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An
Interview with Ron Roth |
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The Share Guide: When did you first feel the healing energy within yourself? Ron Roth: At 11 years of age, I got this terrible strep throat. That was a number of years ago, and they didn't have the medicines that they do today. It was also a time when doctors still visited you at home. The doctor came and I could hear them talking out in the kitchen. He wanted my mother to take me to the hospital immediately. As I lay in bed I literally heard a voice that said, "Put your hand on your throat and I'll heal you." So I did that and the strep throat went away. I called out and the doctor and my mother came into my room. The doctor was absolutely flabbergasted. My mother wasn't, because these kinds of things had happened in our family for generations. Someone or another had this type of grace or another type of grace. It wasn't a stunning thing to her. I did not have to go to the hospital, nor did I need any medicine. So that is when it began.
The Share Guide: When did you begin to work on other people?
Ron Roth: Actually, I avoided that for the longest time. It was something I really didn't want to get involved with because I didn't quite understand it. Nobody in the family talked about it. It really wasn't until I had been ordained as a priest for a year and somebody came to me for help. I didn't know exactly how to handle it so I simply said, "I'll pray for you." I put my hand on her and I blessed her. She came back six months later to tell me that she had been cured instantly of lung cancer. She had gone to the doctor that week and the doctor had given her a dire prognosis. After that particular event when I did this for her, she had this sense to call the doctor for more tests. The doctor said that there was really nothing more to be done. She said "Just humor me." They gave her the tests. When the results were in they told her to come into the office and there were three doctors there. Two of them were sitting there shocked and the other one was grinning. This doctor was from a large city and was a cancer specialist. He said, "I'll speak for the others. You don't have cancer. It's not there anymore. I have seen that happen with a number of patients. I don't understand it. We call it a miracle. . .go home and enjoy your life." So that is when it began. Even as a parish priest, I really didn't want to do this. I was already a renegade as it was. I didn't need to have this stuff added to the whole list. I went back to the house and I started reading the Book of Acts again, from the Christian Testament. To me, that was what the early church was all about. Healing, being there for people, supporting them, being nonjudgmental, non condemnatory. The Christian Testament gave me a perception of the church which really wasn't too appreciated by the hierarchy, but this is what I saw as the true calling.
The Share Guide: So the healing came later on, after you started your career as a priest.
Ron Roth: Yes, within two years as a priest it started.
The Share Guide: When the healing happens, do you feel any warmth in your hands or body, or see light or any of those kinds of manifestations?
Ron Roth: No, never. I just have a knowing that I am to do this now in this situation. I don't care if it's the airport and someone comes up to me and recognizes me and says that they have this problem. If I feel that I am being led to touch them then that is what I do. The touch is very casual, nothing dramatic. In fact, when I was in Anaheim, California doing an event a number of years ago this young gentleman caught me right on the way to lunch. I get kind of impatient sometimes (this is my human side); when I am done with an event, I want to run and get lunch before I have to go back for an afternoon session. But this man stopped me and said, "Could I talk to you, to pray with me for a healing?" I said, "Can we do it after I eat?" and he said, "Yes, but I don't know if I could find you." There were ten thousand people there. I said, "Well, I think you will, but he just said, "Well, I have two brain tumors." So just to move him out of the way, I touched him on the forehead. I didn't know where the tumors were. I just put two fingers up alongside of his head and said, "Be healed." He fell to the floor and I thought that was unique, but I went off to eat. Then I found out later that he did go to the doctor and both brain tumors had dissolved. I'll tell you in all honesty, that when it comes to a lot of the principles that religious people follow, I've never done that. I never put my attention on specific things. It is whatever the spirit says to me or leads me to do--I just do that and I trust that there will be a positive outcome.
The Share Guide: It seems that in your case it is more a matter of a gift rather than training. But you also have a good attitude in your approach to life, so you are open to it.
Ron Roth: Oh yes. Caroline Myss said it the best. It was hard for me for two years to accept this, but she made a comment in public that she had met a lot of people that had the skill for healing but no one with the grace of healing until she met me. I like to use that term more so than gift because sometimes when I focus on a gift I tend to think that I am special, and I am not. I prefer the original term, which is grace.
The Share Guide: When we met, which was at your last Oakland workshop, I was inspired by what you had to offer, both the teachings and the healings. Your latest book is called Holy Spirit for Healing.
Ron Roth: Yes, it about merging ancient wisdom with modern medicine.
The Share Guide: From the Christian or Catholic perspective, how do you define the terms Holy Spirit and Energy Medicine, and how do these things fit together in the healing realm?
