Niccolum

DD: Ferrum series, Stage 10, Calcarea sulphurica, Carcinosin, Lycopodium, Magnesiums, Plumbum,
Staphysagria.
DD Cobaltum: they are much more nervous, feel as if they are at the dress rehearsal, or the day
before the exam. Niccolum can either be very quiet and composed during the exam, or get into a
panic and forget everything he has learned.
DD Plumbum: doesn't feel any emotions at all, neither his own nor other people's.
Essence: must be on top and have everything under control.
Successful at work
They want to be successful in their task, which is usually no problem. They shine at the top, often
having followed in their fathers footsteps. They are ambitious and work hard, sometimes a bit too
hard, which can lead to exhaustion.
Noble task: haughty
They feel they are doing a noble task and they are happy to do it. As long as they are willing and kind
and helpful and at their best behaviour they will be liked by everyone. But they mustn't get jealous
or moody or annoyed or interested in sex, because then they lose control. They should never let
themselves go or show any strong emotion: others won't like them if they are emotional. 'Quarrelling
people are not nice'. Their childhood was ruled by the principle: maintain the harmony, at any price.
Suppressing emotions
Because the harmony had to be maintained at all times they became very good at suppressing their
emotions. Feelings were not allowed so it was better not to even notice them. It is better to avoid
conflict and fend off serious matters with a little joke. Eventually they no longer know what they feel
or what is going on with them. The emotions are still there, but they don't know where they come
from or what they mean. They dream of having their fingers or head cut off, a symbolic portrayal of
the cut off emotions.
A balanced adult: finding solutions
Something is not quite right deep inside, but they don't know what it is. This creates a feeling of
unrest and pressure. They must solve it, they must know what it is. They can't afford to have this side
of themselves leading its own life, out of their control. Otherwise they might suddenly be faced with
a nasty surprise. This is why they like to talk things through until they are at the root of the problem,
both for themselves as well as for others or at work. Once they know what is all about they can relax
and they start to feel better.
Stable routines: controlled
They want everything to be done in an orderly fashion, so they like to follow the rules. It gives them
a feeling of balance, a structure in which they can be successful. They can be very strict and to the
point, just like their parents.
Relationships have to follow the same rules, which means they are usually not very close. They often
feel as if they are living in isolation, as if surrounded by a glass barrier.
Stability prevents mistakes
The other side of ambition is lack of self-worth and a feeling of not being able to manage. They are
very precise and when they make a mistake they want to rewrite or remake their whole project. They
haven't got the courage to stand up for themselves, hence their dreams of teeth falling out. When
they don't succeed in a task they start to doubt themselves. They often feel as if they aren't properly
grounded. They may even feel persecuted as if they have done something wrong.
Instability during exams or evaluations
They hate being checked on their work because they have worked terribly hard and done all they
could. Exams are a nightmare, they may have black-outs.
 They want to escape the bureaucracy with all its rules and regulations, it has all been too much.
They want to be free, ride a motorbike into the big wide world, or escape into a fantasy world where
there are no rules.
Expressions
Fears: exams, anticipatory, failure, criticism, alone, opposition, observed, accidents, car wheels.
Dreams: unsuccessful efforts, paralysis, cutting off fingers or head, death, devil, falling, graves,
accidents, water, erotic, being bitten, drowning, funeral, murder, quarrels, teeth falling out, exams,
falling in the water and not finding the surface, church, cross, red, blue, silver, flattened by a large
ball and being pushed from the top of a flat (Peters, personal comment).
Delusions: everything becoming large and small.
Mood: cheerful, dull, flat, quite, no passion, gloomy.
Irritability: quarrelsome, contradictory, cruel, malicious, surly, agg. contra-diction, agg. being
interrupted.
Mental: sluggish, confused, numb.

Cobalt

Essence: getting ready for the task.

