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HEALING THROUGH UNITY
MARCH, 1999
A monthly newsletter dedicated to serving the principles of
physical and spiritual health envisioned in the Baha'i Teachings.
Volume 2, Issue #7
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TO "BEE" OR NOT TO "BEE"
By Sally Caldwell, Alaska, U.S.A.
A bee flew into the car one day while the family was stopped at a traffic light. Try as they might to get it out through an open window, it insisted on buzzing blindly into the windshield.
When the family got home, they tried again to get it to leave, but this only made the bee buzz angrily against the rear window. Again and again, the family tried to direct the bee outside through the open windows and doors. Yet, each time it evaded them. Afraid of injuring the bee by trying any further, the family left the car with the windows open
and parked it next to a flowering bougainvillea vine, hoping this would entice the bee to freedom.
Alas, the next morning they found the little creature dead on the back dash under the rear window, mortally exhausted from its desperate efforts. This poor bee was so sure it had the answer to its dilemma and so it buzzed with greater and greater intensity into the window. It stubbornly maintained that it could solve its own problem, when the truth was that the bee's way got it nowhere. All the bee had to do to reach the flowers outside the car was admit personal powerlessness. At that point the family could have taken it gently from the midst of its prison and released
it to the sweetness of freedom.
And how often do we humans try to solve a problem on our own, trying harder and harder to overcome some perceived difficulty? It is rather sobering to realize that whatever predicament we are now facing, it was our best
thinking that got us there and it is our best thinking that is keeping us there, just like that little bee. Let go and let God.
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THE BUTTERFLY
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Author Unknown - submitted by Susan Gammage, Canada
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, and he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly
spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.
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THE EXCHANGE
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Question:
In the February , 1999 issue, the question was asked:
"What is the role of a chiropractor? How do the principles and treatments of chiropractic assist us with our health?
Answers:
Chiropractic is a branch of the healing arts which is concerned with human health and disease processes. It is based on scientific fact that the nervous system controls the function of every cell, tissue, organ and system of the body. The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord and millions of nerves. Many everyday activities from trauma to chemical and/or mental stress can upset the mechanics of the spine, which in turn can create pain, restriction of movement and other symptoms, such as backaches, neck aches, pain in the extremities, headaches, asthmatic
syndrome, digestive malfunctions, carpel tunnel syndrome, and nervousness, to name but a few. Some people may not know that chiropractic treatment has very favorable results with earaches in children.
The term chiropractic (Greek for "done by hand") was coined by its founder Daniel David Palmer in 1895 when he gave his first "adjustment" to a man who had been deaf for 17 years after falling downstairs. Following the chiropractic adjustment the man's hearing was restored. After that chiropractic was born as a teachable art and science. Thus began what later became the first Chiropractic College in the world in Davenport, Iowa, United States. Now there are sixteen Colleges in North America and several in other parts of the world. In fact, a World Federation of Chiropractors is currently being set up. The accrediting agency for chiropractic colleges was approved by the U.S. Department of Education in 1974. Chiropractors are primary health care providers and their services are covered by most insurance companies in the U.S.
The philosophy of chiropractic is in harmony with the concepts taught in the Baha'i Faith. Chiropractors are taught that there is a Universal Intelligence, and that within each person is an innate or inborn intelligence. They believe that this intelligence can manifest itself best if all interference is removed, thus allowing a person's nervous,
vascular, muscular, energy (meridians, etc.) and other systems to function optimally. Homeostasis, equilibrium and balance are key words in natural healing.
Chiropractic is the largest drug and surgery-free approach to healing in the world. During a chiropractor's five years of training, he/she is taught all the basic sciences - modern diagnostic procedures and treatment methods, including regard for good nutrition, and the adverse effects of a polluted environment, drugs, alcohol and mental stress. X-ray is a compulsory subject and each chiropractic college has its own treatment clinic and laboratory where blood work can be carried out. There are many techniques to adjust the spine and extremities, including soft-tissue approaches. Thus people ranging from infants to the elderly, who are sometimes fragile, can take advantage of chiropractic care.
