Heilkunst, or Organon of the Art of Holy Healing in Homeopathy

All of us in the English-speaking world know that Hahnemann's Organon of Medicine is the bible for the practice of homeopathy. The unfortunate thing we do not appreciate is that the Organon was written in German and has been translated into English. Much has been lost in these translations. I have a copy of Hahnemann's Organon der Heilkunst written in German and after a very good question posed by one of my students have investigated its true meaning.

     Heilig in German translates to "spiritual" or "holy". Heilen translates to "healing".  Kunst translates to "art". So the best translation may be close to "spiritual or holy healing art". It is far more than just "healing art". Other translations I have read are "art of salvation or holiness".

It is no accident that Hahnemann chose this as the title for his life's work. He was very precise with his words. He understood the real meaning of health, disease, and cure. Many times he uses the word spiritual in his aphorisms. Most of the time it appears that this is in relation to an animating force or vital force.  But a greater meaning may be applied.

      Some modern homeopaths have written about Heilkunst and suggest that this system of medicine is greater than Homeopathy alone. I agree if we come back to the true meaning of the Organon. Hahnemann was fluent in several languages and wrote volumes in his time. What we are most familiar with is the Organon but much of Hahnemann's writings are yet to be discovered or translated; he offered much more than the Organon. 

       Hahnemann understood the true nature of man and the fact that we are spiritual beings having this bodily experience. He also understood that there are laws of man and there are laws of spirit. He was definitely a man of spirit and could not adhere to man's laws. Knowing this about him makes it easier to have a greater interpretation of his work. It became far beyond the simple science of medicine. He knew that true healing and cure came from a spiritual shift in the vital force and was recognized by many factors in a person's life, not just a physical body change. The person who was truly healing to cure changed in many ways. The first and deepest way was through their power of free choice. This is G-ds gift to human beings; free will. As we heal we become freer to make different decisions about how we see our world and ourselves. We can find better solutions to our problems.  We can become more aware and spiritualize our life.

       Hahnemann understood that this healing of the spiritual is where the true cure is. The disturbance in the vital force is what leads to the outward expression of the disease. It all happens in the spiritual before ever becoming manifest in the physical. In reality, all dis-ease is spiritual. Hahnemann's gift to us was this brilliant holy healing art that inspires change at the source of the disturbance. No truer holy healing art exists, aside from the power of prayer or healing touch. Unfortunately, there are not too many gifted healers available to the world to wash away our sins. Sin, by the way, means to simply "miss the mark" in archery and comes from the ancient Aramaic language. Its modern interpretation through religion has a far different meaning today.

       The next time you pick up your Organon of Medicine written in English, remember that Hahnemann had a much greater meaning behind its title. Maybe a good idea is to cross out the word "Medicine" and write your own title to remember this. Try "Organon of the Art of Salvation" or "Organon of the Holy Healing Art" or "Organon of the Art of Holy Healing". It will bring your studies and work as a homeopath to a much higher vibration. You will be evoking a more spiritual approach to this Holy Healing Art we call Homeopathy.