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Heal Thyself by Edward Bach

Dr. Edward Bach (1886 –1936) was a British physician, homeopath, bacteriologist and spiritual writer. He is best known for developing a range of remedies called the Bach flower remedies. He grew up in Birmingham and trained as a doctor in London.

His researches led him to recognize that there were clear personality types that related to the various patterns of ill health, irrespective of the physical symptoms being presented by the patient. Working with homeopathic principles, he moved towards the discovery of the flower remedies. These, he felt, could help to harmonize the emotional imbalances that he came to see as the real causes of physical illness.

In the book “Heal Thyself: An Explanation of the Real Cause and Cure of Disease”, the author looks at the nature and treatment of disease. He outlines his philosophy of health and illness and describes how these are reflection of the state of the mind or soul. He describes an approach to healing that is very different from the conventional model of medicine. This book can be downloaded for free at the Bach Center. However, that version does not include a list of remedies and the reasons for giving them. These can be found in “The Twelve Healers and Other Remedies”, which can be downloaded for free at the Bach Center as well.

The main reason for the failure of modern medical science is that it is dealing with results and not causes. For many centuries the real nature of disease has been masked by materialism. Thus, disease itself has been given every opportunity of extending its ravages, since it has not been attacked at its origin.

Disease will never be cured or eradicated by present materialistic methods, for the simple reason that disease in its origin is not material. Disease is in essence the result of conflict between Soul and Mind. It will never be eradicated except by spiritual and mental effort. No effort directed to the body alone can do more than superficially repair damage. In this there is no cure, since the cause is still operative and may at any moment again demonstrate its presence in another form.

One of the exceptions to materialistic methods in modern science is that of the great Hahnemann, the founder of Homeopathy, who with his realization of the beneficent love of the Creator and of the Divinity which resides within man, by studying the mental attitude of his patients towards life, environment and their respective diseases, sought to find in the herbs of the field and in the realms of nature the remedy which would not only heal their bodies but would at the same time uplift their mental outlook.

Five hundred years before Christ some physicians of ancient India, working under the influence of the Lord Buddha, advanced the art of healing to so perfect a state that they were able to abolish surgery, although the surgery of their time was as efficient, or more so, than that of the present day. Such men as Hippocrates with his mighty ideals of healing, Paracelsus with his certainty of the divinity in man, and Hahnemann who realized that disease originated in a plane above the physical – all these knew much of the real nature and remedy of suffering.

Let it be briefly stated that disease, though apparently so cruel, is in itself beneficent and for our good and, if rightly interpreted, it will guide us to our essential faults. Suffering is a corrective to point out a lesson which by other means we have failed to grasp, and never can it be eradicated until that lesson is learned.

To understand the nature of disease certain fundamental truths have to be acknowledged.

The first of these is that man has a Soul which is his real Self; a Divine, Mighty Being, a Son of the Creator of all things, of which the body, although the earthly temple of that Soul, is but the minutest reflection.  Our Soul, our Divinity resides in and around us, lays down for us our lives as It wishes them to be ordered and, so far as we will allow, ever guides, protects and encourages us. It is watchful and beneficent to lead us always for our utmost advantage: our Higher Self, being a spark of the Almighty, is thereby invincible and immortal.

The second principle is that we, as we know ourselves in this world, are personalities down here for the purpose of gaining all the knowledge and experience which can be obtained through earthly existence, of developing virtues which we lack and of wiping out all that is wrong within us, thus advancing towards the perfection of our natures. The Soul knows what environment and what circumstances will best enable us to do this, and hence He places us in that branch of life most suited for that object.

Thirdly, we must realize that the short passage on this earth, which we know as life, is but a moment in the course of our evolution. Our Souls, which are really we, are immortal, and the bodies of which we are conscious are temporary, merely as horses we ride to go a journey, or instruments we use to do a piece of work.

Then follows a fourth great principle, that so long as our Souls and personalities are in harmony all is joy and peace, happiness and health. It is when our personalities are led astray from the path laid down by the Soul, either by our own worldly desires or by the persuasion of others, that a conflict arises. This conflict is the root cause of disease and unhappiness. No matter what our work in the world – bootblack or monarch, landlord or peasant, rich or poor – so long as we do that particular work according to the dictates of the Soul, all is well; and we can further rest assured that in whatever station of life we are placed, princely or lowly, it contains the lessons and experiences necessary at the moment for our evolution, and gives us the best advantage for the development of ourselves.

The next great principle is the understanding of the Unity of all things: that the Creator of all things is Love, and that everything of which we are conscious is in all its infinite number of forms a manifestation of that Love. Thus any action against ourselves or against another affects the whole, because by causing imperfection in a part it reflects on the whole, every particle of which must ultimately become perfect.

So we see there are two great possible fundamental errors: dissociation between our Souls and our personalities, and cruelty or wrong to others, for this is a sin against Unity. Either of these brings conflict, which leads to disease.

Disease is in itself beneficent, and has for its object the bringing back of the personality to the Divine will of the Soul; and thus we can see that it is both preventable and avoidable. But It may not be the errors of this life, this day at school, which we are combating; and although we in our physical minds may not be conscious of the reason of our suffering, which may to us appear cruel and without reason, yet our Souls (which are ourselves) know the full purpose and are guiding us to our best advantage.

There are two great errors: first, to fail to honor and obey the dictates of our Soul (see also Laws of Destiny), and second, to act against Unity. On account of the former, be ever reluctant to judge others, because what is right for one is wrong for another. It is obeying the commands of our Soul, our Higher Self, which we learn through conscience, instinct and intuition, that matters. The very nature of an illness will be a useful guide to assist in discovering the type of action which is being taken against the Divine Law of Love and Unity.

