‡ Anthroposofie ‡ Anhang

R.S. and homoeopathy by Peter Morrell

R.S.'s approach to health and illness is still largely veiled in a cloud of apathy and misunderstanding, some 70 years after his death. To many, his medical writings are obscure and difficult, and

while it certainly repays some effort, many feel it is hardly worth reading. I would tentatively claim that his writings do seem to have a perennial relevance to the healing arts.

This is an attempt to give an outline of his more important ideas and how they connect with homoeopathy.

To a modern medical metaphysician, it seems fairly obvious that both R.S. and H. built their systems upon the same bedrock of Paracelsian thought. Certainly, the end products are different, but they seem to share a common base. The question then becomes to what extent was this done consciously by H.? Apart from Danciger's book no-one else seems to have explored this theme very extensively.

In more recent years there has been a greater interest in this area and new books emerging.

Martin Miles' Homoeopathy and Human Evolution (1992, Winter Press),

Matthew Wood's The Magical Staff (1992, North Atlantic Books),

Richard Grossinger's Homoeopathy an Introduction for Skeptics and Beginners (1993, North Atlantic Books),

Whitmont's Alchemy and Healing (1993?, North Atlantic Books?),

Christine Page's Frontiers of Health from Healing to Wholeness (1992, C W Daniel Co)

H. played down or dismissed the importance of the doctrine of signatures as a method for finding remedies, or for discerning their therapeutic properties and preferred to stress his own newly discovered method of the Proving. However, we should not be quite so hasty to throw the baby out with the bathwater! The old methods are still very useful and form an important supplement to `flesh out' the information gained from provings, or to provide a skeleton of theory to hang the details on. Very important insights about remedies can be gained from Paracelsian and R.S. methods.

R.S. clearly took a similar view to H. and Kent, in the sense that he saw `as above so below' that materia medica reflects physiology and physiology reflects disease. Thus these three mirrors - as he might have seen them - gaze mystically at each other forever.

R.S. also viewed materia medica (medicine generally) from a functionalist standpoint. A viewpoint of synthesis rather than analysis. His remedies and his esoteric physiology derive from prolonged

meditations upon the essential nature of plants and minerals and upon the processes within the organism. These are certainly based upon looking deeply at the organism and how it functions rather

than being a set of ideas that has been superimposed upon reality.

In his `anthroposophical medicine', it is quite clear that R.S. has drawn together parts of Alchemy, Occultism, Hippocratic notions of the 4 Temperaments and Humours and large parts of Herbalism and Homoeopathy. He also adds oriental notions like karma, rebirth, subtle body and chakras derived directly from Mrs. Besant's Theosophy. He also adds to his system a Jungian sort of rumination and analogical thinking about essence and morphology, which presumably came primarily from Goethe's `Naturphilosophie' or from Paracelsus. More likely, both influences are admixed.

It is difficult to escape the impression that he lumped things together in this eclectic sort of way. This was all pre-Jung historically, of course, as R.S. died in 1925, and Jung didn't really get going as an independent thinker and writer until 1900. In any case R.S. refused to believe in the existence of any form of unconscious, whether personal or collective, and he reviled Jung's early work.

Most of R.S.'s philosophy was developed at the turn of the century, though his medical ruminations did not appear until the 1920's.

R.S. started to develop his anthroposophy while editing Goethe's scientific works. Goethe's `Metamorphosis of the Plant' impressed him deeply and inspired his own ruminations on organic forms.

In 1894 he published his work:

`The Philosophy of Freedom'.

`Theosophy',

`Knowledge of Higher Worlds'

`Cosmic Memory' followed in 1904,

`The Education of the Child in the Light of Anthroposophy' in 1907,

`Occult Science - an Outline' in 1910,

In 1919 the first Waldorf School opened in Stuttgart.

`Riddles of the Soul' appeared in 1917

`Fundamentals of Therapy' in 1928 (see Hill, 1979, pp29-33).

His views on therapy also included many new ideas: exercise/art therapy/thinking/meditation/magnetism. The origins of which are obscure, although, those of

Alice Bailey (1880 - 1950),

Thomas Maughan (1901-1976)

Edward Bach (1886-1936),

he claims revelation from the spirit world (`higher faculties' as he calls it) for much of his material. All of this is so clearly Paracelsian that it is difficult not to believe that R.S. simply re-worked

and modernised that medieval system. His extensive use of raw minerals and metals and most of his theoretical writings tend to strongly confirm this suspicion. His theory of poles, however, is

of slightly more obscure origin, although King (1986) proposes that it is derived from the work of several associates of R.S. in the Theosophical movement, such as Dr Gerard Encausse (`Papus') and Dr Franz Hartmann.

