Embracing the Miracles of Holistic Health

Standing in the Fire of Transformation

“OUCH!” I exclaimed as I pulled my hand away.

After a long day at my holistic health practice, I joined my husband Brice in preparing a late dinner. He took a frypan out of a 400-degree oven and set it on top of the stove. I needed to move the pan a bit to use one of the burners. Thoughtlessly, I grabbed the handle.

I immediately felt searing pain, let go of the frypan, and ran to get my hand under cold water. Brice brought me ice cubes to hold. They melted rapidly. I couldn’t find our icepack, so I pulled out a bag of frozen peas. I felt some relief after holding the bag for a few minutes.

I continued to hold it while I finished cooking and while sitting down to my meal. Eating with my left hand was awkward. When we were done with dinner, the bag of peas was warm. So, I filled a pot with ice water.

I looked at my palm before placing it in the pot. The pinky side was red and textured from the tip of the finger to the base. There was a blister on the pad of the pinky, and the rest of the area looked as if it would likely blister as well. There were also burns on my thumb and forefinger.

While I soaked my palm, Brice and I watched a Netflix show. I had a towel on my lap to rest it in between soaks. After the show, Brice went to bed. I stayed up to continue soaking it, as it was still hot and painful.

Miraculous Encounter with an Angel

Sitting there alone in the quiet, I decided to meditate and pray. Arcangel Uriel came to my mind. So, I asked them to assist me with my injury. I was surprised to hear a response.

They replied, “give me your hand.”

I laughed, not knowing how to go about doing that. Although I sense a presence, I couldn’t see them – I had no vision of an angel reaching for my hand. I decided to place it on the towel. I closed my eyes, relaxing and waiting.

I felt an unexpected sensation on the burn. It felt as though someone’s finger was lightly tracing a line from the base of my palm up to the tip of my pinky. This happened a few times, and caused a pleasant, almost ticklish feeling.

Then I heard, “now you do it.”

Pain as Portal into the Present

I lightly traced a line along the same pathway. The pain was replaced with a pleasant sensation. Shortly after, however, the burning returned, prompting me to plunge my hand back into ice water.

The angel continued, “Repeat this two-step process three times, then go to bed.”

I finished three rounds of 1) tracing several lines on my palm and 2) soaking my burn for about forty minutes. Then I rubbed fresh aloe on the burn. Climbing into bed, the injury again started to burn intensely. I prayed to Uriel, “what do I do?”

They replied, “Repeat the tracing motion several times, then go to sleep.”

As I did this, I thought about how the injury might interfere with my plans. I thought, I won’t be able to rock climb or wash dishes for a while, and I may not be able to take notes for my holistic health clients.

I was amazed at how fast I fell asleep.

Outer Manifestation of the Miracle

I woke up and looked at my palm. The affected area was still discolored, but lighter. The blister on the little finger was gone. In fact, there were no blisters and no discomfort. I assumed the area was still going to be raw and tender to touch. I was pretty sure I’d have to skip rock climbing.

I massaged the skin gently and tentatively and was surprised I didn’t feel any pain or tenderness – at all. I got brave and started vigorously rubbing the skin. It felt normal. So, I went about my day as usual, feeling blessed to make it to the climbing gym.

But the story doesn’t end there. It turned out this was just the outer manifestation of an inner miracle.

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Miracles Are Natural and Bountiful

I shared the story with a dear friend of mine, a Doctor of Chiropractic, and she responded, “This is not normal, you know.”

I knew what she meant. To most, this would be considered a miracle. I was nonchalant, not because I didn’t recognize its miraculous nature, but because I have these experiences regularly. I’ve come to expect them. Indeed, I devote each day to the practice of miracles, and not just in my holistic health practice.

“Miracles are natural. When they do not occur something has gone wrong.”

– A Course in Miracles

You are an eternal spirit in a temporary body

In my view, everyone has the innate ability to facilitate miracles (or healing). Most of us reawaken our healing ability gradually, in stages.

