Page 6 - Summer 12

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tutional remedy for a big muscular, feisty horse. The sort of conditions we treat with Silicea can be found going back to the provings, include many upper respiratory conditions, injury to the sacrum and between the shoulder blades, a lot of twitching, cramps, paralyses, and it used by Sue for azoturia. Vaccinosis is a massive prob- lem in these horses and beats Thuja, in Sue’s hands, for these cases – but we were reminded not to ignore other remedies in the rubric. Itchiness around the nose and face points us to this remedy in head shaking.
Our second spark came from Ilse Petersone from Latvia, who gave us a picture of Asterias rubens, an aggressive predatory animal, also a scavenger. Historically not widely used as a remedy, it is most often used for breast cancer and uterine disease (correlation with Sepia and Murex) and is an ancient reme- dy for epilepsy. The keynotes include redness, burning, inflammation, strong left sided affinity. Asterias has aggravations by cold, damp, night, contradiction, before menses, with movement, coffee and pronounced polarities. Clinical affinities include hypertension, stroke, immune system and glands (hardening, indurations), breast cancer and pains of this, also epilepsy twitching and jerking of muscles several days before epilepsy. Mammary glands show symp- toms of sharp sudden pains stabbing pains, at night, ulceration of breast cancer, tumours in axilliary glands.
David Lilley came over from South Africa to weave us further insights into Silicea and its relationships. Here are some snapshots of what he presented to us. In group 4a of the periodic table, the transition point between metals and non metals – two substances stand out, car- bon, the substance of life and silica the plat- form and frame upon which this life dwells, the foundation on which it is built. Silicea is a rem- edy at the core of the materia medica. Carbon, in the form of graphite, and silica are weak – involved in trivialities – over conscientious and fearful, which is a basic state in so many of us, lacking confidence in the self, inadequate, put- ting on a mask to protect ourselves. The reme- dies are close together, basic and therefore highly psoric. Silicea is multimiasmatic, hugely psoric, sycotic, syphilitic, tubercular and linked to Carcinosin miasm. The sea rests on a cradle of sand; oceanic vastness, analogous to our emotional life, the depths of our being where the tremendous currents move around, that we often subdue and suppress. Sand lies at the base of the ocean, and in the shadows, that which we repress, suppress and deny; it is so important to bring them out to the surface.
David talked of connections that Silicea has with other remedies. He likened the materia medica to a mosaic where we search for that most similar to our patient. Silicea is a remedy that helps us enter the labyrinth. David took us on a trip through the creation of the universe and the Earth. When the volcanic phase of evo- lution was taking place, sulphur was actively
involved with its organic energy and in it we see its early psoric power, but what poured out of the volcanoes onto the surface of the earth was magma, composed mainly of silica. Hence its frequency in our environment and the power it has to affect our constitution. Take white light and pass it through a prism of silica, it refracts the light into the full spectrum of colours – the importance of this to a homeopath is that it has actions on the whole chakra system, from red of the basic primal animal chakra, where you find Ferrum, all the way to the celestial chakra above, pure white light. There is a very special form of open mined silica, formed by diatoms. What can we learn from them? They are exqui- site, beautiful. They have a cell wall, unique in that it is pure silica. There is no crystal that is found in so many shapes, colours and forms than silica. There are 2 energies in Silicea, and here we see the paradox and struggle, the cre- ative force, to expand and grow but also they are up against their need to comply and to con- strain. There is ambition, but the timidity, diffi- dence and self-effectiveness, makes it unable to fulfil its ambition. With Silicea, it is the mun- dane fears, existential fears of life, that life is hostile. “I don’t have the means to cope with life”. Like Calc fluor, Silicea in low potency can be used to soften the valves and vessels in sclerosis.
The universe has made glass since time immemorial. From volcanoes, magma pours out the most natural form of dark glass which is obsidian; it is almost perfect silica and it is black. That tells you of the shadow which is hugely developed in silica, an immense amount of the divinity that has been suppressed, not acknowledged, not developed has been placed in the shadow. A great amount of emotion is not visible. A reminder too that the oceans as deep as they may be, rest on a deeper layer, a bed of sand. As deep as Natrum mur may go in repressed emotions, deeper still goes silicea. When we think of grief we think of Ignatia, Natrum mur, which may help, but we may need more, Silicea is deeper, going right back to the beginning.
Silicea. Lycopodium, and Sulphur all stand together. Whenever you see these archetypes remember silica and its priority. As vets we understand the significance of Pulsatilla, why is it such a huge remedy in practice, particularly in the altricial species, we are helpless, puny, vulnerable, the Silicea state, Pulsatilla fails to grow out of that state. Wanting advice, guid- ance, support, is typical of them both. Silicea is the chronic of Pulsatilla, chronic of the Ranunculacea, so go further, think of the next cousin, Staphisagria. Whereas Pulsatilla will be anything for her man, will do anything to pre- serve that marriage, she will be his concubine, his prostitute, she will compromise her very soul, if that’s what he asks of her; she survives by complying and yielding. Staphisagria is another matter; she suppresses everything, it festers, becomes a cancer within her. Silicea is
a chronic of Staphisagria. This is wonderful knowledge. You have a Staphisagria patient and you put in the occasional dose of silicea. “Life is hostile; I haven’t the means to cope”, a state of fear, of heightened arousal, like that of the rabbit born into the family of foxes, incest, clandestine. For vaccine problems we think of Thuja, but Silica came first, Thuja later, grander, more distorted. The next cousin is Cimicifuga. If Staphisagria festers, who festers more? Silicea. Cimicifuga is forced into doing things she doesn’t really want to do. The father figure forces her to be a doctor, a vet; she wants to do things like music or literature. Immensely fem- inine, the flowers are little stars, the symptoms are left sided, feminine, she doesn’t want to be told what to do, to have her destiny taken over – then Carcinosin, no say in what you do. When everything is breaking down in life, Silicea thinks of drowning, so does Cimicifuga,. Also Silicea has the passive aggression of Staphisagria and Graphites, immense suppres- sion of rage and hostility. Like obsidian, dark and hidden. You don’t see this anger with Silicea, it is hidden. Sometimes in obsidian, you can see a heart in lighter grey – classic Silicea, heart chakra.
After lunch on Saturday Peter Gregory gave a presentation on Sepia officinalis which began with a beautiful video of the cuttlefish in its natural environment to give us a feel of the remedy. He then went through the characteris- tics of the cuttlefish, its habitat, its biology and then its homeopathic use from the point of view of some different schools. It is an animal rem- edy so animated, competitive and the patients engage with us. Sepia has a theme of hormonal imbalance and is a sycotic remedy, thus excesses, discharges and need to cover up their weaknesses. Peter prepared detailed notes for the proceedings so I haven’t repeated them here.
According to Sankaran, Sepia has a feeling of dependence, forced to do things she doesn’t want to, likes to occupy herself mentally and physically. Gibson notes the hormonal aspects with preponderance of androgens over oestro- gens. Kent notes the absence of affection and joy although Pete reminds us Kent was a Victorian male so his opinions of women in general should be put in that context! Tyler’s picture of the tired out washerwoman gives yet another portrait. He then went through the materia medica, which again is detailed in his notes. He highlighted that when we spay the Sepia type we are interfering physically in their area of vulnerability.
After the break we had the first of two Sparks. Cheryl Sears, looked at the remedy Medusa and her presentation is published in the mag this time so I won’t cover it again here. The second Spark was given by Nazrene Moosa who talked about Murex. Nazrene played us Jimi Hendrix – Purple Haze to illus- trate the theme of sex power and religion. Purple is related to Crown chakra, pineal gland
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