Calcarea - An Oyster Waiting for Some Miracle to Happen

Dr. Singh: Hi Mati, We are back again to have a little chit-a-chat on medicinal portrait of Calcarea carb.

Dr. Mati: Oh Sure!

Dr. Singh: The first thing which has always intrigued me about them is, that Calcares are fat and flabby which makes them lazy and avoid physical activities or it is the other way round. Everything Calcarea wants to achieve takes a lot of effort on her part, is it her destiny or her way of perceiving situation?

Dr. Mati: What underlies Calcarea's laziness, as well as their tendency to become overweight, is a basic lack of stamina. This lack of stamina is the reason why everything takes so much effort, and also why every effort is so exhausting to them. Therefore, many Calcareas lose interest in doing much and often become lazy instead. Whether they don't have the physical energy to keep going, or this is just part of their perception of reality is difficult to say for sure, but my feeling is that the lack of stamina is not just a matter of perception. If Calcareas push themselves to work too hard, they often pay for it physically with pains and aches, as well as extreme exhaustion. They simply don't have the energy, or the physical strength to keep going. They may not even have enough energy to give you a proper handshake, which is why a handshake from a Calcarea always feels so limp and boneless that it can immediately indicate the need to prescribe Calcarea. So basically, it is Calcarea's lack of stamina that causes the laziness, and once they become lazy and just want to sit around and do as little as possible, it is a natural consequence that they become fat and flabby. Like the oyster, they feel safe and secure in their cozy little house. They have very little interest in moving around, they just want stability, security and food, of course.

Dr. Singh: There are two sides of the picture, the sweet all good Calcarea and malicious, spiteful, sneaky one. What makes Calcarea transform so tragically?

Dr. Mati: Calcarea Carbonica is a very earthy remedy. Earthy remedies are solid, grounded, stable, reliable and practical, and there will always be a strong concern for material things. Calcarea Carbonicas know what they want, and they are also very picky about how things have to be. As long as they have everything they desire at their fingertips, they are often sweet, happy and easygoing, but if they don't have what they want, their personalities will magically transform in negative ways. They may become envious and ungrateful if other people have more than they do, especially if they don't know what to do about it. And, the truth is, they don't really want to do anything about it because Calcarea's main problem is always their lack of stamina. This issue is like the hub of the wheel, and therefore, every behavior in Calcarea is linked to it in some way. What is interesting is that even though Calcareas often feel envious and ungrateful towards others, they often have no desire to do anything about it personally. They are not motivated to take any kind of action to change their misfortune. They simply hope, pray and expect that others will do it for them, and if that doesn't happen, they can easily become malicious, spiteful or sneaky. The sneakiness has to do with a desire to manipulate the situation to get their way.

Calcareas are incredibly good at always getting their way without confrontation. They much prefer to do it through gentle stubbornness, manipulation and sneakiness instead (probably because confrontation requires too much effort). This has become their favorite survival strategy, which is why they are so good at it.

Dr. Singh: Calcarea is also strongly religious and stubborn. Does she change into the religious fanatic or the superstitious orthodox types?

Dr. Mati: In Calcarea we find earthy stability, stubbornness and inertia. They don't allow anyone to push them around, and naturally, they don't appreciate change of any kind either. Therefore, they are always orthodox and traditional in their views. Any kind of rebelliousness or fanaticism would take way too much effort, so they tend to pick the path that is already there. Again, it comes back to lack of stamina as well as inertia, and a desire to take the path of least effort.

Dr. Singh: In any situation how do we know that she is being stubborn or is she indifferent to the opinion of others?

Dr. Mati: No, she is not indifferent to the opinions of others. At times she may be very concerned about other people's opinions. However, we have to remember that her stubbornness is part of her survival mechanism. She survives by creating inertia and stability in her life, and she does it by being stubborn. If people around her don't like it, their view may affect her deeply, but she still won't change her ways. She wants what she wants, and that is that.

Dr. Singh: If she needs security can we also think of Calcarea as a remedy for homesickness?

Dr. Mati: Absolutely! One of the most stressful things that can happen to Calcarea Carbonicas is to have to leave their homes. This is something that makes her feel very scared. She'll worry that horrible things could happen to her, and she will miss her house terribly. If, however, the stress becomes too extreme, she might end up needing Stramonium instead of Calcarea Carbonica. It all depends on how extreme the situation becomes. But I have often had to give Calcarea Carbonica to children if they are misbehaving when traveling with their parents. Calcarea may even get sick from having to leave their homes, just from the instability and change that comes from moving.

Dr. Singh: How can we differentiate her from other stubborn, anxious and fearful remedies like Arsenicum, Kali, Phos.

