Peace Amidst Serious Illness

"Just before Christmas, I was diagnosed with cancer. After the initial shock, I had quite a lot of peace around it. A few months earlier, I’d had thoughts that ambushed me: “For how much longer will I feel this breeze on my face?” – not morose, but appreciative. After the diagnosis, it made sense as intuition. But with investigations and treatment, I started getting worried. My friends said they were waiting for me to collapse, that I must be in denial. Is it possible to be peaceful and quite ill, yet also have fears about treatment? Rupert says: ‘Yes, absolutely. Deep down in you there is this peace – and it comes from your firsthand, direct knowledge of your being. You know your being is whole, intact, not sick. That’s the source of your peace. It’s real – not a fragile state you’re manufacturing to cope. It’s the peace that passes understanding, not derived from the content of experience. On the surface, it’s perfectly legitimate to be concerned about how this develops, what it means for your life – there may be anxiety, and that’s natural. It’s not in contradiction to the deeper peace. I understand why your friends say that – denial is a common coping strategy – but my intuition is that’s not what you’re doing. Perhaps they’re projecting what they would feel. If they’re not in touch with their being, they won’t understand that you could receive this news and be at peace. They’re still your friends – but know that you have another group of friends here who may not know you as a person, but we know who you are deep down. We love you. That’s what real friendship is.’"

From event 27 February - 01 March, 2026 The Nature of Consciousness – Online Weekend Retreat at Home 27 February–1 March 2026

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