Carnival of Healing #15: Spiritual Healing

Healing has always been a part of living. Since the Paleolithic era we have evidence of healing. The practice of spiritual healing, that is, 'healing that looks into the spiritual causes of illness or disease' was the earliest form of healing. Spiritual healing was part of all mystery schools and traditions in the ancient world. Temples of healing were active in Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome, as well as Asia, and the Americas.

As allopathic or conventional medicine developed, the practice of spiritual healing was set aside, though it never really died out.

Now in the early years of the 21st century, spiritual healing is increasingly being used. Now it is woven together with the best in other healing modalities from the east and west, conventional and alternative.

Spiritual healing practice flows through all spiritual traditions, known and unknown. It works whether a person has religious faith or not.

Carnival of Healing #15: Spiritual Healing

As this is the 15th carnival of healing, I was wondering what the number 15 would symbolize. It's been frequent in my life, as I have lived in 5 places that all had the number 15, either as an apartment number or as a street number.

Numerologist, Darlene Chadbourne has posted a very interesting look at the number 15 on her blog Native Paths Numerology.

In this carnival of healing, I am taking the position that all healing arises from a place of unity. This is shown in an excellent article on the Bahai view of illness and healing. Unity being of such importance in the Bahai faith, illness is understood, here, as disunity within the person or between the person and the world.

Spiritual healing works with the energy body of the person being healed. There are 7 body energy centers called Chakras which is a Sanskrit word that means wheel. The blog Life "It's a kinda magic" has a chart which shows these energy centers and the body areas they are connected with.

Also, these articles at About.com will provide a good knowledge of the human energy system and individual chakras.

The blog Space for Health Smile Peace carries a very interesting article that explores the need in the world for those with what the author Alex Lee calls HSP, a state where the brain recovers its initial function which is a state of health, happiness and peace.

It's interesting, that during my time at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing she made many references to HSP. This was the High Sense Perception of intuition and psychic seeing.

Human relationships are central to any practice of spiritual healing. The Pathwork, a series of practical spiritual teachings state that, "We all yearn for deeper, more loving relationships, and we all want more physical pleasure, vitality, and abundance. Ultimately, we want a sense of purpose for our lives that only comes with intimate contact with God. The Pathwork is a collection of teachings that helps us see and understand ourselves, enabling us to gradually remove the obstacles that keep us separate from others, separate from the source of our creativity and life energy, from our divine core."

The blog What's in Your Mind, has excerpts from the Pathwork paper "The Spiritual Significance of Human Relationships ."

In Judaism, spiritual healing has a long history, never quite dying off even in the Holocaust or in modern times. One of the great healers of Judaism was the Ba'al Shem Tov who lived in the 1700's in Eastern Europe. His teachings and healing centered on knowing the heart, that all beings are sparks of the light of the divine. The blog REW has a fine portrait of this unique teacher and healer.

The Buddhist tradition of spiritual healing is diverse due to the various schools of Buddhist practice and thought. A beautiful traditional Buddhist blessing and healing chant appears on the one tiny voice blog.

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in his teachings on the medicine Buddha has said:

"The Medicine Buddha is a Healer of Outer and Inner Sickness. The Medicine Buddha is an enlightened being who has unbiased compassion for all living beings. He protects living beings from physical and mental sickness and other dangers and obstacles, and helps them to eradicate the three poisons: attachment, hatred, and ignorance, which are the source of all sickness and danger. He is a Buddha Doctor."

Here is a beautiful look at the Medicine Buddha as healer.

"If you listen to the sighing of the wind, you will hear the message of truth. If you send your message on the wind, then sooner or later someone will be attentive enough to pick it up. You cannot necessarily know who will hear." Hamid, a Sufi Dervish (from the book THE LAST BARRIER by Reshad Feild)

So it is with spiritual healing, the energies that flow from one person to another during spiritual healing, also flow to all those around. Like a pebble dropped into a pool of water, the ripples go across to all sides.

The Sufi path is a process of remembrance and realization. Its spiritual healing tradition is strong and is used by many world wide. One of the unique methods of healing and realization is that of humor. Stories that allow the laughter of the soul to come forth and also be understood on a variety of levels. The Mulla Nasruddin stories are beloved for their humor and insight.

The blog Running Photography Biking offers a page of stories from Mulla Nasruddin and others. And this blog offers a unique look at teaching and learning from Mulla Nasruddin.

Spiritual healing also takes the form of music. Music is a powerful healing tool, and music bypasses the logical mind or mental body and goes straight to the emotional body. A wide list of healing music from the blog One Inch ahead details music from Brian Eno to Bill Evans.

I have enjoyed being your guide through the blog sphere on the subject of spiritual healing. Remember, spiritual healing is natural, gentle and it works.

Be Well,
Christopher


Next week's edition will be hosted at About Holistic Healing.

In case you missed last week's edition, Intuitive Innovations hosted Carnival of Healing #14: a Share & Scare Halloween.

We are seeking new blog posts for future carnival attractions. Submit them here. Also, check the carnival archives to review past carnivals and also to check who is hosting the carnival in upcoming weeks.

If you are interested in hosting the carnival at your blog, please email: healing.guide@about.com

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