Metaphysical Healing

Metaphysical Healing is a short work by the healer, mystic, and educator Joel S. Goldsmith. It explores the true nature of self as an infinite spiritual consciousness that brings forth health, peace, and joy. Goldsmith was born in 1892 in New York City. His experiences as a Marine in World War I, and the great suffering and pain he observed on his business travels led him to ask fundamental questions about humanity and God. He began a course of inquiry, searching for universal truth. As a spiritual scholar, he studied writings from ancient Greek, Sanskrit, and Aramaic cultures. On a return trip from Europe in the 1920s, Goldsmith developed pneumonia. A Christian Science practitioner who was on board ship with him was able to heal him of this illness. He soon found, after his recovery, that he too had a healing gift. Strangers began to approach him, requesting relief and prayers. While Goldsmith had no religious training, he is said to have healed many of these people. Still looking for answers to his spiritual questions, he joined the Christian Science Church, where he remained for 16 years. In 1945, he left the church, as he felt that organized religion was a hindrance rather than a help to spiritual growth. After leaving the church, he began to write, espousing his own philosophy on the nature of humanity and God. His pamphlet, Metaphysical Healing, was one of his earlier works. This short guidebook explains that truth is to be found within, not without. Rather than turning to an external God, Goldsmith proclaims that, "The truth is that God is the Mind and Life of the individual. God is the only 'I'. When we understand this, we can transcend the limitations that we have placed on our minds and spirits. Instead, a free-flowing mind can dispel the illusions of illness, hate, and evil. They do not exist. They are mere unrealities accepted as realities, illusion accepted as condition, the misinterpretation of what actually is." Rather than viewing the outside world as a power that we must struggle with, the truth is that all power is within us. Because that power comes from the infinite source, flowing through us as water flows from a lake into a river, that power is always good. With correct knowledge of God and the nature of man, Goldsmith believes that we can see what is. When we reject the unreality of illness, we are able to heal ourselves. "Whenever you are faced with a problem," he writes, "regardless of its nature, seek the solution within your own consciousness. In the quiet and calm of your own mind, let the answer to your problem unfold itself." Joel Goldsmith's philosophy was later referred to as The Infinite Way, named for his 1948 book of the same name. After its release, people began to seek him out for further education and guidance. A reluctant teacher at first, he found that there were many eager to hear his message. He went on to teach in Boston and California, and later traveled throughout the world delivering lectures. As he had learned through his experience in the Christian Science Church, Goldsmith was insistent that his teachings never be "organized" into a formal church-like structure. He felt that this kind of rigidity would obscure the teachings. While there are still many adherents to Goldsmith's philosophies, there is no formal organization or leadership for his followers.