Occult Principles of
Health & Healing
by
Max Heindel
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Table of Contents
There are many people of a supercilious
nature who are always ready to crack a joke at the expense of those who practice
methods of divine healing which teach one to cultivate a fearless attitude of
mind under all conditions. But as a matter of actual fact, an enormous
percentage of our sickness is actually due and traceable to feelings of fear
upon the part of the patient.
Travelers who have visited uninhabited
islands report that the birds and beasts found there were unafraid of them at
first, but they soon learned the predatory nature of man and fled before him in
fear of their lives. thus the ruthless nature of man has in ages past, spread
fear all over the Earth. We have conquered, tamed and exploited both bird and
beast, and what we could not conquer we have slain, until every breathing thing
hides in fear of us. That is to say, among the larger animals--none is so large
that it does not fear us and flee from us.
When we turn in the direction of the little
things then the case is different. Man, who thinks he reigns supreme on Earth
because he has put all the larger creation in a state of fear, trembles in turn
before the minute things in the world and the smaller they are, the more he
fears them. The microscope has told us that such a small creature as the
housefly carries about on the fur of its legs thousands of parasites, and
therefore fear prompts us to spend millions of dollars on fly-paper,
fly-screens, flytraps, and other devices to rid ourselves of this pest, but our
efforts are largely in vain. Though vast sums are expended yearly to exterminate
the fly, it is so prolific that is breeds faster than we can slay.
We fear its cousin, the mosquito, even more.
The microscope has told us that this little insect is one of the chief
messengers of the Angel of Death. Therefore we fight it in fear of our lives,
but it thrives in spite of the vast sums yearly expended upon its termination.
Then there is the milk we drink. Under ordinary conditions it is said that there
are 100,000 germs to the cubic centimeter, but under the best and most sanitary
conditions this army of destroyers can be brought down to 10,000. So in fear and
trembling we pasteurize this fluid before we dare to give it to the children of
tender age. Every drop of water we drink swarms with germ life, says the
microscope, and even the coin and currency wherewith we purchase the necessities
of life are vehicles of death, for they are infected with germs to an almost
unbelievable extent. Once we started to launder them, but it was found that the
bankers could not so easily detect counterfeits after they had been washed, so
we abandoned the process. We either fear the counterfeiters more than the germs
or we love money more than health.
Is not this whole attitude ridiculous and
unworthy of our high and noble estate, as human beings, as children of God? It
is well known to science that an attitude of fear breaks down the power of
resistance of the body, and thereby lays it liable to diseases which would not
otherwise be able to gain a foothold. From the occult point of view it is
perfectly plain why this is so. The dense body which we see with our eyes it
interpenetrated by a vehicle made of ether, and the energy from the Sun, which
pervades all space, is constantly pouring into our body through the spleen which
is a specialized organ for the attraction and assimilation of this universal
ether. In the solar plexus it is converted into a rose colored fluid which
permeates the nervous system. This may be compared to electricity in the wires
of an electric or telegraphic system. By means of this vital fluid the muscles
are moved and the organs perform their vital functions so that the body may
express itself in perfect health. The better the health the larger the quantity
of this solar fluid which we are able to absorb, but we only utilize a certain
part of it and the surplus is radiated from the body in straight lines.
You have seen the paper ribbons fastened in
front of electric fans in candy stores and fruit stands. When the fan is set
going these streamers float outwards from the fan. The streamers which flow from
the whole periphery of the human body also radiate in straight lines when we are
in perfect health. This condition is therefore aptly described as radiant
health. We speak of such a person as radiating life and vigor. Under such
conditions no disease germs can ever get a foothold in his body. They cannot
enter from without because of these invisible streamers of force, any more than
a fly an enter an opening in a building covered by an exhaust fan. And those
microorganisms which enter the body with the food are also quickly expelled, for
the vital processes in the body are selective as shown by the kidneys, for
instance, which excrete the waste matter while retaining vital substances
necessary for the economy of the body.
