Do you believe that because an individual’s symptoms follow a recognizable pattern that medicine has ascribed a name to, that their wisest (and often only) course of action should be to attempt to turn those symptoms off with powerful and suppressive medications?
Do you believe that the Creative Intelligence that creates, heals and miraculously orchestrates the function of we human beings is not also intelligent in the creation of our symptoms? Do you interpret your signs, symptoms and dis-eases as warning signals and reflections of your body’s efforts to balance you and guide you to healthier, more supportive ways of living?
All of our fear, worry, choices of doctors and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are based on what we understand or believe the nature of disease to be. Our interpretation determines our responses. Therefore critically examining our understanding of the nature of disease lays a foundation for a different approach to illness and therefore for different results. We will receive back the results of the honest efforts we give to understanding.
Few people are aware of how profoundly their unexamined belief in the “superstition” called “disease” influences their efforts to become healthier. When I say that most diseases are a superstition I am not denying that people have very real symptoms such as runny noses, tuors and painful joints. I am saying that the interpretation that these symptoms are due to something called “diseases” is false and every bit as much a superstition as believing that our symptoms are caused by evil spirits or any other clearly false interpretation. If you allow any false interpretation of cause and effect to guide your actions you are not going to get the results you expect out of your actions. An interpretation can be likened to a map. It tells us where to go to get to our destination. Everybody’s desired destination is health and happiness yet almost no one we know arrives at Health. Most end up lost in illness.
If the disease interpretation is inaccurate and incomplete what then might be a more accurate mental map or interpretation of our pains and dysfunctions? Briefly it is this:
your every action produces a specific consequence or result
your symptoms are the natural consequences of your actions (willful and otherwise), as influenced by your individual genetics;
your most ordinary actions such as eating, breathing, moving, thinking, speaking, relating are what, above all else, determine your level of health and happiness.
In short we determine our illnesses and health by our actions, with very few exceptions. Notice how this interpretation of our symptoms brings us from the realm of imagination and theory into one of physical and mental action; into reality. Rather than speculating and theorizing as to what the mysterious causes of our health problems might be, we now look squarely into the real world of what we actually do and can seek our answers there.
Illness is primarily a call for attention. Wise and compassionate action is the only remedy. Our body’s aches and pains are highly purposeful and alert us of the need to make changes in our thoughts and actions. To successfully navigate the journey to radiant Health we must first obtain an accurate map to guide our actions. This cannot come as long as we cling to a false map/interpretation. Our body is held prisoner within the prison of our false interpretations that our suffering is due to anything other than our own thoughts and actions.
Think of someone you know who lives with a diagnosed disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer or asthma and accepts that this so called “disease”, this name is the whole explanation of what is causing the changes in their body. Do you see how this interpretation limits or imprisons them from taking any other actions not consistent with that interpretation? They would not consult another Health professional or seriously pursue diet, exercise, rest, stress management. Their actions are imprisoned, bound, dictated by their beliefs.
For a reality check on how imprisoned you are by conventional superstition recall a time you were sick or a recurrent pattern of illness that you have. Ask yourself the following questions. Did you interpret your health challenges as a something caused by a virus or bacteria, or as the manifestation of a “disease” or an “illness”? The most important point here is not your exact interpretation. Did you generally interpret your symptoms as “something wrong” and “non-purposeful”? Were your actions consistent with the interpretations you made? I.e., Did you try to make the symptoms disappear without giving much thought to the underlying causes? What difference might it have made, if you had interpreted your illness as an attempt on the part of your body to communicate with your mind. The attempted communication being intended to re-direct your daily actions toward those which would support your health. I.e., your body-mind was telling you of the need for a change, that if you had made it, would bring you greater health and happiness, or less suffering. Now in rethinking this incident see if you can figure out what your body might have been trying to tell you. Often, peole are able to look back and see that their body had been faithfully trying to warn them of the dangerous consequences of one or more activities they were or were not doing i.e. worrying, eating poorly, lacking fun, sex, rest etc.) If you had received your body’s messages, how might this have changed your health. Can you see how your body was held prisoner and prevented from guiding you to better health through better action by your mind’s false beliefs and interpretations about illness? What might you do now to free yourself from these sick interpretations? Reflect on the time, effort, study, money, expert consultations you have invested in the diagnosis and treatment of real or feared health concerns (include health insurance costs). Suppose you had invested the same time, effort, study, money etc in learning such skills as nutrition, fasting, exercise, meditation and communication skills? How might your health and happiness be different today?
AUGUST 13, 2012
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