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A bridge between the ancient understanding of nature and the medicine of tomorrow.? -Paracelsus
By Richard Davies and Tony Hanania, M.Phil (Warburg Institute,
London
University)
The latest supercharged weapon in the body?s self-healing and anti-ageing arsenal, the ancient art of Spagyrism is now producing some of the most radical, cutting-edge answers to the challenges posed to our bodies by the toxins and stresses of the modern environment.
While the benefits of Spagyric therapies are now being felt in the fields of immunology, detoxification and oncology, the art has its origins in the pioneering pharmacological studies of the 16th century Swiss-German physician Paracelsus, whose work can be seen from a historical perspective to represent the first rigorous western version of those holistic approaches found in the Indian Ayurveda and Sinthar traditions and in ancient Chinese medicine.
It was Paracelsus who first taught that wounds would heal themselves if they were allowed to drain and were isolated from infection. Up to this time, the practice had been to pour boiling oil onto wounds to cauterize them, or to let them become gangrenous, then amputate. Significantly, Paracelsus was also the first practitioner to understand the dangers of environmental toxins to the body?s proper functioning - this novel approach being evidenced in his pioneering detoxification remedies for miners and metal-workers exposed to chemical hazards. At the core of Paracelsus?s work was the belief that the patient needed to be treated as a single, unified being, simultaneously chemical and spiritual in composition, and only by respecting the delicate internal mineral balances of the 'body-basic' would a lasting spiritual and physical wellbeing ensue.
It was the view of Paracelsus that there were five principal factors which he called "entien" that caused diseases to develop, these corresponding broadly to the following modern categories:
- Physical, climatic, geographical influences
- Toxic influences
- Constitution and disposition (genetics)
- Psychosomatic causes
From Paracelsus's perspective all these factors represented a threat to the capacity of the body to heal itself, a capacity which in turn depended on a free flow within the body of the "primordial vital energy", a concept not dissimilar in type to "Chi" in Chinese medicine, "Ki" in the Japanese tradition and the Indian concept of "Prana".
The use of Spagyric processes and medications is also becoming increasingly relevant to therapeutic practice following the growing understanding across the wider medical community that illnesses are themselves shaped by changing environmental factors. Although many younger people have changed their diets and consume less animal protein than the previous generation, they still suffer from iatrogenic (physician or therapy-caused) illnesses induced by treatment with antibiotics, beta blockers, pain killers, blood pressure medications and other drugs with a wide variety of side effects. For example, cortisone may reduce inflammation effectively in neurodermatitis and other allergy-related skin conditions, but the drug also inhibits the body's correct regulation and excretion patterns. This in turn creates artificial blockages that force the body to deposit toxins in the cells, rendering the patient potentially prone to more serious illnesses. In reality, a skin disease such as neurodermatitis can most accurately be seen as an expression of the body's attempt to excrete poisons and heal itself. Since the primary excretory organs are too burdened to function properly, the body is forced to employ the skin - often referred to as the third kidney. In short, in recent years over-use of synthetic drugs has been one of the primary causes of iatrogenic illnesses and their impairment of the body's capacity to heal itself and correct those organ insufficiencies responsible for acute and chronic symptoms.
Research by leading experts in toxicology, such as Hans Heinrich Reckeweg M.D, the father of Homotoxiclogy, has shown that if the body is hindered in its attempts to react and excrete toxins, the cells become impregnated with these poisons. This intoxification phase in turn leads to cellular blockages and tissue degeneration. As part of this domino effect, other body systems are also affected by the blockages, finally resulting in serious neoplasm phases that include life-threatening illnesses such as the various forms of cancer.
At the heart of this therapy lies a respect for the processes by which medications are prepared and the purity and efficacy of the ingredients used. Genuine Spagyric medicaments are energy accumulators which contain an indication-specific healing power, so that in comparison to treatment with chemically defined medicaments, a physiological process, for example, is not simulated, but rather regenerated with Spagyric medicine. The various production steps involved- fermentation, distillation, purification, calcination and reunification - are far more time-consuming and elaborate than methods used to produce conventional medicines.
