Esoteric Healing: A Modern Perspective J ournal of Esoteric Psychology Volume 4 No.

1 1988
1
ESOTERIC HEALING:
A MODERN
PERSPECTIVE
By J ose Becerra, MD, MPH, FACPM
Any di scussi on of esoter i c heal i ng needs to be
pl aced i n the context of the current paradi gms
of heal i ng, or thodox and unor thodox. The
orthodox paradi gm consi ders subjecti vi sm, and
the i nner di mensi ons of heal i ng as a nui sance
to the progress of sci ence and medi ci ne. For the
orthodox sci enti st, the gol den standard of proof
i s the r andomi zed, doubl e-bl i nded, cl i ni cal
tr i al . The so-cal l ed "pl acebo effect" i s the
r emnant of an expr essi on of r eal i ty that has
not yi el ded to the r educti oni st gr i nder of a
materi al i sti c sci ence.
The cur r ent competi ng par adi gm, under
the r ubr i cs of hol i sti c or al ter nati ve medi ci ne,
professes al l egi ance to the i ntegrati on of spi ri t,
mi nd and body. At fi r st si ght, i t seems to be
the answer to the shortcomi ng of the orthodox
model . However , wi thi n thi s heter ogeneous
gr oup of unor thodox di agnosti c and tr eatment
modal i ti es, a sel f-center ed body awar eness i s
too many ti mes the sol e focus of attenti on. Thi s
emphasi s on physi cal heal th can be easi l y
ascer tai ned by r eadi ng the cur r ent hol i sti c
l i ter atur e as wel l as by i ts fi er ce competi ti ve
spi r i t agai nst the or thodox modal i ti es of
di agnosi s and tr eatment. I f i ts focus wer e
r eal l y di ffer ent, why compete for the same
bodi es wi th such entr epr eneur i al passi on? I t
seems that the spi r i tual di mensi ons of the
hol i sti c appr oach have been l eft outsi de any
pr acti cal r ol e i n the pr ocess of heal i ng. Ther e
are si gni fi cant al though very few excepti ons to
thi s gener al i zati on. I n contr ast, the sci ence of
esoter i c heal i ng stands on i ts own, the
etymol ogi cal meani ng of esoteri c heal i ng i s "to
make sound from wi thi n." Thi s defi ni ti on adds
new or maybe l ost di mensi ons to the process of
heal i ng: the "wi thi n."
Thi s defi ni ti on al so adds an unequi vocal
di r ecti on to the heal i ng pr ocess. I t i s fr om
wi thi n, and not from wi thout, that the ul ti mate
source of heal i ng, of maki ng sound and hol y, i s
encounter ed. The physi cal body becomes the
effect and not the cause of i l l ness. Onl y then
can the r i ght per specti ve of spi r i t, mi nd and
body be attai ned.
The ori gi n of the sci ence of esoteri c heal i ng
i s unknown to me, as i s the or i gi n of di sease
and pai n. However , the exi stence of an
under l yi ng str uctur e of thought i s pr oven by
the many systems of heal i ng that have
appeared throughout hi story before the advent
of moder n sci ence. I am r el uctant to ascr i be
detai l ed and exacti ng systems of heal i ng such
as Ayur vedi c medi ci ne and acupunctur e to
i gnorance and supersti ti on.
Fur ther mor e, I do not thi nk that what i s
publ i cl y known today about these systems i s
al l they r eal l y ar e. I n thi s sense I see the
di ffer ent systems of heal i ng aki n to the many
r el i gi ons of the wor l d today: they r eveal a
common or i gi n and a common pr ocess of
beni gn di storti on of an ori gi nal truth.
The sci ence of esoter i c heal i ng i s not the
i ntel l ectual possessi on of any per son, gr oup,
i nsti tuti on or nati on. The sci ence of esoter i c
heal i ng i s as natur al l y avai l abl e as r i ver s and
water fal l s. To the unr eady, however , thi s
sacr ed sci ence i s as i naccessi bl e as the
mountai ntop that suppl i es the fl owi ng waters.
