Month: January 2015

1. Following in Hahnemann’s Footsteps

I have always been a great admirer of Samuel Hahnemann’s work. In fact, if he were alive today, I have the feeling we would have been great friends. Sometimes when I read his writing I feel like it’s something that I could’ve written (especially the long rants about allopaths).

Here is a bit of interesting trivia: Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) published approximately 100 homeopathic provings. Friends, family and colleagues participated in the provings, and Hahnemann himself also participated as a prover in many of his provings.

Hahnemann’s provings were the backbone of early homeopathy; many of his remedies are still considered “homeopathic polycrests,” indispensable remedies to the modern homeopath and every naturally-minded household.

Without homeopathic provings, we would have no materia medica, and homeopathy would not exist.

By doing homeopathic provings, we can follow in Hahnemann’s footsteps and carry on his legacy. Without expanding our materia medica, homeopathy becomes a dead craft.

2. They’re Fun

Don’t underestimate this reason because it’s very important motivator. Say it with me: “Homeopathic provings are fun.” By now I may have lost some, if not all, of you. Most people in the homeopathic community think that provings are a pain in the you-know-what. Many homeopaths believe that a proving is like a trial or a punishment that one must suffer or slave through.

Often, when I tell a colleague or friend that I’m starting, in the middle of, or finishing off a homeopathic proving, I get that “are you crazy?!” look. I tell them about all the symptoms that I’m experiencing from proving the remedy, and they are absolutely horrified.

Needless to say, I don’t get a lot of volunteers for my provings, but boy are all these naysayers losing out. Homeopathic provings have enriched my life in a way that nothing else has. Provings have given me a deep understanding of many aspects of nature, because we “become” the remedy when we do a proving. Because I love nature, this is exciting for me to get to know it so intimately.

Provings also have a way of changing the course of your life, because when you “become the remedy” while you prove it, your energetic frequency changes temporarily. Thus, you energetically start attracting different experiences that you would never normally have experienced. It’s almost like you’re living other people’s lives for a little while. It’s like taking a little holiday from yourself. And we all know that holidays are fun, so therefore, provings are fun.

3. Gaining Wisdom and Getting to Know Yourself Better

You could see this as an aspect of fun as well, if you consider working on yourself as a person to be fun.

The process of proving a remedy not only gives you valuable insight into aspects of nature, it also provides a deeper understanding of yourself and your life path. This is partially because, when proving a remedy, we have to analyze our symptoms very closely, so we get better at observing ourselves. The other reason is because when we prove remedies we gain wisdom directly from the substance that we are proving. Some of the proving substances that I have dealt with are very old and wise, and have taught me a lot. I continue to learn more from each remedy that I prove.

4. Watching Your Spouse or Roommate Squirm

This is also an offshoot of the “fun” category.

Usually, when we prove remedies, the energy from the remedy can affect others in close proximity to us. More often than not, a spouse or a roommate will also feel the effects of a remedy proving. And because they did not sign up for it, it can be a little amusing to see them get affected by the remedy and either a) be in denial about it, or b) be utterly confused about why they are getting a strange burning sensation in their nose, why their voice is suddenly hoarse for no apparent reason or why they have an odd sensation of poking in the back of their neck.

Hilarious! Another added bonus is that these guinea pigs…err..I mean, friends or family, can give us the purest symptoms because of their complete lack of awareness that they are proving the remedy.

5. A Greater Understanding of Remedies

What better way to understand remedies, and what remedy a person needs, then by proving that remedy. Once one has experienced a remedy state, it becomes easier to prescribe that remedy to a client. Thus, our prescribing becomes more accurate.

6. Modern Times Call for Modern Remedies

Again, I have come upon a bit of a controversial topic. I hope George Vithoulkas doesn’t strike me down with a thunderbolt for writing this!

Remedies come into and out of fashion depending upon the society and time we live in. Many homeopaths have remarked that sulphur does not work as well today as it used to in the past (e.g. in Hahnemann’s day). I believe the reason for this is because diseases are much more complex than they were 200 years ago. Modern day people use a lot more allopathic drugs (including vaccines), are exposed to a lot more pollution, and experience a lot more stress than their ancestors. Our technology has created some very complex disease states, which often can only be matched by using new homeopathic remedies.

7. The Possibility of Finding Our Simillimum

People who are involved in creating new remedies may accidentally find their simillimum. This point especially applies to homeopaths who are choosing the proving substance. The remedy that you are drawn to is often the very remedy that you need.

8. Local Remedies Work Best

Again, a debatable point, but it makes sense that people would often resonate with remedies from their local environment. When we make new, local remedies, those remedies will have a greater possibility of resonating with clients vs. remedies from halfway across the world.

9. Being an Active Participant in Healing

The usual routine is to sit there, take the client’s case, then prescribe a remedy which we obtain from a homeopathic pharmacy. Provings take healing to a new level because they inspire direct engagement with the substance instead of just reading about the remedy in a textbook. Trituration provings are even more active than regular provings because one is actually involved with making the remedy, instead of ordering it from the pharmacy.

Sounds Awesome, Doesn’t It?!

If I have piqued your interest in the very least, I would love to hear from you. Please do feel free to Contact Me with any questions or concerns regarding provings.