The Chthonic Realm : Introduction
Today begins my exploration of a group of 8 remedies which are used to treat “The Chthonic Realm”. The word ‘Chthonic’ originates from Greek, meaning “from deep in the earth, or the underworld”. These remedies treat some very deep fear states, as well as their manifestation into a range of peculiar thought or behaviour patterns. At the less extreme end of the manifestation of these states, you’ll see the typical night terrors of children, who wake screaming or crying due to a nightmare which seems all too real in the moment. At the more extreme end of this spectrum lies people who either are, or should be institutionalized and restrained for their own and others’ safety.
The whole realm of our natural processes of fever, inflammation, and even the function of the orgasm, are the source of energy for these remedies, when these natural functions have been blocked to one degree, or another. Even physicists know that “energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only transformed from one form to another”, and this is exactly what is happening when a natural process is blocked, only to manifest later in one or more of these chthonic states.
Our natural, healthy development, in terms of Dynamic Physiology, unfolds through our four bodies, and through the polarity of radial versus spherical energy. This four by two matrix defines the origin of the eight specific chthonic remedies, as are called the ‘Hot Stream’ (Belladonna, Stramonium, Hyoscyamus, and Veratrum Album), and the ‘Cold Stream’ (Arnica, Baryta Carbonicum, Bufo, and Helleborous).
In terms of the medical realm of Heilkunst, there is a fundamental polarity between these Chthonic disease states (expressed by our Nether Being), and the Ideogenic disease states (expressed by our Upper Being). In other words, our fears exist in a functional polarity with our ignorance. Practically speaking, I may often prescribe one or more chthonic remedies in conjunction with ideogenic remedies, but sometimes one side or the other isn’t clearly visible before the other is treated.
This fundamental polarity of fear/ignorance is the true root of all disease, and will be the goal to address for every case. Practically speaking, the chthonic realm is most visible within the whole autistic spectrum, as well as any deep conditions of fear or phobias. Conceptually speaking, this realm becomes most ripe for treatment after the patient’s chronic miasms are cleared, but practically, can pop up at any point in treatment, depending on the specific dynamics and history of the case.
Over the next eight days, I’ll portray each chthonic remedy in its practical and clinical picture.
Your pictures speak volumes! I marvel at where you source these from :-)! In the last half of my clinical your posts are really helping me to clarify some missing bits and pieces and also help with the practical application of the theory. Thanks for taking the time to write, your blogs are invaluable!
You’re welcome, Tegan. I’m glad the content is proving to be valuable.
You do beautifully bridge the gap between the very intellectual, theoretical world of your profession and the understanding necessary to understand and navigate the deep winds blowing in the rabbit hole,,,
You’d make a good sailor…a regular wind witch you are!!!
A superb introduction to a lesser known area of Heilkunst (that is, for me anyway). Your writing is clear, and it is easy to understand what you are presenting to us. A well chosen and timely topic of discussion! THANK YOU!
It’s my pleasure to share, Phill – thank you!
Hi
very interesting point of view
Would you please explain the difference between the hot and cold stream
Thanks
Ioannis
Hi Ioannis,
A reply from practitioner, Jeff Korentayer, follows below:
Thank you for this question – the answer would actually make for a good blog post on its own.
The short answer for this space is that all life functions are based on a polarity, and that the chthonic realm is no exception – it expresses itself more ‘hot’ on one side, and more ‘cold’ on the other – we could think of that as a kind if extraversion and introversion of the chthonic realm, in a manner of speaking.
You can start to get a feeling for this as you study each remedy belonging to each stream, and getting an overall feeling along these lines.