The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated. -Plato

We innately yearn to enjoy goodness in our lives.

Enjoying goodness in our lives can manifest many ways: financial abundance, solid relationship bonds, freedom to come and go as we please, harmony with the environment.

With regard to health, when matters are in the way of goodness: there is a minimum of disease-favoring inflammation, there is eudaimonia, there is flexibility, there is strength, there are healthy boundaries with other organisms in the environment, there is growth, there is clarity, the senses are optimally functional, there is balance.

When matters are in the way of suffering: the body is minorly or majorly ablaze with disease-favoring inflammation, there is pain and anxiety, there is stiffness, there is weakness, there are unhealthy boundaries with other organisms in the environment, there is withdrawal, there is cloudedness, the senses are poorly functional, there is imbalance.

Given the choice between living good health and suffering, which would you prefer?

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Extending that out, we can only enjoy goodness, positivity to the extent we flow in evil, negativity (and let’s not play games, people–we all know about the shady side to our being). So therefore, if we are intent on maintaining or even increasing the goodness we enjoy in our lives, then this automatically means we are intent on addressing the evil we put out into life. If we are not intent on addressing the problem of evil that we’re putting out into life, then we are not truly intent on enjoying the best life has to offer. Interested maybe, desirous maybe, but not intent. The distinction is crucial.

It’s that karma “thing” (a law? a principle? a feature? I can’t call it): the returning to us in this very moment (manifestation) of what we have put out into life (thoughts–whether conscious or unconscious). Relevant to the discussion of our health, then, is the return to the following argument: we suffer with sickness in proportion to evil we have put out into life. Correcting the errors behind the negativity we put out there, we maintain and even increase our manifest goodness.

Positive intentionality is indeed an essential ingredient in a balanced life, but one who applies it in the wrong way, unskillfully skirting any talk of negativity or evil, is already operating from unhealthy fear. Any creations that come from a place of unhealthy fear are flawed–just like pancakes made with spoiled milk. Flawed creations (e.g., the vision of enjoying a family breakfast with said tainted pancakes) are bound to collapse sooner or later. Collapsing, the one who knowingly or unknowingly creates from unhealthy fear blames others and avoids self-responsibility (why didn’t someone tell me this milk was spoiled?! and why didn’t you throw this out?! ARGH!). Avoiding self-responsibility, one is in the sad position of being utterly unable to correct the errors in thought/belief/attitude which brought about the suffering. Being unable to correct errors, one continues to emit the fragrance of negativity  quite unconsciously and so will continue to attract in kind. Thus such a wheel turns.

We can put evil out there overtly or covertly, intentionally or unintentionally. So the useful questions to reflect on daily, dear friends, are in this way: how have I put evil out into life? how have I contributed to my own suffering and to the suffering of others?

A few integrity-check questions which may be useful:

Where have I gossiped or otherwise talked bad about others behind their back?

Where have I snapped at others impatiently?

Whom have I deceived, even under the guise of protecting feelings? In what specific ways?

Where have I unfairly forced, manipulated situations to my own selfish benefit, whether openly or cloaked under the false pretense of helping?

How have I closed off communication with others, insisting that my position is the best and not hearing what others have to say?

Where have I withheld potentially beneficial information from others, selfishly putting my own comfort ahead of what’s win-win for all involved?

In what ways do I sabotage my own growth by avoiding work that I know I should be doing…and hiding behind excuses?

Where have I spoken words that seemed beneficial on the surface but really came from a selfish desire to control?

How have I treated others badly through a judgmental attitude, whether manifested openly in my words or in my private thoughts?

* * *

And here we recognize the great care needed in order to accurately put our finger on what exactly constitutes evil. According to whose standards do we measure? One’s evil is another’s virtue; one’s virtue is another’s evil. An action may appear good on the surface but be tainted on the inside; an action may appear evil on the surface but be truly pure on the inside. It’s a deep topic worthy of reflection.

What we can confidently say is that we should avoid the error of pointing out others’ deviations and being blind to that very same character flaw within us. Quietly and diligently doing the right work on ourselves, we begin to emit a sweeter fragrance which others pick up on and inspires them without us having to say a word.

So then: how do we confidently arrive at the conclusion that we’ve put some bad juju out into the universe in some given situation in the near, middle, or distant past? Some attitudes/practices which are beneficial to cultivate and hone our discernment:

The practice of introspective reflection.

The genuine desire to live in truth.

The willingness to be ruthlessly honest with ourselves.

The faith in Higher Self, and the daily practices for contacting that Blessed Cosmic Wisdom.

The integrity-building practice of clarifying what our higher values are.

The daily work of discerning lesser from greater, selfish vs non-selfish.

Recognizing the long-term process and cultivating patience

Reflecting, we can feel for the arising of a sense of guilt-shame-remorse not sourced in the selfish desire to maintain our social position, but coming from the deeper place of knowing we have violated our higher principles.

Practicing living in the truth, our inner bullshit detectors function optimally and we have the courage and humility to admit the truth to ourselves no matter how unflattering.

Just as many factors influence the growth of a tree in the forest, many factors influence our health–including the karmic forces we have set into motion ranging from pure wisdom to pure evil. Reflecting on our thoughts, words, and actions and committing to be about our higher values, our conscience lets us know where we need to approach and ready ourselves for some work. Our living connection to Blessed Cosmic Wisdom–the quality of which is itself the fruit of work–provides the necessary guidance. Enjoying the fruits of living in truth provides the motivation.

Hope this helps you in your work. J*

Only if a problem is solved on the spiritual level can it find a true solution on the earth level. –Pathwork Lecture 2.

Copyright (C) 2016, Justin Jaucian