Lesson 2 Vibrational Aspects of the Materia Medica · 2020-01-16 · Vibrational Aspects of the...

Western Materia Medica Vibrational Aspects of the Materia Medica By Terry Willard

©2010 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Terry Willard. All Rights Reserved. 1

Lesson 2

Vibrational Aspects of the Materia Medica

In the last lesson we looked at the Physiomedical system, and how it relates to both our history and the way many modern herbalists in North America address their clients in today’s contemporary clinics. This is the way we deal with the physical body. In this lesson, we will be looking at some of the non-physical attributes of both people and plants. We can call this the energetic aspect of the herbs, as addressed in Oriental medicine, also described as vibrational medicine. Before we can discuss this area we have to get more familiar with the fundamentals of vibrational medicine.

The Dimensions of Vibration Medicine

You may feel you know little to nothing about vibrational energy, but examples of these energy fields surround us. Physicists tell us that the material world we live in is really a huge electro-magnetic soup of pulsing electrons and vibrating cells. We know that sound waves are a form of vibration, which resonate at a frequency which stimulates our ears to hear. This is a type of vibrational energy. The light that brings these words to you from this page is another waveform in the electromagnetic spectrum. Our eyes pick up the changes in these vibrations that reflect the letters and words on the page. These are two simple examples from the electromagnetic spectrum that we perceive every day with our normal senses. However, there are many other vibrational wavelengths that we have to manipulate in order to perceive. The electromagnetic spectrum is represented by waves of varying frequencies (see fig 2.1). The highest frequencies are X-rays and gamma rays. Microwaves, radio waves, heat and visible light represent lower frequencies. At the lowest end of the spectrum is electrical power - 60 cycles per second - known as power-frequency. As you can see from fig 2.2 there are AM and FM radio waves, television

Fig. 2.1: Frequencies



broadcast waves, cellular telephone waves, X rays, cosmic rays, ultrasonic waves and microwaves to name a few. All of these frequencies take up what appears to be the same physical space. Electromagnetic fields carry energy through space.

Fig. 2.2 Electromagnetic spectrum The same antenna cannot only pick up AM/FM radio and television, but can be tuned to many different channels. Each separate channel is registering a slightly different wavelength, so we can tune the dial or click the channel to hear our favorite tunes or that new reality TV show. We might say that all these wavelengths still take up the same ‘space/time’. Vibrational medicine is the application of vibrational energies to improve and maintain health. It takes into consideration all the many forms and frequencies of



vibrational energy that contribute to the multidimensional experience we call life. At first, we might think of our physical body as separate from all this. What do vibrating wavelengths of sound or light have to do with our body? Modern science proved the connection for us. Einstein showed with his famous formula (E=mc2) that matter and energy were actually convertible and interchangeable. He stated that, in fact, they are two different expressions of the same thing. This statement has stood up to the rigors of contemporary research and is still considered to be true. Matter, in reality, is just a frozen form of energy. Just as ice vibrates at a slower frequency than water, and much slower than steam, our physical reality is a combination of “frozen” energy vibrations. The human energy field is partially made up of atoms and subatomic particles that are a form of frozen energy, or matter, vibrating more slowly than other subtle forms of energy. This might sound very esoteric at first, but it is part of an evolving knowledge of how we, and even our bodies, work. Modern medicine is extremely thorough when it comes to the study of the physical body. Hospitals are currently using many aspects of ‘vibrational medicine’ in the form of diagnostic tools that use technology to measure these frequencies. The electrocardiograms (EKGs) that many get as part of their yearly checkup record the ‘energy patterns’ of the heart. MRIs, X-rays, and ultrasounds are merely some of the many tools of vibrational diagnostic medicine that are currently in everyday use. The concept of the body as a complex energetic system is slowly gaining acceptance in science today. Energetic medical models such as acupuncture and Qi (chee, chi) energy or ayurveda have been widely used in other cultures for millennia. However, in the West, we still ascribe to a mechanical model of health and disease. This model views the heart as a mechanical pump and the muscles/skeletal system as a framework of pulleys and levers. The view that the human body, and the universe for that matter, is like a large mechanical clock (with parts which can be mapped, built and replaced) is now slowly falling away. Yes, the mechanism of you moving your hand to pick up a pencil is a mechanical act and a coordination of many nerves, muscles, ligaments and bones which all fit neatly into a bio-mechanical model. The poem you write with that same pencil, while reflecting on your feelings of seeing an

Fig. 2.3: Albert Einstein



exquisite sunset, is a different matter.

This is not to discount the tremendous achievements that have been obtained through the mechanical approach to medicine. Many discoveries about the physical structure of the human body have saved the lives, and improved the quality of life, of countless millions. While some of the modern surgical techniques have achieved great wonders, they limit exploring or being able to explain the reason ‘why’ disease occurs in the first place. Internal molecular biologists have delved into this area, often coming forward with fantastic breakthroughs. Still, many questions are left unanswered. Genetic explanations for disease, which are the current trend in medical research, not only negate the massive importance of environment and lifestyle in triggering genetic predispositions, but sustain a philosophical vacuum in medicine regarding vital energy and what constitutes well-being. The bio-mechanical model does not take into consideration less tangible ideas such as emotions, consciousness and the energy of the life force of the soul and the spirit. The concept that all human illness has a physical basis is coming under fire from many camps.

Many physicians are beginning to realize and acknowledge that emotional phenomena can be reflected in disease sets. Unfortunately, they are nonetheless left only with solutions like anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drugs to offer a patient. Sometimes a psychiatrist is recommended to look deeper into the biomechanical functioning or structure of the brain. This still fails to reveal the larger picture of energy dynamics. We innately know we are more than a collection of molecules, chromosomes and genes. We are an intricate relationship of evolving body, emotion, mind and spirit. As stated in the popular song Everybody’s Got a Story by Amanda Marshall, “you touch my tongue, but you can’t know what I taste. You can see my eyes, but you don’t know what I see.” Each of us has our own perception that others can never directly know. Perception is made up of more than just a mechanical function.

This newly emerging model of vibrational or energy medicine does not in any way deny the validity of bio-mechanical and biological knowledge of the physical body. It builds on that material to create a model that works with a broader picture of the electromagnetic “soup” that physicists



remind us that we live in. We all agree that a continuous stream of nutrients and chemical responses feeds the cells of our body. The cells are also fed by an electromagnetic force or life-force energy. This life force energy goes by many names such as Qi, (Chi, Chee), Ki, prana, and vital energy. The knowledge within other systems of traditional medicine isn’t new. A framework for using them along with modern medicine, however, is new.

It has been shown that there are specific energy-distribution systems, such as acupuncture meridians and chakra systems that support the cells and organs of the body. These systems can enhance or inhibit flow of life energy, so it’s essential to include them in our evolving model of health. Emotions, the quality of our relationships, and even a faith in a Universal Being can affect the flow of this energy.

