Manifesting Wellness

You can’t always keep your body from becoming ill, but you can keep from making yourself ill.

There is no question that illness has many origins. Science has pinpointed causal relationships between many environmental factors and bodily ailments. These range from viruses and bacteria to chemicals and even excess sunlight. In some cases our bodies even seem to attack themselves. What is sometimes less clear is why some people are more susceptible to these factors than others.

Illness and injury are a part of this physical world into which we have placed ourselves. When we chose to incarnate in this Universe, we also chose to expose ourselves to the risk of suffering. We may have chosen to endure bodily pain in order that we can better empathize with other physical beings, or in order to teach ourselves how spirituality transcends pain. When we do find ourselves ill or injured, we can therefore accept this as part of the human experience (even while doing all we can to reduce our suffering). This does not mean, however, that we should seek out suffering, or endure more than is necessary.

Sometimes a spiritually advanced person takes unto him or herself the suffering of others; this is one way saintly compassion manifests. Aside from such an exceptional situation, there is no reason to bring pain upon oneself, and to do so is evidence of separation from Spirit.

Even though injury and illness may have external causes, there are many ways in which we enable or even encourage them to afflict us. Have you ever said to yourself, “I always get a cold in January,” then spent the month watching for the first symptoms to appear? Might you even congratulate yourself on successfully predicting your illness? It’s no wonder that you got a cold – your prophecy was self-fulfilling. You invited the illness and welcomed it on arrival. Maybe you failed to take ordinary precautions such as taking vitamins, eating healthful foods, and getting enough regular sleep, or maybe you focused all your conscious attention on avoiding exposure to cold viruses. In either case, you broadcast your intention to catch a cold into the Universe, and the Universe responded to that attention according to Law.

Do you reward yourself for getting ill? Do you welcome illness as an excuse to stay home from work, or neglect household chores? Do you tell yourself that being sick is a good reason for overindulging in your favorite dessert or spending money on items that you can’t afford? Do you demand extra attention and coddling from loved ones? These are other ways we find to take pleasure in getting sick, and open ourselves to it. Extreme cases of such behavior are recognized as mental illness.

Instead of assuming at the first sign of a possible illness that you are in for two weeks of misery, try putting the Law to work for you. Take the opportunity to reaffirm your oneness with the healing energy of Spirit. If your throat tickles, meditate upon the warmth of Spirit flowing through your body and cleansing negative energies from that area. If your sinuses are congested, visualize spiritual energy opening constricted passages and allowing blockages to be relieved. Whatever spiritual practice you regularly follow to infuse your body with health and vitality, be sure not to neglect it but perform it with redoubled positive intention. Visualize yourself as you truly are – a perfect manifestation of Spirit – and ignore any suggestion from your body or egoic mind that you are imperfect in any way. See the pure flame of Spirit burning in your center, glowing with an energy that drives any impurity from your physical and energetic self. Sense the pure cleansing energy that radiates from you and through you. Visualize yourself and all beings in pristine energetic simplicity as flawless creatures of light.

This practice should not be limited to those times when you feel unwell. The more you practice seeing yourself and others as perfect, the more perfection will manifest in your life and in the world around you. If you have been a magnet for suffering, just stop. Become instead a vortex of health. As you move through the physical universe, carry with you the sure knowledge that all beings are perfect in their essence. This knowledge will manifest in your soul and in those around you as improved health and abounding joy.

Adopting this practice in sickness and in health will have many positive effects. First, you will not become physically ill nearly as often. Along with the knowledge of your perfection comes the ability to honor your body by following healthy practices. Placing your attention on wellness rather than sickness will manifest even more wellness by operation of the Law. When you do become ill, your illnesses will be less serious and protracted. You will not see illness as punishment or as evidence of some flaw in yourself, but will bear it as part of the human condition while resting securely in the knowledge that your core is divine essence. You will maintain a positive attitude and will not convert physical suffering into negative spiritual energy. You will radiate health and joy into the Universe around you, and will have a positive influence on the wellness and happiness of others. You will contribute your intention and your energy to the positive flow emanating from, and leading back to, the perfect light of Spirit.

And so it is.

Namaste.