But the moment we allow thoughts of fear, of
worry, of anger, the body endeavors, as it were, to close the gates against an
outside foe, fancied or real. Then also the spleen closes up and ceases to
specialize the vital fluid in sufficient quantities for the necessities of the
body, and we then see a phenomenon which is analogous to the effect of lowering
the voltage or cutting in more resistance in the electric fan. In that case the
paper streamers will begin to hang down, they will no longer wave over the candy
or fruit to protect it and keep the flies away. Similarly in the human body,
when the thought of fear forces the partial closure of the spleen, the solar
fluid does not go through the body with the same speed as before. It does not
then radiate from the periphery in straight lines, but these lines become
crumpled and thus they allow easy access to the little deleterious organisms
which may then feed unobstructed upon our tissues and cause disease.
Whether the consistent mental scientists, or
others who believe in divine healing, know this law or not, they act according
to its dictates when they affirm that they are children of God, that they have
no reason to fear, for God is their Father and will protect them so long as they
do not deliberately disregard the ordinary laws of life.
The actual fact, and the truth in the matter
is that contagion comes from within. So long as we live a common-sense life,
feeding our bodies upon the pure foods which come from the vegetable kingdom,
taking a sufficient amount of exercise, and keeping mentally active, we may rest
secure in the promise that the Lord is our refuge. There shall no evil befall us
so long as we thus show our faith by our works. On the other hand, if we belie
our faith in God by disregard of His laws our expectations of health are vain.
"As a man thinketh in his heart so is
he," said the Christ, and this is an absolutely scientific proposition;
something, moreover, which everyone may demonstrate by looking about him in the
everyday conditions of life in the home, office, or street. Here we see a man
with thick lips, with puffed cheeks, with a veritable pouch under his chin, and
at once we know that we have before us a glutton and a sensualist. Another comes
along the street; his face is furrowed by lines, his lips are thin and set, and
we know that thought and care have been the architects that molded his face.
Each one who passes expresses without
exactly what his thoughts are within. One is muscular and active, because the
thoughts which have governed his activities built an active body. Another has
flabby flesh, a pouch stomach, and a waddling walk, showing that he is averse to
all exercise. In each case the body is an accurate reproduction of the mind;
each class suffers from the ailments peculiar to the trend of its mental
activity. The glutton and sensualist suffer from diseases engendered when their
thoughts have crystallized and weakened the digestive tract and creative organs.
Their diseases are entirely different from the nervous diseases that attack the
thinker, and any system of healing that does not take into consideration the
fact that the body is more a physical expression of mind than mind is a
manifestation of the physical man, makes a very radical mistake. In our complex
nature, mind and matter act and react upon each other in such a manner that it
is absolutely necessary to consider the man as a whole whenever we attempt to
deal with his disability.
It is well known to physiologists that joy
will sometimes bring the patient out of the sick room quicker than any medicine.
If something has happened to give his affairs in the world a sudden upward turn,
so that he becomes optimistic, disease seems to disappear as if by magic; and
conversely, even though he may seem to enjoy good health, the moment a
depressing influence comes into his business affairs he begins to feel ill in
body. A letter containing bad news may sometimes stop direction entirely, and
give the person who receives it a very serious attack of indigestion. Thus the
truth of the Savior's teaching that "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is
he," is amply demonstrated in practical, everyday life.
When we realize this we also see the
necessity of cultivating an attitude of optimism. A hopeful mind is the greatest
of all medicine, and a constant reiteration of a resolution to overcome the
present ills, is better than all the medicine in the world. When one is in
constant pain, suffering acutely, it is perhaps very difficult to maintain an
attitude of optimism, nevertheless, the magic formula of the Savior applied to
health, will help us to overcome in time.
It is a law that if we think health we must
of necessity sooner or later express health. We must live the rational life and
cease from excesses, particularly in diet; that cannot be emphasized too often.
Neither, will it avail to stand before a mirror and reiterate to oneself,
"I have Faith," "I am Health," or similar untrue
affirmations. Just stop talking of your ailments to others; try above all to
divert your own thoughts from your condition; believe in health as our
birthright, and as something that can be attained by us, never wavering.
You may have heard the story of the old lady
who had heard her minister speak about a faith that could remove mountains. She
was willing to try her faith on the ash heap, but next morning when she saw it
was still there she exclaimed, "I thought so." Conditions were what
she expected in her heart, not what she claimed to believe with her tongue, and
it will be the same with everyone. Therefore, believe heartily in health.