This new vibrational medicine shows that consciousness itself is not just a by-product of physical and biochemical mechanisms, but plays a primary role in health and illness. While biomechanical medicine has been looking for the part of the brain that controls consciousness and thought, vibrational medicine accepts that it takes place in an entirely different energy field. You wouldn’t take apart a radio to try and find Beethoven when you hear his Fifth Symphony on the radio. Vibrational medicine almost looks at the brain like a radio receiver … one that receives information from the mental body. We are not simply sophisticated meat machines, with a bio-computer brain and nervous system. We are conscious beings with a physical body that is but one dimension of our existence. We are influenced by our emotional ‘body’, our mental ‘body’ and spiritual bodies or fields.

One of the most important principles in the vibrational medicine model is that of communication. We now know the cells communicate with each other by a nonchemical means. How this is accomplished is still being studied, but it is most likely by some electromagnetic, or as we will see later, magneto-electric means. We do know that cells emit weak pulses of light that seem to be the basis of some sort of communication system. Some inherent mechanism in the cell is able to decode information presented by other cells. This means that there is a communication system that is outside the realm of chemistry and an inventory of cell receptor sites. All of the answers for how the body, or even more



specifically how we as complex beings, communicate, cannot be answered by chemistry alone. There are other fields of communication.

We do know that cells coordinate themselves into functional groups that meet certain rhythmic similarities. Have you ever wondered how a school of fish swims together or a flock of birds fly in tight formation without bumping into each other? There seems to be some inherent form of communication operating. The same is true in hives of bees or in ant colonies. A localized level of consciousness keeps all of the parts in coordination with each other.

Each cell in the body undergoes, on average, some 100,000 chemical reactions per second. The timing of these reactions must be exquisite. When you multiply this by the number of cells in the human body (some 75 trillion), the orchestration of reactions is a massive feat (an average of 1015 reactions per second). This whole process works itself out in a three-dimensional environment. Not only does each cell have to orchestrate the 100,000 chemical reactions per second within its own membrane, it must do so in harmony with the cells surrounding it in a three-dimension form. Biologists have had a hard time explaining this. It was easy to explain why we have blue eyes, or brown hair; but what orchestrates the location of the specific expression of genes and thus the shape? The most convincing explanation comes from a British biologist, Rupert Sheldrake. While spending some time in an ashram in India, Sheldrake created a hypothesis, which states that: form is self-organizing in living things. From molecules to organisms, across societies and entire galaxies, forms are shaped into morphic fields. These fields have a morphic resonance, or a cumulative memory of similar systems throughout time. This morphic resonance not only tells an organism how to look, it tells them how to act. Morphic resonance is the influence of like upon like through space and time. This quality of these fields is different than simple electromagnetic fields because they reverberate across generations with inherent memory of correct shape and form.

We see this kind of “pacemaker” activity in various parts of our physical body. Most of us are familiar with the concept of

Fig. 2.4: Rupert Sheldrake



a pacemaker in the heart, but the cells of the digestive tract and the urinary tract also have coordinating fields that keep the movements in harmony with each other. They all seem to be marching to the beat of the same drummer. This drummer is the life energy or vital energy that leaves the body when we die.

From a mechanical point of view, when we die, all is over. The parts that make up our body decay and are recycled into other organisms in the biosphere. The personality, and all that we are, stops existing. In the vibrational medicine model, the life force or spirit moves on after death, storing the experiences it had in this lifetime. The spirit might inhabit the physical body to aid us in relating to others, gain knowledge and create in the physical plane, but the spirit exists in dimensions beyond this plane. In the vibrational model, many other dimensions do exist. In fact, we often explore those other dimensions in sleep and dream states. We are really spiritual beings with our roots in this physical world in order to experience its lessons. We are multidimensional beings having a physical experience.

Secular society, however, has handed the realms of the spirit over to the theologians and clergy. They did not fit into a scientific explanation of the world. Now, many practitioners find that by working with a more sophisticated energy vibrational model, which can include spiritual concepts, they can more easily perceive different ways to assist the healing process of an individual. With the proper training, and lots of patience, most of us can learn how to perceive these subtle energies.

We Wear Many Bodies

Besides the physical body, and the energy systems that contribute to health, we have several other bodies. These bodies are: the etheric body, the astral body; the mental body and a causal body. This system has been taught in the Eastern world for millennia, and was also part of the Christian mystical tradition and teachings. Importantly, we can now prove their existence.

The etheric body is surrounding and interpenetrating our physical body. Because it is of a higher vibrational rate, it can take up what appears to be the same ‘space’ as the physical body. It is invisible to the normal human eye, but can be seen



by clairvoyants and photographed using Kirlian photography. The etheric body is a basic blueprint, or as some like to consider it, a mold for our physical body. This template aids in directing the structure, spacing and function of the physical body. Some think of the etheric body as a jello-mold that guides cell growth into the right location.

Since the etheric body is our template, any disturbance in the electro-magnetic field that makes it up can be translated into anomalies in the physical body. This concept fits quite nicely with traditional Chinese medicine that also teaches imbalances in the Qi flow will sooner or later affect the physical body. Many feel that the etheric body directly influences the acupuncture meridians and that it is the location of these pathways.

The astral body is influenced by our emotions. Some even call it the emotional body. It is the expression of how we feel and how we express ourselves. The astral body is on an even higher vibrational magnetic frequency than the etheric body. Our astral body is strongly attracted to our physical body, but is more mobile than the etheric. Astral projection is the movement of the astral body and is experienced by many at night while they are having ‘traveling’ or ‘flying’ dreams. Communication between the physical and the astral body is via the chakra system at the etheric level. (There is also heavy influence from the limbic centers of the brain). It is via the intervening etheric body that the chakras supply information to the physical realm from the astral body. Disturbances in the emotional body easily influence the energy systems of the physical body. The mental body is made up of an even more subtle magnetic energy, vibrating faster than the astral body. Thought, creativity, inventions and inspiration originate from this level. It is also the area from which thought forms or ideas emanate, whether a person is consciously or unconsciously exploring them. Disturbances in the mental body can cause energy anomalies that will eventually filter down into the physical body, usually via, and colored by, the emotional world. The causal body or causal field is often considered the soul. This is the area where everything experienced on the physical plane, both in this lifetime and others, is recorded. This is also considered the location of our ‘higher Self’, the wiser

Fig. 2.5: Our many bodies



part of ourselves that sees things in the light of a universal picture. The causal body reflects reincarnations and the archetypal knowledge of the journey we take on our spiritual sojourn to obtain experiences on the physical plane. Disturbances from this level can be reflected in something as simple as a birthmark … to dramatic health, emotional and social issues.

Summary of Model So, we are much more than a physical body and what the eye can see. We have many kinds of energy influences in our lives. Besides the physical body that contains the vital Qi energy of the acupuncture meridians, and the chakra energies that are influenced by our emotions, we also have an etheric, astral, mental and causal body. Each one of these can influence our health in a positive or negative way. By figuring out which body holds the bulk of the “dis-ease”, the energy imbalance, or communication blockage, we can determine which is the most appropriate remedy for the condition. The Tiller Model In 1988, when Richard Gerber’s Vibrational Medicine was first published, I discovered the ideas of William Tiller. I wasn’t completely unfamiliar with these concepts, since they had been circulating among the homeopathic community for quite a while, but Tiller did explain the complexity in the clearest way I had ever encountered. William Tiller, Professor Emeritus, and head of the Department of Material Science and Engineering, Stanford University, created a mathematical model of the various subtle bodies and how they related to this three-dimensional world and other dimensions as well. The model is fascinating and highly detailed. We’ll just go into an overview of it here, but you can get a more detailed look at it in Gerber’s Vibrational Medicine1, or from Tiller himself in: Science and Human Transformation: Subtle Energies, Intentionality and Consciousness2.

