Homeopathy Tips for 2/10/09 Animal Kingdom

     Last week I gave a quick overview of the kingdoms. Today I will share with you a bit more about the animal kingdom. The animal kingdom is all about survival. It is eat or be eaten at it’s basic level. So we find some of the most basic emotions in the animal kingdom. How we relate to another and compete for our existence is a basic theme of the animal kingdom. Because we have many species within the animal kingdom there are equally as many different behaviors. Only a small fraction of the number of species within the animal kingdom have been homeopathically proven.

      How an animal behaves in regards to it’s survival can be an open window into understanding the remedy. Because all animals behave similarly within their own species, knowing the themes of each is necessary to understanding the remedy.  Also knowing about the different behaviors of the sexes within the animal family can be a great insight into how the remedy can be applicable to our human condition.

• Mammals – All mammals have mammary glands for the production of milk. Most of our animal remedies are from milk. All of the milk remedies or Lacs have an element of nurture and nutrition since it is essential for the animals survival. How a mother takes care of it’s young will insure the survival of the species. How the animal takes care of itself as an adult is also inherent in the survival of the species. All animals want to survive so there will be inherent ways to ensure that within each of the mammal remedies. There are 25 different Lac’s in the ReferenceWorks library. Some of the more common ones are Lac caninum (Dog milk), Lac equinum (Horse milk), Lac delphinum (Dolphin milk), Lac humanum (Human milk). Each of these has a different survival need and mechanism. In addition to the natural history of each animal much more is brought forth in the energetic remedy during potentization, such as the dreams of snakes in Lac caninum. Each remedy deserves a book on it’s of it’s own. There are animal nosodes and sarcodes that also reflect different aspects of the disease state of animals and very useful in the treatment of disease. The mammal remedies are really quite vast in homeopathy.
• Reptiles – Reptiles express their survival needs differently than other animals. They have adapted by becoming more cunning and manipulative and to know their victims weakness.  Snakes make up the biggest segment of reptile remedies. Each snake has it’s own defense mechanism and the poisonous snakes have proven to be the most useful in homeopathy because of the toxic nature of their venom. Their weak spot is the neck. A blow to the neck will usually kill a snake. Hence we see a lot of symptoms of the neck and throat in the snake remedies. The toxic nature of the venom will usually affect the blood or the nervous system. These snake remedies are very useful in these types of disease. We should never forget the nature of the animal though. It will always tell us much about the remedy. Common snake remedies are Lachesis (Bushmaster snake), Crotalus Horridus Rattlesnake), Cenchris contortrix (Copperhead snake) and Naja (Cobra).
• Insects – Spiders and other insects make up the insect sub-kingdom. The most common spider mechanism for survival is to spin a web and wait for its prey trapping them when they intrude on their territory. Their toxic venom’s have been very useful in homeopathy. They often perceive themselves as being smaller,  like they are,  so they must resort to cunningness and deceit to capture their prey.  Often they will rhythmically bounce their web to attract their victim and can have great sensitivity. The smallest vibration will alert them. We find this trait in the spider remedies. Tarantula Hispanica is very sensitive, cunning and will express rhythm through dance. Other common spider remedies are Latrodectus Mactans (Black widow), Mygale lasiodora (Black Cuban spider) and Theridion (Orange spider). Other common insect remedies are from the flying poisonous insects like  bees (Apis) and wasps (Vespa). Their basic concerns are for the collection of food and reproduction. These insects have busy lives and will use their poisonous sting to protect themselves.  We can benefit much from their homeopathic use when we find a similar expression in the human condition of dis-ease.  Great swellings are usually characteristic of a response to their poisons.
• Birds – The bird remedies are being proven with much enthusiasm in the most recent years. Birds have the desire to be free and soar.  But if they are kept from their natural environment they feel caged and trapped. This is a main theme in all bird remedies. Some of the raptors are hunters and use their speed and agility to kill their prey. Their eyesight is usually very keen and they take great care in raising their young.  Some of the more common bird remedies are Bute-j (Redtailed Hawk), Haliae-lc (Bald Eagle), Corv-c (Raven), Falco-p (Perigrin Falcon), Cyc-c (Swan).
• Sea Creatures – Creatures from the sea are also wonderful animal remedies.  All have the element of water and all have a different survival mechanism. The most common in Sepia made from the ink of the cuttlefish. This creature expels it’s ink creating a cloud to make it’s escape. We can see this in the human condition when during an argument one needing this remedy may make an obtuse comment and run away, leaving the other person confused as to what just happened. It is all about the energy being similar. Water mollusks have a shell and use it for protection. They cannot move fast, so must hide to survive. Their hard shell protects them because the living part of them is very soft and vulnerable. We see this in Calcarea Carbonica (Calcium carbonate from Oyster shell). Other common sea creatures are Asterias Rubens (Starfish), Spongia (Sponge), Medusa (Jellyfish), Corallium rubrum (Red Coral), Ambra Grisea (Morbid secretion of the whale, also in the mammal family) Limulis (Crab) and Homarus (Lobster).

This is a very brief overview of some of the more common animal kingdom remedies. The main theme in every one of the animals is survival. Use the natural history and behaviors of the animals themselves to gain greater insight into the remedy. Once a remedy is proven, the natural history will be useful in the prescription but a much richer picture of the energy of that animal appears. This is the wonderful blessing of understanding our natural world better through homeopathy and using this information to help others heal.