Easter Reflections: New Beginnings at Sophia Pharmacy

As Easter draws to a close, I would like to share some reflections arising from the opening of Sophia Pharmacy, the wider world in which we find ourselves, and the questions and possibilities shaping the work ahead.

On February 13^th, the official opening of the Sophia Pharmacy was celebrated. Although the day was somewhat of a blur for me, I am assured by those who came that it was experienced as an occasion of celebrating a new venture with joy, hope and love. Thank you to all who came, and to those who were unable to be there and sent messages of support. The warmth and goodwill you created were, and continue to be felt deeply.

It is now Easter weekend, and as I reread the speeches by Michelle and Richard, I find myself reflecting on the essence of this new pharmacy. 

Easter brings us to look beyond our own immediate lives, and especially draws our attention to the wider world. We are in the midst of a global crisis focused around the Holy Land, and I am sure many of us, this weekend especially, are looking to the deeper resonance. So how do I see the expression of that crisis in my everyday world at Sophia Pharmacy? For a start, it is more of a challenge getting to work with the cost and likely availability of diesel - do I reduce my opening days? There has been an immediate rise in the cost of many of the imported medicines and starting materials. With low margins, I have to think twice about which of them I can keep in stock. Users of these medicines are, understandably, asking more about the value of taking them. Already, here in New Zealand anyway, we are seeing an increasing number of medicines getting harder to obtain.

Alongside these very real external pressures, there is an inner question that continues to sound. In the background there is a quiet voice that says: all we need is at hand. Generally, it takes a tipping point for change. The human habit body is strong; it resists change. Practitioners prescribe what is familiar. Patients and consumers place their trust in and buy what is familiar. To make a change requires us to work, learn and come into relationship with the new and unfamiliar. Often it is a leap of faith - a step in trusting something intangible, something that has not yet materialised or become substantial for us. And yet, it is precisely here that possibility begins. Every genuine new beginning asks something different of us. History offers strong examples of what it can mean to take such a leap with limited resources but a clear future-oriented will.

We hear in Michelle’s speech of Ita Wegman and her deep commitment to the future – ‘I am for going ahead’. One of my first books on homeopathy was written by another pioneering woman, Dorothy Shepherd, who during the First World War used a handful of homeopathic remedies to treat a range of wounds and ailments. Both women forged new ways with few resources, yet had a great impact on the lives of their patients. This naturally leads to the question of our own situation here in Aotearoa New Zealand today. Are we at the point yet that we can say: yes, this is our moment to truly begin developing our own geographic anthroposophic remedies? Whether that is medicines made from our own plants and minerals, art therapy using paints made from those same plants and minerals or speech therapy and Eurythmy that honour both Te Reo and the English language.

At the same time as the pharmacy opening was being worked towards, a conference was being shaped in response to these very questions. Its title is Geographic Medicine and the Alchemy of Substance. Working with Substance has a special task in the West. It is important that we work with local plants and minerals to transform substances. This conference, held in Wisconsin in the USA, is under the tutelage of Albert Schmidli. Albert brings a lifetime of experience as a pharmacist working with anthroposophic medicines in Europe, and a strong will to share this knowledge for the future, so that countries around the world can develop their own remedies. The hands-on practical experience with the specialised pharmaceutical processes is vital if we are to create our own geographic medicines here. Remedies such as the vegetabilised metals that to date are a collection of European remedies, for example Bryophyllum Argento cult and Taraxacum Stanno cult. Creating New Zealand remedies will require strong collaboration between bio-dynamic growers and colleagues within the medical section. The call goes out to all who feel interested in being involved.

This work for the future also carries very immediate practical implications. To attend this conference means that Sophia Pharmacy will be closed for 2 ½ weeks in May. The Pharmacy is operated by me, myself and I. A second call, therefore, goes out to find another pharmacist or pharmacists so that the future availability of anthroposophic medicines in Aotearoa can be secured.

Holding all of this – the challenges, the questions, and the emerging possibilities – we return once more to the Easter gesture of letting go and renewal. Each year at Easter we have the opportunity to let the old material substance die away, to open our hearts to the spirit that rises before us, within us, as individual human beings and as a collective humanity caring for our planet, Earth.

With warm Easter wishes

Nic Parkes

Sophia Pharmacy

The speeches and photos can be found, along with the newsletter, on the news page of the Sophia Pharmacy website.

May 9 to 26 - Sophia Pharmacy will be closed, global conditions permitting. 

Please order repeat items several weeks in advance to allow time for them to be prepared and sent or collected. Email requests to hello@sophiapharmacy.nz