Check out our summer issue!
We speak with Abbas about his revamped homeopathic clinic & he shares the fantastic philosophy guiding his healing work.
Keep on reading to learn more…
We have long been fans of Down to Earth, a health food store and homeopathic dispensary, on Dublin’s South Great George’s Street. It is always a joy to speak with them when they appear on the pages of our magazine. In our Summer 2020 issue, founder Jack Irwin shared an amazing historical link between the present-day store, and an old homeopathic dispensary which existed on the very same spot during the 1850s!
Our friends at the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM) Ireland have a series of exciting new events to announce during the month of September! Three open evenings will be offered in Dublin, Cork, and Galway, where you can learn all about CNM’s range of courses. Dr. Udo Erasmus will also be appearing at CNM in Dublin for a talk entitled ‘Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill’. Read on to learn more!
CNM offers an incredibly wide range of courses in the field of naturopathic medicine. These include: diploma courses in Naturopathic Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, Acupuncture and Homeopathy; short courses in Nutrition for Everyday Living and Herbs for Everyday Living; and a post-graduate course in Iridology. If you are curious and want to learn more, what better way to do this than by attending one of CNM’s upcoming open evenings?
Trained Course Consultants will be present at each open evening to answer any questions you may have about the courses and about CNM in general. Each open evening is free to attend – you are simply advised to register your interest using the links above – so why not give one of them a try?
Health-promoting fats have been shown to help prevent and reverse so-called incurable degenerative diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and type II diabetes. These fats also enhance athletic performance, skin beauty, longevity, and energy levels.
Dr. Udo Erasmus is an internationally recognised nutritionist, lecturer, and writer who specialises in the study of fats, oils, cholesterol, and essential fatty acids.
In collaboration with Savant Health, Dr. Erasmus will visit CNM Dublin on the 6th of September, exposing the manufacturing processes that can turn healthy fats into ‘killing’ fats. He will explain the impact of both good and bad fats on human health and disease.
During his talk, you will learn:
Dr. Erasmus’ talk will take place from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m. on Thursday 6th September in CNM Dublin, Griffith College, South Circular Road, Merchants’ Quay, Dublin 8. Tickets cost €15. To book your place, just click here.
Homoeopathy has been with us in the modern context for about two hundred years, though the concept of healing like with like goes back to ancient Greece c. 400BC. Hippocrates used the famous Greek tragedy as catharsis for people suffering from grief – in watching the grief onstage it prompted them to spill out their own grief, thus bringing about healing. This application of the homoeopathic principle is a good illustration of how it works. The introduction of the remedy stimulates a person’s system into a healing response which is what brings about the improvement. Homoeopathy has uses which are many and varied.
It can benefit people suffering from acute complaints which come on relatively quickly, are self-limiting and are over in a few weeks at most. These are ailments such as gastric upsets, childhood illnesses, colds and flu – anything that comes up once and moves on again. Homoeopathy can help the individual move through the illness more easily, without getting stuck in it. These rarely require more than one consultation with a homoeopath. They also respond very well to self-help measures at home. A good book and/or workshop on the use of homoeopathy in the home and a remedy kit to deal with a range of ailmentsis a good place to start. The kits available have a range of remedies that would cover most simple situations and a workshop can give the owner the skill and knowledge to get going with it.
Chronic complaints are generally defined as being of longer duration than six weeks and are generally more deeply -seated. Anything that recurs on a regular basis would fall into this category – for example reccurrent coughs and colds, skin complaints, menstrual disorders, IBS etc. Children who seem to be always sick can respond very well to homoeopathy. Treatment is more complex and is best carried out by a qualified homoeopath. Based on personality and lifestyle, medical history and other factors, your homoeopath will select a remedy that best matches your symptoms.
The treatment process varies in length, ranging from an initial consultation with just one or two follow-ups to treatment lasting several months or occasionally years. Many people find that taking the time out to talk about themselves very therapeutic in itself. Lifestyle issues can come to light in this way and new directions and decisions are often part of the healing process.
For those with long-term illnesses for which there is no expected cure, homoeopathy has many ways of dealing with quality of life issues and the amelioration of symptoms. It is possible to make people more comfortable with the use of remedies even when a cure is not expected. It has been used widely in care of the elderly and also in treatment of patients with conditions such as CF, MS or cancer.
