4000 Years of Medicine

My idea of a modern Medicineman

A friend of mine posted "4000 Years of Medicine" on Facebook... Though humorous, it holds a kernel of truth.

4000 Years of Medicine

2000 B.C.  -  "Here, eat this root."

1000 A.D.  -  "That root is heathen!  Here, say this prayer."

1865 A.D.  -  "That prayer is superstition!  Here, drink this potion."

1900 A.D.  -  "That potion is snake oil!  Here, swallow this pill."

1950 A.D.  -  "That pill is ineffective!  Here, take this antibiotic."

2000 A.D.  -  "That antibiotic is poison!  Here, eat this root."

We have travelled far and long in our quest for healing-- from primitive superstition to cutting edge science.  But have we really arrived at the pinacle of medicine and healing?  I think most of us would agree that we are just beginning to understand 'real' science and the nature of the Cosmos; to discover the infinite possibilities of our 'Minds' and to investigate the 'spiritual/energetic' dimension of our Universe. 

I believe we still have far to go.  We will only get there if we take the sum of our knowledge and experiences (our collective history) and approach all the possibilites one by one, with appropriate reverence for their individual efficacy.  All personal biases must be put aside, for they only divide, divert and distract all of us from our only real goal as healers-- devising efficient and effective healing modalities for all and every ailment that has and will plague humanity.  Let us all cultivate an integrative approach to healing, flexibile and adaptive to anything and everything that works.  After all, is it not wellness, well-being and genuine cure we are all after?  If this is not your primary goal, then you should question your calling as a Healer.  Petty biases and discrimination waste everyone's time, and take their toll on the patients-- the people most desperately in need of healing.

Does anyone already know everything there is to know about medicine (or the nature of the Universe) that he or she can, with certainty, discount everything else outside their current truth as quackery?  Little by little, science is beginning to discover the efficacy of ancient healing modalities.  Soon enough we will also be able to scientifically prove the effectiveness of psychic/faith healing.  So do not dismiss anything offhand, just keep in mind that the idea of an 'atom' or that 'the world was round' was ridiculed just a couple of hundred years ago.

In my opinion, the best way to integrate modalities is for each Healer to pursue the ones they deeply believe in.  Discard (but not discriminate) everything you personally do not have faith in.  Have an open mind and keep learning, by following your natural inclinations and interests.  God will show you where you are needed and what you are capable of.  Plus, as I have already mentioned over and over, God uses a variety of Healers.  No one healer has a monopoly on healing, so be humble enough to recommend other fellow healers when the ailment requires it.   

The Music We Are

By Jelaluddin Rumi (1207 - 1273)

Did you hear that winter's over?  The basil

and the carnations cannot control their

laughter.  The nightingale, back from his

wandering, has been made singing master

over the birds.  The trees reach out their

congratulations.  The soul goes dancing

through the king's doorway.  Anemones blush

because they have seen the rose naked.

Spring, the only fair judge, walks in the

courtroom, and several December thieves steal

away.  Last year's miracles will soon be

forgotten.  New creatures whirl in from non-

existence, galaxies scattered around their

feet.  Have you met them?  Do you hear the

bud of Jesus crooning in the cradle?  A single

narcissus flower has been appointed Inspector

of Kingdoms.  A feast is set.  Listen: the

wind is pouring wine!  Love used to hide

inside images: no more!  The orchard hangs

out its lanterns.  The dead come stumbling by

in shrouds.  Nothing can stay bound or be

imprisoned.  You say, "End this poem here,

and wait for what's next."  I will.  Poems

are rough notations for the music we are.

--translation by Coleman Barks

Einstein's View On Religion

Albert Einstein is one of the greatest thinkers in the history of humanity.  He is generally known for his thoughts on theoretical Physics.  But since Physics is concerned about the nature of  (physical) "reality," its greatest thinkers cannot avoid pondering on metaphysical questions in their quest to seek answers to explain Nature and the Universe.  I think, Einstein's views on Religion and God are just as facinating and as relevant as his thoughts on Space and Time.  Here is a brief excerpt of an article he wrote for the New York Times Magazine on November 9, 1930.

"The Jewish scriptures admirably illustrate the development from the religion of fear to moral religion, a development continued in the New Testament. The religions of all civilized peoples, especially the peoples of the Orient, are primarily moral religions. The development from a religion of fear to moral religion is a great step in peoples' lives. And yet, that primitive religions are based entirely on fear and the religions of civilized peoples purely on morality is a prejudice against which we must be on our guard. The truth is that all religions are a varying blend of both types, with this differentiation: that on the higher levels of social life the religion of morality predominates.

