In Search of the Vital Force

[David Little]

At 11:57 PM 12/1/2005, you wrote:

Dear Leela, student and colleagues,

I would like to answer this question in a story form and try to
paint a portrait that expresses my feelings on the subject raised by Dr.
Leela.

IN SEARCH OF THE VITAL FORCE

Homeopathy did not appear out of vacuum. The seeds of this noble
healing art go back 1000s of years to the Bronze Age and beyond. In the
Western tradition the origins of the healing arts are found in the works of
the lineage of Hermes, Asclepius, Pythagoras and Hippocrates and is linked
to works of the ancient Egyptians, Pelasgians and Indo-Aryans of South
Asia. In around 2000BC to 1800BC tribes of Indo-Aryans migrated to Greece
and brought with them their ancient traditions. They intermingle with the
indigenous Pelasgians-Egyptian lineages established the Bronze Age European
lineage of philosophy, psychology and healing. These are the seeds.

The gains of the Bronze Age period of integration came to close with the
Dorian invasion of Greece and the area. The art of writing and recording
history was almost lost but the bards and scribes who had memorized all the
important data saved the older knowledge for being completely lost. The led
to the Greek Renaissance in around 500BC, which was led by a Pelasgian
named Pythagoras. Pythagoras travelled around entire Meditation area, Egypt
and India tracing the teachings to their origins and collecting
information. This led to the rise of the Pythagorean school of metaphysics
and healing.

Pythagoras taught about the music of the spheres and life as different
frequencies that may be harmonious and dissonant. This "music" has its
"scales and tones" that make up different frequencies of vibration in the
cosmic pneuma, the universal vital force. He founded the western tradition
of classical music, the 7 note scale, as well as the
Pythagorean-Hippocratic lineage of the healing arts. It was he who spoke of
health as harmonious tone of the pneumatic vital forces and disease as a
mistuning of this life power. That is why we still speak of the nervous or
muscular system as having "tone" and use statements like "feeling in and
out of tune" when speaking of feeling good or bad.

All of these images are part of an ancient archetypal language that
goes back 1000s of years. These definitions are linked to the German words
Stimmung (tone, tuning, atmosphere, aura, good vibrations, etc) and
Virstimmung (dissonance, mistuning, derangement, bad atmosphere, bad
vibration, etc.) found in the Organon of the Healing Arts. These terms have
their origin in the Pythagorean-Hippocratic lineage and have been part of
western medicine for 2, 500 years.

Pythagoras also elucidated the teaching of the primordial homoeomeries,
which are the essential patterns and forces that are the building blocks of
the macrocosmic and microcosmic universe. The ancients called these powers
the 3 vital forces (+/0/-) and the five elements, the ether, air, fire,
water and earth. In the macrocosm the 3 forces manifest as the neutral,
positive and negative poles and in the living organisms the psychic force
(0), the life force (+) and the natural force (-).

These three forces are witnessed in the atom as the neutron, proton and
neutron and in the human body as vital wind, heat and cold. The five
elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether) are considered different
frequencies of pneuma in the form of solids, liquids, incandescence, gases
and space. These powers are witnessed in the macrocosm as gravity, weak
nuclear forces, strong nuclear forces, electromagnetic and space. In the
human being they are found in life energy and the four chemicals that make
up the human genes. In the human body they are also witnessed in the energy
centers and pathways found in the spine, organs, systems and tissues.

The primordial homoeomeries and the elements make up the four classical
temperaments and their 12 mixtures. Hahnemann was very well aware of this
system and one finds refers to the classical temperament and diathetic
constitutions in his writings and casebooks. In his day this knowledge was
taken for granted but today few homoeopaths understand the system. This is
because we have forgotten our roots and lost important parts of our heritage.

These teachings if very similar to the Aryur Veda and Yoga because they
share a common origin and share images known throughout all the Indo-Aryan
peoples from South Asia to Europe. Remember the English language I am using
right now is an Indo-Aryan based language the goes back to the same ancient
Mother tongue in prehistory. Wisdom from this beginning is still stored in
the collective Unconscious and is coded in history, mythology, religion,
fables and stories.