Homoeopathy is sometimes used for transformation and spiritual development. Remedies can help to bring us more in touch with ourselves and to move more easily through life, especially in times of transition. If life is changing around us, or our circumstances have become difficult for us, remedies can provide gentle assistance in moving from one phase of life to another. It’s easy to get stuck in an emotion or to get trapped in anxiety for the future, depression or grief. Homoeopathy provides people in these situations with support to move through life with more ease. In the area of addiction, remedies can help people through the process of recovery as well as helping them to detox their bodies.
Homoeopathy can be excellent in the maintenance of health, providing fine-tuning when necessary. Sometimes when we’re a bit run-down or have several small niggly ailments a well-prescribed remedy can put us back on track again, leaving us the energy to get on with life to the full.
Elinor Hitching Lic ISH, IS Hom is a Registered Homeopath working in Ennis.
Unexpected pleasures and silver linings.
By 2008 I had left my “respectable” job, had lost everything and could not pay the mortgage. I told the bank that they could keep the house but they did not appreciate my generosity! Instead, they terrified me with solicitor’s letters full of very big words. What a pickle I was in!
I got a dictionary responded using some big words of my own. I remember hesitating at post boxes, doing an awkward shuffle like it was my first moment at the Funky Seomra, but soon I got into the groove. I was amazed when the banks couldn’t answer my questions. I raised my game and started adding humour to my letters. I once sent my comedy video as “full and final payment of all alleged debts.” Thanks to my financial impoverishment, I have learned about the law, the matrix of nonsense (aka our financial system) and more importantly, my beautiful, powerful, beloved Self.
In 2010 I was admitted to hospital with problems that neither surgery nor antibiotics were able to heal. As a homeopath, I actually even assisted in diagnosing myself, while there, with mercury poisoning. I was devastated. But on my path to recovery, I was advised to go for a session of Craniosacral Therapy (CST).
My first session was mind-blowing and it led me on to the most amazing journey. It is the most sacred healing modality I have ever encountered. It helped me to release emotions and patterns I had held in my body. I left my career in Equity Finance and now, work full-time as an alternative health practitioner and I’ve become a qualified CST Therapist myself. That difficult time was the catalyst to becoming the person I am today and I am the happiest, healthiest and most grounded I have ever been. I am eternally grateful.
In September 2007, I started in the highest-profile, highest-paid job of my career. Yet six months later, I knew it wasn’t the right fit. I had always harboured ideas of setting up on my own, perhaps now was the time to start thinking. In September 2008, I visited California to research an idea. As I flew home, the finance world capitulated and September 2009 saw me called into the boss’s office; the instability was going to affect me. I had spent 12 months refining my idea, now was my time to act. It seemed like the planets were aligning!
In December 2009, I signed the lease for Pablo Picante Burrito Bar on Baggot St. When I opened the doors in February 2010, the burritos sold out! November of that year, it was number four in the Dubliner’s Top 100 restaurants list and since then then, two other Pablo Picantes have opened. I’m still reeling.
Lynn Hodgins
Eleven years ago, I was not into spirituality at any level but a friend was going through a difficult time and asked me if I would attend a yoga course with her. Yoga was something I had no interest in. Reluctantly, I agreed to go. I had visions of sitting cross-legged on the floor chanting “Om”. I could not have been more wrong.
Yoga has completely transformed my life! It helped me find power within to heal myself physically, mentally and emotionally. I knew it was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. After two years of consistent practise, I enrolled on an intensive yoga teacher training apprenticeship. I truly believe it’s my life’s purpose to unite peoples’ mind, body and soul so that they too can become open to the vast experience that life has to offer.
Coming from an extremely Catholic family, who suggested adoption as the solution to my ‘crisis’ pregnancy, my decision to welcome this human actually turned out to be the best adventure of my life. Although I felt stressed and immature in myself, my heart and soul trusted these would pass. Her appearance in a relatively new relationship, propelled me to take stock and become clear about my needs.