While cleanliness itself is a virtue, it
becomes, like many another good thing, a vice by being overdone. Water is the
universal solvent and taken internally in small doses it is good, but taken at
the wrong time, with meals for instance, and in excess, it becomes a poison. It
dilutes the digestive fluids and cools the stomach so that the condition
necessary for the proper treatment of the food is disarranged and in time, if
the habit is persisted in, it impairs the digestion permanently. So also when
water is taken in excess outside and under improper conditions, it may affect
the health very seriously.
This has been demonstrated many times in our
experiences on Mt. Ecclesia. A number of people who came here have been in the
habit, prior to their arrival, of bathing every day and sometimes twice or three
times a day. They were, without exception, in a very serious run-down condition,
because the excess of water applied with a towel or a sponge, had depleted the
skin of its fatty substance, and the vasomotor system was unable to operate
properly, to close or open the pores as required.
But there was another effect of this
excessive bathing, not seen or understood unless by one who has the requisite
occult knowledge, and the spiritual sight to investigate the matter properly.
Others may know the truth of the following explanation because of their own
experience along the lines of healing and magnetism.
We all know that when we take a physician's
galvanic battery and place one electrode in a basin of water, holding the other
electrode in the hand, the flow of electricity through the body is much stronger
than when we put our other hand in the water or if we hold both electrodes
without contact with water. When water is evaporated its molecules are broken up
and each fragment is then enclosed in an envelope of ether which will act as a
cushion and is the basis of elasticity in steam. When condensation takes place
the surplus of ether disappears, and water becomes incompressible as the solid
rock.
But water has great yearning for ether; it
cannot take it from the air, however, any more than we can absorb nitrogen
though we breathe it continually. Fluid is volatile in proportion to the amount
of ether it contains, and we have an example of the intense greed of water for
ether in the avidity wherewith it absorbs anhydrous ammonia, a fluid so volatile
that it boils at 26 degrees below zero. This shows why water causes so
voluminous a flow between a battery electrode and the body, and explains many
phenomena, among others, why moisture aids so materially in transmitting good
magnetism, the vital fluid of the healer to his patient, and withdrawing bad
magnetism from the body of the latter. Also how necessary and helpful it is to
wash in running water, so that the poisonous ether taken out of the patient's
vital body will not hamper the healer. When we take a bath under ordinary normal
circumstances, we remove a great deal of effete poisonous ether from our vital
bodies provided we stay in a reasonable length of time. After a bath the vital
body becomes somewhat attenuated and consequently gives us a feeling of
weakness, but if we are in ordinary good health and have not stayed in the bath
too long, the deficiency is soon made good by the stream of force which flows
into the human body through the spleen. When this recuperation has taken place
we feel renewed vitality and attribute it to the bath without realizing THE FULL
FACTS as above stated.
But when a person who is not in perfect
health commences to bathe every day, perhaps twice or three times a day, an
excess of ether is taken from the vital body. The new supply entering by way of
the spleen is also diminished on account of the attenuated condition of the
vital body; thus it is impossible for such persons to recuperate after repeated
depletions and as a consequence the health of the dense body suffers; they lose
almost every ounce of strength and gradually become confirmed invalids. Being in
this delicate state they are unable to eat and assimilate truly nourishing foods
and in time their condition may become very, very serious.
Cases of this description are exceedingly
difficult to handle, because they usually occur with people with common signs on
the angles, with many planets in these signs, or with the Sun or Ascendant
there. This class of people resent any interference with their diet and habit of
bathing, because they think they are paragons of cleanliness, which is in their
eyes a chief virtue. They believe they cannot live without so many baths daily
and as their appetite is so slight and delicate they believe that they know
better than anyone else how to look after that part of their requirements, but
they are wrong in both cases as shown in the foregoing.
Their first step to health involves that
they cease bathing entirely. The dry bath is the proper restorative, and for
this purpose a pair of coarse gloves made of linen tape loosely woven are best.
With these the body may be rubbed morning and evening until the skin shows a
health glow. By this process the superfluous cuticle is removed but the oil and
ether remain. Thus the patient will build up very rapidly, for when the chemical
ether increases, the power of assimilation also revives and there is an
immediate gain of both strength and flesh. If necessary the patient may be given
a very light warm sponge bath once a week, but no tub baths should be attempted
until he or she is fully recovered.
Among the latest discoveries of science is
haemolysis--the fact that inoculation of blood from the veins of a higher animal
into one of a lower species, destroys the blood of the lower animal and causes
its death. Thus the blood of man injected into the veins of any animal is fatal.
