lizbutler
- Aug 19, 2022
- 14 min read

Cancer: a connection forgotten but not lost

Updated: Nov 23, 2022

Dis-ease results from dis-connection. No disease highlights this association more than cancer.

Introduction

Never has there been a disease that puzzles people like cancer. As the numbers affected climb relentlessly, - in 2010 18.7 million people worldwide received a cancer diagnosis, by 2019 this number had risen to 23.6 million people (1) - scientists are desperate to know the secrets that will allow this beast to be tamed. But the billions of pounds and mass of brain power channelled in cancer’s direction over the last few decades has not yet come up with the answers; the disease remains a mystery unsolved. Of course, progress has been made. When it comes to causes, factors that increase risk such as smoking, obesity and particular gene mutations are known, but there are still huge gaps in the knowledge and it is difficult to explain why many people who smoke heavily, are extremely overweight or possess one or more of the implicated mutations, never get the disease, and why large numbers of people without these mutations and living a supposedly healthy lifestyle, do. All too often it seems there is no rhyme or reason; cancer can strike anyone at any time out of the blue and with no warning. The seemingly random nature of cancer is disconcerting not only for scientists but for us all, adding to the fear the disease generates in our society.

I find cancer puzzling too, and like everyone else I don’t have firm answers for why and how it develops. I do have some ideas however, and I think these are worth sharing. My ideas come not from studying the intricacies of the biochemical pathways involved in cancer, instead they come from observing people who are living with, recovering, and dying from the disease. And my ideas are less to do with the physical causes of cancer, although I believe these are highly relevant to the overall story, but instead relate to the deeper reasons cancer has become such a major problem for us as individuals and as a society.

For the last 22 years, in my role as a health practitioner, I have been supporting people with cancer, initially using nutritional therapy, and more recently, healing techniques to encourage emotional wellbeing and spiritual empowerment. I have supported hundreds of people with all different types of cancer and at varying stages. As I’ve immersed myself in the world of health recovery, I’ve observed what appear to be the most powerful factors in creating illness and also those that encourage wellness. This learning has naturally led me to reflect on how and why cancer shows up in our lives and such ideas have found their place alongside others I hold as a result of personal experiences of health and healing.

None of my ideas are new, and although the way I present them could be, they have all been written about and discussed before. In fact, in this time of awakening on our planet, I’m noticing an increasing number of people viewing cancer, and illness in general, from a deeper perspective as I do, and are talking and writing about their ideas in greater numbers. As I present my thoughts, I feel, more than ever, in good company.

A temporary disconnection

Cancer cells behave like renegade cells. Following a breakdown in relationship and communication, they are no longer contributing to the cellular community that usually pulls together to create health within the body, instead they have branched out and are going it alone. These troublesome cells have lost their regard for the common good, it appears, and have stopped or altered their response to the signals being sent from their environment. As they ignore the appeals to work together as one, focusing instead on their own survival, chaos and destruction ensues.

A deeper truth shows us this scenario is distorted and in fact cancer cells are not the self-serving rogues they have been made out to be. In reality, it is never the case that parts of our body work against the rest of our being, instead all aspects are driven by the intelligence inherent in our life force which impels us to grow, expand our consciousness and move towards wholeness. Usually, but not always, this means to preserve physical life. You would be forgiven though for struggling with this idea when it comes to cancer as these diseased cells use radical means to serve this purpose and as we witness their destructive nature, they do appear to have lost total connection with the rest of the body.

“The processes of disease aim not at the destruction of life, but the saving of it” Frederick Treves

And so it is, at first glance, the story of cancer appears to be one of disconnection. But not just at the micro level. Those cells that have broken away and are no longer listening to the flow of communication directing them towards a state of balance, reflects how we as human beings have disconnected from our own greater source of communication. As we have done this, the same chaos and destruction occurring at the cellular level is manifesting for us individually and collectively, as cancer rates soar the world over. As we separate ourselves from the flow of intelligent communication, we separate ourselves from all of Nature and un-natural (toxic, depleting) lifestyles are the result. This leads, not just to cancer and other chronic illnesses, but great damage to our planet. If cancer is the disease of our times, disconnection is truly the overarching theme of our times.