R.S.'s system of medicine sees the organism as consisting of three basic activity centres or poles. An active animal or `metabolic pole', an inactive `cephalic or plant pole' and a balance or `rhythmic centre'. The animal pole is red, hot and active and includes blood, circulation, muscles and all physical activity, while the cephalic pole covers the brain, nervous system and skeleton. It is white and hard or immovable. The rhythmic centre comprises the organs of balance and homoeostasis eg lungs, liver, heart, kidneys, pancreas, endocrine organs, etc.

From R.S. viewpoint, the skeleton, being white and hard is regarded as part of the mineral and structural element of the body. It is opposite, for example, to white sugar, which powers muscles and the metabolic processes of the organism. `Bone versus sugar' is analogous to the alchemical and Paracelsian opposites of salt (structural) and sulphur (metabolic) which broadly compare with the two R.S.

poles of the organism. Phosphorus combines readily with fats to form phospholipids and with sugars to form glycerophosphates. Both are found in the nervous system, plant roots and cell membranes. Phosphates are also very important in the energy interactions of the organism. So we can see R.S.'s division even extending down into very fine physical and chemical detail.

The pancreas like the liver and kidneys is an organ of balance. It balances chemicals and is an organ of homeostasis like the kidneys and other balance organs. It is an organ of chemical balance and

feedback loops as opposed to the organs of `physical balance' like the hips and shoulders. These latter are much more concerned with physical symmetry, support and balance. Yet the basic idea of

balance and symmetry runs throught them all, and it is important to appreciate this.

It is of interest to note the whiteness of the skeletal and nervous systems and how it contrasts with the redness and brownness of the metabolic organs. The white, cream and pale yellow of bones and

nerves, of milk, yogurt and cheeses, all point to limestone, chalk, calcium and phosphorus, while the redness of blood and muscles points more towards iron, rust and soil.

The white is pale, cold, hard and structural - linked to minerals and the earth element, while the redness links with action, motion, energy, muscle, metabolism and the fire element. R.S. pushes this parallel even further, by contrasting animal with plant and root with flowers. Twentyman also explores this important theme in his many R.S. articles in BHJ in the 1960's and 70's.

The animal pole seems to link to sulphur and iron as being dynamic, red, itchy and flushed, which also hints at Carb-v. and all oxides and carbonates - = better placed perhaps with R.S.'s `rhythmic centre' (heart and lungs) along with many of the heart (and usually Syphilitic) remedies. That at least is a provisional place for them.

R.S.'s Cephalic pole includes bones, brain and nerves, and thus clearly points to Kali and Natrum salts, Phosphates, Mercury, nerves, white, pale and cream-coloured remedies, plants and illnesses, probably also Arsenicum and the Syphilis miasm in general. This pole can be further split into a Phos-Kali-Natrum section linked with nerves and a Calc-Fluor section linked with Bone. Both also link to fats, phospholipids, vitamins A, D and E, etc. The Phos sub-pole also relates to energy, carbohydrates, glycerophosphates, ATP, the mitochondria and tissue respiration - activities primarily of the rhythmic centre.

Other remedies are cognate with the Calc-Fluor-Phos sub-pole, such as Graphite and Silica. Calc fluor, Calc sil, Calc phos and the other Silicates, phosphates and Calc salts then follow suit.

There is a split within the animal pole as apart from sulphur and iron, we also have muscles, proteins, animals in general and nitrates. Thus decomposition, chlorides, K, Na, and nitrates all seem to go

together as a sub-group. We can thus split the animal pole into 3:

Leaders of separate sub-groups:

S.: most proteins also contain sulphur and are linked to skin, hair and nails

Nitrates: form of the amine groups in amino acids

Fe in muscles and blood, proteins link up intimately with iron in the form of haemoglobin.

Exemple of the animal pole = blood, we can `deconstruct' it into water, nitrates and proteins, iron, plus S through the link with proteins.

Cephalic pole Blood links both to the Cephalic pole through its burden of dissolved minerals like Ca and P (= bones and nerves)

rhythmic centre via O, Carb-diox. and sugar-carrying functions.