But from man to man it is found that transfusion may take place, although at
times there are deleterious effects.
In olden days people married in the family;
it was then looked upon with horror if one should "seek after strange
flesh." When the sons of God married the daughters of men, that is to say,
when the subjects of one leader married outside the tribe, there was great
trouble, they were cast off by their leader and destroyed, for at that time
certain qualities that we now possess were to be developed in humanity and were
thus implanted in the common blood which ran pure in the family or small tribe.
Later on when man was to be brought down into material conditions, international
marriages were commanded, and, from that time on, it has been looked upon as
equally horrible if persons within the same family united in marriage.
The old Vikings would not allow anyone to
marry into their family unless they had first gone through the ceremony of
mixing blood to see if the transfusion of the blood of the stranger into their
family was detrimental or otherwise. All this was because in earlier times
humanity was not as individualized as it is today. They were more under the
domination of the Race or Family Spirit, which dwelt in their blood, as the
Group Spirit of animals does in the blood of animals. Later the international
marriages were given to free humanity from that yoke and make every separate Ego
sole master of its own body without outside interference.
Science has lately found that the blood of
different people has different crystals, so that it is possible now to tell the
blood of a Negro from the blood of a white man; but there will come a day when
they will know a still greater difference, for just as there is a difference in
the crystals formed by the different races, so there is also a difference in the
crystals formed by each individual man. The thumb-marks of no two people are
alike, and it will be found in time that the blood of each human being is
different from the blood of every other individual. This difference is already
evident to the occult investigator, and it is only a question of time when
science will make the discovery, for the distinguishing features are becoming
more marked as the human being grows less and less dependent, more and more
self-sufficient.
This change in the blood is most important
and in time, when it has become more marked, it will be productive of most
far-reaching consequences. It is said that "Nature geometrizes," and
Nature is but the visible symbol of the invisible God whose offspring and images
we are. Being made in His likeness, we are also beginning to geometrize, and
naturally we are starting on the substance where we, the human spirits, the
Egos, have the greatest power, namely, in our blood.
When the blood comes through the arteries,
which are deep in the body, it is a gas; but loss of heat nearer the surface of
the body causes it to partially condense, and in that substance the Ego is
learning to form mineral crystals. In the Jupiter Period we shall learn to
invest them with a low form of vitality and set them out from ourselves as
plant-like structures. In the Venus Period we shall be able to infuse desire
into them and make them like animals. Finally, in the Vulcan Period, we shall
give them a mind and rule over them as race spirits.
At the present time we are at the very
beginning of this individualization of our blood. Therefore it is possible at
present to transfuse blood from one human being to another, but the day is near
at hand when that will be impossible. The blood of a white man will kill all who
stand lower, and the blood of an advanced person will poison the less cultured.
The child at present receives its supply of blood from the parents, stored in
the thymus gland, for the years of childhood. But the time will come when the
Ego will be too far individualized to function in blood not generated by itself.
Then the present mode of generation will have to be superseded by another
whereby the Ego may create its own vehicle without the help of parents.
Generally speaking, when an arm, a limb, or
an organ has been removed from the physical body by means of a surgical
operation, the dense part of the organ permeated by the planetary ether is taken
away. The four ethers which constitute the vital body of the man or woman thus
operated upon remain; but there is a certain magnetic connection between the
part decaying in the grave and that etheric counterpart which remains with the
person. Therefore, he or she feels the pain and suffering in the part removed
for some time after an operation, until decay has taken place and the etheric
counterpart has disintegrated.
However, there are some exceptions to this
general rule which it is well to note. We have observed that the physical body
accommodates itself so far as possible to altered conditions. If a wound in a
certain part of the body makes it impossible for the blood to flow in the normal
channels it finds another set of veins by which it may make its circuit, but an
organ never atrophies so long as it can serve any useful purpose. It is similar
with the vital body composed of ethers. When an arm or limb has been amputated,
the etheric counterpart of that member is no longer required in the economy of
the body; therefore, it gradually wastes away. But in the case of an organ like
the spleen where the etheric counterpart has an important function as gateway
for the solar energy, naturally no such disintegration will take place.
