Toward Ecosophy

Quite a few of my readers took part in last year's experiment with George W. Carey's cell salt protocol, and many others will at least have read along with varying degrees of interest and bemusement. Those who didn't can find the details here:  

https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/81817.html
https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/84513.html
https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/86784.html
https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/105216.html
https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/107577.html

A brief overview is that the cell salts are homeopathic remedies made from the twelve mineral salts found in significant quantities in the human body.  The Carey protocol involves taking a daily dose of Bioplasma -- a mix of the twelve cell salts in the proportions in which they're found in the body -- and then, on three days of each month, additional doses of cell salts chosen on the basis of your date of birth. 

Last year, with the enthusiastic help of my readers, I did an exploratory study into the protocol, and collected reports from those who used it. The results showed statistically significant improvements in mental and physical health as a result of the protocol, as well as improved results from spiritual practices such as meditation. The protocol isn't an elixir of perfect health; the improvements noted by participants tended to be in the modest-to-medium range -- but they were consistent.  So it does appear as though Carey was on to something. 

His own goals were considerably more exalted than a general improvement in health.  Carey was part of a broad research program in early 20th century American occultism that aimed at nothing less than the secret of immortality.  It has to be said that the program failed to achieve its primary goal, but like many wide-ranging research projects, it turned up a great deal of value anyway.  The cell salt protocol is one of the useful things that came out of it -- and its health benefits are only part of the potential I'm exploring. 

As noted in the last of the posts linked above, the Carey protocol interfaces with a tradition of esoteric anatomy that was very widespread in early 20th century American occultism -- a tradition that saw the solar plexus, the great cluster of nerves just behind the stomach, and the pineal gland, an endocrine gland in the brain still not well understood by today's scientists, as crucial elements.  There were exercises meant to stimulate the solar plexus and activate the pineal gland, and lengthy passages in the strange essays Carey wrote late in his life suggests to me that he saw the cell salt protocol as having similar effects.  Over the last six months or so I've included some of those exercises in my own daily practice regimen, along with the protocol, and I think he was on to something. I'll be discussing this more as we proceed. 

For the time being, I want to provide a space for others who are still working with the protocol to post their experiences. For my part, my health has remained consistently better than usual.  I have found that a couple of other traditional bits of occult health lore -- drinking a mug of hot water first thing in the morning, on the one hand, and taking a daily multivitamin on the other (you didn't know that that started out as advice from occultists, did you?) -- seem to be even more important while taking the protocol than otherwise.  Other than that -- well, the cognitive shifts I've noticed belong to another post. 

So, fellow mad scientists:  what have you noticed in your ongoing experiments? 

I'd like to thank everyone who participated in the Carey cell salt protocol and filled out the questionnaire! I received 60 responses, which is more than enough to do the kind of basic number-crunching I have in mind -- and, by the way, equal or better than the experimental groups used in preliminary experiments by some big drug companies. So we're doing well. 

At this point, however, I'd like to ask a favor of those readers who are not participating in the Carey cell salt protocol. In analyzing the results of the first questionnaire, it will be very helpful if I have a control group of people who didn't follow the protocol, but who are willing to answer many of the same questions. If I can get 50 or 60 responses on a control group questionnaire, we're off to the races in a big way, and it should be possible to extract some serious data from the results. 

So if and only if you have not used the Carey cell salt protocol discussed in this journal, and did not fill out the earlier questionnaire, may I asp you a favor? Please follow this link and fill out the control group questionnaire. All responses will be kept completely confidential and the results will be published only in the form of compiled data. Thank you for helping the onward march of mad science! 

It's been six weeks now since I asked readers to consider participating in a preliminary, exploratory study on the effects of G.W. Carey's biochemic cell salt protocol, which Carey believed would cause significant improvements in general health as well as certain specific psychospiritual effects. (If you're new to this series of posts, you can find the first two of them here and here.) I've been delighted by the number of enthusiastic and thoughtful responses since we began. Over the next few weeks I'm going to draft a detailed questionnaire, which will be posted on one of the online survey sites and used to gather a first cohort of data. I'll want to ask for some help with that, too -- more on this in a bit. 

First, I want to discuss a little more theory, with an eye toward asking for some more specific feedback and exploring some of the applications of the Carey protocol. 

As we discussed in the previous post, the basic theory behind Carey's protocol is that the cell salts are activated in a yearly cycle, with each cell salt correlating with one of the signs of the zodiac; that the unborn child receives an incomplete activation in the womb; and that a daily dose of Bioplasma, together with daily doses of the "missing" cell salts when the Moon is in the sign the Sun was in when you were born, will correct for this incomplete activation and bring improved health. There's more to it than that, though, and working out what else is going on has taken me a lot of time and a lot of strange research. 