The real primary diseases of man are such defects as pride, cruelty, hate, self-love, ignorance, instability and greed; and each of these, if considered, will be found to be adverse to Unity.

The author continues to explain in more detail weaknesses such as pride, cruelty, hate, self-love, ignorance, instability and indecision; greed and the illnesses caused by these weaknesses. He further points out that the very part of the body affected is no accident, but is in accordance with the law of cause and effect.

In chapter four the author points out that for a complete cure not only must physical means be used, choosing always the best methods which are known to the art of healing, but we ourselves must also endeavor to the utmost of our ability to remove any fault in our nature; because final and complete healing ultimately comes from within, from the Soul itself. If we but sufficiently develop the quality of losing ourselves in the love and care of those around us, enjoying the glorious adventure of gaining knowledge and helping others, our personal grief and sufferings rapidly come to an end.

He reminds us that Love is the foundation of Creation and that in every living soul there is some good, and that in the best of us there is some bad. And he tells the readers that we shall ever have compassion and not offer resistance; for, again, by the law of cause and effect it is resistance, which damages.

In the next paragraph he continues to explain how to overcome weaknesses and after that points out that the materialism and circumstances of our age, and the personalities with whom we associate, lead us away from the voice of our Higher Self and bind us firmly to the commonplace with its lack of ideals, all too evident in this civilization. We must be on guard in the giving of help to other people, no matter whom they be, to be certain that the desire to help comes from the dictates of the Inner Self and is not a false sense of duty imposed by the suggestion or persuasion of a more dominant personality. It is the dictates of our conscience alone which can tell us whether our duty lies with one or many, how and whom we should serve; but whichever it may be, we should obey that command to the utmost of our ability.

In chapter five the author talks in detail about parenthood, which he describes as a sacred duty, temporary in its character and passing from generation to generation. He warns parents to be on guard against any desire to mold the young personality according to their own ideas or wishes. He emphasizes in this chapter again that every soul in incarnation is down here for the specific purpose of gaining experience and understanding, and of perfecting his personality towards those ideals laid down by the soul. For very many their greatest battle will be in their own home, where before gaining their liberty to win victories in the world they will have to free themselves from the adverse domination and control of some very near relative.

Bach believed that the true reason of man’s existence on earth has been overshadowed by his anxiety to obtain from his incarnation nothing but worldly gain. It has been a period when life has been very difficult because of the lack of the real comfort, encouragement and uplift which is brought by a realization of greater things than those of the world.

The real peace of the Soul and mind is with us when we are making spiritual advance, and it cannot be obtained by the accumulation of wealth alone, no matter how great.

The physician of the future will have two great aims. The first will be to assist the patient to knowledge of himself and to point out to him the fundamental mistakes he may be making, the deficiencies in his character, which he should remedy. The second duty of the physician will be to administer such remedies as will help the physical body to gain strength and assist the mind to become calm, widen its outlook and strive towards perfection, thus bringing peace and harmony to the whole personality.

Our spiritual advisers, true physicians and intimate friends should all be able to assist us to obtain a faithful picture of ourselves, but the perfect method of learning this is by calm thought and meditation, and by bringing ourselves to such an atmosphere of peace that our Souls are able to speak to us through our conscience and intuition, and to guide us according to their wishes.

Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies of materialism is the development of boredom and the loss of real inner happiness; it teaches people to seek contentment and compensation for troubles in earthly enjoyments and pleasures, and these can never bring anything but temporary oblivion of our difficulties.

It is in the simple things of life – the simple things because they are nearer the great Truth – that real pleasure is to be found. Another fundamental help to us is to put away all fear. Fear in reality holds no place in the natural human kingdom, since the Divinity within us, which is ourself, is unconquerable and immortal, and if we could but realize it we, as Children of God, have nothing of which to be afraid.

He addresses the issue, that science is unable to explain on physical grounds why some people become affected by disease whilst others escape and claims that fear, by its depressing effect on our mentality, thus causing disharmony in our physical and magnetic bodies, paves the way for invasion.  Therefore the real cause of disease lies in our own personality and is within our control.

The authors further recommends that we should treat our body  with respect and  Internal cleanliness depends on diet, and we should choose everything that is clean and wholesome and as fresh as possible, chiefly natural fruits, vegetables and nuts.care, so that it may be healthy and last the longer to do our work but without identifying with the body. Animal flesh should be avoided and sleep should not be excessive.

In all things cheerfulness should be encouraged, and we should refuse to be oppressed by doubt and depression, but remember that such are not of ourselves, for our Souls know only joy and happiness.

In the last chapter he summarizes, that our conquest of disease will mainly depend on the following: Firstly, the realization of the Divinity within our nature and our consequent power to overcome all that is wrong: secondly, the knowledge that the basic cause of disease is due to disharmony between the personality and the Soul; thirdly, our willingness and ability to discover the fault which is causing such a conflict; and fourthly, the removal of any such fault by developing the opposing virtue. For those who are sick, peace of mind and harmony with the Soul is the greatest aid to recovery.

In our Western civilization we have the glorious example, the great standard of perfection and the teachings of the Christ to guide us. He acts for us as Mediator between our personality and our Soul. His mission on earth was to teach us how to obtain harmony and communion with our Higher Self, with Our Father which is in Heaven, and thereby to obtain perfection in accordance with the Will of the Great Creator of all.

Thus also taught the Lord Buddha and other great Masters who have come down from time to time upon the earth to point out to men the way to attain perfection. There is no halfway path for humanity. The Truth must be acknowledged, and man must unite himself with the infinite scheme of Love of his Creator.

You can find a list and description of the Bach flower remedies on this website.