Lymphatic system linked with blood, its burden of fats and thus another link to P, nerves and the cephalic pole. Lymph would be seen as a link between blood/metabolic pole

and the animal pole, and thus part of the rhythmic centre. P appears to behave like an electrical capacitor, capturing, storing and then releasing energy as in ATP and NADH, etc

and is also linked to messages, nerve impulses, the electric eel, photosynthesis, bioluminescence and other energy-transactions within organisms.

Precisely which element becomes incorporated into which organ and which bodily structure? Who decides this, the organ, the element or the vital force? The organ attracts the element and the element finds the organ. They are cognate. The organ attracts the element and pulls it in. The element is attracted towards the organ and migrates towards it. Thus the elements become concentrated in certain structures or organs of the body. I in the thyroid gland, S in hair and skin, P in bone and nerves and Fe in the blood. It is not unnatural therefore to assume a strong degree of correspondence between the organ and the element.

For example Ca and bone, or P and nerves or Si in hair and nails, even the hairs of plants and in hair-like grasses and Horsetail (Equisetum), the sting of the nettle (Urtica) and the finest and most delicately beautiful structures - Diatoms and Desmids, the sculpted shells of microscopic algae of great beauty and intricacy. Also the fine detail on the shells of many microscopic molluscs - interlacing and skeletons. No wonder Silica types have the loveliest features and the most beautiful hair and skin! Even the intricate sculpturing on pollen grains is probably due to Silicates.

Dwelling further awhile upon the subject of Silica and the adjectives fineness or refinement, delicacy, etc, it is useful to recall the use of Silica in the making of glass and porcelain glazes and the intricate, delicate and very fine lace-like effects that can be obtained. Look at the fine and delicate branching `growths' that occur when crystals of chemicals like copper sulphate are placed in the `chemical garden'

of sodium silicate or Waterglass solution. These branching structures slowly grow over a number of several weeks. Again, we see an expression of fineness and deli cacy that is so typical of the Silica drug picture. The growths and the slowness typical of Silica are also present.

There is a problem relating to lungs and nerves which seem to share Hg (= Mercury) and P between them. One can easily see Hg being cognate homoeopathically with the nervous system - along with many associated remedies and probably the Syphilis miasm - but P relates very well as a remedy to the lungs and the nerves both in its provings and in the chemistry of nerves and fats.

And, significantly for R.S., neither the nervous system nor the lungs contain a single muscle fibre. Hg as the ruler of Gemini also rules the lungs, hands, arms and chest from an astrological viewpoint.

That system seems fine up to a point. And, of course, we can add Tub. and Bac. as well to that section.

However, there is another more elusive side to P: as an underworld illuminator or Lucifer associated with the supernatural/light/candles/glowing phosphorescence/bioluminescence and with ATP in the mitochondria. This seems to link it more with the silvery Moon goddess, or through electricity, fish, the electric eel and membranes or fats to something Aquarian (electricity) or even linked to Leo (light).

We might see the active metabolic pole of the organism represented by the planet Mars, the colour red, the muscles, the metal iron, and a series of remedies including Urtica, Ferrum, Sul, Psor. This centre is clearly linked with muscles, blood, action, adrenalin, rapid movements, decisions, even masculinity, etc.

It is when we turn to the remedies that might be useful for disease, that we begin to see the usefulness of R.S.'s metaphysical approach. Various homoeopaths and other metaphysicians (most notably Paracelsus) have worked at this same rich seam. For example, the earth itself might be metaphysically anatomised along bodily lines, with rocks (white chalk/limestone) suggesting the bones of the skeleton; soils - which, like blood and muscles, are often red and rust coloured - suggesting flesh; grass and trees like the hair or fur; and atmosphere, rain and clouds akin to the respiratory system. Continents would be like vast organs and the oceans like the blood and lymphatic systems. This scheme can then be followed through in greater detail to give some ideas of likely correspondences between remedies and illnesses, between earth parts and body parts and between earth processes and disease processes.

As medicinal agents, for example, rocks and minerals in general suggest a relationship within the body to all structural disorders (affecting the harder more mineralised parts: bones/teeth/hair/nails).

By analogy with the chemical composition of the main rock types, remedies here might fall into silicious, aluminicious and calcareous categories: Alum. Alum-sil. Mag-sil. Calc-sil. Calc-p. Calc. Calc-f. Sil.

Conch. (= Oyster shell).

Then there are the more volcanic Sulph. Lava. Cinnb.

