Editorial: the inner beauty of the Lanthanides

In November 2005, Jan Scholten published the first edition of Secret Lanthanides. For those who have been making use of his findings on the periodic table in homeopathy, gaining understanding of the Lanthanides in practice has been a logical and welcome step, bringing into use many elements that have previously not even been considered as remedies. It is, in fact, very timely for these elements have a broad use in modern technology, such as lasers, optic devices, and colour television. Accordingly, it seems fitting that they are now used as remedies. In a short time, they have become indispensible in the treatment of auto-immune diseases; those illnesses which have so often been outside the reach of our homeopathic aid. Similar to the discovery of the Lanthanides themselves, which were hidden away behind other elements, those patients needing a Lanthanide remedy have a rather hidden quality. Their inner life takes precedence over their outer life, and they tend to fight their own shadow rather than projecting it onto the outer world. They are discovering and developing their autonomy, or, as is the case in the remedies more to the right of the periodic table, they are relinquishing their autonomy. This inner wrestling can be part of auto-immune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus erythematodes. One can also apply it to psychological auto-immunity such as self-mutilation. In a short time, these remedies have become indispensible in the practices of many homeopaths, who have found a means to treat previously intractable conditions. As Jan writes in his article “10 years of Lanthanides”, these remedies are in fact highly useful for many homeopaths themselves, since homeopaths often have many typical Lanthanide qualities: self-reflection, inner searching, and an aversion to external compulsion.

We will probably find, as time goes on, that many patients treated with some success with our more well-known remedies, such as Phosphorus or Sulphur, will in fact have highly curative results if the remedy is tuned more exactly to the patient. The understanding of the periodic table as a whole has facilitated a greater ease in the fine-tuning of remedies, providing us with ways to utilise more aspects of the patient, such as the family background, hobbies, and spiritual inclination. Knowing the stages of the periodic table are imperative for finding a correct Lanthanide, as this is probably the most effective way of differentiating these remedies. Another excellent book for understanding the various stages, and which perfectly complements Jan's Secret Lanthanides, is Ulrich Welte’s The Periodic Table in Homeopathy; The Silver Series (2010, Narayana Verlag).

The beautiful results from the Lanthanides make it tempting to apply them in all cases of auto-immune illness or to all alternative therapists, such as homeopaths. As Jan Scholten points out, though, lanthanides are also strongly present in plant remedies such as the Asteraceae (the daisy family, of which Arnica is a member). Here, too, we see the lanthanide qualities of “sending the doctor away” and wanting to do things in one’s own way. It remains therefore crucial to avoid knee-jerk reactions that might send us towards a Lanthanide remedy, merely because the patient has an auto-immune disease, or has a spiritual inclination. We also need to ascertain what their particular form of “stuckness” is and whether or not they actually need a remedy from the mineral kingdom. During an initial case-taking, one can sometimes pick up hints of a lanthanide quality and yet, find that it is only applicable as a remedy later in the treatment.    

Despite the great increase in curative possibilities and the excellent results, some homeopaths are reluctant to make use of the Lanthanides, claiming that they have not undergone traditional provings. Others ask: “Why do we need more remedies when we don’t sufficiently know the ones we already have?” Unfortunately, we homeopaths have not been consistently successful in large areas of our practices, such as in auto-immune illness, which in fact necessitates an ongoing development of our science. Understanding and applying the inherent logic of nature makes it possible to prescribe even unknown remedies based on their position within a particular kingdom; that which is known for some members of a particular group can be extrapolated and adjusted to lesser-known members. Jan Scholten's work not only increases our therapeutic capacities, it also presents us with the possibility to come closer to the awe-inspiring principles of creation and follow the path opened by Hahnemann for the betterment of all and of our world.

Jan Scholten offers us two articles on the Lanthanides. The first article describes Lanthanide qualities as such and how they are so often seen in homeopaths. He calls it “homeopathy’s gift to homeopaths”, who have so often felt that they can heal their patients but that homeopathy does not work for themselves. In the second article, he highlights the use of one Lanthanide salts, Neodymium sulphuricum, pointing out its usefulness especially in women who are struggling to find their autonomy within their relationship: “a feminist remedy”. He gives us ten case examples of situations where Neodymium sulphuricum has proved effective, so that we get a good feel for the remedy and its application. A broad spectrum of cases is provided by several homeopaths who have extensive experience with the Lanthanides: Ulrich Welte, Ramon Frendo, Patricia LeRoux, Alex Leupen, Irina Shilova, Marie-Luc Fayeton, and Marguerite Pelt. One can also browse through back issues of Interhomeopathy to find more examples of Lanthanide prescriptions.

We hope this issue will inspire those of you who are already making use of these remedies, to deepen your knowledge of them and, hopefully, to send us some of your successful cases! We also hope that those of you who have not yet looked into these amazing remedies may be tempted to study and discover their ever increasing significance in the world of today.