Vergleich: Comparison.x Carbons and Germanium
[Jan Scholten/Alex Leupen]
The discovery of the underlying system behind the periodic table of the elements,
and its relationship to the development of mankind, has far-reaching
implications for homeopathic practice.
Through understanding the inherent logic in the patterns of nature, one
is more easily able to grasp the significance of the placement of the various
elements, and to make accurate use of a vast
array of new remedies. One is able to incorporate many more aspects of a
patient’s life into the anamnesis by
understanding where they fit into the larger picture: where they falter
in life can point to a corresponding remedy. Various aspects of this theory are
developed here, in their relationship to pregnancy, birth and early childhood,
the times of life that relate to the first rows of the periodic table.
The system, as represented in the Periodic Table of the Elements, can be
seen as mirroring the developmental path of mankind. It is a process of
incarnation through childhood to old age, decay
and death, with all the stages in between. Each element, in the form of
a remedy, can be put to use in helping someone to unblock their life’s energy
and their potential for growth and creativity.
1st = Hydrogen series consists of only two elements,
Hydrogenium and Helium. These elements have to do with the descent to earth and
the process of incarnation, taking on a body.
2nd series is the Carbon series, which has to do with the
development of an “I”, an individuality, with all the fears and bodily
sensations inherent to the process.
3rd series is the Silicium series: these elements have to do
with the development of relationships. In this series, Silica represents the
father as head of the family (as opposed to the role of father
in the Carbon series, where he represents one’s self of self-worth.)
Sibling relationships, as well as friendships, are represented by the
phosphorus element, sulphur represents the partner relationship, and muriaticum
the mother relationship.
There where a predominant issue is played out by one of these patterns,
a remedy containing the appropriate element can be of use.
Each series builds upon the previous series and has the themes of the
previous series within it.
One can for instance only successfully enter into a relationship with
another (Silica series) when one has fully incarnated (Hydrogen series) and
developed a strong sense of self (Carbon series.)
The following 3 series are the “work series”: the Iron, Silver and Gold
series.
Iron series, work is routine, duty- and task-oriented, and on the
work-floor.
Silver series, work has more to do with creativity: art, science, and
the development and expression of ideas. This is the realm of
middle-management.
Gold series, work is related to power (or lack of it) and the ability to
oversee a larger situation: responsibility, top management, life and death.
The Lanthanides branch off at stage three of the Gold series, and are in
fact a sub-series of the Gold series. They, too, have to do with power and
responsibility, but in the sense of
autonomy:
power over oneself and one’s inner world, in the form of introspection,
and battling one’s shadow side. Here, it is about self-management rather than
the management of others.
The Actinides form the last row: they are instable, having short
half-lives, and when they fall apart they become radioactive. They have to do
with the end of life, a time of decay and letting go. Everything is falling to
pieces, the mirror is shattered, and like the shaman, one has the ability to
see beyond the evident. The Actinides have to do with Universal wisdom, and
with the use (and abuse) of power on a grand scale. One sees beyond time and
space, and so we come back to Hydrogen, where “all is one”, and the circle is
complete.
The basic elements of life are Hydrogen, Carbon and Oxygen: all major
biochemical molecules are built from them. Nitrogen can be added to them, as it
is essential for amino acids, proteins,
DNA and many other biochemical molecules.
Hydrogen: the 1st element in the periodic table and the 1st
element created in the universe, one of the two elements in the Hydrogen
series. The universe consists for 99,9% of hydrogenium (88,6%) and helium
(11,3%). Hydrogen is the element with the theme of ‘being’. This is the most
primary concept: to be or not to be, to live and be aware. Patients requiring a
remedy from this series come across as being ungrounded, in that they have not
yet firmly incarnated into the body. There can be an almost blissful state of
feeling “one with all life”; on the other hand, a terrible sense of aloneness
can prevail, as one has not formed attachments to life on earth.
Carbon series
Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen = in the Carbon series, the second row of
the periodic table. The theme here is that of personal being, in contrast with
the Hydrogen series where it is just being as such.
The Carbon series expresses the being as ‘me’, as a living entity split
off the world. It is about ‘me in the world’. The emphasis is on the person, I,
me, the individuality. The vehicle of the “I” is the body with its vitality,
life energy and desires and instincts; the body gives the I a place in the
world. The theme of ‘good and bad’ is central to the carbon series, and
especially to Carbon; the person wants to be good, to feel good, and the major
fear is to be bad.
Carbon is the most central in the Carbon series. It is in Stage 10, the
middle column, the centre of life, just as carbon is central in all biochemical
molecules, making the chains possible. Carbon is very general for the feeling
of being someone; its quality is not specified further than “being someone” or
“being good”. When asked about their fear, it is the fear that they are not
good, that something
is wrong with them, but there is no other qualification to their
feeling.
