by Dr. Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman and Dr. Robert Ullman
What Are The Odds?
You might say we are crazy to live at the foot of the most active volcano in Chile, right on Ring of Fire. And you might be right. When we fell in love with, and decided to steward, this stunning piece of property in Pucón, Chile ten years ago, we did investigate the volcano risk pretty thoroughly before signing the dotted lines. The word we have always used to best describe our southern piece of heaven is “elemental.” Our volcano, Volcán Villarrica (“rich mountain” in English, but the indigenous Mapuche name is Rucapillán, House of the Spirit) lies just in front of our front door, 12 kilometers (seven and a half miles) up the Volcano Road. Historically, this volcano erupts as often as every 20 years, but the previous eruption was in 1984 (the year we met). Until five days ago, that is, when she really blew. Villarrica has a pattern of sending lava trails down fairly predictable crevices, rather than spewing ash far and wide like Mt. St. Helen’s. Nevertheless, the eruption earlier this week was world class. In 2005, having checked into the eruption history, we figured our odds were good to avoid an eruption and, even if we did experience one, our land, high on a hill, would likely not suffer damage. Little did we imagine that our recent article on homeopathy for climbing a volcano would be soon followed by homeopathy for a volcanic eruption!
We have a pattern of missing Mother Nature’s giant hiccoughs down here. In 2010, returning from a challenging week in the Brazilian Amazon, we were flying over the expanse of Brazil just when the earthquake hit. We met the LAN Chile flight attendant at the gate only to hear from her, in Spanish, “There has been a massive earthquake in Chile and the world is ending.” No joke—that is what she told us. Last Monday we were scheduled to fly back to our Chilean home from Quito, Ecuador, where we attended a wonderful Dances of Universal Peace retreat and hiked/horseback rode in Parque Nacional Cotopaxi. You must really be questioning our sanity now because Cotopaxi is 19,300 feet high, and also one of the most active volcanoes in South America. Some consider Cotopaxi to be the world’s highest active volcano, but the last eruption was in 1940, before either of us were born. There we hiked up to 14,674 feet, and did indeed experience altitude sickness (soroche) for which we took, successfully, homeopathic Erythroxylon (coca) and a local herbal tea called Sunfo.
This past Monday, we arrived at the Quito airport at the crack of dawn (our taxi picked us up at 4AM) only to be told, upon approaching the LAN check-in kiosk, that our flight was being delayed nearly an entire day due to mechanical problems. After the initial bristling, we were reminded of a story we had just heard at our retreat. Papa Ramdas was a famous Indian saint who, from 1884-1963 lived a simple, humble life. He wanted nothing for himself, was completely surrendered to God in the form of Ram (Ramdas means “servant of God”), and chanted Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram day and night. This is now one of the most popular kirtan chants. The dance retreat leaders recounted the story of Papa Ramdas arriving at a train station in the traditional garb of a wandering saint carrying a begging bowl. He was promptly arrested by the police for vagrancy, and escorted to a local jail cell. The following morning, the highly chagrined local authority apologized profusely, explaining that they had no idea that they had inadvertently incarcerated one of India’s most beloved saints. “No problem,” responded Papa Ramdas. “I had no place to sleep and you offered me a bed. I had no food, and you offered me something to eat. And now you are taking me back to the train station. How mysterious are the ways of Ram!” As the day unfolded in Quito, that was our mantra. Little did we know it was only the beginning of Ram’s mischief!
A Sudden, Fiery Blaze of Fury!
The group who missed the flight was taken by taxi to a five-star Carlton hotel, fed a fabulous buffet breakfast and lunch—much savored after a fairly ordinary retreat culinary fare. We met new friends, and Bob got to give a Bowen/Matrix treatment to a gentleman headed down to Patagonia to hike, but suffering from severe back pain. We had a few hours to spare, so we headed to the first UNESCO World Heritage site, Plaza San Francisco, to visit the celebrated La Compañia church. A block away, we happened upon the weekly changing of the Presidential Palace Guard, and found ourselves, among many others, waving at Rafael Correa, economist and very popular president of the Republic of Ecuador. We did eventually land in Santiago, Chile, at 5:30 the following morning, half a day late. Having checked our packs for a flight a few hours later to zsouthern Chile, we hoped to enjoy a pre –flight breakfast. On arriving at the restaurant, we were transfixed by the fiery images on the screen. About four hours before, our very own volcano had erupted with a spectacular, unforgettable show of force. And we had missed it! We immediately called our caretaker, who assured us that humans, animals, and property were all safe and well. President Michelle Bachelet appeared on the screen and declared Pucón to be in a state of emergency/red alert. We were in shock!
On the plane to Temuco (the closest large airport to Pucón, we conversed with a member of the Channel 13 news team, who pumped Judyth for information about the environs of the volcano, and offered to transport us home to Pucón in exchange for a news scoop. We were amazed to see no police or army on the road stopping us. It turned out they didn’t arrive until the following day. Nelson, our caretaker, who was born and raised in the area and observed the whole spectacle from our rooftop deck, with the volcano front and center, immediately became “our man in Pucón! He spent the afternoon guiding and being interviewed by the TV team, and has the six minutes of interview of video to prove it!
