When sustainability and collaboration are the key to your growth as an organisation in 2021 (despite a global pandemic), that has got to be a win.
This was 2021 for The Aurum Project
Sustainable Literature
Our online bookstore has skyrocketed this year! Our growing collection of donated second hand books has really boosted our fundraising capacity as a charity. On top of this we have become a main Australian supplier and distributor for several leading authors from around the world. Why is this? Due to international postage issues, a number of wholesalers are not selling individual new books to customers in Australia. The Aurum Project is therefore able to provide this service for them, by ordering in bulk and posting within Australia and New Zealand.
Recently we were able to secure an incredible collection of natural health books, donated by Nature Care College Library in Sydney. This has meant that we’ve needed to acquire new book shelves and basically dedicate a whole room to make a really unique cosy book shop. It really is something to be seen. Any browsers, online or in person, are bound to find something inspiring to read.
Please take a look online HERE.
Or pop into the Harbord Homeopathic Clinic to take a look in person! You can grab a seat and take your time sifting through the shelves and shelves of hidden gems.
Also, if you are looking for more ideas for sustainable living, don’t forget if you buy a book, read it, and no longer need it, please donate it back to us. Sustainable literature at its best.
What is sustainable literature?
The definition of sustainable is: conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.We believe sustainable literature to be: Providing a service where books can be read and re-read. In doing so, we are allowing the following to happen:
- Books that are no-longer in publication continue to be read
- Preserving trees and resources used to make paper
- Giving books a new lease of life
- Sharing knowledge at little cost to the environment
- Reducing air-freight environmental pressures by buying internationally in bulk and distributing locally
Homeopathy and Sustainability
Any discussion of ecological healing and environmental health cannot afford to ignore the role of homeopathy. By avoiding the ecological repercussions of current mainstream medical practices, homeopathy supports a sustainable, clean ecosystem.
Through their professional practices, homeopathic practitioners have an opportunity to contribute to environmental stewardship by helping establish homeopathy as a catalyst for environmental healing. The need for such healing has never been more urgent. As the degradation of the natural environment continues to accelerate, homeopathy and its values offer profound insight into personal and global healing.
You can READ MORE about Homeopathy, sustainability, and environmental healing HERE
The Blogs that have received the most reach
Every month we post a new or updated blog to our award winning blog page online. They are written by our research team and pods, gold members, and practitioners with fascinating cases. We then share these through our newsletters and social media. The results of which show us which topics and studies our followers are most interested in reading and sharing. Here are the blogs that have received the most “Reach” this year.
Molluscum Contagium - A social embarrassment Reached 8,077 people through Facebook | Trauma resolution options and the human brain Reached 3,726 people through Facebook |
Ride a bike? ”Won’t be possible” Reached 1,728 people through Facebook | Childhood Eczema Reached 855 people through Facebook |
New Articles and Videos - Available to Members
As you can see by the image here, this post about what’s available in our members area, sparked a huge interest with 22 shares and reaching 4,068 people.
These are the articles that are newly available to read this year:
Melting Pots 1 and 2 about the Australian National Survey of Homeopathy:
These summaries explore the results and experience of the First National Survey. For example, how the results benefited our practice, how clients support us, and bigger questions about the need to know who we are as a profession. DOWNLOAD HERE
Studying Homeopathy in South Africa
An inspiring and sometimes emotional recording of the November 2020 session of Connecting Homeopaths. Caron von Bardeleben and Angela Pierce-Jones reflect on their experience of studying Homeopathy as a full time degree in South Africa. They are both now members of The Aurum Project and are practicing in Australia. DOWNLOAD HERE
Strange, Rare and Peculiar: Aborigines, Benedictines and Homeopathy
Julian Winston, in his erudite and entertaining history of homeopathy, refers to Bishop Rosendo Salvado who reputedly treated Aboriginals with homeopathy in 1857, in Western Australia. This was possibly the earliest use of homeopathy in Australia. What follows is an account of an attempt to discover the origins of this story. Homeopaths have a phrase for what is most useful in the study of materia medica, and so also in the study of patients in an effort to help them, ‘strange, rare and peculiar’. DOWNLOAD HERE
An innovative method of accelerated learning
In this article, Nyema Hermiston and Linlee Jordan describe the machinations of running a Melting Pot session. When group guidelines are explained, equal participation allows the discussion to become deeply collaborative and thought provoking. DOWNLOAD HERE
To become a member and access these: Click HERE TO JOIN
New research in homeopathy
Aurum Project Research Collaboration Projects in 2021
The following information comes from our monthly research updates found in The Aurum Project emailed newsletters. The research updates are written by Celeste Salter, The Aurum Project’s Research Coordinator. If you still need to subscribe to the AP Newsletter, you can SUBSCRIBE HERE.
Our research updates are always a hot topic each month. Celeste, gives a round up on current projects and up and coming opportunities for our members to be involved in.
Since late 2019 we've been developing a new research approach. We call it Research Pods. What makes Pods different is how the team works together. The teams are professional homeopaths and through regular meetings and dialogue they create a relationship that increases their resilience. They work together to create, design and implement the research project.
Australian homeopathy research studies already conducted
In February 2021, a Systematic Review of Australian Homeopathy Research began with Dr Sabina Vatter, Linlee Jordan and Dr Celeste Salter. We hope to measure and categorise the extent of research activity already conducted in Australia by Australian practitioners and researchers since 1990.
It's been coming into focus for us how important it is to share our practice experience. But where do we start? There can be a sense that our cases are pretty average or just not special enough for sharing. And so what do we offer if there is "no case"? A key pillar of research is sharing.
