It’s Pink Shirt Day, a day dedicated to anti bullying, so I thought I would discuss a remedy that is really useful for bullying – for either party.
Lycopodium is a remedy made from the clubmoss. These plants are some of the oldest on earth, 410 million years old, and 300 million years ago there were club mosses that reached 100 feet, or over 30m in height. These days though, Lycopodium is a moss that looks a bit like a mini branching pine, and is small in stature. (1)
As a plant that used to be a large tree and is now a small moss, in the remedy we see a strong feeling of inadequacy. Despite any accomplishments they don’t feel good enough on the inside (although they can hide that well and not show it on the outside).
In fact to hide this feeling of inadequacy, they can spend a lot of time telling people how wonderful they are, and boasting about their achievements.
Because of this lack of confidence in themselves, they can be the victims of bullying, and this only enhances their feeling of inadequacy. These are not the people who will stand up to the bully, instead they will shrink in on themselves.
They can also be the side-kick of a bully, and be obsequious to anyone in a position of power, toadying up to them and doing whatever they can to stay on the side of the person with the most power, even if they know on the inside it is wrong. If you are a Harry Potter fan, think of Peter Pettigrew, aka Wormtail, and the way he switched sides because he thought Voldemort had more power.
The third option, is that they are the bully themselves. They bolster their internal feeling of inadequacy by being domineering to people who are smaller than them – in stature or in power. They may be the type of bully that behaves perfectly well in front of teachers or those in more power, and then viciously cuts their target down when the teachers’ back is turn.
These can also be people who are well behaved in public, children who are angels at school and terrors at home, or adults who everyone thinks are lovely but completely dominate or even abuse their family at home.
They can have a lot of fears, and be anxious about things like their health, or doing well at school or work, or about conflicts with others. At the bottom of it they are worried about how others perceive them – and stage fright because they fear that they will make a fool of themselves is a problem, even though generally they actually do okay.
They may have learning difficulties – it is a remedy for dyslexia – which can feed that feeling of inferiority.
Physically, Lycopodium has an affinity with the gastrointestinal tract. There are lots of symptoms like indigestion, heartburn that leaves a sour taste in the mouth, bloating and flatulence. Their bloating makes them want to wear loose clothing, as anything tight on their abdomen is uncomfortable.
They also struggle with self control, and as they crave sweets they will eat them, and eat them, and eat them, to the detriment of their own health. They can also have problems with hypoglycaemia – and will need to eat frequently. They don’t do well if they miss a meal. They can be absolutely ravenous, and eat to excess, or only be able to eat a small amount.
They can also be prone to genitourinary problems, with kidney stones or pain on urination. Men can be impotent or may have trouble with premature ejaculation (adding further to that sense of inadequacy).
In general, Lycopodium feel worse from 4-8pm in the afternoon, and complaints are worse on the right side, or will go from right to left. They prefer to be in the open air.