15 Gomphocarpus physocarpus
Number: 66527.07.
Series: Hydrogen, Carbon, Silicon, Iron, Silver series, Lanthanides; emphasis on Silver series.
Clades: Asclepiadaceae; Gentianales; Lamiidae; Asteranae; Angiospermae.
Phase: 2; Subphase: 7.
Stage: 7.
Names: Asclepias physocarpa.
English: Balloonplant; Balloon cotton-bush; Swan plant.
Use: ornamental.
Botany: undershrub; roadside; moderate moisture, sandy and well-drained soil; full sun; flowers small, with white hoods; fruit a capsule, pale green, an inflated sphere, with rough hairs; leaves light green, linear to lanceolate; seeds have silky tufts.
Culture: Old man river; Lazy Sunday afternoon.
Source: Kenton provings.
Introduction
The situation is that they can be lazy and enjoy life. They don’t have to do anything and can just lay back. The downside is that they fear anything bad can happen any moment. They can get a disease, for instance a sudden heart attack or stroke. Or a disaster might happen like a flood or hurricane. And then the fun is over.
It can be indicated in elderly people who live relaxed but see their friends and relatives dying around them. They fear that the same might happen to them or that will remain alone.
They want to enjoy life for as long as possible, because anything can happen anytime suddenly.
The dilemma is to develop a spiritual side or stay superficial and try to enjoy life.
Mind
Stoned, laughing, singing; silly, stupid.
Lazy, relaxed.
Old men in an elderly house.
You never know what will happen.
Being relaxed and lazy and then suddenly a traumatic experience, an accident, an attack disturbs the world.
Make the best of life.
Disgust by loss of life, disease, old age, daily shit.
Desire: stay young.
Fear: old age, disease, apoplexy, heart attack, accident, disaster, poisoning; death.
General
Weather: > sun.
Desire: drugs.
Physical: < drugs, sedatives, < benzodiazepines; > standing, > stretching.
Body
Nervous: dementia.
Ear: hearing problems.
Nose: smell sharp, unpleasant.
Heart: palpitations; pulse intermittent, every 3rd or 4th beat missing; pulse thready; serious heart diseases.
Chest: rest.
Stomach: nausea; vomiting, black fluid.
Discussion
Feeling drugged, hypnotized, dull, absent minded, stoned from the shock of having a serious diseases of heart, stomach, hearing, mental. This in order not to feel the daily shit.
Elder people, where youth has passed, end up facing death; illness is the centre of your thoughts.
Unable to accept aging bodies, mortality.
Unable to feel free, quiet, at ease, ready to accept what life will bring.
Unable to be creative.
Find peace, for instance like composer Gerard Grisey did, shortly before he died.
Proving
Gomphocarpus physocarpus, proving.
Trituration proving, 5-10-2012, Kenton on sea.
First, we are undecided if the smell was good or bad. Then we notice that a little sniff is good and a deeper one is awful. Suddenly, I become afraid of the plant. I had sniffed too deeply. My pulse becomes weak and slow and omits every third or fourth beat. Strange. I know missing beats, but not with such a slow pulse. Prover 13 notices a change in his pulse, too, but no missing beats.
See myself lying on the sofa vomiting black fluid on the floor, if I take too much of this plant.
This plant is a killer, I hear myself saying.
Next image: hypnotising snake Kaa in Kipling's jungle book.
Sitting heavily in the chair, breathing deeply.
Suddenly, the agreeable side of the „drug“ shows: „Foot lose and fancy free“.
Prover 14 comes in: „Hey, want to join us? Have a sniff. “
While my heart seems to be reminded to continue beating.
Strange mixture of heart trouble and stoned.
Feels like being in an elderly home. What will come next? This is a serious question. We start talking about the saying of nurses, death would always come in three.
When Prover 13 convincingly reports how dull he feels, I suggest he should advise his nurse to reduce his sedatives.
Image of a New Orleans funeral: following the hearse in mourning, someone out of the crowd starts a tune, others join in, finally everyone is singing and shuffling, and people come back to life.
