SULPHUR – Tragedy of Genius

Sulphur is such a full remedy that it is somewhat difficult to tell where to begin.It seems to contain a likeness of all the sicknesses of man, and a beginner on reading over the proving of Sulphur might naturally think that he would need no other remedy, as the image of all sickness seems to be contained in it.

James Tyler Kent

When first one started ”working out“ one’s cases, it seemed as if Sulphur must always come through, such a constant appearance does it present in the various rubrics, but that is by no means the case. Its symptoms are very definite and very striking: it has its own place and does its own work; and often comes in, as we said, to clear up difficult conditions, and those that hand fire – in a Sulphur patient.

“Homoeopathic Drug Pictures“   Margaret M.L.Tyler

The story of Sulphur begins with questions: Which are those rare, strange and unusual symptoms that will make the picture clear and recognizable? Is everyone who has a propensity to philosophy and religion, a Sulphur patient? Is Sulphur the best choice for every person with problematic skin? Or for those who don’t like taking a bath? Where is the core of everything, the place where a recognizable and logical picture of Sulphur starts to develop with almost mathematical precision?

The world would be a dull place without Sulphur’s inspiration, optimism and eccentricity.

Philip Bailey

He has a desire for continual improvement, for hearing new information and this characteristic helps him create superior power over his associates. He is a person with style, a person who cares how he/she looks , who has great manners and behaves well. He is ready for innovative things and he fights for them.

MIND – IDEAS – abundant

MIND – INTELLECTUAL

MIND – PHILOSOPHY – ability for

MIND – THEORIZING

MIND – REASON increased, power of

MIND – READING – desires

MIND – COMPREHENSION – easy

MIND – MENTAL EXERTION – desire for – literary work

MIND – MEMORY – active – words; for

MIND – ARDENT

MIND – AMBITION – increased

Pregnancy is a state in which a fetus develops in the mother’s body until the moment when it becomes sufficiently mature to be brought into this world. Mothers know perfectly this feeling of joy, wonderment, pride and expectancy  to see their child. Sulphur who believes that he caries a great idea or work in himself,  has the similar feeling like those mothers. He works on it and develops it until the moment when it would be “born“ or published. He is so fascinated with his work, that he starts to fear that somebody could steal it from him.

MIND – DELUSIONS – pregnant, she is

MIND – DELUSIONS – beautiful – things look

MIND – DELUSIONS – visions, has

MIND – DELUSIONS – vivid

MIND – FEAR – robbers, of

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better“

Albert Einstein

Sulphur’s religiousness has its characteristics and it’s easy to differentiate it from other remedies in that rubric. For Sulphur, God isn’t creator of everything.  He equates Him with nature, and nature is continuous, a deterministic system in which every consequence has its cause, and is cause for some other consequence. People will find their peace and happiness only through rational thinking and understanding  the system they are in,  and finding their place in it. Intellectual love of God for Sulphur is the greatest ideal, and people shouldn’t  give in to their feelings, especially to their need for fun which they consider very low need.

MIND – RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS – too occupied with religion – speculations; dwells on – asking questions: he is – who made God

MIND – DELUSIONS – abundance of everything, she has an

MIND – DELUSIONS – assembled things, swarms, crowds etc.

MIND – AMUSEMENT – aversion to

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – external things; to

 

Nothing exists from whose nature some effect does not follow.

Spinosa

For the  Sulphur patient every phenomenon is causal. He deeply believes that we create our own futures, which means that the future is determined by our actions and behaviour. In that way, everything that comes to us is necessary and useful.

MIND – DELUSIONS – ground – gave way beneath his feet

His huge power of rational thinking and ability to look at things from philosopher’s point of view makes him think of himself as a great person, better than others. He will develop self-esteem so much that he will become presuming. He is a boaster.

MIND – DELUSIONS – great person, is a

MIND – HAUGHTY

MIND – EGOTISM, self-esteem

MIND – BOASTER, braggart

Drunkenness is a state in which the person is under the influence of alcohol   and it gives him a feeling of facility, spontaneity and relaxation. But, alcohol isn’t the only thing that can make us drunk  and give us those feelings. We’re often intoxicated with love , beauty or maybe some idea. The rubrics below tell us that Sulphur when “intoxicated“ with some idea  becomes more intelligent and understands things easily. This is Sulphur’s passionate side which shows us that he doesn’t do anything cold-hearted or without passion. He will talk about everything openly, and spread  the most precious things for him- his ideas and his knowledge.

