Peter’s Story
Section Three - Episode Two
Health and Healing.... continued
Continuing on with the story of how Peter discovered natural therapies.....
flower essences.... homeopathy..... etc.
I can still remember clearly the shiver that went through my body as I first glanced through this book. Here was something very special..... This was it..... This was my thing..... Flower essences!
I had heard of the Bach Flowers, but had never been drawn to actually use them, apart from Rescue Remedy. But the New Zealand flower essences, wow! A home-grown version of a very gentle, safe therapy, using the energy of flowers!
Within a few days of my move to Wellington, in June 1992, I saw a notice of a flower essence workshop with Mary Garbely, the author of the book, to be held in Wellington (Mary lived in Auckland, and only rarely visited Wellington, and this workshop was being held shortly after my move to Wellington).
I attended the workshop with Mary, on 4 and 5 July, 1992, and it was magic. Mary was wonderful. She shared all her knowledge about making and using flower essences, all her wealth of experience; but she also shared something more intangible, her whole paradigm of health and well-being, and her spiritual journey. I was inspired.
This was the period of my life where I was at a low point. I was in the middle of the crazy times of the drama of the “at-a-distance” Cynthia relationship, and I needed all the help I could get! I asked Mary to treat me with flower essences, and she sent me a bottle through the mail each time I needed it. And it really did help, I could feel the difference.
Around this time, I became interested in homeopathy. I attended a series of evening classes on basic homeopathy in Wellington, learning the basic theory and use of homeopathy, and I began to read books on the subject. I bought the kit of homeopathic remedies recommended on the course, and began to use them in a very basic way.
During my browsing in the Wellington Public Library, I discovered a book by an English doctor, “The Pattern of Health”, by Dr Aubrey Weslake. This book was a revelation to me. Dr Weslake detailed his own personal journey of becoming dissatisfied with the drug-based medical establishment, and his life-long search for alternatives. There are chapters on the Bach Flowers, Radionics, and the Hawaiian Kahunas, with the story eventually evolving into a fascinating story of a research project by a small group of slightly eccentric people to discover something “different” and original.
Over a period of several years, this group did research via “yes/no” questions, dousing with a pendulum, and derived the design for several “healing devices”, or, as they called them, healing “patterns” (hence the title of the book). Using the design details from these “patterns”, they constructed devices made form cardboard or plywood for sending healing energy at a distance (a little like a radionics machine, but these were passive energy devices). The patient would be diagnosed with a pendulum as to what treatment was needed, using Bach Flowers, homeopathic remedies, and minerals. A sample from the patient (blood, saliva, or hair) was placed on the device, and samples of the energy medicines (Bach Flowers, homeopathy, and minerals), that the patient needed were placed on the device for a timed period, for the healing energy to be “transmitted” to the person.
Later on, over the Christmas New-Year holiday of 1994-95, I was to follow up on this “pattern of health” idea by deriving the design of one of these healing devices myself. Using my pendulum, and working co-operatively with the intelligence of Nature, I defined the design of a similar device, to be made of cardboard. This version of the device was for sending the energy of the Perelandra flower essences at a distance.
For details of “Perelandra”, see the
Perelandra Chapter of the
New Millennium Flower Essences Manual. I never did build the actual device, but I still have the complete design, and I am sure that if I needed to, I could design any similar device for sending healing energy at a distance.
2002 Update: A “device” like this is no longer needed. I can now just “send” any type of healing energy over any distance, just with the power of intent. Also, the “Energy Alchemy” healing devices, made in 1999, as described below, have superceded the version designed in 1994-95.
Around this time, (1992-94), I became fascinated with the Hawaiian Kahunas, and managed to find a number of books on this subject. I began to work with my own “three-mind system” in the Kahuna way (the three parts of the mind being the high, the conscious mind, and the low-self or subconscious mind). One of the books detailed a method of using a pendulum for this work, and I began to do this. Using this method, by mind-power alone, I managed to gain some weight.
A little later, I discovered that the Hawaiian Bodywork, as used by the Kahunas, was being done in Wellington by Gwendolyn Hunt. I began to have this bodywork from Gwendolyn, and I am sure that it helped me a great deal through this difficult period.
Back to the digestive saga. Ray Brody is a homeopath practicing at Paraparaumu. He does not advertise at all, he gains new patients purely by word of mouth. I went to him for treatment, and within a week I gained two kilos (four and a half pounds). He diagnosed that my pancreas was not producing a vital digestive enzyme, and he found the correct homeopathic remedy to switch it back on (the remedy happened to be Tuberculinum). Within another month I gained another two kilos.
Ray diagnoses intuitively, by sensing the energy. It is like he can “see” the energy of the person, and also “see” the energy of a potential remedy, and thus find a pair of energies that match. I was fascinated. I wanted to do what he was doing!
An interesting little side-light from this story is that the book “A Pattern of
Health”, which is very rare and has been out of print for many years, was to
turn up unexpectedly in several places. I mentioned the book to Ray Brodie,
and he had a copy on his bookshelf. And so did Mary Garbely! On a visit
to her sometime around 1995, my eyes were drawn to her bookshelf, and there it was!
I eventually managed to buy a copy for myself, a second-hand copy in mint condition from
the bookshop on Waiheke Island, of all places!
