Violence: a Cautionary Truth

“The Roots of Violence: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice, Politics without principles." 
― Mahatma Gandhi 

Violence begets violence.  The peacemakers through the ages knew this.  People like you and me when exposed to brutality, senseless or purposeful-- we become changed.  Things we never could dream of feeling or doing, a depth of hatred unimaginable materializes.  A violated being is capable of the darkest manifestations.  Violence happens out of a skewed sense of justice, moral authority, unchecked righteousness and rage.  The expressions range from biting language to imposed or orchestrated poverty to crusades to holocausts.

And we are surrounded, nay bombarded with one type of violence or another almost continuously, from birth to death.  Babies are "righted" in position and inclination, made to meet expectations in their feeding and sleeping habits, children are bullied and made to tow the education line frequently, hazing in college, premeditated cultural expectations on lifestyle choices for adults, neglect often is the elderly experience and various forms of abuse are endured through all continuums. Those in the military, in the middle or on the fringes of military conflict, are exposed at the very least to an inhuman rigid structure that can violate the "call and response" mechanism normal in the central nervous system.  Ordinary we each have our daily doses, imbibed through negative media, environmental noise, traffic or toxic stimulation; or at least, that's how this sensitive organism takes it in.  One of the responses to brutality is to turn it inward.  Whereas harming others may not be an option in a moment, often we swallow or self inflict a strike on ourselves.  We partake in obsession, addictions, worry, depression, have our own personal accidents and various levels of anxiety.  Stress is rarely noted in terms of self-violence, but our failure to check stress often determines the personal level of suffering experienced.

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent." -- Isaac Asimov

We can become mired in these indulgences rather easily.  Closed throat chakras ban all truths from being spoken.  The body is brilliant at shutting down, becoming numb, deadening the truth of what is.  The psych denies, twists, forgets and minimizes.  All of this, in the name of survival from the brutality being experienced or known.

"Social justice cannot be attained by violence.  Violence kills what it intends to create."  Pope John Paul II

Humans naturally have this propensity; it is the animal in us.  Organic (and otherwise) competition often fosters the alpha qualities recognizable in our brethren, the beast.  Ego and ambition pushes us in that direction.

Violence is a strong word to describe what may seem ordinary to some.  How can it be used in this way?  Because it is ordinary and exists in the very fabric of our individual humanity and collective culture.  Violence is an inattentive force proliferated without awareness on oneself or another. No matter how seemingly benign (ie "righting" a baby to a feeding or bathing position that is comfortable for oneself but not asked for, indicated or required by a newborn being) when done without an intention or greater awareness, violates an others sense of self governance.  This is so common it is rarely recognized as a type of strong arming.  If one was more present at the moment, the recognizable taste of use of power by size, age, economic class or knowledge would be sensed and known as a major factor in the act.

"Violence is not merely killing another.  It is violence when we ue a sharp word, when we make a gesture to brush away a person, when we obey because there is fear. So violence isn't merely organized butchery in the name of God, in the name of society or country.  Violence is much more subtle, much deeper"--Jiddu Krishnamurti

How do we differentiate violence from say, discipline?  Respect of other is always at the base of discipline and fully absent in violence.  Also, there is an integrated intelligence which is responsive and not reactive in discipline.  Energetically, violence is raw and ungrounded, usually unpredictable and ego driven.   Whereas, discipline is a focused and aligned energy that serves as a guide without an agenda.  Domination is an impulse born of fear; it is a basic animal instinct present in one degree or another, always.  The more we bring a larger attention and awareness to our daily actions, the more we will  know ourselves, become more available to our fuller humanity, the less this impulse will be tolerated in oneself, the less weight of myself violence will usurp. And we need this greater attention and awareness, because as Krishnamurti says above, the inner tyranny of violence can be quite subtle and it goes deep.

"In violence, we forget who we are." -- Mary McCarthy

FAT FACTS

Trends and fads tend to dictate dietary decisions in this country.  Popular diets and supplements become a media-ized trend, the communication tipping point is reached and whalaa, everybody is doing it.  One year, chocolate is healthy to eat, the next it is not; and so it goes. Efforts at reducing fat in diets, especially saturated fats (animal based and some vegetable based like avocado) has been pretty much mandated in the medical community for almost 50 years.  The tides have shifted and healthy fats and oils are now enjoying a come back.  Without too much medical-ese, I hope to clarify fat facts information in this post.

