The Problem with Anxiety June 15, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Health Tips , add a commentThe itching was driving her crazy. Nothing seemed to be capable of providing relief. She’s tried everything. The skin at the web margin on her right hand between the 4th and 5th fingers was as irritated as her disposition. If she had been able to find the right words to describe how she felt, she would have said that her hand was burning as if on fire and that emotionally, she was on tenterhooks – fragile, combustible, close to the edge.
Yes, she was anxious! Horribly so. Her 3 year old son ruled the roost and when the pressures of daily living began to mount, she often found it difficult to cope. Rather than take the hard line she caved in to her son’s incessant demands. He smelled a rat as kids have the knack of doing, and played her for the fool. She didn’t let him down. It was easier to comply with a sigh than to subject herself to the ceaseless whingeing – and the temper tantrums. The boy’s father with whom she no longer had relations, was even more generous in his supply of sentimental comfort to the boy and eventually the youngster began to realize that he could do as he pleased when he pleased.
But like all things, if you can find a leak in one place you will be able to find leaks elsewhere. If the home is unstable, work will suffer too. Fatigue and depression had reduced the mother’s effectiveness in the home to survival rather than transformation and this became the new benchmark of successful living – an attitude that spilled over into every other aspect of her life from shopping to recreation and rejuvenation. If your focus is on survival you will only be interested in getting by. If your focus is on transformation, you will be moved to do things differently.
And there is a difference between working for a living and living to work (in an inspirational sense) as the disgruntled know only too well. When you work for a living, you become a slave to the work. When you live to work, you set up a vastly different dynamic. Living to work is the same thing as finding your passion, connecting with your purpose, embracing the moment, creating and designing. This approach is inspirational and if executed in a balanced manner, great benefit can be derived.
Later, after stumbling upon something she’d not expected to find, our young woman discovered the truth about anxiety. She began to realize that anxiety is a life-style. It is learned behavior. It is a way of dealing with pressure. And it doesn’t work. It doesn’t work because anxious people can’t relax. And if you can’t relax, decisions are made based on speculation rather than understanding. The urge to speculate is the rush to achieve a desired outcome. It is the fear of not having enough. It stifles creativity. It stamps out the possibility of trust. You can see it in someone’s handwriting, in the movements of the body. You can hear it in the timbre of the voice. But most of all, you can feel the energy of anxiety when it hovers nearby.
The cure for anxiety is to stop. Only when you stop can you see what is directly in front of you. And when you stop, you can feel how tense you are. Let the tension go and release opens the door to transformation. Walk through this door and there is no longer a push for anything to happen outside of what happens. This is what the ancient Chinese meant when the principle of non- interference was first discussed.
Letting Go February 16, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Health Tips, Meditations , add a commentLetting go is a term we often hear with the frequency of a catchphrase used to convey a sense of something important. It is officially part of our language now and is not restricted to the mumbo jumbo of professionals who might refer to it as if it were a body part.
Letting go is actually a process. It is not a thing. Nor is it an achievement. You don’t become something else when you let go but rather you engage in a process of shedding your proverbial skin. Of course, the skin is on the outside of your body and letting go also pertains to the inside.
We tend to cling to our experiences, both the pleasurable and painful ones, and as such, we also develop memories which are stored in the muscles, in the bones, in the ligaments, in the joints, in the tendons, in the organs, as well as in the mind. Unfortunately, it is the memories, pleasurable or painful, which are then used to deal with the challenges we face in the present – and memories are never equipped to deal with the reality of now!
The past cannot really be used to deal efficiently with the present because ‘now’ is different to ‘then’. They may look the same, but they are different. In fact, the current challenge, the problem that we face right now, comes with a unique set of circumstances. We have never faced this set of circumstances before. We may think we have, but we haven’t. A closer inspection will reveal the truth of this.
Unless we can approach the problem with a clean sheet, as it were, free from the memories of what we did last time to solve the problem, the solution will be in adequate. So all we can do is surrender to the fact that an empty mind, free from the burden of expectation, free from the accumulation of memory, free from the pressure imposed by the past, is relaxed and as such, is free from the constraints of any kind.
