightingale sacrifices the blood of his heart in order to make a red rose blossom, an homage to pure and selfless love which is the strongest energy in the world and the highest form of wisdom. Hafiz (Shiraz, Iran) – a spiritual Perfect Master and enlightened poet, wrote - excerpted from Paul Smith’s version (37):
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The Nightingale’s Tale
The nightingale told the tale to the east wind in the morning About what love for Rose’s face caused him, he was lamenting. Love has caused my heart to bleed for that blooming face: Me, to be cut by the thorn from that rose, bleed it was causing. I am the servant of whatever that graceful One may command, Who gave freedom without any hypocrisy or any dissembling. ~ Hafiz Universally, since time immemorial, the Rose has been considered as the perfect medium for ‘A Love Gift’. As ‘A Gift of Love’ from the Divine Creator for all in this world, Homeopathy is clearly ‘Hahnemann’s Heavenly Rose’.
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SUPPLEMENTS 1. SAMPLING OF SPIRITUAL THEMES - ROSA SPECIES PROVINGS
1. “world pain” 2. “out of this world”, other other worldly 3. spatial orientation: colliding with other objects, accidents 4. confusion: “where am I?”; getting lost on familiar roads 5. spacey: out of touch with reality, “as though high on drugs”; disorientation in Space 6. fainting, “lazy” and “slow” 7. sensitivity to danger is increased 8. spiritual integration into the material world 9. connectedness vs disconnectedness 10. “idealizing 10. “idealizing love”, love”, i.e., ‘prince ‘prince on a white horse’ horse’ 11. “sleeping “sleeping princess”, princess”, desire to to be awakened 12. ‘timing’ 12. ‘timing’ connected to the process process of ‘awakening’ ‘awakening’ divinity within within 13. “center 13. “center of the heart heart is very active” active” 14. Heart attunement –Divine Love - self effacement 15. “an 15. “an issue: joy vs sorrow” 16. ‘sensitivity 16. ‘sensitivity to danger” increased 17. “Prayer 17. “Prayer to God” God” 18. “feeling 18. “feeling ‘not at the helm”, “surrender “surrender to God and simplicity” simplicity” 19. “looking 19. “looking for love”, “universal “universal love for everything” everything” 20. “a 20. “a spiritual quest” quest” 21. ‘giving 21. ‘giving more love love than they receive’ 22. “something 22. “something new-an new-an awakening” 23. “opening up-can’t hide feelings” feelings” 24. symptoms of of the heart; circulation; circulation; affinity with with the heart 25. “flowers blossoming and roses”, “Spring feelings”
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2. JULY 1957 – MEHER BABA EXPLAINS MAYA
(excerpted from Lord Meher, 1st. ed., Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 15, pp. 5196 – 5197, available free online, cit. 56) During July, Baba also answered several questions for Irene Conybeare and dictated three discourses for her book, one on Maya , one on Compassion [from three distinct points of view], and another on the Aura and the Halo. The following is the discourse on Maya that Baba dictated by hand signs for Irene Conybeare's book, In Quest Of Truth* : (16b,c) “Everything, from the least significant to the most momentous, momentous, is here here within us. The spiritual planes with their indescribably divine splendor, and the gross plane of immeasurable space, together with its innumerable gross universes, are all within us. That is because God is in us and we are in God. God is indivisibly, uncompromisingly, uncompromisingly, infinitely and eternally One in His impeccable oneness. The apparent endless differences in the experiences of animate and inanimate beings and things are due to the varying degrees of consciousness on the different planes, and the ability and inability to apply that consciousness adequately. Achievement Achievement of full human-consciousness is a great spiritual achievement. Greater still is to be able to recognize illusion and face all illusory things. The greatest achievement of man is to become GodConscious, which is truly Self-Conscious or Soul-Conscious. For example, let us presume that the differences between between a spiritually spiritually enlightened and an unenlightened man is as the difference between a man who has normal sensory faculties of seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting, and another man who is born blind and deaf and without even the faculties of smell and taste. Now, if the two men happen to be present at one and the same time in a garden full of colors, singing birds, streams and fountains, where delicious fruits and fragrant flowers are equally available to both the men, there is bound to be a world of difference between the scope, nature and capacity of their consciousness, awareness and experience. For the enlightened man, the world would be experienced as one full of music, full of light and full of beauty. For the unenlightened or blind and deaf man, the same world would be merely a black monotonous nothingness. nothingness. If we stretch the above simile further and imagine that a miracle happens by which the unenlightened man begins to have one after another the faculties of smell, hearing, sight and taste, we can have some idea of how man's consciousness begins to be transported through the different [subtle and mental] planes of the path toward God-Consciousness. The man then begins to realize that all the differences amount simply to a difference in his own
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state of consciousness, which experiences inner truths more and more as it is freed increasingly from external illusions. The force that keeps a man spiritually blind, deaf, dumb, et cetera, is his own ignorance which is governed by the principle of cosmic ignorance generally known as Maya . To understand Maya is to understand half the universe. universe. All false values values and false beliefs are due to the grip of Maya. Intellect in particular plays into the hands of Maya, for intellect is not capable of that consciousness which realizes that God is Truth . Truth can only be known after one transcends the cosmic illusion which appears as real owing to Maya. The principle of ignorance, meaning Maya, can only be transcended when the spiritual aspirant is able to realize that Maya is God's shadow and as such is nothing. The enigma of Maya solves itself only after Self-Realization. All the great philosophers who are not bound bound by their their materialistic prejudices prejudices had glimpses of Reality, and have recognized the principle of ignorance as being responsible for making all illusory and transient things appear as lasting and real. Scientists naturally have difficulty in accepting mystical conclusions relating to the transitory world and cosmos, since metaphysical perceptions cannot be reached by methods acceptable to the experimental rules of science. The main difficulty in grasping such a concept in its totality is that it would necessitate a full knowledge of the cosmic scheme. It is not possible even for a Master to explain that which is beyond the limits of the human mind! A Master can only make one realize it by means of his grace and by bestowing enlightenment.” * Irene Conybeare's first book was Civilization Or Chaos? Her Her book In Quest Of Truth was subtitled How I Came to Meher Baba, An Autobiography. It took several years to write and was not published until 1962.
