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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 esoteric 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 esoteric 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 hemolysis — 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 blood types, but there will come a day when they will know a still greater difference, for 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 esoteric 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 then 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 esoteric 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 esoteric 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 Odie 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 eaten, 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:
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. 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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