Little did we know back in the 70’s when the belligerent TV character Archie Bunker proclaimed people as “fat heads”, he wasn’t off the mark.  Our brain is made up mostly of fats; fats including saturated fat make up the cell membranes that protect the integrity of our cells and their structure. Fats and oils also play crucial roles in stabilizing blood sugar levels, providing raw materials for making hormones, boost thyroid function, increase metabolism, improving heart health, and support the immune system.. The right kind of oils used properly are essential in our diets for optimal brain and body function. Fats are one of the three major nutrients of the human diet, the other two being carbohydrates and proteins.

Simply stated, triglycerides are the chemical form of fats in food and in the body. Think of fats as a building and triglycerides as the bricks that give it form. Every triglyceride "brick" consists of a mixture of three fatty acids — saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (the "tri"), and one glycerol molecule (thus, the name "tri"-"glyceride".) A particular fat is defined by the combination of fatty acids that make up its "bricks." The triglyceride bricks in olive oil, for example, have many more monounsaturated fatty acids than it does saturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids, making olive oil a monounsaturated fat.

Monounsaturated fats are heart-healthy because they maintain good HDL cholesterol levels while lowering bad LDL cholesterol levels. They are most appropriate for light cooking or used raw in salad dressings and the like. Oils that are predominantly monounsaturated include olive, avocado, peanut, sesame, lard and duck fat.

Monounsaturated oils are generally considered to be the healthiest overall oils but it's important to note  that all three types have distinct advantages and disadvantages — not just for health but for flavor and culinary characteristics as well. Olive oil seems to have been anointed the "perfect oil" by some in the media, but should be avoided when cooking at high temperatures.

Polyunsaturated fats due to their unstable chemical structure, are more susceptible to rancidity than saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, especially after prolonged contact with oxygen, light or heat. Oils that are predominately polyunsaturated include walnut, grapeseed, soy, corn, safflower, sunflower, canola and fish oils. Experts claim polyunsaturated fats are the worst oils to cook with.  Cooking your food in these omega-6 vegetable oils produces a variety of very toxic chemicals, as well as forming trans-fats. Frying destroys the antioxidants in oil, actually oxidizing the oil, which causes even worse problems for your body than trans-fats.  In addition, most vegetable oils are GM (genetically modified), including more than 90 percent of soy, corn and canola oils.  Also, vegetable oils contribute to the overabundance of damaged omega-6 fats in your diet, throwing off your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Nearly everyone in western culture consumes far too many omega-6 fats -- about 100 times more than a century ago -- and insufficient omega 3 fats; this contributes to numerous chronic degenerative diseases.  Heat and light can damage oils, particularly polyunsaturated ones, so keep them in the refrigerator to avoid rancidity. you'll know your oil is rancid if it takes on a characteristic bad taste and smell.  Heating oils to a temperature at which the oil begins to smoke, generate toxic fumes and harmful free radicals, which are carcinogenic.

Saturated fats are the most chemically stable, giving them a long shelf life and the ability to withstand high cooking temperatures. Typically solid at room temperature, saturated fats are found primarily in animal fats and tropical oils. In general, animal fats such as butter and cream are predominantly saturated, however, two of the most highly saturated fats — coconut oil and palm kernel oil — come from vegetable sources. Furthermore, animal fats are predominantly monosaturated, while fish oils are predominantly polyunsaturated. It is interesting to note that the fatty acid composition of animal fat can vary depending on the diet of the animal. (use products from organic fed animals)

The fact is all saturated fats are not created equal. The operative word here is "created," because some saturated fats occur naturally, while other fats are artificially manipulated into a saturated state through the man-made process called hydrogenation.  Trans fat acids are chemically altered, man-made fats found in partially hydrogenated oils. The hydrogenation process, in common use since the early 20th century, injects hydrogen into vegetable fats under high heat and pressure. This saturates what was previously an unsaturated fat and results in a chemical configuration that is not found in nature and is very rich in trans fatty acids. This is done to make vegetable oils, which are normally liquid at room temperature, solid and more chemically stable, thereby extending the shelf life of products in which they are used. Very small amounts of trans fats do occur naturally in some products such as milk, cheese, beef or lamb.