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Bibliography Bibliography with Annotations
1) Arnold, Edward (translator): The Song Celestial, or Bhagavad Gita (from the Mahabharata). Boston: Roberts Bros, 1885; www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2388.. www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2388 During the ‘most eventful day of the New Life’, Meher Baba requested Dr. Donkin and Dr. Nilu to read out from Song Celestial , and this same version is quoted in the Introduction to God Speaks . Psychology, An Introduction Introduction to the the Psychological 2) Sri Aurobindo: A Greater Psychology, Thought of Sri Aurobindo (A.S. (A.S. Dalal, ed.). NY: Tarcher/Putnam, 2000. th
Sri Aurobindo is a widely respected 6 Plane Saint who, according to Meher Baba, became God Realized (Perfect Master), near the timing of his death in Pondicherry, India. Aurobindo is one of the greatest Indian Philosophers of all time. the Seven Rays, Vol 4: Esoteric Esoteric Healing . NY: 3) Bailey, Alice A: A Treatise on the Lucis Pub. Co, 1953; extract in: www.healingcancernaturally.com/alice-b www.healingcancerna turally.com/alice-bailey-esoteric-healing ailey-esoteric-healing.html .html..
4) Barks, Coleman (transl.): `
a. The Essential Rumi . Harper, 1995. b. Bridge to the Soul: Journeys into the Music and Silence of the Heart . NY: Harper Collins Pub, 2007. Coleman gives insightful versions of the writings of the great Sufi spiritual Master Rumi. See also cit. 10.
5) Berkowsky, Bruce: "The Soul Nature of Rose Oil" from: Synthesis Materia Medica of Essential Oils . Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc, 1999. Concerning the Mother Tincture of Rose remedy. 6) Blackie, Margery: Classical Homoeopathy. Beaconsfield, UK, 1986. Prominent Homeopath in UK, in service to the Royal Family. 7) Bradford, Thomas L: The Life and Letters of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann . Philadelphia: Boericke and Tafel, 1895; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 1999; www.homeoint.org.. www.homeoint.org
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8) Carlston, Michael, “Musings on Kent and Swedenborgianism”, The American Homeopath, vol. 2, 1995; www.Carlstonmd.com. www.Carlstonmd.com. Carlston is a Homeopath writing about the spiritual inclinations of James Tyler Kent, a leading American Homeopath during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Swedenborg is thought to be a Saint. 9) Ch’eng-en, Wu: Monkey (tr. (tr. Arthur Waley). NY: Grove Press, 1943. Monkey is is a traditional spiritual allegory for the trials and tribulations
of the aspirant undertaking the spiritual path, very humorous. Also see the entertaining David Kherdian version. 10) Chittick, William C: The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1983. One of the best and most accessible English translations of Rumi’s fundamental cosmology and ideology. This selection explores the theory, practice and mystical realization of Rumi’s thinking. Body, Timeless Mind, Mind, The Quantum 11) Chopra, Deepak M.D.: Ageless Body, Alternative to Growing Old. NY: Harmony Books, a division of Crown Publishers, Inc, 1993.
