4.2 CalciumCalcium metallicum has not been potentised yet for the same reasons that Kali and
Natrium haven’t been potentised yet, i.e. they are too highly reactive. The themes of
Calcium are not very different from the ones described in ‘
Homeopathy and
Minerals’ except for the theme ‘work’, which has not been mentioned previously. On top of this we can now say that the themes I described under the heading of
Calcium are in fact applicable to
Stage 2 in general. This aspect had not been clear before, probably due to the fact that most of our knowledge about
Calcium had previously been deduced from our knowledge of
Calcium carbonicum, where Carbonicum plays an equally important role, and whose influence we were not able to separate out from the overall picture until now.
Signature
The name is derived from the Latin ‘calx’, which means chalk. It gets used in building materials such as cement, concrete and plaster.
The pure metal is used as a reduction agent in chemical processes to free other metals from their chemical compounds.
Concepts Stage 2 Iron series Observing Task Work Duty Appreciating Craft Use
Criticising Ability Perfectionism
Shy Unsure Routine Order Rules
Finding your niche Control Exam
Joining ranks Observed Criticised
Adapting Yielding Failure Guilt Crime
Passively observing Persecuted
Protecting Adult
Covering Village
AnalysisUnsure about their task.
Wanting to be watched doing their work.
Feeling watched in the way he works.
Uncertain when he receives criticism.
Uncertain during exams.
Passively carrying out their task: normal.
Uncertainty makes them check everything.
Only feels safe when he can perform his task.
Protects himself with routines.
Passivity leads to failure.
Determining your position in the village.
Picture of
Calcium metallicum
Essence: uncertain about their task.
Uncertain about their taskThey feel it is not enough to have the right principles. They can’t just go and do something, they should be tested on their ability to perform the task.
We could see it as a the next step after stage 1, where there is only action. In stage 2 they suddenly get the feeling ‘I am doing something and others are observing me’. The reaction is that they want to make sure they are doing it properly.
Wanting to be watched when they perform their task
Apart from the aspect of wanting to make sure they do things properly, they also like to be watched out of a sense of ‘Look at me, I am taking part too!’ (Flip Stehouwer, personal comment). In stage 1 they simply do, in stage 2 they want to be seen doing it.
Observed in the way they functionThe central theme in
Calcium, however, is the fear what other people will think of them. So their fear is that the way they perform their task will be criticised. They feel they are always being watched, especially by the people from the village, the people they know personally. The feeling of ‘being observed’ is typical of the whole
Iron series, and it is typical of
Stage 2, which makes
Calcium the single most important element in this rubric.
This kind of attitude can easily be passed on from parent to child. For instance, when a child is misbehaving in a doctor’s waiting room, the mother will get annoyed and start to feel embarrassed. She feels that all the other people are looking at her with disapproval: ’Look at that woman, she can’t even control her child for five minutes’. She will try and do what she can to keep the child quiet, so she might say: ‘What will all these people think of you behaving like that?’ If she does this sort of thing often enough the child will pick up a feeling of uncertainty, always wondering what the people around will think of him. And so the theme gets passed on from mother (or father) to child.
Passively performing their taskA typical way of protecting yourself from curious looks is to act very normal. So these people will try to be as normal as possible, doing nothing out of the way to attract the attention unduly. This way they can be seen and at the same time not seen. It is a sort of camouflage. Simply performing their task gives them a sense of security.
In extreme cases they might feel so unsure about themselves that they don’t dare to do any work. They become totally passive, believing it is impossible to carry out a normal job.
Uncertain when they receive criticismThe fear that others will not think them good enough shows itself in an extreme sensitivity to criticism. One the one hand they like to be watched, and on the other hand they are very afraid that their performance is not up to standard. When they have to take an exam they suddenly don’t know anything for certain anymore. They don’t answer back when someone criticises them, they will merely protect themselves and try and hide their mistakes.
An example of an original situation where such an extreme sensitivity could have started is when they are being criticised in public. They feel that if criticism is due at all, it should always be discussed behind closed doors.
They hardly ever criticise someone else, they simply don’t feel up to it, except perhaps to very close family or friends. And if they do it is usually in the form of ‘Aren’t you being a bit too outrageous?’ They hate to attract attention and if their family or friends act a bit outrageously they feel acutely embarrassed.
Protecting yourself through routinesThey tend to withdraw and surround themselves with a protective layer, in the way an oyster hides in his shell. This is a passive form of defence. They tend to wait and see, rather than go for it. This doesn’t mean to say that they might not work very hard. It simply means that their way of defence is passive and this tendency is reflected in their physical appearance and the type of complaints. The child will sit on his mother’s lap and bury his face in her chest, not wanting to look at the doctor. Later on these gestures become more subtle, such as holding a hand in front of their mouth, or crossing the arms.
Passivity leads to failureThe greatest risk is that this passive behaviour might lead to failure. They don’t dare react and in unusual situations this can cause problems. Their ability to adapt is not sufficient to maintain their position in an unusual or threatening situation.
ExpressionsFears: being abnormal, loss, disease, poverty, future, mistakes, anticipation, being watched by the village, judged on their values; heights, failure, criticism, opposition.
Dreams: futile efforts, paralysis.
Mental: perfectionist.
GeneralsType: fat and weak.
Locality: left.
Weather: cold, < damp, < cold.
Perspiration: on back of head and neck.
Time: < 3 pm.
Desires: sweet (2), egg (2) soft boiled, milk.
Menses: profuse.
Sleep: on abdomen.
Physical: > lying on abdomen.
ComplaintsCancer.
Paralysis.
Swollen glands, thyroid.
Hypothyroidism.
Heart complaints, hypertrophy.
Myoma.
Anaemia (3).
Stomach problems.
Diabetes.
Kidneys.
DD Iron series,
Stage 2.
DD Kali: simply does what he considers to be his duty, the task he has taken on. They don’t think about it very much.
Calcium does think about the way he works, he is suddenly conscious of the fact that both he himself and others are able to watch his performance, and he wonders what the outcome of this observation will be.