Common to all these types is the anthropomorphic character of their conception of God. In general, only individuals of exceptional endowments, and exceptionally high-minded communities, rise to any considerable extent above this level. But there is a third stage of religious experience which belongs to all of them, even though it is rarely found in a pure form: I shall call it cosmic religious feeling. It is very difficult to elucidate this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it, especially as there is no anthropomorphic conception of God corresponding to it.

The individual feels the futility of human desires and aims and the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves both in nature and in the world of thought. Individual existence impresses him as a sort of prison and he wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole. The beginnings of cosmic religious feeling already appear at an early stage of development, e.g., in many of the Psalms of David and in some of the Prophets. Buddhism, as we have learned especially from the wonderful writings of Schopenhauer, contains a much stronger element of this.

The religious geniuses of all ages have been distinguished by this kind of religious feeling, which knows no dogma and no God conceived in man's image; so that there can be no church whose central teachings are based on it. Hence it is precisely among the heretics of every age that we find men who were filled with this highest kind of religious feeling and were in many cases regarded by their contemporaries as atheists, sometimes also as saints. Looked at in this light, men like Democritus, Francis of Assisi, and Spinoza are closely akin to one another.

How can cosmic religious feeling be communicated from one person to another, if it can give rise to no definite notion of a God and no theology? In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those who are receptive to it."

Knowing God

How can we know God/the Divine?  Here are some clues...

O my God, how does it happen in this poor old world that Thou art so great and yet nobody finds Thee, that Thou callest so loudly and nobody hears Thee, that Thou art so near and nobody feels Thee, that Thou givest Thyself to everybody and nobody knows Thy name? Men flee from Thee and say they cannot find Thee; they turn their backs and say they cannot see Thee; they stop their ears and say they cannot hear Thee.

Hans Denk, 16th Century German Theologian

Disease is not cured by pronouncing the name of medicine, but by taking medicine.  Deliverance is not achieved by repeating the word "Brahman," but by directly experiencing Brahman...

Shankara, 8th Century Indian Mystic and guru

The seed of God is in us.  Given an intelligent and hardworking farmer, it will thrive and grow up to God, whose seed it is; and accordingly its fruits will be God-natured.  Pear seeds grow into pear trees, nut seeds into nut trees, and God seed into God.

Meister Eckhart, 14th Century German Mystic, Philospher and theologian

The astrolabe of the mysteries of God is love.

Jalal-uddin Rumi, 13th Century Persian Mystic, Poet and theologian

We make an idol of truth itself; for truth apart from charity (Love) is not God, but his image and idol, which we must never love nor worship.

Blaise Pascal, 17th Century French Mathematician, Physicist and philosopher

He who knows does not speak;  He who speaks does not know.

Lao Tzu, 5th Century BC Chinese Mystic and Philosopher

It is only when you hunt for it that you lose it; You cannot take hold of it, but equally you cannot get rid of it, And while you can do neither, it goes on its own way.  You remain silent and it speaks; you speak, and it is dumb; The great gate of charity is wide open, with no obstacles before it.

Yung Chia, 7th Century Chinese Ch'an/Zen Master and Poet

Prayer Helps You Heal

Aside from actively seeking Medical and therapeutic help, prayer can help you heal. 

Prayer exists in all cultures.  It has many forms.  But basically, it is just communicating with the Divine.  But since divinity comes in as many different forms as there are Religions and beliefs, it is hard to recommend one particular way to pray.

Your way will always be the best for you.  Just be sincere and humble... No words are needed.  Just communicate from your deepest self (your soul), and "God" will hear and understand you.  I like to describe "praying" symbolically as touching the Hand of God.

I subscribe to Joseph Murphy's definition of Prayer:  "Effective prayer is a sustained, affirmative attitude of mind which results in conviction.  Once your desire is completely accepted subconsciously, it works automatically as part of the Creative Law.  The real test of whether your mind accepts the idea completely and cannot conceive of the opposite.  You must believe what you want to believe, and when you do, you have really impressed your subconscious mind; then your subconscious mind will respond accordingly." (The Miracle of Mind Dynamics)

Prayer and Faith are two sides of the same coin.  There can be no effective prayer without faith -- it is just how our mind works!

"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (Mark 11:24)

So desire your cure with all your heart and with all your mind. Be humble and contrite -- forgive everyone, forgive your circumstances, but most of all forgive yourself.  Believe that you deserve to be whole again!  God will hear your plea.