Integrated Medicine of Philadelphia: December 2012

"There are two kinds of intelligence. One acquired,

as a child in school memorizes facts and concepts

from books and from what the teacher says,

collecting information from the traditional sciences

as well as from the new sciences.

With such intelligence you rise in the world.

You get ranked ahead or behind others

in regard to your competence in retaining

information. You stroll with this intelligence

in and out of fields of knowledge, getting always more

marks on your preserving tablets.

There is another kind of tablet, one

already completed and preserved inside you.

A spring overflowing its springbox. A freshness

in the center of your chest. This other intelligence

does not turn yellow or stagnate. It’s fluid,

and it doesn’t move from outside to inside

through the conduits of plumbing-learning.

This second knowing is a fountainhead

From within you, moving out."

—Rumi (Translated by Coleman Barks).

As the discourse continues as to why we as a nation are burdened with so many tragic homicides and mass murders, I am reminded to come to myself. I am reminded to feel my feet on the ground, my breath moving through this body, to feel the feelings. Like everyone else, I too have the desire to "fix" this, to throw a few directives into the mix and watch everything change to a rosier hue. But with feet planted and my breath not moving so freely, I feel the sorrow of the impossibility of this. Change is hard. Too young at the time to remember, I imagine the civil rights activists of the 1960s might have had several similar and sobering pauses. And even though we technically have more secured legal rights for all, garnered by the hard work of those vigilant activists, we still are plagued with prejudice, hatred, suspicion and separation for those different than us, whether they be of color, religion, political affiliation, age, geographic origins, class, gender, mental/physical wellness or sexual orientation to name but a few. What hasn't changed is an internal movement, the type of movement that actually is significant.

Violence is born from isolation and attachment; attachment to static belief and isolation from other (experiences). Isolated and attached, relationship is not possible; there is no room, no breath, no inner flexibility to rely on. Non-sensical violent actions transpire because most of me is not related. Not related to myself, not related to my environment, not related to others. I am not watching. I am not listening. Or if I am, it's superficial, not from a fuller, more embodied intelligence. Moving toward this intelligence must become our bottom line, not how much profits can be had (possibly a reason why mental health is not supported by systems: it's not profitable -in immediate dollar terms-, unlike most medical treatment). Cultural violence, which has been pointed out so tangibly in statistics as of late, has to be taken on. There is no singular magic fix. It's nature is complex. Personally, we have to own our own violence before the trickle down manifests. As was mentioned in my Violence: a Cautionary Truth post, violence can be subtle and insidious. This then, would require a greater ability to sensitize oneself to what is, a willingness not to turn away, a capacity for nonjudgment and acceptance of oneself (and others).

Sort of ridiculous to ask this of a culture at large? Yes it is. So, then I ask this of myself. And then I ask this of myself again. And I try to remember internal movement is significant.

Sonnet 07 - The face of all the world is changed, I think by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The face of all the world is changed, I think,
Since first I heard the footsteps of thy soul
Move still, oh, still, beside me, as they stole
Betwixt me and the dreadful outer brink
Of obvious death, where I, who thought to sink,
Was caught up into love, and taught the whole
Of life in a new rhythm. The cup of dole
God gave for baptism, I am fain to drink,
And praise its sweetness, Sweet, with thee anear.
The names of country, heaven, are changed away
For where thou art or shalt be, there or here;
And this . . . this lute and song . . . loved yesterday,
(The singing angels know) are only dear
Because thy name moves right in what they say.

There are times when a leaning on is necessary. No longer able to be a free standing part (at least temporarily), a wall, another becomes mandatory to rest upon. It's a relief, if not an unfamiliar self-reckoning. We take comfort in something/ someone taking the weight. The image to the left here is a wonderful example of a spiraling reliance. Very separate (yet related), distinct components bearing the weight of the whole. Everything is in balance, everything dependent on everything else to create a whole. Without the cooperative parts, the balance, the miracle of its wholeness would be lost.

