Illness is a Holy Messenger

By Annalisa Corti

“The processes of pain and disease cannot be mere unpleasant events, they inherently hold a purpose within an individual’s life strategy.  The most common illnesses are therefore self-healing manifestations in progress.  If this is true, it would suffice to let them be, trusting that ultimately a new balance will prevail.” Stefano Riccesi, “Anima e Cura: l’azione terapeutica”, p22

Modern medicine teaches us to be aware and afraid of germs, toxins, bacteria, and fungi.  Regularly vaccines, allopathic medicines and treatments are advertised alleging top technology and irrefutable health benefits.  It is entirely up to the consumer to stop, think, assess whether a less aggressive, more natural approach exists thereby protecting the body.  Thankfully, today, in most parts of the world, if one chooses to, it is easy to speak with an herbalist in an herbal store or a natural health practitioner.  These figures are beacons of light.  Their greatest challenge is to impress and persuade the consumer, who approaches this world of natural healing for the first time, with motivation, hope, and a degree of positivity about the healing powers of plants, minerals, aromas and more.  Their biggest task though is to induce the consumer to tap into his or her own powers of self-healing.  Each malaise, discomfort, or disease is a coded message from our inner self, trying to give a voice to an ailment of the soul.

These helping souls are descendants of great historical figures who – in their own time – revolutionized the way doctors viewed disease and patients.  One of my personal favorites, Paracelsus, teaches abut staying connected to our Deeper Self when trying to interpret and recover from illnesses.

Paracelsus, philosopher / doctor / alchemist / spiritual man proclaimed that the fundamental cause of any illness is one’s estrangement from God, in other words the deviation from one’s soul plan; the disconnection from the deeper source of life that is Spirit.  He did however offer a categorization of the causes, which he believed to be five.  Each cause can be offset by a specific approach or intervention.   It is common for people’s afflictions to be explained by more than one of the following causes.

1. Poisons – Impurities and toxins, which harm the body but cannot be eliminated or cleansed physiologically, can cause disease.  This particular category includes all that is not digestible by the body.  Not just heavy foods, but also situations, people, emotions that are not processed by the heart.  The body, through illness, tries to transform and eliminate all that is not aligned with its internal alchemy.  The practitioner will thus adopt the role of catalyst helping the person increase its digestive functions, both physically – by enhancing agni – and psychologically through purifications.
2. Constitution – There may be a constitutional weakness in an individual that opens him or her up to illness.  In the alchemical tradition, practitioners worked with astral charts to identify which planetary spirit (or archetype) was weaker and suffering.  The practitioner then strengthened or balanced the planetary spirit in question with the use of spagyric remedies.
3. Natural – This pertains to an individual’s natural behavior and the respective mental formations behind the behavior.  Albeit from a different time, James Redfield’s control dramas nicely convey the mental formations individual can adopt and become attached to.  Should the individual become trapped in control dramas (intimidator, interrogator, poor me, and aloof), the practitioner will educate, and slowly offer healthier alternatives.  Remedies often accompany the education process as well.
4. Spiritual – The misalignment with one’s own higher self – or Spirit – can cause emotional imbalances, which eventually manifest in the body.  Our Spirit hosts our life experiences.  When these experiences are rooted in attachments and maya they can lead us away from our soul path and into suffering.  The practitioner in this case creates the loving and accepting climate in which the individual feels safe enough to open up and to explore his or her own vulnerabilities.
5. Karmic – When disease is not caused from any of the above, it can be attributed to fate or a chosen path by our soul aimed at expediting its evolution.  In this particular case, Paracelsus suggests, the practitioner can merely accompany the person with love and presence.  Today, however, it is possible to explore past lives and our karmic evolution thanks to the help of modern healers.

In each of these causes the role of the practitioner is pivotal.  The practitioner can – consciously or inadvertently – lead the person towards an expansion of his or her own consciousness or deeper unconsciousness and co-dependency.  Still, we remain our own best practitioners if we are willing to pause, listen and trust our body’s messages.

The way forward

• Embrace: When you fall sick, mindfully embrace your weakened state without judging or resisting.  Your body is doing what you did not allow your soul to do.
• Care: Live the moment of suffering as an opportunity to take care of yourself, to connect to your profound spiritual needs.  Caring for you is not selfish.  How can you give to others if your inner wellbeing is compromised?
• LIsten: Tune into the part of your body that is afflicted, listen to its messages: colors, images, and sounds.  What does it evoke in you?  What symbols come forth?  What special messages do they carry for you?
• Ask: As you feel overwhelmed by your physical discomfort, ask yourself the question “What is the point of this? What does my body need me to do?”  Mindfully listen to the answers without censoring or judging.  Often your body will just answer “Sleep, rest, silence” and – if you choose to comply – miraculous transformation can follow.
• Reflect: Take the time to honestly scrutinize your life’s vicissitudes during the weeks or months prior to the illness.  What has been happening?  What have you been repressing?  Have you truly honored your soul plan or are you drifting away from it?

Your body is your temple.  If you go within and offer prayer, just like in a real temple, the prayer will be answered to those who are listening.

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