These archetypal powers were called the primordial homomeries by
Pythagoras, which means the similars from which all things are composed.
The three forces and 5 elements are a symbolic patterns used to categorized
all phenomena. This was an ancient language that sprang from the collective
Unconscious in the form of visions, altered states, dreams and intuition
and guided the ancient seers in their investigation of the outer realms of
the universe and the inner realms of consciousness. Much of this knowledge
was lost during the Dark Ages but during the European Renaissance it
reappeared.

Portions of the established Church resisted these changes so
inquisition was begun to purge culture of "pagan ideas". At this time the
ancient wisdom was driven underground in secret societies and into
alchemical language. This ancient wisdom again went into decline during as
the industrial revolution was on the horizon but the Deist of Europe and
America rebelled against the materialistic scientific paradigm because they
wish to integrate the best of the ancient classical wisdom with the new
sciences. Samuel Hahnemann was one of these individuals as he was Deist,
Mason and Universalist. He was a master of ancient as well as modern
languages and was a great student of history, metaphysics, philosophy,
psychology and medicine. His studies in all these fields formed the basis
for the development of Homoeopathy.

There is no wonder that many homoeopaths wish to study the seeds, roots
and branches of human thought. It is no surprise that they wish investigate
deeper than the surface and peer into collective Unconscious so they can
re-enter a world where archetypes function and images of wisdom appear in
the twilight of consciousness. These impulses to go deeper come from the
Self and part of the process of Individuation. In this way, they are only
walking in the footsteps of Hermes, Asclepius, Pythagoras, Hippocrates,
Paracelsus, Hahnemann, Goethe and Jung.

MIASMS IN HAHNEMANNIAN HOMOEOPATHY

Hahnemann is the Founder of modern epidemiology. He was very well aware
that infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms and he called these
disease causing powers "miasms". This word was used by Hippocrates to
described epidemic diseases. The ancient Greeks also used the word "psora"
to stand for a host of skin complaints and their concomitant symptoms.
Hahnemann did not invent these words but he did bring them up to date for
his time. We must do the same.

Hahnemann was the first to introduce a coherent study of infectious
diseases which included constitution, temperament, heredity,
predisposition, susceptibility, the moment of infection, the prodrome, the
primary stage, latent stage, secondary stage and the suppression syndrome.
He also noted that the congenital constitution and environmental factors
are strong conditioning factors in the development of the pathological
symptoms. He once suggested that some skin disorders were caused by
"miasmatic animalcula", i.e. microorganisms. On the spread of Asian cholera
to Europe Hahnemann wrote:

"On board ships-in those confined spaces filled with moldy, water
vapors the cholera miasm finds a favorable element for its multiplication
and grows into a enormously increase brood of these EXCESSIVELY MINUTE,
INVISIBLE LIVING CREATURES so inimical to human life of which the
contagious matter of the cholera most probably consists."

Hahnemann introduced the terms acute, half-acute and chronic miasms
and recorded the differences of these infections most accurately. On this
basis he introduced the collective case taking method so that he could
discover specific genus remedies that had the power to prevent, abort and
treat the affects of these infectious complaints. On this foundation Hering
introduced the nosodes, which are potentized miasms. He made his own
nosodes for several acute miasms as well as half acute miasms like rabies
and chronic miasms like psora, tuberculous, sycosis, and syphilis. These
remedies also play a great role in preventing, aborting and treating
infectious diseases and their affects.

Hahnemann's early study of infectious diseases and their sequels is
based on observations of how epidemic diseases affect the human psyche and
soma. Acute miasms are self limiting infections like cholera that reach
their crisis quickly and end in death, recovery or feeling never-well-since
the attack. Half acute miasms are infections that have a longer incubation
period like rabies and reach crisis after a short to medium period
depending on the circumstances. Chronic miasms are life long infections
like syphilis that are not self limiting and do no naturally resolve over
time. Toward the end of his career Hahnemann noted that the affects of a
chronic miasma like psora could be passed by heredity. These ideas
completed the system. All of this has proved valid by modern science.

On the basis of this information one can say with all certainty that
Hahnemann's definition of the miasma is microorganisms and miasmic diseases
are the negative affects of unresolved infections on the human organism.
This is an early study of acquired infections, auto-immune states and
immuno-deficiency disorders that goes far beyond the understanding of
modern medicine. This may have been hard to understand in 1828 but in 2005
Hahnemann teachings have come of age. It is very surprising that some
homoeopaths still don't realize this! To some the miasms have become
everything BUT the affects of infections on the vital force, the human
organism, and the immune system.