To go further you have to know something about the vagus nerve. Also known as the pneumogastic nerve, this runs from the brain down into the vital organs. Most of the brain's connection with the rest of the body is via the spinal cord, but the vagus nerve does an end run around the spine; it links the lower reaches of the brain with the vital organs and the sympathetic nervous system. Among other things, it seems to be the route by which mental healing works; researchers into psychoneuroimmunology have found evidence that it's via the vagus nerve that mental and emotional states influence the digestion and the endocrine system, and thus the health in general. 

The vagus nerve has endings all through the body core. In Carey's writings and in the New Thought movement that was active in his day, the ending that counted most was the one that connects to the solar plexus, a mass of nerves just below the diaphragm, which is one of the main centers of the sympathetic nervous system, the net of nerves that keeps the vital organs running. There were once quite a range of exercises meant to work with the solar plexus center, and we'll be talking about those in due time. For now, the thing to keep in mind is that one of the things Carey's protocol was supposed to do was to cause certain reactions in the solar plexus which, propagating up the vagus nerve, had effects on certain parts of the brain. 

That's where the questions come in. Those of you who are following the protocol -- what changes, if any, in your emotional, mental, and/or spiritual life do you notice during the days when you take the "missing" cell salts? Does anything seem to increase or decrease those changes? More broadly, have you noticed any shifts in your emotional, mental, and/or spiritual life during the period you've been on the protocol? 

Also, if you were designing a questionnaire to bring out the details of what you've experienced more generally while taking the protocol, what questions would you especially want to see there? 

Many thanks for your continued help! This project is yielding even better results than I'd hoped. The experiment continues...

In the course of my researches into weird American occult traditions, I've come across something that could use testing, and I wonder if any of my readers would like to join me in an experiment.  

The story begins with George Washington Carey -- that's him on the left -- one of many American physicians in the late 19th century who used what we now consider alternative health care modalities in place of the toxic and ineffective mainstream remedies of the period. His specialty was the biochemic cell salts, which are homeopathic preparations of the 12 mineral salts found in significant quantities in the human body. However, unlike most health care providers in his time -- or ours, for that matter -- Carey was also an occultist: a crackerjack astrologer with a solid grasp of the medical dimensions of astrology, and a careful student of what was then cutting-edge research in the occult field. He was particularly interested in the research project launched by Hiram E. Butler ofthe Esoteric Fraternity, which focused on working with the body's subtle energies for the purpose of spiritual transformation and life extension.  

Carey's involvement in that project focused on using the cell salts to help with that process. He worked out a specific protocol keyed to astrological cycles. (In case you're wondering, yes, he used it himself, and remained active and vigorous until shortly before his death at the age of 79.) I've reconstructed the protocol in detail from his books, and the challenge now is to test it and see whether it has the effects he thought it did.  

What you'll need, if you want to join me in the experiment, is your astrological birth chart (or at least your date of birth), an almanac or astrological calendar, and certain cell salts, which you can get at old-fashioned health food stores, some food co-ops, or online here or here. The 6x potency is the one you need. 

Here's the protocol: 

1. First thing each morning, before eating or doing anything else, take 6 tablets of Bioplasma -- that's the specific blend of the 12 cell salts Carey created for this purpose, though it's gone into general use among homeopaths and people interested in natural heath. This is done every day irrespective of the rest of the protocol. 

2. Look up the degree of the zodiac the Sun was in when you were born. 

3. Every month, the Moon spends roughly 2 1/2 days in the zodiacal sign the Sun was in when you were born. During those 2 1/2 days, take once each day the combination of cell salts given below for the degree the Sun was in. (For example, if the Sun was at 8° Aries when you were born, you take the combination given in the table below for 1°-10° Aries each day during the period when the Moon is in Aries. (Do this even when the Moon isn't in Aries for the entire day.) The number after each cell salt is the number of tablets you take. 

