Two days ago I shared my first article about my visit to Casa de Don Ignacio to see John of God, a famous healer in the suburbs of Brazil. Unfortunately, he has been in the hospital since we arrive, being treated for a stomach hernia. Because of this we have not had the chance to see him or his miraculous healing powers, but I have had time to observe the town, the healing center and write about what I have seen around here.
About the Town of Albadinia in Brazil
Here are some facts. The town of Albadinia is located 2 hours south-east of Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. The town’s population is approximately 13,000 and the whole economy is centered on the tourism that John of God and the Casa de Don Ignacio attract. The majority of these tourists come from the United States and Europe, most in search of miraculous healing and the hope to elevate their spirituality.
Walking around town you can find a couple dozen “Posadas” and three star hotels. The majority of the shops sell crystals, white clothes (a requirement for being at the healing center) and massage centers, the rest is mainly restaurants and other miscellaneous. In addition to that there are a few schools, a couple super markets, a pharmacy and hundreds of homes where the town residents live. The population is composed of Brazilians who speak Portuguese, very few people speak any English. The town resembles much to any other towns from underdeveloped countries. Most streets are dirt roads, there is plenty of trash on the floor and feels somewhat unsafe, especially at night time. The only paved roads are the main roads in the town’s center, and these are full of holes. People drive fast through the narrow streets and do not slow down for pedestrians, not even for those on wheelchairs.
My Growing Skepticisms and Disappointment, Follow the Money
It is said that the energy of the entities that operate at Casa de Don Ignacio is so strong that it prevails over the whole town of Albadinia. Some people even recommend to stay in Albadinia the whole duration of your trip to make sure you get every ounce of the available healing spirituality (and that the town gets every ounce of your money, yes, we are getting there). Some other advice given by the people who operate the healing center and the residents of Albadinia include wearing white clothes, drinking the blessed holly water, taking the blessed holly herbs and doing crystal bed sessions at the healing center, all of these cost money.
Now, do not get me wrong, I am a body worker and run a holistic health and wellness practice, I have to charge money for my services so that I can pay for my rent, food and the things I need to run my business and help people, fortunately, there is a difference. The work that I do is not based on faith and it has an immediate effect that you can notice and feel as I work with you. My therapy is not based on promises but on results that you feel during and after each session. When I see or hear that someone is not benefiting from my work I simply recommend them to see someone else, I do not claim to be a miracle healer and I do not believe I can cure any disease, yet.
The Problem and Controversies with Spiritual Healing
The idea of spiritual healing is rather vague and results are nothing short of subjective and controversial. I understand that spiritual healing has to do with healing of the spirit, and that our spirit or soul is that inner most aspect of ourselves that continues on even after our body dies. Some people do not even believe that there is such a thing as souls and spirits, they believe that our experience is nothing more than chemical reactions taking place in the brain, and that once the brain stops working you cease to exits. To me it is quite obvious that this is not the case and ancient teachers from every culture around the world supports my perspective, each in their own way with their own explanation. Considering this, we can leave aside any doubt about the existence of our spirits and we can begin to focus on their healing process.
According to Daoist teachings (and many other), our spirit is a fragment of God, a piece of God that separates from itself in an effort to experience itself through incarnation to have a specific experience and latter return to itself. With this incarnation comes the idea of free will, meaning that the individual spirit, created by God to carry out a specific mission, has a certain degree of control over its actions, this is also a subject of debate for we will take it as fact for the sake of the argument. Each soul has its own specific reason to be where it is when it is and is meant to be on a path or journey that eventually leads back to union with God. Whenever we, as souls, are on our right path, we feel joy, peace and a number of positive emotions, these are supposed to be the compass that guides our actions, whenever we deviate from our path we suffer pain, which then forces us back into our path.. It is a self-correcting mechanism where free will is allowed yet checked on to ensure the success and completion of God’s desires.
According to the recently stated theory, pain and suffering are reminders to get our spirits back in our path, illness and disease are some of the tools used for this purpose. Many people embark on spiritual journeys after great loses and traumatic events and many find God through this process. With that being said, we can conclude that spiritual healing is simply the process of returning to being ourselves.
My Doubts about John of God