The first year was challenging in many ways but her wondrous and eternally optimistic child-life convinced us that another kiddo was a brilliant idea! Our son was born exactly 3 years 364 days after his big sister. Eleven years after this ‘crisis’, our healthy, secure, kind and creative son and daughter make the initial stress a tiny and distant memory. I have learned to forgive and thank myself for saying YES to possibility, to the unknown and to myself.
Once I went to Biarritz with one of my best friends to try surfing for the first time. Never having tried it before, I was a bit worried. Once we arrived, the weather was terrible and the sea seemed very threatening. But the next day I decided to throw myself into it anyway. After much struggle, I finally reached the area of the sea that surfers call the “line up”. This is a truly magical place because after facing challenges to overcome the breaking waves, you get to a place where the waves begin to take shape before crashing down. Here, seated on your board, you are swayed by the sea. I was filled with a feeling of peace and calm that I had rarely felt before. Definitely an unexpected pleasure.
By Elaine Geary
Homoeopathy has always believed that health begins at a cellular level and this must be maintained to sustain our wellbeing. In his biochemic theory, Dr. Schu?ssler, a German physician and founder of tissue salts, analysed human tissues and found twelve inorganic substances in common. He studied imbalances between these minerals and the link to diseases. Mineral deficiencies are the most common source of health problems and tissue salts derived from these minerals give the body what it needs to prevent and remedy problems.
Tissue salts, also commonly referred to as ‘cell salts’, are homeopathic remedies made from the basic mineral compounds that the cells in the body depend on. They are Calc. Flour, Calc. Phos, Calc. Sulph, Kali. Sulph, Kali. Phos, Kali. Mur, Nat. Mur, Nat. Phos, Nat. Sulph, Ferr. Phos, Mag. Phos and Silica. BioPlasma Liquescence is a supertonic combining all the tissue salts and is a great energy tonic.
These micro-dosed minerals are quickly absorbed and help stimulate the body’s natural responses. Tissue salts offer an easy- to-take solution to lift a fever or a cold and even improve skin and digestion. As well as this, they can be used in treating emotional stresses and detoxification.
Tissue salts have seen a recent resurgence in popularity and continue to encourage good health from the foundation level, up.
A fresh approach to health
It’s the perfect time of year for reflection. How are you doing? How are you feeling? What’s working for you and what might be holding you back? In reflection, we may discover indicators that are telling us to allow ourselves some space and time for healing. It’s an opportunity to move forward to new solutions and can be an empowering step in our path. The healing spaces we give ourselves can be enhanced and even super-boosted by the right therapy, the right therapist or the right environment, so we’ve selected some you may have never even heard of, for your fresh, new approach to health.
After an intensive Masters, I was burnt out; not even able to raise my head off the pillow to lift a glass of water. My quality of life and well-being took a turn for the worse. I heard about a sophisticated, energetic medicine system called the INDIGO or SCIO (Scientific Conscious Interface Operation Device) and decided to receive treatments. Within a short space of time, my energy levels and ability to function had increased. In fact, it happened so fast and so intensely that I said to myself , “I am going to work with that system!” Within a year, and due to divine providence, I was training in Budapest.
I was fascinated with the raison d’etre of the system. Professor Bill Nelson; the man behind the system and also behind the navigation system for the Apollo space project, had turned his talents to health when he saw his son retreating into the world of autism. Nelson developed and integrated the sciences of mathematics, quantum physics, fractal dynamics, subspace theory, electronics, and computer programming into the device and his great work was successful in reversing many of his son’s symptoms.
The system he developed is a unique, synergistic perspective to natural healing with; naturopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic and energetic medicine, aromatherapy, reflexology, colour therapy, neuro-linguistic programming, biofeedback and the rife resonator, all incorporated into one therapeutic approach.
www.qxsubspace.com | thebrighterworld@gmail.com
At the foothills of Croagh Patrick, on the shore of Clew Bay lies a little taste of India. Ayurveda by C Spa at the Atlantic Carlton Coast Hotel houses one of the most idyllic settings to rest, renew and rejuvenate. Dr. Thomas and his team bring their knowledge of Ayurveda from its birthplace in India and it adds a new dimension to the spa experience. The facilities create an intimate warmth allowing you to explore your current state and the staff ensure that every effort is made to assist you with everything; from warm smiles to warm teas.