Getting ready for the task
They are ready to take on a task. They are preparing themselves to start a trade or a craft. They want
to be perfect in what they are about to start, showing others that they are capable of putting their
knowledge into practice. They are setting up the job.
Testing for faults: details
Before they really start they like to have a trial run to see if everything works. They know that the
overall plan is sound, but there might be some minor snags that could cause a problem. That is why
it is better to have a trial run, they like things to be perfect. Overlooking a minor detail now could
ruin the whole project.
They have every reason to be calm because there is still time to correct any mistakes. But usually
they tend to be nervous and hurried, afraid that everything will go wrong at the last minute.
People who default are brought to trial: police
The testing may also be done by people in the village who are especially appointed for this task, for
instance the police.
They can be quite frightened of the police. We sometimes hear of children who are scared of the
police without any apparent reason. As if they have done something wrong, but they don't know
what. The English word for policeman is 'cop' which is very similar to 'cob', the abbreviation of
Cobaltum.
Criticism is experienced as failure
They quickly get the feeling they have failed. They have little self confidence and always feel they are
not up to their task. They know they can do it, but always feel that it will go wrong at the last minute,
that they just won't make it. The feeling of 'not quite' is very typical of Cobaltum. They are nearly
there, but not quite and they feel as if they'll never get beyond this point.
They also feel they are being observed and they can't escape from this fact. 'Everybody knows' that
they can't quite make it. That is why they don't like to talk about themselves or to look people
straight in the eye. Whenever they have a problem they want to solve it first before they talk to
anyone about it. At least the risk of failure has passed by then.
They don't like to criticise others either. They are afraid of being too harsh and making him feel that
he is no good. Not only that, but there is also the rule that what you give you might get back, so it is
better to be very careful.
Afraid to take the step: cancelling
Their attitude towards work can be twofold: on the one hand they look forward to it, feeling they
might make it after all, and on the other hand they can have an aversion to the whole thing, knowing
that 'it won't come to anything, as usual'. A typical situation is the last minute cancellation of a
project. Everybody is surprised because it was all set to go, but they themselves felt that it would
have gone wrong anyway.
Getting ready for the exam
They are afraid of failing their exams, of having a black-out or committing a blunder. This may
actually become a self fulfilling prophesy. They study till deep into the night before the exam, partly
because they tend to put off everything until the last moment. Another typical situation is that they
get so worked up that they give up just before they are about to take the exam, or they decide not to
turn up on the day, because 'I will fail anyway'.
These people constantly feel like a student in the final, nail biting days before his exam.
Fear of committing a blunder at work
When they feel they have failed they get depressed and give up. This is the theme we know best
from rubrics such as: Delusion he has committed a crime and everyone knows it', or 'Thinks too little
of himself' (Allen, vol. 3, page 361) and 'Condemned, mean feeling, as though guilty of some deeds
of which others knew'.
They feel let down in the eyes of the community. A negative report about them in the newspaper
makes them feel totally isolated.
Expressions
Fears: failure, criticism, opposition, observed, anticipation, let down, exam, tests, blunders, lessons,
impotency.
Dreams: unsuccessful attempts, paralysis, blunder, failure, erotic, lively, no dreams; no way forward,
last bit of nature, castration, cancer of the tongue, isolation, cancer of lung, oesophagus or larynx,
patients cancels appointment, not being able to leave on time, people are in the way, nits, guilt.
Delusion: is a criminal and everyone knows it, despised, pursued, being too small, being tall.
Mood: lively, excited, gloomy about self, restless, nervous, hurried, impatient.
Irritability: suppressed, aggressive.
Mental: clear, active, confused, agg. motion, dull, conservative, dementia, Alzheimer.
Expressions: not quite, nearly, after all that.
Causes: failure, criticism by teachers, police or parents.
DD: Ferrum series, Stage 9, Vitamin B12.
DD Ferrum: feels heavy, has a heavy task, needs to force his way through. Cobaltum has nearly
reached his goal, there is not much work left to be done, only the final details.