Spirituality in Substance III:
An Anthroposophic View of Iron

By Ross Rentea, M.D.

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Iron is not just spiritually lacking in us, even physical iron deficiency is actually much more wide spread than realized.

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Traditionally, around harvest time, on the 29th of September, a little known festival takes place: Michaelmas, or the Festival of St. Michael. This day is meant to bring to our consciousness the victory of the Archangel Michael who emerges victorious over the Dragon forces in us and in Nature, by using his Iron sword or lance.

     The spiritual scientist Rudolf Steiner confirms through his occult research that there is a deep reality behind this mythological image. He describes how the Michael forces use the cosmic meteoric iron showers in order to clean the environment of the lower degrading forces and enable the Human Beings to accomplish their higher tasks. According to Rudolf Steiner, the iron that is contained in our red blood cells, performs spiritually the same task as the cosmic meteoric iron. Not coincidentally, the most significant meteoric showers, the Perseids, “rain” upon us from late August to the early fall.

     How does iron help us?

     An old, alchemical rule states: “To cure an illness, one needs an appropriate remedy; if no remedy is helpful, then iron must be given(!); if iron doesn't help, fire needs to be used; and if that is also unhelpful, a disease must be considered incurable.” This rule dramatically demonstrates that iron is to be placed at the pinnacle among all the remedies. In our materialist time, this might be difficult to fathom, but it can be understood if one tries to grasp not just the physical but also the occult significance of iron.

     Rudolf Steiner considers an appropriate iron therapy to be of the utmost importance. Here are some of the comments he makes about iron:

     Iron frees the will—encourages us to be able to do our duties, reduces the tendency for procrastination;

     Iron allows proper speaking (the voice projects outwardly with more force, fullness and confidence), fights weaknesses in the lungs, trachea, bronchi, and stimulates the entire respiratory function;

     Iron fights anxiety, gives more courage and fights feelings of inferiority;

     Iron focuses our mental abilities;

     Iron regulates circulation, improves function of the liver and gall bladder, enables us to awake in the morning alert and more focused, fights tendencies to fainting, and helps in rheumatic conditions.

     R. Steiner often recommended, through anthroposophical physicians, iron and iron rich herbs like nettles, anise, strawberries and others in order improve resistance to colds, fight fatigue, and improve rheumatic diseases and the conditions mentioned above.

     R. Steiner found in his research that various forms of iron are more suited to some parts of the body than others. The carbonate iron is more healing to the metabolic system, the acidic iron helps more the respiratory/cardiovascular system, and the pure metallic iron strengthens more the nervous system.

     Iron is not just spiritually lacking in us, even physical iron deficiency anemia is actually much more wide spread than realized, especially in its more subtle forms and particularly in children, adolescents, vegetarians, lactating and pre-menopausal women.  Ther are many signs, but even something as simple as cold feet may be a sign of iron deficiency!

     Incidentally, the supposed connection between iron intake and increased risk of heart attacks is more than likely a myth. This view, started after a Finnish study published data showing that in patients with high ferritin (the iron carrying protein), the incidence of heart attacks was 2.5 times higher than in the general population. Although later studies showed that the high ferritin levels were a consequence (!) of the disease process, not the cause, the negative association never went away.

     For iron supplementation, the best form of iron is ferrous bis-glycinate, a form that has been shown to be nearly ten times as safe as ferrous sulfate, more bioavailable, and contains the protein molecule glycine which is the basic building block of hemoglobin.

     In order to benefit from both the physical and the spiritual properties of iron, it is best to obtain a preparation of nettles that have been cultivated in an organic soil, or even better, using bio-dynamic methods. When either rhythmical extraction processes in a nonalcoholic manner are used or homeopathic potentization is applied, these extracts become ideally suited for both adults and children.

     We should all do a potentized iron therapy at least once a year! In our clinic, we have had great successes by applying these ideas.

     To conclude with R. Steiner’s words: “... you must rise from the idea of Iron to an understanding of meteoric Iron, the Iron of Michael’s sword. Then healing will come when our materialistic civilization becomes capable of spiritualizing the power of Iron into the power of Michael Iron, which gives Humans Self Consciousness in place of mere Nature consciousness.” 

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Ross Rentea M.D., Mark Kamsler M.D. For more information on anthroposophy: R. Steiner Branch in Chicago, 773-755-0596, www.anthroposophy.org, www.rudolfsteinerpress.com. For more information on anthroposophical medicine: Paulina Medical Clinic, 773-583-7793; Delafield Pediatrics, 262-646-2282. For more information on nettle and other similar products: www.truebotanica.com.

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