HERING, HEMPEL AND KENT

The origin of the metaphysical concepts of the miasms is Hemple's
comments on Hering's statements in the preface to The Chronic Diseases
Their Peculiar Nature and Their Homœopathic Cure; S. Hahnemann (Hering’s
Preface of Hempel’s Translation, 1845. Hering wrote:

"The shallow opponents of Homœopathy (and we never had any other!)
pounced upon the theory of the psoric miasm with a view of attacking it
with their hollow and unmeaning sarcasms. Making Psora to be identical with
itch, they sneeringly pretended that according to Hahnemann’s doctrine the
itch was the primitive evil, and that this doctrine was akin to the
doctrine of original sin recognized by the Christian Faith."

To Hering's statement Hempel added the following comments:

"As it would be absurd for a philosophical Christian to reject the
doctrine of original sin, so it is absurd for any one who professes to have
a clear perception of Homœopathy, to reject the doctrine of an hereditary
morbific miasm. It is this principle which Hahnemann calls Psora."

The Deists held the view that human beings were shaped in perfection
and fell from an Eden-like paradise into a state of delusion and suffering.
In Hempel’s additional comments he quotes the teachings of Rousseau on this
subject, which Samuel learned from his father at a young age.

Hempel continues:

"If we admit with Rousseau that everything which leaves the hand of
God, is perfectly holy, then the first created man must have been perfectly
pure, and must have appeared in the image and likeness of his maker."

Hempel then proceeds to discuss the fall of humanity from this
Eden-like state. He notes, however, that the decline from this harmonious
state, was in reality, a necessary phase of human development. Experiences
that look like a negative development often have positive long-term
evolutionary goals.

Hempel wrote:

"This is relatively speaking, a fall, although, this fall, having
been the first necessary phase of human development, it may, in reality, be
considered a progress."

Hahnemann never said psora was the original sin but in The Friend of
Health he said that the real blessing in this world was wisdom and health
that beckons one “Back into Eden”, the archetypal paradise. In the Deist
philosophy which Hahnemann professed, human destiny is to be reunited with
Divine Life through the seeds of the celestial harmonies deposited in human
nature. The delusion of separateness rising out of the human psyche
naturally produces a corresponding negativity in the physical world.
Homœopaths have always held a universal vision that includes humanity as
whole, as collective groups, and as individuals. The ultimate goal of
Homœopathy is the restoration of the human race to harmony with nature and
the spirit.

Hempel continues:

"In proportion as man’s spiritual nature becomes developed and
purified, this psoric miasm will be diminished, and will finally be
completely removed from the life of humanity. This complete physical
regeneration of human nature will necessarily be attended with great
changes in all the external relations of man, education, mode of laboring,
living, etc., etc."

Hempel believed that as humanity’s spiritual nature becomes purified
they would become more immune to psora and the other miasms. James Tyler
Kent’s Lectures on Homœopathic Philosophy echoed a similar vision of the
origin and the fall of humanity. Boenninghausen taught that innate
predispositions were the proximate cause and that the fundamental cause was
psora. Although the psora stems from prior infection, its ramifications go
back to the ancient of human days.

The first mention of the words "original sin" is found in Hering and
Hempel’s discussion with the critics of the psora hypothesis. Hering was
defending Homoeopathy from the charge that homoeopaths thought psora was
like the original sin. Hempel tried to turn the same argument around on his
opponents by showing how the Deist looked at such things. About the deeper
aspects of the genesis of disease. James Kent said:

"It is altogether too extensive, for it goes to the very primitive
wrong of the human race, the very first sickness of the human race, that is
the spiritual sickness, from which first state the race progressed into
what may be called the TRUE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO PSORA which in turn laid the
foundation for other diseases. (Lectures on Homœopathic Philosophy; J. T.
Kent, Chronic Diseases – Psora, page 146.)

Kent does not called psora the origin sin! He says that the spiritual
sickness that developed in humanity is what led to the SUSCEPTIBILITY TO
PSORA. This is really quite different than the idea that psora IS the
original sin. Some have tried to blame Kent for saying psora was the
original sin and say this is all because of Swedenborg's philosophy. One
can see, however, that this discussion predates Kent and goes back the
philosophy of the Deist, which includes Rousseau and Hahnemann!

