Paradigm 3 Articles

1. Total Human Development and Harmony Through Synergism

Synergism and the Cosmic Human-- in Cosmology, Philosophy, & Spirituality

Synergism and the Biological Human-- in Anatomy/Physiology, & Biosphere (symbiosis, bio-diversity in ecosystems, etc.)

Synergism and the Social Human-- in Social Basics, in Economics, in Health and Health Care, in Aesthetics, & in Culture

THE 15 EMPOWERING PARADIGMS:

1. Total Human Development and Harmony Through Synergism

2. Holistic Health Care and Medicine

3. Deep Ecology and Harmony with Nature

4. Sense of History and Sense of Mission

5. Civics and Democratic Governance

6. Culture as Community Creativity

7. Light-Seeking and Light-Sharing Education

8. Gender Sensitivity, Equality & Harmony

9. Reconstructive/Restor-ative Justice

10. Associative Economics, Social Capital and Sustainable Development

11. Synergetic Leadership and Organizations

12. Appropriate/Adaptive Technology

13. Mutual Enrichment of Families and Friendships

14. Human Dignity and Human Harmony: Human Rights and Peace

15. Aesthetics Without Boundaries: 'Art from the Heart'

The Healing Energies of Nature

By Sylvia O. de Guzman

(The author, Sylvia O. de Guzman, is a human development specialist, writer, and educator who has studied and practiced natural health and healing techniques such as Tai’ chi and meditation over the past 11 years, and is affiliated with several organizations teaching and disseminating such techniques. The following is a short excerpt from her Principles and Techniques of Natural Health and Healing)

THE UNIVERSE is built as a self-regulating, self-fixing, self-regenerating universe. As an ancient mystical tenet states: As above, so below. The human system, being a microcosm and reflection of the cosmos, is likewise endowed with a tremendous capacity for self-healing, rejuvenation, and regeneration. It heals itself. We can charge it with energy to activate its self-healing capacity.

The trillions of cells within the human body are alive with an intrinsic consciousness and intelligence of their natural functions. Sickness occurs when the cells fail in their natural functions, due to some obstruction and disharmony. Aging is also caused by blocks in the system, resulting in sluggishness in the performance of natural body functions. Most medical interventions, such as medicinal drugs, serve only as catalysts to stimulate the body’s cells into performing their natural function.

Reflective of the macrocosm, the universe, the human system is in constant flux. Cells and tissues are constantly replaced and replenished, destroyed and regenerated. Herein lies the secret of the cell regeneration and rejuvenation techniques of natural health and healing which hold much promise for prolonging life and enhancing its quality: dead and damaged cells and tissues may continuously be replaced by new ones cleansed and charged with vibrant energy. So long as the continuous stream of transformation in the field of energy of the body goes on undisrupted, so long as healthy cells replace the ones that are shed off, so long as harmony is maintained in the natural functioning of the body, we stay healthy.

Conventional medicine, however, does have a value. If a person becomes ill, he may need medication such as penicillin to contain the bacteria or virus until such time that he is ready to understand the message behind their symptoms. For ultimately, disease in the body tells you that your mind is not in harmony with nature and some aspect of your mental attitude needs to change. Medicine will not create this harmony, but it may help to combat disease until you can reestablish harmony yourself. In this way, most healing methods act like a crutch, buffering us from the pull of disease until we reach the point of self-healing.

Return to Nature

Although natural health and healing provides a range of options for health care that may even be applied complementary to modern medicine, at its core is a return to nature – making full use of the human being’s natural capacity for self-healing, long neglected by medicine, as well as the vast resources and energies nature offers to attain and maintain health.

As much as possible, therefore, natural healing avoids highly intrusive interventions that obtrude upon and drastically interfere with the natural workings and subtle energy flows of the human system, or that cause the natural functioning of the body’s systems to atrophy from long disuse while fostering permanent dependence on synthetic preparations.

Harnessing Natural Healing Energies

Natural healing involves drawing energy from the healing energies of nature in various forms. The energy we need is all around us and within us – in the air, sunlight, water, plants.

Immersing oneself in the beauties of nature is highly therapeutic. Just leaning against a tree and handling plants already gives energy. This is what city dwellers sorely lack in the cement jungles of the metropolis devoid of green areas.

Acupuncture and acupressure in Chinese medicine, reflexology, massage, and Ayurvedic and Indonesian healing techniques work by harmonizing the flow of subtle energies in the body. There are natural healing techniques, such as the contact healing of the Nagas, which allow infusion of the patient with the polarity of energy needed for balance at distinct points along the energy pathways connected by networks of nerve ganglia to afflicted parts and organs.

Healing Energy from Food, Water, and Sunlight

The substances that we ingest into our system affect us profoundly: they could either nurture us by providing energy and facilitating the natural functioning of our system or they could add to the toxins that interfere with and cause deterioration in our body’s intricate workings.

Natural health and healing recognizes the advantages in one’s diet of fruits and vegetables which are rich in energy and contain all the nutrients -- vitamins, minerals, and proteins -- needed by the body. These are food high in water content and fibers and thus good for the cleansing of toxic wastes from the body.

Water therapy is detoxifying. Water is not only cleansing but provides an essential element required by our body. Dew is a source of pure negative prana. At least once a year, try to go to the beach, mineral springs or hot springs, and immerse yourself in water to partake of its healing energies.

Sunlight is a source of potent healing energy and positive prana.

Healing Energy from the Earth

The earth and its products are widely acknowledged sources of energy. Herbal medicine has traditionally provided healing benefits over the centuries. Some plants and herbs have a calming effect while others have a stimulating effect. Aromatherapy, a healing practice which dates from ancient times, applies the calming or invigorating effects of plants and their scents and essences.

Plants with high vibratory rates are the most potent. The rose, for instance, has a strong calming, soothing, and healing effect due to its high vibratory rate. It is good to do breathing under a tree, especially a pine tree which has a high vibratory rate and from which can be obtained prana of high quality.

Natural Cycles of Health

Another useful knowledge not yet fully explored is the knowledge of natural cycles as these affect our health and vitality. Periodicity or rhythmic patterns commonly occur in nature – there are the natural cycles of the seasons, of alternating day and night, high tide and low tide, the rotations and revolutions of the planets, the regular pulsations and vibrations in different crystals and elements, and the regular progression and stages of growth of different life forms.

The human body is also subject to natural cyclical functions as seen, for instance, in regular pulse rates and EEG wave patterns. Periodic cycles in the health and vitality of people have been observed and studied, leading to intricate knowledge of strong phases when a person’s health and vitality is at its highest and critical phases requiring greater caution when the person’s health and vitality is at its lowest, when the body’s defenses and immune system are down and, consequently, the body is more prone and vulnerable to disease. There are also periods when we have a greater predisposition towards particular diseases of specific body parts, organs, and systems, such as when we are more susceptible to nervous strain or ailments of the digestive system, or when the blood pressure has a greater tendency to rise.

We could use knowledge of these natural cycles of health to our advantage, for instance, by undertaking strenuous activities requiring much energy at the period when our health is at its peak, and by exercising greater caution and avoiding unnecessary exposure to the elements when it is at its ebb.