But seriously, folks...Danielle? To me--and I guess to you too, this is a disturbing dream. Generally on the right remedy, a dream like this either wouldn't happen, or would come out more positive in the end.

Snoopy

I was reading some notes from a couple of years ago when I took Pulsatilla...and I had a dream with cats and robbers. Hard to believe.

Not hard to believe, at all.

If this kind of dream was a recorded pulsatilla symptom, then you're merely experiencing the dream as a result of taking the substance...as would everyone who took the substance.

Years ago, I did a proving, and had a dream about someone I hadn't thought about in about 7 years. This was a person who had completely disappeared from my life--an old, lost friend. There were no ill feelings from re-meeting him in the dream; just this sense of "oh, yes, I remember you" and knowing I had not thought about that person AT ALL in all that time. I thought the dream had nothing to do with the proving.

3 months later, when everyone who took part in the proving gathered to "compare our notebooks", I learned that EVERYONE involved had this dream--first the provers, who took the actual substance; and then the supervisors, who recorded one set of journal notes every day.
Everybody had this dream of re-meeting old, forgotten friends; people they knew well at one time, but had not been in contact with for many years. It was one of the strongest proving symptoms experienced on that remedy. Of course, there were other dreams: dreams of jewellery, and of jewels; dreams of crossing borders or travelling over borders; and dreams featuring an insect--specifically, a ladybug. But those were less commonly dreamt...the old friend dream was had by everyone involved. So, as a proving symptom, that dream will probably grade a 3 or 4; the others 1 or 2, depending on what percentage experience that symptom in the overall proving records.

The whole point about proving records is that they are the recorded data of scientific "experiments", kept precisely because those experiences should be 100% reproduceable whenever the same "experiment" is reproduced--in our case, whenever someone takes the remedy that's been proven. This is what we base homeopathy on.

Divina

__________________
...and deliverance has many faces<br />but grace<br />is an aquaintance of mine

Dear Divina,

I'm confused. Probably my confusion has to do with a lack of knowledge about proving.

Let's see, one can take a remedy that has their dream in it's provings. The process of proving uncovered the dream/s most characteristic of that particular remedy. I understand how the cure comes, like cures like, but what about the people involved in the proving? Did having the dream mean the remedy was curative for them? I was under the impression that having a dream response was a sign that the remedy was working. Also, is there MORE of a healing effect if the dream one has has a high proving grade?

Sorry, for what must be pretty ignorant questions, maybe I'm having a lapse.

Talk about dreaming, I hope you've been getting some sleep.

Contenta

Okay, its like this:

When a person elects to conduct a scientific experiment, they have to construct the experiment in a certain way in order to ensure that the experiment can be reproduced by anyone else (as long as all the same criteria for the experiment are met), with the same outcome, every time.

A proving is a scientific experiment. The criteria are set and documented all the way through: number of provers, number of supervisors, the master prover, the person who knows what the remedy is, the person who makes the remedy,exactly what the source is, the remedy potencies used and who got which potency/placebo, the type of documentation (formal casetaking before starting; daily casetaking during), etc. etc.

So, provers take the substance, which is unknown to them. Some get high potencies, some get low potencies, some get placebo. The remedy is redosed until any kind of change is felt--then dosing stops. Any an all changes--impressions, daily events, physical sensations/symptoms/changes, etc--are recorded each day. Symptoms are categorized according to their appearance--are they new symptoms, never before experienced? Are they old symptoms, returning? Do any current complaints stop after the proving remedy is taken? Mental/emotional changes are often noted by the provers as well as the supervisors they work with--supervisors often notice big changes there which provers do not see until later. Provers also keep track of dreams and experiences.

When all this information is collected after the proving ends, symptoms are separated and categorized. It is not unusual for the symptoms experienced by those who took the remedy to be experienced by those who did not take the remedy, yet participated in the proving. This happens because of the dynamic nature of disease--specifically, "artificial" disease, produced by the remedy.

This is how we know what a remedy does in the body. Proving information gives us a high level of reproduceable data--variation, of course, coming from the big variable, which is individualization. But usually, there will be a number of symptoms practically everyone experiences, a number of symptoms most people experience, a number that only a few experience, and some symptoms which are clinically cured during the proving, in a small number of the provers.

Now, given this information, homeopaths simply apply the natural law of similars to this information: like cures like.

So, you have a substance which creates a particular group or pattern of symptoms in a healthy individual--all you have to do is match the pattern of symptoms of your ailing patient in their totality to the information you've got regarding a particular remedy. Once you do that, and do it effectively and as closely as possible, you can achieve cure.