MIND – COMPREHENSION – easy – drunkenness, during

MIND – INTELLIGENT – drunkenness; more intelligent during

MIND – LOQUACITY – drunkenness, during

MIND – SQUANDERING

Hey, teacher, leave the kids alone!

“I’ve never let my school interfere with my education“

Mark Twain

“Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as hard duty. Never regard study as duty but as the enviable opportunity to learn to know the liberating influence of beauty in the realm of the spirit for your own personal joy and to the profit of the community to which your later work belongs.”
― Albert Einstein

It’s well known that Sulphur has an aversion to studying because he thinks that he is the smartest person on earth and that he knows everything. Actually, we have very little confirmation for this attitude in our repertories. First of all, Sulphur loves learning. He understands that knowledge is endless and that we are nothing else but consumers of its parts. Secondly, he enjoys reading and he is happy to learn something new. What is the thing that he doesn’t like about learning?

MIND – DELUSIONS – wealth of

MIND – READING – desires

“We don’t need no education.
We don’t need no thought control.
No dark sarcasm in the classroom.
Teacher leave the kids alone.
Hey, teacher leave the kids alone!
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall“

“Wall“ Pink Floyd

MIND – AVERSION – education; to

The rubrics are actually very clear. The thing that Sulphur doesn’t like isn’t learning, it’s education. Education is a process implemented in schools by programs which are made in the way that the most number of people could understand and follow.There are rules, and everything has to be as it is planned to be. Sulphur, who is eager to learn, curious and open minded,  doesn’t like that. For him, school is boring, uninspiring and limiting. He looks at education as indoctrination, which kills  imagination, creativity and individuality. This way of learning could only make him upset, and he probably won’t attend or even will  disturb  classes.

One of the greatest paradoxes about Sulphurs is that they will often teach others. In that situation, Sulphur will be torn between the hated school system and the vision of education that he has in his mind, which is rarely recognized as progressive and positive. He has a feeling that what is asked of him and his students is wrong, confining and bad for their development. People will consider those teachers  strange persons who ask too much of their children… and that “too much“ is to think with their own heads and to enjoy studying.

MIND – DELUSION – wrong – gives people something wrong from which they die; she

“Science is a wonderful thing

if one does not have to earn one’s living at it.”

Albert Einstein

The problems for Sulphur begin when he tries to turn his ideas into reality. When Sulphur plans to do something, he does it with all his strength. It’s never only one concrete plan or idea. He will use his imagination a lot, which will give him many ideas and opportunities.

MIND – PLANS – making many plans

MIND – FANCIES – exaltation of

MIND  – ARDENT

MIND – PASSIONATE

There is a strong desire to materialize his spiritual wealth, at the beginning. In his mind, everything is so  vivid, and he is hardly waiting to realise his ideas as some sort  of projects, most of the time in written form.

MIND – MENTAL EXERTION – desire for – literary work

The first time he tries to turn his ideas into projects, he will face some serious problems, and the biggest one will be:

MIND – TOUCHING everything; impelled to

“The truth was that the more Dr. Fischelson studied the more puzzling sentences, unclear passages and cryptic remarks he found. Each sentence contained hints unfathomed by any of the students of Spinoza…“

“Spinoza of Market Street“, Isak Bashevis Singer

’’Touch’’ is a short contact between two people, or between a person and an object. Touching is a short process, so  there is no time for deeper connection between objects. According to  length, strength and the function of the contact, we could choose between the rubrics: CLINGING, GRASPING, HOLDING… but Sulphur is not in any of these rubrics. He is never tied to one place, his thoughts always fly into different places and he isn’t able to estimate the real value of things.

MIND – DELUSIONS – small – things – appear small; things – large; sometimes very small and sometimes very

MIND – MATHEMATICS – inability for – horror of

MIND – FASTIDIOUS

MIND – REST – cannot rest when things are not in the proper place

MIND – TOUCHING – impelled to touch – everything 

MIND – DELUSIONS – figures seeing strange

Figure – unity which is defined and has a certain, unchangeable meaning.        

