Illness and awakening

Illness is just another pathway to awakening.

\”Believing that we \’create our own illness\’ and that with \’better\’ practice we can \’defeat\’ it, is another version of believing in sin and salvation. Sickness, old age, and death are natural parts of life; and pain simply is. None of them are sins, enemies, or failings.\” ~Ezra Bayda~ 

I read of a conversation between teacher and student once. To paraphrase: The student asked, \”Teacher, how can I tell if my illness is karmic, trying to teach me something or an imbalance created by my actions?\” The teacher replied, \”I don\’t know. Begin by clearing any internal blockages, do your work, move into love and forgiveness for everyone. If it remains it is simply what your soul requires in this moment to awaken.\”

Our human experiences will take us many places. None is right or wrong, each is simply another aspect of person-hood. Illness can be a teacher in a multitude of ways. It can remind us that we need to nurture ourselves if stress or overwork has created an imbalance. It might allow us to meet someone with whom we have a healer/healed karma – perhaps we helped them to heal in another life and now we must have a situation that allows them to return that gift. In the journey toward wholeness, perceived problems lead us to discover certain teachers, books or knowledge that we would never have been part of our explorations without the imbalance.

When the body begins to change, keep stillness inside of you. See yourself and the various aspects of of your journey without judgment. There is sacredness to be discovered within any situation. Always begin with the knowledge that everything works toward your highest good, move into stillness and acceptance and make any necessary decisions based upon love rather than fear.