Illness is the Cure

Perfection is all around us. From a snowflake to the common cold our world is one example of perfection after another. Consider the human eye. Light from the sun is reflected off an object, enters our eye, is focused to a single point on the retina, and is transmitted along the optic nerve to the brain which interprets the message as a tree, or a car, or snow, or whatever we happen to see. Absolute perfection and it happens effortlessly, with no input from you or me.

So what about illnesses? Everyday I talk to people in some sort of distress. Digestive upset, obesity, cancer, insomnia, depression and many other illnesses consume our lives and people are hurting. How is this perfection? How can something so “bad” be perfect? The answers are not easy to give.

For most of us, disease is viewed as an adversary. It is something to be battled with, struggled with, and hopefully (if you do everything right) defeat. This view is a very external one that more times than not, misses a connection with the sacred bigger picture.

Marc David, in his book The Slow Down Diet, proposes a way of looking at disease in stark contrast to the above view. He states, “Whatever you believe is the disease is actually the cure. Whatever the bodily concern you believe is the problem is, in the soul’s reality, the solution.” I wholeheartedly agree.

Our illnesses are designed to take us to new heights. The ancient Greeks viewed every symptom as a visitation from the gods. They were divine messengers to the soul for instruction and growth. Symptoms were listened to, honored, and never suppressed. They were seen as part of a great journey. Journeys are not always easy, comfortable, or fun, but they do stretch us and make us into more complete beings.

So ask yourself what message from the divine your illness is teaching you. For in that there truly is a cure. Do you have low energy? Perhaps it is the cure for a life that is speeding too fast. Often times fatigue is the only way we can actually slow down and connect with what is going on in our lives. It is not easy to admit that these symptoms come from inside us. It is uncomfortable to realize that we need to change and let go of old patterns and ways. It is exciting to know however that we are given the cure everyday. We just need to pay attention.