Ther e ar e peopl e who can natur al l y tap
i nto a r i ver or maybe a cr eek suppl i ed by thi s
knowl edge. These are the natural heal ers of al l
ages: the hi gher they tap i nto the sour ce, the
pur er thei r system. The l ower thei r fol l ower s
tap i nto that sour ce, the mor e di stor ted i t has
Esoteric Healing: A Modern Perspective J ournal of Esoteric Psychology Volume 4 No. 1 1988
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r eached us. Many or thodox sci enti sts fi nd
evi dence of di spr oof i n such di stor ti ons. I fi nd
i r r efutabl e ev i dence of a mountai ntop
whenever I see a r i ver , even i f i ts water was
pol l uted.
The basi c pr i nci pl es of the sci ence of
esoteri c heal i ng are wi thi n reach to those who
can access the mountai ntop (the "wi thi n"
di mensi ons of bei ng). Furthermore, the path of
ascent i s not uncharted. I n the same way that
pr evi ous tr avel er s have l eft some useful si gns
that have become the wel l known Yoga Sutras
of Patanjal i , tr avel er s of thi s par ti cul ar path
have l eft behi nd some si gns to gui de the
neophyte. The r esul t i s the l aws and r ul es of
esoter i c heal i ng as pr esented i n Djwal Khul 's
tr eati se Esoteri c Heal i ng, (Luci s Publ i shi ng
Co., New York; Luci s Press Ltd. London; 1953).
Accor di ng to my vi ews, ther e ar e thr ee
basi c i deas or pr i nci pl es that under l i e the
sci ence of esoter i c heal i ng. The fi r st pr i nci pal
states that al l di sease i s the resul t of i nhi bi ted
soul l i fe. The second pr i nci pl e postul ates the
exi stence of the r efl ecti on of the soul on the
physi cal pl ane, the ether i c body. The ether i c
body i s the most i mmedi ate antecedent i n the
causal chai n of events cul mi nati ng i n the
physi cal expr essi on of di sease. The thi r d
pr i n ci pl e of es oter i c h eal i n g i s th e
i nter dependence of al l uni ts of l i fe wi thi n the
pl anetar y, sol ar and cosmi c l i fe. Thi s l ast
pr i nci pl e addr esses the r el ati onshi p between
the i ndi vi dual and hi s envi r onment. The fi r st
basi c pr i nci pl e of esoter i c heal i ng deal s wi th
the most tr anscendental fact of human
exi stence, the r eal i ty of the soul . A cl ose
par al l el can be dr awn between the nucl eus
wi thi n the atom and the soul wi thi n an
i ndi vi dual . Both ar e i nfi ni te sour ces of ener gy
at the mi cr ocosmi c and macr ocosmi c l evel s,
r especti vel y. I t was no acci dent that the fi r st
compr ehensi ve tr eati se on the sci ence of
esoteri c heal i ng (1953) was cl osel y ti med to the
rel ease at atomi c energy (1945). I t i s my bel i ef
that further progress i n rel easi ng the energy of
the atom i s hamper ed by our l ack of
under standi ng of the l aws of the soul . The
cor r ect appl i cati on of the l aws and r ul es of
esoter i c heal i ng ar e a step i n the r i ght
di r ecti on. I t i s known that the nucl eus of our
sol ar system, the Sun, r el eases atomi c ener gy
by a "natur al " method qui te di ffer ent of that
used by moder n physi cs. The Sun r el eases
atomi c ener gy by fusi on, wher eas moder n
sci ence attempts the same feat by fi ssi on. The
l aws of esoteri c heal i ng are cl oser to the fusi on
process i n the sun than to the fi ssi on process i n
the modern nucl ear reactor.
The esoteri c heal er attempts to rel ease the
ener gy of the soul by fusi ng wi th the pati ent's
soul . Thi s r equi r es l ong pr acti ce and
pr ofi ci ency i n the sci ence of medi tati on.
