Using Myrrh as a Homeopathic Remedy
The folklore at this time of year includes the story of the three wise men bearing the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. As Jason Forthofer wrote in his blog about the Christian meaning of these three gifts, the myrrh, which was used to embalm the dead, “represents the bitter cup that Christ had to drink in suffering for our sins and the healing for us that his death brings.”
This theme actually runs through the homeopathic characteristics of this substance, which include:
- Holding pure ideals and intentions (can be taken to an extreme).
- People who give much, but have difficulty receiving.
- High degree of sensitivity to others, and what is going on around them.
- Connected to and driven for helping those around them, yet lacking contact with their own deeper self.
- They have a strong tendency towards perfectionism, and never feel that what they do is good enough.
All of these outer characteristics work to cover up a deeper element of darkness, or even violence which has been cut off from the conscious mind. It is as if this inner, living content inside of us has been “embalmed”, and we are cut off from what’s going on inside.
It is fascinating to re-visit common symbols or cultural artefacts from this perspective, and see what a substance might otherwise mean for our consciousness when used as a medicine. There is a deeper unconscious wisdom which usually gave rise to such cultural symbols and practices, and now with the science of Heilkunst, we are able to raise our conscious understanding of which part of ourselves is represented by such outer objects.
Sounds resonant to the perpetual giver, whose favorite book is The Giving Tree. Instead of resentment against being cut down by insults and humiliation (Staphysagria resonance), they are enmeshed in codependency and need to play martyr and peacemaker to patch up any discord. “That was the alcohol talking, not my partner.”