GEMSTONE REMEDIES-TWO CASES:
Gemstones have been used for millennia in ancient medicine like Ayurveda and every culture has a special place for these wonderful gifts from the earth.
Homeopathy has come relatively “late” in embracing gemstones, however, more homeopaths are using the gem immersions and I have found them invaluable in my practice.
One thing I would say straight off is this: gemstones are rare and beautiful and so are the cases that require this type of remedy. They are definitely not common remedies to be used in acute conditions, for example. I have also found that they are at their most effective when used in higher potencies, like 1M. The cases I am illustrating below will show you what I mean.
CASE 1: FIBROMYALGIA
This lady came to see me years ago about her symptoms:
-chronic fatigue
-constant muscle pain
She had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, however, she was adamant she didn’t want to take painkillers, which was the only thing doctors had to offer.
I have seen many cases of this condition and in all and I mean ALL cases, the root cause or at least, the catalist, seems to be a great trauma or sustained extreme stress suffered over a period of years.
This case was no exception. The lady was in her fifties, very wam and friendly, but softly spoken. She was divorced and lived on her own.
After asking her about her physical symptoms, I went a bit deeper into the story of her life. Her ex husband was a very emotionally manipulative man, very psychologically abusive, very good at making her feel like she was worthless or doubt her own judgment. She had two grown up children, but she had also had an abortion years previously: the hospital had told her that the baby would have Down syndrome and many other health complications and convinced her that abortion on health grounds would be the best thing to do in the circumstances. She struggled with this decision, however, she ultimately complied. Soon after the abortion, she learnt that the hospital had made a mistake and in fact the baby would have been fine. A mix up with medical files, probably, clerical error. This was devastating for her. After all these years, she still has dreams about her baby, she gave her a name and never forgot her. Remarkably, however, she completely forgave the doctors and never tried to pursue legal action or carry any anger.
This was the thread of the whole case: regardless of all the injustices, trauma and adverse circumstances (her childhood had also been difficult, with alcohol abuse in the family and neglect), she told me all this with a calm and serene voice. Sometimes we “compensate” subconsciously, in order to cover up negative character traits, like resentment or anger. When this is the case, it comes out in the consultation, if you listen closely: there will be a recurrent word, a gesture, a change in the tone of voice that alerts the homeopath to this.
In this case, I could only see genuine “goodness”. Her core identity was to be of service to people in need, her favourite activity was working for charities to help the homeless. She had no self-esteem issues anymore, she knew who she was and had no bad feelings towards her ex-husband, for example or anybody else who had treated her so poorly in the past. She also had a very strong religious faith, that had sustained her in her darkest moments.
What she needed, I thought, was to look after herself more and re-calibrate the love she had to others and herself; reset her boundaries, so she could say “no” sometimes and not spend all her energy until she was exhausted.
ROSE QUARTZ IS PRESCRIBED
Strong spirituality, strength of characted forged after great adversity are the hallmarks of gemstones remedies. Rose Quartz is about learning to love yourself, be kind to yourself and respect your own boundaries, therefore I prescribed Rose Quartz 1M.
The follow up after one month was interesting: she had just come back from a fab holiday in Australia. She had a friend who lives there, who had invited her so many times before, but she had never felt comfortable accepting the kind offer. This time she did: even though she had felt she ought to stay home to supervise some refurbishment work in her home, she took the unprecendented step of asking her son to do it for her! For once she was doing something for herself AND asking someone else to do something for her! The sun and relaxed atmosphere benefited her physically as well, of course. Her aches and pains were much reduced and she felt more energy.
CASE 2: LIVER ISSUE/DIABETES
This patient was a female church pastor. This is important, because her calling and religious views helped me pick the correct remedy.
In fact, this is one of those cases (rare, but they do exist) where the patient “told” me the remedy, I didn’t even have to look or repertorise or even think!
She was sixty years old at the time. She suffered from a multitude of health complaints:
-Diabetes type 1since childhood
-inherited fatty liver (usually caused by excessive alcohol; inflammation of the liver)
-IBS, (large intestine) since childhood
-Diverticulosis (colon)
-serum negative inflammatory arthritis presenting in most joints.
Whenever I take a case, I usually try to figure out what “kingdom” the patient reminds me of: mineral? Animal? Plant? There are ways of discerning this. In this case, however, the patient was like a “cross” between mineral and plant. Belgian homeopath Anne Vervaake, who is an expert in gemstone remedies, teaches that when you see someone like that, half way between different kingdoms, they might need a gemstone remedy.
She hated the city and longed to go back to the countryside; artificial lights didn’t agree with her, she needs to live by the natural rythm: be awake during day light and sleep when it’s dark.
She told me she had “something dark and evil” that she felt was cast upon her in the form of a curse when she was very little (she came from a gipsy family) it was followed by prayers to exorcise it, however, it was never “completely dealt with” and now was the time to deal with it. She felt that homeopathy would help the dark force come to the fore, so that she could “see it” and know what she is dealing with.
I was stumped for a while. Then she noticed a pendant I was wearing, which was an amethyst and told me how much she loves this stone and she uses it for meditation and prayer, holding it in her hands during prayer.
At the time I had just started to look at gemstone remedies, but I instinctively knew I had my remedy there!
Amethyst has an affinity for the liver and it can help with detox. It is also an intensely spiritual remedy and the patient often feels a sense of “split” between good and evil within themselves.
Follow up
This is what she says:
The first couple of days after taking Amethyst were “horrific”, she feels “darker than I had felt for a long time, “I felt separated inside in mind and body. I had dreams of anger, real ANGER. I was feeling lost and broken”
“my eyes couldn’t focus, even with my glasses on. My sinuses started to fizz and my right jaw felt like my glands were swelling up, I couldn’t open my mouth without feeling it”.
“yesterday I felt enlightened, as though the answer has arrived. There was nothing by JOY, I felt PEACE and last night I slept like a baby. Today during morning prayer I felt WHOLE, I usually feel alone and lonely, but now I feel whole”. Her eyes and glands are fine now.
I asked about the anger: she has always had a temper but usually she is able to suppress it, she has to suppress it, because of her priestly role, but after taking the remedy she couldn’t control it so well, especially at home.
Second follow up
A couple of months after the treatment, she looks younger: weight has gone down, her complexion is clearer, she has a spring in her step.
However, she comes to see me again. This time she tells me about a dream she had:
“I was an ancient warrior and was wearing a metal armour and a shield. In the middle of the shield was a big ruby. A voice said:”it is time to put the sword down”. “
She had basically come to the conclusion that she should leave the parish she had been working at. There had been a lot of conflict with the church elders and she was tired. She asked me if there was such a thing as Ruby remedy in homeopathy. There is!
I remember showing her the book by Peter Tumminello (Twelve Jewels) about homeopathic ruby and, lo and behold, there is a paragraph that mentions the feeling of giving up responsabilities that have become too much of a burden “like a priest who decides to leave the priesthood out of spiritual exhaustion”.
What choice did I have but to give her the Ruby immersion remedy?
The remedy helped her make that choice and carry it out.
CONCLUSION
Do you see what I mean now when I say that gemstones are rare and so are the people who need them as remedies?
I had more cases that needed gemstone remedies in my practice, but they make up maybe 5% of the total of my patients.
The themes of intense struggle that makes you stronger, like a distilled version of yourself and the deep spirituality are the common denominators of gemstone cases.
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