How can we put into practice in our daily lives the knowledge we have accumulated about ecology and the environment, using it to help the recovery process in some illnesses? Is that an important tool to help with our inner reform?

These are the ideas put forward here by the cardiologist and vice-president of the Medical Spiritist Association in the Brazilian city of Arapiraca, in Alagoas state, Dr Iuri Candiago.

How do you understand the links between cure and ecology?

To understand healing or cure, I refer to the etymology of the word in Latin, which means to look after or manage. And ecology comes from oîkos in Greek, wich means house or home, and logos, which means language. So we can broaden the horizons of what we understand as our home. Léon Denis said that intelligence was dormant in the plants; it dreamt in animals and only woke up and became conscious in human beings. Thus if we lived in other physical forms in previous lives, we must respect them.

If we understand our home as the planet as a whole and if we broaden the concept of curing or healing we will be acting in a fraternal manner with plants, animals, human beings and with those angelical beings we will become one day, according to the promise of our Divine Master. We give and receive precious resources to keep our balance and our mental health.

Can ecology change health and illnesses?

We can change the course of what will happen to us in two ways: firstly by easing the recovery of our balance by making concrete steps towards fraternity and living a simple life. So, if we live without the excesses that exhaust nature’s precious resources, we will be avoiding living with the feeling of greed inside us and will follow a safe and healthy pathway to reach our destiny. The second aspect can have a deeper impact on our suffering. In the Spiritist novel Nosso Lar doctor Henrique de Luna says: “Illnesses wouldn’t develop into such serious conditions if the thoughts of so many people on the planet were focused on the principles of fraternity and moderation”. So, if we respect and love nature we will benefit from the healing and comforting fluids of peace.

How can you measure the benefits of ecology for the healing process?

Our relation with divine creation can be assessed by the type of relationship we choose to have with nature and other human beings. Some people compete for space (fame), for food or for partners for reproduction. Others act as true predators or parasites. And some choose symbiosis, cooperating with each other for mutual survival. If we develop an aggressive approach towards the illness affecting our health, the viruses or bacteria will certainly spread and multiply, as we feed ourselves with inferior energies and induce the deterioration of our body and immune system. If we choose to take a constructive, positive approach and react to illness by looing for fraternity, we will benefit. That can be done through the company of a dog, plants or even by talking to our body, with our cells. People who are optimistic and grateful to God experience quicker recovery and hardly ever get ill.

Can healing be done at an emotional and psychological level, as well as physical?

I would say that the type of healing we really need is a permanent one, emotional and psychological. If the mind is not healthy, then it is just a matter of time before illnesses develop. Also, we may be physically ill, but if the soul is committed to doing good, a powerful force is born inside is, which makes the eternal being shine, showing courage to resist our afflictions. That is, in fact, true healing.

Are we truly concerned with the environment or is that something that only comes up when we realised that we are being affected?

If you really think about it, we will see that in most occasions we only focus on recovering our health when we lose it. That happens because our priorities change according to our point of view. When we are affected by shortage of water we save water. Once the problem is solved, we go back to our previous behaviour. Very few people see now the potential results of their acts or lack of care.

Can we encourage the interaction between the process of healing and ecology to treat illnesses? Can that be done even in hospitals?

There is a lot already being done regarding the treatment of illnesses involving animals, like Equine Assisted Therapy, for instance. We know that affectionate relationships can do us good. We should, therefore, revive the beautiful memories we have involving our pets or particular areas of natural beauty where we can connect to God. We can even have a friendly conversation with the microscopic beings – bacteria or viruses – that are trying to weaken us.

What else would you like to add?

We must bear in mind that life is not restricted to what our eyes can see and that are microscopic beings, fluidic beings and that life flourishes everywhere. If we remember that than we will understand that both tangible and intangible nature are part of a whole created to enable our development. In the past, we lived in minute beings in the various kingdoms that are part of our evolution process. Then we lived as vegetal, later as animals and now as human beings. But evolution does not stop there. The purity of the angelical state awaits us. When will it be? As Jesus said: “When we understand the truth, it will free us”.