Mercurius vivus

6.12 Mercurius vivusAnother name for Mercurius is quick silver. The ordinary metal is called Mercurius vivus in homoeopathic circles, vivus indicating that is is ‘alive, i.e. it is fluid at room temperature. But the most commonly used homoeopathic form is Mercurius solubilis, a combination of mercury, ammonium and nitrate, invented by Hahnemann, its chemical formula is 2(NH2Hg2)NO3.H2O. Hahnemann invented this compound in his pre- homoeopathic years as a substitute for the more aggressive mercury compounds which were used in allopathic medicine at the time. It was quickly taken up by his contemporaries and soon replaced the other mercury compounds. However, Hahnemann preferred to use Mercurius vivus as a homoeopathic medicine: ‘One small globule, moistened with the dilution of hydragyrum purum is the appropriate dose of this very medicinal metal for all suitable cases (MM page 146).
Geukens (seminar Wageningen) was of the opinion that their was no noticeable difference between the different mercury compounds and that Mercurius solubilis was sufficient to treat all cases. But during the course of my practice I have discovered that there is indeed a difference between the various mercury substances and that it is useful to try and differentiate between them. Clarke (Vol. 2 page 438) doesn’t differentiate between Mercurius solubilis and Mercurius vivus.
I must say that the difference between the two can be quite subtle, but the relationship to fat and butter seems to me to be due to the nitrate component of Mercurius solubilis.SignatureMercurius is named after the Roman God Mercurius, the God of trade and science. The planet Mercurius is named after the same God. Mercurius is sometimes called hydrargyum, ‘watery silver’. Its shine and colour are very similar to silver, but mercury is a fluid at room temperatures. The name quick silver is a translation of hydrargyum, where the word quick describes its tendency to scatter away in all directions.
The droplets have a tendency to conglomerate to one big mass, but on being shaken they fall apart into countless little droplets again. It is used to ignite explosives, like mercury fulminate, the explosive character is one of its general themes.
Mercury dissolves gold, silver, natrium and Kalium. It is used in amalgam fillings (a mixture of mercury, silver, tin and zinc). It is also used in mercury switches,-aligner and -batteries, as well as in barometers, thermometers, blood pressure gages, lights and ultra violet lamps.
Concepts Stage 12 Gold series Overshooting the mark Leadership Management
Exaggerating Over reacting Organisation Structure
Overdoing Responsible
Repeating Serious Heavy
Pollution King
Decay Power Dictatorial
Divided Dignified haughty
Enemies Alone Isolation
Failure Hurt
Religion Sexuality
Ripe old age
Land
Eyes VisionAnalysisOverdoing the power: dictatorship.
Exaggerated arrogance.
Exaggerated organisation.
Decay of power.
Exaggerated responsibility.
Repeating strategies to hold on to power.
Repeating tricks to hold on to power: manipulation.
Enemies of the king.
Enemies of the organisation: suspicion.
Everybody is an enemy and they are totally alone.
Exaggerated feeling of loneliness.
Enemies have to be dealt with dictatorial measures.
Decline of the empire.Picture of Mercurius vivusEssence: the position of power is being threatened.Exaggerated power: tyrannyThey want to hold to to power at any cost, but they feel they are being threatened. This makes them overreact in an effort to maintain control. They become dictatorial and will not tolerate any contradiction or insult. Their thirst for power turns them into real tyrants, using the techniques of: ‘divide and rule’.Exaggerated responsibilityThe responsibility for their task is very important to them. They feel they are the only one who is capable of taking this on and they dare not hand over to anyone else out of fear that it might all go wrong. That is why they get so angry when someone takes over without asking them first. They are also hard workers, can be workaholics.
Enemies of the organisation: suspicion
Danger is lurking on all side, their exaggerated control and dictatorial behaviour doesn’t make them very popular. There are enemies all over the place and they don’t know who they can trust anymore. Well meant advice from trustworthy people is seen as a scheme to overthrow their reign. The only way to cope is by planning all sorts of intrigues themselves. It is a typical picture of paranoia.Exaggerated organisation: manipulationTheir tendency to control is based on their fear that others will try and oppose them and rob them of their power. They would register and control every single thought and every single act if they were given the chance. The most extreme form of control is seen in the situation of the dictator and his secret service. Manipulation and intrigues are the order of the day. It is meant to be a way to keep their feeling of insecurity at bay, but it soon turns into an uncontrollable quagmire of schemes and counter schemes.
