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Homeopathy 4 Everyone - Editorial |
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| April, 2008 | ||||
My Journey to Hahnemann's House- Dr. Manish Bhatia |
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| A couple of months ago, when I was going to Germany
for the Links conference at Heidelberg, I had planned a visit to
Hahnemann's house at Torgau. Before leaving India and even for the
first few days in Germany, I was busy preparing the October issue
of our ezine and never had any time to think about this visit to
Hahnemann's house. It was just another item in the itinerary. When
the conference ended on 21st October, my friend Sigi and I drove
to Wetzlar and stayed overnight at the house of Sigi's brother.
We had decided to move out early next morning but got up a bit late.
Torgau looked very serene and peaceful and there was hardly a soul on the street. It is a very old town and most of the houses still retain the historic look. As we parked the car and started moving towards Hahnemann's house, the feeling of being so close to history started taking over. The town was so quiet that it felt like you were walking through history. The excitement and apprehension started building up. The closer we came to Hahnemann's house, the more the 'item’ in the itinerary started becoming a special experience. I was aching to see the place where Hahnemann had lived two centuries ago, where he wrote the first edition of Organon ..where it all started for homeopathy!
We saw the living room where the family gathered and other rooms, passages and attic that were full of history. It felt so good to walk on the floor on which Hahnemann had walked, to open the same doors, to move through the same passages. When we walked out, the streets were empty, the sun had gone down and my mood was somber. I didn't feel like going back. I was feeling emotionally attached to that place. It was probably just my love for Hahnemann and the feeling of being so close to him that made me feel part of it all. I didn't feel like a foreigner there! The idea of a special issue on Hahnemann germinated at Hahnemann's house. Over the last few months, we planned many things but not all our plans bore fruit. But we have worked hard to compile what you will read in this issue. The issue is full of history blended with modern times. You can even see a collection of photos from Hahnemann's house at Torgau.
To make a contribution myself, I have resumed my lectures on Organon and this month I explore the concept of Vital Force. The lecture is available in Audio and text. Cyril Smith continues his special research series, Rowenna Johnson shares her interview with Jeremy Sherr, Alan has come up with more tips and secrets and we have also released 61 lesser writings of C.M Boger in this mammoth issue. Last but not the least, I am happy to announce that the Alternative Noble Prize winner, Prof. George Vithoulkas, will be answering queries from our subscribers every month. The first set of questions and answers are being published this month. There is much more to explore in this issue. I would like to thank all our contributors and everyone who sent in their articles, images and ideas for this issue. Some of it we could not feature in this issue due to scarcity of space. We hope you will like it and we look forward to your feedback on this special issue. Read, enjoy and do write to me at editor@hpathy.com Yours in Homeopathy,
-- Chief Editor -- |
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It
was a very long drive from Wetzlar to Torgau, but we expected to
reach there in late afternoon. We were told that someone would be
waiting for us at Hahnemann's house between 2 to 3 pm. But the distance
and traffic were greater than our expectations and instead of reaching
there in late afternoon, we arrived in early evening! We were not
sure if we would find anyone at the house now.
It
was our lucky day. We were very late and yet we were just in time
to find a wonderful lady waiting for us to show us the house. The
house was lying vacant for decades and was in such a bad shape that
people at Torgau wanted to bring it down. But just in time someone
found out that 200 years ago, this house belonged to Samuel Hahnemann.
It was a special discovery. Then a bundle of good souls came together,
bought the place, renovated it from scratch and have now opened
an International College of Homeopathy at Hahnemann's house. The
work that has been done to restore the house is commendable. It
looks new now but still you can see the shades of history peeping
from the walls. Some part of the floor, walls, paint and fixtures
are still original.
As
we entered the house, we saw the place where Hahnemann's kitchen
had been. Then we moved on to his guest room. The room still had
the original wooden ceiling and some murals on the walls and the
roof still exist. Hahnemann's patients probably waited in the same
room. With every little detail unfolding in front of my eyes, the
emotions started building up. I had never imagined before how it
would feel to be at Hahnemann's house, the place where the man himself
had lived. There was a sense of belonging to the place. As we moved
to the next room, I was totally captivated. Here I was, standing
in Hahnemann's study, the place where he saw his patients and wrote
the Organon. I can not describe the feeling in words. Hahnemann
felt so close. I was so overcome by emotions that I could not help
tears streaming down my eyes. The 'item' in the itinerary was becoming
extra-special with each passing moment.
In
this issue, we have David Little in our hot-seat. David is among
the very few people who have studied Hahnemann's life and works
inside-out. I have discussed many aspects of Hahnemann's life with
David and have unearthed a lot of facts that everyone should be
aware of. Robert Jütte and Rudi Verspoor, two scholars of equally
high caliber, shed more light on Hahnemann's life and works. Dana
Ullman, Grant Bentley & Louise Barton, Shiv Dua, Mary Glaisyer,
Feonna Bartlett and Ewald Stöteler add shimmer to this special
issue with their contributions on Hahnemann.
