Each and every homeopathic remedy contains within itself the ability to heal unique, characteristic signs and symptoms. These characteristic healing symptoms that are contained within each remedy are an unchanging eternal truth that remain constant through space and time. Homeopathic provings are an effective way to experience and interpret the signs and symptoms (i.e. the eternal healing effect) of remedies. Yet it is somewhat puzzling that provers are able to accurately access the remedy state during unconventional provings where no remedy is ingested, such as dream provings, meditative provings and trituration provings.
Since discovering trituration provings in 2010, the author has found them to be a deep and extremely accurate way of exploring a remedy’s healing ability. During the process of making the remedy by hand, while triturating the substance with milk sugar, a doorway is opened to what Jungian psychologists call the collective unconscious. The collective unconscious is like a world database of information that each and every living thing on the planet is connected to. Contained within the database of the collective unconscious is the eternal, unchanging truth of the healing ability of each and every homeopathic remedy.
Provings are the author’s higher calling, the vehicle through which her soul journeys towards wholeness. So far, Sonya has conducted provings of 14 different remedies over an eight year period and in this beautiful full colour work, nine complete remedy provings including physical, mental and thematic summaries are given for Albino ‘Ghost’ Redwood, North western Crow, Herkimer Diamond, Woad, Wild Horse, Angelite, Black Kyanite, Raccoon and Giant Panda.
- Author: Sonya McLeod
- ISBN: 9781908127167
- 458 pages
- Hardback
- Published in 2020
- Printed in United Kingdom
Reprinted with the permission of The Society of Homeopaths, (from 'The New Homeopath' Journal, Spring 2021 edition): Reviewed by Helen Tye Talkin PhD, RSHom.
Canadian homeopath Sonya McLeod has written a substantial book introducing us to nine new remedies: Albino “Ghost” Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus), Herkimer Diamond, Woad (Isatis tinctoria), The Nemiah Valley Wild Horse (Equus ferus caballus), Angelite (Blue Anhydrite), Black Kyanite, Raccoon Fur (Procyon lotor), and Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).
I flipped straight to the last remedy, as my youngest daughter was obsessed with pandas from an early age. An obsession it seems she shared with the family member of one of the provers, who obtained some naturally molted panda fur from a mother and her cub while volunteering at a panda breeding centre in Sichuan Province, China in 2011.
The prover who was given the fur by her family member wrote a poem about Panda that is included in the book along with drawings and paintings produced by provers. Artwork created by provers of all the remedies are valued along with the written text as authentic expressions of the remedy.
Structure of the book
Each chapter begins with etymology and mythology surrounding the substance and then explains where the raw material for the remedy was sourced. For example, “What locals and experts think of Northwestern Crows” includes that “they are judged harshly because they steal other birds’ eggs and have a tendency to gang up on other animals.”
A feather was cut into fine pieces and used as the basis for the proving. A detailed description of the trituration process follows, inspiring for anyone wishing to conduct their own trituration proving. In the case of Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) three separate provings were conducted between 2011 and 2018, with an average of 4-5 provers in each. Two in Vancouver, one in Montréal; the latter was a blind proving, the other two were not.
It’s important to note that all the remedies were created by the trituration method. The foreword to McLeod’s book was written by Anneke Hogeland and Judy Schriebman, authors of The Trituration Handbook, published in 2008. The experiences arising while grinding and scraping the raw substance with mortar and pestle are seen as forming an integral part of the proving. Similar to the change in potency brought about by dilution and succussion, the progression from level to level in a trituration proving results in shifts and changes occurring in the information coming from the substance. In a traditional proving, participants dose once or twice with a ready prepared remedy, usually 30c, without knowing what it is and without being involved in the creation of the remedy.
Physical generals, modalities, etc. are derived from the provers’ reports. Themes characteristic of each remedy are stated at the beginning of the chapter. Not surprisingly perhaps, Ailuropoda melanoleuca shares much with the milk remedies and animal remedies in general. Interestingly the drawings produced by provers are very colourful, in contrast with the black and white of the Giant Panda’s markings.
Many remind me of close-up photographs of cell division, or flower-like forms. One of the physical generals of Ailuropoda melanoleuca is “Sees objects, a colourful prism before eyes.” For each remedy a core essence or delusion is stated. In the case of Ailuropoda melanoleuca this is: “Powerless to stop the exploitation.” Core delusion of the Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus) is “I never have enough money, food, or material possessions.” Core delusion of Istatis tinctoria (Woad) is “I do and take whatever I want with complete disregard for anyone or anything else.” Core delusion of the Nemiah Valley Wild Horse (Equus ferus caballus) is “Frustrated by restrictions on their freedom.” Core delusion of Black Kyanite is “Not feeling free to be me.”
Most of the remedies featuring in this book are available from Freeman’s Pharmacy in Glasgow and the author’s website is another source of information about them: www.littlemountainhomeopathy.com. She is interested to hear about cases where these remedies have been used successfully.
Helen Tye Talkin PhD, RSHom graduated from the College of Homeopathy in 1992 following a career in the City of London as a Eurobond salesperson. She then completed Jeremy Sherr’s Dynamis School course in 1993, practising in London until 1998 when she moved to California. Her studies continued, and she completed a PhD in Somatic Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Her homeopathic practice integrates somatic depth psychology and homeopathy.
