Learning to climb the tree

I have realized that many colleagues are still hesitant to start using Jan's Plant system. Through using and teaching his method, we, at the academy, have come to some didactic simplifications of his Plant system that we would like to share. These are not new, they are an expansion of what is written in Jan's book "Wonderful Plants".

In this system, 6 numbers are used to define every plant remedy. These numbers relate to the periodic system of elements as explained in the book "Homeopathy and Elements".

The first three numbers describe the person in front of us. One asks what is the highest level he has reached in his development and where his problem lies. Linguistically, it is a subject. These three numbers are derived from  the series of elements, from the Hydrogen series through to the Lanthanides. We can imagine them as the trunk of a tree. The first number is usually number 6 (Lanthanides) - all angiosperms start with this number. It represents the innermost part of the personality; it is the very heart of the tree, the inner core from which it grows. Number 6, common for all angiosperms, is connected with the general inclination of our western culture to self-discovery, independance, and self-realisation. These days, nearly everybody dreams of independence, living in a clean environment, being independent for food and energy, and not working from 9 to 5 anymore.

The second number is more personal, representing one’s inner development. It corresponds to one's inner inclinations, which are visible mostly in one's hobbies, aspirations, interests, and dreams. It is the middle part of the tree, the cambium, providing the nourishment, inner growth, and strength.

The third number is a layer we can see most easily on the trunk, the bark. It represents the outer persona, the real life job, what is happening in the life of a patient, his daily life problems and concerns when dealing with the reality. For example, someone interested in spiritual growth and esoteric philosophy (6) has a job as a secretary (4). It would be the number 664 (the first number is common, the second one is Lanthanides, and the third is Ferrum series:  normal, routine job). The idea of the Ferrum series should also be confirmed in the person's character: practical, self-reliant, efficient, and so on.

The first three numbers can be confirmed by our impression of the patient: which is the highest series we can see in his inner and outer life? Does s/he look childish (Carbon), nervous like a teenager (Silica), practical working class man/woman (Ferrum), refined, special, looking for compliments, striving for higher social position, a city lover (Silver) or is s/he independent, tense, looking for his/her real self, embracing a country or the world (Gold series, in plants represented only by the Lanthanides)?

Jan has named the next two numbers the Phase and Subphase; we can imagine these as the branches and twigs of the tree. They represent the interaction with other people. It is a horizontal line, like a man with his arms stretched out sideways looking for others. The fourth number, the Phase, is more visible from a distance, like the big branches; it is more objective. The fifth number, the Subphase, is more delicate, more internalized, more subjective.

We often draw a circle with 7 numbers across it and explain to our patient seven possible relationships with other people. The first and last numbers, one and seven, are outside the circle. 
1 = alone, impulsive; 2 = yielding, passive, hidden; 3 = overlooked, helping, kinetosis; 4 = responsible, strict upbringing, skin cracks; 5 = extroverted, joyous, travelling, gourmet, assertive; 6 = injustice, marital problems, feeling used; 7 = outsider, violence, addictions, neurological diseases.

These 7 Phases or Subphases are derived from the seven stages of the periodic table, as we see them in 2nd (Carbon) and 3rd (Silica) series. We ask the patient where s/he thinks, he/her stands in this system, but we also rely on our own observations during the consultation. The idea of a specific phase and subphase we find from the story of the patient and from our own impression. There are two ways: the first one is deduced from the relation to other people, the second is derived from the presence of 7 couples of remedies from the 2nd and 3rd series:  1. phase (or subphase) = Li + Na; 2. phase = Ber + Mg; 3. phase = Bor+ Al; 4. phase = C + Si; 5. phase = N + P; 6. phase = O+S; 7. phase = F + Cl. If we can clearly see one of these combinations in the story or in the patient, it is usually the phase. The second, less prominent combination is logically the subphase. We like to discuss it with the patient first, to hear his/her opinion about it. The question for the phase is: "Which of these seven numbers would people around you relate to you?" The question for the subphase: "What do you feel, where is your stand in relation to people from 1 to 7?" For example, somebody who looks very responsible for the family from the outside (phase 4) can, in fact, feel very lonely and not accepted by people (subphase 1).

The last (two digits) number is the stage, corresponding to the stages of the Ferrum, Silver, and Gold series. Here, only the first 17 stages of the periodic table are used; the 18th stage, corresponding to the Noble gas, is not used in the Plant system. If we continue with the tree analogy, it could be the way the tree is moving in the wind, or what is its survival strategy. It says how the person handles his/her problems, tasks, duties, how s/he is working and doing things. It brings us to the exact leaf or flower on the tree, to the exact plant remedy. We usually also explain all 17 stages to a patient and ask for his/her opinion. Many people have excellent insights about it.

Plants are much more complex than minerals, so it is natural that they need more characteristics, more planes in order to be precisely grasped. We have found that the best results are acquired when a good knowledge of remedies - their generals, local symptoms and affinities - is combined with this map of the Plant kingdom, which includes the themes of plant families, enabling us to get ideas during case-taking and repertorization. When the remedy is confirmed by several localizations, we can be very sure of it, even with relatively unknown remedies.