On Healing and Restoration with a Greater Order
Ive just finished walking the dogs through our neighborhood and in the forest next to it. While listening to and observing the sights and sounds of the natural world I am reminded of the order found within nature; water moves and finds the lowest of spaces, the trees and plant life grow towards the sky with roots stretching deep into the earth, warmth rises and expands, cold contracts, the seasons follow each other, night follows day, and so on.
As a practitioner of Chinese Medicine, and mentor in applied-philosophy and contemplative spirituality, it is clear to me that there is a principle that orders and guides all of life. This may seem lofty and grandiose and you may ask yourself, “how does this apply to me?” or “what meaning and application does this have for me as a student or patient?” My response is that, It in fact, the acknowledgment that you are a part of a grater whole is crucial not only your healing of symptoms but also in the authentic unfolding of your life.
One of the great guiding principles of Chinese Medicine is that each individual is understood as an expression of a deeper unity, a spark of the divine; one ray of light from the sun, one drop of water in the endless ocean. From this perspective, each individual retains the original essence of unity [via the soul] but also has a particular function and form as a human being. This deeper unity in Chinese is called the Way, and it is the ordering principle of all life.
As a human being you exist both within nature and have a nature. For example: You live on earth, which has cycles of seasons, day and night etc. It is obvious that in the Winter season, if you want to survive, you will need to live in a manner in which you stay warm, while conserving your energy and resources in response to the cold and barren environment. It also clear that during the Summer season survival requires access to water and shade from the heat. There is less light in the Winter seasons and we instinctively rest more, while in the summer months we are more wakeful and active….