Fig. 2.6: Our actual look



Tiller starts out with a simple model of how most medical practitioners, including allopathic physicians, look at a person:

The equation says that all the functions of the body arise out of the structure (anatomy) of the body, as determined by the chemistry of the situation. This means that one will always find a chemical reason for anything to do with us, or our body. Whenever something is not functioning properly in a person, it is assumed that there is a chemical imbalance that created the structural and functional defect. This view of health collapses the physical, emotional or mental issues into one level of functioning. We have already seen how that is not adequate for a holistic model of well-being. More recently, there has been an increasing awareness of the influence of electromagnetic fields, so the equation has been expanded to: Small electromagnetic fields have been shown to aid in the healing of bones and other parts of the body. The equation still falls short of how holistic practitioners would perceive healing, as it ignores or omits the energies of the subtle energy fields, and the influence of immeasurable things like homeopathy and flower essences. So, theorists in the field of vibrational medicine developed a more sophisticated equation:

Function ⇒ Structure ⇒ Chemistry

Function ⇔ Structure ⇔ Chemistry ⇔ Electromagnetic Energy Fields

Positive Space/Time ⇔ Physical ⇔ Electromagnetic Structure Chemistry Energy Fields ⇓⇑ ⇓⇑ Function Subtle-Energy Fields ⇓⇑ ⇓⇑ Negative Space/Time ⇔ Etheric ⇔ Magneto-electric

Etheric Chemistry Energy Fields



At first this equation might appear rather weird. Allopaths use the upper part of the equation and the homeopaths use the lower part of the equation. We are proposing to unite the two disciplines with this schemata of energy communication. The electro-magnetic fields interact with the more subtle bodies (etheric, astral and mental) that seem to be in the magneto-electric energy field range (we will explain later). These fields also interact with our etheric chemistry, which functions in negative space/time, or as an invisible structure that interacts with physical function. Yes, I realize there are many parts to this equation that need more explanation. To quote Tiller: “We are all elements of spirit, indestructible and eternal, and multidimensional in the divine. We contain a unique mechanism of perfection which is mind. . . .This mind creates a vehicle for experience (a universe, a word, a body) and each person, as a spiritual being plus perception mechanism, invests in that vehicle which runs a continuously programmed course. The being is connected to the vehicle via the emotional circuitry. The stuff used for construction of this vehicle or simulator is of dual or conjugate nature. One part, which is electrical in nature and travels at velocities less than that of electromagnetic light, is of positive energy and positive mass. It forms the physical part of the simulator. The other part, which is magnetic in nature and travels at velocities greater then that of electromagnetic light, is a negative mass, and negative energy. It forms the etheric parts of the simulator. The total sum of these two energies is zero, as is the sum of their entropies. Thus, the total simulator or vehicle is created out of what we call “empty space,” the space of mind, via fluctuation type of process.” Tiller-Einstein and Gerber To better understand this, we have to go deeper into the Tiller-Einstein model, as Richard Gerber calls it. Gerber’s overview is very helpful. The explanation comes out of the all too famous equation, E=mc2. A truer version of the equation is modified by a proportionality constant known as the Einstein-Lorentz Transformation. This makes the formula look more like figure 2.7.

Fig. 2.7: Einstein-Lorentz Transformation formula



The classical interpretation of this formula is that the energy contained in a particle is equivalent to its mass (weight), times the speed of light squared. This shows us that even a very small particle, contains an awesome amount of energy (as observed with the atomic bomb). As we said earlier, it also shows that energy and mass are interchangeable and that physical reality is just ‘frozen’ energy. If one speeds up a particle faster and faster, until it approaches the speed of light, its kinetic energy increases exponentially as described by the equation: Kinetic Energy = ½ mv2 where ‘v’ is velocity. You can see this visually in the following graph.

This equation is one of the reasons that most physicists believe that it is impossible to go faster than the speed of light. This is mostly because to go faster than the speed of light, you would have to find the square root of a negative number (e.g. -1). Mathematicians call these imaginary numbers and most physicists don’t believe in the imaginary number set, as abstract mathematicians do. Mathematicians like Charles Musès, however, believed that the square root of negative numbers produce what he calls “hypernumbers”. Hypernumbers, he believed, describe the behavior of higher dimensional phenomena (such as subtle bodies). If we put biases aside for a moment and follow Musès’ train of thought, we get an interesting graph, which is a mirror image of the first graph.

Fig 2.8: E=mc2 as a graph



Negative Entropy

The top left hand part of the graph is what Tiller calls the positive space/time structure that we see on a day-to-day basis. This is the material that exists at speeds slower than the speed of light. The inverted curve in the lower right hand side is Tiller’s negative space/time (-S/T). These particles move faster than the speed of light, taking up no space. Because these particles travel faster than the speed of light, we can’t see them, as we only see what reflects light back to our eyes. Some physicists have theorized about this group of particles and call them ‘tachyons’. The properties of the supraluminal (faster-than-light) would not fit in the electromagnetic spectrum (EM). Particles that are negative space/time matter would be in Tiller’s terms ‘magneto-electric’ (ME). What is even more significant than this faster-than-light material is that since it takes up negative mass, it has negative entropy. This becomes very significant, as entropy is a term which is used to describe the tendency toward disorder. Almost everything in the physical universe tends toward positive entropy and falls apart. Things in the physical world are in a constant process of decay. There is one huge exception to that rule and that is living systems. While everything is decaying, biological systems take in raw material (food) and organize them into

Fig. 2.9: E+mc2 with negative ‘hypernumbers’



more complex components. As Gerber writes, “Living systems display the property of negative entropy, or a tendency toward decreasing disorder of the system.” The energy that seems to animate our physical being is in a process of negative entropy.

Does this equation describe the concept of vital energy, or Qi, that is described in natural healing from many cultures and medical models throughout history? Qi is characterized by negative entropy and belongs to the etheric negative space/time quadrant of Tiller’s model. As soon as we take away this vital energy, we snuff out the vital force, and the physical body enters positive entropy and decays like the rest of the physical components of the physical universe. We are suggesting the etheric body (-S/T) directs the flow of energy to animate the physical body (+S/T). This opens up all kinds of possibilities. Is the etheric body beyond the speed of light, so that we can’t see it unless we are sensitive to these frequencies? Since the astral body is more subtle than the etheric body, does it exist at an even faster vibration? It should move at speeds above that of electromagnetic light. Professor Tiller considers that the astral body operates at speeds between 1010 and 1020 times the speed of light. Just as we have physical parts to our physical body, we have emotional forms in the astral body. Clairvoyants have described these as color fields of unique shapes. This means that there can be energy flows and blocks of that flow in our astral body similar to blockages in the physical body. Because of the magnetic energy of the astral (faster-than-light) body, it would tend to be more mercurial, tend to pulsate and move in more than one direction at a time, like a jello-shaped eggs. It appears that this magnetic energy tends to attracts others who are in harmony with it and repel others who are not. The old saying ‘misery loves company’ comes to mind. Is this how we are attracted to a certain crowd? This also shows us another look at Sheldrake’s morphic resonance idea. Does attraction happen at a magnetic level and involve the other subtle bodies?



