Collective suffering is not a topic anyone has a complete answer to. For some reason, I always worry when someone claims they know why a tragedy happened to a certain race or to an entire family. Growing up, I was drawn to Nietzsche and Socrates etc. and I think it is vital to explore many dimensions of collective (some would say karmic) suffering before adhering to one particular philosophy. In particular, it is good to be open and read wonderful mystics like Krishnamurti and delve into any of the long lasting spiritual practices of Kabbalism and Buddhism.
Nietzsche saw suffering as the making of great men, explaining with his rhetorical question “do you not know that only this discipline has created all enhancements of man so far?” while the Kabbalah states that a “misdirected life force is the activity in disease process”. There is a lot of truth to both these beliefs but they aren’t the only truths for all individuals.
Most people agree that personal suffering often comes from the actions of oneself or others or a genetic influence. From interacting with other intuitives, I also learned that our higher self has a higher plan for us. This plan often involves a fair bit of learning and learning often entails not getting everything we currently want. Hence the old joke about psychics who can read the future of others but can’t, for the life of them, win the lottery. I think anyone promising to help you do so should be heard with a large pinch of salt. Shadow work or inner child work is very much a large part of why we came to this earth.
Some mystics and teachers believe that it is better to ask “What am I learning from this?”. My favourite biologist Bruce Lipton believes we can bypass disease and physical pain by positive thinking. Some healers think a fair dose of spiritual faith can do the same thing. “Ascension” teachers expound the idea that we can rewrite our soul agreement and cancel a particular type of learning by a particular type of suffering. (In some cases, I actually agree.)
Having studied and practiced some healing modalities, I think it is vital to use one’s intuition in order to know and read what is going on with a person. Sometimes in coaching, I hear the voice tell me this person is learning a necessary lesson about control etc. In such a case, I try to help the coachee see why it is vital to let controlling others go. Now doing so can actually help free a client from that ongoing “karmic” lesson. It is crucial to get rid of harmful core beliefs and find a way to cognitively reframe. The subconscious can be both a powerful aide and saboteur of one’s conscious goals. Our karma is very tied to the subconscious and our energy field (more on that in another post). It is often why a combination of higher guidance and coaching is effective since both help a person understand what is best when making practical steps towards finding the right vocation or dealing with a difficult parent or child.
I want to also share that some renowned healers and health professionals have shared with me their own health and relationship issues. These are people who’ve studied a fair number of modalities or who have their own therapy practice. Nobody is immune. Nobody who is on the road to ascension at least, lol. What is vital is for each of us to know what can be eliminated via the placebo effect, positive affirmations, deep healing and counseling and what actually may still remain as it is a surprisingly odd life tool for our higher good for the time it needs to be. It is important for all holistic workers to be honest about this.
Namaste.
