LIfe-force in Hahnemann's thought and in Judaism
The life force is an essential concept in homeopathy. According to Hahnemann: "in health, a spirit-like force 'enlivens' an individual; the rational spirit is free to use the self as an instrument to achieve the higher purpose of existence" (9). It is not clear to me thus far if the life force, in Hahnemann's view, tends towards the higher purpose of life or if this is something that completely comes from the rational spirit. I expect this is something that will become more clear to me as I have the opportunity to become familiar with Hahnehann's thought.
In Judaic thought (as I understand it) "life force" is more or less synomonous with "soul". The soul is conceptualized as having five levels of progressive refinement:
In Hahnemann's thought, since the disease, the medicine, and the life force are all active on the same plane, the way to influence the life force and heal the suffering life force is through medication. The medicine is stronger than the disease, but resonates with a similar pattern. When the medicine is administered, it grabs and subsumes the disease like a larger flame would subsume a smaller flame. The medicine is not self-perpetuating and its resonance will die away, taking the disease which it has subsumed with it and leaving the life force of the individual to function normally.
The flame analogy has been used in Judiasm to describe the connection between the soul and G@D. In proverbs, 20:27 it is written: "A light from G@D is the soul of man, revealing all man's innermost parts." A jew is commanded to love G@D with all one's heart, all one's soul, and all one's resources. This is accomplished through patterns of individual and group behavior and prayer. Examples of behavior:
***(I'm writing G@D with a symbol "@" in place of the "O", because Jews don't believe that the concept of G@D can be expressed by anything having the limitations inherent in a single human-uttered word. Jews therefore have a practice of not saying or writing the word, lest we begin to accept G@D as a principle limited by the word "GOD". Very pious people will just say "ha-shem" (translation--"the name") when they want to refer to G@D. I have found this to be a very nice practice for getting rid of any pre-conceived notions one has about G@D)
^^^(This is from Mishnah Rabbah, Genesis 14:11 by way of Rabbi Gershon Winkler in "The Soul of the Matter, Judaica Press, Brooklyn, NY, 1981, p7).
In Judaic thought (as I understand it) "life force" is more or less synomonous with "soul". The soul is conceptualized as having five levels of progressive refinement:
- The first level, NEFESH, is very subjective and focused on self; this subjectiveness blurs awareness of G@D***
- The next level, RUACH, is described as emotional awareness
- NESHAMA, the third level, represents passive creative imagination and active creative thought.
- On the fourth level, CHAYYIAH, life experience is connected to G@D
- On the fifth level, YECHIDAH, the soul is unified with G@D ^^^
In Hahnemann's thought, since the disease, the medicine, and the life force are all active on the same plane, the way to influence the life force and heal the suffering life force is through medication. The medicine is stronger than the disease, but resonates with a similar pattern. When the medicine is administered, it grabs and subsumes the disease like a larger flame would subsume a smaller flame. The medicine is not self-perpetuating and its resonance will die away, taking the disease which it has subsumed with it and leaving the life force of the individual to function normally.
The flame analogy has been used in Judiasm to describe the connection between the soul and G@D. In proverbs, 20:27 it is written: "A light from G@D is the soul of man, revealing all man's innermost parts." A jew is commanded to love G@D with all one's heart, all one's soul, and all one's resources. This is accomplished through patterns of individual and group behavior and prayer. Examples of behavior:
- ceasing from labor and experiencing a day of rest, peace, and enjoyment one day a week
- guarding speech to avoid saying bad things about other people (because speech has creative power)
- making blessings before and after eating
- upon arising: "I give thanks before you, living and eternal ruler, for you have returned with me my NISHMATI with compassion, abundant is your faithfulness!"
- upon putting on the prayer shawl: "I am ready to wrap my body in the prayer shawl, so may be wrapped NISHMATI and my organs and sinews in the illumination of the prayer shawl...rescued may my NAFSHI, my RUHI, my NISHMATI and my prayer be from the external forces...."
- as part of the morning prayers: "My G@D the NESHAMA you have placed within me is pure. You created it, you fashioned it, you breathed it into me, you safeguard it within me, and you will eventually take it from me and restore it to me in the time to come. All the time that the soul is within me I give thanks before you G@D and the got of my ancestor, master of all works, lord of all souls. Blessed are you who restores souls to the bodies that are dead."
***(I'm writing G@D with a symbol "@" in place of the "O", because Jews don't believe that the concept of G@D can be expressed by anything having the limitations inherent in a single human-uttered word. Jews therefore have a practice of not saying or writing the word, lest we begin to accept G@D as a principle limited by the word "GOD". Very pious people will just say "ha-shem" (translation--"the name") when they want to refer to G@D. I have found this to be a very nice practice for getting rid of any pre-conceived notions one has about G@D)
^^^(This is from Mishnah Rabbah, Genesis 14:11 by way of Rabbi Gershon Winkler in "The Soul of the Matter, Judaica Press, Brooklyn, NY, 1981, p7).
posted by elizmr at 6:21 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home