This is part three of a four-part series

Jiuan Heng, PhD, CCH

The next time we meet, Andrea’s symptoms have all improved significantly and we talk about what lies ahead. Homeopathy helps to resolve stumbling blocks and liberates a child’s potential. True healing lies in enabling her to meet her challenges, not as if she were Staphysagria, but as Andrea. If I can help her to identify and to step into her own strengths, to be aware of how she responds to stress and what she can do to meet them in the moment, she will grow that much stronger.  The Five Elements and homeopathy converge beautifully, as we shall see.  

Knowing Andrea’s individual holistic pattern from a homeopathic perspective (Staphysagria), I had an inkling that Andrea’s Superpower is Water, with a helping of Gold. A Water child is insightful and imaginative! I invite her to explore each season, their different flavors, their meanings and to imagine how these forces of nature might express themselves within us.

“Spring,” she begins, “is when everything bursts into life. Trees start to leaf out. There’s so much pollen. I get hay fever and my eyes itch and tear. Sometimes I can’t even go outdoors for days.”  She imagines that the kids who embody the energy of Spring/Wood must be “bursting with energy. They can’t sit still. They’re loud and they’re always busy. That’s my mom!”

“In the Summer,” she continues, “we are on vacation. There’s less pressure. We’re more relaxed, and have more fun in the summer. Children who have Summer/Fire power must be lots of fun to be with.”

She did not have much impression of late summer or the harvest season, except that she enjoys apple picking.

“Fall,” she picks up again, “is when the leaves change color. It feels different when you’re a child, and when you grow older. Before, I just thought it was so pretty. Now, I feel sad when fall comes. The leaves are pretty, but they are also dying. I can’t think of one without the other. I know that very soon, there will be no more leaves.” 

I tell her that without the leaves, we see the structure of the trees more clearly. “Yes, it’s not hidden by the leaves.” I also tell her that it’s the best time to plant trees and bulbs so that they can rest and send down their roots without having to grow leaves over the winter.

“Planning!” she concludes, very excited. “These people are the real leaders, very charismatic. They have everything together. They’re not disorganized. When they have everything together, they can tell other people what’s what.”

“Winter” is “quiet and peaceful. You want to curl up and read a book.” She is reminded of Water. “Water flows all over. With water, a little touch leaves ripples all over. Just like homeopathy! And there’s also snow. Every snowflake is different.”