Math is a science in which it’s important to calculate the value of something. Sulphur doesn’t have that ability and some things that seem huge and  important to him at one moment will be small and pointless at another, and vice versa. He just can’t calculate the real value of things, and he doesn’t know how much time and space he should dedicate to them. He can be too petty, but he is very passionate when doing something and this characteristic enables him to leave his job undone. In this way, he is getting more and more entangled in the net and he can’t see anymore where it all ends.

MIND – CONFUSION of mind – mixes subjective and objective

Subjective is something that is personal, colored with emotions, something that we helped create. Objective is something dispassionate, real, seen without the influence of emotions. His passion and huge emotional strength might be the reasons for his inability to separate his visions from reality. He believes that everyone should share his opinion and see the world in the same way  he does.

MIND – CONFOUNDING – objects and ideas

Objects aren’t the parts of a nature.They are the pieces of material world with purposes, which man had made or adapted.The idea is a thought of how something should look like, a creation made in one’s mind which needs to be realised, manifested physically in order to get its purpose.To switch the meanings, means not being able to make a difference between two or more things, or being unable to see what makes the difference between them. In this context, the Sulphur  patient sees his ideas as they are already done/realized. For him, it’s enough to create the idea of something, and he can see it in his head as it already exists. Physical realisation is not really important for him.

The pictures in his mind are clear until he tries to put them on paper. Despite his eloquence, he can’t find the right words to explain/draw his thoughts in the way that others can understand. He is trapped in his mind, in a way.

Memory – the ability to keep words, pictures, colours, smells and sounds, senses of pleasantness and nuisance, in our minds and recall them anytime we need them, or when somethings wakes them up.

MIND- MEMORY – active, words for

MIND – DRAWING – inability for

MIND –  DELUSION – fog in brain; there is

 

What ever stopped you from becoming a poem?

 

What ever stopped you from becoming a poem?
You are and you are not a poem
You were conceived
during a non dream,
I heard you in my hearing,
I understood the words.
You were already alive
In my spirit.
What ever stopped you from becoming a poem?
And while you were still breathing within me
While my hand still held you close
You were more and more beautiful.

Like the Moon close to heavens
You shined during my non dream.
You rocked within me
On the swings of sound.
Sprouted from the sweetness of pain
Your beauty I was aware of.
What ever stopped you
From becoming a poem?

Desanka Maksimović

 

In the end we’ll have not only the aversion to the literal project, but the aversion to everyone who managed in turning their ideas into reality.

MIND – MENTAL EXERTION – aversion to – literary work

MIND – AVERSION – persons – literary; to

MIND – ENVY – qualities of others, at

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – failure – literary, scientific failure

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – embarrassment

For Sulphur, it’s devastating when someone worse than him can do better than he can. He can’t come to terms with that. He only appreciates his work, while the work of others disgusts him. We can see this from the following  rubrics in which the smell of the body (sweat) is a product of the organism. We’ll often say ’’sweat’’  for someone’s effort.

MIND – DISGUST – body; of the – own body; of one’s odor; but loves his

MIND – DISGUST – body; of the – own body; of one’s odor; of the – nausea; to the point of

MIND – EGOTISM

MIND – CENSORIOUS

Beauty before everything

Sulphur won’t face the reality for a long time. His philosophical mind and permanent desire for beauty will make him see the hidden beauty in everything, especially  when the real one  is not there.  He will easily overcome material value of things and he’ll recognize the traces of the past, effort and energy used for making them. The Sulphur patient often says: ’’This coat is old, but it was made of the best leather which is no longer produced. My granny sewed it for me and I value it more than any of those rags that you can buy these days’’

MIND – DELUSIONS – beautiful – rags seem, even              

MIND – DELUSIONS – rags are as fine as silk; old           

Sulphur never runs out of ideas. His best ideas and the greatest inspirations will appear at the evening or during the night. The greatest business successes will appear in his mind during the night, which is the period of non-activity and inability to concretize the imagined. During the night it’s impossible to make contacts and make some things real. Despite his enthusiasm and the energy he has, he’ll have to wait for the morning to come.  We could look at the evening and night as periods in which there is no possibility to make something real.

