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ave you ever seen a powerful movie, listened to a great piece of music or finished
a really good book and come away with a feeling of profound happiness? Have you
ever said to yourself: "Everything makes so much sense. I wish life were more
like that...," only to wonder if perhaps it could be if you could see things a
little more clearly? Have you ever felt like everything in your life probably
made sense, but you were missing some of the puzzle pieces, and so it remained
a mystery to you?
If the answer is yes, then you have glimpsed the holism that underlies
and surrounds us all the time, but that we are so often blinded
to by the sorrows that accompany even the happiest life. The
quest to embody this holism can take a good part of a lifetime,
but it is worth the trip. And whether you are recovering from
grief, HIV, cancer, trauma, incest, sexual abuse, cultural oppression
and confusion, addiction, or depression, if you are seeking
a complete recovery, you are in fact seeking to rediscover the
holistic state. They are one and the same.
What Exactly Is Holism?
I recently read Peter Russell's The Global Brain Awakens and was deeply touched by two stories that go to the crux of holism. They were both about a growing change in perspective since our astronauts viewed earth from the moon. In the first, Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man on the moon (and later a founder of The Institute of Noetic Sciences), said that while standing on the moon he was deeply moved and felt a strong connection to our planet
"It was a beautiful, harmonious, peaceful-looking planet, blue with white clouds, and one that gave you a deep sense...of home, of being, of identity. It is what I prefer to call an instant global consciousness."
As Russell further relates:
For me and the APH community, the leap to the realization that
we are part of a larger living system, with it's own organic intelligence, is
a given. Together we are learning to listen to the pulse and tune into its wisdom
in meaningful ways. We are beginning to see and feel the holism in it all
Envisioning the Reward of Holism
Holism is the goal of APH. It encompasses not only the feeling
of being whole and complete in oneself, but also of being integrated
into the cosmos, one with nature, and connected with all humanity.
As we envision such a state for ourselves, or at least accept
that it is possible, we recognize the need for a process that
goes beyond healing our symptoms. Holism is a place of joy,
bliss, love, empowerment, creativity, respect for all life,
and peace, a place from which we can meet future challenges
with resilience, grace and wisdom. We come from a new integration,
having brought parts of ourselves (physical, emotional, psychological,
and spiritual) together at the deepest level of inner knowing.
This leads to integration and balance with every part having
significant value and importance.
Holism is the understanding that reality is made up of organic and unified wholes that are greater than the simple sum of their parts. At the core of this is what I call the "shame-free presentation and celebration of the self." When we experience a holistic state of being, we know who we are and no longer feel ashamed or embarrassed by our difficult personal history or the so-called shadow elements of our nature. Of course we will still be discriminating with regard to when and where we share certain aspects of ourselves, but we will experience and radiate the essence of true empowerment and spiritual connectedness, whether we express it verbally or not.
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