Newsletter #39: ♻️ Metaphor of illness as a path to healing
When I asked ChatGPT to create images that reflect this week’s newsletter topic, this is what came up 👇️ Pretty nice! Hope you enjoy 💗
The theme of this newsletter is about how we might be able to heal from chronic illness differently than the modern Western framework we have been indoctrinated with. As I have prayed and meditated on this question for years, one thing has always come back to me:
We are not separate from the Earth; We are Her. Her illness is our illness.
Before you tune out, let’s break down the simple reality of this statement, and see if maybe, just maybe, it could help our lives.
Every second, trillions of atoms in our bodies exchange with the environment around us through things like breath, sweat, tears, oil, dead skin cells, saliva, urine, blood, pheromones, nails, milk, bacteria, viruses, and more. Energetically, we give off heat, electromagnetic signals, sound, and more. Hundreds of billions of our cells die and are reborn daily, and the new atoms in our bodies come from the 2-3 pounds of food and the 10,000+ liters of air we consume daily—constantly 3D-printing ourselves in a cycle of transformation and rebirth. This is the reality of our swirling lives: 98% of our atoms are replaced every year, and nearly all parts of our body were once a star:
“Nearly all the elements in the human body were made in a star and many have come through several supernovas.” — Dr. Ashley King
So who are we, really? To know this answer, we might need to just look outside to nature and up into the sky at the stars. That is us of yesterday and tomorrow.
But, as human beings, we are suffering. Our health is deteriorating rapidly, and so is the Earth. The environmental damage humans alone have caused—plastic, pesticides, conventional agriculture, synthetic chemicals, pollution, mass extinction of biodiversity—is mirrored in the diseases we face.
If we truly are one with the Earth, how might our illnesses reflect what’s happening to Her?
✍️ Read more: Newsletter #25: American health is getting destroyed (and it is simple to improve)
✍️ Read more: Newsletter #21: The surprising links between plastic and metabolism, and 11 ways to protect yourself (and the planet)
✍️ Read more: Newsletter #24: THE #1 thing we can do to improve health - regenerative agriculture
As I said on Joe Rogan:
“The health issue is simply a reflection of the destroyed ecosystem of our globe. We’ve forgotten that we are completely connected to nature and interdependent with it. If we don’t address these interconnected issues and have the courage to fight for them, I truly believe we are headed toward existential disaster.”
The Earth is undergoing a mass extinction event. Migratory freshwater fish populations have declined by 81% between 1970 and 2020. According to the 2024 Living Planet Index report, “across the 34,836 studied wildlife populations, the average decline was 73%.” 59% of Earth’s species live in soil, and that soil is turning lifeless due to conventional agriculture. Interestingly, this mass extinction caused by human impact is paralleling rising infertility and declining life expectancy for Americans—issues that money alone seems unable to solve.
As I reflect on my rising insulin levels that I mentioned in my last newsletter, I ask myself: What is this piece of information from my body trying to tell me? And I also ask a question offered to me by one of my spiritual guides: What does the Earth need from me right now? I know the intersection of these two questions is what I’m called to explore in this next season of my life, and I want to explore what’s coming up for me to that inquiry below, in hopes that it offers an expanded way of potentially thinking about the human health crisis we all care so much about.
Diseases as potential metaphors from the Earth
Obesity/Diabetes/Insulin Resistance
These metabolic conditions occur when the body’s ability to efficiently use energy is disrupted, causing excess energy to be stored as fat rather than utilized to power life and cellular processes. This energy stasis is caused by impaired insulin signaling, blocking the flow of energy necessary for optimal function.
Humans are out of alignment with the Earth and depleting its life force. And human bodies are now exhibiting signs of blocking the flow of energy through them. This is insulin resistance.
We are the Earth.
Autoimmune Diseases
These occur when the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, failing to distinguish them from harmful invaders. Their prevalence has risen dramatically, with some studies indicating an increase of 3-12% annually for various autoimmune conditions. Simply put, our bodies are fighting themselves, out of alignment with their own tissues, blood vessels, joints, and even our DNA.
Humans are out of alignment with the Earth and at war with its natural cycles. And now, human bodies are out of alignment with themselves and waging war on themselves. This is autoimmune disease.
We are the Earth.
Infertility
The rise in infertility, driven by conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and declining sperm quality and quantity, reflects disruptions caused by endocrine-disrupting chemicals, poor nutrition, circadian disruption, and chronic stress. This mirrors the decline in Earth’s soil fertility due to industrial agriculture, where monocropping and synthetic inputs disrupt the natural order of sustainable production and resilience.
Humans are out of alignment with the Earth and depleting its fertility. And human bodies are becoming increasingly infertile.