The delusion of grabbing someone’s nose is symbolic for the fact that that is what they do all day long, in the sense of trying to mislead other people so they can remain in control.Repeating old strategies as a means of holding on to power
The are very conservative and want everything to remain the same. The only way to hold on to power is to make sure that nothing changes, or so they think. They cannot move with the times, that is why the times turn against them. They cannot tolerate any change in the status quo, neither physically nor mentally. As Vithoulkas says: ‘Mercurius has a narrow range of tolerance to everything’. They are a living thermometer. Slight aberrations are seen as an attack to their power, whether this is on the physical or on the mental level; < cold, < heat, < damp, < dry, etc.Repeating tricks to hold on to power: manipulation
They have a tendency to repeat the same old tricks time and time again. It worked in the past so why shouldn’t it work now? The difference is that the tricks of the past were relevant to the situation at that time, but now they are totally outdated. Not only that, but everyone knows these tricks by now and is not in the least bit fooled by the antics of the old king. The people have developed their own measures to deal with it and are likely to outsmart him in any confrontation.The decline of the empireThey also tend to repeat the old solutions to problems within the empire. But this doesn’t always work anymore, ’more doesn’t always mean better’. On the contrary, repeating the same old strategies brings the economy out of balance. There is a shortage in one area and a surplus in another and it becomes impossible to even it out. The community drowns in its own ‘success’ and decay has started to set in.Exaggerated arroganceThe enemies are digging holes in the fortress of the old empire. This is symbolic for the physical symptoms we find in Mercurius: ulcers, caries of the teeth, syphilis, etc. They see enemies all around them but often interpret this as an injustice. The enemies haven’t got the ‘right to’ oppose them like this.
Enemies of the king: revolutionary
A variation on this theme is that they are the ones who turn into enemies of the powers that be. The feel that the dictator has gone too far, he has become too arrogant and his days are numbered. They feel that either they themselves, or their family members have been treated unfairly and they have had enough. They turn into revolutionaries or anarchists and try to take over the power form their usurpers. They decide who will live and who will die, they use explosives and bombs, often containing mercury, in a ruthless bid for power.Isolated by enemiesThey feel terribly alone as a leader because there is nobody they can trust, everybody has turned into an enemy.Enemies have to be controlled with dictatorial measures
They feel very angry that their power has been attacked. They usually contain this anger, although it isn’t easy. But the extreme control that is needed to keep this in check results in different involuntary movements, such as trembling of the hand or trembling voice, even stammering. Deep inside their is an impulse to murder everybody, to kill them with a knife, to stab them with a hot iron rod and any other such methods. They are very afraid of death themselves, afraid that their enemies will kill them to take over the reign. Betrayal is a very strong theme in this remedy. It can be likened to the situation of Julius Caesar who was stabbed by enemies coming from all directions, even by his ’trusted’ friend Brutus.FailureWhen their organisation comes under attack they feel they have failed. They may even get the feeling that they have committed a crime.SexualitySexual maturity comes to them at an early age. Vithoulkas describes them as being very sexual, but only after they have come to trust someone. They are monogamous but once they have sexual contact with someone they can be quite perverse in their desires, wanting to have anal sex or tending towards homosexuality. They may also have many different sexual partners.ExpressionsFears: heights, falling, murder, death, suicide, heart disease, stroke, insanity, people, crowds, enemies, religious, devil, God, cat, thunder, poverty, looked at, fire, pension, accidents, murder.
Dreams: heights, falling, suicide, attacked, threatened, violence, murder, war, fights, angels, hell, vulnerable, travelling, cracking walls, falling of a revolving platform, brakes not working.
