Page 11 - Autumn 13

Asteri–as rubens – Spark talk given at the BAHVS Confrence 2012 by Ilze Petersone, Latvia
Asteria rubens is a pentagram, the shape is associated with the pattern of the planet Venus and the female principle. In European spiritual symbology the Star Fish is the Stella Maris – Divine Love and the inextinguishable power of love. In Christianity it is a symbol of the Holy Spirit; religion; charity and the Virgin Mary as Stella Maris. Stella Maris is Latin for Star of the Sea. The remedy is made by trituration of the whole animal.
Asterias rubens (common starfish/red starfish/sea star) Kingdom: Animal
Phylum: Echinoderm
Class: Asteroidea
The common starfish is common and widespread around the coasts of Britain and Ireland, and throughout the northeast Atlantic region (rocky, temperate shores) from Norway to Senegal. Asterias rubens has five arms (some individuals occasionally have four or six arms) The colour of the Asterias rubens varies from red to yellowish-brown and more rarely violet. The upper surfaces of the arms have a row of spines along the centre and the underside has rows of 'tube-feet', with suckers at the tips. Asterias rubens lives on marine prey (sea urchins, starfish and brittle stars), worms and molluscs. It is a very aggressive animal – can open bivalve with it’s tube feet. Once a small gap has been opened, the Asteria rubens inserts the lobes of its stomach inside the shell of the prey. Next, digestive enzymes enter the prey along with the everted stomach lining to further aid digestion. Asterias rubens endoskeleton is made up of many plates and collagen ligaments connects the plates. Normally, the ligaments are locked but they can be temporarily unlocked – it provides locomotion with no muscular effort. This animal is relatively agile; it can right itself in 5 seconds, if it capsizes. Complicated hydraulic vascular system conjunc- tion with muscles and nervous system enables the animal to move. Canals through the body create hydraulic pressure and vacuum effects caused by muscle contraction allowing movement.
The Doctrine of Signatures:
Echinoderm larvae are bilaterally symmetric appearing, like embryonic chordates – backboned animals. Later, the left side growths at expense of right side. The right side is eventually absorbed. The left side then growths in pentagonal symmetric fashion. Asterias rubens has a left side bias as a homeopathic remedy. Red starfish lives at the bottom of the sea; the constitution of the remedy is flabby with the red face-lymphatic phlegmatic fluids and the red colour of the common starfish.
Five is the number of human digits on each limb. Asterias Rubens has particular affinity with ailments of the limbs, fingers and toes. In nature, starfish has great power of regeneration, from severed arm can grow a new starfish. Its corny skin has similarities with corns on toes and gouty symptoms.
Asteria rubens as a homeopathic medicine is not widely used but there is evidence of it’s use already in ancient times. Hippocrates has used starfish for the treatment of uterine diseases. This shows its pathogenic relationship to Sepia and Murex. It is also an ancient remedy for epilepsy. A valuable proving was made in 1853 by Dr. Günther, of a tincture of the sea star, caught in Newport, prepared by the late Dr. Geist of Boston. Asteria rubens is mostly known as a remedy for breast cancer. Mainly it influences left side breast cancer. It has characteristic nightly lancinating pains and a feeling as if the breast or the nipple is drawn back.
It has the symptom of tumours in the uterus with a sensation in the womb as if something is pushing out – resembling Sepia and Murex. However there are differences amongst these homeopathic remedies: Asterias rubens has an overstimulation of the hormones and excessive sexual desire. Sepia has an irregular cycle, depression, passive, diminished sex- ual desire. Murex has a frantic sexual desire, sore pain in uterus, con- sciousness of the womb, feels disgust and despair at her sexual desires. The remedy is effective also in neuralgias, chorea, twitching, fits, epilepsy
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