MIND – ABSORBED – evening

MIND – DELUSIONS – evening – going to sleep; on

MIND – DELUSIONS – evening – bed, in

MIND – EXCITEMENT – evening – bed, in

MIND – EXCITEMENT – night

MIND – EXCITEMENT – feverish – night

MIND – FANCIES – exaltation of – evening

MIND – FANCIES – exaltation of – evening – bed, in

MIND – FANCIES – exaltation of – night

MIND – IDEAS – abundant – evening – bed, in

MIND – IDEAS – abundant – night

MIND – IRRITABILITY – daytime – alternating with – cheerfulness – evening

MIND – LAZINESS – evening – amel.

MIND – RESTLESSNESS – evening

MIND – THOUGHTS – business; of – evening – bed; in

MIND – THOUGHTS – rush – evening – bed; in

MIND – THOUGHTS – rush – business accomplished; about – evening

In order to keep his visions, he needs to close his eyes. By closing our eyes, we enable new visual information to penetrate our mind. Visions are beautiful pictures of the future. This means that everything that comes from reality distracts his vision. For this reason, he has to close his eyes for the reality and give in to his visions. Reality pushes him really hard sometimes, but he still has a lot of ideas for improving his status and solving his problems.

MIND – FANCIES – exaltation of – sleeplessness, with

MIND – DELUSIONS – visions, has – closing the eyes, on

MIND – IDEAS – abundant, clearness of mind – night

The morning is a period when actions start, and so does the ability of Sulphur to realize his great ideas. But our Sulphur wakes up with the different feelings. The power of his emotions is getting weaker and weaker and he doesn’t have his inspiration from the last night anymore.

MIND – ANXIETY – morning

MIND – CONFUSION of mind – waking, on

MIND – CONFUSION of mind – morning – rising – when

MIND – DISCOURAGED – morning

MIND – DULLNESS – morning

MIND – LAUGHING – dream, during – comic dream, laughing continues after waking; during a

MIND – LAZINESS – morning

MIND – MOROSE – morning

MIND – SADNESS – morning

In this moment he doesn’t want to try anything new anymore, he gives in to his imagination and he searches for excuses.

MIND – BUSINESS – aversion to

MIND – INDIFFERENCE, apathy – business affairs, to

MIND – PRAYING

Every man has lots of roles to play in his life, which he can switch with someone  depending on the situation. For example, when he’s home, the dominant role is the father’s and husband’s role. When in the store, he will play the customer’s role, at the doctor’s he’ll play the patient’s role, he’ll play the turist’s role while travelling, employees role while working. We can state with confidence that the place we are at has the most influence on the roles that we are playing. Entering the certain place, we take some role with all the responsibility. But, our Sulphur is the only remedy in the rubric:

MIND – OUTDOORS; staying – desire to stay outdoors – two hours; staying outdoors exactly – sulph.

 We have two things here. First of all, he wants to stay in the open air, which means that he doesn’t want to take any of his roles. Second, the time he want’s to spend without playing a role is strictly limited. The rubric says: precisely two hours.

Which are those situations in which we make deadlines?Those are the situations for which we are certain that something will happen, or that’s the last chance in which we believe that something good could happen today. Anyway, our Sulphur is waiting, he made his deadline… if he fails, if magic doesn’t work, he’ll take the job that he doesn’t like, a job that is beneath his dignity, expectations, because he deserves better. Now the poverty pushes him, old rags are beautiful and precious, you can’t buy or make  anything similar nowadays, but the bills aren’t paid, maybe some food is missing, in every case he is confronted with the certainty of poverty that his creative mind can’t deny anymore. Our genius has to accept an ordinary, average job.

MIND – FEAR – looking – before her, when

MIND – DELUSIONS – thin – he is getting

MIND – DELUSIONS – want – he will come to

MIND – FEAR – starving of

Once Sulphur – always Sulphur

 When he finally accepts a job, Sulphur sees the possibility to become leader and innovator, although it’s unlikely to happen at his working place. Although he usually works as a low-ranking officer, he keeps his autocratic way of talking with people around him, and he tries to create policy of the collective in which he is. He makes his own decisions, even if they are outside his jurisdiction, and he demands that his associates follow his instructions, respect and realize his decisions. With subordinates, he communicates officially.

The greatest problem will appear in his relationships with his bosses. He’ll try to impose his will, because he really has great visions and he can’t see any obstacle in realization. He can’t seem to understand how the things function in such a primitive and uncreative way. Although good, his ideas usually don’t function in practice. Every suggestion, the smallest critic, Sulphur will take in a very hard way. He feels as if he’s loosing his reputation, or he faces the fact that, in such a simple environment, he never had one. His disagreement with superiors becomes very problematic.