12) Clarke, John Henry: Hahnemann and Paracelsus. London: Homoeopathic Publishing Co, 1923; www.homeoint.org. A famous Homeopath Homeopath in the UK, early 1900’s, who wrote some some ‘bibles’ of Homeopathic Homeopathic clinical practice, practice, widely in use today. 13) Clarke, John Henry: Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (3 (3 vols). London: Homoeopathic Homoeopathic Pub. Co, 1902; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 2005. 14) Clover, Anne, “Hahnemann’s Theory of Conceptual Essences”, Brit. Hom. Journal, 73:2, April 1984. Clover is a spiritually inclined Homeopath with some remarkable insights. 15) Murshida Conner, Ph.D, of Sufism Reoriented, USA: a. Personal communications, dated 14 Sept 2006, 29 Jan 2009, 6 Mar 2009. b. Public Talk, Meher Pilgrim Center, Ahmednagar, India Dec – Jan 2011
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The current Murshida of the American Sufism, which was reoriented during the 1950’s by Meher Baba with the help of M. Ivy Duce and Dr. Ghani Munsiff (Abdul Ghani). http://www.sufismreoriented.org http://www.sufis mreoriented.org/history/index.h /history/index.htm tm 16) Conybeare, Irene H: a. Civilisation or Chaos? A Study of the Present World Crisis in the Light of Eastern Metaphysics. London: Markham House Press, 1955. Conybeare is an intellectual who came into the orbit of Meher Baba during the 1950’s. b. See Supplement titled: “July 1957 Meher Baba Explains Maya”, one of of 3 discourses discourses given to Conybeare for her her following book, In Quest Of Truth (1962), (1962), Kakinada, A.P.: Swami Satya Prakash Udaseen, 1962. c. In Quest Of Truth (and (and Civilisation or Chaos? ) available online at: www.ambppct.org/library.php 17) Cook, Trevor M: Samuel Hahnemann, His Life & Times. Wellingsborough: Wellingsborough: Thorsons, 1981. Dr. Cook is the Founder and Principal P rincipal of The British Institute of Homeopathy, now the USA based BIH International. 18) Corbin, Henry: The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism. Berkeley: Shambhala Pub., 1978. 19) Das, Eswara, “Sri Aurobindo on Homoeopathy”, Hom. Heritage, 28:8, August 2003. *Eswara Das collected Das collected a remarkable selection from interviews with Sri Aurobindo on the topic of Homeopathy, mostly found in Nirodharan’s *Correspondence with Sri Aurobindo (2 vols). 20) Davy, Kitty: Love Alone Prevails. Myrtle Beach: Sheriar Press, 1981. Kitty Davy, (UK, USA) was a lifelong early Western woman disciple of Meher Baba, who hosted his visit in her family home in London in the 1930’s. She helped establish and administer the Meher Spiritual Center in South Carolina, USA, until her passing at age 100 yrs. 21) Degkwitz, Karin, Karl von Mueller, Chetna Shukla and Monika Kittler: Rosa Zwei Prüfungen und Kausuistik. Zweibrücken, Germany: K-J Mueller, 2002. Proving Trials conducted on Rosa canina in Germany. (Privately translated into English.)
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22) Donkin, William M.D.: a. The Wayfarers, Meher Baba with the God Intoxicated. Ahmednagar: Meher Pub, 1948; www.ambppct.org/library.php b. Donkin’s Diaries. N Myrtle Beach, USA: Sheriar Foundation, 2011. Dr. Donkin is a British surgeon who during the early 1930’s became a lifelong close disciple of Meher Baba, and authored The Wayfarers , an account of the work of Meher Baba with the God intoxicated, and also with advanced souls, sadhus, and the poor. 23) Douch, Geoffrey, “The Heart as an Organ of Balance”, Brit. Hom. Journal, 67:2, April 1978. Douch refers to the material heart vs. the spiritual heart. 24) Duch, Wlodzislaw: “Synchronicity, Mind and Matter”, The International Journal of Transpersonal Transpersonal Studies, Vol. 21, 2002.
25) Editorial: “Self, World and God”, Homoeotherapy, Homoeotherapy, Feb. 1979 (reprinted Hahn. Gleanings, 47:4, April 1989). Author for this is unknown (very (very unfortunate!). unfortunate!). 26) Einstein, Alfred: a. Letter to Max Max Born (4 December December 1926); quoted quoted in: The BornEinstein Letters (translated (translated by Irene Born), NY: Walker and Company, 1971. b. Quoted from an interview with The New York Times (newspaper), March 12, 1944. “I want to know know God's thoughts. thoughts. The rest rest are details.” details.” 27) Evans, Madeline, “Meditative Provings and Bayleaf”, The Homoeopath, vol. 66, Summer 1997. Refers to current guidelines of collecting Proving data, and the spiritual aspects of homeopathic provings.
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Medica Medica , 4th ed. Philadelphia: 28) Farrington, Ernest A: A Clinical Medica Boericke & Tafel, 1908; reprinted Delhi: Jain Pub, 2003.
A collection of a Course of Lectures delivered at the Hahnemann Medical College by the late E.A. Farrington, M.D.,Farrington mentioned the first clinical use of Rosa spp by Jacob Jeanes in the late 1800’s. Usage of Rosa spp clinically has been sparse until the 1990’s. 29) Fenster, David: Mehera-Meher: a Divine Romance . Ahmednagar: Meher Nazar Pub., 2003. Mentions the spiritual accuracy of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings depictions. 30) FitzGerald, Edward (transl): The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam . London: Bernard Quarich, 1859. FitzGerald’s version of Omar Khayyam’s poem is considered by Paramahansa Yogananda to be a work of inspiration. (see cit 118). 31) Ghatak, Nilmani: Lectures Bhattacharya, 1936.
on Tuberculosis .