It should also be remembered that wherever
disease manifests in the physical vehicle that part of the vital body has first
become thin, attenuated, and diseased, and it was its failure to supply the
necessary vital energy that caused the manifestation of physical symptoms of ill
health. Conversely, when health returns, the vital body is the first to pick up,
and this convalescence is then manifested in the dense body. Therefore, if the
physical spleen is diseased, it is a foregone conclusion that the etheric
counterpart is also in subnormal health, and the wisdom of removing the organ is
doubtful. However, if it is done, the body will seek to accommodate itself to
the new condition and the etheric counterpart of the spleen will continue to
function as before.
Another interesting angle to this question
is revealed in the after-death state. When a person who is injured passes into
the invisible realm, he thinks with the same mind, pictures himself there as he
was in the world. Consequently a scar on the forehead or the loss of an arm or
limb is reproduced by his thought in the matter of the Desire World, and he
appears there disfigured as he was here. In the World War this was very
noticeable, for all the soldiers who passed out with wounds which they could see
and which they knew how to determine the effect of, reproduced these wounds in
their desire bodies. They felt pain similar to what they would have felt if they
had still been in the physical body, because they fancied that there must be
pain connected with it. However, they were quickly assisted by one another and
by those who had been helped by the Elder Brothers to see the matter right: that
there was no actual pain. As soon as they were convinced that their wounds were
but illusions and taught that they could shape their bodies in the normal and
healthy state, they could quickly remedy the condition.
Removal of the tonsils is a subject on which
our opinion is frequently asked, and we have always discouraged the removal of
these necessary organs, for it has been found that serious throat and lung
diseases are often experienced in later life as a consequence of removing the
tonsils, and an increasing number of physicians today denounce this operation as
wholly unnecessary.
The tonsils are ruled by Taurus, one of the
signs of Venus. There is great sympathy between signs ruled by the same planet.
Libra, the other Venus sign, rules the kidneys. Removal of tonsils from the
Taurus region affects secretion of urine in the Libra region. Therefore, when we
remove the tonsils from a child we increase the tendency to gout and rheumatism
in later years.
As a matter of fact, enlarged tonsils are
due to conditions connected with the arrival at puberty and adolescence, perhaps
accentuated by a wrong diet, and this is a factor in most of the other throat
diseases, for the larynx is the opposite of the generative organs, as proved by
the fact that the voice changes at the time of puberty; and in many other ways.
When the period of adolescence is past it will be found that these organs will
return to their normal condition and will give no further trouble.
In acute conditions we have always
recommended the citrus fruits as the finest antiseptics known. This applies also
and particularly to pineapple. Lemonade made of lemons and HONEY will be found
to give great relief in this condition. Oranges, grapefruit, and pineapple
should also be used freely when the child complains of throat trouble. A cold
compress on the throat at night when the child goes to bed, supplemented by
massage of the throat, will be found an effective treatment in all throat
troubles. It goes without saying that the bowels should be kept open and clear.
By the use of these simple treatments the trouble will probably be over in a few
days, perhaps even without the necessity of putting the child to bed. Do not be
afraid if white matter is expectorated during the process of this treatment.
That is just what the child needs to get rid of, in order to be well.
The form of healing to advise depends upon
the nature of the sickness and the temperament of the patient. If it is a case
of a broken leg, a surgeon is obviously the one to call. If there is an internal
disorder and it is possible to get a broad-minded physician, then in certain
cases he is the one to get. If, on the other hand, a mental healer, Christian
Science healer, or anyone else who is spiritually minded can be brought in, HE
MAY HELP A PERSON WHO IS HIMSELF STRONG IN FAITH, for, as a tuning fork which is
of a certain pitch will respond when another tuning fork of the same pitch is
struck, so will the person filled with faith respond to the ministrations of
these last named ones. But where faith in their methods is lacking in the
patient, it is far better to send for a regular physician in whom the patient
has confidence, for health or sickness depends almost altogether upon the state
of mind, and in the conditions of sickness where a person is enfeebled, he
becomes hypersensitive and should not be thwarted in his preferences. Besides,
whatever good there is in any system of healing, the effects upon a certain
person will be beneficial or the reverse in exact proportion to his faith in its
healing power.
Certainly, it is our duty to take medicine
administered by a properly qualified person, or attempt to cure the ills from
which we suffer in any other way possible that appeals to us. We should be doing
decidedly wrong if we allowed our physical instrument to deteriorate for lack of
proper care and attention. It is the most valuable tool we possess, and unless
we use it circumspectly and care for it, we are amenable to the Law of Cause and
Effect for that neglect.