Ron: I began to meditate on these various concepts many years ago. I don't take the scriptures dogmatically and doctrinally as many people do. In all my studies of the sacred scriptures, I look for understanding in the original Greek and Aramaic, the language of the original text. When we translate it into English, it is always a poor substitute. When I looked at the original text, the first thing I noticed was that the Greek word that is used, dynamis--which we took "dynamite" and "dynamic"--that word actually means energy. In the Phillips translation, the words for Holy Spirit are "that divine energy that raised Jesus from the dead." He uses the term energy because it is the closest to the Greek. In the old testament and the new testament, it says "great balls of fire" came flying out of the sky when people were praying. I think it was their way of saying that there is an energy that is unexplainable. This energy is really an aspect of the Divine Spirit. I don't believe that anybody has to belong to a certain religion to be healed or to be loved by God. I studied Christianity because that was my background. But there were a lot of things I did not like, and I could not see Jesus as being a promoter of those things.
The Share Guide: So you were seeking the original languages in which these holy books were written so as to get closer to the source, rather than working with thousands of years of interpretations?
Ron: That's correct. I had a scripture professor who had PhD's in Scripture, Aramaic and Sanskrit. He would say to us, "Gentlemen, whenever you are looking at passages, don't look at the English because you have to understand what the situation was at the time that the scripture was written." In other words, what did they mean by a particular phrase 2,000 years ago, which could mean something entirely different today? The word "awful" comes to mind. The word used to mean full of awe, respect, and reverence. Today it means something terrible. In the original context it still means "full of awe." So if you read a passage that says our God is an awful God, it is a clear example.
The Share Guide: Are you saying that the phrase "Energy Medicine" is really tied with the Holy Spirit, the original healing energy of God?
Ron: When you get an understanding of what a true authentic prayer means and is, it is an "energy prayer." It is not something we do; it is something the Spirit of God at the center of our being does. That divine connection keeps coming up from the spirit essence. So when you put prayer and spirit together and understand what they truly mean, you can define it as a tangible energy that people feel.
The Share Guide: Is this the same energy which in India is called prana or in the Orient called chi, the life essence?
Ron: Yes.
The Share Guide: That helps put it in the global cultural perspective. I was born and raised a Roman Catholic and became an altar boy. We were taught to visualize the Holy Spirit as being like a dove, and I didn't really understand it. I understood the Father God image and the Son image, but I didn't understand this "dove" energy.
Ron: In my book Holy Spirit, The Boundless Energy of God, I took the various symbols like oil and dove and explained them in a context for people to understand. These were the only kind of symbols people could use in that day to get the meaning across of how the spirit "personality" works in our lives. But before every workshop, we encourage people to leave their denominations outside the door.
The Share Guide: I know that you use prayer and meditation in your work. Do you have people sit and meditate regularly as part of generating their own energy?
Ron: They will meditate and pray, but there is never a structure to this because I can be in the middle of a teaching and feel the call and I will stop and lead them with whatever words come out of my mouth. That is often when we begin to sense healing starting to take place with different people--on different levels of their personality and their body.
The Share Guide: Do you feel the energy coming not from you directly but channeled from a higher source?
Ron: That is what I know to be true: I never feel it. In 34 years now I hardly sense anything. The people sense it is powerful; I hardly sense anything.
The Share Guide: Do you see people repeatedly or is one session usually enough to heal them?
Ron: My role is to teach people, to give them a sense of empowering themselves. I give them methods and tools during my workshops, even in my books, that they can begin using. I believe everyone in their families has a grace, an essence within them, to heal people within their families. I am not saying that everyone is called to do what I do or what other spiritual healers do. . .but they can within the context of their family bring relief to their family members. It's just that they don't know it. They think that they need some holy person or someone else to come along.
The Share Guide: A lot of these questions are interesting by themselves, but they are circling around the main thought which is how can we be healers ourselves for those around us? We can't all depend on Ron, right? Do you teach other people how to open their healing energies themselves?
Ron: I had a personal belief about this for many years. I checked with other people that I felt were genuine spiritual healers and I asked them about this particular question regarding healing ability or grace. The amazing thing is they all believe the same thing: nobody can teach this. Spiritual healing can't be taught. What I do teach is how to develop a God Consciousness, because that is what I believe heals--that connection with the Divine Essence, the Divine Spirit, the energy that's not limited. To teach people how to make that connection, I would say pick something that suits your personality, whether it be meditation, sitting in silence, etc--but remember to listen. Those thoughts, hunches and ideas that are coming to you are from the Divine Connection, the God Consciousness. It usually begins with understanding that we may need to heal our image of God. I think many people have been taught that God is "out to get them." I cannot find that in the Christian Testament at all.
The Share Guide: There is that feeling in the Old Testament, the "wrathful" image of God.