Calcutta: Dr. S.M.
32) Goswami, Amit: “Scientific Proof of the Existence of God”; www.enlightennext.org/magazine www.enlightennext .org/magazine/j11/goswami.as /j11/goswami.asp p. An interview with with Amit Goswami Goswami by Craig Hamilton. 33) Goswami, Amit: The Self-Aware Universe: How Consciousness Creates the Material World . NY: Jeremy Tarcher, 1993. 34) Grimm, Jacob & Wilhelm (Edgar Taylor & Marian Edwardes, tr.): Grimm's Fairy Tales . 1812; www.gutenberg www.gutenberg.org/files/2591/2 .org/files/2591/2591-h/2591-h.htm 591-h/2591-h.htm Homoeopathy: The Fundamentals of Its Philosophy, the 35) Gutman, William: Homoeopathy: Essence of Its Remedies. Bombay: Homoeopathic Medical Pub, 1978.
36) Haehl, Richard: Samuel Hahnemann: His Life and Work (2 (2 vols). London: Homoeopathic Pub Co, 1922; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 2001. 37) Hafiz: “The Nightingale’s Tale – from Divan of Hafiz” (tr. Paul Smith), The Awakener Magazine, a Journal Devoted to Meher Baba, 22:1, 1986; www.theawakenermagazine.org.
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Hafiz is widely regarded as a spiritually Perfect Master whose poetry Meher Baba loved and acclaimed very much. 38) Hahnemann, Samuel C: Lesser Writings of Samuel Hahnemann (ed. (ed. RE Dudgeon). New York: William Radde, 1852; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 2004. a. “Aesculapius in the Balance”, 1805. " b. "Letter on the Great Necessity of a Regeneration of Medicine", 1808. c. “The Medicine of Experience”, 1805. d. "The Medical Observer", 1825. e. “Are the Obstacles to Certainty and Simplicity in Practical Medicine Insurmountable?” 1797. 39) Hahnemann, Samuel C: The Chronic Diseases, their Peculiar Nature and their Homoeopathic Cure (transl. Louis H Tafel from 2 nd German ed. 1835). Phila., PA: Boericke & Tafel, 1896; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 1972. 40) Hahnemann, Samuel C: Organon of Rational Art of Healing (tr. (tr. Mahendra st Singh & Subhas Singh), 1 edition. Delhi: Jain Pub, 2010. The first edition has special value as a work of pure inspiration in its first draft, before subsequent modifications. 41) Hahnemann, Samuel C: Organon of Medicine (tr. (tr. Wm Boericke/Dudgeon), Boericke/Dudgeon), 6th edition. Philadelphia: Boericke & Tafel, (1st ed. 1810) 1916; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 1991. 42) Hahnemann, Samuel C: Organon of the Medical Art (tr. (tr. Steven R Decker, th
ed. Wenda B O’Reilly), 6 edition. Redmond: Birdcage Books, 1996. Hahnemann is the founder of Homeopathy. Trained as a medical doctor, he abhorred the medical practices of his times, which used excessively the application of leeches, strong purgatives and emetics, etc. He felt these treatments were more harmful than the actual disease. Being fluent in 6-7 languages, he chose to support his extended family on his translations. During one translation of a S. American medical text, translated from English into German for a Scottish physician, Hahnemann discovered the basic concept of Homeopathy. After much research on his discovery, and many clinical trials, he started the alternative medical practice, which he named Homeopathy, in the early 1800’s in Germany. Near the end of his life, Hahnemann promoted this practice of Homeopathy in his clinic in Paris, France.
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Homeopathy is based upon the Law of Similars, Similia Similibus, aka ‘Like cures like’, a principle that has existed in medical literature since time immemorial – from ancient Hindu physicians to the Greek Delphic Oracle to Hippocrates to Paracelsus and later to Hahnemann. Unique to Hahnemann was his development of a method known as potentization for preparing safe Homeopathic medicinal remedies, based upon the Law of Similars. Hahnemann prepared with repeated trituration/succussion steps medicinal substances diluted to such an extent that the material dosage was demonstrably incapable of causing any pathology. Hahnemann then administered these medicines to provers, using a method he called ‘Provings,’ to record the usage and effects of these potentized medicines on healthy human beings. He carefully observed the order of the symptoms as they appeared, before they disappeared, thereby providing a clear drug picture describing the medicinal effects of the substance proved. Hahnemann demonstrated in clinical trials that the medicines producing certain symptoms in healthy provers would cure similar symptoms in sick individuals. Thus Hahnemann developed a method of cure based upon the Law of Similars. In modern times, homeopathic provings are conducted worldwide, in groups of 5-25 healthy individuals. This paper addresses modern provings of Rosa spp. conducted in Germany, Holland, India, UK, and USA. Hahnemann had a strong faith in God, to whom he attributed the gift of Homeopathy. 43) Hale, Edwin M: Lectures on Diseases of the Heart with a Materia Medica of the New Heart Remedies . Philadelphia: Boericke & Tafel, 1875; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 1986. Hale is a medical doctor who lectures on the relationship of the spiritual heart to the physical heart. 44) Hall, Manly Palmer: The Secret Teachings of All Ages: an encyclopedic outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian symbolical philosophy. Los Angeles: Philosophical Research Society, 1975 (orig.