Manipulated saturated fats, also known as Trans fats (aka hydrogenated oils) which are doubly harmful because they lower HDL (good) cholesterol and raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. In fact, trans fatty acids have an even worse impact on cholesterol levels than diets high in butter, which contain saturated fat. A 2002 report by the Institute of Medicine (a branch of the National Academy of Sciences) concluded that trans fats are not safe to consume in any amount.

Hydrogenation manipulates vegetable and seed oils by adding hydrogen atoms while heating the oil, producing a rancid, thickened substance that really only benefits processed food shelf life.  Experts now agree, hydrogenation does nothing good for your health.  The truth is this: it is unsaturated fats that are primarily involved in heart disease and too much sugar and processed foods, not the naturally occurring saturated fats, as we've have been led to believe since the 1960s.

LCTs are large molecules, so they are difficult for your body to break down and are predominantly stored as fat. But MCTs, being smaller, are easily digested and immediately burned by your liver for energy -- like carbohydrates, but without the insulin spike. MCTs actually boost your metabolism and help your body use fat for energy, as opposed to storing it, so it can actually help you become leaner.

Coconut oil is also nature's richest source of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), also called medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs. By contrast, most common vegetable or seed oils are comprised of long chain fatty acids (LCFAs), also known as long-chain triglycerides or LCTs.
Coconut oil has actually been shown to help optimize body weight, which can dramatically reduce your risk of developing Type II diabetes . Besides weight loss, boosting your metabolic rate will improve your energy, accelerate healing and improve your overall immune function. As we have already discussed, coconut oil is incredibly good for your heart. Nearly 50 percent of the fat in coconut oil is of a type rarely found in nature called lauric acid, a "miracle" compound because of its unique health promoting properties. Your body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-protozoa properties.

All oils (except coconut) should be refrigerated to avoid rancidity.  And two in particular should be your “go to” oils in food prep. Extra-virgin olive oil (salad dressings, low heat cooking) and coconut oil, the only oil that is stable enough to withstand high heats in cooking.  Coconut oil is thought to possess healing properties above and beyond that of any other dietary oils.  When coconut oil was first brought to the U.S., there was a lot of negative hype about it because it contains high levels of saturated fat. People were concerned that it increased cholesterol and contributed to heart disease—but this is a myth. It actually lowers cholesterol and reduces the chances of heart disease. This is because its fat content is simply changed into energy, lessening the likelihood of fat buildup in the arteries and heart.

Eating coconuts are excellent for one’s immunity. It kills harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Because of that, if you consume coconut in any of its various forms (whether it be raw coconut, coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut butter, etc.), it can help treat some of the worst and most resilient of illnesses such as influenza, throat infections, urinary tract infections, tapeworms, herpes, bronchitis, and numerous other ailments caused by microbials.

Eating coconuts also supports the development of strong, healthy bones and teeth. It does this by improving the body’s ability to absorb calcium and magnesium. It also prevents osteoporosis. This makes coconuts a good, healthy alternative for those who are lactose intolerant. Those who prefer a vegan diet can benefit from it as a good source of protein and fatty acids. Research results demonstrated the potential beneficiary effect of virgin coconut oil in lowering lipid levels in serum and tissues and LDL oxidation by physiological oxidants. .

Take away:  Cook with coconut oil (almost exclusively), extra virgin olive oil for non-cooking fat needs and all other oils used sparingly.  Do not cook with polyunsaturated oils (see list above). Eliminate transfats (margarine, hydrogenated oil products). Refrigerate your oils! Moderation.  A little coconut oil goes a long way. Check prepackaged and processed foods for the type of fat used (it will probably be a transfat or hydrogenated).

Passages of this post were gleaned from the following resources:
Beneficial effects of virgin coconut oil on lipid parameters and in vitro
Mayo Clinic: Coconut and Weight Loss
PubMed.gov: Effect of mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil on prevention of hair damage
PubMed.gov: A randomized double-blind controlled trial comparing extra virgin coconut oil with mineral oil as a moisturizer for mild to moderate xerosis
The Numerous Health Benefits of Coconuts | Care2 Healthy Living
Dr. Joseph Mercola: Coconut Oil Benefits: When Fat Is Good For You

The Arts and Health

For many people, accepting the undeniable relationship between a non-toxic environment to good health is pretty easy.  Without clean air and water, nutritious food, the possibility of good health is questionable.  People are unlikely to argue there is no relationship between these two factors  But to make a parallel between robust Arts engagement in a culture and good health is a bigger leap.  Why is this?  Primarily, the Arts in schools and in a culture are considered a "frill" or negligible.  In a world straining to make greater in-roads on science and math (an admitted well-paved bridge to health), the Arts are considered a superficial entertainment or past time.  I want to challenge this.