Medi tati on esoter i cal l y under stood, i s the
means by whi ch contact and compl ete
i ntegr ati on wi th the soul ar e accompl i shed
wi thi n the heal er . Thi s degr ee of i ntegr ati on
wi th the soul i s accompl i shed wi thi n the
heal er. Thi s degree of i ntegrati on wi th the soul
i s the r eal meani ng behi nd ter ms such as
"whol i sm" and i ntegr i ty. Once thi s degr ee of
i nner al i gnment i s achi eved, then the heal er ,
al r eady made sound fr om wi thi n, ser ves as a
catal yst for other human atoms to undergo the
same tr ansfor mati on. Onl y then i s the soul 's
energy safel y rel eased to heal and make sound
not onl y the i ndi vi dual , but the whol e
pl anetary l i fe of whi ch he i s part.
A decentral i zed atti tude on the part of both
pati ent and heal er i s needed i n or der for tr ue
and l asti ng heal i ng to occur. The i l l ness i n the
physi cal body i s not the focus of attenti on. The
art of the heal er i s concerned wi th the l i fti ng of
the downwar d focused eyes unto the soul , the
tr ue heal er wi thi n the for m. I n consequence,
there are three equal l y successful outcomes i n
esoter i c heal i ng, (1) compl ete heal i ng (some
ti mes referred to as "spontaneous remi ssi on" or
"pl acebo effect" by the skepti cs), (2) the
establ i shi ng of a state of mi nd whi ch wi l l
enabl e the pati ent to l i ve wi th hi msel f and
wi th hi s compl ai nt, un-handi capped by the
kar mi c l i mi tati ons of hi s body, or (3) enabl i ng
the pati ent to achi eve (wi th joy and faci l i ty)
the ri ght l i berati on from the body and, through
the portal of death, to pass to compl ete heal th.
I t i s thi s decentral i zed atti tude that real l y sets
apar t what cur r entl y i s accepted as "hol i sti c"
from the practi ce of true esoteri c heal i ng.
Esoteric Healing: A Modern Perspective J ournal of Esoteric Psychology Volume 4 No. 1 1988
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The second basi c pr i nci pl e of esoter i c
heal i ng postul ates the exi stence of the ether i c
body. The ether i c body i s an ener gy fi el d that
i nter penetr ates the dense physi cal body. I ts
exi stence i s not accepted as such by the
or thodox bi omedi cal communi ty. However ,
r esear ch such as that done by Dr . Ruper t
Shel drake strongl y poi nts i n thi s di recti on.
Th e con di ti on of th e eth er i c body
deter mi nes the degr ee of suscepti bi l i ty to
i l l ness. Seven mai n foci of ener gy ar e
r ecogn i zed wi th i n th e eth er i c body
cor r espondi ng to each of the seven i mpor tant
endocri ne gl ands: the pi neal , pi tui tary, thyroi d,
thymus, pancreas, gonads and adrenal . Each of
these foci i s i n a state of del i cate bal ance
bri ngi ng i nto dynami c equi l i bri um the energi es
comi ng fr om wi thi n (the emoti ons and the
mi nd) and fr om the envi r onment. Medi cal
di agnosi s i s gr eatl y si mpl i fi ed by payi ng
attenti on to the state of each one of these foci .
The growi ng fi el d of psycho-neuro-i mmunol ogy
bear s wi tness to the many r ecent di scover i es
on how the wi thi n (the soul , mi nd and
emoti ons) expresses i tsel f through the nervous
and i mmune systems to r ender the physi cal
body i mmune or suscepti bl e to i l l ness. The
psychol ogi cal causes of i l l ness ar e ver y
i mpor tant i n esoter i c heal i ng because they
r epr esent modi fi abl e factor s for whi ch the
i ndi vi dual i s responsi bl e (i n thi s or i n a former
l i fe) that ar e i nhi bi ti ng the fl ow of l i fe of the
soul . Her ei n l i es the gr eatest potenti al for
pr ev en ti on at th e i n di v i du al l ev el of
i nter venti on. Di sease such as ar thr i ti s and
mi gr ai ne ar e pr eventabl e i n thi s or the next
l i fe i f the ri ght steps are taken i n "negati ng the
cause by the opposi ti on of a trai ned wi l l ."