1928); reprint NY: Tarcher/Penguin, 2003; www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/sta26.htm
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Manly Palmer Hall is a widely respected researcher, and in this work there is a reference to his writings about Paracelsus and the practice of medicine before and during the times of Hahnemann. 45) Haynes, Jane (ed.): Letters of Love for Meher Baba, the Ancient One . Myrtle Beach: Sheriar Books, 1997. 46) Hehr, GS, “Self-awareness and Homoeopathy”, Brit Hom Journal, 72:2, April, 1983 (Corrected (Corrected reprint pub. in Am J Hom. Medicine, Medicine, 95:1, Spring 2002). 47) Hering, Constantine, “What is Similar?”, German Achives, vol. 22, 1845; reprinted in Homoeopathic Recorder, Jan 1932. Hering is a colorful and jovial American Homeopath who wrassled with poisonous snakes-Aude Sapere!-in S. American jungles in order to provide Homeopathic medicines, and who is well respected for his published research and clinical knowledge. 48) Herrick, Nancy: Sacred Plants, Human Voices . Grass Valley: Hahnemann Clinic Pub, 2004. Herrick is a modern Homeopath from the USA whose recent publications are well researched and sophisticated in presentation. 49) Hobhouse, Rosa: Life of Christian Samuel Hahnemann. London: CW Daniel, 1933; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 2001. 50) Jessawala, Eruch: “Reason for Holocaust”, Mandali Hall talk, July 20, 1985; mandalihall.org/talk/mov/907. mandalihall.org/talk/mov/907. 51) St. John of the Cross: Dark Night of the Soul. (E. Allison Peers, transl.). Garden City, NY: Image Books, 1959 (3 rd edition). 52) Jowett, Benjamin (translator): The Dialogues of Plato. Oxford UP, 1953; http://www.gutenberg.org a. Charmides b. Gorgias ;
Reference from Plato to Socrates about our world being ‘upside down’ in Gorgias. 53) Jung, C.G.: Synchronicity, an Acausal Connecting Principle. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1960.
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Originally published together with a monograph by the Nobel prize winning Wolfgang Pauli (citation below). Jung grouped three categories of what he termed “synchronicity”: 1) The coincidence of a psychic state in the observer with a simultaneous, objective, external event that corresponds to the psychic state or content, …where there is no evidence of a causal connection between the psychic state and the external event, and where, considering the psychic relativity of space and time, such a connection is not even conceivable. 2) The coincidence of a psychic state with a corresponding (more or less simultaneous) external event taking place outside the observer’s field of perception, i.e., at a distance, and only verifiable afterward… 3) The coincidence of a psychic state with a corresponding, not yet existent future event that is distant in time and can likewise only be verified afterward. In groups 2 and 3 the coinciding events are not yet present in the observer's field of perception, but have been anticipated in time in so far as they can only be verified afterward. For this reason I call such events synchronistic, which is not to be confused with synchronous. 54) Jung, C. G., and W. Pauli: The Interpretation of Nature and the Psyche . Bollingen Series 51. New York: Pantheon, 1954. 55) Kadloubovsky, E. & EH Palmer (translators): Writings from the “Philokalia” on Prayer of the Heart. Faber & Faber, 1951; reprinted, 1992. These are writings of Greek and Russian Orthodox Christian Mystics, first published in Venice, Italy in 1782. Contains writings of inspired ‘Fathers’ who spoke spoke about the the spiritual role of the heart, and about the lower desire nature. 56) Kalchuri, V.S. “Bhau”: Meher Prabhu, Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the the Age, Meher Baba Baba . N Myrtle Beach: Manifestation, Inc., 1986 (originally written in Hindi in 1973); www.lordmeher.org Bhau Kalchuri is currently the Chairman of the Avatar Meher Baba Trust, and a prolific writer. As the last living male Mandali (disciple) of Meher Baba, Bhau balances what is seemingly the limit of human intellect with heart in perfect harmony). See also the Supplement titled: ‘July 1957 Meher Baba Explains Explains Maya’, one one of of 3 discourses given to Conybeare for her book, In Quest Of Truth (1962). (1962).
