Wow — I can’t believe it’s been a week since I posted about this. Time flies when you’re having fun, I suppose…

So, for those of you who are interested, here’s an update: 1) it has been determined that in all likelihood what I was/am suffering from is a rather nasty spider bite (most likely from a hobo spider — again); 2) my leg is healing nicely; and 3) my leg is still attached to the rest of me and will stay that way.

If you want to see pictures, I have a few. The first set is the day after I first posted on this. It shows the front and back of my leg in full bloom. This picture shows the charcoal poultice application . The last set shows the front and back as they are today. As you can see, there is still some localized reaction and swelling, but it is healing up and throwing off toxins through the poultices rather nicely.

What I’ve learned

I believe in natural healing whenever possible. I know there are situations and circumstances when doctors, clinics, and hospitals are necessary, but I think they are far too overused. That said, I’ve learned that by far the most important aspect of healing yourself, whether ‘naturally’ or with the help of a doctor, is the power that your mind has over the healing process.

This has been a tedious and stressful event for me. In the beginning, as noted in my first post, I was focused upon the deliberate use of intention to facilitate my healing. As the process wore on, though, I lost that focus and instead tended to concentrate on the mechanics — the herbs, sequences, timing, etc. Consequently, for the next 3 days, I didn’t see much improvement.

Intention works

When I refocused on daily periodic meditation/quiet periods, I noticed that the improvements were more pronounced. For instance, a couple of days ago, when I went to bed, I made it a point to lay for a while and be thankful that the process was working, and reflected on some of the statements I outlined in my first post. The next morning, the swelling had eased markedly, and the pains I had been having were drastically reduced. I learned my lesson!

What I learned was that the important part of healing is in the mind, not in the technique. Many different ‘remedies’ can be used to detoxify the system and promote healing, but the important part is believing that what you are doing is helpful, believing that you are already healed and just going through the steps, and believing that being healthy is your natural state of being.