The Law of Similars

Have you ever noticed how similar the cross section of a carrot looks to the very part of our body that we know carrots help; the human eye?

By now most everyone has grown accustomed to hearing about the Law of Attraction. A great many folks associated with the new age movement have been teaching about it and many have adopted it as an idea that resonates.  Recently I was talking with a homeopath in my area and he was telling me about one of the tenets of homeopathy; the Law of Similars. It struck me how similar (forgive the pun) the Law of Attraction is to the Law of Similars. Both strongly contend that like attracts like.  In fact, Esther and Jerry Hicks, authors of The Law of Attraction even purport that our clichés, such as “Birds of a feather flock together,” hint at our innate understanding of the idea of like attracts like.

Homeopathy’s founder Samuel Hahnemann, proposed that substances that cause a certain effect in the body, can be used to treat that very effect when used in minute quantities.  For example, the homeopathic remedy influenzinum contains minute quantities of influenza (the flu virus) and is believed to assist the body in overcoming the symptoms of flu. If you think about it, this is much like allopathic medicine’s vaccine. The Materia Medica, homeopathy’s reference guide,  is filled with homeopathic remedies that are used to treat ailments you would think they would cause. The substance used in the remedy is like the ailment the remedy is for.

As a flower essence therapist I am accustomed to this idea because Bach, the originator of the essences, was greatly influenced by the work of Samuel Hahnemann.  As Bach formulated his own system of healing, which addressed mental and emotional issues, he quite intuitively looked at the characteristics of plants and knew the similar characteristics in people, that they would treat.  The Bach flower remedy Holly is used for anger and aggression, something we all feel from time to time.  This prickly disposition is treated with a plant that is covered in prickly, jagged edges; the Holly bush. We can also take the example of Wild Oat, a tall, pliable plant that waves every which way in the wind.  From the standpoint of Bach Flower Therapy, it is used to treat an individual who can’t choose a course and instead waves in and out of many pursuits. Interesting that we also have the cliché “Sow your wild oats” for when someone can’t commit.

The Law of Similars can also be seen in food and its benefits for the human body. Walnuts, which have two sides that resemble the two hemispheres of the brain are known to have good oils that help with cognition.  Kidney beans are tonifying to the kidney, carrots – which resemble the retina- help the eyes, and bright red tomato sauce and paste help the heart.  In foods, flower essences and homeopathy there are many, many more examples of this law in action.  The Law of Attraction takes this understanding and extends it to the energetic sphere  of thought and emotion, which is much harder to see and even harder to prove, but is still as easy to act on as eating a carrot.  Next time you are grappling with an issue, be it physical, mental or emotional, consider The Law of Similars and how it might inform your course of action.

In Balance,

Jenica

Tags: homeopathy, Supplements