There are two very common difficulties in
the practice of osteopathy and kindred methods of treatment by the laying on of
hands. In this process there are two distinct operations. One is a taking away
from the patient of something that is poisonous and injurious, provocative of
disease; and there is also a giving out of vital force by the doctor himself, or
herself. Everybody who had done any work of this kind knows this because it has
been felt and is felt by every one who is successful. Now, unless the doctor or
healer is bubbling over with radiant health, two things are liable to happen;
either the human miasma taken away from the patient may so overwhelm him or her
that to use a common expression "he takes on the condition" of the
patient, or he may give too much of his own vital force, and thus become
entirely depleted. Both of these conditions may combine, and then there comes a
day when the physician or healer finds himself or herself run down and forced to
rest.
Magnetic healers who are frankly
unscientific often escape the first-mentioned condition by "throwing off
the magnetism," as they say, but all are liable to be run down. That is
something that nobody can escape, save on who can see the etheric effluvia he
takes and the vital fluid he gives. Most people are vampires when they are sick,
and the stronger and more robust they are ordinarily, the worse they are usually
when sickness has thrown them upon a bed or sickness.
The following hint is of value in keeping
away undesirable conditions: First, fix your thoughts firmly in such a manner
that you will not allow this miasmatic effluvia which leaves the patient's body
to enter your body further than the elbow; second, when you are giving treatment
leave the patient once in a while and wash your hands IN RUNNING WATER IF
POSSIBLE; but at any rate wash in water, and change the water as frequently as
possible. The water has a twofold effect. In the first place, the effluvia
leaving the patient's body has an affinity for water. In the second place, the
moisture which stays upon your hands enables you to get the miasma from the
patient in a larger measure than you otherwise would. This is on the very same
principle that if you take the electrodes of an electrical battery and put them
into water, you will find the effect of electricity is many times intensified if
you try to touch the water.
So also with yourself; you are the electric
battery in the case, and your hands being moistened will draw to yourself the
miasma in a much greater measure than otherwise. If conditions are such that you
cannot get water you may try to throw the magnetism off, but then it is
necessary to be careful, because when the magnetism is thrown away from you it
is attracted to the Earth, because it is subject to gravity; and to the
spiritual vision it is a dark or rather a black jelly-like fluid. It lies
shimmering and shivering on the floor. If now the patients gets up relieved from
the couch where treatment has been given, and goes over the place where this
magnetism has been thrown away, then the miasma will re-enter the body and he or
she will be in a worse condition than before you started the treatment.
Therefore it is the best policy always to throw such miasma our of the window,
or better still, put them into a fireplace and then set fire to them.
From the foregoing it is evident that this
laying on of hands is something that should not be done indiscriminately by any
one who has not been trained in one of the many properly equipped schools of
Osteopathy, Chiropractic, etc. Probationers who live worthy lives are trained
under the special guidance of the Elder Brothers.
Bacteriologists have discovered that many
diseases are caused by microorganisms which invade our body, and also that when
this invading army begins to create a disturbance the body commences to
manufacture germs of an opposing nature or a substance which will poison the
invaders. It is them a question of which are the strongest, the invaders or the
defenders. If the defending microbes are more numerous than the invaders or if
the poison which is noxious to the invaders is manufactured in sufficient
quantities, the patient recovers. If the defenders are vanquished on the body is
unable to manufacture a sufficient quantity of the serum necessary to poison the
invaders, the patient succumbs to the disease. It was further discovered than
when a certain person has once successfully recovered from a specific malady, he
is immune from renewed attacks of that disease for the reason that he has in his
body the serum which is death to the germs that cause the disease he has once
weathered.
From the above facts certain conclusions
were drawn:
(1) If a healthy person is inoculated with a
few of the germs of a certain disease he will contract that disease in a mild
form. He will then be able to develop the saving serum and thus he will become
immune to that disease in the future.
THAT IS THE PHILOSOPHY OF VACCINATION AS A
MEANS OF PREVENTING DISEASE.
(2) When a person has contracted a disease
and is unable to manufacture a sufficient quantity of the serum which will
destroy the invading microorganisms, his life may be saved by inoculation with
the serum obtained from another who has become immune.
