Hope you’re having a beautifully awesome day! Next week, I’ll be engaging in the spiritual practice of rest and will not publish a new post. However, I’ll be back in two weeks. Have a wonderful two weeks! If you celebrate Thanksgiving, have an excellent holiday!! Today’s post is about understanding the source of spiritual healing.
Like so many in the disability community, I have been approached by strangers asking me, “Sister, can I heal your legs by praying for you?” The most recent occurrence of this happened when I was on my way to take a huge exam in graduate school. My performance on this exam would determine whether I’d be permitted to move on to the final phase of the doctoral program. Thus, I was focused on remembering every bit of economics that I had ever learned.
While I was on my way to the exam room, a man stepped in front of me and said, “Sister, can I pray for your legs to be healed so you can walk?”
I was so preoccupied with reviewing economic theories, that it took me a second to shift gears and focus on this “offer.” I looked at him for a moment and thought to myself, “Actually, can you pray for me to pass this exam?! That would be far more helpful than being able to walk easily. My wheelchair gets me everywhere I need to go! Thank you very much!”
However, I was in a hurry and just said, “Sure.”
If I were to encounter that situation today, I’d have a very different response. Although I am quite comfortable with my body and don’t see myself as needing to be healed of cerebral palsy, I’d still talk with the prayer offerer. My response to any offer of praying for my healing would be rooted in the truth of spiritual healing.
I’d begin by asking the prayer offerer, “What do you see when you look at me?”
If the person indicated that he sees something “wrong with me,” I would inform the person that she must first heal her perception before she can heal anyone through prayer. As long as the prayer offerer believes something is “wrong with me” or views me as lacking, the prayer offerer is not seeing me with the eyes of the true healer: God. Seeing someone with the eyes of Love does not require the physical ability to see with human eyes; it requires understanding that a person’s true identity is spirit, not the body.
God, who is the source of all healing, knows the truth of who we are. We are love, wholeness and spirit. Only when we know the true identity of another person can we heal that person through prayer. Thus, anyone who seeks to heal others through prayer must align themselves so fully with God that they take on the understanding and the consciousness of the Divine. Once in the consciousness of the Divine, people see beyond the physical body of another to the truth of who they are: Light. And THAT is when a person can heal another through prayer. Hallelujah!! Time to dance, people!
Love, blessings and purple,
Allison
Try incorporating this exercise into your week. If you need modifications to the practice, scroll down to the section titled Access Notes.
**A note: As a rule of thumb, I strongly caution against going up to a stranger with a disability to offer to heal the person of her disability through prayer. Many people with disabilities don’t see themselves as needing to be healed of disability. Others who are seeking healing of their disabilities, often have trusted people in their lives who they are working with. If you have a desire to pray for a disabled stranger’s healing, I recommend sending the person a silent blessing instead.**
Affirmation For Seeing The True Identity Of Others
Every day this week (or as many times as you can), hop in front of a mirror or on an app that reflects your image back to you. Say the following affirmation 3 times in the morning(or 3 times at night) while looking into your eyes:
“Everyone is the light of God! I choose to see the light of God in everyone!”
If you want to take this practice to the next level, after saying this affirmation in the morning, whenever you see or interact with someone during your day, say to yourself, “She/he/they are the light of God.” Seize the opportunities to remind yourself that everyone is the light of God throughout your day!
The following modifications are intended to create equal access to the spiritual practice above. These modifications are somewhat general to be as useful as possible to as many people as possible. Please feel free to further tweak the exercise as needed so that you can participate as fully as possible while honoring your body’s needs.
1. If you have are blind or have low vision, memorize or have the affirmation accessible to you. Close your eyes. Either place both of your hands over your heart or give yourself a hug as you say the affirmations aloud.
2. If you are d/Deaf or hard of hearing and communicate via sign language, feel free to sign the affirmation as you look into your eyes.
3. If you are Deafblind and communicate via sign language, memorize the affirmation or have the sentences handy as you do the exercise. Close your eyes and place your hands over your heart. Take three slow, deep breaths. Sign the affirmation three times. Place both hands over your heart and take three more deep breaths.
4. If you are Deafblind and communicate via speaking orally, memorize the affirmation or have the sentences handy to read. Close your eyes. Place both hands over your heart. Say each sentence.
5. If you are non-verbal, nonspeaking or minimally verbal, there are two ways that you can modify this exercise.
6. If you can speak but saying the affirmation three times is not possible, say the affirmation as many times as is healthy for you.
7. If you need a shorter affirmation to say, you can say, “I see light in all people,” or “Light is in everyone.”