Chiropractors often have massage therapists on their staff, and may utliize other therapies as well, including hot and cold compresses, depending on the patient's condition. Traditionally people sought a chiropractor for neck and back pain, but now many are going for other health problems. The pendulum is swinging towards trying the natural approach. Having said that, chiropractors are aware there is a need for all branches of healing and the allopathic method is definitely essential.
Chiropractors are required to attend continuing education studies annually as there is new information being released constantly. In my practice, in addition to adjusting the spine I do sacro-cranial work, polarity work, applied kinesiology, neuro-emotional work, homeopathy, nutritional counseling and other natural methods of healing. It is a very rewarding profession and I often find that patients are searching for spiritual answers as well. I often give them a copy of the Healing Prayer or "O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit". Many patients have heard of and read about Baha'u'llah. I try to be kind, compassionate and understanding, and have soft music playing in my office to help people relax. I feel they come not only to be freed from pain, but to unwind and become regenerated after struggling in a stressful world. I try to educate my patients that the Power that made the body heals the body, and we with our free-will must respect and love ourselves as part of God's creation. I often share Baha'u'llah's Hidden Word, Arabic, #23 "O Son of Spirit! Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast created." with them. Such concepts assist patients who are sad and/or suffer from low self-esteem. Miracles happen every day.
"Unveiled and unconcealed, this Wronged One hath, at all times, proclaimed before the face of all the peoples of the world that which will serve as the key for unlocking the doors of sciences, of arts, of knowledge, of well-being, of prosperity and wealth."
( Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 96)
"The powers of the sympathetic nerve are neither entirely physical nor spiritual, but are between the two (systems). The nerve is connected with both. Its phenomena will be perfect when its spiritual and physical relations are normal."
( Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p.309)
Lynette Frieden, Chiropractor for 30 years, California, USA
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He feels you should certainly think of your future and earning your living, and if chiropractic is the work you wish to go in for, you should continue your education; when you are finished it would be highly meritorious to enter the pioneer field, as for many years to come Baha'i teachers will be needed in distant lands.
( Written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 31 March 1947, Health and Healing,p. 39)
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I am not qualified to answer the question as a practitioner but I am a Physical Therapist who has come to appreciate and utilize the services of a Chiropractor when I cannot correct my own physical dysfunctions with my own knowledge of the body. I am not sure I would choose a Chiropractor as my primary physician but I have a great deal of confidence in their abilities with some problems. I have referred patients whose problems are not responding to my treatment and their gratitude has been an affirmation of the efficacy of Chiropractic treatments. I have observed my chiropractor's ability to relieve the problems of a dog who had lost control over its bladder, the reduction of the effects of stress on a friend, and the reduction of pain associated with Tempo-Mandibular malalignment.
I'm given to understand, the impingement on the autonomic nervous system is the source of many problems and thus mobilization of the spine to relieve that impingement is the source of the relief. I am told it can be effective in many ailments not apparently having physical causation.
As a practitioner of one of the healing arts, I offer this admonition to any who seek any health care from any field of healing.
* Be open to approaches to healing that initially may seem to be nonsense, since tradition can blind us to truth.
* Choose the practitioner more carefully than you would choose a mechanic for your vehicle.
* Don't assume their certificate of qualification has made them a "healer", they may lack the intuitive/spiritual/dedicated sense.
* Listen with both your head and your heart to their advice.
* Don't expect magic cures from anyone but don't be afraid to reject a healer that does not seem to be addressing your problem.
* Don't put your health into anyone's hands before you have accepted responsibility for it yourself - or you will be prey for quacks and incompetents.
In other words, as I've been told, the Quran admonishes - Trust in God but tie your camel.
Annette Cox, Tennessee, U.S.A.