A consultation prior to treatment allows for exploration into your constitution, or ‘prakriti’, which is described by three main forces: Vata (Air), Pitta (Fire) and Kapha (Water). Knowing this can help bring you balance and optimal health. The perfect treatments can then be prescribed, along with advice on the best food and lifestyle tips for you.
I had the pleasure of receiving Padaghata, which involved my gifted therapist engaging in a balancing act to provide a full body massage with her feet! As dubious as I may have been on hearing this, it could not have been more amazing, with more depth that a deep-tissue massage but without the discomfort those can sometimes bring. This was followed by a Mukhalepam facial. This included the application of specialised ingredients as a face pack, kept moist by a luxurious and continuous spray of rose water.
Upon leaving, I was provided with a printed summary of my consultation and home care advice along with the remaining face pack powder empowering me to bring the experience home. I would highly recommend it to rediscover a revived you.
www.atlanticcoasthotel.com/ayurveda
Magnified healing® is a healing of much beauty. It has a gentle, loving energy yet is still extremely powerful. I found Magnified Healing® through their website. When reading about it, my soul felt a huge connection and I felt guided to complete Phase one. It has made such a difference to my life and spiritual path, helping me stand into my inner power, express myself more and become who I wanted to be. Physically, it has helped the alignment of my spine, nervous system and chakras.
This unique and special form of healing was transmitted in 1983 by Lady Master Kwan Yin to Rev. Gisele King and Rev. Kathryn Anderson. It’s used by Ascended Masters and was given to earth as a gift. It focuses on activating the threefold flame in the heart, the lightbody and all your strands of DNA.
The process of Magnified Healing® is a 5th dimensional, all-encompassing modality and offers wonderful ways to help you integrate the current influx of energies coming through. It incorporates techniques such as affirmations, movements, breath work, taking the Magnified Healing® essence and using principles of sacred geometry
When initiated to the energy, you co-create, rather than channel it, making you an integral part of the process. When carrying out healing on others, you are a facilitator helping that person on their journey. The client is actively involved through many techniques and then continues on their path.
We are a homeopathy co-op and you’ll find us inside a shop in Dublin called ‘Dervish’. We are seven and very new; we were only born during the Summer. At our launch party, we dressed up as the seven chakras, sang songs with many friends and had our silk ribbon cut to the sounds of vibrant drumming!
Our group came together a synchronistic way. One person had the idea and made a few phone calls. Then, as if through magnetic force, co-op members started to cluster; some on impulse, some by chance and others through friendship but all of us driven by joy, a sense of adventure and a shared desire to practice our empathic way of healing; homeopathy.
There are many definitions for homeopathy, a nice, simple one is to explain it as a process to stimulate the body to heal itself through the use of ‘remedies’ derived from recognisable energy patterns in nature deemed ‘similar’ to our own.
In broader sense, homeopathy is about people coming together, sharing trust and hope. When this happens in a safe space, we end up making a twofold (patient and therapist) progress on the most exciting journey of all, our journey back home, the journey back to yourself. Like the whirling dervish spinning vitality, when we encounter homeopathic healing, we find it stirring masks and stagnant energies away. We find that we get healthier, and ultimately closer to our life’s purpose, our true selves and the ones we love.
If you are passing by come in for a chat. We love to make new friends.
dervishhomeopathycoop@gmail.com
By Mark O’Sullivan
Self-empowerment is a key part of the natural medicine model. What can people do to empower themselves to ensure they can stay well and recover well? We know exercise, nutrition, adequate sleep/relaxation, good coping mechanisms and where necessary, the use of herbs, homeopathy or supplements, can all be invaluable tools for wellness. But what about flower essences such as the Bach Flower Remedies? These are not an evidence based tool but in the category of phenomenological. Mark O’Sullivan, homeopath and lecturer at the College of Naturopathic Medicine tells us why we should include them in our medicine bags.