At a key stage, we recover the awareness that the spirit (inner world) is our true reality, and the body (outer world) is but a reflection. It is this realization that leads to the healing power of the miracle.

When this awareness dawns, our vision begins to turn inward.

To illustrate, let’s look at my response to the situation. When I burned my hand, it never occurred to me to look to the external world to guide me or give me answers. I didn’t once consider calling the doctor or going to the hospital. I didn’t turn to the internet, call a friend, or even consult with my husband.

An important point: I would have happily taken any of those actions if my intuition (my internal reality) prompted me to.

Resourcing From Within

When our vision turns inward, we start to resource from within.

For me, this means I know I have within me the answers I need. I completely trust my intuition to guide me. Sometimes I hear my intuition as a quiet inner voice, at times I sense it as a strong knowing, and other times I perceive it as a flow guiding me. It’s as if I’m in the river of life and there is a current pulling me.

During this ordeal, I perceived intuition as a flow — I just knew what to do and when. None of my actions, even praying, arose from a panicked, fearful, seeking-answers place. They all arose from a calm, peaceful, all-is-well place. Each step was simply revealed as the next thing to do in the natural unfolding of events.     

“Miracles transcend the body. They are sudden shifts into invisibility [the internal realm], away from the bodily level [the external reality]. That is why they heal.”

– A Course in Miracles

Transmuting Fear into Trust

In part, our healing abilities awaken gradually so that we can purify our fear. Over time, fear is replaced by trust and faith. Our trust deepens each time we facilitate healing, experience a miracle, or listen to our intuition. These opportunities build trust because they serve to reinforce and confirm our awareness of our spirit as the primary reality.

There is often a misconception that if we recognize our spirit as the true reality, then we need to deny the body and material existence. Some have an urge to go off and live in a cave or spiritual community, others feel trapped inside their bodies, still others move along the treadmills of their lives, yearning for home.

Being Embodied and Infinite

Although it seems paradoxical, you can be fully embodied and totally engaged in life while deepening your awareness of your infinite, expansive spirit-self. Your wholeness will not (cannot) be diminished, even while expressing yourself through the temporary body.

One way to accomplish this seemingly paradoxical feat is to relate to the body as your instrument. It can serve as a learning device, as an anchor point to focus and ground you in the present moment, and as a vehicle for communication and creative expression.

When the angel instructed me to use light touch on my palm, my body became an anchor point. The body sensations became the point of focus for my complete attention. Earlier, I was trying to distract myself from the pain. Now, I was being reminded to fully feel the body sensations, even the pain, and to become totally present.  

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Practicing Miracles with Detachment

What a delight it is to practice miracles.  

To practice, I look for opportunities to witness or participate in miracles, even small ones. I express love to those I encounter, pray for those in need, and assist my holistic health clients to heal themselves. Mainly, I help them remember who they truly are. That is the real miracle.

When I pray, I’m not attached to an outcome. I trust that healing will happen, a shift toward awakening will take place. Whether evidence of that shift appears in the material world matters little. This is another result of the vision turning inward.

Waking up to a healed hand, I felt wonder, reverence, and immense gratitude. Although beforehand, I’d decided to feel peace and acceptance no matter what happened with my injury. What was most important to me, the reason I prayed to the angel, was to continue to learn and heal my patterns and perception.

“Miracles are expressions of love, but they may not always have observable effects.”

– A Course in Miracles

The True Miracle Was Invisible

From this experience, I learned the art of focusing on body sensations to surrender more deeply and ground in the present moment. I also developed in my ability to discern between turning my vision inward and pulling away from the external world to escape.

The real miracle wasn’t how rapidly my burn healed. It was how the entire event helped me expand and evolve, and how it furthered my quest to come home to my true self.

[From a forthcoming book by Deborah Wilson]

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P.S. If you are interested in learning more about these topics, consider signing up for my upcoming 9-week online program, Return to the Garden: A New Year’s Retreat, or check out this episode from one of my favorite Podcasts on miracles, healing, and consciousness:
The Telepathy Tapes: The Talk Tracks Episode 17: The Healing Power of Consciousness