Stupid as I am, I am lighting a match. Don't know why. Suddenly, we are out of the drugged state. Realising, what had happened.
Prover 13 can smell the sugar in it. We are undecided if the smell was good or bad. Some sniffs of the flower are good, but deeper ones are awful.
Want to do a sniff-proving.
Prover 9: You should not give it to your loved one for a rendez-vous.
Prover 2: like lillies of the valley? Respectively their water of the next day.
More sniffs and I would have to lie down (on the sofa), vomiting black fluid on the floor.
My pulse becomes weak and irregular, omitting every 3rd or 4th beat. A killer?
Prover 9 feels palpitation; sits quietly, eyes closed.
Prover 13: "Danger", tension around lower chest; pressure about left eye; triturates more intensely: "I got to know".
During my trituration, it looks so lovely pistache-green, but: the image of Kaa comes up, the hypnotizing snake in Kipling's jungle book; it is poisonous!
Prover 9 fell asleep while sitting; when he awakes, he notices a cramp on the right side of his throat, and "sedation".
Prover 13's left ear becomes less sensitive; his hearing is a bit less, reduced.
I feel some heaviness in my chest, I start breathing deeply.
Prover 13 says, he'd prefer a mixed group. I say: "I can play the girl”.
Prover 13 feels "completely loose".
Prover 2: "foot lose and fancy free", and: "this baby is a killer"; a mixture of feelings: funny-high-drug and dangerous,poisonous.
Prover 13 and Prover 9 feel a pressure in their heads, headache; Prover 9 above left eye, still.
Prover 13: slight fainting feeling on rising; a bit intoxicated, Prover 9 says "drugged", slightly out of this world, not unpleasant; sun feels stitching.
Meanwhile we moved to the terrace.
Prover 9 stands up while scraping.
Prover 13: as if in a dream, looking to the outer world, a bit high.
Prover 9: it still produces some smell - "you know it's a plant inside".
Prover 13: The plants (around here) look so intensely green - oh, I am high.
A good remedy, man.
Prover 14 comes, we invite him: "Have a sniff, join us".
Prover 2: like my heart has to be reminded to continue beating.
Prover 13: I cannot stop tasting; bit of a leaf, bit of flowers.
Prover 2 says: Mind your heart, sweetie!
Prover 2: stupid me, to light a match: it obviously antidoted immediately.
Prover 9: Ain't no sunshine since you're gone.
Prover 13: not feeling drugged any longer.
Prover 9: greatest fear that I cannot drink wine anymore, too many side effects.
Wine tasting leaves strong taste.
Prover 13: story giving red wine to kid; even if you dilute a lot you still taste, smell the wine.
Prover 9: Buckets in residential homes - drawl or spit wine in it?
Ain't no sunshine since you're gone.
Prover 2: Image of a New Orleans funeral - sad marching, then someone starts to hum, then the whole street is singing and dancing, back to life after mourning.
We have not been writing much, lately; because not wanting to face the daily shit, accept age, body, farewells, find joy in the moment.
Prover 13: tells story about dark clouds coming, they just disappeared; yes, that is the feeling!
You have to know where to be.
Prover 9 tells a joke about a beautiful woman on a horse (don't remember).
What the fuck, man.
Prover 13: why not feeling relieved?
It feels better while standing, stretching, feeling free, takes away the heaviness of the head, taking good space, taking space?
And going a bit into the space.
Being closer to the sun, the clouds, the sky.
We are standing together while Prover 9 does his last trituration; a bit solemnly.
Prover 13, while trituration, still standing: being tall, staying firm, rooting, gives me a thrill when I say this peaceful; you feel like singing.
And we encourage him to sing, what he usually never does.
Prover 13: Ol' man river..
Sitting on the dock of a bay.
Prover 9 asks: for what kind of people is this remedy for?
Prover 13: not necessarily for old ones, but scared of what to come.
Prover 9: look at life, not just at illness.
Prover 13: you are here now.
Problem? Disgusted, by life?
Serious heart, hearing, stomach problems.