Gerber further points out that electric flow produces a magnetic field in certain frequency ranges; (the magnetic field around electricity flowing in a wire). The movement of magnetic energy creates an electrical field around it. He suggests that this might be the electrostatic field found over the chakras that have been measured by Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama’s chakra device and by Dr. Valerie Hunt at UCLA. This would make this energy a secondary effect, not the primary effect; just as the magnetic field around a wire is secondary to the electricity that flows through the wire. So, even though many feel that chakras are electrostatic and show measurement to prove it, they are more magnetic-like with an electrostatic field around them. The measuring of the electrostatic energy again gives us more evidence that the subtle bodies are indeed magnetic in nature. This further shows us that the chakras are really just conduits, or vortexes, of communicating energy (information) from a higher level. Cool! This, of course, means that many therapeutic agents like herbals, homeopathics and flower essences, deliver some or all of their therapeutic energies via the magneto-electric circuitry, instead of via purely chemical means as seen in pharmaceuticals. This suggests that the realms of physics and mathematics might already have within their grasp a way to define the subtle bodies through the positive-negative space/time model, based on Einstein’s original theory of relativity. The body that resides above or beyond the astral (emotional) body is the mental body, which resides at a higher frequency yet again. For the mental (or intellect) body to communicate with the physical body, it first sends the information to, or through, the astral body, then the etheric body, and finally to the physical body. In this process, the mental concepts literally filter through the emotions, thus most of, if not all of our mental concepts, are colored by our emotions. Of course, mental concepts that are in this subtle mental body have to be ‘stepped down’ to be perceived by our brain and other circuitry of the physical body. This means that we are not always getting a clear image of what the mental body is ‘thinking’ or processing. It would be a bit fuzzy.



Fig. 2.10 Various bodies In the Tiller model we see three separate mental bodies :

M1 - representing instinctive functions M2 - representing intellectual functions M3 - representing lower spiritual functions

Outside this we have the dimension of causal spiritual, that some call the ‘higher self’. The physical body and the etheric body are so intertwined that they are bound together. When one stops functioning, they both stop functioning. Both stop existing after death. The other bodies that function in negative space/time can possibly live on after death. What happens at this point is beyond the scope of this course, but both Gerber and Tiller



have very specific models for this. These models go along with concepts of reincarnation and a multidimensional universe that is in line with Theosophy and many other esoteric philosophies. The basic concept here is that the physical body is an instrument of the higher or more subtle bodies. The mind projects an image, through the astral body in the form of a hologram, to create what we consider our etheric and physical body. In other words, the physical world that modern science is dealing with is a holographic projection in the first place. Whooo! To understand if that is true or not, we better learn more about holograms and holographic projection.

Holograms A hologram is really made up of interference, the crisscrossing of patterns that occur when two or more waves meet. Imagine throwing a rock into the clear water of a still pond. You can see the ripples or wave spreading out in ever larger concentric circles. Now throw in two rocks, one right after the other, but the second rock several feet away from the first rock. We would start to see the two concentric circles, but after a short time the two circles would meet up with each other. The pattern now stops being concentric circles and forms a complex pattern known as interference. A wave can create interference with any other like waves, as we did with the water waves. They can be sound waves, radio waves, or light waves. Lasers are made up of extremely pure, coherent light waves, thus they can create very fine tuned interference patterns. Some have called laser light the perfect pebble and the perfect pond. When we construct interference with laser light, we create a hologram. To produce a hologram you take a single beam of laser light and split it into two separate beams (see fig 2.11). The first is bounced off an object (let’s say an apple) towards a photographic film. The second part of the laser beam is allowed to collide with the reflected light of the first beam. These two beams join together to form an interference pattern on the film. To the naked eye, the film looks nothing like a recognizable figure, unless another laser, or bright light, is shone on it and then a three dimensional

Fig. 2.11: Hologram Setup



object pops out. In this case an apple. The purer the hologram, the more detail can be seen. In fact, you can often walk around the hologram and observe it from all sides and even try to reach out and grab it, but find nothing but thin air. That in itself is amazing, but not the most amazing part. You can break the hologram up into many pieces and the whole apple is still seen in each piece. You can pick up one of these smaller pieces and cut it in half again and have two apples. The only difference is that the image starts to get hazier and hazier the more you cut it up. Every small fragment of the original film contains the image, and all the information from the whole image. Many theorists feel that we are holographic projections of our own minds, filtered through the astral body and constructed by the etheric body. The etheric body acts as a blue print for the DNA to help guide and build the physical body. There have been some pretty convincing proofs to show that our memory is holographic as well as our vision. This is why we can store so much memory (it is theorized that the average person stores 2.8 x 1020 bits of information in a life time). Some esotericists have suggested that the pure light of the laser beam on a universe level is the Great Spirit or God. Our mental body (like the apple) is the object that creates the physical body from an interference pattern. The universal hologram is much more complex than the simple technology that we have come up with to create simple three dimensional, still images. The universal hologram is an ever moving, animated, changing hologram that folds in upon itself from time to time to create what we call reality. Every part of the hologram is connected to every other part. Now this might sound crazy, like some far out science fiction movie, but it does fit into Eastern cultural models and religious scholarly texts that have been around for millennia. This means that we are an image not only of our mind, but an image of the universe (built in the image of God), continuously connected and all knowing. The problem seems to be that we are a bit hazy, because we are only a tiny fragment of that existence.



The common esoteric saying, ‘as above, so below’ comes to mind. From the perspective of a hologram, if there is any kind of disorder on any one of the levels of our being, it will have its counterpart on all other levels. This means that specific emotional blocks should show up in the physical body, or conversely, signs in the physical body should help us interpret emotional issues that might be clouding the flow of our higher bodies.

Entrainment Entrainment is a term in physics, wherein two rhythms that have nearly the same frequency become coupled to each other to pattern the same rhythm. This is seen when people walk together who are in agreement with each other (as in holding hands); both right feet go forward at the same time. If two people are in conflict, often the pace will be at odds also. Technically, entrainment is “mutual phase locking of two (or more) oscillators”. For example, several pendulum clocks on the wall will eventually entrain, all of the pendulums swinging in precise synchrony. Entrainment may be a partial explanation for how birds fly in a flock or fish swim in a school, all in synchronized movement. Entrainment in a group can be a very uplifting phenomenon. Not only can it be very entertaining, as when thousands are entraining to a sports team or a music performer, it can produce a deeper feeling when entrainment represents release. Entrainment can be positive, negative or neutral. Entrainment plays a central role in many of the things we are going to look at concerning vibrational healing, so let’s look at some of the specific of how it works. Not only are we multi-dimensional beings (physical, etheric, astral, mental and causal) that share similar electromagnetic frequencies with other humans, all the parts of our body are interconnected. If a vibration is sent out and received, it can be felt in all parts of our being; physical, emotional, mental and causal. Scientist James Oschman, in his book Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis3 (2000), puts forward this hypothesis to explain the basis of a vibrational energy approach to the body.



