What is a Spiritual Hospital?
 
 
I was sitting in the Blessing Room at John of God’s sanctuary, the Casa de Dom Inacio, preparing for the day’s “work” of meditation and prayer.  The Brazilian man sharing my bench was intensely concentrated, reading a ‘Prayer of Compassion’ in Portuguese.   He kindly offered me a copy of the folder he was reading.  It was titled, “Hospital Espiritual do Mundo” (Spiritual Hospital of the World) with the subtitle, “Casa de Dom Inacio de Loyola” (The House of Saint Ignatius of Loyola) under which was written, “Medium: Joao de Deus” (The Medium: John of God).
 
I realized, we don’t have “Spiritual Hospitals” in the USA and Europe. At least, I have never heard of any. In fact, I don’t know of any other such specialized hospital in any part of the world. 
 
We have Ear, Nose and Throat Hospitals for people with problems in these areas.  We have Cancer Hospitals for people who want to get rid of cancer, and Mental Hospitals for people who want to resolve psychological problems. 
 
Is a Spiritual Hospital designed to help a person heal a problem in his or her spirit? Do we come here because our spirits are sick and our spirits need medication, bandaging, therapy or surgery? 
 
No.  Our spirits are eternal, never become ill, and never die.  It is the small self, the ego, the Soul (after its excursions in and out of the body through lifetimes) and our emotional reaction to life that become burdened and out of balance, leading to confusion, fragmentation and unhappiness.  Thus, the small self loses sight of and disconnects from the essence of spirit…infinite love and wisdom. 
 
At a Spiritual Hospital we come to heal from such disconnection, to connect fully to our own spirit, aka the Higher Self.  We come also to connect with the Transcendent, that which is much larger than ourselves, whom some call God—or the great Choreographer. We come to refresh ourselves in the river of Infinite Love that is the source of all religions, and thus experience the Oneness that goes beyond religious and cultural differences.
 
In a Medical Conference in 2008 Amrit Goswami, PhD (Physics) revealed that when a person reconnects with the Transcendent, and becomes absorbed in that spiritual experience, then he or she, as a result, can have an immediate extraordinary healing.  (Not “WILL” have, but “CAN” have.)  Spontaneous remission of cancer is just one example of what may happen.  To repeat, the main ingredient is to surrender fully to the experience of the Transcendent.
 
Many visitors to the Casa de Dom Inacio do have spontaneous healing of the physical body—probably because they connect with the Transcendent so fully in the “Current”.  In the Current rooms dedicated to prayer and meditation we are asked to close our eyes, and not cross arms or legs so that the stream of good feelings stimulated by prayer can flow through us, joining each of us in an unbroken chain of positive intention and energy.  We sit for 2,3,4 even 5 hours at a stretch.  Those who sit in the current rooms often report having contact with Jesus, Mary, Angels, Saints and other supra-conscious beings with pure Souls who live in the realm of spirit and do not have physical bodies.
 
“Surrendering to the Transcendent is an essential step. It opens up a portal for Grace and more resources to come through. It definitely can shift one's attention from more egoic identification to a vaster sense of God as who one is. However, it seems that the karma and the momentum of habits in one's life continue to demand attention and healing, which may involve the need to change one’s behavior and/or way of thinking.  That can often take a long time, so complete healing is not instantaneous.
 The Current has been an incredible way not only to experience this Great Vast Love but also for that Love to penetrate any areas where there is still that sense of separation and the emotional pain and trauma within that sense of separation.  That to me is where healing happens. I also think healing happens as a result of direct intervention from the non-physical assistance that is very specific and works on different levels.”—a member of the Casa community
 
The chain of connection in the current certainly explains why most visitors report feeling happy here, and often say “The Casa is my spiritual home.”  It is set up to bring us back to our innermost selves, our true home where we sense our connection to our extended spiritual family, which includes ascended masters.
 
On a practical level, guided meditations given in the first current room in English and Portuguese facilitate the special work of inner transformation. Current room leaders remind us to forgive, to make amends to those we have hurt, to remember to appreciate life, to treat others in a charitable way, and not only recall our mission for this life, but re-new our commitment to it.  This guidance helps us to let go and let the energy we call “God” move through us, unobstructed.
 
