SPECIFIC CAUSES OF DISEASE 67sense centers of the vital body and the dense body are
disrupted and the result is congenital idiocy, epilepsy,
St. Vitus Dance, and similar nervous disorders.
The inharmonious relation between the parents
which sometimes exists is often the last straw that
makes an Ego feel that it cannot enter such an
environment. Therefore, it cannot be too seriously
impressed upon prospective parents that during the
gestatory period it is of the utmost importance that
everything should be done to keep the mother in a
condition of contentment and harmony. For it is a very
hard task for the Ego to go through the womb; it taxes
all its sensibilities to the very utmost, and
inharmonious conditions in the home it is entering are,
of course, an added source of discomfort, which may
result in the above named dreadful state of affairs.
Black magic in its minor forms, such as
hypnotism, for instance, sometimes causes congenital
idiocy in a future life. The hypnotist deprives his
victims of the free use of their bodies. Under the law
of consequence he is then tied to a body with a
malformed brain which prevents his expression. We
must not infer, however, that every case of congenital
idiocy is due to such malpractice on the part of the Ego
in a past life; there are also other causes which may
bring congenital idiocy as a result.
Drugs and breathing exercises, such as the Eastern
aspirant uses, have a dreadfully destructive effect upon
the body and it will therefore be seen that their use is
altogether undesirable. Many a man is today in the
insane asylum or in the grave of the consumptive on
account of breathing exercises, and the effects of drugs