In the earlier alchemical circles influenced by Paracelsus these ingredients were made in harmony with specific cosmic cycles and in strict observance of the positioning of the sun, moon and planets. Clear mountain spring water was collected in pipes formed from the trunks of chestnut trees, spiralling down into seven rings, each containing a different metal that had a relationship to one of the seven planets. The energized water then flowed out through wooden channels leading to fields and gardens containing a wide variety of medicinal plants. Minerals and metals were prepared in a similarly elaborate manner until they were unified with the plant elements and finally transformed into a Spagyric Commixtion.
 In present-day practice a strong biorhythmical dimension and respect for natural processes is still at the core of Spagyric ingredient production, but the emphasis has increasingly shifted from the purely philosophical to the therapeutic efficacy of the commixtions and tinctures themselves. Unlike many manufacturers of Spagyric preparations we prefer not to use heat in the process of reflux and distillation but rather vacuum so as to ensure that biocatalysts, enzymes, vitamins and other vital substances remain active.
Using only the specific parts of either fresh or dried herbs as prescribed in the "Doctrine of Signatures", the modern day Spagyrist still follows the time honoured principals of "Solve et coagula, et habebis magisterium" (dissolve and reunite, then you have the magic) when applying their Art. Understandably, as in any art, the interpretation of historic Alchemical texts by individual Spagyrists has brought about refinements in manufacturing techniques that reflect their own unique philosophies within the Grand Design. However, one constant always at the heart of Spagyrisim remains the use of the 'Three Philosophical Principles' termed
Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt.
Sulphur and Mercury here do not refer to the elements, sulphur and mercury, nor Salt to the common substance, salt. These substances are used as outward symbols, whereby
Sulphur stands for Soul " astral (this would be the essential oil of a plant), Mercury for life/spirit " ether (this would be the ferment of a plant), and Salt for body " matter (this would be the alkali salts of a plant). In a Spagyric medicament, this trio in turn holds and contains within it the three primary levels of: Information (Sulphur), Power (Mercury) and Substance (Salt), so that the alchemical term Salt denotes the material basis of a Spagyric preparation, Mercury in this context stands for the healing power and Sulphur for its indication-specific orientation.
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Sulphur = indication specific design of healing power, plan.
- Mercury = healing power.
- Vigour Salt = material base, body.
All three principles and levels are united through the unique Spagyrist process to form a single, indivisible whole far greater than its parts. In addition to the material basis, which is what makes it possible to handle the remedy in the first place, the specific (healing) power has now been generated, and the original universal elemental force modified in accordance with the primary substance. After advanced processing techniques have removed all impurities from our principal trio, they are then ready to be reunited into their final form. At this stage a dramatic colour change takes place and the specific aroma distinctive to the plant flows from the fluid as the memory of the cells diffuses the essence of the tincture throughout the remedy; this is truly a magical, transformative moment that should be witnessed at least once in a lifetime by all living souls.
Genuine Spagyric medicaments can thus be properly understood as total energy accumulators which contain an indication-specifically modified healing power. They are related to the chemically-defined medicaments by their material basis, and to the homeopathic remedies by the intensive impregnation
with information concerning the primary substance from which they are derived. But they only become genuine Spagyric remedies by means of the Spagyrist's (operator's) individual Art. It is the intent and competency of the Spagyrist that will always leave the most lasting mark on a remedy's specific healing powers. As there are no Houses, Degrees or Diplomas given in Spagyrisim, the efficacy of the remedies themselves remain the only significant measure of competency.
Spagyrism may be an ancient healing art in origin, but for those who take their health and medication seriously its practices can be seen as offering a new benchmark in quality, purity and potency. The Art?s diverse, real-world benefits for the patient confirm its place as one of the most exciting and productive new disciplines in the world of natural medicine.
'Ora et Labora'
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