We are the Earth.
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular diseases result from impaired blood flow, such as in atherosclerosis, heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral artery disease, depriving tissues of oxygen and nutrients. As a metaphor, the rising rates of cardiovascular disease might reflect how human disruptions of waterways in the form of dams, pollution, and urban sprawl disrupt Earth’s natural circulation, causing a ripple effect of soil degradation, droughts, floods, and storms.
Humans are out of alignment with the Earth and disrupting the circulation of its waterways. And human bodies are becoming blocked in their circulation. This is cardiovascular disease.
We are the Earth.
Neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and mental health disorders
These conditions affect the brain and nervous system, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, depression, and anxiety, and are on the rise across all ages.
Humans are out of alignment with the Earth. By relying too heavily on our thinking brains rather than our heart intelligence, intuition, or other modes of knowledge, we are missing key information. Our thinking minds are increasingly failing us.
We are the Earth.
Liver Disease
Fatty liver disease is skyrocketing. The liver plays a crucial role in maintaining metabolic balance, processing nutrients, detoxifying harmful substances, and synthesizing vital proteins. Its ability to filter toxins, regulate energy, and support immune and hormonal functions makes it foundational for overall health.
Humans are out of alignment with the Earth and overwhelming its ability to filter and detoxify itself. And human bodies are struggling to filter and process toxins from our environment. Our livers are sick.
We are the Earth.
Cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that can invade surrounding tissues and spread to other parts of the body. Certain cancers, like breast, pancreatic, and gastric cancers, are rising steadily, especially among the young. As the Western world demonizes the intuitive powers of our gut in favor of “experts,” “proof,” and the thinking rational brain, and as we try to “digest” the pain and fear of the entire world by flooding our minds and bodies with near-constant social media and news, gastrointestinal cancers skyrocket. And as we industrialize and commoditize birth, motherhood, and childhood, and suppress the feminine cycles of nature in our modern culture in favor of relentless production, our breasts seem to cry out for help.
Humans are out of alignment with the Earth and destroying it. Our bodies are now being infiltrated by destructive cells that are ravaging our life force.
We are the Earth.
A path toward healing?
What if healing chronic disease starts (and ends) by healing the Earth’s illness? Through the lens that we are the Earth—one and the same—what could these diseases, as metaphors, mean? Perhaps nothing. Perhaps everything.
I’m not suggesting anything about these metaphors are about “what goes around comes around” or “bad karma.” I don’t think the Earth would punish us; I think she’s desperately trying to help. But perhaps this is a reflection of what is simply true: We are the Earth. So if she suffers, we suffer. If together we can help her thrive again, perhaps we can too? I don’t have the answers, but these are questions I cannot shake.
One of my spiritual guides, Deena Metzger, has shared the invitation:
“Heal the life, and the life will heal you.”
Her words echo in my mind, and I pray desperately about what God needs me to heal in my own life to live in integrity with Nature:
Thank you, Spirit, for this precious mystery of life.
Thank you for the boundless blessings of this body, mind, and soul.
Thank you for love.
Please show me what the Earth needs.
Please show me what healing means.
Please show me what Spirit wants of me.
Please align my will with Your will for the good of all things.
Know that I’m listening. I’m listening. I’m listening.
Please give me the courage to hear.
Please give me the courage to act.
I think each of us will hear a different message from a prayer like that. We are each different messengers, with different stories, experiences, and purposes.
I am starting to hear pings of answers to how to live more in alignment and I’m committed to continuing listening.
The obvious pings are loud: Stop the careless plastic use, stop the endless Amazon deliveries, excessive flights, the disconnection from land, a house too big for two people, cars. All the stuff. Grow food, tend the soil, plant the trees.
And when I listen deeper, there are more subtle messages… perhaps to try to act more like nature: Slow down. Don’t rush. Rest when rest is due. Embrace seasons. Embrace cycles. Adapt constantly. Evolve. Molt. Birth freely. Reject the dopamine prison. Try to understand my role, just as the bees and trees all seem to so clearly. Trust my internal knowing over experts.
The “how” of all this is still misty, but that’s what I turn back over to God.
Sending you Happy Thanksgiving wishes for a bright future for you, your family, and all beings.
💓 Dr. Casey
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👀 A documentary recommendation
I think all people who are born (i.e., everyone) could benefit from watching these two documentaries:
These are also a great way to throw a major wildcard into Thanksgiving week with your families! 😄
Next up for us are “Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives” and “Born Free: Birth in America.”
I feel so strongly that our modern birth culture is a part of why we’re sick. As with the Earth, we are trying to control and dominate the Mother, to everyone’s detriment. See what you think…