I recently attended a dinner party where the subject of government forgiveness of student loans came up.  One person suggested young people who had acquired science and math degrees should have their loans forgiven, as their skill sets would be necessary for the competitive economic future of the country.  The inevitable, "What about the kids with photography degrees?" point was played and the answer was, "We don't need more photographers, they're a dime a dozen.  Liberal/fine arts majors should have thought to have gotten a more useful, sensible degree."

"Art doesn't transform. It just plain forms."--Roy Lichtenstein

For those of us who have explored our creativity through our lifetime, survived high school and young adulthood because of the open art classroom, patiently learned the beguiling centering process on a potter's wheel,  or experimented with fascination the technological edges of photography as a  medium because we were so entirely bored with rote learning-- words like that diner's, well they are an ignorant, demeaning and dangerous insinuation, a dagger to the heart (if I may be allowed some dramatic license) to what makes people human.  For those who have sacrificed financial gain in a greed-centric culture, committing to be an artist, often at a great cost, or for those who have played with music or poetry-making on weekends to maintain their mental health, the arts are an imperative need for the feeding of Spirit, part of the process of an entire culture's evolution and yes, our health.

A physiotherapist I know has made the possibly edgy statement that all people no matter what condition their bodies are in, are athletes.  So it is also, all people are artists.  Some might not be able to draw realistically, or have a great spatial sense, nonetheless they/we are all  artists because we all are beings of spirit.  All human beings have this major aspect of Spirit embedded in themselves.  We come pre-loaded.  If this is not explored in one way or other, if our creativity is not employed in our lives, we become less, and what animates us is at risk.  This is health.  It is a sublime and often invisible reality each of us lives. It should never be discounted or marginalized, as that diner (and probably so many other 'practical' others) would have us do.  Creativity is a commodity. The arts ultimately determine the success of a culture (the beauty, peace and questioning manifested).

The creative in oneself gives the subtle aspects of ourselves room.  Seeing a play, going to a concert, watching exquisitely trained dancers on a stage provides us with a spacious experience, broadens an often shut-down, or at the very least, limited perspective.  The vitality of expression resonates with one's spirit vitality.  Energetically, vibration is transferred, exchanged; we are renewed, replenished.  Is this not health?  Is there not a direct correlation to one's health and creative exploration?

"I do not want ART for a few any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few."  
William Morris 

Which brings us to the Right brain/Left brain aspect of ourselves.  For most of us, one hemisphere of our brains is dominant over the other. "Left-brained" is often said to be more logical, analytical and objective, while a person who is "right-brained" is said to be more intuitive, thoughtful and subjective. Science has shown, when both halves of the brain work together math skills are actually strongest.  We have this entire physiology to use, appreciate and honor.

My points above about art are not so much about differences in "brain-ness", but about fulfilling spirit in our lives, an important part of our physiology that is under the radar, but which impacts our actions, our mental well being, our health. It is my sense that the diner who failed to appreciate arts expression (or education) isn't so much left brained, but weak in a more spacious thinking capacity, someone who hasn't had the good fortune of a broad(minded) education (something a good liberal arts education would have given him).  I recall once watching a completely alive three year old for over 45 minutes as she explored with a limitless, nimble imagination, her world.  Talking to herself, she being the main character in a story she was deeply evolving, jumping up participating in a hand sewing endeavor for awhile, rolling out of that to put marker to page, drawing connections.  What a learning!  What a way to discover the world and herself!  Of course, creative play is more acceptable for children, than it is for adults.  But that is a culture more; exploring creativity is essential in every part of one's life continuum.  Seeing "brain-ness" as a complete package rather than a positive or negative (depending on propensity) is an inclusive, non-violent acceptance of the whole of me.