As it is not easy to get such antitoxins or
cultures from human beings, these germ-cultures and poisons have been obtained
from animals, and much has been written both for and against the use of such
methods of fighting disease. With these we are not here concerned; the occult
viewpoint goes deeper than the question at issue, as seen from the material side
of life. There are undoubtedly cases where disease has been prevented by the use
of antitoxin; there are also cases where vaccination and antitoxin have caused
the fatality they were designed to prevent, but that is beside the question.
From the occult viewpoint vaccination and the use of antitoxin OBTAINED BY THE
PROCESSES IN USE IN BACTERIOLOGICAL INSTITUTES is to be deplored. These methods
work a wrong on the helpless animals and POISON THE HUMAN BODY, making it
difficult for the Ego to use its instrument.
If we study the chemistry of our food we
shall find that nature has provided all necessary medicine, and if we eat right
we shall be immune from disease without vaccination.
When in normal health the body specializes a
far greater quantity of the solar energy than it can use. The surplus is
radiated form the whole surface of the body with great force and prevents the
entrance of microorganisms which lack the strength to battle against the
outwelling current; nay, more! on the same principle that an exhaust fan will
gather up particles of dust in a room and hurl them outward does this vital
fluid cleanse the body of inimical matter, dangerous germs included., It must
not surprise us that this force is intelligent and capable of selecting the
materials which should be eliminated, leaving the beneficial and useful.
Scientist recognize this fact of selective osmosis. They know that while a sieve
will allow any particle of matter to pass through which is smaller than the mesh
of the sieve, the kidneys for instance, will keep fluids of use to the body,
while allowing waste products to pass. In as similar manner the vital fluid
makes a distinction, it rids the body of the poisons and impurities generated
inside and repels similar products from without.
This emanation has been called N-rays, or
Odic fluid, by scientist who have discovered it by means of chemical reagents
which render it luminous. During the process of digestion it is weakest, for
then an extra quantity of the solar energy is required for use inside the body
in the metabolism of the food; it is the cementing factor in assimilation. The
heartier we have eater, the greater is the quantity of vital fluid expended
WITHIN THE BODY and the weaker the eliminative and protecting outrushing
current. Consequently we are in the greatest danger from an invasion by an army
of inimical microorganisms when we have gorged ourselves.
On the other hand, if we eat sparingly and
choose the foods which are the most easily digestible, the diminution of the
protective vital current will be correspondingly minimized and our immunity from
disease will be much enhanced without the necessity of poisoning our body with
vaccine.
A large and increasing number of medical men
are now convinced that the LAW OF DESTINY is an important factor in producing
disease and retarding recovery, though they are not believers in the fallacy of
an inexorable fate. They recognize that God DOES NOT WILLINGLY AFFLICT US NOR
AIM TO GET EVEN WITH THE TRANSGRESSOR; they understand that all sorrow and
suffering are designed to teach us lessons which we would not or could not learn
in any other way. The stars show the period estimated as requisite to teach us
the lesson; but EVEN GOD CANNOT DETERMINE THE EXACT TIME nor the amount of
suffering necessary; we, ourselves, have a prerogative, FOR WE ARE DIVINE. If we
awake to our transgression and commence to obey the law ere the stellar
affliction ceases, we are cured of our mental, moral, or physical distemper; if
we persist to the end of one stellar affliction without having learned our
lesson, a more inimical configuration will enforce obedience at a later time.
Cancer and consumption are seemingly
incurable, yet there is always a possibility that they may yield, and they
certainly will yield, if the force directed against them is sufficient. Like all
other physical manifestation, they are the result of a spiritual cause, and if
we can get at that, offset it with something of an opposite nature, there is a
chance, whereas the attitude of resignation and non-assistance will certainly
never bring the patient out of his or her condition. Given life in a salubrious
climate--a strong desire for health, a hope that neither knows or permits of
discouragement--and a simple, nutritious, healthful diet will cure even the
worst case of consumption. As for cancer, it is difficult to tell when the debt
of destiny which has caused the trouble has passed, and there are many cases on
record where cancer has been cured; that is to say, of course, in its milder
forms; but even in its advanced forms there is no reason for giving up hope as
long as there is life.