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Here is another answer to the question asked in the January, 1999 issue.
"What are homeopathic remedies?" How can they successfully cure various illnesses?'
When my daughter was five years old she developed Bell's Palsy. I first noticed something wrong when her left eye would not close properly, then the left side of her mouth became immobile making her look as if she had suffered a stroke. I took her to our local doctor who sent us straight to the local hospital (over 20 miles away!) The local doctor had never seen Bell's Palsy in a child before and at the hospital I was informed that in 90% of cases the condition cleared up within three months and that there was nothing that could be done medically. We returned home and the 'word' soon got around the local Baha'i community. One of the community members suggested that I try homeopathic medicine. After reading a text I decided to browse for a remedy for my daughter and with prayer and contemplation
this is what I did. The remedy that evoked a positive reaction was Opium (which surprised me) so I went to the local chemist and found that homeopathic opium could be obtained - and it was within two days. My daughter recovered from the condition within a week of taking the remedy.
Since then I have consulted qualified homeopaths on several occasions when my children have been ill and have found that their general health has improved greatly. I used tissue salts when my son was teething and they certainly seemed to help. Childrens' bodies should not be unnecessarily polluted with antibiotics, as this reduces their own resistance to disease (as I myself am living proof of). All medicine has its place in our society but children should be treated with care and their bodies given the chance to build up resistances to 'life'.
As regards the issue of legalising cannabis (in the UK) for MS sufferers, could not a homeopathic cannabis remedy be used? Thus removing the necessity of legalising a drug that can be abused and can lead to a distancing of the soul.
Lady Julie Van-Dungey, Oxford, England.
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OFFERING ASSISTANCE
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By Kathy Gilbert, New Zealand
I have Multiple Sclerosis. I was diagnosed in 1993 after several attacks mostly with blindness, blackouts and spasms in my legs. After many tests it was shown that I had 15 lesions in my brain mostly in the areas which affect motor control but also in many other areas. I have been following a particular path of management that works well, made up by me and suited to my personality. I am not medically trained in any way. I have not had a severe exacerbation for nearly four years now. I use prayer, relaxation techniques, natural medicines and kinesiology. If anyone would like to
know more of this technique, please feel free to contact me at my e-mail address: kathyg@xtra.co.nz
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SIX TYPES OF HEALING
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By Orval H. Minney, California, USA
Editor's note: Orval Minney, a retired U.S. Space Scientist from California, U.S.A., has kindly agreed to write a series of six articles describing the six methods of healing stated by Abdu'l-Baha in "Some Answered Questions", pages 254 - 259. This is an excellent opportunity to study, consult and share our experiences, insights and comments on this very important subject. These six types of healing will serve as our guidance to educate us on how to prevent and cure our many diseases and illnesses. Your contributions will be printed in the next issues.
To recap from my original article of January 8, 1998, Volume 1, Issue # 6, in "Some Answered Questions", Abdu'l Baha speaks of six types of healing; four are spiritual and two are material.
Spiritual healing comprises:
1) contagion of health from the very healthy to the one slightly ill,
2) transfer of a magnetic force from a "healer" to the one ill,
3) the concentrated belief of the healer and patient that a cure will occur,
4) the power of the Holy Spirit.
Material healing occurs:
5) by means of medicines and surgical procedures,
6) by aliments, fruits, vegetables, and hot and cold waters.
He speaks in the same reference that the body is in a state of energy and chemical equilibrium and that an imbalance causes disease while balance restores the equilibrium. Scientifically, the body is in a state of homeostasis, or dynamic energy/chemical balance, which is controlled by the autonomic nervous system through the endocrine system. This balance is affected by thoughts, beliefs and attitudes and by invading organisms, toxins, allergies and structural changes from subluxations to broken bones or lacerations.