MIASMS TODAY

Charles Hempel is responsible for introducing metaphysical ideas into
the subject of the miasms. His source of inspiration was Rousseau, a
principle Deist philosopher with whom Samuel Hahnemann was familiar with
since childhood. Hempel equated psora with the principle division from the
humanity from its spiritual nature. Kent actually sought to correct this
idea by saying that first came the decline from spiritual perfection and
THEN this established the SUSCEPTIBILITY to psora and all other physical
diseases.

As one can see some of today's homoeopaths have taken up a very
metaphysical view of the miasms, which is similar to the ideas of Hempel.
They do not, however, make the clear demarcation between the perfection &
spiritual decline - susceptibility & predisposition - and physical disease,
psora and the miasms like James Kent did! They are followers of Hempel
without even realizing it. It is not surprising that they are looking for a
deeper meaning to health and disease but they have confused the spiritual
and mental decline with its outcome, which is the susceptibility to
physical diseases like psora.

Psora did not come before the susceptibility to psora appeared. It is
understandable, that some persons like Hempel, wish to see something
positive in the fall of humanity, the miasms and human suffering in
general. A wish to see suffering as part of our evolution is a human need
to give meaning to the bitter-sweet qualities of life. After all, a well
treated miasm produces more immunity, vitality and a better sense of well
being. In the long run miasms and anti-miasmic treatment may make the human
race stronger. These is some truth in the idea that a greater good may come
from what looks bad at the moment

Secondly some have mixed up the miasms with the primordial
homoeomeries. They have tried to make psora, sycosis and syphilis the three
forces (0/+/-) rather than realize that the three forces come BEFORE the
miasms! Once again it is a matter of putting the cart in front of the
horse! The miasms, like all phenomena, follow the patterns of the
primordial homoeomeries. This is why they say things like a plant has the
syphilitic miasm when a plant can't possibly have syphilis but can it share
certain archetypal disease patterns with human beings.

This is because the same homoeomeries (forces or elements) are
affected in man, animal and plant so the patterns are very similar. All
carbon based organic structures share the Anima Mundi, the vital principle
that comes with the primordial homoeomeries. That is why similar archetypal
patterns can be witness in the plant and animal realms. Even the mineral
world shares these patterns and energies but in a more inert state.

So one can see that the desire for understanding the collective
Unconscious and returning to the roots of our psyche is at the base of the
metaphysical views that have been part of Homoeopathy for a long time. Even
Hahnemann coded certain Deist and Masonic teachings into the Organon and
other writings. The text of aphorism 9 is a perfect example. Some of these
words in his writings come directly from the texts of these traditions. His
letters are full of philosophical and religious counseling as well as
suggestions on diet, exercise and regimen. In one letter he spoke of God as
the "Divine Architect", the true Grand Mason! This is because one must use
every tool available to heal the body, mind and spirit.

So my Dear Leela and others....I do not set any boundaries on the human
mind nor do I attempt to set limits of the research of my colleagues. I
only ask that they go deeper and understand the origins of our science,
philosophy and terminology. I only ask that they get their terms straight
so it causes less confusion and ridicule. I only ask that they educate
themselves better by going back to the roots rather than accepting confused
new age ideas. I only ask that they understand exactly what Hahnemann was
talking about when he spoke of the infectious miasms. I only ask that they
learn how to use the tools Hahnemann left to treat these deadly diseases
that kill 1,000,000s every year.

I only ask that they understand the role of the homoeomeries in Eastern
and Western medicine and do not confuse them with the miasms. I only ask
they don't put the cart in front of the horse and go backwards by using the
wrong terms. When we are speaking of the homoeomeries at least we should
use the correct terms. When we are speaking of the infectious miasms and
sequels let us use the correct terms. We do not need to "get rid" of any of
these ideas, we need to correct the mistakes of the past and move forward
with more knowledge.

I would also request my colleagues as the "reach for the sky" (psyche,
homoeomeries, archetypes, metaphysical studies, etc.) to keep their feet
very well "grounded on earth" (the study of medical science and pathology).
I beseech them to study the *clinical view* of the miasms I have been
speaking about. Hahnemann has left us tremendous tools to treat the affects
of epidemic and endemic infectious diseases but very few are really using
them. When homoeopaths think that miasms are everything BUT the affects of
infectious diseases our science is in danger of losing one of its greatest
assets.

