Spiritual Life Center, NSAC,
Sunflower Chapel

We are Spiritual Life Center, NSAC, Sunflower Chapel, a Spiritualist Church in Dayton, Ohio that is affiliated with the National Spiritualist Association of Churches.

Healing

by Rev. Frances Montgomery

Healing. Now there is a topic! What does it bring to your mind? Usually people think about healing in the context of bodily ills: headaches, fevers, flu, strokes, cancer, broken bones, auto accidents, surgery, rehabilitation, physical therapy, and pain relief. All of these situations are included in healing.

Healing. That also brings thoughts of doctors, nurses, therapists, and specialists in all areas of the health care profession including technicians operating machines expressly designed for healing. Then we might have thoughts about diagnostic procedures, CT Scans, radiology, X-Rays, Ultra sounds, Pet Scans, Chemotherapy, breathing treatments, and dialysis machines. There are so many varied areas in the medical profession, it would be difficult to name them all or credit the professionals performing the tasks.

Usually we think of healing as being needed in the physical sense to relieve pain and clear physical conditions. Healing can also assist with a person's transition from the physical body to the spirit world. All of this is related to physical healing.

Mental illnesses are included in healing. Many emotions start within your mind when you think about and react to how this or that occurred. With mental healing, if people would make wiser decisions or choices, rage, anger, and emotional issues would be lessened. Negativity would be controlled.

Also, as you probably know, the subconscious mind cannot take a joke. When you say you are tired, you reinforce tiredness in your subconscious mind, which will manifest physically. We are aware that certain emotions can bring on certain types of illnesses; cancer supposedly is triggered by deep resentment or hatred. Arthritis is thought to be brought on by a feeling of being unloved. Louise Hay's book You Can Heal Your Life has affirmations for self healing.

With all of the problems in the world today, social healing is undoubtedly important. If families, husbands, wives, neighbors, friends, co-workers, and even nations could heal their social ills, the world would be a totally different place. Think about dysfunctional families, co-workers who don't get along, neighbors who sue neighbors, and religious wars throughout the years, fought due to intolerance for others' beliefs. There are many examples of social illnesses that need to be corrected. Social healing covers almost every area of our lives.

Financial healing is another area people struggle with daily, especially in this current economy. Everyone desires enough income to pay their obligations on time, to purchase food, and to secure medical attention, transportation, education, and shelter for their family. There is nothing wrong with asking the Infinite for enough financial assistance to be comfortable in life.

Spiritual healing, the prayer that each person could reach an inner peace and a relationship with the Spirit of the Infinite within, certainly that is a form of healing that enables us to cope with life and its problems, as well as assisting our souls to expand in understanding, both here and hereafter. Perhaps spiritual healing is the most important healing of all!

My parents were Spiritualists and this is the way I was taught to think of healing: a five pointed star with Infinite Intelligence (perfect balance and harmony) as the center portion of the star and each of the five points having a title: Spiritual, Mental, Physical, Social, and Financial. Everything in this life experience falls under one (or more) of those titles. Each arm of the star is governed by the center of the star; we are supposed to work throughout our lives to balance each area until it merges into the center which governs all. I didn't find that information in the Morris Pratt course, so I don't know if that was just an old fashioned idea or teaching, or if our religion has changed the way we look at healing.

Let's talk about our Healing Prayer.

I ask the Great Unseen Healing Force to remove all obstructions from my mind and body and to restore me to perfect health. I ask this in all sincerity and honesty and I will do my part.

This first portion of the healing prayer is to both heal ourselves of any problems, opening the flow for healing for ourselves and to put us in tune with the God Force which cleanses us as a channel for the Infinite Energy to work through us as we direct it to others. The most important part of the statement is that we ask sincerely and honestly and that we will do our part to become one with the God Force Energy by being open and receptive to its healing Power.

The second portion of the prayer continues:

I ask this great Unseen Healing Force to help both present and absent ones who are in need of help and to restore them to perfect health. I put my trust in the love and power of God.

We should remember that "present ones" include people not only in the room with us, or on our healing list, but also includes all those on the earth plane where ever they may be, who are in need of help. Absent ones—those not in church today? Not necessarily! That also includes those on the Spirit Plane who are not yet enlightened or not awake and aware of their location and the ability they have to progress. We are actually including them when we send healing. Our Healing Prayer is pretty all-inclusive and far reaching, which increases the Power sent out everywhere when we use it. That is the end of the National Spiritualist Association of Churches' Healing Prayer.

The Rev. Laura Holloway, of the old National Spiritualist Association, headed the Central Spiritualist Church at the corner of Haynes and Hulbert Streets here in Dayton, Ohio many years ago. My sisters, Juanita and Lucille, attended her Lyceum Classes as children. All of my life I have been exposed to the Healing Prayer. I didn't find out until adulthood that our healing prayer in Dayton is different than the one used nationally.

The Rev. Holloway felt the prayer was sort of "unfinished" and spirit led her to alter it in the following manner; after the end of the national prayer we continue, "May there be health of body, peace of mind, and spiritual understanding. This is our prayer. Amen." I would like to see that added to our prayer in her honor someday.

With those thoughts in mind, please continue to work with the God Force and send healing in the spirit of love, asking not what you would prefer or like to see done, but asking that God's Will be done for the highest and best good of all concerned.