THE CAUSE OF DISEASE

by Eugene Del Mar

Physical disease is the result of thoughts that are based on false interpretations, on conceptions that have no foundation in Truth or Divine Law, on opinions that are not justified by facts ; leading to impressions that are incapable of harmonious expression, or expressions of a character that do not permit of harmonious impression. The thought that represents false reasoning interferes with free circulation, and this results in abnormal physical activities, of which pain is the reaction and conscious evidence.

Man has a physical sensation of some character, and in his habitual interpretation of appearance and sensation as unfriendly and antagonistic, he forms an opinion concerning it that inspires fear, suggests pain and forebodes some degree of disaster. Tradition tells him that it is the forerunner of some standardised species of disease, with its traditionally determined penalties. The particular form of that disease has been clearly described in terms of symptoms, and consciously or otherwise he pictures the form that it will take.

This is exactly what it does. By some mysterious process, the picture is photographed into the body, the invisible takes on visibility, subconscious takes on consciousness, opinion assumes physical form, tradition is justified, and ignorance is crowned as demonstrated wisdom ! This transmutation of thought serves as a demonstration of one of the greatest mysteries, the persistent justification by the Universal Life of whatever attitude one takes toward it — it always accepts one at 100 per cent, of his own valuation.

One's thought founded on opinion and sense impressions have moulded his physical body in its own image and likeness. But the resulting condition is that of pain and suffering, and of sickness that is unpleasant and undesirable ; and naturally one seeks to transform this into the normal state of health and ease. How may this be done ?

The world has standardised its diseases, defined them physically, identified them in terms of symptoms, and pictured them so that one may visualise them readily. Their names are legion ; and it requires an encyclopaedia to catalogue them. The world has also standardised the cures for its standardised diseases, and it has one or more of these prescribed as a cure for each combination of symptoms ; for example, x y z is the drug corrective for the disease corresponding to the combination of symptoms 3, 28 and 76.

This would be a splendid system if it only worked according to plan ; but from time to time so many changes are made both in the standardised diseases and the standardised cures, as well as in the opinions and beliefs of successive generations, that humanity has now more diseases than it ever before had ; and the world is awakening to a recognition that the whole system lacks any fundamental basis of Truth.

The fact is that one's diseases are dependent upon and may not be independent of his thought ; and if that thought is one of falsity, inharmony or disease is the inevitable result ; it is the physical reaction to thought that is based on erroneous interpretation of appearance or sensation. The basis of disease is erroneous thought, the occasion is the unscientific interpretation of fact or Truth, and the error consists in assuming a Principle or Truth in correspondence with one's belief in his destructive interpretation.

Disease is due to one's erroneous belief, his faulty reasoning, his misconstruing of sensation, his ignorance of Principle. Usually a conventional name is given to it, a fear picture is generated, the suggestion is accepted, the traditionally anticipated result is expected, guilt is admitted, and punishment follows. And necessarily " the punishment fits the crime " against truth or Principle !

The creator is greater than his creation That which one creates he may control or destroy. That which is founded on opinion is but temporary in character, and may be effaced by a change of opinion. That which
has been built up by the aggregation of invisibilities may be resolved into its original elements. That which is contrary to Principle may be transmuted into its likeness. That which has no foundation in Truth may be swallowed up in the realisation of Truth.

Disease being a product of thought, the human form being the physical composite of many thought pictures, and disease those characteristics of it that are in correspondence with ignorant beliefs and erroneous opinions ; it results that the fundamental treatment of disease is mental. If an opinion is the cause, the result may be altered by a change of opinion. If the original opinion was the cause of destructive conditions, then when that opinion ceases it will no longer produce any results. And when former erroneous opinion is replaced by a realisation of Principle that is necessarily opposed directly to this opinion, its previous results will be erased and destroyed.

