Illness as learning and loving

Most frequently, I note illness with its symptomatology to be a way for a person to learn and to love. Learning and loving are two important exercises that the mind-body complex is able to demonstrate well on Earth due to the physicality of human-animal-plant incarnation. The learning can be as simple as increasing the understanding of pathology and the strengths of the mind-body complex. Or the learning can incorporate experiences with the subtle rhythms.

The loving comes as the people in surrounding support networks try to assist the person. Even perceived poor performance in this arena brings the love to the person. So if the client feels alienated by the lack of demonstrable support of his or her family and friends, some healing takes place. Additionally, the loving comes as the affected person attempts to show love for himself or herself by allowing time and devoting energy to the healing process. An important concept that I see helpful for clients is the understanding that the disease is not something to be fought or survived. Martians that we are here on Earth, we tend to bring up strength by turning the healing process into a conflict. While that does immediately bring up our adrenaline, giving us short-term healing responses, the conflict paradigm drains us in the long haul, leaving us open to subsequent severe illness episodes. So as the client learns to love himself by devoting time and energy to healing, hopefully the client remembers that illness is a state of unease to be balanced rather than an enemy to be fought. Then the client can work to minimize the unease and harmonize his or her entire mind-body complex. In this way deep, prolonged healing occurs without the stress of the adrenaline fight or flight response.

 

Fear and its relationship to illness

What one emotion is the most disruptive factor in improving your health?

Fear. Fear causes derangements at all levels.

Mental level-

When afraid we cannot make decisions easily. The processing of information is distorted. A quick adrenaline rush from an immediate flight or fight response may be initially helpful in the decision-making process. However, for mid-term and long-term information processing, this fear aspect causes much difficulty in forward movement. We tend to rely on imprinting and early childhood experiences. However, in the presently, vastly, different world in which we find ourselves, the feedback from imprinting and early childhood experiences is not usually applicable to our present needs. So the hindered information processing of fear influence slows forward movement on the mental level.

Physical level-

When we are afraid, our immune systems function poorly. The endocrine glands initially are over-reactive and then burn out. This process leads to our issues of diabetes, thyroid disorders, and adrenal failures. Additionally, our immune system fails in the following areas. Our beta lymphocytes get hyper-reactive and cause our allergy responses. While other aspects of our immune system fail to respond at all, leaving us vulnerable to cancers and AIDS type symptomatology. In many crucial physical areas, fear will negatively impact wellness.

Spiritual level-

Forward movement on the spiritual level is facilitated by lightness and airiness. For example, a vegetarian diet facilitates forward spiritual movement over a meat diet, because the vegetarian diet is less weighed down by layers of energy. A meat diet involves more levels of energy from the plant and then the animal that one consumes. A vegetarian diet only involves the plant energy. So the lighter plant energy helps one move forward more easily. In a similar manner, fear slows forward movement. Fear is a very heavy emotion. It resides in the lower chakras. As an anchor will weigh down a boat, fear will weigh down the mind-body-soul complex and prohibit forward movement.

In asking ourselves, "how can I get better?" One answer that is almost always applicable is to diminish your fear. Be not afraid. Trust in your strength. Each of us has the power to heal.

 

What is a chakra?

A chakra is a collection bag of subtle energy for the body. The chakra works to hold your subtle energy in much the same way as the stomach holds food. The chakra is, itself, made up of prana or subtle energy. The chakra is located along the spinal column line of the body. The chakra needs to be healthy and active to be able to help the body's prana move along in a balanced fashion. If the body's prana,vital energy, does not move well, the mind-body complex will become ill. Forms of energy healing, such as Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, pranic healing, qi gong, and pranayoga work to improve the mind-body's vital energy(prana), so that the chakras can do their job of storage and so the vital energy can flow evenly throughout and around the human body.

 

What is prana?

Prana is vital life force energy. This vital life force energy serves to nourish and rejuvenate the mind-body-soul complex.Your personal prana exists within your body and around your body.Other universal prana exists everywhere. On the physical Earth plane, prana has qualities of matter. It has tactile, gustatory, olfactory and visual qualities. Your daily activities can work to improve your prana balance. Activities such as yoga and martial arts do function to improve your prana.

Humans are not the only beings that contain prana. Although philosophies differ about the degree of awareness that other bodies on our Earth plane show, most alternative energy wellness theories do incorporate the concept of prana flow in and around other Earth bodies. For example, Ayurvedic,Yoga and Traditional Chinese Medicine theories utilize the prana of trees in their therapeutic wellness routines.

 

What are labyrinths?

A labyrinth is a meditation tool. It is a single course maze which works to help your subtle energies align while you focus on moving forward to the center and out again.

The walking labyrinths work to balance your subtle or esoteric energy as any form of energy balancing exercise, such as hatha yoga or martial arts, does. The physical movement in combination with your mind energy changes the esoteric energy, adding energy where you are deficient and draining it where you are in excess.

The fingertip labyrinths, in which your finger moves through a miniature maze, tap into your subtle energy via the physical finger movement and your mind energy. So similar energy changes can occur with this type of mini-labyrinth.

Walking the labyrinth, either whole body or with the fingertip, helps you to move forward on all levels. With consistent practice you will improve physically, emotionally, and spiritually.