We can also include here the harder and more mineralised parts of plants: nuts/seeds/bark/roots. Remedies: Equis. Lyc. Arec. Sabad. Nux-v. Pyrus-c. , which contains gritty particles like sand.

Slippery parts of plants like the stems of dandelion or the inner bark of willow and many other trees, are suggestive of cartilage and jointed plant stems, like many rushes, grasses and umbellifers suggest the joints of the skeleton.

Grasses and soils might be useful for hair and muscle problems. Those plants with tough, fibrous or sinewy roots: Symph. Tarax. Arn. Mand. Plan-m. Bry. Bel-p. Glycyrrhiza glabra (= Licorice). Rheum.

Zing. - might metaphysically suggest a therapeutic relationship with nerves, sinews, tendons and ligaments.

Ashes are also of interest. They are intermediate between atmosphere, plant world and minerals and contain a high proportion of carbonates, oxides, potassium (kali) salts, phosphates, aluminium,

magnesium and sodium. These are largely alkaline and generally highly soluble in water. Many remedies suggest themselves here, like most Kali, Aluminium, Natrum and Magnesium salts, phosphates and many metal oxides. As shown in their homoeopathic provings, these salts have a certain affinity with the nervous, skin and digestive systems of humans and with conditions like MS, Alzheimer's, Schizophrenia.

Volcanic substances like Lava, Sulphur, Mercury, Pumice (= Bimsstein). Cinnabar as well as all Sulphides, most metals and some precious stones show an affinity with eruptive disorders of the skin - pimples, boils, acne, etc as well as symptoms like heat, redness, itching and foul smells, and with electricity and magnetism, nerve impulse transmission and many subcellular metabolic reactions.

Charcoal shows similar affinities with the lungs, being a blending of the earth and air elements and consisting of a lung-like spongey matrix. Spongia also springs to mind here.

Two other major groups of remedies worth mentioning would be the acids and metals, both of which are used a great deal in homoeopathy. The affinities of each group can either be delineated from the provings and correspondence with the metaphysical aspects of life worked out from that, or contrariwise, their likely clinical affinities derived from their habit, properties and form.

Some examples include: Zinc, Iron, Tin, Lead, Copper, Selenium, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Cadmium and Phosphoric, Nitric, Hydrochloric, Sulphuric and Acetic acid.

As with precious stones, the metals tend to be formed within the earth's crust under intense heat and pressure, in areas of metamorphic activity involving recrystallisation and restructuring, sublimation and concentration of otherwise thinly dispersed elements. These processes might in themselves suggest analogous processes in the body and in disease for which they may be useful, for example small intestine, kidneys, bone marrow, liver and spleen all involve activities of this type. Cancer, AIDS, Leukaemia, MS and other degenerative conditions might be suggested here. This means organs containing filtering, sieving and re-shaping processes and diseases of a similar type.

Working ecologically, we might choose to single out plants that grow predominantly in certain habitats, in very dry areas [Cacti, succulents, houseleeks (Sedum spp), etc] or those that always live in or near water (Con./Figwort, Alnus, Salix./Imp-n.), mountains (Lyc./Sorbus/Arn.), volcanoes/hot springs [Sulph./Pumice (= Bimsstein)/Hecla], growing near the sea [Armeria maritima (= Sea Pink)/Ulva lactuca (= Sea Lettuce)/Fuc.)] and such remedies deserve special mention because of the metaphysical undertones suggested by these regions.

Information from provings of the ordinary type can be supplemented by meditating upon the plant or mineral and its habitat, likes and dislikes, etc. This approach is enriching and should not be dismissed out of hand as unclassical or unhomoeopathic.

Doctrine of signatures: A similar metaphysical approach was certainly used in medieval herbalism and called the doctrine of signatures. One might consider the shape/form/habitat/textures/colour/taste/odour/chemical or medicinal properties and combine them to form a metaphysical profile of a particular body-part, drug or disease.

These metaphysical signatures are often contradictory or contain divergent elements in the sense that the colour may signify animal pole (red flowers/peppery taste) while the plant may exude a white latex and grow near water (signifying lunar and digestive affinities). It would therefore require considerable further contemplation of the plant in order to decide its actual sphere of action. One affinity might take precedence over all the others, for example, and decide the final medicinal properties. Alternatively, approaching this phenomenologically, one can take the plant as a totality and then search for diseases with a similar totality.