And, just recently (2002), I was browsing in the Christchurch Public Library, and stumbled
across a copy on the shelves there.
In January 1993, I moved from the Karori house, to a house at Paraparaumu Beach, sharing with a woman flat-mate (Note: “flat-mate” is the same as “room-mate” in the U.S.) This woman happened to mention that she was about to start studying homeopathy part-time at the Wellington College of Homeopathy, and I knew immediately that I also needed to do this. I made an instant, spontaneous, decision, and enrolled for the four year part-time course, which leads to registration as a professional homeopath.
Homeopathy
Prior to the start of the homeopathy course, in my typical “go for it totally” way, I immersed myself in the subject, reading every book on homeopathy that I could lay my hands on. By the time the course started, I already had a very good understanding of the basic theory and practice of homeopathy; I just needed to fill in the fine details.
The once a month weekend at the College of Homeopathy became a highlight of my life. There were twelve of us first-year students at the College, three men and nine women, and it was a very interesting, unusual group. For the whole year, we had a ball! Our poor tutors never knew what was going to happen next! Two of the women would often make a dramatic entry in fancy dress costume. One of our tutors, Suzannah, really resonated with our energy, and our classes with her were hilarious right through the year.
Through Suzannah, I learned the art of mind-mapping. I took down all my notes at the College in mind-map format. It was a little strange to begin with, but I soon discovered that it is vastly superior to conventional note-taking. It is essential to use large sheets of paper, at least A3 size, A2 size is ever better. Also, the paper should be turned sideways, in landscape format, and coloured pens should be used. Mind-maps are still my preferred note-taking method; used intelligently they are very powerful, with all information logically laid out at your fingertips.
I learned all of the basic theory, philosophy and practice of homeopathy, and by the end of the first year I was using homeopathy for myself and a few friends with confidence. I found that I really resonated with the energy of this therapy, and it became part of my life.
I well remember my first spectacular success. A flatmate was suffering from vomiting and diarrhea. Two doses of Nux vomica, and she was sitting up eating dinner within two hours, totally cured.
At the beginning of 1994, I enrolled in the second year class, and for the first half of the year I continued to enjoy the classes immensely. I scored an "A" for my major essay for the year, and a high mark in the mid-year exam. I attended a seminar in Christchurch with a visiting English homeopath, and this was a really enjoyable, informative experience. The energy of homeopathy resonated with me really well. I would have made an excellent homeopath, but the universe had other plans for me.....
But, suddenly, in July, something changed. The July class (9th and 10th July, 1994) clashed with one of the Breath-Express workshops, and I had a difficult choice to make. I chose to attend the Breath Express workshop, and am so glad I did because this was a very beautiful workshop, held at the Island Bay Marae. A beautiful, lovely, sweet, supportive, nurturing weekend, with a lovely group of people. Just what I really needed, following on from the June “Breath-Express”, which was the one where I was pushed right to the limit and beyond, as described above.
By the time of the August homeopathy weekend, I realized that for me the College was finished. I had completed all that I needed to do there, and I withdrew from the course.
Have you ever noticed that everything has its time, and once its time has run its time, it just finishes and that is it. The energy has moved on, and nothing can turn back the clock. We have finished that phase of our life, have “been there, done that”, have got all that we need from this, and it's time to move on to the next step of the journey. That's how it was with me for the Homeopathy College, and for most things I have done over the years, including the therapy group with the “well-known American practitioner”, as described above, Al Anon, Breath Express, various jobs I have had, relationships, in fact everything. Sometimes the shift is gradual, other times it is sudden and dramatic.
Sometimes the steps of the journey overlap, like Al Anon and Breath Express did for me. Other times it is necessary to very firmly close the door behind you before the next door in front of you will open. Just like the interconnected air-lock doors on a space-ship, the door in front leading to the next phase of your life cannot open until you have the courage to let go of the past by firmly closing the door behind you.
Regarding my relationship with homeopathy, I have a very deep resonance with the philosophy of this therapy. The idea of “like cures like”, the concept of the minimum dose, and the preparation of the remedies by energizing the water with the energy of the substance by shaking the solution at each dilution; this all makes total sense to me.
I believe that the principles and philosophy of homeopathy are one of a handful of very important therapies that are a basic part of our relationship with the universe. (Others of similar importance include flower essences, acupuncture and acupressure, colour therapy, massage in its various guises, and working with the energy of sound).
But, where I was not comfortable with what I was being taught at the College, was the methodology of “Classical Homeopathy”. For many classical homeopaths, the methodology has become a belief system akin to a religious belief. I very quickly found that I could get much more accurate results by measuring the energy intuitively with the aid of pendulum, than from the cumbersome head-based methodology of prescribing on the symptoms using the homeopathic repertory. It's not that the classical method does not work. It does work, in fact I found that I was very good at it, and I could often “get it right”. I would have made an excellent classical homeopath. But it was not my path, I have a different path, although I am very grateful for the valuable training I received at the College.
I still use homeopathy as one of my therapies, and at times it is vital: there are occasions where it is the only therapy that will do the job.
Click here to continue on with the next episode of this section of this (1998 version) of the story......
Section Three, Episode Three..... Flower Essences.... in depth.