Carbon relates to one’s sense of self-worth. It also corresponds to the
father, in the sense of someone who confirms one’s basic self-worth.
Nitrogen has aspects of Stage 11 to 15 = the 11th to 15th
column of the Periodic system. Stage 11 has to do with enjoyment, so N is about
enjoying life, enjoying motion, food, sex, wanting to win.
There is an enthusiastic quality here. This is exaggerated by the aspect
of Stage 12 of overdoing things: Nitrogen is overdoing life, enjoying it too
much, for example eating too much fat and protein and thus developing
arteriosclerosis. Nitrogen gives the boost to life, pushing it into being, to
expansion, to growth. The main component of artificial fertilizer is nitrate, which
makes crops grow more abundantly. It is also used in some explosives, such as
TNT. Nitrogen complaints are often accompanied by bursting sensations, too much
expansion, such as explosive headaches or vascular problems (usually venous).
Nitrogen also has the fear of loss, which is an aspect of Stage 15. They become
irritable when they start to lose their possessions and health. They can become
cynical and sarcastic about their losses, aspects of Stage 13.
Oxygen is in Stage 16, the 16th column of the Periodic
system. It is the stage of loss, half loss. It has the fear of losing
everything, so in the carbon series, this translates as the fear of losing
life. Oxygen is the remedy of giving and taking, of eating and being eaten. In
order to utilize the food that is eaten, oxygen is necessary for the burning
process, thus it brings energy into the system.
But to gain that energy, other beings must die:
Oxygen embodies the danger of death and the need to eat in order to
survive. The fear of Oxygen is to lose life, totally or partially. They fear
becoming handicapped, becoming poor and having nothing but dirt and ruins to
live on. They feel pushed out of life, on the side track, into the dirt. Oxygen
fits people who feel as though they are victims of life, such as beggars. They
can also make other people feel indebted to them, making them feel guilty that
they have a good life whereas these people do not. Oxygen has a quality of
feeling used, and of using others in return, as though life owes them
something.
Personality
The personality is developed in childhood, the age that belongs to the
Carbon series.
Lithium, age 0 to1 year
Lithium is the first in the carbon series and expresses his personality
in an impulsive way. The personality, being split off from the world, is
experienced naively without thinking about it. It is just accepted and lived
without self-reflection. It is like a baby, who just follows his moods and
instincts without changing them.
(Uta Santos-König)
Boa
Beryllium, age 2 to 3 years
Beryllium is Stage 2, the age of the toddler. He is starting to reflect
on himself, being more aware of the fact that he is separate from the world.
But it goes together with amazement, a sense of wonder at what it all means.
The Beryllium patient is very sensitive to criticism. He is still very
dependent on his parents, running back to them at the least unexpected thing or
danger.
There are many unspecified fears, as though the “big world” is too
dangerous for him to venture into.
Boron, age 4 to 5 years
Boron is Stage 3 of the Carbon series, the age of 4 to 5. He has
discovered what it is to be someone but does not know who he really is. He
doubts himself, since he starts to see so many aspects in himself. He has
discovered that he can be quite different depending on the situation.
Carbon, age 6 years
Carbon is at Stage 10 of the Carbon series, the centre, success and
stability. Carbon has found himself and accepted his personality. This raises
questions about the meaning of his own life, where he
is coming from and where he is going to. He questions life, God, and
life after death. Children at the age of carbon, about 6 years old, often
question their parents about life and death. They do that especially after a
family member has died. Rajan Sankaran refers to “instability” as the opposite
polarity of the stability of Carbon: in Graphites, they resonate with
everything in their surroundings, like a tuning-fork.
Nitrogen, age 7 to 8 years
Nitrogen is at Stage 11 to 15 of the Carbon series. It is the age of 7
to 8, the age when one has the desire to be more than just ordinary: the idea
is that one can become even better. He starts boasting, telling others he is
the best, the biggest, the strongest, the wealthiest, etc. In games, he wants
to win, he needs to win in order to show that he is the best. Nitrogen gives
enthusiasm to the personality; they like to live life to the fullest. To cook,
eat, drink, and enjoy sex. They are often the ones who start a party, or the
ones who stand on the sidelines shouting to their child on the soccer field “Go
for it! Get him!”
Oxygen, age 9-10 years
Oxygen is most prominent at the age of about 9 to 10. It is the age
where one realizes that he has received everything from his parents; until that
time, food and clothing were taken for granted, they were just coming.