As Hering said it is the duty of all of use to advance Homoeopathy
further than the Founder and correct any mistakes that have entered our
science. We need to bring all this data up to date in accordance to the
latest scientific information without losing our vitalist principles and
sophisticated methods of studying both the group and individual anamnesis.
At the same time, we should investigate the mysteries of Nature and the
human psyche and spirit as deeply as we possibly can and apply that wisdom
to the healing arts.

I have taken the time to write this letter because the healing arts are
a sacred trust. I don't want to argue with people nor get into long debates
but I am willing to stand up for what I believe in and what I think is in
danger of being lost or confused. My fingers are sore and my eyes are tired
but my spirit is strong in the knowledge that I have given what I have to
give without taking anything from others.

Similia Minimus
Sincerely, David Little
Visit our website on Hahnemannian Homoeopathy and Cyberspace Homoeopathic
Academy at
http://www.simillimum.com
David Little © 2000

[doctorleelah2h]

Dear David,
THis is incredible! I doubt I could have written anything half as well
researched and expansive (and of course the perception). Thank you
very much.
WIth your permission, we're like to print this in the December ezine
along an article of mine taht is along similar lines.
THanks,
Leela
--- In minutus@yahoogroups.com, David Little wrote:
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[Piet Guijt]

David wrote:

sickness that developed in humanity is what led to the SUSCEPTIBILITY TO
PSORA. This is really quite different than the idea that psora IS the
original sin. Some have tried to blame Kent for saying psora was the
original sin and say this is all because of Swedenborg's philosophy. One
can see, however, that this discussion predates Kent and goes back the
philosophy of the Deist, which includes Rousseau and Hahnemann!

Hello David, all

I looked this up in Kent's New Remedies, Aphorism en Precepts.

page 641:

"You cannot divorce Medicine and Theology. Man exists all the way down from
his innermost Spiritual, to his outermost Natural."

page 648:

"Susceptibility is only name for a state that underlies all possible
sickness and all possible cure"

page 653- 654:

"Thus man is what he wills. As his love is, so is his life. When man thinks
about the neighbour, he wills one of two things - he wills good to his
neighbour or the opposite.
Psora is the evolution of the state of man's will, the ultimate of his sin."

"This outgrowth, which has come upon man from living a life of evil willing,
is Psora - is the life of Psora."

"Now in proportion as a man falsifies truth or mixes or perverts truth; in
proportion as he mixes willing well with willing evil, so does he adulterate
his interiors until that state is present."

"When Psora had become a complete ultimation of causes, it became
contagious."

"Thinking, willing, and doing, are the three things in life from which
finally proceed the chronic miasms."

"The whole Miasm in a chronic disease, does not come out in an individual,
but in the human race."

End of quotes by Kent.
So when we say, Kent said that the spiritual sickness that developed in
humanity is what led to the SUSCEPTIBILITY TO
PSORA, we are separating the Susceptibility and Psora as two things, which
Kent did not.
From the above quotes by Kent, it is clear he is saying that Psora IS the
state that that evolved as a RESULT of sin.
Susceptibility is a name for a state, thus Kent is saying that Psora is also
the susceptibility (which ultimately progressed to a infectious disease).
This is exactly my opinion in this, Miasms are both; STATE & INFECTION. And
Kent is clear in the sequence, the state comes first, after that a similar
infection follows. The miasm precedes the disease rather than being caused
by it.
I agree that Kent does not called psora the original sin, neither do I, but
he equated Psora with the first and deepest susceptibility in the human
race. So it seems I'm not a follower of Hempel, but a follower of Kent!

Kind regards, Piet

P.S. This is not criticize you, and I don't want to discuss this again. I
like you're your balanced point of view, which leaves space for people, who
are looking for the whole picture, instead of others who seem to be eager to
fight others and put him in a certain corner, just because they take a look
at one side of a coin, (but without denying the other side of the same
coin).

[muthu kumar]

This is not criticize you, and I don't want to discuss this again. I
people, who
eager to
a look
Who are these bad people ? ( tongue in cheek) ? Looks like bad
pennies... Look in Luke:
To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him
who takes away one side of your coin, don't withhold the other side of
the coin