Constitution

Copywrite© Cheryl A. Kasdorf, NMD

Contents:
What is Constitution?
More Than Bones
Stature and Posture
A Synthesis of Stature and Posture
The Nine Gates of Life
My Use of Constitution

What is Constitution?

The concept of constitution in Homeopathy was invented and named by Dr. Nebel from France in the early 1900's. It was further elaborated by other French homeopaths, but not understood for therapeutic application until Dr. Gueniot's school undertook that study 30 years ago.

Historically, constitution was understood in relation to bone and its mineral constituents of calcium, phosphorus and fluorine. People were classified as one of 3 types according to their skeleton:

longilinear (with long bone shafts) - phosphoric

brevilinear (with short bone shafts that are more developed transversally) - carbonic

deformed – fluoric.

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More than Bones

There are limitations to classification by skeletal structure. Only when puberty is reached is a structure is evident. An individual expresses their genetic inheritance of skeletal structure; it is the past and the fixed material earthly aspect of their nature. The inner being is dynamic and in every instant has the possibility of making a choice different from the past. Therefore, the constitution, which is more than the skeletal structure, can change and evolve.

Therefore, the constitution of the inner being can be determined from three things: stature, posture and “the gates of life.” Stature is the static arrangement of bones into a skeleton. It represents what the individual has brought into this life. Posture is the dynamic arrangement of the bones and ligaments. It is discovered in gait and dance. Posture is not necessarily in accordance with stature, a sign that the individual has evolved since puberty and is in the process of changing his constitutional structure. Finally, the individual will react in a certain way which cannot be predicted when confronted with situations in life in which he has to make a fundamental choice. These situations may naturally unfold as an individual develops the gifts and talents he has been given in life. If he does not do that on his own, life may present him with a situation, a “gate of life” to force him to take a stand. As long as the individual is not facing one of the gates of life, no one, not even him, can know how he will react.

The following is a description of the three constitutions according to stature, posture, and the gates of life.

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 Stature and Posture

Stature

Carbonic: Squat, solid, large bones, supple skin; not very refined, oafish, hard-working; big joints, square teeth, good dental articulation, flat palate.

Phosphoric: Tall, slender, supple, refined, fragile, intellectual; long bones, thin and fragile joints, long teeth, good dental articulation, dome-shaped palate

Fluoric: Dysmorphic, dissymmetric, dystrophic, dysrhythmic; misshapen bones (tibia like a saber blade), joint hyperlaxity; crooked, small, asymmetric teeth; bad dental articulation; high, pointed palate.

Posture

Carbonic: Slow and heavy gait, but strong and enduring. A clumsy dancer, counts his steps. Likes dancing marches, slow dances or tango (sexual dances)

Phosphoric: Supple, elegant gait, but not long lasting; fatigable. Dances with elegance, especially waltzes (intellectual dances)

Fluoric: Does not like to walk, a chaotic gait, ankles sprain easily. Contorts himself when dancing. Likes modern, primitive or tribal dances.

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 A Synthesis of Stature and Posture

The carbonic individual :
ordered structure, horizontal force. Slow to grow, squat, brevilineal (short and broad), a hard worker, does what he is told to do, rigid, solid, lacks finesse. Adapts with difficulty. Attracted to concrete things; needs to have “a roof” or “a shell.”

The phosphoric individual :
ordered structure, vertical force. Rapid growth. Adapts easily, evolves, varies; fragile, fatigable, more interested in intellectual work and abstract concepts. Understands but does not act. Makes workers work.

The fluoric individual :
disordered structure. Twisted growth. Laughs, eschews, does not heed order. Cannot choose. Curved stature, kyphosis, scoliosis, hyperlaxity. A gambler who takes risks.

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The Nine Gates of Life

 

The Gates	Carbonic	Phosphoric	Fluoric
1) Life Birth	Life is sacred To be respected No abortion	Life is awesome, but there could be beneficial aspects to abortion	Abortion as a method of contraception
2) Death	Not eluding it No revolt Accepts it with serenity Dies at home	Revolted Why me ? Why now ? Dies in a fashionable private hospital	Gambles with death May commit suicide Is in favor of euthanasia
3) Illness Health	Are natural things Takes care of his health matter-of-factly Trusts his doctor	Science will save me Medications will cure me Looks for the best fashionable physician	No respect for nature Drugs, Alcohol, Sleeping pills Surgery will save me
4) Sex	Is natural Nothing crazy Part of a healthy lifestyle	A sex life means a love life. Passionate, romantic	Outside the norm Homosexuality or perversity: - Pornography - Pedophilia
5) Power	Conservative A boss must be respected just because he is the boss Wants to be respected by his inferiors	Wants to be seduced The boss must be not the strongest, but the most learned or the most attractive	Absolute power or anarchy. Respects authority only if he owns it. No compassion
6) Money	Hoards money, invests in real estate. Does not spend much. Does not like to borrow	Likes money. Invests in art or money markets. Buys the most beautiful, most fashionable things. Borrows if he thinks he will turn a profit	Likes money even though he doesn't have any. Gambles. Games of chance, bingo. Borrows even though he won't be able to repay
7) Spirituality	There exists a higher power, Nature or God, that we must respect; or he adopts his parent's. Needs rituals	Looks for an escape from materialistic life in art, religion, New Age	Neither God nor a master. Science or man are masters of everything. Occultism
8) Meeting Encounter	Acceptance Law of affinity: tied only to those he has affinity with.	Personal Interest Evolve, discover new things. What can I learn from this person or encounter?	Material interest Lifestyle to which he would like to become accustomed. Take advantage of.
9) Love Contact with God	Habit, conventional Every day, ritualistic (Religion = a ritual) Respect the tribe and clan.	With respect. Enough respect to let them do what they need to do. Leave the ego behind.	Selfish – only loves himself. Egotism. Associations that make him look good.

Now, a person may be a mosaic of constitutional types. This may reflect how the individual evolves in his life, or simply that he makes different choices as part of his complex makeup. No one constitution is better than another. They simply reveal the inner working, so that we can see into this inner being, the core, and match a remedy to facilitate full realization of all potentials and talents.

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  My Use of Constitution

Most schools of Classical Homeopathy work only with the constitution in the selection of a remedy. In the approach used by Dr. Gueniot's school for thirty years which I have adopted, the constitution is best balanced little by little after the toxins that have inhibited full functioning of the organs and tissues are drained out and the temperament of the individual is balanced.

This is the most appropriate approach for most people at this point in time because of all the insults and injuries (stresses, suppressive therapies, invasive treatments, toxin exposure, etc) they have sustained living in modern western culture. It is a gentle way of clearing away all the obstacles that prevent the body's unending stream of well-being to fully manifest and natural healing processes to occur.

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