Panic Sets In Then Subsides
It took a few hours for the gravity of the situation to sink in. Chile is accustomed to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The President of Chile, vulcanologists, seismologists, police, army, and news people arrived on the scene. The problem was that the eruption sent a fiery wall several thousand feet vertical, lava poured down the usual cracks, destroying two bridges, then the mass of volcanic material landed right down where it originated, capping the crater. Locals had always told us it was a really good sign whenever smoke was emitted from the crater (often over the previous ten years). But now the sulfurous gas and molten lava were trapped inside, making likely a second eruption. It would be only a matter of time. That sent the locals into panic mode. The powers that be urged evacuation for residents living in the proximity of the volcano (we were just outside the zone), and most of our neighbors complied. We evacuated, with our two golden retrievers, late Tuesday night to stay with friends half an hour away, but returned the following morning, determined to stay. We hear that some of those who hastily fled in fear suffered auto collisions, and that a general pandemonium ensued. After a day, the great majority of the tourists and many locals had evacuated (about 3500 according to news reports), the eeriness of all the restaurants and supermarkets being closed passed, and, the rhythm of life as we knew it pretty much returned. We felt greatly supported by our caretaker family, who vowed to stay to protect our land, along with our guardian German shepherd, five cats, sheep, and chickens. And, after a night of our own escape, we returned to where we felt the most safe: home. Only very briefly did we consider catching a flight back to the U.S.
To add a bit more perspective, several years ago we visited the town of Chaiten, in Patagonia, while on a kayak trip in Pumalin Park. There, in late April of 2008, the Michinmahuida Volcano, long dormant, erupted for the first time in 9,500 years! The nearby town of Chaiten (population 4,200) was covered with a thick blanket of ash, much of which still remains seven years later. That was our greatest fear, but this ash-spewing tendency has not been the nature of Villarrica. Nevertheless, that was the worst-case-scenario in our mind, also having been close enough to Mt. St. Helen’s, when she erupted, to hear the thunderous roar, Bob on the Oregon coast, and Judyth on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. Two years ago, when close friends came down to celebrate Judyth’s 65th birthday, we vacationed in Bariloche and Villa La Angostura, Argentina, still affected by the eruption of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcano, also in Southern Chile, eight months earlier. We were impressed by the giant earth movers parked amidst six-foot high hills of volcanic ash by the side of the road. So it took a couple of days to convince ourselves that our volcano has never behaved in this way, and to calm ourselves. Knowing that those of us still here would stay close in touch and help out when needed, and that our loved ones back home trusted that we could make wise decisions to remain safe, we were reassured.
All Is Well
The best advice we can give, in this and any other emergency (or non-emergency) situation is to remind ourselves “All is well.” This was the mantra of the beloved spiritual teacher, Robert Adams (see his story in our book, Mystics, Masters, Saints and Sages: Stories of Enlightenment) as well as the first words of Dr. Eben Alexander, respected neurosurgeon and author of Proof of Heaven, during his Sixty Minutes television interview that we happened to see earlier today on Facebook. These words convey a fundamental natural order of the universe, despite what appears to be chaos. Overriding whatever natural disaster, crisis, tragedy, dire diagnosis, or other seemingly horrific set of events, there lies an underlying perfection. We may not be able to experience or appreciate it at the time, but it is a timeless, placeless, universal principle that affects and protects each and every one of us. In the moment of chaos, that calm and peaceful presence may not always be easily accessible, but there is no more profound message that we can offer.
Homeopathic Medicines for the Effects of a Volcanic Eruption
These remedies come to mind:
Aconitum napellus (monkshood): This is the first remedy to think of for fear and panic in a natural or other disaster, whether it is an earthquake, landslide, attack, riots, or other shocking event. This medicine is said to be the most acute of all homeopathic medicines. The feeling is sheer terror; of a sudden, intense threat that will lead to immediate death. There is a tremendous anxiety, restlessness, and nervous excitability. The individual doesn’t know where to go or what to do, but this state can pass as quickly as it arose. There is great impatience, excitability, hurriedness, heart palpitations, thirst, and dryness of the skin indicate a sympathetic, fight or flight, nervous system response.
Arsenicum album (arsenic): The symptoms are similar to those of Aconite, but less sudden. There is tremendous anxiety and restlessness and a strong desire for company. The person fears death, disease, being poisoned or contaminated, and being alone. The sense of anguish is similar to that of Aconite. There is increased thirst for sips of water, fear of robbers, fastidiousness, and the person feels extremely cold.
Arnica montana (leopard’s bane): This is the number one remedy for injuries of all kinds, trauma, contusion, bruising, bleeding, and shock. The individual may insist that (s)he feels fine and is not in need of any assistance.
Ignatia (St. John’s Wort): The predominant medicine for grief and loss. This would be the remedy for devastation over losing property or loved ones in an eruption. The person wails, weeps uncontrollably, sobs, and sighs.
Sulphur (sulfur): There are many homeopathic medicines that are products of volcanic eruptions, but this is the most common. We would consider this first for skin conditions following an eruption, particularly itching or rashes worse from heat and hot baths or showers.
Hecla Lava (lava of Mt. Hecla, an Icelandic volcano): This is the best-known homeopathic medicine made from a volcano. It is a silicate of calcium, magnesium, and aluminum, and also contains iron oxide. It is best know for exostoses (growths) of the bones. We are mentioning it more as an example of a volcano-derived medicine rather than one to use acutely following a volcanic eruption.
Vog: This is a form of air pollution resulting from the mixture of sulfur dioxide and other gases emitted from an erupting volcano reacting with oxygen and moisture in the presence of sunlight. It comes from a combination of “smog” and “fog.” The expression is used commonly in the Hawaiian Islands, especially the Big Island, where the Kilauea volcano, erupting since 1983, emits 2000-4000 tons of sulfur dioxide daily. We received this medicine from Michael Traub, N.D., a colleague of ours who has used it successfully to treat respiratory complaints resulting from prolonged exposure to Kona and other trade winds that blow the vog to the southwest.. Certainly other volcanic substances could be prepared from volcanoes worldwide.
If the predictions of future, eventual earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, especially in the Ring of Fire, prevail, then this information will hopefully prove to be of practical benefit to you and to those near and dear. Be sure to keep a homeopathic medicine kit on hand for when the need arises.
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