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57) Kalchuri, V.S. “Bhau”: Avatar of the Age Meher Baba Manifesting . N Myrtle Beach: Manifestation, Inc, 1985. 58) Kaplan, Pascal: Esoteric Knowledge: Toward a Theology of Consciousness . Thesis submitted to JFK University, Orinda CA 94563 Kaplan’s thesis was instrumental in development of the overall approach to this work. Homoeopathy (ed. 59) Kent, James T: Kent’s Minor Writings on Homoeopathy (ed. K-H Gypser). Heidelberg, Haug, 1987; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 1988.
a. “The Trend of Thought Necessary to the Application of the Homoeopathic Materia Medica, Medica, or a Rational Use of Curative Agents”, 1897. 1897. b. “The Making of a Man”, 1912. Kent is an American Homeopath who was a spiritually minded (Swedenborgian) intellect, and who published one of the most comprehensive Homeopathic Homeopathic reference materials for clinics which is still in use today, Kent’s Repertory ). ). Homoeopathic Philosophy (Memorial 60) Kent, James T.: Lectures on Homoeopathic (Memorial edition). Chicago: Ehrhart & Karl, 1917; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 1990; www.homeoint.org.
61) Kent, James T: Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica . Philadelphia: Boericke & Tafel, 1905; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub 1992. 62) Kent, James T: New Remedies, Clinical Cases, Lesser Writings, Aphorisms and Precepts (ed. (ed. W. W. Sherwood). Chicago: Ehrhart & Karl, 1926; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 1984. Similar to cit. 59, but includes Kent’s Swedenborgian “Aphorisms “Aphorisms and Precepts.” 63) Khan, Hazrat Inayat: The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan (12 (12 vols). London: Barrie & Jenkins, 1973; www.wahiduddin.net. Inayat Khan was sent from south of India by his Master (of the Moinuddin Chisti lineage) to the West to spread the message of Sufism. He first landed in USA, where he appointed Rabia Martin as the first American Murshida in the early 1900’s. Rabia Martin recognized Meher Baba’s divinity and spiritual status as the Head of the Spiritual Hierarchy. Consequently, Consequently, she turned the American Sufi Order over to Meher Baba. Martin appointed M. Ivy Duce as her successor. M. Duce accepted Meher Baba as the Avatar,
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and the Sufi Order became Sufism Reoriented, with a new charter written by Dr. M. Ghani and Murshida Duce under the direct guidance of Meher Baba. 64) Knerr, Calvin: Life of Hering. New York: Magee Press, 1939; reprint Delhi: Jain Pub, 1992. 65) Kreeft, Peter: The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind the Lord of the Rings. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005. 66) Ladinsky, Daniel: a. The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master. NY: Penguin Books, 1999. b. The Subject Tonight is Love. N. Myrtle Beach: Pumpkin House Press, 1996. Widely recognized to be colorful renderings of Hafiz, using artistic license to develop and embellish the actual meaning in lieu of lexiconic precision. This is similar to Buck’s rendering of The Ramayana , wherein certain details were changed to enliven the story and its overall meaning. 67) Brother Lawrence: The Practice of the Presence of God (tr. (tr. E.M. Blaiklock). London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1981. 68) Lu Yen, Lu Tzu: Secret of the Golden Flower .; .; http://www.alchemylab.com/gol http://www.alchem ylab.com/golden_flower.htm den_flower.htm Ancient esoteric texts texts of oral tradition tradition later recorded recorded on wooden wooden th tablets in the 8 century. 69) Macdonald, George: The Light Princess . NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1969; www.gutenberg.org/etext/697. www.gutenberg.org/etext/697. Tolkien acknowledged George Macdonald’s Macdonald’s fairy tales as one of the sources of his inspiration. Macdonald’s Macdonald’s tales have a humanistic, psychological, moralistic, and spiritualistic blending. They are written in a colorfully creative style. 70) Macdonald, George: Lilith . UK: Chatto & Windus, 1895. 71) Maule, Vivien, “Rosa Canina: the Dog Rose”, Homoeopath, 24:4, 2006. V. Maule is a British Homeopath Homeopath who conducted conducted an inspired inspired Proving on Rosa canina, the data of which contained many
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Spiritual metaphors, adding a remarkable depth of understanding to proving data of Rosa canina. 72) Meher Baba: “Baba's Letters to Delia DeLeon and to her Sister Minta: Tenth Letter”; Heart Talk, Letter 250, 21 August 2008, Copyright 2008, Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Public Charitable Trust; Trust; www.ambppct.org/archives/coll www.ambppct. org/archives/collections/written_m ections/written_materials/correspo aterials/corresponden nden ce/heart talk.htm Meher Baba is widely regarded throughout the world as the current Avatar of this Age, as God in human form, the seventh and and last of this series - Zoroaster, Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, and Meher Baba. He has declared that He is the same Ancient One who has come down into our midst to give a Universal Push to all of Creation, from the lowest forms of life up to the fully developed human form, and to give a spiritual push to those so inclined. See also the Supplement titled: ‘July 1957 Meher Baba Explains Maya’, one of of 3 discourses discourses given to Irene Irene Conybeare for for her following book, In Quest Of Truth (1962). (1962). 73) Meher Baba: Beams from Meher Baba on the Spiritual Panorama . New York: Peter Pauper Press, 1958; www.ambppct.org/library.php 74) Meher Baba: Discourses (7th (7th ed). Myrtle Beach: Sheriar Press, 1987; www.ambppct.org/library.php 75) Meher Baba: God Speaks, the Theme of Creation and Its Purpose . NY: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1973 (2nd ed.); www.ambppct.org/library.php 76) Meher Baba: Listen, Humanity (Don (Don Stevens, ed.). NY: Dodd, Mead & Co, 1957; www.ambppct.org/library.php 77) Meher Baba: Silent Teachings of Meher Baba, Discourses and Conversations (Naosherwan (Naosherwan Anzar, ed.). East Windsor, NJ: Beloved Archives, 2001. 78) Meher Baba: Sparks of the Truth from Dissertations of Meher Baba, version by C. D. Deshmukh . Myrtle Beach: Sheriar Press, 2nd ed, 1971; www.ambppct.org/library.php 79) Meher Baba: The Everything and the Nothing. Beacon Hill, Australia: Meher House Pub., 1963; www.ambppct.org/library.php
