The Cancer as a Turning Point, From Surviving to Thriving™ conference in Sacramento last week-end was as good as it gets. I’m looking forward to listening to the recordings of the presentations again because they were so rich with both information and inspiration.

I may share some of the information in more depth later, but for now I want to give you some of the highlights that stand out for me. There was so much, that I think we tend to remember what we needed to hear at the time. Everyone may have heard something different.

What I remember from Glenn Sabin’s talk is that if we treat only the symptom and not the cause, cancer is likely to return. Chemo, radiation, and surgery are all treating the symptom. The cause is likely to involve the whole person, not just the body.

Kelly Ann Turner talked about what people had done who achieved unexpected remissions from cancer, giving us some clues as to where the causes might be.

Lise Alschuler talked about the importance of rejuvenation. We all need to have times in our day when we aren’t “doing” anything. If we know what replenishes our spirits, we can spend time each day doing that. It might be spending time in nature, listening to music, chatting with a friend, or sitting and watching the flowers grow.

Marianne Williamson talked about a cancerous tumor as a cry for help from the soul. She said if a child cries, you don’t hit it over the head with a baseball bat. You love it. And that may be what a tumor needs – to be held and loved like a crying child. Nourishing the soul may be one way of doing that.

Jonathan Ellerby talked about discovering our spiritual personalities and having a spiritual practice that serves the essence of who we are. It could be different for each of us. Some people are more physical, some more mental; some need quiet, some need music, some need ritual. I can experience more spiritual satisfaction and growth when I discover a spiritual path that feeds my unique soul.

My soul was nourished by this conference, and I want to review the presentations and practice what I am learning. I’m so grateful we recorded the presentations and they are available on DVD, CD, or as MP3 files.

I’m taking a month or two off from my busy work schedule and am finding ways to rejuvenate. One of these ways is to go to Tao Inspired Living on the Riviera Maya of Mexico for 6 days/5 nights, both to enjoy the beauty and to experience more of Jonathan Ellerby’s teachings. He and the TAO Foundation are giving an incredible price to our group and I invite you to join me.

I haven’t made a decision yet about how to treat the slow-growing tumor in my lung. I’m trusting that answer will come to me as I experience more quiet in my life and am better able to listen to my intuition that knows the best course of action. I want to address both the symptom and the needs of my soul and spirit.

I will end this the same way we ended the two-day conference — with some inspiration from Karen Drucker, whose music feeds my soul on a daily basis (it may take a few moments for the song to start, and you may have to click the play arrow — it’s worth the wait!).

In the Spirit of Healing,

Jan Adrian, MSW
Founder and Executive Director

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Return to Turning Points eNewsletter – September 2012