Delusions: superior, angels, alone, everyone is his enemy (3!), criminal, being in hell.
irritability: checked (!), obstinate, irritable, cynical, quarrelsome, angry, aggressive, furious, murderous impulses by stabbing people with a hot iron in their stomach, < injustice, < offence, < minor insult.
Mood: haughty, suppressed (!), laughing alternating with crying, restless, hasty, indifferent, discontented, sadness, gloomy, desperate, wants to be dead, suicidal with knives, crying.
Mental: absent minded, confused, no thoughts, no ideas, forgetful, lack of concentration, rigid, mistakes in speaking, insane; mania.
Contacts: closed, withdrawn, silent, timid, <- talking, slow in talking, clear, direct, reserved.
Sexual: nymphomania, excesses, homosexual.
Professions: king, leader, director, manager, president, chairman, captain, mayor, bishop, top sportsman or woman, magistrate, judge, lawyer, criminal.
Causes: disaster, hurt, humiliation, too much responsibility, loss of position, business or power.GeneralsType: male, dark hair, overweight, small weak chin; robust or weak or aristocratic (Van der Zee, personal comment).
Locality: right.
Weather: cold; < cold or warm(3!); > open air; < gloomy, cloudy < dry.
Perspiration: profuse, < night, stinking, putrid, aggravates (3!).
Time: < 9 pm, < night (3).
Desires: alcohol, drugs, bread and butter, sweet, cold water.
Aversion: meat, eating, sweet, butter, alcohol, coffee, fat.
Food: < drugs, > eating, < fasting.
Menses: < menses, < pregnancy, < during and after giving birth.
Sleep: sleeplessness (3), on left side.
Physical: < rest, < sitting, < lying, > walking, > motion, < dark, > pressure, > rubbing, < touch.ComplaintsWeakness, nervousness and restlessness.
Pains: boring, contracting.
Sensations: swollen, blown up, heavy, full.
Glands swollen, inflamed, indurated. Abscesses and necrosis.
Paralysis, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis. Shocks and jerking, tremors (repeats, 3!).
Cancer: bones, lymph glands, uterus, testes, ovaries, nose, breasts, bones, Kahler, Hodgkin, leukemia.
Epilepsy, clonic, tonic, tetanic. No feeling.
Headache, boring, congestive, above right eye, in bones.
Eye complaints: inflammations, disturbance in vision. Near sighted. Strabismus (3). Colour blind.
Ear infections, throat infections (3), nose infections, ozaena, sinusitis.
Loss of hearing.
Dirty sweetish odour from mouth (3!), metallic taste, profuse salivation < sleep. Aphthae. Teeth imprints on tongue, yellow coating, ulcers.
Trembling voice, stammering.
Problems with teeth, inflammation of roots, and gums.
Throat infections, inflamed tonsils. Pain in sternum.
Hyperventilation.
Heart complaints: high blood pressure, infarction, failure.
Congestion of blood. Cerebral haemorrhage, anaemia.
Breasts: painful, swelling, inflammation, nodules, cancer.
Pulse: too fast, too slow, full, weak, irregular.
Infections in the bowels, stools thin, stinking, with blood and mucus.
Cramps and terribly painful urging. Crohn, colitis ulcerosa.
Problems with testes and ovaries: inflammations, cancer, cryptorchism, sterility, amenorrhoea, metrorragia. Syphilis (3). Urethritis, leucorrhoea, balanitis, cystitis.
Affections of bones: necrosis, inflammation. Inflammation of the joints.
Acne. Deep ulcers with grey lardaceous base, spreading. Lepra.
DD: Gold series, Stage 12, Acidums, Magnesium, Natriums, Anacardium, Androc., Arsenicum, Baptesia, Causticum, Helonias, Hepar sulphuris, Medorrhinum, Mercurialis, Mezereum, Nux vomica, Stannum, Staphysagria, Syphilinum.
DD Aurum: doesn’t feel so threatened, knows that all he has to do is to keep the organisation up and running. Mercurius feels that he is being threatened from all sides, that he has to manipulate and use all sorts of tricks to keep his power intact.
DD Astatinum: is a real anarchist who doesn’t take any notice of anybody. Mercurius is more of a revolutionary type of person.