Experiences in “Forgetting Self” - The Role of Violet Flame in Healing

violetflameworld
Jun 7
4 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

A nurse reaching out with heart to affect healing

It has been a grace in this life that I have enjoyed relatively good health. There was, however, one time a few years ago I had to have a medical procedure to fix a heart condition. This was all a new and unfamiliar experience for me so I am pretty sure I was more worried and focused on “self” then many others would have been.

What follows is not intended to be medically “graphic” for “graphic’s sake”. Looking back now, it’s clear that I needed a few experiences and additional drama to get my full attention!

My story begins during the postoperative (post-op) stage in the recovery room. As I slowly regained consciousness and oriented myself to my surroundings, I observed that the recovery room was a busy place and everyone working there was very focused.

The next thing which happened was that I tried to cough – a condition I found out later was due to the effects of the anesthesia. After hearing me cough, one of the nurses came over and said “Uh oh, you shouldn’t have done that”. I could not yet talk but was told the strain of coughing had opened up some of the stitches in my “lower regions” and I was now bleeding.

Very soon, I had three nurses gathered around examining and discussing the best way to fix me up. And for good measure, a fourth one “stopped by” on her way to lunch to watch and learn too. Note: After hearing this story, my wife did not cut me any slack. She told me “After you’ve been through childbirth, come back and then we’ll talk!”

Unbeknownst at the time, I had begun to learn my first lesson of the day:

Lesson #1 – Learn to accept with humility the help which others are giving.

After what I like to call the “carnival show” was over one nurse told me I would now need to lay very quietly for 4-6 straight hours so as not to risk re-opening the stitches.

To Throw or Not to Throw a Pity Party

A post operative patient deciding whether or not to throw a "pity party"

Since I had to lay still and be quiet, there was little to do. I could have thrown an excellent “pity party” at this point. But instead, I decided to just listen to what was going on around me. Then, I observed and learned what was really happening:

• One man nearby was crying because he had to go to the bathroom on the bed. The nurse, in a demonstration of great compassion, told him it was ok and that it was her job to assist him and clean up.

• Another man farther away was also crying and calling out in great pain. His cries were very sobering and stirred great compassion in me for what he was going through.

• My final recollection in the recovery room was hearing a hushed conversation between a doctor and his assistant about what they had found earlier while operating on a patient. The patient was not going to “make it” and they were trying to determine the best way to inform both the patient and his family.

And thus, my second lesson of the day had begun:

Lesson #2 – Forget Self!

I realized these events and conversations had been happening around me the entire time – I just hadn’t been aware of them because all my attention was focused on "self”.

After taking all of this in and thinking about it I remembered I had something to offer – the opportunity to pray silently and envision (even though I could not physically see them) the violet flame around everyone in need.

And finally, just to be sure I had fully absorbed lesson #2, the attendant who wheeled me to my room later never asked me (i.e. the “self”) how I was doing or feeling. Instead, he told me he and his wife were getting divorced and how difficult it was for him. He even asked for advice on what to do next!

The Role of Violet Flame in Healing

A young man with a leg cast expresses joy at the result of using violet flame for heailng

The violet flame can go a long way towards healing of all kinds – physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual! And although I didn’t learn it that day in the recovery room there is a third lesson which is highly applicable to this blog post.

Lesson #3 – the violet flame can indeed heal but there are several intertwining and important points to remember:

• The Will of God

• Karmic circumstance (i.e. does the karma of a particular individual warrant healing?)

• Degree of mitigation (i.e. one may only experience a burn on the hand versus losing their life in a fire!)

• Healing is typically the most challenging to achieve once the condition becomes physical. Therefore, it can sometimes be easier to experience healing within the emotional, mental, and spiritual parts of ourselves.

And as always, an important part of living a balanced life is applying the violet flame holistically and practically. As my chiropractor once told me – “If I break my leg, I don’t need a chiropractor, I need a surgeon!”

No matter what’s going on in life there is almost always something or someone around with a greater need. This is a lesson I will always remember and one which I am grateful to have an opportunity to share.

I hope you too will remember these lessons in humility and “forgetting self” so you can apply the violet flame everywhere and as often as possible!

And much like the proverb, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” we may just discover that “The violet flame given each day, might also help keep the doctor away!”