The Cancer in Your Soul

While October is popularly known as the breast cancer awareness month the activities carried out have spread to beyond just breast cancer, to cancer broadly. It has therefore become an important educational time for all as cancer affects people of all ages, races and genders.

I would like to use my layman’s understanding of physical cancer is to draw a parallel with what I consider to be even more dangerous cancers, those that cannot be seen or touched … the cancers of the soul. Now, it is common belief that human beings are more than just their physical, touchable form. So, by ‘soul’ I am referring to those parts of us, which we cannot touch or see … our thoughts and emotions. These ultimately inform our values, morality, decisions, choices and overall behaviour. (Please note that I am neither a specialist on cancer nor the soul.)

Physical cancer is said to be unhealthy damaged cells in the body which, instead of repairing or dying as they should, actually grow and multiply. Because they do not follow the rules of normal cell multiplication and growth, they cannot be controlled by normal cell functions. If left on their own they grow and soon start taking over that area, ultimately affecting healthy cells. The presence of these damaged cells impacts normal function in the area in which they are found. On the non-physical side, soul cancer is when unhealthy damaged thoughts and emotions are left unattended to and allowed to grow and multiply. This occurs when the individual, instead of changing or getting rid of these thoughts and emotions as soon as they are detected, allows them to remain. These thoughts may start small, about a particular aspect of one’s life and before long take over one’s thinking and feelings processes. Let us look at complaining as an example. In small doses, in the right situations a bit of complaining is not harmful. In fact, complaining may lead to positive results in that the things being complained about may then get changed. However, if complaining is not controlled and left to grow, it soon becomes unhealthy and starts informing one’s overall mindset and an attitude. And so it becomes a cancer in the soul.

The state of the physical cells can be a result of unhealthy inherited DNA, meaning one may be born with them. Just like how we inherit healthy physical attributes from our parents, we inherit unhealthy ones as well. Research has shown that unhealthy soul cells can also be genetic, meaning one is born with a tendency towards certain thinking or feelings inherited from their parents. For example, some people naturally good at mathematics are likely to give birth to children also naturally good at mathematics. This applies to unhealthy emotions and thinking as well, some mental and emotional health challenges are inherited.

Unhealthy cells can also be a result of unhealthy environmental factors such as pollution or even unhealthy lifestyle choices such as diet. Similarly, unhealthy soul cells may be a result of the unhealthy environment one grows up in. Unhealthy surroundings may cause ‘pollution’ to one’s thoughts and emotions. For example, if one grows up or is surrounded by people who complain a lot then they are likely to also complain a lot.

Lastly, unhealthy soul cells may also be caused by lifestyle choices. What I eat and drink affects my physical body just as much as it affects my thoughts and emotions.

Physical cancer goes through different stages with stage 4 being the most advanced. During the earlier stages the cancer may not be detected unless one is deliberately looking for it. And just as with physical cancer, one may walk around with a cancerous soul not realising that they are carrying ill thoughts and feelings unless they did some serious soul searching. While each stage will have its set of symptoms, the early-stage symptoms are usually ambiguous and generic making it easy to overlook them. (One does not automatically jump to assuming they have a brain tumour when they have a headache.) It is only when the symptoms persist and grow that an alarm is raised. And often by the time one experiences severe physical symptoms it usually indicates that the cancer has grown to an even more difficult to control stage. The same is true with soul cancer. We tend to overlook what appears to be minor symptoms such as seemingly isolated unhealthy thoughts or feelings. And even people around us might notice but not raise an alarm as these behaviours can usually be explained away (‘it’s just a little white lie’ or ‘just a little moaning’). By the time one realises that this complaining has become a problem it is usually so deeply ingrained in one’s soul that it has formed part of their identity.

There is a process with cancer called metastasis which is when the cancerous cells spread and form cancer in other areas of the body beyond where they started. So, one may have started of with cancer in the breast and then it spreads to other organs, such that even if the breast gets removed the cancer remains in the body. Cancer that has metastasised is even more difficult to remove. Soul cancer metastasis is when one person’s unhealthy attitude and mindset spreads to other people. Instead of having one person in the group with a problem of complaining you end up having more and more people adopting the same attitude and mindset. Such that even when the person is no longer part of that group their bad influence remains. Group soul cancer is even more difficult to stop or change.

People with physical cancer cannot treat themselves, they need help from specialists. And because treatment for cancer can be rather brutal it is better to catch it early. Same applies with soul cancer, one will need help from others to help treat them. And the sooner one gets help the better.

The treatment options for physical cancer vary depending on the severity of the cancer (meaning the stage it is at and how wide it has spread) by the time it is detected. At times the doctors will recommend surgery, the best option for early-stage cancer which is localised. Other people go through radiation, exposing the cancer to intense heat or energy rays to destroy the cancerous cells. Other people end up going through chemotherapy where a cocktail of (usually highly toxic) chemicals are injected into the body to kill the cancer cells. Both radiation and chemotherapy will have an impact on healthy cells as well. In many cases treatment is a combination of the any of the three or even include other treatment methods not mentioned here.

Treating soul cancer requires similarly intense interventions as well. You may require soul surgery, meaning cutting off bad influences around you. This could be in the form of people you surround yourself with or even environmental, like changing a job/school/church etc.

At times cutting off people may not be an option as the cancerous environment may be one’s own family. In such cases one may need radiation in the form of exposure to life changing interventions such as therapy or counselling, where the cancerous thoughts and emotions are exposed and efforts are made to destroy them. Some people may even need chemical interventions in the form of psychiatric medication in order to help control the damaged thoughts and emotions which are out of control. Both counselling and psychiatry will impact other members of the family as well.

Once the physical cancer has been treated, there may still be a risk of it coming back. And usually it comes back even more intense or even in other forms. As a result survivors are advised to maintain a healthy lifestyle, to go for regular check ups and generally be well informed so that action may be taken early if needed. Soul cancers run the same risks of coming back as well and when they come back they may present differently or even more intensely. You may have dealt with your problem of complaining but find that you now develop a victim mindset. Individuals need to guard their souls diligently. Be careful who and what you expose your heart and your mind to and guard your thoughts and emotions at all times.

As with anything medical, prevention is better than cure and early detection saves lives so live every moment intentionally to prevent the cancer. Continue to do soul searching so that damaged thoughts and feelings may be detected and dealt with early. Maintain a healthy lifestyle, surround yourself with healthy individuals. Become well informed about how the soul works.

So, what negative, unhealthy, cancerous thoughts and feelings are you currently entertaining, allowing them to grow and multiply to form a cancer in your soul?