Giving up. Shock of illness. Youth has passed, long ago.
Now: restful.
What will we do? maybe some more exercise.
Notes
Prover 13: the flower has an enormous openness on the one hand: upper petals raised high over the rest of the flower. It is white.
The lower part of the flower is white also, but a purple hint underneath of it. This has a threatening, dark aspect.
Smelling: first second is nice, perfume like. But soon, smelling deeper it is repulsive. It does not really stink, but is I do not like it and it irritates. Like it is warning. But Prover 9 in the mean time does not recognise this, keeps on smelling the flower, putting his nose deep in the flowers. Later I will do the same, in a wonder 'what is this smell, what is the disgusting aspect and where do I know this smell from. Everybody of us, including Prover 15 will say this sentence at least once: where do I know this smell from?
The trituration sugar smells and irritates my nose, and I have to keep it at arm length while triturating. Do not stay near!
My nose gets irritated slightly, especially the right nose, not in the first part, but deeper in the nose. Then my soft palate too, right side more. This stays for the rest of the proving
Prover 2: My pulse goes down! And my heart beats intermittent.
Prover 13: At the same time you say it I am aware of my heart region, it is quiet there, like a rest came over it. No anxiety, just rest. And my pulse is very weak, thready.
We feel each others pulses.
Prover 13 tastes a leaf. First the taste is neutral, later more irritating. The flower tastes juicy, sweet and slightly acceptable. I do not swallow leave and flower.
Prover 2 'It is a seducer!' It is poisonous! Like the snake in Jungle Book.
Prover 2: The trite sugar is nice green, easy to handle and scrape.
We sit outside now, rain has passed. The faint sun is warm, Prover 9 and 13 take of shirts and sit with naked chests in the sun.
Prover 13 "What is Prover 14 doing with our stuff" ('Prover 14 prepares the sugar for the next trituration in the room next to us).
Prover 13 'Prover 14, please do not tell Prover 15 how we are, he may feel the need to take it away from us.
Prover 15; 'The remedy gives a peculiar spell, cannot get it' (is more or less also our experience). Lazy effect: 'Lazy Sunday afternoon' (Kinks?).
Prover 2 '…I got no time to worry…'
Prover 13 " in say 30 minutes Prover 15 will come again and ask us "what is the problem of the remedy', let's answer "No problem, man!', lets just stay in this phase of the proving.
Prover 9: Hippies, fooling around'
Prover 13 eats small petal of the flower, later the centre of the flower, warns Prover 9 and 2 that he does it, for in case he might get sick.
Prover 2 and Prover 9 feel like they are together in an elderly home.
Prover 2 "My neighbour died, what is his name again?'.
Prover 9: 'That one from room 103?' We laugh (yesterday we had an number-joke).
Prover 13: “Prover 2, you look naughty” when Prover 2 asked us 'Hey guys what are you doing tonight (lets go out)'.
Prover 9 the sugar sticks to bowl now (new, before it was surprisingly loose). Strange that in this phase it became so hard to scrape loose, it would stay that way for the rest of the trituration.
Prover 2 'What is coming to us after this phase?
Prover 13 Your trying to get us out of this phase, no need, this is what it is.
Prover 2 Maybe I am coming out of the spell, I am afraid for a cold turkey. I need to triturate again.
Prover 2, Prover 9, Prover 13 talk about dying. The spell is over. How death comes in three, and we are three. No fear, no problem.
Prover 2: When I started my work in the hospital one day nurses were talking about the patients that died this week, "Death comes in three'.
Prover 9: My mother said: when one airplane crashes then two more come; after that we can fly again.
So we will die together, we are with three.
Prover 13: I feel dull, head is pressing a little, no change, no improvement, no development in the experience like Prover 9 and Prover 2.
Prover 2 says: 'Prover 9, you have to tell your nurse to reduce your sedatives!'.
Prover 9 opens the sunscreen.
Prover 13: You do not have to be afraid of the sun, you need your Vitamin D. And we are to old now to bother about getting skin cancer.
