Physical Illnesses, Symbolism & Dreams
Usually when someone gets seriously ill they start thinking: What if my illness could be avoided, if I changed something in my life? The most someone can normally think of is changing their diet and choosing a healthier lifestyle. And even though these changes are very important and vital, but in some cases they may not be enough for avoiding or reversing an illness. And this is where the majority of seekers get stuck: they already changed everything they could for becoming healthier, but they still may get a cancer or something else that would end their life prematurely.
The problem is that we are used to view our physical world as it’s not connected to the metaphysical reality. Therefore we are trying to change our physical body solely by making changes on the physical level (i.e. through food, exercise or drugs etc.). But there is much greater reality to explore for finding the underlying reasons of physical ailments. We are speaking about an intangible realm of consciousness, the sphere of our mind.
“The body is the creature of the mind” (Ra). Distorted mind causes distortions in the physical body. If our medical science would study the energies flowing through the body, it would eventually discover that physical illnesses are mostly caused by distorted flow of energy in the corresponding areas of the body. And further research of the energy centres (chakras) and their connections with specific areas of human psyche would demonstrate direct correlation between psychological problems and physical ailments.
But at this moment our medical science is not there yet. Though there is a special area of medical field that’s called “psychosomatic medicine”. It’s relatively new discipline, and it springs from rather intuitive understanding that there is a symbolic connection between physical body and human psyche. Usage of statistical data for identifying such connections (between certain illnesses and specific emotions) allowed this science to develop special algorithms that help to pinpoint unhealed emotional traumas that may cause specific physical ailments. But still, the underlying principle of archetypal design of the energy flow is not discovered and not addressed by this science.
What’s interesting is when we look into the archetypal design of this reality (including human body), we start seeing symbolic connections between everything. Perhaps such omnipresence of symbolism is related to the nature of the deeper roots of the mind, where these connections are not always logically understandable (by our 3D mind), but metaphorically recognizable.
This is what one of the founding fathers/researches of symbolism – Carl Gustav Jung – said about these symbolic mind/body connections:
“Before the beginning of this century, Freud and Josef Breuer had recognized that neurotic symptoms – hysteria, certain types of pain, and abnormal behaviour – are in fact symbolically meaningful. They are one way in which the unconscious mind expresses itself, just as it may in dreams; and they are equally symbolic. A patient, for instance, who is confronted with an intolerable situation may develop a spasm whenever he tries to swallow: He “can’t swallow it.” Under similar conditions of psychological stress, another patient has an attack of asthma: He “can’t breathe the atmosphere at home.” A third suffers from a peculiar paralysis of the legs: He can’t walk, Le., “he can’t go on any more.” A fourth, who vomits when he eats, “cannot digest” some unpleasant fact. I could cite many examples of this kind, but such physical reactions are only one form in which the problems that trouble us unconsciously may express themselves. They more often find expression in our dreams.”
Carl Jung, 1960
So, if we desire to understand the mind-body relationship on a deeper level, we ought to learn the symbolism. The easiest way to do that is by learning the language of our dreams. Not only do dreams teach the symbolism, but they also demonstrate the areas of dreamer’s psyche where some psychological distortions have occurred. And if these mental/emotional issues are not properly and promptly healed and resolved, they may project themselves onto the level of physical body and get expressed in the form of physical maladies.
In the quote below, Q’uo is describing the relationship between certain physical condition and its analogue, or better to say “cause”, on the deeper levels (mental and spiritual). In this excerpt Q’uo is recommending to use meditation for finding the clues regarding existing physical ailments. But it’s important to notice that using dreams for this purpose will give us a huge advantage of getting ahead of time and to catch these mental distortions BEFORE they get expressed on the physical level.
This is very important and extremely valuable feature of the dreams that provides us with a rare opportunity to prevent many undesired catalysts before they manifest in our real life (given that we do the required inner-work properly and timely). This is why, using the words of Edgar Cayce, “dreams are today’s answers for tomorrow’s questions”.
Author © Margarita AoteaRa, 2022
“Question: Q’uo, are there any distortions or spiritual factors that can contribute to physical issues such as acid reflux, besides just what one eats?
Answer: I am Q’uo and am aware of your query, my sister. The body is the creature of the mind’s creation. Therefore, it is oftentimes the case that the body will be utilized by the mind and the spirit when certain catalyst, or opportunities for growth have not been fully recognized or utilized in the life experience. These types of catalyst then, are sometimes given to the body in order that they may be expressed in a kind of distortion, or what you would call a dis-ease. This dis-ease, then, grabs the attention of the mind, which has not fully perceived the catalyst upon the mental level, and if the seeker of truth looks at the dis-ease as a symbol of that catalyst which has not been fully utilized, there may be the apprehension then, of a deeper meaning to the dis-ease so that one may find a kind of correlation to the disease and the catalyst.
The reflux that you speak of could be seen, for example, as the inability to feed upon or realize spiritual nutrition from certain mental catalyst within your daily round of activities. We say this as a potential, not as an actuality for your very essence of being at this time. The type of dis-eases that one may experience, have, in their manifestation within the physical vehicle, the means by which the seeker of truth may find a corollary to the catalyst that has been misperceived, shall we say.
In the meditative state, then, it might be helpful to look upon your dis-ease as a means by which further spiritual growth is possible, if you are able to open yourself to greater possibilities within the meditative state. We suggest the meditative state for all such considerations, for the mental state is one which is filled to overflowing with various concepts and possibilities that may or may not have an application to your situation. The meditative state, then, is that state wherein these various possibilities begin to fall away until only that which has significance to your current situation remains.” (Q’uo, 2020)