And so it is now, as many of us soften into the darkness of the short days, relinquishing the more sentinel vertical we prop ourselves up at other times of the year. We lean on a fire at the hearth, music of the season, cultural ritual, even the warmth from a winter coat. This time of year calls us back, asks us to return to that which is more still. Interestingly, the hoopla and frenetic energy seems to go arm in arm with the quiet beckoning. Contrasts. Paradoxes.

" All truths wait in all things."-- Walt Whitman

In our confusion and tension over these paradoxes and the grief of losses, current and past, the stillness appears to be the thing we lean on. Mercy. The words of others appear as solace. That which is burdened, wounded, in sorrow rests. Poetry surfaces. Art becomes a salve to the spirit. Wisdom and courage are found in unlikely forums: a child's observation, a store clerk's calm and benevolent smile, the poignant wit of an elder. Breath re-enters, becomes more spacious having lost some tension. Fear and intrepidation take a break.

"Morally, spiritually, we are fettered. What have we achieved in mowing down mountain ranges, harnessing the energy of mighty rivers, or moving whole populations about like chess pieces, if we ourselves remain the same restless, miserable, frustrated creatures we were before? To call such activity progress is utter delusion. We may succeed in altering the face of the earth until it is unrecognizable even to the Creator, but if we are unaffected wherein lies the meaning? Meaningful acts require no stir. When things are going to rack and ruin the most purposeful act may be to sit still."-- Arthur Miller

Leaning On. A respite. Meaningful acts require no stir.

It is not my habit to write about the latest sensational news.But lately, from widely different sources, essays, articles and impressions have been finding there way to me and I feel compelled to comment. The recent tragedy in Connecticut (close to my original home for decades) and its most probable link to unrecognized mental illness belay the lack of support for those suffering with mental illness (and their families) and also puts a perspective on the struggles and turning away our culture (government, insurance companies, "systems") does to ignore or deny these very real issues (which inevitably impact the general population as we saw in the Newtown, Connecticut horror). Essays such as the one on unusual Bronx nurses in public health battling with keeping teen mothers and their baby's heads above financial water and conditions absolutely stacked against any sense of wellness; psychiatrically tender college freshmen far from home requiring all sorts of professional support when overwhelm sets in.
The often tenuous mental/spirit challenged live in rough seas; those with financial resources and savvy know-how usually are able to navigate their needs successfully, while still bearing the difficulty of "otherness" which autism spectrum, development delays, mentally challenged and psych disorders reliably guarantee even under the best circumstances. For those in any type of marginal economic situation, it is a catastrophe, as well as for those who love and take responsibility for them. Perhaps, now we are a nation that is becoming more comfortable with otherness (legal gay marriage, persons of color in major public office, legalized recreational drug use); perhaps it is time we take on the pink elephant in the room, mental health and it's inclusion into general society, it's recognition, compassionate acceptance and a commitment toward an economic support for those struggling with it.
It is a good example what many households go through. Terror, shame, confusion--- and mostly suffered in total isolation and invisibility. Our cultural system constructs can't acknowledge or begin to effectively deal with the Pandora's Box which is this area of healthcare. Tara Ebrahimi, wrote a recent article in the NY Times Sunday Please read this. It's incredibly touching, a story I've seen a facsimile of time and time again working with people facing medical and mental hurdles. A loved-one begins to decline, help is sought (over months and years) from all the right avenues and agencies (repeatedly), is not obtained despite jumping through an incredible amount of bureaucratic hoops and a family is left emotionally and financially depleted without the inner or outer resources to deal with an often impossible situation related to physical/mental/psych challenges. This courageous, loyal and loving woman finally with no other recourse, took matters into her own hands without knowing what to do, decided to Be with her brother. She made relationship because it was the only thing to do, her only resource left. As was apparent, relationship was the thing lacking in all these other constant efforts with un-relatable In this world where it seems these challenges are exponentially increasing in incidence (ie: autism has increased to 1 in 88 births, a 1,148% growth rate), we are seeing three things: more basic life challenges for many more people, a culture and system that continues to deny not only the problem but the impact on the culture at large and we are seeing people (family members and loved ones) forced into a sensitization of self and other (such as Ebrahimi). These are people who have gone into the fire's crucible and survived with more patience, compassion, and a finely tuned depth of perception and awareness. I hesitate to call them saints; maybe invisible neighborhood prophets. They've got a world view worth proselytizing. They should be our future leaders. They have lived the terrifying fringe, rarely have bitterness and only gratitude for the cauterizing hell they and their loved ones have been through. In them, a wisdom, understanding, moxy/chutzpah/grit has been crystallized. There is an authentic absence of greed, avarice and narcissism we are woefully needing in our public leaders today. At least in tandem with the gun control issue, if not before, the concept of Oneness needs to be addressed in this country. Relationship. Being. Being with and for, within and without. We should be looking at these courageous, loving relatives that take the monolithic Goliath systems on out of fierce devotion. We should be looking at those who have these illnesses and "otherness-es", who struggle day in and day out, who are feared for their otherness, disrespected and made invisible. They are part of the oneness we all are living. They are our sons and mothers. They are an unrecognized brilliant facet of our whole. We are a collective, we need to care, to include them, not shut them out. They, like we, are here for a reason, they have their part. As long as we look to blame guns (or on the other side's belief system, lack of personally held firearms), we need to look at the failure of us as a culture not taking responsibility for each other, the (community) illnesses suffered, the isolation and marginalization of our neighbors.