This flow of intelligence I refer to, the one that communicates at the micro level with our cells, is the same intelligent force that at the macro level our minds choose to respond to or ignore. There is only One intelligence. Modern science now recognises this intelligence or ‘consciousness’ as the ground of our being but those with a spiritual leaning have always known its presence, giving it different names such as ‘higher consciousness’ and ‘spirit’, some even using the term ‘God’. Whatever we chose to call it, this intelligent communication speaks to us via our hearts rather than our minds, our analytical mind-talk in fact inhibiting the process, and we receive this communication as insight and intuition.

"If you ask a spiritual person the definition of God, often the answer is that God is omnipresent, omnipotent, that he is everywhere. This is the same definition of the information dynamics of the structure of the multiverse, which is present everywhere and creates matter and life." Nassim Haramein, Quantum physicist

Tapping in to our inner wisdom

Although the idea of intuition is, for some, an airy fairy one, the most modern science, built on the principles of quantum physics, appreciates the energetic and therefore interconnected nature of our universe and from this perspective, the ability to ‘tune in’ to the ever-present flow of intelligence is a real possibility. This new understanding has inspired a whole host of cleverly designed studies exploring the concept of intuition.

One aspect of intuition involves learning based on previous experience. This occurs as information held in our subconscious is accessible to us via the limbic brain, the most ancient part of the brain primed to sense danger and alert us to threats. This part of our brain has honed its skills through pattern recognition and memory recall over many, many generations and is able to stimulate our awareness a lot faster than the time required to analyse a situation consciously. In this way we receive thousands of years of learned information in an instant without the need for thinking.

However, intuition is not only about taking advantage of previous learning. Another form of intuition, scientists now believe, is possible because as energetic beings with an electromagnetic field that reaches several feet beyond our bodies, we are sensitive to the information held in the fields of other living beings and can pick up or ‘read’ this information, as shown by studies measuring changes in our brain and heart patterns as we encounter shifts in another’s energy field.

If reading another’s energy field already sounds like science fiction, prepare yourself to be shocked by the final form of intuition – nonlocal. Nonlocal intuition describes the receiving of information from way beyond our physical bodies. Rather than tapping into ancient memories stored in our limbic brain, or picking up information from local electromagnetic fields, we are tuning in to the information-carrying quantum energy field that connects all living beings within, but also beyond, this physical reality.

The science of nonlocal intuition is in its infancy but is generating much interest amongst certain scientists. One organisation involved in this area of research is the American-based Heart Math Institute (HMI), which, for several decades has been conducting research into emotional physiology, stress and resilience, intuition, and the central role of the heart in all of these areas. Scientists at HMI believe our inherent interconnectedness to everything in the universe allows us access to nonlocal intuition and that our heart, now known to be a highly complex organ of perception and centre of energy transmission rather than just a mechanical pump, is key in facilitating this type of intuition.

Such cutting-edge intuition research is hugely exciting and is beginning to demonstrate great potential benefits for us as individuals. For example, studies have shown that trusting and acting on the information we receive through our intuition leads to better outcomes compared with decisions we make following logical analysis. This may serve us in all areas of life such as when choosing our life partner, job and, of course, when making choices that relate to health.

When connection appears lost

Something that has struck me about the people with cancer I support is how often it appears they ignore their intuition. Commonly people are living lives where the emphasis is on serving the needs of others: children, partners, parents, bosses, other family members and friends, whilst their own needs are neglected. The activities that nourish their bodies and feed their soul have been abandoned as the whisperings of their inner wisdom are disregarded leading to disconnection at the deepest level.

