A Celebration of Women Homeopaths:
A Conference Review
by Virginia Downey, CCH,
C.Hom
Alize Timmerman ... is known for her depth of presentation, her keen insight into the client, and her skill as an unprejudiced observer.
Just before his death, he sent a message to Anne thanking her for the best year of his life.
I must say that this was one of the most enjoyable homeopathy conferences I have had the pleasure to attend. |
 he Theological Seminar in San Anselmo,
California, was the beautiful setting for a historic
event in the homeopathic community: the first homeopathy
conference ever to feature women speakers exclusively.The creator and organizer of the event, Melissa Fairbanks, realized that most homeopathy conferences feature male homeopaths; and while these conferences are extremely valuable and a wealth of marvelous information, many women homeopaths also have a vast store of experience and information to share. Melissa decided to take it upon herself to change this situation, and the result was a marvelous five-day conference featuring some of the best women homeopaths in the world (a list of all the presenters and their topics is below). It would be wonderful to be able to provide detailed notes and descriptions of each of the presentations, so that each of you readers could experience the depth and breadth of the information provided by these inspiring speakers. Unfortunately, space considerations do not allow this. Therefore, this article attempts to describe the general tone of the conference, with more in-depth information on several of the presentations. The Atmosphere The setting of the conference was the Theological Seminary located in San Anselmo. The site really set the mood for the entire conference: it was beautiful, peaceful, and as the conference brochure stated, it "resides under the watchful presence of Marin's majestic and magical mountain, Mount Tamalpais." The huge majority of the attendees were women. There was a considerable amount of musing and theorizing as to the absence of men at the conference; in fact, in her presentation, Amy Rothenberg speculated that perhaps (1) men just weren't interested in what women had to say, (2) they were intimidated by such a large group of powerful and intelligent women all gathered in one place, or (3) they were home taking care of the kids (in which case it was okay that they did not attend). Whatever the reason, it was disappointing that the male contingent was largely absent. Perhaps because the gathering comprised largely women, or perhaps because it was in California, perhaps because of the location…, whatever the reason, the whole tone of the conference was one of openness and safety. Many questions were asked, many confidences shared, many failings and doubts were expressed, and the willingness to share and support one another was a notable and outstanding feature. It was quite common to see a well-known published homeopath with many years experience speaking with a student or beginner-homeopath and give advice and counsel. The diversity of experience and nationality made for a really interesting mix of attendees. Wandering through the crowds during a break, one could overhear bits of conversation with Dutch accents, Israeli accents, British accents, German accents, Indian accents, Australian accents, and distinctly southern (U.S.A)- or New-England accents. The attendees and speakers were literally from all over the world, and the cultural sharing was as interesting and compelling as the sharing of information on homeopathy. The entire tone of the conference, though quite structured time-wise, was surprisingly relaxed and easy. Morning talks began at nine o'clock, and the evening panel concluded around 10 p.m. The days were full, long, rich, and rewarding. The Presentations It would be desirable to offer detailed notes for each of the presentations, but space considerations permit only a brief overview of a limited number. Therefore, below I present notes or descriptions of some of the highlights of the conference. Alize Timmerman is an experienced homeopath from Holland who has traveled widely around the globe lecturing on homeopathy. She is known for her depth of presentation, her keen insight into the client, and her skill as an unprejudiced observer. Alize presented a fascinating video case of a woman (the patient) and her husband, which gave a living image of two milk remedies: Lac caninum (dog's milk) and Lac leoninum (lion's milk). As the video unfolded, we were given an indelible impression of each remedy by showing the remedies as they contrasted one another, Lac leoninum being the husband to the Lac caninum wife. Alize clearly showed how the patient's remedy was not apparent until her husband accompanied her to an interview, and the interaction of the couple gave her a clearer view into the psyche of the woman. Alize then gave some materia medica information of each of these two milk remedies, and the contrast between them; Lac leoninum was presented as a remedy that reacts out of its real self and has a strong self-image. This is contrasted with Lac caninum which has an undeveloped self, and lives too much in an "observed self." She also compared Lac caninum with Thuja, as both are remedies that live in a "false self." Anne Shadde is a homeopath who is also trained in psychotherapy, and practices in Germany. Anne presented a deeply moving video case of a young man with terminal cancer. This video was one of the most moving and inspiring cases I've had the privilege to witness. In fact, many viewers were brought to tears by the depth of emotion that this presentation evoked. The case was one of a young man diagnosed with terminal cancer, and his journey to health, through the use of homeopathy, which led him into his peaceful and releasing death. Before beginning treatment, the young man was withdrawn, depressed, and said that life was something he watched like a member of an audience watches a play. As he progressed through treatment, we were able to watch him open up, flower, become creative and joyful. Even though the cancer eventually did overtake his physical form, he profoundly appreciated the last year of his life, when he was being cared for homeopathically. Just before his death, he sent a message to Anne thanking her for the best year of his life. He was able, through the use of the simillimum, to experience life, to be an actor on the stage of life, rather than an observer, and he considered that a true blessing. This presentation was aptly titled: "What Is Cure In Terminal Illness?" The philosophical question thus posed found a resounding answer in this video. In the beginning of the video the patient seemed a closed and lifeless young man. At the end, with his death, he seemed a very wise, contented, and "whole" man. In contrast to the deep and emotionally intense experience of Anne's presentation, Melissa Assilem's presentation was an interesting journey through the folklore and facts about wolves. She prefaced her talk with an introduction to preliminary findings from her proving of Lac lupinum (milk of a female wolf), and ended it by encouraging the entire audience to jump to their feet and howl like wolves, just to see what it felt like! The response was enthusiastic; and in fact, residual howling continued throughout the remainder of the conference! The proving of Lac lupinum is not yet complete, and all the information is yet to be compiled and collated, but attendees heard some of the findings thus far, and from what was presented, this remedy appears as though it may come to occupy a solid place in the homeopathic materia medica. There were many other presentations, and this article simply does not have space to do justice to them all. By selecting the above three, I do not mean to imply that these were the "best" presentations. My discussions with attendees made it quite clear that some speakers were unanimously lauded, while others were individual favorites. I must say that this was one of the most enjoyable homeopathy conferences I have had the pleasure to attend. The meeting area, scheduling, and all the details that go into putting on a good conference were handled extremely well and thoroughly, and things seemed to flow smoothly and effortlessly. The wealth of information shared was tremendous. I returned from the conference with voluminous notes, some new friends in the world of homeopathy, a new (or renewed) appreciation for some marvelous women homeopaths, and the conviction and reassurance that the feminine side of the practice of homeopathy not only exists, but is a powerful and growing force. Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Monday:
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