One of the occurrences I have come to trust implicitly over the years, is the event of the arrival of the Unexpected; the event that is so surprising, yet usually so True in the moment (even when unpleasant). This may be why Authentic Movement (AM) is such a compelling practice.

Entering the Authentic Movement "space" in oneself is like walking through a door or gate of a temple/church, a garden, a dream. The ordinary is not exactly left behind, it just becomes secondary, not the loudest voice in the room of oneself. What we enter is a fuller intelligence that is elicited through a stronger connection to our breath, a quieter more sensitized energy field, a listening that isn't with the ears alone, a watching that isn't with the eyes at all. "Seeing", "Listening", "Being" "effort" take on an entirely different dimension. We become more embodied in a larger intelligence.

In this space, we in a way, emulate a Pentecost of sorts. The energy of a reconciling force descends (ascends?) upon our chaotic, fragmented self (inner disciples) and unifies the estranged others whom live (oddly enough as one) in us. As in the Bible's Pentecost story (The Story of Pentecost), all tongues (languages) are understood, welcomed and accepted. The subtle daily alienations, misunderstanding, separations--- they some how are transformed (by this third force, reconciliation). Or not. The former is what might be expected as in the Leviticus XXV story. The unexpected would be a unification of another sort. Where the chaos might ensue (as usual) but walks almost in partnership with what is still, quiet, observational. That experience of equally weighted, very different energies co-existing is unexpected, perhaps even miraculous.

In Authentic Movement, through an intentional open wonder and inquiry, the body becomes more relaxed and the sub-conscious enters from left field, which surprises she who entered the space in the first place. Through a modicum of relaxation, something internally opens allowing an energy with all its material concreteness to enter (sort of like what happens in the REM state when we are sleeping) and play out in images and relationship to body parts, and others. However you lean, however you define the experience, material arrives, often unexpectedly. Not what we were anticipating. Even when we (in our ordinary self) think we aren't in expectation, the surprise often proves otherwise.

