Western medicine looks at your physical body as a mechanic might view a car engine. Medical doctors see a plethora of valves, tubes, pockets, chambers, and sacks, with channels of fluid flowing through them. To most physicians, the body is a piece of machinery. Just as mechanics diagnose an automobile and then fix it, so doctors diagnose and “fix” your body.

According to Western allopathic medicine, the only way to cure disease is purely mechanistic — cut out the tumor, kill the offending cancer cells, destroy the invading predatory virus, chop out the stone-producing gall bladder, obliterate the diseased uterus, delete the swollen prostate, cut and paste the arteries to the heart.

This slice-and-dice method of medical practice is not only viewed as acceptable, it is lauded as miraculous. In our Western culture, doctors attain mystical status. As our holy men and women, they hold the power of life and death in their hands, and whatever they say is gospel.

East vs. West: A Time for Every Purpose

Few brave souls ever question their doctors. Whatever prescriptions given, especially to vulnerable, elderly patients, are taken without objection or inquiry. Many ravage their bodies with a fast food diet, improper rest, and debilitating lifestyle, while imagining that if they fall ill, a medical doctor will rescue them.

There is no doubt that allopathic medicine is highly effective, and amazing cures happen daily. I was certainly grateful for a highly skilled orthopedic surgeon when my leg was fractured. Yet knowing what I do about holistic health and preventative medicine, I wonder what greater healing could occur with physicians trained in skills widely practiced in the Far East — acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic, Qi Gong, fasting, Ayurveda, massage, marma therapy, and so forth. More importantly, I imagine what diseases could be prevented with the public educated in self-healing skills.

West and East: Fundamental Philosophical Differences

In the West we see life as a material object that begins at birth and ends at death. It is made of water, blood, cells, muscles, and other slimy things that dry up and disintegrate once the heart stops pumping. Life ends with the last breath, and nothing else exists.

In contrast, not only do people of the Far East accept subtle bodies and subtle energy; they might even heal their own bodies through a variety of subtle practices, including meditation, visualization, prayer, and spiritual healing.

Whereas in the West, people only believe what they see, hear, and touch, in the Far East, people learn to experience what they cannot see with eyes, hear with ears, or touch with fingers.

You Are a Multidimensional Being

If you would open your eyes to the truth, you would see the power to heal is in your own hands. You can prevent disease, maintain your body in glowing, radiant health, and experience peace of mind daily.

By practicing yogic methods, eating a nourishing diet, and following a healthy lifestyle, you can transform your mind and body to align with divine Spirit.

You are a multidimensional, unlimited light-being of great magnificence, power, and energy. You are not bound by time or space. You are beautiful beyond words. Your mind is brilliant, heart is open, and body is exquisite. You are divinity itself, incarnated in human flesh.

Who You Are According to The Scriptures of All Religions

Does this sound far-fetched? This is how scriptures of all religions describe you. You may not recognize the true magnificence of your being, but divine Spirit does. Let us hear what the scriptures say:

“God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’” (Judeo-Christian)

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (Christian)

“For man is spirit...yea, man is the tabernacle of God, even temples.” (Mormon)

“I have breathed into man of My spirit.” (Islam)

“Every being has the Buddha Nature. That is the self.” (Buddhist)

“The deity is immanent in man and man is inherent in the deity; there is neither the divine nor the human; there is no difference in essence at all between them.” (Shinto)

“The living self is the image of the Supreme Being.” (Sikh)

“That which is the finest essence — this whole world has that as its Self. That is Reality. That is the Self. That art thou.” (Hindu)

Why don’t you see yourself as this divine being? When a veil is drawn over your eyes, you cannot see the truth. This veil of ignorance (called avidya in Sanskrit) is a mistaken idea about who you think you are. This shade covers the real you. It casts a shadow on your true self and diminishes your value.

Who You Are: The Result of Your Thoughts

“All that we are is a result of what we have thought; it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage...If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.”  — Lord Buddha

Western medicine would call such notions crackpot at best. That is why physicians treat the body as a machine rather than a fluid, ever-changing vehicle of Spirit.

In the Far East, the body is viewed as a microcosm within a macrocosmic universe. It is affected by and affects everyone and everything around it. The body is a multidimensional part of a holistic individual. Mind is not separate from matter. Thoughts affect and are affected by the body.

Chakra System: Subtle Energy Undetectable by Microscopes

Our study of the human energy field and chakra system relies on a perspective that Western medicine completely rejects — the notion of a subtle energy system undetectable by our most powerful microscopes. Yet the chakra and nadi system is the basis of all Oriental medicine today, including the well-respected science of acupuncture.

Perhaps Western medicine has not gone far enough in its study of human physiology. They might well look to the East for more knowledge about the workings of the body.

Reprinted, with permission of the publisher,
from The Power of Chakras ©2014 Susan Shumsky.
Published by New Page Books a division of Career Press,
Pompton Plains, NJ. 800-227-3371. All rights reserved.

This article was reprinted with permission from the book:

The Power of Chakras: Unlock Your 7 Energy Centers for Healing, Happiness and Transformation
by Susan Shumsky.

Dr. Susan Shumsky has delved into the ancient Tantric and Vedic literature to uncover the veiled mysteries of the ages, where the most authentic information about the 7 chakras, 7 sub chakras, and the subtle energy system can be found. Highly praised by spiritual masters from India as well as thousands of grateful readers, it has been hailed as the "quintessential reference on the subject." By reading this valuable book, you will: Discover your subtle body and energy field and how to heal blockages; Gain understanding of Kundalini energy and the chakra system; Learn to maintain health of your energy field.

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About the Author

Dr. Susan Shumsky is the award-winning author of seven other books -- Ascension, How to Hear the Voice of God, Exploring Meditation, Exploring Auras, Exploring Chakras, Divine Revelation, and Miracle Prayer. She is a foremost spirituality expert, pioneer in the consciousness field, and highly acclaimed speaker. Susan Shumsky has practiced spiritual disciplines for 45 years with enlightened masters in secluded areas, including the Himalayas and the Alps. For 22 years, her mentor was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, guru of the Beatles and Deepak Chopra. She served on Maharishi's personal staff for seven years. She is the founder of Divine Revelation®, a technology for contacting the divine presence, hearing and testing the inner voice, and receiving clear divine guidance.

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