But where does disconnection from inner wisdom fit with the conventional views of cancer? Conventional thinking says cancer occurs when genes that predispose us to cancer are triggered as a result of certain environmental exposures. These days there are more environmental pollutants in the air we breathe, food we eat, water we drink and our energetic atmosphere than ever before and, as I said previously, when we are disconnected from Universal Intelligence and therefore Nature and the life-promoting resources she provides, we don’t possess the inclination or understanding to make moment-to-moment healthy lifestyle choices. In this situation, if we’re interested in improving our health, we must rely on others telling us what’s best for us but given the mass of contradictory opinions and vested interests surrounding the health industry (and it is an industry), this is a tricky path to follow. One environmental factor increasingly linked to chronic diseases such as cancer, is emotional stress; stress caused by high-pressure, 24-7 lifestyles and current problems, as well as stress resulting from earlier unresolved trauma. Stress, to my mind, is a highly relevant part of the cancer picture and I’ve found it to be the common thread running through the many cancer stories I hear. But not only is it linked to cancer through its impact on physiology, for example disruption of hormones and the undermining of the immune system, it also disconnects us from Universal Intelligence and our intuition, which requires us to be in a state of quiet calm to pick up its cues. If we’re cut off from our inner guidance, always nudging us to make the necessary tweaks to restore harmony and balance, we will be unable to determine which environmental elements are most problematic for our unique bodies leaving us vulnerable to the damaging effects of our toxic world. We will also find it difficult to discover those things that bring us the deepest fulfilment and nourishment and both aspects will increase our risk from cancer and inhibit our recovery.

The importance of intuition for healing

In this article I have shared my observation that many people with cancer I have met seemed to have lost connection with their inner wisdom and as a result neglected a part of their physical, emotional or spiritual care. I have also noticed that after a diagnosis, those willing to consider their disease as an opportunity to learn to reconnect with the truth of their inner wisdom, making changes in their life that honour this truth, seem to have a better chance of full recovery. And I’m not the only one to have made this observation.

Kelly Turner Ph.D. was studying for a master’s degree in oncology social work when she first discovered that occasionally people living with terminal cancer undergo a ‘spontaneous healing’ and are completely cured. She was so interested in this topic that she decided to explore whether those people who recover from cancer against all the odds, do anything different from normal and she made this the topic of her Ph.D. After a decade of research and analysis of thousands of cases, including hundreds of interviews with the survivors, Kelly wrote up her research, which has now been summarised in her book; Radical Remission. Kelly identified 9 factors that came up over and over again as things the survivors did to support their healing. Interestingly, one of the 9 common factors that survivors told Kelly was so important for their healing was to ‘follow your intuition’.

“The Radical Remission survivors I study believe the body has an innate, intuitive knowledge about what it needs in order to heal, and it can often also let you know why it got sick in the first place” Kelly Turner Ph.D.

Letting go of life’s distractions and going within where we can hear the voice of our inner wisdom is a valuable skill that serves us all. For those with cancer, developing this skill is particularly important and will bring many rewards, one of which is the ability to take charge of one’s own healing. In my experience, those that become the ‘boss’ of their cancer journey, following their own convictions rather than going along with the advice of others, even medical experts, against their own better judgement, have a more positive experience with cancer and many I know even speak of their cancer as having ‘saved their lives’.

Re-connection

What could someone possibly mean when they speak of cancer, the life-threatening condition that scares us more than most, having saved their life? Really, what could they possibly be talking about? What they mean, is that such a diagnosis made them frightened enough to let down their guard and be vulnerable. What they mean, is that in those vulnerable moments when the world around them seemed to crumble, they found themselves willing to drop their old beliefs and question everything they thought they knew about living a good life. What they mean, is that when everything felt raw, they found it in themselves to open to something different and new, and in doing so realised there was an ache in their hearts. What they mean, is that they discovered this ache spoke to them of something missing, of a disconnection. What they mean, is that cancer provided the opportunity to open the door of their hearts and minds, just enough, to allow Universal Intelligence to pour in and work its transformational magic.

Although I have spoken a lot of lost connection, the amazing truth is that actually it is impossible to lose connection to our inner wisdom and the source from which it flows. Like those cancer cells that only appear to have lost their way, we can never truly lose our way either. Interconnectedness is the fundamental feature of life and not only are we forever connected to Source, held in its omnibenevolence, we are in fact One with it. Nothing can change that, ever. Whilst, for many of us, life often seems to end up way off track, all of us can find our way back, just as long as we are open and willing to listen to our inner callings.

