Spirituality in Substance (I)
An Anthroposophic View of Gemstones

By Ross Rentea, M.D.

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Rudolf Steiner's ideas proved themselves many times over

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Constantly revealing. Hope giving. Humility resulting.

     This pretty much describes my experience with Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy. When I discovered it thirty years ago (or was it perhaps allowing me to be discovered?), I was astonished to find an occultist who claimed to talk from direct perception, not quoting out of tradition, who described in astounding detail events and realities of a spiritual world, a life after death, reincarnation and karma, and even gave a new interpretation of Christianity. Here I was encouraged, called upon, to take a meditative path that the author had successfully gone on himself. I have never regretted following that call.

     Surprisingly, perhaps in distinction to the theories of other mystics, Rudolf Steiner’s ideas found their way into daily life applications and proved themselves many times over. His educational philosophy has resulted in the largest non-denominational school movement in the world; the “Biodynamic” agriculture was well established as a superior form of organic agriculture well before the now established forms of sustainable forms of farming, the new spiritual movement form called Eurythmy is known worldwide, etc.

     What fascinated me most, of course, as a physician, was his deep insights into the world of healing minerals, herbs and nature processes.

     R. Steiner indications on the origin of gemstones, f.ex, are quite extraordinary. He goes back in time to a condition where the human being is still in a purely spiritual form. According to Rudolf Steiner, the physical body, but especially the sense organs, are formed out of the various desires and other impulses of the soul coming from the urge to participate more intimately in the processes of the physical nature around itself, in short to descend into matter. This is the vaunted “fall out of Paradise.” In order to create a balance, the higher spiritual beings now placed into the earth the gemstones that are resulting from the same impulses that are forming the individual organs but in total purity of spiritual life without the lower animal desires that lead to the formation of the internal organs. Thus the Eye organization is identical, in terms of vibrations, etc., to the gemstone Peridot, also known as Chrysolith, but the precious stone is the polar opposite of the sense of seeing, the eye, in terms of moral qualities, hence the ability of peridot to heal the human eye diseases. The same correspondence can be found between the sense of hearing and Onyx; the sense of smell and Jasper; the sense of taste and Topaz; etc.

     My wife, Andrea Rentea, M.D., and I have been practicing anthroposophic medicine in Chicago at the Paulina Medical Clinic since 1983 and have been repeatedly astonished at the effectiveness of Rudolf Steiner’s suggestions, especially concerning the therapeutic use of gemstones. As in any other form of holistic medicine, we have had, of course, the experience that these subtle forms of treatments work better if the patient is participating with a positive intentionality. It has also been very helpful that in the last several years we have been able to use gemstone preparations made by True Botanica, a company that we have co-founded in 2004 together with our pediatrician colleague Mark Kamsler, M.D., from Delafield , Wisconsin. Here we have developed new alchemical/ nutritional/ pharmaceutical methods that allow the body to better utilize the trace minerals present in the various forms of gemstones.

     In one such process, for example, we are bringing the precious stones first into a liquid form after which it is being potentized in homeopathic fashion, making it thus safe and easy to administer as a quasi-nutritional supplement for the treatment of various illnesses. In numerous cases, we have been able to avoid the necessity for administering medications with their inherent side effects. As an example, I might mention that we routinely advise patients with dizziness, hearing problems, or children with frequent ear infections to take one such potentized form of Onyx. Of course, an appropriate diagnosis must be made first to ensure that no other interventions are needed prior to the use of the gemstone.

     I hope to be able to present, in following articles, other spiritual insights coming out of the work with anthroposophy, on such commonly used healing substances as Arnica, Curcumin, Calcium and more.

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For more information, see: R. Steiner Branch in Chicago, 773-755-0596; Paulina Medical Clinic, 773-583-7793; www.anthroposophy.org; www.rudolfsteinerpress.com; www.chicagowaldorf.org; www.truebotanica.com.

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