The family level.
Relationships and familyThis level is concerned with relationships, initially only within the family, later extending to include other people. In the book
Homeopathy and
Minerals we first noticed that relationships play an important role in this series: in
Chlorum it was the relationship with the mother, in
Sulphur the relationship with a partner, and in
Phosphorus it was with brothers, sisters and friends. In
Natrium we see the desire to have relationships stemming from the feeling of being alone, while In
Magnesium it stems from a fear of losing people.
Here we already have the whole cycle of relationships in a nutshell:
Natrium wants a relationship but feels very alone,
Magnesium has relationships that are still quite weak and that are liable to disintegrate at the slightest hint of quarrelling,
Phosphorus is already past the peak and wants to extend his relationships,
Sulphur has to leave the parental home to get married and
Chlorum watches his child leave the family home.
That leaves only
Aluminium and Silica to sort out. Where do they stand with regard to relationships? Silica has something to do with the parental home, as we can see in
Calcium silicatum with the hard work they do for the family and the dreams they have about their dead father. In
Aluminium we discover a new aspect of the remedy by looking at it from the relationships point of view. The confusion about their identity proves to be mainly concerned with the relationships in their life: what part belongs to themselves and what part belongs to other people?
Identification with the familyThe main identification in the
Silicon series is with the family. The small group of family and friends is seen as part of them, or they part of that group. The people outside of that group are easily seen as dangerous, as enemies.
Other YouFollowing the development of the ‘I’ in the
Carbon series, the time has come for the development of a relationship with someone else. This can only take place if there is sufficient consciousness of the ‘I’, otherwise the person will be unable to realise the difference between self and other.
Love and HateThe theme of love and hate plays a vital role on this level. Attraction to the other is love, rejection is hate. The
Sulphuricums express this theme in the form of love for their partner, in the Muriaticums it is motherly love and in the
Phosphoricums brotherly love.
CommunicationOf course communication is vital at this stage. Without communication there can be no exchange and therefore no relationship. Communication can take place in many ways such in talking and writing, but also through telepathy and clairvoyance.
Sympathy is another theme that belongs to this whole series, although it is most clearly expressed in
Phosphorus.
Language LearningLanguage is a major tool for communication. Included in this is our body language and of course the written word. That is why talking, writing and reading are themes we frequently meet in this series. Learning in itself is also an exchange of ideas, but this aspect is only particularly important in
Phosphorus.
In the process of communication there are two parts to play: ’talking’ and ‘listening’.
Many symptoms are to do with these two aspects: eg. ‘loquacious, silent, closed, open’. Talking, i.e. the ’positive’ or active part of the process, is more pronounced in the first half of the series, in the positively charged elements, whilst listening seems to belong more to the negatively charged element in the second half of the series. Listening is a more passive and feminine process. We see it very clearly in the Muriaticums who are good listeners.
In both
Natrium and
Magnesium we often find the theme of communication in the form of ‘a lack of’. They are often silent and closed, they have given up.
PresentationAnother form of communication is presentation. General appearance, clothes and make-up play an important role, as we can see in Silica, where it is of utmost importance in their life.
PlayPlaying is another way of communicating. For children it is a way of learning how to deal with other people, learning to give and take, to work together and to enjoy each others’ company. Joking is also an important form of communication: jokes are often a play on words.
TeenagerThe age that corresponds with this phase is that of the older child, the teenager. The teenager is finding out about his own position in relationship to others, taking his own space and at the same time showing due respect to other people.
Home neighbourhoodThe place where all this development takes place is gradually extending from the home to the immediate neighbourhood and school, where the child gets to know and starts to make friends with other children.
The theme of house and home is very strong in Silica.
MindRegion:
Family, neighbourhood.
Sense: taste.
Mood: timid.
Embarrassment.
Contacts: -> and <- company, >< consolation, -> love and eroticism.
BodyPerspiration: hands and feet.
Headaches
Skin: eruptions on face and hands.
DD Carbon series: here the relationships are a means of support in the process of self development. They are not relationships in the sense that a real exchange takes place, it is more of a one-way system. In the
Silicon series it is the relationship itself and the exchange that takes place that is of primary importance.
DD Iron series: here also we see the theme of relationship, but more in the sense of having to work together to be able to do your task. It is the task that is of prime importance.