Thus the doctrine of signatures - which is what this is - is more subtle and complex than literal interpretations suggest and requires much more detail and depth of contemplation of a plant, drug, body-part or illness in order to penetrate into its full metaphysical significance.

R.S. also had an interest in the Four Temperaments of Hippocrates and Medieval medical theory. He accepts the validity of the 4 Humours - not literally as physical fact - but on a symbolic level, for elucidating affinities and personality types, and further, for working out the symbolic nature and affinities of diseases and drugs. In this sense he carries to its logical conclusion the founding work of the Hippocratic writers, Paracelsus and the Medieval Herbalists. Like them he accepts the fourfold elements of Earth, Water, Fire and Air and their corresponding humours black bile, yellow bile, blood and phlegm (and the corresponding tempera ments of melancholic, bilious, sanguine and phlegmatic). From these can be built up a towering and complex classification of diseases, organs, remedies, planets, metals, zodiacal signs and qualities all in the same fourfold system.

It would serve no purpose to describe these in any detail here, except to say that many homoeopathic remedies as well as H.'s Miasm Theory can all be easily hung on the same basic framework. There are classifications based on threes and fives in the Druidic teachings; fives figure highly in Chinese philosophy and Buddhism; classifications based upon seven and nine are also common in Occultism. There are seven planets, seven days of the week, seven main metals, etc.

There are clear links between H.'s provings of remedies and the alchemically established properties of substances. The received Medieval no tions about a plant or substance were often confirmed by the Provings, for example. To what extent H. drew upon these influences, is unclear and has never to my knowledge been explored. He was a Freemason, of course and this may be more relevant than we think. Of more recent historical interest, this material was also heavily drawn upon by John Da Monte and Thomas Maughan both in their homoeopathy classes and in their teachings for the Druid Order.

We can make a number of criticisms about the metaphysical approach to illness, and especially about its use for determining the medicinal properties of drugs. The system is good in that it generates a lot of information, but it might be regarded by some as misleading, inaccurate and riddled with speculative ideas, which are hard to substantiate. Unless someone is prepared to absorb a great deal of information and complex classification systems, then it would certainly prove to be unwieldy and complex. Yet clearly some clinicians are happy with that approach and it thus suits a certain temperament.

Its chief drawback is that it leads to some confusion or errors. If a plant contains divergent properties then the system is in difficulty. For example, a plant with mars-like properties of thorns, prickles, peppery taste and red flowers, would clearly suit the metabolic centre. But if it also had watery swollen tissues, silvery leaves and always grew near water (lunar qualities) then this might cause some confusion.

What medicinal properties could it reasonably be expected to contain?

H.'s answer would be to give it to healthy people in a proving and then you will find out.

R.S.'s answer, as we have seen, was to scrutinise its qualities and ruminate or resort to `higher faculties'. He might also say such a problem cannot arise, because such plants don't exist because that's the way the world was formed! While this approach is surprisingly successful and does yield some very valuable information about drugs, it does not appear to be a universally applicable or consistent method. It might result in the medicinal properties of some potent drug being entirely missed by not being indicated from the appearance of the plant. Likewise, very similar looking or closely related plant species may yield entirely divergent therapeutic properties (Primula spp. and Arn./Cham. and Bel-p.).

R.S. is also willing to use different parts of the same plant for totally different types of medical conditions. Examples include the use of Birch leaves for metabolic disorders and Birch bark for cephalic pole disorders. This would be derided by homoeopaths and probably by mainstream pharmacologists. But, if it works, then there is no problem.

So, the main critique would show an apparently illogical, inconsistent and unreliable method, even though it certainly generates some very fascinating ideas, remedies and therapeutic guidelines. Finally, of course, we can observe that it has been deeply influential upon homoeopathy, Bach Flower Therapy and Radionics and also on the Jack Temple School of therapeutics.

Anthroposophy also has some very clear links with Thomas Maughan's ideas. Maughan's and R.S.'s views on the Subtle Body, Karma, Rebirth and Chakras are strongly convergent and are probably imported from oriental religions via Theosophy. They also shared these beliefs with Radionic theorists like David Tansley (a writer strongly influenced by Theosophy and Alice Bailey), whose many books have profoundly influenced the development of radionics in the last 40 years. Practically all the above concepts - whatever their origin - are now in general use within the alternative health, self-development and New Age movements. The Bach Flower Therapy also comes close to metaphysics and homoeopathy in defining and matching essence states between person and remedy and also in the emphasis it places upon similarities and non-causal reasoning.

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