Bach Flowers work by alleviating specific patterns of friction or stasis in the psyche. As such, their therapeutic action is twofold – in the first instance, flooding your field with the harmonious energetic pattern of an appropriately chosen flower brings relief and release from the corresponding negative inner dynamic. The flowers are entirely safe to take with no risk of aggravations or interactions with conventional medication. Stress can be reduced and states of mind alleviated while taking well-selected remedies.
For example, Larch is a remedy that deeply supports confidence – if stress is rooted in a person’s confidence flagging, perhaps in an examination setting or at work, then this may call for Larch to be added to the mix of Bach Flowers in their treatment bottle.
It is in the second action of the flowers, however, a deeper, more empowering, and longer lasting healing can take place via increased self-awareness. This only begins after you start working with the flowers and you receive some that hit the spot. The flowers that work for you are those that you need the most. Once you figure out what those flowers are, your knowledge of the remedy pattern as it overlaps with your own personal issues can bring great insight and in turn, leave you better equipped to deal consciously with that disharmonious pattern, even in the absence of remedies. You understand the pattern and your responses change in helpful, more conscious ways as a result.
Essence practitioners use phrases like “entrainment” or “scaffolding” to describe this process of outgrowing an issue with the assistance of an essence. Firstly the person experiences relief from the action of the appropriate flower essence. In the space left behind, after the lifting of the disharmonious pattern by the remedy, comes a new understanding of the issue itself. It is an opportunity to understand and choose new ways of responding rather than following entrenched patterns.
It is at this point that the action of the Bach Flowers can be reinforced by a self-reflective process, such as journaling, to integrate new insights and explore new approaches. An appropriate essence can serve as a catalyst to this process and support the building of new adaptive, positive responses to existing issues. The effects of the essences can be lasting when engaged with consciously.
For example, with the remedy Larch, mentioned earlier, imagine Karen who is in her mid-thirties and looks after her two kids at home. She had full-time employment a few years ago but took some time out to raise her sons. Now they’re at school and she’d like to do a course and develop her skills – she always had a knack for retailing and she has some ideas for a shop. But something stops her – “What if I can’t do that? What if I’m totally lost in the class and can’t keep up? Why would I want to open a shop in this economy?”
Her inner doubter holds her back but Larch can bolster a quiet confidence, which will dare Karen to give it a go. In doing so, Karen still notices the negative self-talk despite having taken positive action and gaining a new confidence in her abilities but Karen now regards these inner voices as vestiges of a pattern she’s now outgrown. One day, Karen forgets her Bach Flower treatment bottle going into the course but then finds that she’s doing just fine without it.
A good book on the Bach Flowers, such as Mechthild Scheffer’s ‘Bach Flower Therapy’, a few well-chosen flowers, plus a pen and journal, equips you to engage in an empowering and self-directed therapeutic process based on what your response to appropriate remedies reveals to you. The remedies offer a potential roadmap to your inner landscape.
Mark O’Sullivan BA(hons) ISHom
mark@homeopath.ie
facebook.com/homeopathydublin
The College of Naturopathic Medicine trains natural medicine practitioners to international best practice standards. For a prospectus email dublininfo@naturopathy.ie or ring 01-2353094. www.naturopathy.ie
Intimacy, for me, is a beautifully intense connection with another. The Celtic term for this contact is “anam cara,” meaning soul friend. With my anam cara, a deep, eternal union is rooted. Openly, I share the innermost aspects of my Self with this person.
Within the depths of the others’ eyes, our own reflection is confronted. In these gloriously intimate moments, we take off our masks, revealing our vulnerable selves – our most pure essence. Ego leaves this space for us. We have channelled a force greater than ourselves where selfless-love flows, uniting us. We melt away into a perfect Oneness.
Among the Na’vi tribe in the film Avatar, the phrase “I See You” is used as a greeting. It means “I understand you. I see your love, your feelings and your soul.” This phrase illustrates intimacy oh so majestically.
Love & Light.
Intimacy has become almost an obsession for me. It is what I crave most in my relationships with lovers; what I value most in my friendships. It feeds me on every level, makes my heart sing, turns me on, adds juiciness and aliveness to my every contact, and is a constant reminder of all the riches that life offers.
Rooted in presence and acceptance, it invites me to live my life in the most authentic way, to trust and to relate honestly, to listen and share without prejudice, to move beyond the tyranny of old stories and meet the other in trust, without barriers or projections.