I think what keeps calling me back to this amazing, generous form is the wish to experience this fuller listening intelligence and the opportunity to experience what is my ordinary self at the same time. My daily experiences of myself and the world around me are so fractured; this spacious intelligence in conjunction with the routine householder, unavailable. Entering this church or garden gate and the reinforcement of spending more time there, gives me the taste of living a bigger life, a more intelligent life. One that is not devoid of one quality or another, but inclusive. It's not just a type of listening done with one sense-- a more spacious and energetic capacity unveils itself. The idea of an effort that doesn't exist in "trying" makes itself known. Life becomes apparently bigger than that. Anticipation and expectation become uninteresting and pointless. The unexpected vibrates with another type of knowing; it's fresh, clean, mysterious and enlivening.
For more information on Authentic Movement or Contemplative Dance,
facilitators or an open group near you:
Welcome | Authentic Movement Community and

Authentic Movement Community Blog
Journal of Authentic Movement & Somatic Inquiry | Editorial Team

salt pyramids

Salt is salt is salt: it's all sodium chloride, some say. But in my experience (from an energetic point of view), this is not so. Culinary wise, there is also a big difference between gray sea salt, Himalayan (pink) salt and regular processed table (rock) salt and how they each impact the foods we use them in. Seasoning wise, brand-named table salt and all other white salts require a heavier use then either the gray or pink. What is the scientific explanation regarding the differences in salts and the biologic evidence in our organism's need for salt?

Salt is a trace mineral required for our body's optimal health.The ions in trace minerals function by maintaining the body system at a cellular level. They promote balanced electrolytes, maintain your body in homeostasis, maintain fluids, and replenish your supply of electrolytes when you perspire excessively. These trace minerals perform a number of other important functions: they help regulate body water content, absorption of food particles through the intestinal tract, assisting in the generation of hydroelectric energy in the cells of your body, promoting vascular health, regulating your sleep, and promoting a healthy pH balance in your cells, mainly your brain cells. Along with water, salt is essential for the regulation of your blood pressure.

Table Salt (rock or white)
Salt has gotten a bad rap for several reasons, probably because the salts we mostly consume are chemically treated and processed, have little nutrtional value and burden our body systems (causing edema and cardiac muscle and vessel strain). For example, typical table salt crystals are totally isolated from each other. In order for your body to try to metabolize table salt crystals, it must sacrifice tremendous amounts of energy. Inorganic sodium chloride can keep the body from establishing an ideal fluid balance and can overburden your elimination systems. When your body tries to isolate the excess salt, water molecules must surround the sodium chloride to break them up into sodium and chloride ions in order to help your body neutralize them. To accomplish this, water is taken from your cells in order to neutralize the unnatural sodium chloride. This results in a less-than-ideal fluid balance in the cells. In addition, today's chemically treated/processed table and cooking salt is void of vital trace minerals.

Mined salt, or rock salt, is a poor substitute for the more natural salts available. While natural rock salt comes close to being intact and is more valuable than industrial table salt, from a biophysical as well as bio-chemical perspective, it holds little value. The elements contained in rock salt lack sufficient compression to be included in the crystal web, but are only attached to the surface and in the gaps of the crystalline structure. It is the considerable pressure that brings the elements to a colloidal state - where your cells can readily absorb them. The valuable elements found in rock salt are useless because your body cannot absorb and metabolize them.

Gray (Sea) Salt

Most gray sea salt comes from the Brittany region on the Atlantic coast of France. It is gray because it absorbs minerals from clay that lines the salt ponds. Neither gray sea salt nor Himalayan pink salt goes through the extensive refining process that ordinary table salt does before being sold in U.S. markets. As a result, both types of salt are coarser, more natural and more flavorful than traditional U.S. table salt. Both salts are harvested by hand using traditional methods, rather than by industrial machinery. Grey sea salt is obtained from the evaporation of seawater and used for culinary purposes only.

Many people believe sea salt is a healthy alternative to table salt, but this is no longer the case. The oceans are being used as dumping grounds for harmful toxic poisons like mercury, PCBs and dioxin. Reports of oil spills polluting the sea are becoming more frequent. With some 89% of all the sea salt producers now refining their salt. Between the over processing and pollutants, today's sea salt simply isn't as healthy as it used to be.