Natal Sun                   Cell Salts

0°-10° Aries                Kali Phos. 2, Nat. Sulph. 3, Kali Mur. 3, Calc. Fluor. 1

11°-20° “                     Kali Phos. 1, Nat. Sulph. 3, Kali Mur. 3, Calc. Fluor. 2

21°-30° “                     Nat. Sulph. 3, Kali Mur. 3, Calc. Fluor. 3

0°-10° Taurus              Nat. Sulph. 2, Kali Mur. 3, Calc. Fluor. 3, Mag. Phos. 1

11°-20° “                     Nat. Sulph. 1, Kali Mur. 3, Calc. Fluor. 3, Mag. Phos. 2

21°-30° “                     Kali Mur. 3, Calc. Fluor. 3, Mag. Phos. 3

0°-10° Gemini             Kali Mur. 2, Calc. Fluor. 3, Mag. Phos. 3, Kali Sulph. 1

11°-20° “                     Kali Mur. 1, Calc. Fluor. 3, Mag. Phos. 3, Kali Sulph. 2

21°-30° “                     Calc. Fluor. 3, Mag. Phos. 3, Kali Sulph. 3

0°-10° Cancer              Calc. Fluor. 2, Mag. Phos. 3, Kali Sulph. 3, Nat. Phos. 1

11°-20° “                     Calc. Fluor. 1, Mag. Phos. 3, Kali Sulph. 3, Nat. Phos. 2

21°-30° “                     Mag. Phos. 3, Kali Sulph. 3, Nat. Phos. 3

0°-10° Leo                   Mag. Phos. 2, Kali Sulph. 3, Nat. Phos. 3, Calc. Sulph. 1

11°-20° “                     Mag. Phos. 1, Kali Sulph. 3, Nat. Phos. 3, Calc. Sulph. 2

21°-30° “                     Kali Sulph. 3, Nat. Phos. 3, Calc. Sulph. 3

0°-10° Virgo                Kali Sulph. 2, Nat. Phos. 3, Calc. Sulph. 3, Silicea 1

11°-20° “                     Kali Sulph. 1, Nat. Phos. 3, Calc. Sulph. 3, Silicea 2

21°-30° “                     Nat. Phos. 3, Calc. Sulph. 3, Silicea 3

0°-10° Libra                Nat. Phos. 2, Calc. Sulph. 3, Silicea 3, Calc. Phos. 1

11°-20° “                     Nat. Phos. 1, Calc. Sulph. 3, Silicea 3, Calc. Phos. 2

21°-30° “                     Calc. Sulph. 3, Silicea 3, Calc. Phos. 3

0°-10° Scorpio             Calc. Sulph. 2, Silicea 3, Calc. Phos. 3, Nat. Mur. 1

11°-20° “                     Calc. Sulph. 1, Silicea 3, Calc. Phos. 3, Nat. Mur. 2

21°-30° “                     Silicea 3, Calc. Phos. 3, Nat. Mur. 3

0°-10° Sagittarius        Silicea 2, Calc. Phos. 3, Nat. Mur. 3, Ferrum Phos. 1

11°-20° “                     Silicea 1, Calc. Phos. 3, Nat. Mur. 3, Ferrum Phos. 2

21°-30° “                     Calc. Phos. 3, Nat. Mur. 3, Ferrum Phos. 3

0°-10° Capricorn         Calc. Phos. 2, Nat. Mur. 3, Ferrum Phos. 3, Kali Phos. 1

11°-20° “                     Calc. Phos. 1, Nat. Mur. 3, Ferrum Phos. 3, Kali Phos. 2

21°-30° “                     Nat. Mur. 3, Ferrum Phos. 3, Kali Phos. 3

0°-10° Aquarius          Nat. Mur. 2, Ferrum Phos. 3, Kali Phos. 3, Nat. Sulph. 1

11°-20° “                     Nat. Mur. 1, Ferrum Phos. 3, Kali Phos. 3, Nat. Sulph. 2

21°-30° “                     Ferrum Phos. 3, Kali Phos. 3, Nat. Sulph. 3

0°-10° Pisces               Ferrum Phos. 2, Kali Phos. 3, Nat. Sulph. 3, Kali Mur. 1

11°-20° “                     Ferrum Phos. 1, Kali Phos. 3, Nat. Sulph. 3, Kali Mur. 2

21°-30° “                     Kali Phos. 3, Nat. Sulph. 3, Kali Mur. 3

4. Keep notes concerning your health as you continue the experiment. If you feel comfortable doing so, also note your sexual activities, if any, and your consumption of alcohol -- two things that Carey thought could influence the effects of the protocol. (I'm far from sure he was right, but it's worth checking.) 

If Carey's correct, over the course of several months you should notice significant positive changes in your general health and vitality. (I'm not going to repeat his comments on those changes, to avoid giving any more of a boost to the placebo effect than I have to.) If you're interested in helping me test this, let me know what results you get and I'll do the same. Once we have some basic data accumulated, I plan on bringing several other factors into the mix -- certain exercises that were also part of the research program launched by Hiram Butler -- and at that point, we'll be discussing more of the theory as well. 

 Admit it, you always wanted to be part of a mad scientist's research team, didn't you? Here's your chance. ;-)