"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." -- Albert Einstein

Prodigal Return: Community of Self

We are all Prodigal Sons (and Daughters).  We get lost, we run away, we dismiss and disappear.  We separate from our (internal) beloveds, waste our resources and stray from goodness.  Goodness we have inhabited and goodness being extended to us.  We turn away. And we turn away again.  The letting go is cloaked, the truth of it masked. Until the day we come back "home"; stripped, beaten and humbled.  And we are faced with open arms by those internal parts of ourselves that have missed us, longed to be all together, wishing to be whole again.

Homecoming begins when we start paying attention to the tug of "home".  The collective beloved's voice is heard, calling for us to return, a momentary distraction from the familiar turning away.  It's not the voice of guilt or shame or outer authority that hounds and interjects repeatedly on the sojourn, but the "real-deal" voice.  The real-deal voice of the collective beloved having qualities that aren't etched in despair and judgement.  The voice is usually small, quiet and direct; it's heartfelt, not critical  Most of all the voice is patient; its had to be, it's been drowned out and silenced for lengthy periods of time, repeatedly.

photo: Elliott Erwitt

How does that part stay within, stay alive with all the frequent internal abandonment that goes on?  Possibly, that part is of a larger community.  As Lee van Laer (Zen, Yoga, Gurdjieff- perspectives on inner work)  aptly says: "Everything actually begins in/ends in community. The perception of isolation is essentially egoistic. God/Dharma are all-inclusive; we simply don't sense it. Born together, we die together... there isn't any separation except the separation we impose on ourselves."

It would seem we don't have a sense of this community in ourselves because we don't often have a modicum of relaxation present in our collective parts; body, mind and spirit.  We are desensitized by stress and overstimulation.  That voice of home calling us to return requires a sensitization, a regular state of relaxation for us to hear it and for us to return to it.  The community of self needs awareness and some attention to be activated.

van Laer indicates the community of Oneness, the Collective is itself singular. The Community's "parts simply sense themselves as individuals because the individuality that births the community is at a higher level... unknowable. Essential."  This statement resonates with the idea we are a rippling microcosmos of the great macrocosmos.  Our physiologies reflect this.  Our varied self-ecosystems also reflect this.  It would seem the separation our humanness insists upon, whether it be in the prodigal state or condition of prejudice, fails to recognize or experience the relationship.  Oneness, Self Community is both singular and not, much like the universe is single and also comprised of star/planet systems.  This "likeness" (another ring in the ripple of the Eternal, of the Oneness) is in, on and within all layers of everything.  With all this relatedness everywhere, the Community of the Self and otherwise so manifested, it's kind of astounding there is ever a sense of being prodigal at all.  Which brings us to the notion of illusion in what I call (my) reality.  If there is all this relatedness present, how is it one could ever think or act differently from that truth?  What is the illusion in my reality that fails to recognize the relatedness to myself, others and the world at large?  that fails to know the community of self?

(Hu)Man & Beast: Soul Relationship

The human relationship with domestic animals has changed somewhat in the last 50 years.  In a family’s hierarchy (hierarchy in a family being imperative through the 1970s), family pets were loved but not always respected or revered.  They were a comfort-convenience for everyone on a higher rung of the family ladder-- for solace, play-pleasure and lesson learning.  In these intervening years, life has changed for the family pet.  Vegetarian-veganism is no longer a fad but a common lifestyle choice, often related to the raised auspices of animals.  There are more single people and more frequent divorce than fifty years ago.  Pets have become Family, sometimes the only family many people turn toward for companionship and love.  These phenomenon are reflected in the recession-proof pet market.  Climbing every year markedly, the US pet industry currently makes over $50 billion per annum ($17 billion in 1994) on not only essentials like food, but accessories, clothing, play things all meant for their owners to buy as a means to express their love and appreciation.


“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”  ― Mark Twain

Whereas, it appears people in relation to other people are becoming more and more clueless about what constitutes relationship, intimacy, human-understanding, as well as an ever decreasing impulse control (technology related?), animals for the most part remain an unconditional constant in their human’s existence.  Many animal lovers have given up on their human counterparts (or themselves), the repeated pain of disappointment too alienating.  Animals have become the elusive partner, the soul mate many people miss in their relationships with others in their lifetime.

