INTERESTING TIMES

Holistic, or Wholistic, refers to the entire person, usually considered to be mind, body and spirit combined. Somehow the Whole is thought to be more than the sum of its parts. Naturopathic philosophy guides us to learn about and care for the entire person, not just their rash or their bad mood. Today some say that "holstic" is a meaningless buzz phrase, like "natural". To me it is central to my way of thinking, that all parts of a person are connected and interactive. I believe in spirit defined as that which we do not know fully know or understand which is also immensely powerful. And the whole-as-more-than-the-sum-of-parts concept suggests that even if you have a narrower definition of spirit, there is more out there working than you can know. One cannot know it all. It is unknowable. And the unknowable is included: this is holism.

...Marketing: I will leave the word "holistic" out of my elevator speech, but it will be a part of the next speech to follow.

To practice any art,
no matter how well or badly,
is a way to make your soul grow.
So do it.
--Kurt Vonnegut

The all-volunteer military has enabled America to fight two wars while many of its citizens do not know of a single fatality or even of anyone who has fought overseas. Had there been a draft, the war in Iraq might never have been fought. George W. Bush didn't need your body or, in the short run, your money. Southerners would fight, and foreigners would buy the bonds. The U.S. has become like Rome or the British Empire, able to fight nonessential wars with a professional military. Ultimately, this will drain us financially, and spiritually as well.
--Richard Cohen, in the Washington Post

Spirit of Life, come unto me.
Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion.
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea;
Move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold me close; wings set me free;
Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.

Spirit of Love, come unto me.
Deep in my soul all the mystery of creation.
Teach me to care, peace let there be;
Lead me to truth, showing forth the paths of wisdom.
Roots hold me close, wings set me free,
Spirit of Love, come to me, come to me.

( This is the song that they sing weekly in the Unitarian Universalist services; hear Kevin sing the melody behind the cut. )

I recommend this book.
By Dorothy Bryant
For everyone.

The life in us is diminished by judgment far more frequently than by disease. Our own self-judgment or the judgment of other people can stifle our life force, its spontaneity and natural expression. Unfortunately, judgment is commonplace. It is as rare to find someone who loves us as we are as it is to find someone who loves themselves whole.

Judgment does not only take the form of criticism. Approval is also a form of judgment. When we approve of people, we sit in judgment of them as surely as when we criticize them. Positive judgment hurts less acutely than criticism, but it is judgment all the same and we are harmed by it in far more subtle ways. To seek approval is to have no resting place, no sanctuary. Like all judgment, approval encourages a constant striving. It makes us uncertain of who we are and of our true value. This is as true of the approval we give ourselves as it is of the approval we offer others. Approval can't be trusted. It can be withdrawn at any time no matter what our track record has been. It is as nourishing of real growth as cotton candy. Yet many of us spend our lives pursuing it.

--Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., p35 in Kitchen Table Wisdom
( finished reading the book )

I think one of the coolest things about yoga is that it shows you the strengths that you have. People think of it as a way to increase flexibility and strength, concentration and calmness. But my body continues to amaze me. It can do things I had no idea it could do. And at this age, starting this late, with these damages already done. It makes me think back to a time when humans were quadruped...how were we strong then? Could we run? Could we swing in trees from our arms? Part of the way we are built is still better for being quadruped than for sitting in computer chairs. Think of the way our discs compress in our backs. They wouldn't collapse on us and cause such trouble if we were better evolved to walk erect. But there are aspects of our construction that harken back to reptiles, the bones of the spine and the way the deep core muscles attach is just like that of a snake. And we can move like snakes, if we want to. If we're not frozen up yet. If we're willing to relax into what our bodies are naturally designed to do. The mind and spirit will follow. What kind of strength do you think it takes to sit erect (under the bodhi tree in Bodhgaya) for seven days and seven nights? Or was that a flood? Matters not. Seven seconds will ( do. )