Living Arts Weekly: Supporting Your Family through Illness

October 6, 2019

Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother put him to bed, and made some chamomile tea: “One table-spoonful to be taken at bedtime.”
― Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Nurturing Care

Cold and flu season is just beginning here in the northern hemisphere.  Today we have several helpful resources for you to help you support yourself and your children through illness this winter.

First is an article from Jane Sustar, formerly a caregiver at LifeWays Milwaukee and now  kindergarten teacher at Tamarack Waldorf School in Milwaukee. Click on the box to read Jane’s article.

The Grace of Illness in a Fast-paced World by Jane Sustar

The Meaning of Illness

Author: Susan R. Johnson MD, F.A.A.P.

Published: Aug 1st, 2000

In Anthroposophical medicine our Spirit (our higher-self) is always healthy. It is our Soul that first becomes ill. If we do not pay attention to our Soul, then we start to lose our vitality (our etheric body becomes weak) and then our physical body becomes ill. Dr. Philip Incao, an Anthroposophical physician who practices in Denver, Colorado, spoke this Summer at the Artemesia Conference held at Rudolf Steiner College. He described a picture of health and illness that comes from a Dutch Anthroposophical physician.

Imagine health as a beautiful sunny day with a brillant blue sky and no clouds in sight. The earth is covered by a layer of green fields, plants, and trees springing up from a firm ground composed of minerals. The sun is our Spirit, the sky is our soul, the green living layer is our vitality (etheric body), and the mineralized earth is our physical body. We come to this earth with the purpose of purifying our soul. There are always clouds that form in our soul. Those issues in life (our needs, wants, and desires) that we are trying to work through and transform. At any given time, if our Spirit is strong enough, then like the sun we can often dissolve the clouds that come our way. Sometimes too many clouds form at the same time or a cloud grows too quickly and becomes too large, obscuring the sun’s light. If we don’t pay attention to the messages from our soul, the clouds can grow and merge into a huge thunderstorm and eventually pour down to earth as rain. After the rain, the sky will become clear again, but all the rain may have flooded the earth. If our etheric body is not strong enough to withstand the rain storm, then our physical body can become ill. Hereditary factors, destiny, and karma can all affect the physical body we have in this life, but there are things we can do to strengthen our etheric body to help us resist becoming ill during these rainstorms of our soul life.

The etheric body is formed during the first 7 years of our life. Routines and daily rhythms (especially around mealtimes, bedtimes, morning times, and holiday celebrations) all strengthen the etheric. Adequate sleep (usually around 11 hours for young children and teenagers), adequate clothing (so hands and feet stay warm), proper nutrition (that follows the cycle of our liver consuming fats and proteins before 3 pm, eating a hearty breakfast and hearty lunch with nutritious snacks and followed by a light dinner) all help our organs grow in a healthy way and strengthen our immune system. Minimizing the stressors in our culture (television, videos, computers, caffeine, sleep deprivation, prolonged car rides, and always hurrying from one place to another) can strengthen our etheric body. These stressors overstimulate our nervous systems and cause us all to release stress hormones that weaken our immune system and our vitality.

Nature is one of the greatest healers. Taking a long walk through a park lined with trees, in a quiet forest, or by water nourishes us. When my spirit and vitality needs strengthening, I hike in the mountains and sit under a redwood tree by a small flowing stream. When my soul feels in torment and too many thoughts and worries are flooding my consciousness, then I sit by a rushing waterfall or walk along the ocean and listen to the crashing waves. Finally, one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves and our children is to “SLOW DOWN” and remember that “less is often the best”.

For more helpful and informative articles from Susan Johnson, MD, click here.

Finally, below is a link to a podcast, Episode #202 Best Herbal Home Remedies for Cold and Flu, of the Pioneering Today Podcast.