“If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience.” 
― Woodrow Wilson

Animals like humans are pure energy. Animal’s energy capacity is more simple; their totality, unlike humans doesn’t stray into complex cerebral function. What they miss in reasoning skills they make up in sensory superiority. Auditory function in dogs is two to three times more powerful than humans.  They hear 40-60 kHz; the very best humans are able to hear is up to 20 kHz (possibly why active listening is a challenge for many of us?).  Marine mammals have an impressive 75-150,000  kHz capacity.  Animals are able to sense the world in a way that humans cannot, with some species able to sense electrical and magnetic fields, detect water pressure and currents, electroreception and detection of polarized light. Their sensory mechanisms could be said to be awesome, something we humans are becoming more and more dependent (upon them) as we suffer today’s daily desensitizing sensory overload.  It is little wonder these beings provide so much comfort and satisfaction to us in our lack.  In them, we often return to ourselves.

“I care not for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.”   ― Abraham Lincoln

Our pets have become our personal in-house energy seers; responsive, aware beings to our human need.  It's incredible to think Descartes believed animals feel no pain because of their cognitive/conscious deficits (but then again, he was so wrong about so many things that still hang on as truth today after hundreds of years).  It is a credit to modern man that the birds and beasts of today have more basic rights than yesteryear and especially an acknowledgement of their importance of place within the culture.  In our spotty global consciousness we have at least started to become willing to protect their basic interests, which in turn protects our basic mental/spirit health.

The Collective: Group Energy

"No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.  John Donne, Meditation XVII

Whereas, we ultimately are responsible for our own "arising", the conundrum is, it is impossible to do so without the help of others.  Almost everything is impossible without help of one sort or another from at least another being (or environment).  Although we have these amazing, efficient organisms that are designed to regenerate and renew, there is something so incredibly potent about what happens en masse, with the energetic influence of the Collective.

Gandhi would not be Gandhi the icon without his thousand-fold of followers walking diligently behind him across the many miles of Indian salt lands in their non-violent tax protest.  Martin Luther King's power was made serious by the tens of thousands of people traveling long distances to march with him, validating and supporting the cause of civil rights. Mother Teresa's strength was not only in her solidly persistent quest to provide care for the marginalized, but in the waves of others that organized in tiers to mark her vision of inalienable healthcare rights for all.  Nobel prize winners deserve the accolades they receive, but their important work is only possible with the myriad of often invisible others that perform, enhance and actualize it, and those that went before them (dead and alive) and their findings.  All of these famous figures are notable and will go down in history.  But their greatness was completely dependent on others, and in all the before mentioned cases, sometimes tens of thousands of others.

And so it is with our own individual efforts.  In the case of meditation, the energy of consciousness or that of a universal influence is minute when done singularly.  The possibilities exponentially increase when done with others.  The Collective. Would the impact be so deep if only one (instead of a dozen) black-clad Israeli grandmothers showed up at the Palestinian border to witness the behavior of the soldiers at the border-crossing? No.  The presence of many female elders standing still in silent observation is a powerful statement, a powerful prayer for peace and justice.

What energetically transpires when there are numbers of others present making similar efforts, aligned in self, together? Vibration increases, which significantly boosts and conjoins the collected energy made by the shared vibration.  This can be seen and felt in large orchestra/symphony efforts versus  (even imminent) solo artists.  This can be experienced listening to a lone ranter taking his turn on a soap box in Temple Square, Dublin versus a political speech on a fully occupied Washington Mall in DC.  The vibration is entirely of a different magnitude. And that simply is due to the numbers.  The number of resonating, vibrating body energies in close proximity that interface, join and rejoin.  The Collective. There is power in numbers. Rioters know this.  Church/temple-goers know this.  Occupy Wall Streeters know this. Flash mobs know this.  Do we who sit day after day on our meditation cushions in our quiet places know this?

We need each other.  Whatever it is that we most desire and need is not possible without the aid and support of others.  The Collective provides help in  many guises.  It might be a forest of trees in a Massachusetts wood that supports an awakening,  nature's group energy needed for the inspiration for Henry David Thoreau to write Walden (as well as Emerson's generous gift to Thoreau of a cabin in same wood which helped create the conditions). Or a time spent on a long crowded bus ride for someone with a lot on their mind to provide a clarification.  The need for mutuality and an interfacing of (sometimes silent) energies cannot be denied.  It is our human legacy to each other.