Ron: Oh yes! Again, you have to have deeper knowledge. It is almost as if it is coded and you have to de-code some of the passages there to understand the real meaning. The statement that used to bother me the most is, "Our God is a jealous God." That is not true! What happened is, God created us in His/Her image and we returned the favor. We created God in our own image. So if we are jealous we want God to be jealous. If we want our enemies smitten, then we want God to do that for us.
The Share Guide: I know that at your workshops there is teaching going on as well as healing. Do you have a school with levels of training, or are there students you work with regularly for certification?
Ron: We have three levels in our teaching. We are attempting to establish that there are principles that can be used to develop a God Consciousness. In that God Consciousness anything is possible. As far as laying hands on people, no we don't teach anything like that. Everybody instinctively knows that. A mother with her child knows exactly where to put her hand. That's really what spiritual healing is all about, to pay attention to the cues.
The Share Guide:: In other words it's not like "Laying On of Hands 101." But you do have students that have been with you for a period of time, that go deeper in the teaching and meditations and so forth.
Ron: We have that but a lot of those classes are closed classes. It's a very limited number and I teach them personally.
The Share Guide:: So the public workshops and the books are kind of an entryway?
Ron: That is correct. I think the public needs to learn certain things that a lot of our religions aren't teaching now.
The Share Guide: Do you usually have a focus or a theme for your workshops?
Ron: I just use the general theme of "Developing a God Consciousness" and then I will touch different principles that I want to get across to people. When people come for a weekend or one day workshop, it is 40% teaching and 60% demonstration. Often times I will bring people that have sicknesses up to the stage to work with them and show people how I do the healing and see what results we get.
The Share Guide: Is there any sort of track record of healings lasting, and do medical doctors verify the results? My personal thought on this is that faith is important. But skepticism is definitely out there in the world. There are going to be people that want to know about the validity of this and that it is not just hearsay.
Ron: Yes, there are testimonials, and an explanation of all our work on our website: www.ronroth.com.
The Share Guide: How did you come to chose the Christian path, and Jesus as your main teacher or guru?
Ron: Mainly it was traditional; I was born into a Catholic family. I went to a Polish Catholic Church. Ever since I was a child, I loved the rituals that the priest did in those days. I am 64 so you can get a good picture of how it was way back then. I grew up with that, but I knew in grade school that there were certain things I definitely did not agree with. My experience of Jesus was so real to me and I never saw Jesus as punishing people. But I always kept that reality to myself. When I went into theology, I was very fortunate to go to a Benedictine Abbey. (I was an older individual, I had taught school first.) I had these wonderful professors there who were open to all religions. These were Benedictine monks, solid men. I loved their prayer time and singing together, the different chants throughout the day. I really felt called to that. I was also interested in mysticism. Not the metaphorical accounts of the scriptures, or what they might say is historical (or some might say hysterical), I wanted the mystical understanding. That is what our scripture professor (who translated the Dead Sea Scrolls) taught. He said that this is the level you want to look at and meditate on and contemplate on. Let it permeate your whole system, and as you meditate and think about these things, they literally take on a life of their own and you have that connection. That is why I stayed with it. But I consider myself more of a "free" Catholic, rather than a Roman Catholic.
The Share Guide: So you are basically drawn to that path and identify with Jesus as your main teacher.
Ron: Right. What I always share with people are the same concepts as Sai Baba or Mother Theresa. I don't know who said it first but I am here to help the Christian to be a better Christian, the Jew be a better Jew, the Moslem be a better Moslem, etc. I am not looking for people to cross over to my path. Recently I was happy to hear the Dalai Lama say that is not wise to be jumpy. If you are born a Western individual, for example, and you are fed up with Christianity and you are trying to be Buddhist. . .a lot of times people get very confused because it doesn't work. Then you need to go back to the roots of your particular tradition and find out the truth for you.
The Share Guide: I saw the Dalai Lama when he was here on the West Coast recently. He did mention that. Sometimes he doesn't talk about Buddhism, just loving kindness and compassion.
Ron: To me there is only one religion, the Religion of Love. Love carries a tremendous energy itself.
The Share Guide: When you study the different world cultures and overlay them on one another, you can see how they dovetail and fit together. Different people at different times have discovered the same things about life, nature and spirit.
Ron: Yes. We have fought wars over terminology and semantics.
The Share Guide: Underlying is one truth: prana, chi, Holy Spirit, these are different phrases for the same energy. But let me ask, how can a person who has been ill for a long time and has their own karma, how can they be cleared in one session?
Ron: All I can say is I have seen it happen. I have done it. I don't have the answers to a lot of these questions, but I have trusted when I have done it and it worked.
