Cygnus-cygnus

Abbreviation: Cygn-cy

Family: Anatidae Family

Common Name: Whooper Swan

Made from the feather of a bird that fell naturally to earth. The

remedy was originally proven by Jeremy and Camilla Sherr.

DOCTRINE OF SIGNATURES – THE BIRD

Cygnus Cygnus’ are swans from the Anatidae family in the bird kingdom. They are migratory birds that are mainly found in the Northern Hemisphere such as Iceland, Scandinavia and Siberia. These birds are bigger than the Bewick Swan and are one of the larger and heavier flying birds. They flock together in the hundreds and as family groups to socialize. Because of their larger sizes, they tend to have trouble standing for long periods of time and so they live in areas near open water, like marshes, swamps, slow flowing rivers and coastal and wetland regions where they stay mostly in the water. They feed on the aquatic vegetation, but on occasion will eat larval insects, small fish and mussels to supplement their dietary needs. Their main threats are the loss and degradation of their habitats, avian influenza, and man; even planes can become their enemies if they fly a little too high.

Breeding season is usually between March and May. Some breed as lifetime partners while others separate themselves from the flock since they don’t breed; there are some that can “divorce” one partner and move on to another but this seems to be rare. After the mating season, they shed their feathers, at which time they become flightless for 30 days between mid-July to early August. They then fly off to their warmer southern lands to pass away the winter and then fly back north when breeding season starts all over again. Both the male and female swans care for their young and males are known to help with building the nests and are extremely protective of their chicks.

Whooper swans are born grayish in color but grow into beautiful white birds with angular heads, a pronounced yellow and black beak that act like fingerprints for each bird, a very long rigid neck and wings that expand and make musical sounds as they fly. It is one of the louder of the swan species but it’s variation in tones have inspired many composers to produce works for “farewell pieces”; it is said that when the swan is dying, the air is released from its body and that causes the rhythmic noise as it dies – also known as the swan song. Though their take off and landing are lacking in grace, they fly in silence as their wings create rhythmic noises beating against the air.

Swans are often associated with grace and beauty but their darker sides tend toward aggression and in particular, an aggressive sexual energy that goes beyond the normal levels.

THE REMEDY

Cygnus Cygnus is a remedy for deep seated grief that just can’t be overcome. The grief isn’t the sudden grief of Ignatia or the long gone but often thought of grief of Nat-m which only resides in the mind, but a grief that is constantly in the forefront of the patient’s mind and one which debilitates them when they think of it. They are extremely saddened by a situation that just can’t be shaken off; not even the passing of time decreases the intensity of their grief! They live that grief on a day to day basis and it cripples them. They sigh and cry and talk about their sadness like a mantra. Just like they can’t seem to start up when flying, they can’t get themselves to move on emotionally either. They are trapped in their own never-ending swan song.

They want to find a “soul mate”; a lifetime partner but when they can’t find that deep connection, they become sad and morose; they go into depression. Unlike other swan remedies, they can’t connect or communicate with others and so they become detached and feel they are alone; they want to be alone; even symptoms can arise such as nausea when talking or loss of voice. Eventually this feeling of being an outsider can lead them to become angry individuals or their past history can cause them to be irritable; when defending the family they can become quite aggressive. There also seems to be a problem between mother and daughter relationships.

The patient who needs this remedy is one whose physical symptoms are related to the bird realm in general. They have neck pains that cramp or are stiff. They can have a sensation of something stuck in their throats; their voices can give out or be sore. There can be a violent sexual history in the patient such as rape or abuse or a more subtle need to feel attractive to one’s mate or partner. Just like the bird that migrates and then comes back seasonally and periodically, the patient too has a conflict of wanting to leave home but then gets homesick to go back.

There is a desire to fly or swim and be in water in some way. The patient can feel like they have feathers or something on their face. Their hearts are affected by their grief and they are prone to palpitations and chest pain.

Just like the deteriorating environment can affect the swan with hardship, the patient feels contaminated with chemicals and pollution and is afraid of being poisoned; they need to feel clean and will tend to wash often to remove the contaminants such as dirt and infections from outside sources. They can suffer from flu like symptoms, inflammation of the eyes and nose. They can become overly anxious about their health and feel they will soon die.

The mental oversensitivity flows into their physical world and they can become oversensitive to smells and noises as well.

THE PATIENT

She walks in gracefully, as if gliding across water, head down, and shoulders bent; there is a palpable sense of sadness that one can almost taste. She sits demurely, pain visible in her eyes; she looks at you and you notice the glimmer of tears just waiting to fall out; she waits for you to speak. “How can I help you?”, and she begins to tell of a cramp in her neck and how her chest feels tight as if someone were squeezing it and her heart will break if she does not take care of it soon; she often loses her voice and there is a soreness in her throat that doesn’t seem to go away, as if there was something lodged there and her vision comes in and out as if she were looking through a dirty glass of water. You ask her what makes her sad and she starts to cry and tells you of being raped when she was 13 and of a best friend, who was like a sister to her, who broke her heart 8 years ago and she feels it like it was just yesterday. Recently she has been having panic attacks just thinking about these things and it scares her and makes her want to end her miserable existence. She loves to be in the water and dreams of flying into the clouds, away from everyone.

CLINICALS

Some examples of clinical ailments are as follows:

• Depression from grief or sorrow or feeling lonely

• Clinical Depression

• Rape or sexual abuse victims

• Laryngitis

• Neck and Back pains – stiffness or cramping; locked

Classical Homeopath - Santa Clarita and the Greater Los Angeles Area