Dr. Mati: These are all earthy remedies who feel safe if they can create enough physical security around themselves. Deep inside, Arsenicum feels week and unloved. He can't make people love him, but he can pay people to take care of him if he needs it, and he can also control people through intimidation and clever arguments. So, he isn't afraid to work hard to create wealth for himself, since wealth is power, and power always gets him what he wants. So, Arsenicums have become experts at controlling others through both wealth and intimidation.

Calcareas don't necessarily try to boss others around or control them the way Arsenicums do. Their stubbornness is more basic - they just want what they want, and they dig in their heels until they get it.

Kali is also good at creating wealth for himself and getting what he wants, but again, his way is also different from Arsenicum. Kali is methodical, punctual, reliable and logical and in many ways the perfect employee. Therefore, Kalis often work their way to the top of the corporate ladder, and many become very wealthy. The stubbornness in Kali works slightly different than in Calcarea Carbonica. Kali controls other people through logic. If anything doesn't make sense to them, they become stubborn and demand that anyone, who is not behaving logically, has to change, because Kali's only feel safe if all the people in their lives act in rational ways. And if they don't, Kali is known to become outrageously horrible to others.

In Phosphorus we see still another angle on this issue. Phosphorus tend to bend over backwards to please their friends at first. Later on, when their acquaintances have become good friends, Phosphorus will start expecting many things from them in return. They become what I call "high maintenance relationships," because they always need to be reassured that they are loved. This reassurance has to come to them from their friends on a frequent basis. They make all kinds of demands on their friends, and if the friends accept their demands, it is seen as proof that they love Phosphorus. If, however, anyone says no to their demands, Phosphorus can turn downright nasty. So, Phosphorus has learned to control the people in their lives by expecting everyone to prove that they love them all the time by fulfilling their demands. (If you love me, you will do as I say...) And because people hate having to always prove to others how much they love them, people do eventually say no, and Phosphorus ends up feeling sad and unloved as a result. Like Calcarea, Phosphorus also wants what they want, but they are much more demanding than Calcarea. Calcarea is more likely to avoid conflict and be sneaky and manipulative instead.

Dr. Singh: What is the essence of Calcarea as a group. How can we differentiate amidst its different salts?

Dr. Mati: Calcarea is a very deep acting anti-psoric remedy, and in any anti-psoric remedies we always find lack. Lack of reaction, lack of stamina, lack of strength, lack of heat, and this is something we can see in all the different salts, too. In Calcarea carbonica there is a general lack of stamina. In Calcarea phos there is a general weakness in addition to bone weakness. Calc Phos likes to travel, which shows the tubercular influence, but when traveling, they feel homesick and want to go back (the Calcarea part wants to be at home). In Calc sil, the person has become dependent on others for their survival, because they don't have the confidence to do things for themselves. (Silicea and Calcarea both have lack of confidence and issues of indecision, so in Calc Sil, we see that they become dependent on others to make the decisions for them). In Calc sulph, we find the stubbornness of Calcarea combined with the self righteousness of Sulphur. So, even though the salts are slightly different from Calcarea Carbonica, they all have the weakness and lack of stamina in common.

Dr. Singh: Do you believe in Doctrine of Signature? Does it help us in understanding the chalky (fair) flabby, desiring support, slow Calcarea?

Dr. Mati: I think the Doctrine of Signatures has some truth in it, but I also think it is important not to take it too literally. In Calcarea Carbonica's case, we can easily see similarities between the person who needs the remedy, and the oyster itself. Like Calcarea Carbonica, the oyster loves being in his house, doing as little as possible, eating all day long. It is cold, clammy and has no stamina for doing anything. It feels safe inside his cozy shell, and the world outside the shell is very scary because bad things can happen. Similarly, we can see that bees often get angry when they are disturbed, just like the people who need Apis. But, we shouldn't take the Doctrine of Signatures too far. I think it is a mistake to give someone Apis because they are wearing a t-shirt with yellow and black stripes, or to give a spider remedy to someone wearing a scarf that looks like a spider web, or to give someone Calcarea Ovi Testae because his head happens to look like an egg. The Doctrine of Signatures is an interesting idea that we should definitely keep in mind and pay attention to, but we must base our remedy choices mainly on the case information.

Dr. Singh: Thanks Mati, for everything you informed us about Calcarea-carb. I am sure now it will help our readers and even myself in better understanding of Calcareas.

Mati H Fuller DI Hom (pract)

Author of "Beyond the Veil of Delusions" which is available from

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as well as other homeopathic bookstores online.

Mati H Fuller is available for homeopathic consultations via email, phone or in person http://www.homeopathyonline.biz