The Power of Healing

March 28, 2024

I have learned over the years of working with patients and with myself that much of our disease, as a world, country, state, family, and on the individual level, is caused by internal conflict. A nation divided against itself will not thrive, nor will a state, city, neighborhood, or family. 

Frequently, the fights are to the finish, such as in America’s Civil War. On the individual level, one aspect of ourselves may turn against another, and although these aspects are all in one body, mind, and heart, they are in conflict and can also fight to the finish. 

Jesus addressed internal conflict. “But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: 'Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.'” (Matthew 12:25)

Our guilt, resentment, shame, and anger can fight with our sensibilities of forgiveness, acceptance, self-respect, and serenity. Our envy, cowardice, over-indulgence, and lust can fight with our sensibilities of calmness, courage, sobriety, and compassionate innocence. Our inner pride, deceit, and passivity can fight with our inner humility, truthfulness, and active resolve. 

Sometimes, our very lives hinge on the stance we choose. As we fight against ourselves, our stomachs churn, and our internal organs tense. Our minds are in continuous battle. Our emotions war with one another. How can we have such turmoil without it affecting our physical body, mind, and emotional life? 

Making peace with ourselves is one of the essential steps to achieve spiritual awareness and well-being. Accepting reality is a powerful tool in embracing every aspect of ourselves. All aspects can be healed the more we unashamedly embrace them. However, if we “other” any of our aspects and deny them, the energies they generate are repressed. In repressing energy, we block the expression of an aspect. All aspects of ourselves will find an expression sooner or later. So, the expression should be healthy instead of unhealthy. 

Many of us do not readily know that the aspects we most fight against are trying to accomplish something for our own good. The problem is that they bring on more suffering than healthy solutions. These aspects have their own voices; sometimes, we become those voices and fight against our virtues. The result is internal war, internal conflict, and internal damage.

Healing ourselves includes listening to the aspect that we are fighting. If we ask it what it is trying to achieve for us, it will answer, and we will assist it in creating a healthier way of achieving it. Maybe if we ask the family member we dislike or the member of the political party we can’t stand what they are trying to achieve, we will see more common ground.

Inquiry: Why would you not want to ask an aspect of yourself that you don’t like, “What are you trying to do for me?”

Dear God, 

Help me to see myself as you see me and to love myself as you would have me do.

Amen.

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