Dream symptoms are often quite marked in provings--so they are very useful symptoms to lead us to good remedies which produce those dreams in healthy people. Taking the remedy doesn't necessarily mean it will "cure" the dream content--after all, the particular dream is just a sign of a good remedy, and not necessarily pathological in and of itself. So, in this case, you may respond beautifully to pulsatilla, and experience a fantastic cure and improvement in quality of life; but you may dream about cats and robbers--in thousands of diffent dream scenarios-- all your long life!

Is this a little clearer?

Divina

__________________
...and deliverance has many faces<br />but grace<br />is an aquaintance of mine

Thanks so much Divina, now, seriously, would you please write a book!

I see now that I truly didn't understand what a proving was. I didn't realize that homeopathic doses were used. It's nice to know that people aren't dying of snake venom in the name of homeopathic science! I wonder if the provers are from the general population since most people aren't that self-observant.

The puls is working well for me with no cat or robber in sight. I've got my groove back after losing it last month. Nice dreams too. In one I was on an island "tour" where the island itself moved. It was beautiful. We stopped at another island to use their underwater cafeteria. Although I swam there I took a train back, the stops listed were "Rhyton" and symbols for the roman theater masks of comedy and tragedy. I recognized Tragedy as my stop but it had no negative connotations. My "boyfriend" is at the stop (in real life a family friend who is a priest). He suggests that I'm not as "into" my tai chi as I make out. He would like me to spend more time w/him instead. We get off and watch a Jamaican woman create beautiful color combinations in her bedroom which is missing a wall making it like a stage.

In another dream my father brings me to the school bus and I jump on the side, grabbing on to the window frame since it's pulling away. As it picks up speed I start to worry about whether I will have the strength to hold on. I'm not sure what I'm up against. My father is running alongside and finally he and I end up in a pile safe on the sidewalk.

These dreams felt really good afterwards. Especially the father one which was somewhat scary at a point. I've hardly dreamed of my father before. Which was fine with me. (Your description of yours seemed very familiar.) On the other hand, I'm wondering if the bird dreams and now the elevator dreams are really father dreams. It would make a lot of sense since he really dominated my younger life, especially since I was a first born. Puls is a mother remedy though, right? Anyway, I love homepathic dreams.

A question - I came across an old message of yours to me which I never responded to. What is the feminist secret of the coral fist pendant your granmother gave you? I'm not sure I got it.

Contenta

Hi Contenta,

I didn't "tell" the feminist secret of that symbolic pendant...it scares people (actually, it seems to scare men more than anyone). But I'll tell you privately, with a source quote for the meaning of the symbol. As I said, learning that was like getting a great big pat on the back from my grandmother--and all the women who came before her.

That being said, I'm not sure Pulsatilla is a mother remedy--certainly, there is a great deal to be said for its perceived "feminine" aspect as a remedy, as well as its influence on the sphere of the female reproductive system. I don't classify remedies this way, although I do know it helps people to remember their materia medica about remedies if they use this kind of key to call to mind the strong symptoms.

What is important about pulsatilla as a remedy is the sense of dire vulnerability the patient who needs the remedy often feels--so vulnerable and in great need of support and acceptance from others--or an other. Maybe that can shed a little bit of light on your own understanding of your dreams.

Divina

__________________
...and deliverance has many faces<br />but grace<br />is an aquaintance of mine

Divina - come on, share the secret with the rest of us!!

__________________
Man, do not pride yourself on your superiority to animals. For they are without sin and you in your greatness defile the earth by your appearance on it and leave traces of you foulness after you. Dostoyevsky

I guess that can be arranged...but remember, it DOES scare people, and they do get offended by it (not surprising, considering it involves understanding the ancient symbols of the Goddess religions, which prevailed thousands of years ago until they were "suppressed". Lots and lots of people like to pretend those times did not exist).

Just let me know when you're ready.

Divina

__________________
...and deliverance has many faces<br />but grace<br />is an aquaintance of mine

Divina,

Please, the suspense is killing us! I'm especially interested since my Sicily goddess tour.

Thanks for the clues to pulsatilla. In fact in both dreams I was in the position of receiving caring from men, something that, as I've said, is not typical for me and an issue that came up on my trip. They were very healing dreams. It appears that my "vulnerablility" is being addressed.

You mentioned clairvoyant dreams on this thread. Do you know if they are in a special category in homeopathy?

Contenta