Every part of the body, including all of the molecules so thoroughly studied by modern science, as well as the acupuncture meridians of traditional East Asia or Oriental medicine, form a continuously interconnected semiconductor electronic network. Each component of the organism, even the smallest part, is immersed in, and generates, a constant stream of vibratory information. This is information about all of the activities taking place everywhere in the body. Complete health corresponds to total interconnection. Accumulated physical and/or emotional trauma impairs the connection (Oschman and Oschman 1995). When this happens, the body’s defense and repair system become impaired and disease has a chance to take hold. Acupuncture and other energy therapies restore and balance the vibratory circuitry, with obvious and profound benefits. The body’s defense and repair system are able to repair themselves. Many individuals, both scientists and therapist, have contributed valuable insights to this emerging picture of how the body functions in health and disease. Phenomena that previously seemed disconnected and unrelated are now complementing one another, giving us a more complete understanding than we could have by any single approach. This communication system can both heal us, or have potential blocks reducing communication to disconnected areas. One of the goals is to have unblocked communication to all parts. This system works on an energetic level more than a purely mechanical system. There are many influences from a vibrational energy level that can fix this and/or prevent influence from outside sources.



Plant Alchemy - Plants as teachers Before we look at this facet of the energetics of plants, I think we should go through a bit of a review. I am going to start this review by looking at us (humans or two legged people), and how we are composed energetically, before we look at how to apply this to the plant kingdom. As discussed throughout this and some of the other Wild Rose courses, humans are more than only a physical body. We are made up of several bodies. To recap we are: 1. Physical body - the one that we are all familiar with. It is the level where physical biochemistry activates physiological processes. You have had plenty of training in this from a Western scientific point of view. 2. Etheric body - surrounds and interpenetrates our physical body. It is of a higher vibrational rate and thus takes up the same ‘space’ as the physical body. It is invisible to the normal human eye. The etheric body is a basic blueprint, or as some like to consider it, a mold for our physical body. This template aids in directing the structure, spacing and function of the physical body. It has a form of etherical chemistry to move it. 3. Astral body - or as some call it, the emotional body. It is the storehouse of feeling and how we express ourselves. The astral body is even a higher vibrational magnetic frequency than the etheric body. Our astral body is strongly attracted to our physical body, but is more mobile than the etheric body. Communication between the physical and the astral body is via the chakra system, but there is also heavy influence from the limbic centers of the brain. Disturbances in the emotional body easily influence the energy systems of the physical body. 4. Mental body - is made up of more subtle magnetic energy, vibrating faster than the astral body. Thought, creativity, inventions and inspiration originate from this level. Thought forms or ideas that a person is consciously or unconsciously exploring also emanate from this area. Disturbances in the mental body can cause energy anomalies that will eventually filter down into the physical body, usually via, and colored by, the emotional world of the astral body.



As we saw earlier from looking at the electromagnetics of these bodies and Einstein’s theory of relativity, negative entropy is the force that aids in building and organizing them … as opposed to positive entropy, the process of decay. Negative entropy is very much part of what makes the physical body take on a ‘life force’. If negative entropy is integral to the process of biolife, everything with biolife, must have negative entropy. If all organisms have biolife, they would also have more subtle bodies in addition to their physical body. This brings us to the key concept that a medicinal plant substance must have more than just a physical body. However, when we think of herbs for healing, we immediately think only of the physical plant material. Botanicals have a Life also – Energetics If you just met someone and decided to go out on a date with this person, you wouldn’t want them to ask you out only because of your physical body. Would you? You want them to appreciate you for your personality (emotional and mental attributes) also. Well, botanicals are no different. We can work with their subtle bodies also. Even though they have their own vibrational frequencies that respond to the plant kingdom, for the sake of this discussion we will consider them as the emotional and mental bodies of the plants. There are many people in many cultures who have described these more subtle aspects or energetics of the plant kingdom. Plants are described as being hot or cold; sweet or sour; ascending or descending; yin or yang; relaxing or stimulant; and many other energetic terms that can be found in the studies of Oriental medicine, ancient Greek medicine, Indian medicine and the medicine of many other cultures. Today, most practitioners using botanical remedies around the world use botanicals from an energetic point of view as well as a physical point of view. When we look at the plants as more than merely physical, we can see that they have much to teach us. I often consider plants as much teachers as medicinal substances. How do we know in what form to use a herb, or which preparations communicate with our different bodies? We will be taking the next several minutes to describe this. Even though we are going to concentrate on which body each type of



remedy works on, it should be stated that all forms work on all bodies to some degree. They just tend to show stronger action on a specific body. The center of gravity of their medicinal attributes usually functions more effectively on a particular body.

Doctrine of Signatures It is easy to see that a live plant, growing in the field, or perhaps in your garden, contains all of its attributes; physical, emotional, mental and their own connection to the universal hologram. In fact, we could say, like us, their physical representation is at least partly a projection of these attributes, of their particular holographic reality. The appearance of the plant often reflects their energetics. Many ancient healers called this the ‘doctrine of signatures’. For example, a heart shaped leaf was considered good for the heart. Sometimes only this part was used and sometimes the whole plant was used. If you use a plant whole and in a live form, you are accessing all of the attributes. For this reason, some herbalists like to make live plant extracts, as they feel this captures the full essence of the botanical. Physical body The next stage is to dry the herb, or herb part, and use it. This can then be used as a capsule, tablet or further processed into a tea, tincture or fluid extract. Here, we also get attributes of the whole plant (physical and subtle body energetics), but we are concentrating more on the physical qualities. This is the most common way to use herbs in North America. It is a very simple, broad-spectrum function of the botanical. It also comes in an easy to use dosage form. Crude herbs are particularly good if a person wants to use specific chemicals or ‘active ingredients’ of a botanical. If you want to use the ‘ginkgosides’ function of Ginkgo, or the vitamin C of an orange, this is the best way. If you are needing x amount of a particular chemical, the botanical is a good delivery system for the chemical. The good news is that botanicals are much more than just a delivery system. Instead of getting only the chemical delivered (like a pharmaceutical), you get the vital energy (Qi), and the personality of the herb also. Instead of getting a pizza from a vending machine, you have a good friend deliver the pizza who stays and joins in on the party for some mutually enjoyable conversation and socializing.



