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72: HEALING BY SPIRITUAL MEANS 254 |
Of the two kinds of material healing, one is due to the
fact that 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.
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The other kind of healing without medicine is through
the magnetic force which acts from one body on another
and becomes the cause of cure. This force also has only a
slight effect. Sometimes one can benefit a sick person by
placing one’s hand upon his head or upon his heart. Why?
Because of the effect of the magnetism, and of the mental
impression made upon the sick person, which causes the
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disease to vanish. But this effect is also very slight and
weak.
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Of the two other kinds of healing which are spiritual—that is to say, where the means of cure is a spiritual
power—one results from the entire concentration of the
mind of a strong person upon a sick person, when the latter
expects with all his concentrated faith that a cure will
be effected from the spiritual power of the strong person,
to such an extent that there will be a cordial connection
between the strong person and the invalid. The strong
person makes every effort to cure the sick patient, and the
sick patient is then sure of receiving a cure. From the effect
of these mental impressions an excitement of the nerves is
produced, and this impression and this excitement of the
nerves will become the cause of the recovery of the sick
person. So when a sick person has a strong desire and intense
hope for something and hears suddenly the tidings of
its realization, a nervous excitement is produced which
will make the malady entirely disappear. In the same way,
if a cause of terror suddenly occurs, perhaps an excitement
may be produced in the nerves of a strong person which
will immediately cause a malady. The cause of the sickness
will be no material thing, for that person has not eaten
anything, and nothing harmful has touched him; the excitement
of the nerves is then the only cause of the illness.
In the same way the sudden realization of a chief desire
will give such joy that the nerves will be excited by it, and
this excitement may produce health.
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To conclude, the complete and perfect connection between
the spiritual doctor and the sick person—that is, a
connection of such a kind that the spiritual doctor entirely
concentrates himself, and all the attention of the sick person
is given to the spiritual doctor from whom he expects
to realize health—causes an excitement of the nerves, and
health is produced. But all this has effect only to a certain
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extent, and that not always. For if someone is afflicted
with a very violent disease, or is wounded, these means
will not remove the disease nor close and heal the
wound—that is to say, these means have no power in severe
maladies, unless the constitution helps, because a
strong constitution often overcomes disease. This is the
third kind of healing.
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But the fourth kind of healing is produced through the
power of the Holy Spirit. This does not depend on contact,
nor on sight, nor upon presence; it is not dependent
upon any condition. Whether the disease be light or severe,
whether there be a contact of bodies or not, whether
a personal connection be established between the sick person
and the healer or not, this healing takes place through
the power of the Holy Spirit.
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