The first type of spiritual healing discussed in this issue is "contagion of health". Abdu'l Baha says: "...in man both health and sickness are contagious. The contagion of disease is violent and rapid, while that of health is extremely weak and slow. If two bodies are brought into contact with each other, it is certain that microbic particles will pass from one to the other. In the same way that disease is transferred from one body to another with rapid and strong contagion, it may be that the strong health of a healthy man will alleviate a very slight malady in a sick person. That
is to say, the contagion of disease is violent and has a rapid effect, while that of health is very slow and has a small effect, and it is only in very slight diseases that it has even this small effect. The strong power of a healthy body can overcome a slight weakness of a sick body, and health results. This is one kind of healing."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 254)
If we consider that the homeostasis or equilibrium can be upset by our attitude, then the positive, cheerful attitude and presence of a healthy person can be contagious to one who is "out of balance", changing their outlook so that it affects their internal equilibrium. From an energy viewpoint however, contagion implies a transfer of something between persons. An ill person has an imbalance from either a shortage or an overabundance of elements which is sometimes caused by their attitude. Their innate self is then receptive to receiving the necessary energy to restore the equilibrium. A healthy person exudes energy. In their presence the ill person draws on that energy and feels better which changes their equilibrium and assists in restoring the balance. The proviso is that they must have the proper nutrients in their system for the endocrine system to act on. So, this type of healing will help and should be part of every healer's modus operandi, however, for very slight cases of illness or depression, other types of healing must be used.
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SOME THOUGHTS FROM THE "SEAT OF THE SOUL"
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Editor's note: Dale Sims, Ontario, Canada, took these notes from "Seat of the Soul" by Gary Zukav published by Simon and Schuster. I thought you might enjoy them. These notes encourage us to release old pain, old fears, old insecurities that have been trapped inside our bodies for years. We can choose to be no longer with them when they have come to our consciousness. When our reality becomes aware of our fears, we can consciously release them. We may think that our anxieties and insecurities are blocking our service or process when in reality they are our gifts from God. Our anxieties are acting as a stimulus to cast aside the shackles and limitations within ourselves which often disappears when we respond in a more acceptable way to God.
* Every experience that you have and will have upon the Earth encourages the alignment of your personality with your soul.
* There is much joy in the nonphysical world when the soul releases major negativity and the quality of its consciousness shifts upward into higher frequencies of Light.
* The first step to awareness is becoming aware of what you are feeling. Following your feelings will lead you to their source. Only through emotions can you encounter the force field of your own soul.
* This requires that you clear yourself each day of your emotional impacts. Just as you dispose of your physical body wastes and toxins, so too, dispose of your emotional wastes and toxins by finishing emotionally unfinished business, by not going to bed in anger, by seeing that you do not feel contaminated emotionally, and by learning to work with and to honour your emotional currents of energy.
* Trust allows you to call forth your negativity in order to heal them. It allows you to follow your feelings through your defenses to their sources, and to bring to the Light of consciousness those aspects of yourself that resist wholeness, that live in fear. The journey to authentic power requires that you become conscious of all that you feel. The unearthing and healing of your negativities may appear to be an endless process, but it is not. Your vulnerabilities and weaknesses and fears are not different from those of your fellow humans. Do not despair because your humanness awakens.
* When you pray, you draw to you and invoke grace. Grace is uncontaminated conscious Light, it is divinity. Prayer brings grace and grace calms you. Grace is the tranquilizer of the soul. With grace comes a knowing that what you are experiencing is necessary. It calms you with a sense of knowing.
* Authentic needs belong to the soul. You need, for example, to love and to be loved. You need to express your creativity, whether that is in raising a family or leading a country. You need to cultivate your spirit, to work
consciously at aligning your personality with your soul. You need to be counseled with the impersonal wisdom of your nonphysical teachers, and the guidance of your nonphysical guides. These are some of your authentic needs.