John of God as the Casa medium, medical intuitive, and psychic surgeon facilitates contact with Spirit in other ways. When we stand in front of him for a consultation John is incorporating a being with a very evolved level of consciousness and compassion.  As this “Entity” he has the eyes to see though us-- body, mind, and soul-- and suggest treatment. He consults, free of charge, with all visitors who want to see him three days a week and he stays those days until the last person is seen. He sometimes does physical interventions on those that request it; more often his treatments involve “psychic surgery” in which benevolent spirits perform interventions that positively effect healing on the physical as well as subtle bodies. This often includes helping disincarnate entities who come to the Casa for help as well.  John is a master of “Energy Medicine”, and the Casa is  uniquely prepared to assist both disincarnates and incarnate beings who are ready to evolve spiritually.
 
One day, unexpectedly, I had a stroke.  The left side of my body became paralyzed and I couldn’t speak.  My husband and I prayed to John of God and the Entities of the Casa to help.  That night, I sensed an invisible being doing acupuncture up and down my left arm. I felt needles going in and out of my body—but no physical person was there. As this happened, the sensations of the left side of my body began to return.  By the morning, I was a bit weak, and needed rest, but I was no longer paralyzed, and my ability to think and talk had returned.—a hotel manager in the Casa community
 
No matter how phenomenal the healing, John of God always says, “I do not heal, God is the one who heals.”  His lifelong dedication to be of service to others healing through mediating with Higher Forces is a model of humility, compassion and generosity.
 
 
Thus, the Casa, as a spiritual hospital, restores us to our eternal Spirit, our Higher Self and our guardian spirits.  We are given the opportunity for deeper connection with spirituality and the discarnate beings that can help humankind.  We are freed of negative thought forms and entities that have interfered with our ability to connect with the purest aspects of our spiritual nature. We are allowed to identify more intensely with the Spiritual self that we are, that may have been dormant throughout lifetimes.  We remember that at our core, we are Love and have access to profound Truth and wisdom through the guidance of benevolent Spirits who are with us to help us.
 
“My intuition said I must come here for two months, so I came.  Every day I sit in the current I feel new sensations in my heart.  Actually it pulsates and many times it feels like it is on fire.  Always, there is tremendous movement of energy. I often feel overwhelmed. Friday tears were streaming down my face all morning. But, I know this is important because my heart is opening.  I am feeling my real feelings, and letting go of what other people told me I should feel and think. I am also sensing what my true direction in life is—what will give me real joy to do.  I am so glad I came.”—a 30 year old man, visiting the Casa
 
 
Along with the Current, the presence of Higher Beings, and John of God, the community of the Casa welcomes visitors with good food, blessed water and soup, a sacred waterfall for purification, sunshine, and laughter with the town comedienne, Grainne McEntity.   Visitors relax in simple, clean Inns that function as recovery wards for those resting after surgery.  Amble through town and you enjoy exotic birds’ singing, extraordinary flowers, gentle horses that walk freely in the street, and more than one ice cream shop.  A way to say good-bye after a chat is, “Fica com Deus”, i.e., “Be with God”. These elements of life, although not absolutely necessary, certainly support the work of the spiritual hospital.
 
 
Given the success of the Casa de Dom Inacio in Brazil—that participants are healing from cancer and all manner of physical and mental diseases—we could consider the Casa as a model to use elsewhere.  After all, it is called, “Spiritual Hospital of the World”.  That doesn’t mean it has to be the only one. We can bring components of the Casa back home and see what fits the needs of our own communities.  We can’t find a John of God anywhere else, but we can find good medical intuitives and energy workers who are capable of assisting others in recovering health.
 
God knows, our fractured world needs the healing and positive transformation that occurs in “spiritual hospitals”.  Although there are dedicated health professionals who care about their patients, most of the hospitals in the USA are managing disease for profit.   That system is prohibitively expensive and excludes those who can’t afford it. The Casa de Dom Inacio is teaching us how to have wellness for free for everyone, and the healthcare comes with liberal doses of spiritually enlightening experiences. 
 
Certainly, one aspect of John of God’s mission is to demonstrate how a good spiritual hospital functions in Brazil.  It is up to us to seek contact with the inspired beings of Light who can help us seed such hospitals where they will be welcomed in other parts of the world.  Both the Light-beings of the Spiritual realm and the Light-workers of the physical realm will be working together to create and maintain this new kind of hospital.
 
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Emma Bragdon, PhD. (EmmaBragdon.com) leads groups to the Casa de Dom Inacio several times a year.  She is the Director of the Foundation for Energy Therapies, a charitable educational and research organization.  She has published a book about the Casa, “Spiritual Alliances”, as well as produced a highly acclaimed professional documentary film, “I do not Heal, God is the One who Heals”  Contact: EBragdon@aol.com.