When you are looking for specific chemicals from the physical body of a botanical, you take it in its physical form. In some cases, if you are real sure that you need a specific chemical or a group of known chemicals from a botanical, a standardized or guaranteed potency herbal product is best to use. If you want to use ginkgo for memory, you want to have it standardized to 24% ginkgosides and 7% terpene lactones. These are the chemicals that have the effect on the capillary beds in the brain and aid in the function of neurotransmitter improvement. These are the standardized products that have been tested and have the clinical studies to go along with them for a specific group of ‘active ingredients’. It takes somewhere between 50 - 75 pounds of ginkgo leaves to make one pound of standardized product. This is a clear case of using a plant as a chemical delivery system, or as a natural pharmaceutical. But buyer beware. This standardized system is attractive to the medical community and people who want to know that an herbal product has the best potency. In many cases it is the best, but manufacturers have exploited this concept, trying to convince the public that if it is not standardized, it does not measure up to a high standard. Good examples of this are St. John’s wort or the black cohosh. To say the St. John’s wort has to be standardized to 0.3% hypericin, gives the public a feeling of quality control. There are two problems with this. Most of the public uses St. John’s wort for depression and have the impression that the hypericin is the active ingredient to fix their depression. Kind of like a natural Prozac. It was proven many years back that hypericin is not the ingredient that works to alleviate depression. In fact, after millions of dollars worth of research and many years of study, we finally know what the active ingredient of St. John’s wort is . . . it is St. John’s wort. The next problem with the standardization to 0.3% hypericin is that St. John’s wort produces the hypericin in response to the amount of sunlight it receives. In a very sunny, northern climate like my herb farm, St. John’s wort can produce between 0.5 and 1.0 % hypericin. Does that mean if I wanted to sell my herbs as a standardized extract, I would have to dilute it with an inert substance by up to two-thirds? Because it is listed as a standardized extract, the public generally thinks it is more concentrated, as the ginkgo example truly is. This is a false assumption for



many botanicals, like the black cohosh, as it often grows with more ‘phytosterols’ in it than found in the standardized form. Despite these concerns, standardization is beneficial when you know you want a specific amount of an actual chemical for a physical issue. Etheric Body There is a tradition in herbal medicine that goes way back in history to the ancients, but was also much used by the American Eclectic, John M Scudder M.D., in the latter part of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century. Contemporary herbalists like Matthew Wood use this tradition. It is called a simple. Simples are often used in 1 - 3 drop doses. In this case, after a person receives a specific diagnosis, a specific remedy is given at the drop level. You can learn more about this in The Book of Herbal Wisdom4 by Matthew Wood or Specific Medication and Specific Medicines (1870) by J.M. Scudder. Here the energetics of the herb is just as important, if not more important, than the physical attributes. I consider this drop level to be working more on the level of the etheric body. The single herb-single drop remedies can have strong and profound movement on a health issue. It is tempting to think “more is stronger” or ‘bigger is better’, but if you get the right botanical with the right energetic for the problem, the single drop remedies are much more profound with better healing action. It works on a mechanism of entrainment. The Astral or Emotional Body The next of our bodies is the astral body. You can affect the emotional body quite well by using a whole crude herb, but if you feel the problem is primarily emotional in nature, you are better off to use a flower essence, such as: Wild Rose Flower Essences, Bach Flower Remedies, FES, California Essence or the likes. This form of botanical works specifically on emotions. You choose them for the emotional situation of the patient, not the physical attribute. This is not to say that these remedies don’t help the physical problem, au contraire. Let’s say you have a patient who is immobilized physically due to tight stiff muscles. They also show signs of working too hard. This could represent the flower essence Dandelion. By taking Dandelion FE the person will reduce their grip on being a workaholic and learn to relax more. In the process, their muscles will also relax. These flower essence botanicals are much more subtle than the crude herb or the single drop



dosage form of the herb. Mental Body If you feel that the issue is a combination of emotional and mental, then we would use homeopathic remedies. Even though the repertorization of a homeopathic is done for physical, emotional and mental attributes, the energy of the homeopathic remedy treats the more subtle vibrations of our higher frequency bodies, which in turn makes changes in the physical body. Some of our problems are miasms or blocks (we will explain these shortly) that have come from ancestral issues and or issues from our own personality type or particular life experiences. The vibrational frequency, or subtle body they work on, depends on the potency of the remedy. We will find out more about potency when we see how it is made. One of the great homeopathics is sulfur. It is recommended for a person who has skin problems, which are made worse with heat. These types dislike water, and are usually dirty, having red lips and offensive smelling breath and body discharges. They are often forgetful, delusional that rags are riches, and busy all the time. Often they are considered the absent-minded professor. We see childish peevishness in adult sulfur types. Often they have insomnia, worse after 3, 4, or 5 a.m., but can be refreshed by short catnaps. Often they have gas and look bloated. The symptom list for sulfur, or any homeopathic, can go on and on like this and become quite extensive, but these are the highlighted items for sulfur. If several of the symptoms match up, this would be the right remedy. All of the symptoms do not have to show up. The more symptoms that do match up, the more specific the remedy and therefore the higher potency which is often given.



To recap, though each form has a specific center of gravity for one of the body(s), all remedies work on all bodies to a degree:

How do these more subtle forms of medicine such as homeopathy work? There have been many studies done that should convince even the most skeptical. There are many theories, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. It has worked on tens of million of people, for over 100 years, therefore it should work today and tomorrow, no matter how skeptical a person is. Homeopathics work well on animals too, thus addressing the placebo effect. The theory I like the most is based on the concept of water memory. This concept also applies to flower essences. The simple analogy is the old fashioned sun print. If you take a plant and put it on photosensitive paper and leave it in the sun, then cover it and develop it, you get the imprint of the plant on the photographic paper. In this case, we get the imprint of the plant on water. In the now famous paper by Davenas, Benveniste, Poitevin, et al, published in Nature, June 19885, they present the theory that homeopathic substances imprint their vibrational frequency on water. This imprint is most likely held in the angle of the hydrogen to the oxygen molecule. Instead of the angle being the typical 104o, slight variation in that angle (see diagram) acts like a tuning fork to resonate the frequency of the homeopathic substance. One of the more significant things here, again, is that the more the dilution, the strong the frequency signal, or more potent the medicinal substance.

1. Live or fresh plant extract - all bodies, with equally distributed concentration. 2. Crude herb - all bodies, but stronger concentration on the physical body. 3. Standardized extract - specific physical biochemical processes. 4. Single drop specifics - etheric body. 5. Flower essence - astral or emotional body. 6. Homeopathic - mostly mental but also astral, etheric and physical depending on potency



Since the human body has more water in it than any other substance, you can see why the electromagnetic frequency in both flower essences and homeopathics can trigger a ‘reaction’ in the body. This becomes even more profound when you look at the liquid crystal function of much of the connective tissue in our body. These living liquid crystals can take up the vibrational frequency and hold them, similar to the way a tape recorder magnetizes a sound vibration or a hard drive on a computer holds programs and your word processing files. Again, the higher the dilution, the stronger the potency of the homeopathic. The lower potencies, 6x - 12x, deal more with current issues that are happening in the physical body. Let’s say you injured yourself by accidentally slamming you hand in a car door (ouch!). Homeopathic Arnica 6x - 12x would be very effective for taking away the pain, reducing the bruising and swelling and speeding up the healing process. If the accident was months back, Arnica 30x would be more effective to rid the body of trauma associated with the accident. For an incident of trauma that occurred years back, arnica 100x or 10C would be more effective. The higher the potency, the further back it will go in fixing the incident and/or the higher in the vibrational spectrum it will go. If we want to treat emotional issues, we would not use 12x, we would use at least 30x if not higher; likely 100x (or Flower Essences). If the situation is more associated with the mental body, 1M (M=1000x) or higher would be suitable. The more potent the homeopathic is, the more subtle the energy it can work on. There is an important concept in homeopathy that applies to many principles we will use later and that is the concept of “miasm”. Often Hahnemann found that even though he felt he had the right remedy, and the patient responded well for awhile, relapse would occur. After looking at a group of these people together, he noticed they all had similar features. He suspected that these features had caused blocks to the action of the remedy. He called these blocks ‘miasms’ and created a comprehensive theory around them. The important thing to do was to get rid of the miasm before going onto other remedies. Hahnemann defined three miasms: Psora which was associated with skin disease; Sycosis associated with suppressed gonorrhea; and Syphilis associated with suppressed syphilis. Many homeopaths have developed others, including cancer, as a