The thi r d basi c pr i nci pl e of the sci ence of
esoter i c heal i ng i s the i nter dependence of al l
uni ts of l i fe wi thi n the pl anetar y, sol ar and
cosmi c l i fe. As we have seen, the ether i c body
i s the poi nt wher e a bal ance i s r eached
between the i nner and the outer envi r onment
(the outer envi r onment i ncl udes i nher i ted
bi ol ogi cal predi sposi ti on through parents). The
ether i c body i s a di r ect l i nk between the
i ndi vi dual and the pl anetary l i fe, i ncl udi ng the
r est of humani ty. Communi cabl e di seases,
epi demi cs , u n i n ten ti on al i n j u r i es an d
mal nutr i ti on ar e exampl es of i l l nesses for
whi ch the i ndi vi dual i s not sol el y r esponsi bl e.
For i nstance, epi demi cs can be tr aced to the
condi ti on of the pl anetar y ether i c body. I t i s
i nter esti ng that "communi cabl e di seases" (a
ter m not used i n the tr eati se and for whi ch I
assume ful l r esponsi bi l i ty) ar e cl assi fi ed i n
Esoteric Healing as "the pl anetar y di seases:
cancer , tuber cul osi s, syphi l i ti c di seases." The
al l usi on to "syphi l i ti c di seases" I i nter pr et as
r el ated to the moder n ter m "sexual l y
tr ansmi tted di seases." Al so, the eventual
di scovery of cancer as a communi cabl e di sease
i s a prophecy made i n the treati se. I t i s further
stated, "Some day medi ci ne wi l l r eal i ze that
behi nd ever y si ngl e di sease l i e these thr ee
mai n tendenci es i n the human body." The
r esembl ance wi th what homeopaths cal l
"mi asms" i s apparent.
The tr eati se i s most emphati c i n the need
to i ntegr ate the k nowl edge of moder n
medi ci n e, es peci al l y i n deal i n g wi th
envi r onmental l y r el ated causes of di sease,
such as di seases preventabl e by i mmuni zati on.
Even wi th causes r el ated to psychol ogi cal
factor s i t i s stated, "or di nar y, amel i or ati ve,
medi cal or sur gi cal methods wi l l not be
wi th h el d." I n addi ti on , th e n eed to
sci enti fi cal l y prove new experi mental di agnosi s
and therapeuti c methods i s under covered.
Fi nal l y, the r ol e of medi cal astrol ogy i n
pr eventi ve medi ci ne i s r el ated to thi s thi r d
basi c pr i nci pl e of esoter i c heal i ng. I t i s stated,
"The ti me has come for a study of the ether i c
body, of the condi ti oni ng rays whi ch govern i ts
mani festati on i n space, and of astrol ogy, whi ch
gover ns i ts mani festati on i n ti me." I t i s
predi cted that eventual l y "the etheri c body wi l l
be ch eck ed by cor r ect a s tr ol ogi ca l
concl usi ons...Astrol ogy, however, must be l i fted
out of the hands of those i nter ested i n
predi cti on astrol ogy and pl aced i n the hands of
tr ai ned mathemati cal sci enti sts and i n the
hands of those who have gi ven as much ti me to
sci enti fi c trai ni ng al ong astrol ogi cal l i nes as i s
now gi ven to tr ai ni ng a r eputabl e physi ci an, a
chemi st or a bi ol ogi st."
I n summar y, the ether i c body, i ndi vi dual ,
Esoteric Healing: A Modern Perspective J ournal of Esoteric Psychology Volume 4 No. 1 1988
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pl anetar y and cosmi c, i s the sci enti fi c
foundati on for the study of past accumul ated
pr edi sposi ti ons and the envi r onment that
pr eci pi tates such pr edi sposi ti ons i nto actual
di sease. Resear ch focused on the thr ee basi c
pr i nci pl es di scussed i n thi s br i ef exposi ti on i s
sor el y needed to br i ng cl oser to r eal i ty the
pr eventi ve and cur ati ve potenti al pr omi sed i n
the sci ence of esoteri c heal i ng.
Dr. J ose Becerra, a physician who engages in
preventive medicine and public health, is a
Fellow of the American College of Preventive
Medi ci ne. One of Dr. Becerra's primary,
interests is the attempt to link orthodox and
scientific paradigms with esoteric healing.