Sea salt's molecular structure isn't conducive for elemental collaboration. If you were to look into a microscope at sea salt, you would see it has irregular and isolated crystalline structures disconnected from the natural elements surrounding them. Thus, however many vital minerals it may contain, they cannot be absorbed by your body unless the body expends tremendous energy to vitalize them. Your body's net gain is small compared to the great loss of energy.

Pink Salt (Himalayan or Crystal)
This salt, harvested in the salt mines in Tibet and what is now Pakistan, is rich in minerals such as calcium, potassium and iron. The high iron content is what gives this salt its pink color. Himalayan Pink Salt is "an exceptionally mineral-rich whole food that is 100 percent natural, unprocessed, unrefined and unpolluted. Because nothing is added - no anti-caking agents, no chemical cleaners or other ingredients. Whereas Gray sea salt is for seasoning only, Pink salt can be used to great effect in baths. The harmonious nature of Himalayan sea salt helps support the immune system and is considered heart healthy.

Under an electron microscope, pink salt has a perfect crystalline structure and is immune to electromagnetic fields (hence the popularity of putting "pink salt lamps besides computer stations- they ionize the immediate field you are working in, decreasing the electromagnetic impact you are exposed to). Crystal Salt contains no environmental pollutants. This salt's unique cell structure is energetically vibrational and its minerals and trace elements are so small your cells can easily absorb them. Pink salt's assortment of elements form a compound in which each molecule is inter-connected. This allows the vibration component of the 84 trace elements in the salt to be in sync with each other and can be easily metabolized by your body. When you use this salt it has a vital energetic effect. Your body gets an ample net gain with little energy loss.

Pink salt has spent over 250 million years maturing under extreme tectonic pressure, far away from exposure to impurities. The salt's unique structure also stores vibrational energy. All of the crystal salt's inherent minerals and trace elements are available in colloidal form -- meaning they are so small your cells can readily absorb them.This salt does not burden your body as other salts do for this reason. It is very difficult for your body to absorb too much since there are efficient and effective feedback loops that regulate this process in the body.

Both Gray and Himalayan salts are more costly than rock/white salt. Possibly, this fact is relative considering their superior health benefits and less amount needed when seasoning. For cardiac patients who have been told to eliminate their salt intake, the fact that pink salt is a heart healthy version that not only supports the immune system but cardiac health, is a welcomed fact.

So, salt isn't just sodium chloride. It's not a negligible food item, but is supposed to contain vital trace minerals and energetic properties (related to its cellular structure), that depending on how it's processed, makes a difference to seasoning and your health. When considering the type of salt needed, read labels like you read labels for food. There are other sea salts from Spain and other countries, which are not always readily available in US markets; check how they are processed if you are considering a purchase. There are some resources below for buying pink Himalayan sea salt in bulk; great for the bath (as well as seasoning) because of it's uniquely balanced cellular structure.

Most of the above information was gleaned from:
http://products.mercola.com/himalayan-salt
http://www.livestrong.com/article/535896-grey-sea-salt-vs-himalayan-pink-salt/#ixzz2DKsJEAmZ
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com

Himalayan Pink - Bath Salt - 5 lb. Bag (Fine)
Saltworks Himalayan Pink - Gourmet Salt - 5 lbs. (fine), Minerals Salts

Integrated Medicine of Philadelphia

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Intelligence

Sunday, December 23, 2012

A Significant Movement

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Leaning On

Monday, December 17, 2012

Modern Love

Friday, December 7, 2012

Belief

Monday, December 3, 2012

Authentic Movement: a Larger Listening Intelligence

Authentic Movement Community Blog
Journal of Authentic Movement & Somatic Inquiry | Editorial Team

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Trojan Wurst II: SALT