According to the principles of Oriental medicine, the Colon channel shares a dynamic relationship with the Lung channel. The Colon takes care of the rubbish while the Lung takes care of nourishment. Our task then is to unravel the mystery surrounding this relationship and expose the pearls of wisdom that lie therein.
Letting go is a process. It means that you will have to make some adjustments to the way you think and behave. Not just on Sundays, but from moment-to-moment. Not just when it suits, but as a lifestyle. Not just because you are in pain, but because living is from moment-to-moment.
The adjustments you will need to make are a blend of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual modifications that regulate lifestyle and the way you think about the world, the people in the world, and the things that are happening in the world.
Physical adjustments are usually such things as exercises designed to enable you to release tension and relax on a deeper level. Tai Chi is renowned for this. So too is Qi Gong. Both share a common set of principles and structure that facilitate release, relaxation, and then lead to softness. The good news is that you don’t need to use your mind. Your mind has to empty before you can relax.
Emotional adjustments are usually such things as forming new habits (more appropriately called responses) that require you to avoid indulging in reactions to situations. For example, rather than buy into someone’s predicament, you listen but don’t jump straight in and try to be the hero (like rescuing someone from their fate).
Avoiding the indulgence is one thing. Not taking things personally is another. It requires much practice to conquer this one and you will need to be very disciplined. This is where hanging out with the right people helps. In the same way a business mentor supervises the new kid on the block, you might benefit from a mentor who can help to keep you on track.
Mental adjustments are probably the trickiest. This requires a brand new way of thinking about life, love, the Universe and so on. The first thing to do is learn to distinguish between facts and fantasy. A fact is the actual – what is actually happening. Fantasy is a non-fact. Fantasy is what you would like something to be. Therefore fantasy is the ideal. Fact and fantasy are polar opposites. One begins when the other ends.
The second thing to do when making mental adjustments, is stick to the facts. Do not waiver. This means you avoid getting caught up in the habit of thinking about wishes, wants, hopes, and dreams. If you stay clear of fantasy, reality is like a balm to a weary soul. With practice, you begin to rest in the arms of reality quite comfortably – not numb, but aware, awake and alive!
Spiritual adjustments are none other than deferring to spirit always. In other words, give the credit to spirit. Drop the ego. Find out if you can discover the truth about humility. If you can, you will uncover a secret that few will have a real opportunity to explore. Letting go is part of the equation.
Cheng Man-Ching’s Five Excellences December 16, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Health Tips , add a commentThe famous Tai Chi Chuan teacher Cheng Man-Ching was a supporter of the view that one should pursue the 5 Excellences in order to develop personal integrity! Accordingly, he practiced Tai Chi, Chinese Medicine, and calligraphy, wrote poetry, and treasured his excursions into the world of painting.
I have also held this view of the 5 Excellences (despite the fact that I am not from the East) and have diligently pursued Oriental Medicine for nearly 30 years, classical, acoustic and electric guitar, musical composition, fiction and non-fiction writing, medicinal cooking and in more recent times, Tai Chi Chuan. As such, daily life is for me, an opportunity to cultivate personal development using the world to refine and polish understanding.
I can highly recommend pursuit of the 5 Excellences. Why? Because by doing so, you put some balance into your life and you also develop skills that over time become quite refined.
In other words, if you can find 5 things that you really like doing, and give everything you have to them (relative to your time constraints and so on), you won’t get too stuck and you will find a rhythm that keeps you in the swing of things and responsive to the challenges you will inevitably face from day to day.
There is something rather special about shifting from one form of expression to the other. It also means you never get too obsessive for too long without respite. Having said that, pursuit of the 5 Excellences might well spell the end of Spleen deficiencies!
Wouldn’t Li Gao be proud?
Surviving the ‘Silly Season’ December 9, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Health Tips, Meditations, Wisdom Notes , 1 comment so farAnd so the pendulum swings yet again to mark that time of the year when the festive season is soon to arrive and we prepare for the emotional fallout frequently experienced by those otherwise gainfully employed in pursuit of rest and recreation. There is just cause for the commotion however.
In simple terms, it’s nigh impossible to maintain a sense of balance and harmony when the focus of attention is either on feeding sentiment, pandering to the demands of emotional blackmail, or finding the elusive voice that had previously and mysteriously gone missing.