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – mortification

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – offended; being

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – scorned; being

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – reputation; loss of

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – discords between – chief and subordinates

One thing is certain, Sulphur won’t be able to show his talent and realize his ideas here, as well. One way of creative adaptation for him is to accept  his disability and face the reality. He’ll console with some smaller and more manageable solutions. Sulphur refuses consolation. He’s a big player and he goes for all or nothing. He  got the chance and he’ll try to impose.  

MIND – WEEPING – consolation – comforted; no desire to be

MIND – GAMBLING – passion for gambling

Deep inside him, there’s still a lot of inspiration and creativity. The creative fire is burning but there’s no exit. His ideas aren’t accepted, they are  ridiculed and he has to keep them inside. He’ll tell himself that the others don’t deserve to have what he has to give.

MIND – SADNESS – eruptions – suppressed eruptions; with    

MIND – INSANITY – eruptions; after suppressed               

MIND – HYPOCHONDRIASIS – eruption; after suppression of     

MIND – ERUPTIONS; mental symptoms after suppression          

MIND – WEEPING – consolation – comforted; no desire to be   

MIND – SPOKEN TO; being – aversion

He has to put on the jersey in order to fit in the group. But, he doesn’t want to be like others. He want’s to stay unique. He sees ’’dead people’’ around him, the people without uniqueness, without the spirit, the energy and creativity which are essential for keeping the life in one’s body.

MIND – DRESS – aversion to – sadness; in

MIND – DESTRUCTIVENESS – clothes, of

MIND – DRESS – ridiculously; wants to dress

MIND – DELUSIONS – dead – persons, sees

After a lot of trying to impose his ideas, after failing in trying to present himself as an important person, Sulphur fails into a ’’stupor’’. It’s a state of total mental indifference and apathy. But, in another rubric, we see that there is one thing which can make his mind active again, and that will happen when someone asks him for an opinion or for help. He’ll repeat the question in order to make it a little more important and to make others see his abilities. But, unfortunately, he usually gives wrong or strange  answers. After another failure, he’s back to the state of stupor.

MIND – ANSWERING – stupor returns quickly after answering

MIND – ANSWERING – repeats the question first

MIND – ANSWERING – irrelevantly

At the and of the cycle we’ll find these rubrics:

MIND – INDIGNATION

MIND – POSTPONING everything to next day

MIND – THROWING things around

MIND – LOATHING – work

MIND – ANTISOCIAL

MIND – INDIFFERENCE, apathy – duties; to

MIND – ANSWERING – irrelevantly

MIND – SADNESS – fortune; from reverse of

MIND – DELUSIONS – visions, has – horrible

 

The poet resembles this prince of cloud and sky
Who frequents the tempest and laughs at the bowman;
When exiled on the earth, the butt of hoots and jeers,
His giant wings prevent him from walking.
“Albatross“, Charles Baudelaire

Nature didn’t give the opportunity for every seed to become a plant. Just like that, not every Sulphur will have the opportunity to give it’s fruit. A lot of them will end up as failed philosophers in rags, and only few will shine. Thanks to only a few  Sulphurs, the world goes forward. For a few of them who became powerful, there must be many others who fail in desperation and loneliness. We have to recognize them and give them Sulphur, because we can see the picture of Sulphur through his symptoms which make a clear and logical unity, and not because we are all Sulphurs  “a little’’.

 

Literature:

Roger Morrison, M.D. – „Desktop Guide to Keynotes and Confirmatory Symptoms“

Dr. Frederik Schroyens – „Synthesis, Repertorium Homeopathicum Syntheticum“ , edition 8.1

James Tyler Kent – „Lectures on homeopathic materia medica

Roger Van Zandvoort – Complete Repertory

Dr. M. L. Tyler – „Homoeopathic Drug Pictures“

Philip Baliey – „Homeopathic psychology“

Sanjay Sehgal, Yogesh Sehgal – “Perfect Materia Medica”

Isak Bashevis Singer – “Spinoza of Market Street”

Barcuh Spinoza – “Ethics”

Desanka Maksimovic – “Poems”

 

Copyright 2012 Simillimum Society for Spreading, Promotion and Improvement of Classical Homeopathy, Belgrade, Serbia.