Prover 2: 'My feeling like vomiting in the start of the proving had to do with stomach cancer, black vomit. So the remedy has cancer in it.
Prover 2 lights a match and tries to keep it burning as long as possible. 'This would predict how long we still live.
The smell of the match smells like perfume, nice!
Senses were heightened in the first part of the proving, seemingly this is still the case.
From this moment, the burning match, Prover 13 notices that he becomes clearer: right head, mind, nose obstruction, face.
Prover 9 scratches hard, then Prover 2 says: 'Mind your heart!'. He says it more playful then ironical, as most of our talks about disease and death.
Prover 9 In USA elderly people sell their house, buy a camper and gather at places in Arizona having a good time, dancing line-dances, talking etc.
Neighbouring doctors are busy with them prescribing prostate remedies and Viagra. Some die then of heart disease, but that is a nice clean end of life.
Prover 2 Funeral, New Orleans! That is what it is! It starts sad, mournful, slow, grief. And then one of them gives one note, everybody reacts, and slowly the singing starts. Deep and slow at first, then the high voices and then the swing! It gets a party.
The eyes of Prover 2 sparkle and shine with delight.
Prover 2 and Prover 9 start to sing, slow, deep, negro spiritual like.
Prover 2 is happy and relieved: 'This feels good. We need no drugs anymore! Music is better then a drug!
Prover 13: Since the New Orleans funeral I realise that I was aware of my body without realising it really. I realized that is getting older, grey hairs on the chest and belly, back that gets more painful. But now I realise that it was caught in it, and the 'funeral' got me out of that spell.
Prover 2: We talk of the seasons all of the time. Of spring flowers, of summers in the past, of autumn, of flowers in the snow. We are aware of the seasons; and of the times?
Prover 2: there is a song of a Frenchman, written shortly before he died at young age. Very refined, very subtle. And now I realise that it is cosmic! How can he have written that at such a young age, was he aware of his coming end?!'
Prover 13 thought: wouldn't it be better to have a mixed group? I proposed to be the girl.
All of us sniffed, tried, tasted a lot, several times during the proving.
Nice and disgusting, nice and not trustworthy.
Open and wide, but take care.
Prover 2: it is poisonous, it is a killer.
Although we had no idea what kind of plant it was.
bad taste of leaf.
Prover 13: palate irritated.
Prover 2: slow and intermittent pulse, every third or fourth beat missing; weak pulse, strange feeling in chest; headache.
Prover 13: left ear disturbed, heard less?
Prover 2: saw myself lying on the couch, vomiting black fluid on the floor.
At a certain moment it felt alright, plants looked greener, everything was lighter.
Kind of stoned feeling.
Easy Rider: do not bend that joint, my friend.
Together, having a good time.
Hopefully Prover 14 wouldn't take substance away.
Stupid, old guys in residential home, silly jokes.
We could shake off our past by the help of this drug.
Took off shirts in the sun.
Prover 2 stopped the drugged state of all 3 by lighting a match.
Not intentionally!: "So guys, what do we have to face?
Suddenly Prover 13 was out of the drugged state.
Phosphorus as an antidote?
Next step: New Orleans funeral. Means end of mourning.
Finding back to life, music is stronger than mourning.
Prover 9 and Prover 13 felt at ease with old body; accepted the growing older.
How would patient suffer? He would be blocked and disgusted by loss of youth and by illness; immediately would be drugged or drug himself, not to feel the process.
Prover 13 felt sedated: I suggested to ask nurse to reduce sedatives.
It made us think of the attitude of diagnosing patients as depressed.
When they are confronted with their disease, then they take antisomething drugs and cannot overcome that state.
Prover 2: possible solution: Find peace, for instance like composer Gerard Grisey did.
Shortly before he died from a ruptured aneurysm: “Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil”; 4 songs for crossing the border; like the four last songs of Richard Strauss.
Prover 15's image: people walking casually on the beach on a lazy Sunday afternoon, then attack
Stage 7 for now.
Campers in the US, aged people having fun.
At the end: space around me, stretched back; helped.