Lest you get your knickers in a knot though, I’m not saying it’s wrong to celebrate. Nor am I implying that gathering with friends and family over the ‘holy holiday’ is necessarily fraught with negativity. However, the fact remains that we often reserve this time of the year to unleash our carefully measured accumulation of resentment, guilt, and dissatisfaction, on those we deem worthy of the special attention.
Throw in a drink or two or three, and the scene is set if not for a boxing match, then a verbal sling shot competition or something in between that resembles a toxic debate! While there are some that treasure the opportunity to rub shoulders again with long forgotten siblings or relatives and wax lyrical about their many noteworthy accomplishments during the year, others are not so predisposed to exposing their stories even if the perceived benefits of doing so might mean setting the ledger straight.
There are therefore two teams on the field usually – the extroverts who will gladly call a spade a spade – and the introverts who will happily retreat to the silence of the corner. One bludgeons the other until the referee shouts for a timeout!
Once the party hats have been packed away to vegetate for another year in a chest full of mothballs, most have been punished for breaking grandma’s golden rule. ’If you can’t say something nice, don’t say it at all!’
The great test for all of us intent on surviving the silly season ultimately is whether or not we can refrain from projecting our prejudices onto those we claim to love.
Try dispensing with the grog.
See if you can do it!
Don’t eat so much.
Go on! Try.
Listen to whomever it is that is speaking to you without saying a word.
Even if what is being said is absolute drivel, wear it.
Maintain silence and smile.
If you can compliment everyone you meet – find one thing that grabs you about them – and tell them why they inspire you – you’ll become the talk of the town.
You may not end up walking arm in arm with Chrissie Hind but you’ll win over more than you lose.
For those looking to cultivate their spirituality, take the opportunity to practice economy of speech. Keep your mood light. Do not buy into one single projection – either your own or someone else’s. Listen to everyone and look them in the eye. See if you can find their heart spirit. It’ll be there. But you do have have to look.
The 5 Major Health Preservations September 16, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Health Tips, Wisdom Notes , add a commentThe ancients adhered to 5 health preservations.
The 1st is preservation of inner vitality by talking little.
When words spoken are few, energy is not wasted. This becomes more relevant as the years go by. In a nutshell, economy of speech is very clarifying and rejuvenating.
The 2nd is preservation of the kidney by refraining from excessive sex.
What is too much? Without taking into account a working understanding of the principles of Taoist sexology, the rule of thumb for male ejaculation is to multiply your age by .2 – this will mean that a 30 year old should not ejaculate more than once every 6 days (30 multiplied by .2 = 6). There are variations on the theme for women – but this entails a lengthy discussion of physiology in Oriental medicine terms.
The 3rd is preservation of the liver by quelling anger.
In short, the liver dislikes getting hot and dry and is prone to overheating. This can fuel agitation and certainly lead to anger. However, the cause of this emotional disturbance is constraint of the liver’s flow of Qi – otherwise responsible for sprinkling and spreading Qi to the rest of the body.
There is also the issue of the soul’s purpose. Perhaps, an inability to connect with this upsets Qi flow and in depressing its movement, causes a welling of agitation.
The 4th is preservation of the stomach by restricting one’s food and drink.
No doubt many of us eat and drink too much! If you are prone to a big thirst, a big appetite, and a big urination – watch out! As for dietary regulations, refer to the products and courses on www.artofhealth.com.au
The 5th is preservation of the heart by not worrying too much.
A classic says, ‘Sadness and worry move the heart and the organs tremble’. This is quite true. The heart is the abode of the spirit and when it is troubled, spirit no longer has a residence!
Two Old Men – Two Spiritual Giants September 4, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Health Tips, Meditations, Wisdom Notes , 1 comment so farLao Tzu and Ekiken have a few things in common.
For starters, they both spoke the truth.
And secondly, they both understood the human condition.
Lao Tzu once said, ‘One’s life is in one’s own hands, not in heaven’s.’
Of course, you are given life by heaven at birth, but its length depends on how well you take care of it.
Ekiken said, ‘Until a person gets to be fifty years of age, his blood and vital spirit are not yet stable and his wisdom has not yet developed. What he says is frequently mistaken, and what he does he often regrets.’