Whether alone in nature, in my lover’s embrace or in a gathering of friends, intimacy calls me home, reminds me of who and what I am, and challenges me constantly to be fully alive to all of life and love’s possibilities.
www.ish.ie
The first time I had a tantric massage, I discovered how natural and liberating nakedness in this context can be. Not only can it bring deep relaxation, but also a new knowledge of your body and soul.
Some people believe that intimacy equals sex. For me, sex is only one ingredient for creating intimacy. Tantra has taught me that sex is a nice but superficial exchange of energy, while lovemaking with full presence creates a deep soul connection which provides a high level of intimacy between partners. It is a mosaic that is formed gradually and consists of many stones.
Intimacy involves lowering your defences and sharing that fragile part of your soul that may have been hurt in the past, trusting your partner not to hurt you again. It is about being able to share the whole range of feelings and experiences we have as human beings.
Intimacy is a deep-rooted art that I use in every waking moment of my personal life, as well as my professional one. This sacred form of communication, mainly done by touch, translates to a non-verbal connection with myself, my partner and my clients. Moreover, I’m able to touch people’s hearts in an intimate way by the words coming from the depth of my soul, which connect to their true essence and transcend their Ego.
I practise this art by staying completely present, embodied, and with an intention of care or appreciation for every person I meet.
In this fast-paced society, which focuses on material matters, I truly believe that this art of intimacy seems to make my personal, social and healing practice more fun and deeply felt, and opens people’s hearts to amazing beauty and healing.
I am a woman, a wife, a mother, an expressive arts therapist and nature lover. I would like to share a wonderful moment in my life: Nature; standing on a cliff. Sunset; the sea looks beautiful and the sun slowly sinks into the water, touches in a gentle moment of wonder. The day is about to end and a new era begins. It is my wedding. I can feel my heartbeat. I can see the eyes of my partner as we are ready for the moment, to create our unique commitment of intimacy that will follow us as years go by.
Being intimate is building meaningful friendship and close relationship, allowing complete honesty. I have the ability to hear and feel parts of my heart touching the soul. Love and trust fulfil my heart. It is the artwork of nature’s harmony.
My life is compounded with memories that include intimacy and powerful moments.
expressiveartsireland.com
A few years ago, feeling that it was time for some emotional and sexual healing, I decided to go for a tantric massage.
I arrived feeling very vulnerable, but ready to take what seemed like a giant step into total intimacy with a complete stranger. As the process unfolded, we gracefully ended up naked, with her request to keep my eyes closed, focus within, breathe consciously and feel. The massage was soft, caring, sensual and exotic.
The sexual feelings seemed so innocent within a safe feeling of real intimacy. As the massage evolved and reached new levels of intimate touch, I found myself starting to weep. It was such a beautiful, liberating feeling to receive a heartfelt genital massage with no sexual expectation attached to it.
At the end of the massage, I was floating deep in my heart in a place of Heavenly Bliss. WOW!
Tantra-TLC.com
By Geraldine Walsh
I could very easily get lost in the wilderness and never come back; that would actually suit me down to the ground. Some of the experiences I have had in this life so far have been very challenging, but I suppose what kept me on track were the wonderful therapies I experienced, such as Homeopathy, Reiki, Seichem and Shamanic Therapy & Counselling. I survived and blossomed, embracing those same therapies, learning them along with life’s experiences. I decided that I could support others on their journey too, and now my dreams have come to fruition with the setting up of the “Dublin Positive Health Centre.” It’s been amazing.
Travelling abroad, we’d turn a corner and say “Let’s see what happens,” with no expectations, just going with the flow of spirit. Those travels were life changing; and this is very much a parallel to the way I now work with clients, allowing that which needs to change the space to make that turnabout, without judgement or expectation.
I especially enjoy the practice of Shamanic therapy; witnessing that shift take place right there during the treatment. These techniques are especially beautiful because they allow the client to be a part of understanding that shift while allowing it to happen knowingly and to work with it afterwards.
I continue to travel, bringing me back to that hermetic sense of peace, away from it all, refuelling and refreshing me for the work that I do.
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