Looking at the meaning of illness? Is it even possible and how can we? Whenever we become ill or feel some dis-ease in our body, this is a message telling us that something is very wrong. Somewhere we are out of balance. So how do we unravel the message being sent out by your body and in so doing heal ourselves? This is a subject I have explored personally for years as a ME sufferer, and recently it has come to the forefront of my mind again.
I was extremely ill for 7 years, and slowly I managed to claw back some health. But I made the mistake of feeling I HAD BEEN an ME sufferer, rather than I AM an ME sufferer. ME is a real organic devastating illness, and I do not want anything I say here to infer that I am limiting the seriousness of the impact this illness has had and continues to have on the lives of ME sufferers. But in my personal journey with ME I have continued to ask myself “Why? Why the pain? Why this life? Why? Why? Why?” and I have been able to find ways to help myself.
But it seems no-one is infallible, because at the first sign of some health I forgot the lessons learned and now find myself struggling with ill health again. I did not realise how ill I had become again until I saw the look in my mother’s eyes this past weekend. Her concern said it all. So, rather than feeling sorry for myself, which I have been doing quite a bit of recently, it is time to get back to the drawing board to decipher the meanings of the symptoms I am experiencing.
My first port of call is Louise Hay’s ‘You Can Heal Your Life’. My copy of this book is tattered and worn and held together by tape and all sorts – it has been my companion since 1995. In particular, I head to the back of the book where there is a list of symptoms and illnesses and reason for these along with affirmations.
Next I head to my tarot cards and a book someone recommended to me back in 2004. ‘Tarot for the Healing Heart’ is a book by Christine Jette and looks specifically at using the cards for healing.
These are just my tools, but you can use whatever you like. The point is to look beyond the fatigue and pain or whatever symptoms one may be feeling. This is not always an easy thing to do. I have spent the past few weeks in a fatigue haze using all my energy just to get from one minute to the next. Even considering my own situation was too much then. But here I am, feeling a little stronger and ready to explore.
I remember reading a line by Brian Weiss in his ‘Many Lives, Many Masters’ which said something along the lines of when our mouths cannot say ‘No’, our bodies will say it for us. This is an important message and has stayed with me for years. What does illness mean to you? What is the illness preventing you from doing? How are you now interacting with the people around you? Look and ask, and then some healing will come.
Important Note: While I fully agree that exploring the messages behind our illness is an important part of healing and acceptance and even recovery, this should never be used as an alternative to medical advice, but rather as a compliment to the primary care and advice your receive from your doctor.
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