The word " cancer " means nothing to one who has never before heard it. But he readily ascertains its traditional meaning and significance, and this creates an opinion that is converted into an idea. The thoughts persist and, in the presence of the sensation that has suggested cancer, this is held in invisible solution until it condenses into a form corresponding with the conventional cancer pattern. The thought dominates one's sense interpretation, which reacts to feed the thought, his hereditary or acquired thought tendencies are aroused, and in due course of time one's opinion has been fully justified by the appearance of the traditional form of this standardised disease.

Man is a Spiritual Being, and in that realisation there is mental harmony and physical health. With the mentality open to the spiritual influx, and the physical body obedient to mental control, the One Life is lived harmoniously. Regarding the physical as basic and fundamental, the mind interprets sensation negatively and destructively, and mental inharmony reacts as physical disease. Truth thoughts are allied to health and false thoughts generate disease.

The result will be the same whether one come into actual contact with physical disease in others, or think the false thoughts that have served to produce this condition. One may visualise mentally or vision physically with the same result. One may contact disease without unpleasant results or may contact health without pleasant reaction. He may take health from disease or disease from health or preferably, he will receive from either exactly that which his thought calls for.

If one adopts traditional beliefs and inherited opinions that are false, and imputes to circumstances, conditions and experiences negative and destructive attributes and quallties, he will create mental inharmonies. If one's thoughts inculcate and demand fear, they are false and are allied with inharmony. If one deviates or departs from Truth he sows the seeds of disease, and what the crop shall be will depend upon the thoughts with which the seeds are kept watered. One may manifest any physical disease that has been catalogued by thinking the thought cause allied with the particular physical result that one is looking for. Or he may acquire it by visualising the symptoms that standardise the disease, anticipating the symptoms, and thinking of himself as physically subject to the disease. While this may necessitate considerable effort, no effort seems to be too great when disease is the goal ! As long as one accepts the false traditional beliefs that have caused and perpetuated inharmony, he must register physical disease. If one incorporates in his system the cause of disease, inevitably he will manifest its allied result. One who plants the seeds of disease in the prolific soil of false belief, will raise a bounteous crop of physical inharmony. It is inevitable that a compensatory reaction should follow every action.

Truth is impersonal and impartial. It knows nothing of pain or suffering, joy or sorrow, like or dislike. It knows only cause and effect or action and reaction ; and it hastens to compensate or reward each cause with its appropriate effect. When one places an action on The Law, necessarily the Universal assumes that the correlated reaction is desired. That is the manner whereby the Universal rewards or compensates ; and it is by this process that one acquires disease. In the language of the Universal, one asks for it ; and asking, it is not denied.

A deep realisation of the fundamental Truth that God is One, God is All and God is Good, with their necessary implications, inspires the Faith or spiritual conviction that will both eliminate the destructive erroneous opinion and replace it by the knowledge of constructive Principle, which also constitutes the original cause of health. These fundamental Truths may be recognised the more readily when one discerns the fact that there is but One Life, which vitalises, energises and lives all forms of existence, and confers on them the use of the powers of the One Life to the full extent of their knowledge of how to make use of them.

Universal Spirit is all inclusive ; the One Life envelopes and inspires all existence. The Infinite is all pervading ; God is omnipresent. The permanent is present always and everywhere ; and it only awaits its conscious recognition by man to be transmuted into visibility and form. When man's thought is founded in Truth or Principle, it is essentially affirmative, optimistic and constructive ; and inevitably his physical body will evidence the constructive products of Creative Mind in a form indicative of its divine origin and destiny.

" An emotion tires the organism, and particularly the nervous system, more than the most intense physical or intellectual work. Terror or anger is enough to provoke a stroke of apoplexy ; to lead to syncope ; to paralyse the limbs ; to bring on an attack of madness. Simple ill humour, caused by those who surround us, can take away let us note the fact that if the conduct of others has been the cause of our emotion, it is really we ourselves who have created it by the manner in which we have reacted."

" I have everywhere been able to see that the original cause of the trouble lies in the native mentality of the subject, and in those peculiarities of his character which have not been sufficiently overcome by clear and reasonable convictions. I cannot treat my patients without having recourse to psychotherapy."

Dr. Paul Dubois :
" The Psychic Treatment of Nervous Disorders."