Inspiring News
Recently I received the book The Journey, and I eagerly read the story of Brandon Bays who discovered a tumor in her stomach that grew to the size of a basketball. I learned that after six weeks and against all odds, she healed herself completely.
Yossi Rodoy also challenged conventional medicine by taking matters into his own hands, and his full recovery from prostate cancer was considered a miracle. He too wrote a book, To Step on the Shadow, and like Brandon, he also refused to have any part of himself amputated, and instead, sought to understand the root of his disease.
Don\'t misunderstand me; I\'m not suggesting that anyone who may become ill with cancer or any other disease should ignore the vast and deep knowledge of medical science. But for me, it is hard to ignore the reality that there are other possibilities, and I like to think that there is a cure to be found between the medical industry and individual responsibility for self healing.
Dealing With Cancer
When Brandon Bays discovered the tumor in her body she was really very offended. All her life she had done everything right. "I practiced holistic medicine for over twelve years, and I was as aware of the principles of health as one could be. I was a vegetarian, ate only healthy foods rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. I only drank mineral water, and jumped on a trampoline everyday. I lived in a cottage on the beach… I breathed fresh sea air… more then that… I felt very fulfilled in my marriage, my children loved me, and I was grateful for my work that included doing seminars and workshops around the world. My life was exactly what I wanted. How could such a thing happen to someone who does everything right?"
Another cancer sufferer, Ilon Nufar, also ate macrobiotic and organic food, and no dairy products, practiced Yoga and exercised regularly, and despite this, she became sick with cancer. "My life was full of work, love, friends, travel, and challenges. Life was ideal. I was very angry when people said this cancer was a gift. I said, take this gift away," she said in a newspaper interview in 2007.
In contrast to Ilon, Yossi declares that his cancer is the greatest gift of his life, and like Brandon who chose to dive into the dark source of her feelings, Yossi approaches himself in a brutally honest manner.
"I had a clear insight, cold, sharp, and graceless that said there is no substitute, there is no other thing, no other direction, no other way, and certainly no shortcut. There is nothing but this horrible lesson, to experience the cruel and full power of the nothing and meet the experience of the no-path."
And like Brandon who as result of her dealing with her disease developed a system that she teaches today, Yossi also came into the disease as one person, and out of it as another.
No Blame!
As if it were not enough that people are forced to deal with an illness that still triggers great fear in most of us, cancer sufferers are often made to feel that they are "to blame" for their illness.
Personally I would like to take advantage of this platform and shout out to each and everyone of the ailing to remove any guilt from your hearts. You are not to blame for your illness. You can take responsibility, check yourself, and examine the level of integrity in your life, but only after it is clear to yourselves that you are not guilty.
I remember the relief in a friend\\\'s voice after having a tumor removed from his throat. "Thank you," he said to me, "My first impulse was to check where I went wrong, but now I can breathe again. How much can a person blame themselves?"
Love Your Tumor
"How do you know that you need cancer?" asks Byron Katie in her book A Thousand Names for Joy, "because you have it. But, accepting cancer doesn\'t mean sitting quietly and doing nothing… You consult with the best doctors that you can afford, and get the best treatment there is. Do you think that your body will heal most efficiently when you are stressed, afraid, and fight cancer as an enemy; or maybe, your body will heal better when you love what you have, and realize why your life is better because of the cancer, and from that center you do everything you can to heal?"
"Love your tumor," she answered to a dying friend who told her "I love you." And Bryon continued, "No, you don\'t love me. You will only be able to love me after you love your tumor." This is the starting point. Loving what is.
The Power Of Thought Creates Reality
In conclusion, I would like to share my own perception about the cancer disease. I see it is as a collective illness that has been created by a society who do want to wake up and remember ‘where it came from and where it is going.\'
There isn\'t really a distinction between the healthy and the sick among us. We are all sick and we are all healthy in that we are all trying to remember who we really are. And so, different people fill different roles in the process but the outcome created is universal.
Disease can also be seen as an opportunity to shed light on the fact that it is us who determine the rules of the game, to perceive ourselves as victims or acknowledge our divine spark and strength.
As Nelson Mandela elegantly said, "Our deepest fear is the knowledge that our strength is immeasurable…"