A couple of months ago, when I was going to Germany for the Links conference at Heidelberg, I had planned a visit to Hahnemann's house at Torgau. Before leaving India and even for the first few days in Germany, I was busy preparing the October issue of our ezine and never had any time to think about this visit to Hahnemann's house. It was just another item in the itinerary. When the conference ended on 21st October, my friend Sigi and I drove to Wetzlar and stayed overnight at the house of Sigi's brother. We had decided to move out early next morning but got up a bit late. It was a very long drive from Wetzlar to Torgau, but we expected to reach there in late afternoon. We were told that someone would be waiting for us at Hahnemann's house between 2 to 3 pm. But the distance and traffic were greater than our expectations and instead of reaching there in late afternoon, we arrived in early evening! We were not sure if we would find anyone at the house now.

It was our lucky day. We were very late and yet we were just in time to find a wonderful lady waiting for us to show us the house. The house was lying vacant for decades and was in such a bad shape that people at Torgau wanted to bring it down. But just in time someone found out that 200 years ago, this house belonged to Samuel Hahnemann. It was a special discovery. Then a bundle of good souls came together, bought the place, renovated it from scratch and have now opened an International College of Homeopathy at Hahnemann's house. The work that has been done to restore the house is commendable. It looks new now but still you can see the shades of history peeping from the walls. Some part of the floor, walls, paint and fixtures are still original.

As we entered the house, we saw the place where Hahnemann's kitchen had been. Then we moved on to his guest room. The room still had the original wooden ceiling and some murals on the walls and the roof still exist. Hahnemann's patients probably waited in the same room. With every little detail unfolding in front of my eyes, the emotions started building up. I had never imagined before how it would feel to be at Hahnemann's house, the place where the man himself had lived. There was a sense of belonging to the place. As we moved to the next room, I was totally captivated. Here I was, standing in Hahnemann's study, the place where he saw his patients and wrote the Organon. I can not describe the feeling in words. Hahnemann felt so close. I was so overcome by emotions that I could not help tears streaming down my eyes. The 'item' in the itinerary was becoming extra-special with each passing moment.

We saw the living room where the family gathered and other rooms, passages and attic that were full of history. It felt so good to walk on the floor on which Hahnemann had walked, to open the same doors, to move through the same passages. When we walked out, the streets were empty, the sun had gone down and my mood was somber. I didn't feel like going back. I was feeling emotionally attached to that place. It was probably just my love for Hahnemann and the feeling of being so close to him that made me feel part of it all. I didn't feel like a foreigner there!

The idea of a special issue on Hahnemann germinated at Hahnemann's house. Over the last few months, we planned many things but not all our plans bore fruit. But we have worked hard to compile what you will read in this issue. The issue is full of history blended with modern times. You can even see a collection of photos from Hahnemann's house at Torgau.

In this issue, we have David Little in our hot-seat. David is among the very few people who have studied Hahnemann's life and works inside-out. I have discussed many aspects of Hahnemann's life with David and have unearthed a lot of facts that everyone should be aware of. Robert Jütte and Rudi Verspoor, two scholars of equally high caliber, shed more light on Hahnemann's life and works. Dana Ullman, Grant Bentley & Louise Barton, Shiv Dua, Mary Glaisyer, Feonna Bartlett and Ewald Stöteler add shimmer to this special issue with their contributions on Hahnemann.

To make a contribution myself, I have resumed my lectures on Organon and this month I explore the concept of Vital Force. The lecture is available in Audio and text.

Cyril Smith continues his special research series, Rowenna Johnson shares her interview with Jeremy Sherr, Alan has come up with more tips and secrets and we have also released 61 lesser writings of C.M Boger in this mammoth issue.

Last but not the least, I am happy to announce that the Alternative Noble Prize winner, Prof. George Vithoulkas, will be answering queries from our subscribers every month. The first set of questions and answers are being published this month.

There is much more to explore in this issue. I would like to thank all our contributors and everyone who sent in their articles, images and ideas for this issue. Some of it we could not feature in this issue due to scarcity of space. We hope you will like it and we look forward to your feedback on this special issue. Read, enjoy and do write to me at \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Yours in Homeopathy,