As for sclerosis, there are several methods
whereby the deposits may be eliminated, and these removed, the patient may
become as well as ever. Particularly is this so if he or she can be brought to
recognize the breach of the laws of Nature which has caused the disease in the
specific case, and it is to this end that we should labor. Whether the disease
be cured or not, if the person can be taught now what laws have been
transgressed, if he or she can be led to see what is the spiritual cause of the
disease, and learn to walk in the ways of virtue, which are according to the
laws of God, then in the future there will be no disease for them. It is that
for which we are laboring, that we may hasten the day of liberation; that we may
bring all mankind towards a realization of health.
As to whether or not we should interfere
with destiny, let us first realize who made the destiny! We did! We set the
force going which has now ripened into destiny, and having made it, we certainly
have the right to change it in so far as we are able. In fact, this is the hall
mark of divinity, to rule ourselves. The very greatest majority of mankind is
ruled by the heavenly orbs which may be called "the clock of destiny."
The twelve signs of the zodiac mark the twelve hours of day and night, the
planets may be likened to the hour hand and show the year when a certain debt of
destiny is ripe for expression in our life. The Moon indicates the month, and
attracts certain influences felt by us without our knowing that they are being
exerted, or without our realizing what they are for, but these influences will
tend to bring our actions in line with the destiny which we have made in
previous lives, and invariably the thing which is foreshown will come to pass
unless--yes, there is an UNLESS, thank God, for if it were not so, if there were
no possibility of changing destiny, then let us sit down, "Let us eat,
drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die." We should then be in the hands
of inexorable fate and unable to help ourselves. But, thank God there is one
chance which is not shown in the horoscope, namely, that the human will may
assert itself and frustrate fate.
As Ella Wheeler Wilcox has expressed in
poetic form:
"One ship sails east and another sails west,
With the selfsame winds that blow.
'Tis the set of the sail, and not the gale
Which determines the way they go."
It is of utmost importance that we set the
sails of the barque of life as we want and never scruple about interfering with
fate.
This disposes also of the idea of
"affirmation" as a factor in life. This in itself is folly. It is work
and action that we need in life, as you will readily see by this illustration.
Suppose a little seed of those beautiful carnations were endowed with speech,
and it came to you saying: "I am a carnation." Would you not answer:
"No, you are not a carnation, you foolish little thing. You have the
potentiality in you, but you will have to go out in the garden and bury yourself
for awhile and grow. By that process alone you can become a carnation, never by
affirmation." Similarly with ourselves. All the "affirmations" of
divinity are vain unless accompanies by actions of a divine character, and they
will prove our divinity as words never can.
The rupture of physically robust health is
necessary before it is possible to attain poise in the spiritual world, and the
stronger and more vigorous the instrument, the more drastic must be the method
of breaking it down. Then come years when there is an unbalanced fluctuating
condition of health, until finally we are able to adjust ourselves so as to
maintain health in the Physical World while we retain the ability to function
also in the higher realms.
When we understand the higher philosophies,
when we live the life that is taught by them, our body becomes extremely
sensitive and must be given more care than is necessary to the body of an
Indian, or Negro in the wilds of Africa. They have no delicately organized
nervous system like the white race. Those who are interested along the lines of
spiritual development are particularly high-strung, therefore, as we progress it
becomes necessary to take more and more care of this instrument. But we also
learn the laws of its nature and how to conform to them. If we apply our
knowledge it is possible for us to have a sensitive instrument and keep it in
comparative health.
There are cases, however, when a sickness is
necessary to bring about certain changes in the body which are the precursors of
a higher step in spiritual unfoldment, and under such conditions, of course,
sickness is a blessing and not a curse. In general, however, it may be said that
the study of the higher philosophy will always tend to better one's health,
because "knowledge is power" and the more we know the better we are
able to cope with all conditions, provided, of course, we bring our knowledge
into practice and LIVE THE LIFE--that we are not merely hearers of the word, but
doers also, for no teaching is of benefit to us unless it is carried into our
lives and lived from day to day.
If a person of a nervous temperament will
endeavor to perform calmly and quietly the exercises of Retrospection and
Concentration, he will experience a very beneficial effect, particularly if he
will strive to RELAX EVERY MUSCLE of the body during the exercises.
If the patient will completely relax his
muscles, calmly and quietly review the day's happenings in the evening exercise
and concentrate upon a high ideal in the morning exercise, the nervousness will
gradually disappear.
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