The Share Guide: Will healing last even if people are unskilled or unresolved on levels which brought on the healing crisis in the first place?
Ron: I think in many cases, they will not. Especially when a person reverts to their old lifestyle. For example, I have a tendency to get harsh with people who want healings from emphysema and lung cancer but want to continue to smoke. But if you change your attitude and your lifestyle healing can remain permanent. But I have also seen people who have changed attitudes and they have kept their healing in one area but got sick in another. Again, I don't have all the answers. I tried to come as close as I could in giving those kinds of answers in the last book I wrote, Holy Spirit for Healing. Then I was so frustrated because at times I would realize I don't have the answers.
The Share Guide: Do you do long distance healing as well as in person?
Ron: Yes I do. In fact that is what made this a busy day. I got three phone calls in a row that I wasn't expecting today.
The Share Guide: In Yogananda's Sunday Services there is a healing at the end when we chant "OM" together and visualize the person from a distance that has an illness. Everybody will submit their friend or family member who has a problem and we will visualize them and send healing energy.
Ron: That is similar to something I do. I will tell people that we are going into a phase now of praying for loved ones or even enemies. Somebody that we know who is in our consciousness right now. I'll say, "Now let's chant these various names of God keeping that person in mind." It's about being one in consciousness, one in spirit; there is no separation in the universe.
The Share Guide: Aside from long distance healing, what about offerings to recently deceased persons? We had a tragedy recently where our friend Tim Barlow, who was an amateur race car driver, was killed at Sears Point Raceway. Is there a kind of prayer offering for people who have died?
Ron: Yes. This is important, especially when it is sudden like that. The energy from their spirit may remain here on earth. . .we don't know for sure what goes on. What I like to do is bring that person's name into consciousness at a point when I have just experienced the love of God. Maybe I have been meditating for 15-20 minutes and really feel, almost to the point of tears, this sense of God's love. That is when I will bring in this name and simply say, "Mercy, Lord, mercy." Then just talk to them. Sometimes people forget that's the way you communicate. Communication, talking and listening is really the hallmark of prayer. You can say something like, "Tim, I really miss you." Because they can hear that. They can sense that compassion. A lot of the times, that is all it takes to push them fully into the light.
The Share Guide: Tim was one of two brothers who run the printing company Share Guide has used for over a decade. It's hard when you talk to someone on the phone, and all of a sudden they are no longer there--especially when they are young and healthy. We have been putting out a lot of prayers and good energy for Tim.
Ron: I have always been a believer in that.
The Share Guide: Do you think this is the same kind of thing as distance healing, when a person somewhere else on the planet is sent good vibes?
Ron: Absolutely. It is simply the other side of a veil. They exist somewhere, no matter how you look at it. They can hear; they can see; they can be. It's important to let them know you are thinking of them. That is the way I was taught--let the love for that person in your heart just go out to them. That is the best way to pray for them.
The Share Guide: In the past, information on energy medicine was available only to a privileged few. Now we live in a time when this kind of knowledge is being made available to more and more people. What do you think is the best thing we can do to support the growth of spiritual awareness in our society?
Ron: This may seem simplistic, but I think we need to stop worrying and stop being fearful and anxious because all of that is wasted energy. We need to turn our thoughts to God and literally think loving thoughts--and demonstrate the loving thoughts. The more you do this, the more loving you become. Also, it's important to say that healing isn't just about the body or the mind or relationships. It is also about Planet Earth, which is also suffering. We need to demonstrate that this love that we have for God also applies to the planet. The best way to do that is to move away from the things that cause harm or the release of negative energy, like hate, prejudice, bigotry. We have to start getting into a mode of consciousness where we shift our paradigm from those negative things to the truth of love, inner peace, joy, faith, trust and confidence.
The Share Guide: I agree with you. It feels like the same kind of energy you want to put out to your next door neighbor or your friends and family. We need to put out that positive thinking on a larger scale, to the whole planet.
Ron: Yes, beginning with your neighbor. Sometimes the neighbor ticks us off. Okay, get it out of your system. Maybe step aside for three or four minutes and do whatever you find comfortable to release the love within you for that neighbor. That is not a Pollyanna way of thinking. That is what we are talking about when we talk about energy medicine. People feel this energy. Just like if you are staring at someone and they turn around to see who's looking. They feel it. They may not be able to explain what they are feeling but there is a tangible experience.
The Share Guide: You've helped me see that not only is energy medicine something you can direct at individuals but that radiating positive energy at all times to everybody is the most conscious sharing you can do.
Ron: I can't add to that. That's all there is.
For more information
about Ron Roth and his upcoming workshops, please visit his website
at www.ronroth.com
or call the Jodere Group at (800) 569-1002.
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