UTI and Homeopathy - Our first research pod
A team of 6 homeopaths from all over Australia have worked on formulating this research project and proposal. The different skills and insights of each team member has led to a rich experience for all involved.
The intention was to show how homeopathy can treat people with Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). Our team of 6 professional homeopaths have created a solid relationship to develop this project idea from scratch. We realised every single case of UTI is special because in every single case there is a unique expression of this disease state lived and experienced by the person. There are common symptoms experienced by most people with UTI, and then there is that special something that is about the person themselves with the UTI. This integration of these two aspects is central to our practice, and also to our research activity. As a bonus our confidence to share cases with each other increases, and in turn becomes a professional learning resource.
During fortnightly meetings we have grown strong relationships, and steadily created the foundations of the research idea together. The Pod has members who have never undertaken research before as well as others who have conducted medical, homeopathy, and other non-human research activity. Everyone has something to offer and learn as we bring insights into the discussions and co-create the project together.
The pod has built sound evidence on the treatment of urinary tract infections, it has provided strong evidence for colleagues to use in practice around UTI, AND The Aurum Project team has formed connections and relationships with our Pod colleagues. READ MORE ABOUT THESE OUTCOMES.
Molluscum Contagiosum - Research Collaboration Pod
The third research activity was a new collaboration with Dr Sujata Naik and her clinic in Mumbai, India on the condition Molluscum Contagiosum.
In March, The Skin Collaboration research project started in earnest. The first activity of this pod was to undertake a detailed literature review of homeopathy research papers on Molluscum Contagiosum. You can READ THIS BLOG published by The Aurum project HERE.
Sharing information amongst Homeopaths
What is the glue that binds our professional community and builds resilience? We think it comes from creating spaces for us to come together and share, for relationships and trust to form. The Aurum Project has a long tradition of this type of sharing with Melting Pots, Connecting Homeopaths and most recently Research Pods. What we've noticed in these groups is there's a kind of magic that arises; an "X" factor. We all feel it, but it's hard to say exactly what "it" is.
At the AHA conference in May 2021, Sunny Goddard, Linlee Jordan, and Celeste Salter, hosted three breakout sessions. We offered a space for practitioners to join with colleagues and friends / so that this vital connection could manifest.
“Togetherness, and wholeness are foundations of resilience and we believe building resilience is critical for our profession’s survival in Australia. We can't buy it or outsource it, or leave it to someone else to do for us. It is created by us.”
The Australian Survey of Homeopaths
While many of us in Australia were in lock-down our research activities continued. Since 2018, we have conducted the First National Survey of Homeopathy in Australia.
In September, with 16 keen homeopaths from all over Australia and India, we hosted the first of four Melting Pot sessions on the National Survey in 2021. We wanted to share our ideas, our experiences, the lessons we learned and everything else from the first time around. In true AP fashion, the sessions were interactive and collegiate. We used break out rooms to form smaller groups and it was imperative for everyone to have a chance, if they wished, to share. We received valuable sharing from everyone on how the survey benefited their practice, how their clients supported us, and bigger questions about the need to know who we are as a profession circulated throughout the Zoom rooms.
On Oct 12, 11 practitioners discussed the following topics:
- Who are we?
- How many homeopaths are there?
- What do we do, what people do we see?
- Can recording this information strengthen the homeopathic presence?
- Constructive feedback on the previous survey; participation and tools used.
In November, we discussed how do we Homeopaths create our identity? The services we provide must be visible. Currently, the feeling is, we do not have an established presence in the wider community. One tool we have to become visible is to provide recorded evidence on statistics of homeopathy in Australia, which was the goal of conducting The First Australian National Survey of Homeopaths, in 2019.
If you would like to also become more actively involved include putting forward a research proposal or simply getting in contact with me for a deeper conversation EMAIL CELESTE HERE.
Our involvement in the 12th Australian Homeopathic Medicine Conference, May 2021
To support ourselves as homeopaths in Australia we need to share, work and be together. At the online conference in May, The Aurum Project hosted three breakout rooms, during the breaks between the seminars. The aim is always to bring our community together, to share that special thing we all have, and in doing so build connection. Just like our patients, we have common symptoms, but we also have our individual experience.
What a wonderful AHA conference we had. Many really enjoyed the format and the luxury of attending from home, and the interactive nature of the presentation from the speakers. We've moved into the 21st century with our ability to connect over vast distances while maintaining the sharing of knowledge and ideas.
During the conference weekend, a lot of people asked: "How do I get more involved in a research project with The Aurum Project?”
The answer is : CONTACT CELESTE HERE and together we'll explore.
Connecting Homeopaths - Monthly Online Meetup
Throughout the year we have continued to see the benefit of the Connecting Homeopaths’ Meetups. They have proved to be a valuable resource for practitioners to feel connected during the isolating pandemic. A safe place to share and feel supported. The Aurum Project invites all New Zealand and Australian Homeopaths to join the meetups at any time throughout the year. They usually run on the first Wednesday of the month at 12pm. Keep an eye out for 2022’s dates and registration details in The Aurum Project’s ONLINE CALENDAR.
You will be made to feel very welcome.
Our most popular posts in the past 12 months
It’s clear that (along with all our homeopathy research collaboration projects) the National Survey and sustainable online Book Barn have created a lot of interest in 2021. These posts have reached 20,000 and 13,500 people respectively via Facebook.
First Australian National Homeopathy Survey Reached 20,016 |
Book Barn Donations and Volunteers Reached 13,532 |
We are very grateful for our teams of volunteers, members, research participants, and donors. Your dedication is incredibly encouraging and we can’t do any of this without you.
We wish you enjoyable festive breaks and we look forward to discussing all the new homeopathy research collaboration pods and holiday books we have read in the new year.
From all the team at The Aurum Project!