Now, there is the realization that most things have been given, which
can give rise to feelings of guilt, of being indebted. It can give rise to the
anxiety of not getting things in the future. Later in life, it can lead to
bitterness concerning what they have lost. Life is taking things away and that
feels unfair. They feel they have a right to existence but it is being taken
away, for instance by disease. Handicaps are typical for oxygen, like an
amputated arm or leg, a mutilation. They fear poverty and robberies, the fact
that things can be taken from them.
Fluorine, age 11
Fluorine is at Stage 17 in the Carbon series, the age of about 11. It
goes together with the realization that one’s parents do not live forever and
one has to fend for oneself. It can lead to a kind of hardness. After all, when
one can only rely on oneself for survival, what is the point in doing things
for others. In the most extreme form, this can lead to psychopathic behaviour.
The positive aspect is that one frees oneself from one’s parents and becomes an
adult, an independent being. It is as if the umbilical cord is again cut, but
now for a second time, emotionally.
Birth
The process of ego and personality development is reflected in the
process of birth.
Lithium is at the start of birth, the first contractions. The imbalance
here is the early or late start of birth, alternating between starting and
stopping.
Beryllium is the 2nd stage of birth, the engagement of the
head. It is the positioning, the basic aspect of Stage 2. Imbalances are
positioning problems like breech and transverse positioning, or not getting
engaged into the birth canal.
Boron is at the 3rd stage of the birth. It is the dilatation
of the cervix and the breaking of the waters. Imbalances are early dilatation
of the cervix in the pregnancy or the opposite: dilatation does not continue
during birth.
Carbon is the stage of the contractions, the real labor or work.
Imbalances are weak or insufficient contractions, or too strong, very painful
contractions. It is the maximum moment of life and death, of being able to bear
the pain and do the labor.
Nitrogen is the stage of expulsion, being in the narrow birth canal and
the desire to exit. Imbalance here has to do with being stuck into the birth
canal; the head or shoulders of the baby can be too big, or the birth canal can
be too narrow.
Oxygen is the first breath of the baby. It is the first moment of being
alone in the world, cold, wet, and dirty. Imbalances are expressed in
respiratory problems of the baby, for instance blue babies.
Fluorine is the stage of the separation from the mother, the cutting of
the umbilical cord and the expulsion of the placenta. Imbalances here are a
placenta retention, and post-partum haemorrhages.
Father
Lithium has an instinctive value of himself. It is not questioned, it is
just accepted as is. It gives the talent to say ‘yes’ to the world, to oneself.
The relationship to the father is not differentiated yet, Lithium just feels
good or bad, depending on the circumstances. If this stage is not gone through
well, it can lead to bipolar disturbances, manic depressive psychosis.
Beryllium questions himself, asking who and what he is. He looks in
wonderment at the world in a rather amazed way. He asks himself if he is good
or bad. Beryllium learns to say ‘no’ to the world. He learns to say no to
himself, to his instincts, like urine and stool in potty training. He learns
that his father can say no to him and tell him he is not good. But he also learns
that one can say no his parents, his father. Beryllium is in a state of
wonderment about himself, as he has just discovered that he is someone, but he
does not know what it means to be someone.
Boron is doubting himself. He sees many aspects in himself, some of
which are good, some of which are bad. He feels confused about himself, tries
to be good, but often is told that he is bad.
He looks up to his father, his parents for confirmation that he is good.
He is very soft and dependent, but also nice in his efforts to be good.
Carbon is the first stage where there is a stable personality, the
feeling that one is good as he is, even with his bad sides. A healthy Carbon
state comes from a father who gives him the feeling he
is alright the way he is. The father is there (or is not there) and it
is good.
Nitrogen wants to make himself better than ‘just good’; he wants to be
the best, the winner. It leads to enthusiasm about himself. At the other
extreme, it gives boasting, a kind of romance. He can come from a father who
pushes too much. He has the feeling that he has to be more than he is in order
to earn respect from his father.
Oxygen feels neglected by the world, left out. He feels neglected by his
father, which leads to the feeling that he is not good enough. It goes together
with the feeling that nothing can be done about it, a resignation. So, he
becomes lazy and starts neglecting himself, and he also starts neglecting his
father. Oxygen has a sucking quality, expecting to get things from others,
blaming others for what they did not get or what they have lost.
Fluorine feels rejected by the world and by God. This can come from a
situation where the child was rejected by his father, an unwanted child. It can
be that the father has left the mother when hearing about the pregnancy. It can
be that the father wanted an abortion, scolding and beating the child, abusing
him and so on.
In incest situations, one can think of Fluor, or Fluor combinations. He
feels bad and left alone. On the bad side, it can make him feel hard and
closed, and it can lead to criminal behavior such as seen in many unwanted
children. On the other hand, they can also reject their father, since he has
done nothing for them.
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