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80) Meher Baba: Questions Meher Baba Answered . Meher Baba Pune Center, Pune, India. a. Man Minus Mind is God - Life Circular No.1 issued on 6 -2 -1952 81) Merizalde, Bernardo A, “Homeopathy, Alchemy and the Process of Transformation” Transformation” (Proceedings of the 52nd Congress of the Liga Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis). Seattle, WA: Arnica Pub, 1997. Merizalde was the President of the American Institute of Homeopathy, Homeopathy, and also a psychiatrist, neurologist, neurologist, researcher, and writer. 82) Miles, Martin: Homoeopathy and Human Evolution . London: Winter Press, 1992. From the UK, the recently deceased Martin Miles, RSHom, had strong spiritual inclinations in his writings on modern Homeopathy. 83) Morgan, John, “The Mystery of Causticum”, Interhomeopathy, Interhomeopathy, Sept 2009 (from a talk given at the Irish Homoeopathic Conference, 1997). Morgan is a Homeopath/Pharmacist at Helios (UK), who wrote that the remedies themselves choose their own timing for the proving trials. 84) Morrell, Peter, “The Secretive Hahnemann and the Esoteric Roots of Homeopathy”, Homeopathy”, 1996 (published in: Hahnemann and Homoeopathy , Delhi: Jain Pub, 2003); www.homeoint.org 85) Mother (Mira Alfassa): The Spiritual Significance of Flowers (2 (2 vols). Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, 2000. The Mother is Sri Aurobindo’s counterpart, whom he stated was of the same spiritual status as himself. 86) Ortega, Proceso Sanchez, “Personality and Individuality”, Individuality”, Zeitschrift für Klassische Homoeopathe und Arzneipotenzierung, Arzneipotenzierung, Band 30, Heft 2/86. English translation by KS Srinivasan, privately printed in Quarterly Homoeopathic Digest. homöopathische 87) Ostermayr, Benno & Artur Wölfel: Rosa Damascena, Eine homöopathische Arzneimittelselbsterfahrung, Arzneimittelselbsterfahrung, Die Die Rose – Botanik, Botanik, Geschichte, Medizin. Medizin.
Greifenberg: Hahnemann-Inst. für Homöopathische Homöopathische Dokumentation, 1999. This is a Proving done in German on Rosa damascena, one of the oldest cultivated Rose spp., (privately translated).
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88) Ott, Chris: “The Role of the Ego”, (2010). http://sites.google.com/site/o http://sites.go ogle.com/site/ottsessays/mis ttsessays/misunderstanding-th understanding-the-ego e-ego 89) Paracelsus, Theophrastus: Selected Writings (Jacobi, (Jacobi, trans.), Bollingen Series XXVII. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 1958. 90) Paschero, Tomás P: Homoeopathy (ed. (ed. Patricia Haas; transl. Katherine Massís). Beaconsfield: Beaconsfield Publishers, 2000 (orig. Spanish pub. 1983). 91) Pelikan, Wilhelm, “The Rosaceae, Perfect Moderation in the Midst of Plenty”, Brit. Hom. Journal, 66:1 and 66:2, Jan and April 1977. Pelikan, an avid follower of Rudolf Steiner, wrote in Steiner style of language about Roses. 92) Purdom, Charles: The God-Man: The Life, Journeys & Work of Meher Baba with an Interpretation of His Silence & Spiritual Teaching . London: Allen & Unwin, 1962;
www.ambppct.org/library.php 93) Ramana Maharshi: Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi. Tiruvannamalai: Sri Ramanasramam, 1996. 94) Ramayana, King Rama’s Way (Buck, (Buck, William version; authorship attributed to Valmiki). Berkeley: Univ. Calif. Press, 1976. This delightfully readable abridged version has some literary changes, while still being highly regarded by notable Indian scholars. 95) Ramayana (Kamala (Kamala Subramaniam, translator/editor). translator/editor). Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bhavan, 1998 An abridged version version – the original original Ramayana Ramayana is an ancient 24,000 24,000 verse epic poem in Sanskrit attributed to the sage Valmiki. 96) Rowling, Joanne K: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone . London: Bloomsbury Pub, 1997. 97) Roy, Sukomal, “The Higher Purposes of Our Existence”, Hom. Heritage, 22:7, July 1997. Roy states that the higher purpose of our life lies in man’s struggle “to attain the ideal of Truth, Good and Beauty which in turn proves to be
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the perfection of his own self.” Compare Meher Baba’s statement quoted on the title page of this work (56): “This is the sole game which has any intrinsic and absolute worth.” 98) de Saint-Exupéry, Antoine: The Little Prince . NY: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1943 (Richard Howard’s most accurate translation: Harcourt, 2000); www.cs.swan.ac.uk/~cswill/The www.cs.swan.a c.uk/~cswill/The_little_prince.pd _little_prince.pdf f *(Katherine *(Katherine Woods tr.) Saint-Exupéry was a pilot in WWII, who struggled with the oppression of Nazism and the Holocaust in this poignant ‘children’s story’. There is a more complete version which contains personal correspondence by the author indicating his internal struggles. into Plants (vol 99) Sankaran, Rajan: An Insight into (vol 3). Mumbai: Homeopathic Medical Pub, 2007.
