Excerpts from writings of Edward Bach
"Man, the child of the Creator,
has a deeper reason for his disharmony than the draught from an open
window. “Our fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves,” and how
full of gratitude and hope can we be when we realize that the cure
also lies within ourselves! Remove the disharmony, the fear, the
terror, or the indecision, and we regain harmony between soul and
mind, and the body is once more perfect in all its parts."
"We have so long blamed the germ, the weather, the
food we eat as the causes of disease; but many of us are immune in an
influenza epidemic; many love the exhilaration of a cold wind, and many can
eat cheese and drink black coffee late at night with no ill effects. Nothing
in nature can hurt us when we are happy and in harmony, on the contrary all
nature is there for our use and our enjoyment. It is only when we allow
doubt and depression, indecision or fear to creep in that we are sensitive
to outside influences. It is, therefore, the real cause behind the disease,
which is of the utmost importance; the mental state of the patient himself,
not the condition of his body."
"Any disease, however serious, however long-standing, will be cured by
restoring to the patient happiness, and desire to carry on with his work
in life"
"So again let us clearly understand that our physical illness is of no
consequence whatsoever: it is the state of our minds, and that, and
that alone, which is of importance."
"Disease is in essence the result of conflict between Soul and Mind, and
will never be eradicated except by spiritual and mental effort. Such
efforts, if properly made with understanding, as we shall see later, can
cure and prevent disease by removing those basic factors which are its
primary cause. No effort directed to the body alone can do more than
superficially repair damage, and in this there is no cure, since the cause
is still operative and may at any moment again demonstrate its presence in
another form."
"Let it here 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. If properly treated, it will be the cause
of the removal of those faults and leave us better and greater than before.
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 learnt.
Let is also be known that in those who understand and are able to read the
significance of premonitory symptoms disease may be prevented before its
onset or aborted in its earlier stages if the proper corrective spiritual
and mental efforts be undertaken."
".. 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, as one day at school
is to a life, and although we can for the present only see and comprehend
that one day, our intuition tells us that birth was infinitely far from our
beginning and death infinitely far from our ending. Our Souls, which are
really we, are immortal, and the bodies of which we are conscious and
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."
"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, since if we could only realize for ourselves the
mistakes we are making and correct these by spiritual and mental means there
would be no need for the severe lesson of suffering. Every opportunity is given
us by the Divine Power to mend our ways before, as a last resort, pain and
suffering have to be applied.
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. Nevertheless, understanding and correction of our errors would
shorten our illness and bring us back to health. Knowledge of the Soul’s purpose
and acquiescence in that knowledge means the relief of earthly suffering and
distress, and leaves us free to develop our evolution in joy and happiness."
"The reason of disease is to cause us to cease wrong actions; the most effective
method to harmonise our personality with our soul. Were it
not for pain how could we really know that cruelty hurt? Had we never any loss,
could we realise the suffering caused by robbery? True we should learn our
lessons on the mental plane, and so save physical suffering, but many of us fail
to do this. And so disease is sent to us to hasten our evolution. Cruel as it
may seem in our narrow outlook, it is in reality beneficent in its nature. It is
the method adopted by our own Fatherly Loving Soul, to bring us to the path of
understanding."
"So the perfect science of healing teaches and assists the patient to
develop that virtue which will make, once and for all, immunity against that
adverse quality, which it is his particular battle to efface."