combination of several miasms. When a homeopath encounters a miasmatic block in a patient, it has to be cleared before going on. One interesting aspect about miasms is that the block didn’t have to necessarily happen in your lifetime to affect you. Your great grandfather might have had gonorrhea and suppressed it, and it may still affect you. The concept of miasm has been adopted by other disciplines also. For example, some psychologists suggest that early childhood trauma or post traumatic stress syndrome is a type of miasmatic block that has to be cleared before other healing work can be done. So, when you are choosing a remedy (as a practitioner), your first job is to find out where the center of gravity of the health issue is located. Is it more physical, etheric, emotional or mental? Often we find that the disorder has a center of gravity in more than one place, or we can’t quite discern which area to focus on, so we give a combination of remedies. We might give a person something for a structural issue and their immune system in crude herb form; a flower essence, to deal with emotional issues and even a homeopathic, all at the same time.

Herbs as Teachers

Over the years as a practicing herbalist, I have learned to respect many of the botanicals I use more as teachers than mere medicinal tools. To show you an example of how one herb can work on various bodies, if prepared in different ways, we will look at a few examples



St. Johns’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) – the tranquil one

How does St. John’s wort, the much publicized herb for depression, really work? This question has been debated among academics and researchers in both Europe and North America for the last several years. When I first started using St. John’s wort heavily in my clinic, it was in the mid to late 80's. Back then it was rarely used for depression, because it was principally known as an antiviral. This was just after HIV was discovered as the cause of AIDS, and the natural medicine community was looking for a strong, natural antiviral. St. John’s wort seemed to be one of the solutions, as not only did it function to destroy viruses, it was particularly effective for retroviruses. One of the chemicals in St. John’s wort, hypericin, was shown to act as the antiviral agent. However, the first major problem was the quantity required for therapeutic results. Clients took between 10 and 30 capsules a day to get the levels of hypericin needed. It seemed to control viruses for several of my AIDS patients. It was also beneficial for the growing new health issue, chronic Epstein-Barr virus, later renamed chronic fatigue syndrome (and subsequently determined not to be a virus, after all). The second problem was, of course, the expense and inconvenience of taking such large quantities of capsules. The third problem was more mysterious. Several of my patients, who went through the hassle and expense of swallowing these large quantities, found that they became ‘allergic’ to commercial refrigeration units. As bizarre as that may sound, these individuals complained that refrigerators caused a full body sensation right down to their finger tips and toes, “like a dentist drilling into an unfrozen, sore tooth.” This pain was acute and occurred only when they were within about 10 feet or so of a commercial refrigeration unit; the kind found in a supermarket. Shopping was extremely unsettling for these people. Later, I learned that this was a known side effect of hypericin. This side effect captured my interest, because I suspected that there was some kind of electromagnetic interference



going on between the St. John’s wort and the electrical system of the refrigerator, in the etheric body. This gave me the impression that this herb worked more on the subtle bodies than the physical body. Not long after these strange events, herbal practitioners began to notice that St. John’s wort seemed to alleviate depression for many of these people with dramatic health issues. Of course, extensive research in Germany eventually confirmed the antidepressant quality of St. John’s wort and stimulated the large push for its use in that area. Was the full body tooth pain almost a homeopathic ‘proving’ that was happening in these sensitive patients? Bingo! This remedy is used by the homeopaths, in its diluted form, as the great remedy for injuries to nerves, especially in fingers, toes and ‘nails’. Excessive painfulness is a guiding symptom for its use. It relieves pain even better than morphine. Its homeopathic mind attributes are anxiety, such as falling from heights, shock and melancholy. It is specific for puncture wounds, especially for pain after operations, when a person is cut by the scalpel. It is also used specifically for pain in the lower back, or the coccyx, after a fall on your tail bone or after child birth. So, St. John’s wort was revealing more of its personality to me.

Folklore The history behind the name St. John’s wort is wonderful in itself. The reason this European native herb is called St. John’s wort is because it first flowers on St. John’s Day, right before the summer solstice. Fortunately, it continues to flower all summer long, so we don’t have to be in a hurry to harvest it. The flowering at such an auspicious time was not lost on the medieval Catholic peasants. When viewed from the top (not the side) the small stems create a perfect cross. This symbolism became attached to the plant and the peasant folk came to believe the plant offered protection for everything from lightning to witchcraft. The scientific name, Hypericum perforatum, is also highly symbolic. The genus name comes from the Greek word hypericon, meaning to place “above the icon.” This attribute was popularized in the Middle Ages, when the herb was considered to protect people against demons, witchcraft and lightning.



If you hold the leaf up to the sunlight, you can see little perforations in it – hence the species name perforatum. This phenomena suggested its use for pin and needle perforations of the skin in the form of wounds. In turn, this fueled more belief that the plant could protect a person from occult voodoo practices (psychic attacks caused by poking pins into effigy dolls). Paracelsus (Phillippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim) considered it almost a universal medicine, again to rid one of the psychic energies of possession, ghosts and spooks. This applied to many forms of insanity and other health issues like epilepsy, schizophrenia, hallucinations and paralysis. The famous German naturopath, Father Sebastian Kneipp, who created several water cures, said that this plant was the “perfume of God” and the “flower of the fairies.” This is quite curious when you consider how revered the plant was to many American Indian tribes. Foreign to North America, the Europeans brought it over as a medicine, and by the 1800's it had completely naturalized to the local habitat. The question is how did the Indian tribes learn of its medicinal value? Matthew Wood relates many great stories and insights about this herb in his excellent publication, The Book of Herbal Wisdom6. He asked one of his teachers, an Indian elder, how the Native people knew so much about the use of this foreign plant? The story goes that the elder explained the European ‘little people’ told the North American ‘little people’ and they told their healers. Interestingly enough, this group of Indians used it to prevent witchcraft, saying that a witch can not stand up when St. John’s wort is present. Wood then goes on to illustrate this with some interesting case stories. He also relates how St. John’s wort helps a person get into and out of dream states. In Europe, St. John’s wort was considered beneficial during children’s developmental stages of growth and for aging; for bed-wetting in young children; menstrual problems (cramping, irregularities and pain) and menopause. It is thought to be very useful for people with a sensitivity to weather changes (at the one drop dosage level). I have used it extensively during winter months for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) with great success (at full dose).