But how, you might ask, do we do that? Well, it does take work and it does take retraining. Our Western society values information based on logic and reasoning rather than senses and feelings, and as we mature, we are not taught or encouraged to trust our hunches. It is a skill we can rediscover, however, and to start I suggest the following simple steps.

Step 1. Ask a question

If we have a desire for certain information and we set the intention to receive by asking a question, we open the doorway to allow the information to flow to us. We can ask questions in many ways: by saying them out loud, thinking them, writing them down, even drawing them. We can form them into a prayer, perform them as part of a ritual or ceremony, or simply state them while in meditation. And it doesn’t matter if we don’t understand who we’re asking, our Ego minds can never fully understand the nature of Source and so it’s nice just to imagine our question being sent out to the Great Mystery that is life.

Step 2. Get quiet and listen

This is can be difficult as life is often frenetic and we’re all so rushed and busy. However, it is essential that we make the space in our lives for quiet time and ideally commit to a daily practice. How we get quiet and listen is up to us, we may meditate, have a warm bath, sit quietly and reflect, or go for a nature walk, but one thing is certain, a daily practice of quiet time will enrich our lives in many ways. Not only will it allow us to tune in to the vast field of intelligence and receive the answers we’ve been looking for, it will also give us time to relax and appreciate the gifts life brings. I would go as far to say that if we don’t take time for quiet reflection on a regular basis it is not possible to live a deep and meaningful life.

Step 3. Let go and trust

To tune in to our inner guidance it is important we have faith in the greater good that pervades all life. The answers we need will come to us, of that we can be sure, but if we concern ourselves with what those answers will be and when they will arrive, tension will build in the body and intuition will weaken. Once we sink into a place of deep trust, letting go of any preconceived ideas, the gentle voice will come to us, perhaps in dreams, as outward signs, or as an ‘aha’ moment or gut feeling. The more we develop the skill of listening to our intuition, the easier it will become to trust that all the answers we need are ready and waiting for us.

Cancer’s greatest lesson

As I said at the start of this article, cancer is a mind-bending puzzle yet to be solved and that all elusive cure seems as far away as ever, despite the billions of pounds spent trying to find it. One of the primary obstacles to finding a cure is that cancer is highly intelligent and given time will adapt and develop resistance to the blocking effects of a drug. I believe scientists will continue to come up against the problem of cancer’s ability to evade treatment until the situation is addressed differently.

In my mind, the only true way to heal cancer is to take away its reason for survival. If it wants to live it will always find a way, but if it has no reason to live, it will disappear. None of us know for sure the reason cancer occurs in our lives, but if, as I suspect, it is here to highlight how far we have distanced ourselves from the intelligent universal wisdom that’s trying to reach us, then reconnecting with our intuition is where we need to focus our energies. This we must do as individuals, to help prevent and heal our own disease, but it is also something we must do as a society. Right now, we are living in a polluted world and our planet is sick, as well as many of the beings that inhabit it. This wouldn’t be so if as a society we were following our inner guidance, then we would be nurturing the plants, the animals and the people, then we couldn’t help but provide all the love and care they need.

Cancer has lessons for us all, not just those directly affected, and if we want to see a solution to this problem, it is time to open our minds and our hearts to a deeper truth. Something is calling us, all of us, and if we continue to refuse to listen, we will continue to live a disconnected life where it becomes possible to poison our planet and poison ourselves. Love is always the solution and the same is true here, not only is it the most powerful emotion for opening our heart and connecting us to our inner wisdom, it is also the core of the message that reaches us through our intuition. It tells us how and why we must love our planet, and it tells us how and why we must love our fellow human beings. Most of all it teaches us to love ourselves, because when we do, we awaken from our deep slumber and once again remember our ever-present connection to Source (Re-connect). At this point the whole of our Universe will sigh with relief because then, finally, the complex knot of cancer, impossible to unpick for so long, will be able to unravel and vanish.

References

1. Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived with Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years for 29 Cancer Groups From 2010 to 2019, A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. JAMA Oncol. 2022;8(3):420-444. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.6987