R. Sankaran is a Homeopath currently practicing in Bombay who has literally shaken the Homeopathic global world with his insights into the Homeopathic remedies, the practice of Homeopathy, and Homeopathic research and clinical practice. He is a renowned international lecturer, considered by many to be a Master Homeopath. Homoeopathy. Mumbai: Homoeopathic 100) Sankaran, Rajan: The System of Homoeopathy. Medical Publishers, 2000.
101) Scholten, Jan: Seminar Plants 4, 14-15 March 2003, © HAU, Stichting Alonissos. Scholten, a Homeopath in the Netherlands, is the President of Stichting Alonissos, a foundation for the promotion of Homeopathy, and the advisor of SHO. Scholten is a Homeopath who has done extensive work on researching Homeopathic remedies and whose publications are highly regarded. 102) “Bulleh Shah” (Suman Kashyap, tr.), in “Punjabi Poetry” website, Aacademy of the the Punjab in North North America; http://apnaorg.com/suman/shah_ http://apnaorg .com/suman/shah_poems.html poems.html The name Bulleh Shah is shortened form of Abdullah Shah, a Sufi saint of the 17 century (1680-1757). 103) Shah, Priti, “Love for Approbation: a Case of Rosa Damascena,” Hom. Links, 17:1, Jan 2004. 104) Shukla, Chetna: The Soul of the Spirit in the Substance . Delhi: Indian Books & Periodicals Pub, 2001.
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An Indian Homeopath Homeopath who conducted conducted provings provings of R. canina canina in India, published in Dekgwitz’s German provings and also published as her own proving work in India. 105) Swami, Shri Purohit (tr.): The Geeta: the Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna Put into English from the Original Sanskrit. NY: Faber & Faber, 1935. 106) Tolkien, JRR: The Lord of the Rings (3 (3 vols). NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1954. 107) Treuherz, Francis, “The Origins of Kent’s Homoeopathy: the Influence of Swedenborg”, Journal of AIH, 77:4, 1984 A paper presented presented at Society of Homeopaths Homeopaths Conference, 1983. 1983. 108) Twentyman, Lewellyn R, “Argentum – a Study in Correspondences”, Brit. Hom. Journal, 71:3, July 1982. 109) Twentyman, Lewellyn, “Golden Apollo and the Heart”, Brit. Hom. Journal, 74:2, April 1985. 110) Twentyman, Lewellyn R: The Science and Art of Healing . Edinburgh: Floris Books, 1988. 111) Ugolino (Ugolino Brunforte): The Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi. New York: Heritage Press, 1965; www.ccel.org/ccel/ugolino/flowers.txt www.ccel.org/ccel/ugolino/flowers.txt.. St. Francis was a true Saint, who became a spiritually Perfect Master, according to Meher Baba. 112) Von Bingen, Hildegard: Holistic Healing (ed. (ed. Mary Palmquist, John S Kulas, Patrick Madigan; tr. John S Kulas & Patrick Madigan). Collegeville MN: Liturgical Press, 1994. Von Bingen was a Medieval herbalist, herbalist, an Abbess Abbess of a Convent, Convent, whose medicines and treatments are still highly regarded in Germany today. 113) Whitmont, Edward C: Psyche and Substance, Essays on Homeopathy in the Light of Jungian Psychology . Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 1980. 114) Whitmont, Edward C: The Alchemy of Healing, Psyche and Soma . Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 1993.
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115) Wilmshurst, Walter L: The Meaning of Masonry . London: W Rider & Son, 1922; www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/ www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/wilmshurstfr.htm wilmshurstfr.htmll Wilmhurst describes the esoteric spiritual side of Freemasonry. 116) Wirtz, Anne, “Rosa Damascena, the Rose”, Interhomeopathy, Jan 2006. Dr. Wirtz is a well known Dutch clinical Homeopath and author of clinical articles in Homeopathic journals. 117) Xenophon: Symposium (Henry (Henry Dakyns, transl.); www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1181 118) Yogananda, Paramahansa: Wine of the Mystic . LA: Self Realization Fellowship Pub, 1996.
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