Wood claims that St. John’s wort is a great remedy for the solar plexus, the center which is often associated with self esteem issues. It also improves the gut level instinct and thus, will help people deal with unconscious sensitivities. Hypericin All of this still does not answer our initial question; how does St. John’s wort work? There are several European companies that are trying to tell us that, to get results for depression, we have to use St. John’s wort with a specific amount (0.3%) of hypericin present. It was proven back in 1996 that the hypericin was not the active ingredient for the anti-depressant function of St. John’s wort. Even with the hypericin removed, it still worked as an anti-depressant. There is no doubt it alleviates mood disorders, as we use it for literally thousands of patients who come through the clinic every year. It is even more effective than most pharmaceutical anti-depressants. In Germany, St. John’s wort is prescribed five times more often than pharmaceuticals for depression. This still doesn’t tell us how it works. One thing we do know is that it blossoms and matures when the sun is at its height in June each summer. In fact, levels of several of the active constituents are directly determined by the amount of available sunlight. In cloudy years, the chemical levels are low; in sunny years, the quantities are higher. St. John’s wort appears to concentrate sunlight in itself. In fact, one of the risks with this herb is that if white-faced cows or sheep eat large quantities, they develop sun sensitivity and grow huge skin ulcers. This observation lead to the erroneous idea that people should not go out in the sun when using the herb therapeutically. In an Internet poll I was involved in, only three documented cases of this side effect were reported. The poll consisted of feedback from more than 100 million combined doses per year from both practitioners and manufacturers. So, there is a 0.003% chance that this might happen, far below the level of any real risk. But this function of St. John’s wort gives us a clue as to how it works. Isn’t depression like a dark cloud overshadowing a person’s life? St. John’s wort appears to bring a ray of sunshine into ‘cloudy’ situations. I think of it as an herbal solar battery, so that is why I continue to give



it to SAD people. Studies on St. John’s Wort From a more clinical point of view, we know that the alkaloid has a tonic effect on the ventricles of the heart, the aorta and arterioles. It is also useful for pulmonary complaints, bladder trouble, suppression of urine, dysentery, worms and nervous depression. Even small amounts have been found effective for increasing blood flow to stressed tissue, especially punctures. This blood flow has also shown to be hypotensive, reduce capillary fragility and to enhance uterine tone. St John's Wort has antibacterial and antiviral activity against a range of organisms including tuberculosis, Gram positive organisms, Micrococcus, Bacillus, and influenza A/PR8. Tests at the U.S. National Cancer Institute have found an extract of St. John’s Wort shows promise against cancer. Subtle Effects From a flower essence point of view, St. John’s wort illuminates consciousness, and gives light-filled awareness and strength. It is used for people who are experiencing overly expanded states which may lead to psychic and physical vulnerability; for deep fear and disturbed dreams. I find it useful, in general, for people who are emotionally over-sensitive or overly receptive. It is recommended for people who have an overly active psychic life - the astral body expands greatly during sleep. This expansiveness in the astral body can be associated with attacks from elemental or other entities, especially during sleep. Again, we find this theme of protection from psychic attack has stayed with the plant throughout the ages. Dosage Physical Capsule 300 mg, 3 times daily Infusion 1 - 2 tablespoons Fluid extract (1:1) 20 - 30 drops; 3 times daily Etheric Fresh Fluid Extract 1 - 3 drops; 1 - 3 times daily



Astral (emotional) Flower essence 5 drops; 3 times daily or as needed Mental Homeopathic 6 - 30x; 3 times daily or as needed

Red Root (Ceanothus americanus) – the Enlivening Muse

The root is the medicinal part of this herb. If you look at the root, you will see it is covered by tiny nodules which suggest that it might be helpful for the lymphatic system. A cross-section of the root is red, suggesting it works on blood. These are the two main things that we use red root for. Allopathic doctors used it to stop hemorrhaging during operations in the mid-1800's, but its major use, by allopaths, herbalists and homeopaths alike, was for glands, the lymphatic system and specifically as a spleen remedy. The old herbals, from the turn of the century in America, describe many uses for this plant: a remedy for swollen glands, lymphatic stagnation, edema, pelvic congestion, enlargement and inflammation of the spleen, violent shortness of breath (caused by a swollen spleen), chronic bronchitis with profuse mucus, and pain in the liver or back. Less popular uses included loss of appetite, excess weight loss, general weakness, pain and weakness in the umbilical region, anemia, pallor, diarrhea, bearing down pain in the abdomen and rectum, constant urging to urinate, and profuse menstruation. There are also accounts of its use for swollen sore throat, swollen prostrate and breast problems. Red root was listed as most effective for symptoms which are worse in damp, cold weather. Even though this is an extensive list, stagnation of the spleen (lymphatic system) is the key here. A toxic lymphatic system or in traditional Chinese medicine terms,



stagnation of the spleen. Michael Moore, often considered the godfather of American herbalism, describes in his book Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West7, an interesting experiment. He mixed some of his own blood with the juice of this plant and observed it under a dark field microscope. He showed that a small electrical charge occurred that separated the red blood cells, blood protein. He then theorized from this data that the red root forced the red blood cells and proteins into the center of the capillaries, thus leaving the walls free for the interstitial fluid (lymphatic) to penetrate the walls. He interpreted this action to mean that red root will help the blood deliver both lymph and nutrients to the tissue more effectively. This is what Moore feels is behind the traditional concept of reducing lymphatic stagnation. Energetics Similarly, Matthew Wood describes red root in association with the spleen and the emotion melancholia. This he expands to include excessive thoughts, brooding, and introspection. We find this line of interpretation through the literature in the writings of several homeopaths and herbalists. Clearly, today we would term this condition simply as depression. Melancholy is also associated with lack of direction, purpose, creativity, or being in an artistic funk. Mimi Kamp, a herbalist from the southwestern United States, recommends that red root be used by people who show the inability to think themselves out of a problem. As Wood points out, the psychological faculty most closely associated with the spleen is imagination. Both the Chinese and the ancient Greeks stated that the spleen was associated with the earth and a strong sense of being grounded. As we have found over and over again in the clinic, emotionally sensitive individuals who maintain excessively busy lives, without allowing time for relaxation and reflection, risk severing all connection with the imaginative and creative aspects of life. Eventually, this takes its toll on health. Dosage: One has to be cautious with this herb as some people do experience toxic reactions with as little as 10 drops.



Tincture 1 - 3 drops; 1 - 4 times daily

End Notes 1 Gerber, Richard, Vibrational Medicine The #1 Handbook of Subtle-Energy Therapies (3rd ed.), Bear and Company, 2001. 2 Tiller, William A., Science and Human Transformation: Subtle Energies, Intentionality and Consciousness, Pavior, 1997. 3 Oschman, James L, Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis, Churchill Livingstone, 2000. 4 Wood, Matthew, The Book of Herbal Wisdom: Using Plants as Medicines, North Atlantic Books, 1997. 5 Davenas E, Beauvais F, Amara J, et al. (June 1988). "Human basophil degranulation triggered by very dilute antiserum against IgE". Nature 333 (6176): 816–8 6 Wood, Matthew, ibid. 7 Moore, Michael, Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West: A Guide to Identifying, Preparing, and Using Traditional Medicinal Plants Found in the Deserts and Canyons, Museum of New Mexico Press, 1990.



Notes

Lesson 2 Vibrational Aspects of the Materia Medica · 2020-01-16 · Vibrational Aspects of the...

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