"The eye cannot say no to the hand, 'I have no need of you!'
And the hand cannot say to the feet, 'I have no need of you!'
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; 
if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."  Saint Paul, I Corinthians

A Dosha for Now

Photo:  Ernst Haas

Sometimes we find ourselves without an anchor, actively flailing, trying to find a semblance of purpose, clarity, a sense of groundedness.  All the prayer, meditation and seeking of a stillness doesn't help the confusion and discord one is living.  In all of that struggle it is difficult to accept the conditions and uncertainty that is in this Now.  We are a sail, flapping in the wind, our bow and stern unaligned.  The mast no longer the sturdy, unmoving vertical of Me, but the foil for the clanging rig.

Since the usual means that provides clarity and a type of security is unavailable, what is required?  Perhaps the chaos experienced is part of the organic cycle, necessary for an evolution.  Perhaps patience, tolerance and acceptance is the buried treasure at the bottom of the extreme discomfort. Perhaps it is a lesson to not live dependently on "methods" or ways to bring calm.  Human frailty is our constant companion. It's one moment at a time when one is flapping in the wind.

Is it possible to look toward some ancient ideology for navigation when being grounded is not an option? The three dosha types in Ayurveda are not a come-and-go aspect of the self, but fairly permanent.  The fact is, very few of us are purely single dosha types; we have all elements of each of the three doshas in us, usually one or two of them is most pronounced.  But doshas are universal, so why not take the qualities and work with them where we are experiencing ourselves now.

The three dosha types in Ayurveda are:  Vata (air/ether), Pitta (fire/water) and Kapha (earth/water).  As in Chinese medicine, Ayurveda has a complex and layered ideology which impacts every aspect of life. In terms of looking at where we find ourselves in a moment, when there is a lack of groundedness present, we often are experiencing "air" quality.  In Ayurveda, Vata dosha is represented by the qualities of air and/or ether.  Like vapor, this quality is manifested one moment and gone the next.  Mystery, creativity (turning illusions), innovation are aspects pronounced with air-types.  One's approach can not be direct, but the magician's ability to turn something into something else becomes a talent.  If the decision is not to resist the lack of groundedness one is feeling, another choice might be to work with the Vata quality moment.  Allow creativity, new ideas, "dream time" to be present and to manifest.  Be sparing with gross, extensive energy output, as that is not the quality of energy available at this moment.  Sensitize oneself to the ephemeral, the subtle, this may be of use before the cycle returns to "earth/grounded" actions.

The earth's power of groundedness may not be available, nor a direct use of force possible.  This "doing" is most often familiar to Kapha types.  In the human energy cycle we are not always earth-bound.  We have other resources at our disposal.  One is reminded of the effective use of martial Tai Chi (using an other's force by allowing, relinquishing one's own force).  Through relaxation and a connection to one's centered dantian, understanding how to use others energetic output and force becomes more available.  As air, one  moves as the wind takes you; a flexibility, acceptance and opening to other unforeseen possibilities exist.

Elementally, water influence is another aspect we may find in ourselves.  It is often the surreal arena.  The place of illusion, non-clarity, distortion of ideas or place are frequently present. Water's effectiveness is in its relentless repetition in wearing a stone (an idea, a resistance) away.  Unabated vigilance is a strong characteristic.  We have been or known in others this quality's effectiveness; an even, steady wave that just keeps repeating over and over and over again.  Not successful the first or fiftieth time?  Just send in another wave or simply another drop.  Eventually, it's impact will be made.

An approach of heightening qualities of an available dosha or element when another is lacking or unavailable can help the movement that might be needed now. Through our timelines, there are times when a fire or heat is required but not available.  Awareness of the need and an understanding how to harness it from our environments or create a like energy source from another aspect of our being is an adaptation to what is.  These innate gifts provide unique qualities.  When one can't be grounded or centered through the power of earth energy, there are other ways of approach which can be effective.




basic information on doshas:

on Doshas - Blue Lotus Ayurveda

Images for Ayurveda dossiers

Memory: Portals and Thresholds

The brain is a mysterious organ.  Medical people are the first to admit although they know an iota of its workings, for the most part, it's a mystery.  Why, for example does a historically belligerent psychopath become docile and non-manipulative after sustaining a brain injury?  Reasoning brings us to our anatomy and physiology texts to understand better why damage to one aspect of the brain jump-starts another part, changing personality sometimes in the process. 

