Daodejing, Verse 51

Daodejing - Other Voices

...The last four lines of verse 51 of the Daoist philosophical book the Dao De Jing (Peter Merel interpolation) offer some suggestions on how to use your mind to effect your own healing.

“Bearing without possessing,” Carry the illness, but don’t own it. Every time you think or say “my disease” you are holding on to it and confirming it is a part of you. If you have to refer to it at all, call it “the disease.” Do your best to not think of it at all. When you stop feeding the disease with the energy of your thoughts, you will deny it the energy it needs to exist.

“Nurturing without taming,” Take care of yourself without trying to change the nature of the illness. Don’t try to make the illness something you can “live with.” If, in your mind, you decide you can live with it, you won’t cure it. Always try to nurture yourself back to perfect health.

“Shaping without forcing,” Shaping in this sense means creating your healthy body without resistance. Self-doubt is resistance, disbelief is resistance. If you must work so hard to convince yourself of the healing power of your mind, all your energy goes toward the convincing and none toward the healing. Making statements like “I’m going to do this or else!” is resistance which can set up an internal power struggle or fear of failure that may do more harm than good. Create good health persistently but gently.

“This is harmony.” Give yourself permission to allow your body to follow its natural tendencies. Spend time influencing your body with intentional and sustained positive thoughts as if you have already created health by saying and believing: "I am perfectly healthy!" Say it with gusto: "I Am Perfectly Healthy!!!"

Fill yourself with health and there will be no room for disease.
~ from Be Well with Michelle, author Michelle Wood, original post date: 7/24/09 ~

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