The Tao of Homeopathy
There’s much within the Hakomi Method and its refinements that draws upon the wisdom that’s found in the Tao Te Ching. Ian Watson, who wrote the book of which the following is the Introduction, expresses that wisdom as well as it can be expressed. When I read it, I felt like an old friend had come to visit, a friend whose presence and humor were relaxes the heart and delights the mind. — R.K.
The Tao of Homeopathy
by Ian Watson
Introduction
This book is intended to serve as a bridge, linking the philosophies and practices of homeopathy and taoism. It is hoped that something of the magic of homeopathy may be glimpsed through the perspective of taoism, whilst the ancient wisdom and wit of the taoist sage may, in the guise of a homeopath, find a new audience. It is also my intention that something of the essence of homeopathy might be conveyed through these pages in a way that non-homeopaths will grasp, perhaps more readily than homeopaths themselves.
On the surface, homeopathy may seem like a quaint and somewhat antiquated system of medicine. Further investigation, however, soon reveals a vast ocean of wisdom that offers up healing possibilities bordering on the miraculous, together with an underlying philosophy that has the potential to permeate and inform, if not transform, one’s entire life.
The classic text from which every single one of the many thousands of homeopathic volumes have sprung is the Organon of The Medical Art by Samuel Hahnemann, first published in Germany in 1810. The Organon, as it is known to homeopaths everywhere, ran to six editions, and the final sixth edition is generally considered to be the definitive version.
Of the various translations available, the most recent English-language version by Wenda Brewster-O’Reilly and Stephen Decker comes the closest to conveying both the spirit as well as the substance of the original.
Taoism may also seem at first glance to be so ancient and quirky as to offer little of value to the modern person. And yet, the truths that are contained within the taoist texts are discovered to be timeless rather than simply old. Indeed, it begins to seem as if the more ‘civilised’ and fragmented our lives have become, the more forcefully the message of the Tao reminds us of what we have forgotten and what we are so desperately in need of remembering.
The Tao Te Ching (‘Book of The Way’) by Lao Tsu is the classic taoist text. Comprising just eighty-one
chapters, many of which are only a few sentences long, this remarkable work has provided the inspiration for literally hundreds of other volumes. It has been translated more often than any other book except the Bible, and remains as meaningful today as when it was first written, around two and a half thousand years ago. My own favourite English-language translations are the beautifully illustrated version by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English, and the poetic contemporary translation by Stephen Mitchell.
Both taoism and homeopathy are essentially paradoxical and tend to fly in the face of rational understanding. They both demand an approach that goes beyond what can be attained by reason alone. Only when we open ourselves to this other kind of knowing can we begin, little by little, to make sense of the nonsensical.
A common theme that governs the practises of both systems is a respect for nature and for what may be called natural law. Taoism points to a way of living that is in total harmony with the natural world. Homeopathy in turn draws its remedies from the pharmacy of nature, whose purpose is to promote healing from within – recognising and respecting the intelligent, self-healing capacity of all living things. Both systems are inherently ecological, and profoundly relevant to modern times.
I have come to feel that homeopathy and taoism are saying much the same thing couched in a different terminology, and it strikes me as a potent message for these troubled times. Stay open. Trust life. Attune to nature’s cycles and seasons. Be gentle with yourself and others. Remain humble. And above all, be yourself.
The taoists further remind us to retain an awareness of that which simply cannot be understood – that mystery of mysteries which underlies all phenomena and whose face shall always remain hidden. Similarly, an experienced homeopath comes to realise that no matter how great her wisdom and knowledge, the processes of health and disease, life and death, remain as unfathomable as ever.
I have chosen the female pronoun ‘she’ to describe the homeopath/taoist who features throughout this book. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, taoism has always struck me as a philosophy that emphasises and celebrates the feminine principle. Secondly, the vast majority of homeopathic students and practitioners I know are female. I also enjoyed the challenge of writing from a feminine perspective as a male author – yin and yang at play, as always.
Ian Watson, Spring 2004
To purchase the book, go here: http://www.ianwatsonseminars.com/books/iansbooks/ordering.html