There are lots of reasons and speculations behind what happens in the world of Alzheimer or dementia patients.  Those of us with experience working with people with memory challenges do a lot of watching and surmising.  But we really don't know what a person with this type of brain change is going through.  We can speculate, but we don't really know. Understanding that there is an atrophying in the synapses of the brain which impact neuro-transmission is information, but that knowledge does little to support the relationship at hand. Occasionally, there will be a moment when the portal door of their world opens up to the outside and one  sees the terror of their situation (only for a moment).  Something else is required.  In our trying to understand their reality, we can often end up becoming extremely limited in our observations, possibly because it's impossible to have a fixed knowing for ourselves in regards to their reality (and any one's reality if the truth be told).

The fact is, we are breathing the same air, eating the same food, but living extremely different realities (or are we?). As a dear mentor of old used to tell me, "What can you trust?  Most aspects of oneself are wholly unreliable.  But there is usually something which can be relied upon, something one can trust in oneself." Whereas brain function in the memory-challenged is mostly fully unreliable (and getting more so all the time), the experience and understanding the world through the experience of energy can almost always be trusted.  Much like a sense that has been lost, other senses pick up the sensitivity and awareness.  Hearing becomes more acute for the blind, touch and sight becomes acute for the deaf.  Possibly, energy awareness becomes larger when any part of the body loses function, especially mental capacity. Again, it is possible the body circumnavigates its loss into a win of sorts.

Most Chinese temples and ancient abodes  have elevated (about 18 inch) thresholds.  Legend says these raised thresholds were meant to trip up bad spirits from entering the temple. In this day and age this myth might serve to remind us to remember (the best parts of) ourselves as we high-step into the new territory of space.  And like the many maladies that will strike us over a lifetime, loss of  memory is that new space, whether it be our own or somebody else.

Having information or knowledge about the disease process or the function of the brain system is just that, its information.  Unfortunately its not all that helpful in having a relationship with memory challenged people.  Being with someone with memory changes requires another aspect of ourselves other then the part of us that is trying to figure him/her/the expression out, a part that isn't so entrenched in one's own reality.  It's an opportunity to high step it over that threshold and straddle both realities;  my own which I (delusionally) believe to be infallible and an other, seemingly anchored in a suspension of time and place.  Humble meets humanity and there is a breath.

Ego-comfort often demands of us to assume much.  For the ego, it's comforting to imagine what we think another is going through, thinking or feeling.  That is our sentimentality showing through, a type of romanticizing of the condition, probably due to the paradoxically perceived realities-- theirs and ones own.  It's also ego's self-soothing mechanism to believe my reality is somewhat more "real" than a memory-changing other.  The truth is their reality is just as real for them as mine is for me.  I need to find in myself that which can accept this.  Otherwise, energetically I will always read as patronizing to the mentally challenged and that would be an insurmountable obstacle to making a trust relationship with them. When approached energetically, other's manifestation is taken in differently because one's own approach has become different.  One becomes less concerned about cognitively understanding the sometimes startling behavior or pattern of thought ("lack of reason" as ego knows it) and more concerned with meeting the energy field of oneself and the other. 

This idea of seeing another through the momentary portals that materialize, stepping over those high thresholds to meet another requires a willingness to suspend one's entrenched belief in what reality is.
This approach calls for us to be more open, cultivate an intrigue and wonder of what is there, an energetic being who Is and the shared time.  Memory lapses are real, but they become less "the thing" to notice and more the terrain that is tread.  Attention is in the life present, not necessarily the organic manifestation.

Threshold  

By R. S. Thomas
 

I emerge from the mind’s

cave into the worse darkness

outside, where things pass and

the Lord is in none of them.

I have heard the still, small voice

and it was that of the bacteria

demolishing my cosmos. I

have lingered too long on

this threshold, but where can I go?

To look back is to lose the soul

I was leading upwards towards

the light. To look forward? Ah,

what balance is needed at

the edges of such an abyss.

I am alone on the surface

of a turning planet. What

to do but, like Michelangelo’s

Adam, put my hand

out into unknown space,

hoping for the reciprocating touch?