BODY AND SOUL

Dr. Gladys McGarey writes a column for Venture Inward magazine and this is part of a letter to the editor written by another doctor in response to one of her past column in the July/Aug 2006 issue and who had also read her book "Born to Live." He states that it altered his understanding of complex issues involved.

"There is physiological evidence that the fetus has a role in the actual initiation of labor, and, as Dr. Gladys points out, so does the waiting soul in the larger matter of whether or not to actually be born, or to stay. Examples in my own practice support this.

A boy born with blood supply insufficiency during birth was severely affected, to the point where he could neither communicate nor be physically active. However, after several years of loving care, he suddenly died for no apparent reason. It was as if he had fulfilled his mission for this life. By contrast, a baby whose body was not expected to survive (also due to severe blood supply interruptions during birth) apparently made a fighting decision to stay after many days of intensive care, and is now a healthy, happy child.

I, as my mother's firstborn, must have wanted badly to come in, for my delivery went smoothly. Although I have no recollections of my birth, my mother is reported to have said afterward, "Well - If that's all there is to it, I'm going to have the next one at home." And she did.

Another mother told me that, during the birth of her fifth child, she suddenly found herself "up by the ceiling objectively watching the birth." She said, "I watched my child's soul enter its little body and heard a voice say, 'Now there are five of us."

A person who is aware of these things can welcome a confused soul. Years ago, while daily visiting my mother in a small-town hospital, I became aware of something bothering me. I realized that I had been passing the nursery where one infant was crying piteously. I stopped, mentally asking the question, "Are you lonely and confused in this place where no one realizes your situation?" So I stayed, focusing on the child, reaching out from the center of my being in the manner I use when I touch a patient. It's like letting Love energy flow from me to the Other. Perhaps it's like a physical prayer.

Suddenly the baby turned its head toward me and its eyes held mine. Then it closed its eyes and slept. I never heard it cry again while I was there. That was 20 years ago and I still feel the bond between us.

The miracle of birth is much more than a physical miracle. If one accepts the abundant and mounting evidence that a pre-existent being, an eternal soul, with the power of choice, is arriving to take up the challenges of physical life, then our imperative task must be to aid that soul in whatever way is appropriate.

One last story: A four-year-old boy suddenly announced to his mother that he had been a soldier killed in the Far East, saying, "Mother, war is wrong. We must stop fighting." One can only imagine what that boy's choices will be when he is an adult. Thank you, Dr. Gladys, for reminding all of us of these things. (From a small town doctor who requested his name be withheld.)