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ESSENTIAL REQUISITES FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
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Baha'u'llah has stated quite clearly in His Writings the essential requisites for our spiritual growth, and these are stressed again and again by Abdu'l-Baha in His talks and Tablets. One can summarise them briefly in this way:
1. The recital each day of one of the Obligatory Prayers with pure-hearted devotion.
2. The regular reading of the Sacred Scriptures, specifically at least each morning and evening, with reverence, attention and thought.
3. Prayerful meditation on the Teachings, so that we may understand them more deeply, fulfil them more faithfully, and convey them more accurately to others.
4. Striving every day to bring our behaviour more into accordance with the high standards that are set forth in the Teachings.
5. Teaching the Cause of God.
6. Selfless service in the work of the Cause and in the carrying on of our trade or profession.
( Written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, 1 September 1983, 'Messages from the Universal House of Justice', p. 589)
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SPIRITUAL HEALTH HABITS
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Here are some essential elements for our spiritual and physical health from
an eminent physician.
1) Trust in God
2) Consult a skilled physician and follow his instructions
3) Practice detachment from all save God
4) Practice moderation
5) Pray and meditate daily; read the Creative Word morning and evening
6) Be happy always
7) Simplify
8) Focus
9) Practice patience
10) Eat simple, natural plant foods
11) Drink adequate pure water
12) Evaluate progress daily, summarize weekly
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NEW WEBSITE
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Russ Novak has graciously offered to do the website for the "Healing Through Unity" newsletter. He works for a start-up firm, Coastal Datalink Corp., that does website development in California, U.S.A. You can visit the website at: http://www.healingthroughunity.org. Back issues, your comments page, and a subscription page can be found at the website. New features will be included in the future. I wish to express my thanks to Russ for his time, expertise and dedication in designing the website.
It is an honour to dedicate the website to the loving memory of Russ' wife, Maria Novak, who passed away in June, 1998.
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LETTERS
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The newsletter published by you is of great interest for this country. We decided to provide the Russian translation of "Healing Through Unity" and send it out to all Belarussian communities.
Thank you for such a wonderful newsletter, people can use it for holding firesides, children's classes or private reading.
Vassily Kislyak, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Belarus
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The NSA of the Baha'is of Moldova received your letter and it would like to convey to you the fact that it would be more than happy to receive your newsletter.
Ludmila Zaichenko, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Moldova
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I find "Healing Through Unity" very interesting, and I've sent messages to all my Baha'i friends who have e-mail about it. Also, there are not many people in Panchgani who have e-mail access, but we have a Baha'i community
of around 150. So I've decided to print out a copy of your newsletter and share it with the friends at the Feasts.
Adore Talukder, Panchgani, India
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Here is a new website for Baha'i Mental Health:
http://members.xoom.com/BahaiMH/ The website is an online magazine and resource center for Baha'is concerned with mental health issues. Content will be updated monthly in each of the four columns, and there will be a new featured article.
This month they are proud to offer a special feature, "Self-Criticism and Mental Health" by Phyllis K. Peterson - author of "Assisting the Traumatized Soul: Healing the Wounded Talisman" - a spring offering of the Baha'i Publishing Trust.
Submitted by Susan Gammage, Ontario, Canada
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH
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How can we arrange to make the time for meditation special? What are some of the practical exercises to do meditation? What are some of the effects and benefits of meditation?
If you have a question that you would like answered, you can e-mail this to: -- .
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PURPOSE OF THE NEWSLETTER
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"Healing Through Unity" is published for the purpose of sharing thoughts, comments and experiences on how the teachings of the Baha'i Faith are being applied to our physical and spiritual health. Other than the quoted Writings, the material in this newsletter represents the thoughts and opinions of the writers and has no authority. You are free to copy articles, provided you indicate the source of the article. If you have a change of e-mail address or wish to unsubscribe the newsletter, please inform me. There are 10 issues per year; it is not published during July and August. The newsletter is produced in Ontario, Canada.
Please send your stories, comments, suggestions or "Question for the Month" ideas to Frances Mezei by e-mail: -- .
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