The moral of the story is change your attitude – and be sure to take care of your body as well as your mind!
Tai Chi – The Art of Unlocking May 22, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Health Tips, Meditations, Wisdom Notes , add a commentAustralian Tai Chi master Tony Ward, has a beautiful understanding of this ancient martial art and it is a pleasure to watch him in action as he simultaneously explains the principles to students and demonstrates. His basic premise is that the practice of Tai Chi is designed to unlock the body’s plethora of resistances – habituated responses to challenges – stored in muscle memory.
Based on the teachings of his master and passed down in the traditional manner, Tony insists that the essence of Tai Chi is to be discovered in stillness. In other words, training is designed to cultivate a deep personal relationship to quietude and stillness. In the process, the practitioner learns to passively watch what is actually happening in the body as the struggle to release tension escalates. It is a struggle because the mind puts up quite a fight – it doesn’t like it when distractions are disallowed and awareness is instead focused on the moment-to-moment reality.
Tony Ward suggests that the body’s habituated responses to the challenges it faces, creates energy blockages and these must be unblocked in order to literally open up! From this it is evident that there is a strong connection between the body and the mind. What happens to one, naturally affects the other.
Yet, placing attention on maintaining open awareness (e.g. ‘My legs feel very heavy’) without judgment (e.g. ‘This is painful and I want to get out of here but I’ll stay with it’), is the key to transformation. The body can be the vehicle therefore through which to calm the mind and vice-versa.
Happiness… when the children leave home May 9, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Health Tips, Meditations, Personal Freedom, Psychology, Wisdom Notes , 6 commentsAccording to Daniel Gilbert, a professor of psychology at Harvard University and author of the book ‘Stumbling on Happiness’, the happiness of people goes into steep decline after they have children and is never recovered until they leave home. This is despite investing so much time and energy and money in their children! At a conference in Sydney recently devoted to the exploration of happiness, over 2000 delegates also discovered that the continued accumulation of money did nothing for happiness and interfered with people finding other sources of joy.
The moral of the story is that if you think having a baby will bring you happiness, think again! And this brings us to an interesting point. It begs the question, what is happiness? And, how do you tap into it?
According to the ancient sages, freedom from emotional entanglement is the measure of happiness. So what is emotional entanglement then? In a word, it is very simply ‘attachment’ to either ‘this’ or ‘that’. And most of us spend the bulk of our waking moments dedicated to the preservation of these attachments – whatever they may be – and with whomever. Unfortunately, attachments only serve to strengthen the fear of losing what one has become attached to and this sets in motion the vicious cycle of entanglement.
If happiness is caused, watch out! True happiness has no cause and comes into being quite naturally when the urge to be somewhere else or do something else comes to an end. This is called being in the moment. When awareness is from moment to moment, the observer and the observed merge and there is no separation between them.
Meditate on this!
Oriental Mind Secrets – Geoffrey Interview with James Brown #1 December 22, 2007
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Health Tips, Interview Transcripts, Personal Freedom, Philosophy, Psychology, Wisdom Notes , 1 comment so farORIENTAL MIND SECRETS
‘From the Top’
1st Interview between Geoffrey Wilson and James Brown
Geoffrey Wilson (Copyright September 2007)
INT. OFFICE — CONTINUOUS
(JB to listeners)
JB
Hello everybody and welcome to oriental mind secrets, an audio series designed to provide you the listener with access to the amazing work of Geoffrey Wilson – author of a remarkable distance learning course on oriental
psychology.
(JB to Geoff)
JB (CONT’D)
And hello to you, Geoff. What’s happening down under?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
The weather here in Sydney is gorgeous at the moment – but we’re not here for the weather, are we JB? We’re here to talk about oriental mind secrets.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
I miss the Sydney weather to be honest, Geoff. You can’t tell me morning meditations followed by a walk on the beach aren’t to die for?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
You’ve got a point JB. That’s how my days start when the sun is out. I’m a lucky man.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
Some people say we make our luck, Geoff. What’s your take on luck?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
Good question. I think there are two aspects to luck really. One aspect is staying true to your vision.
(MORE)
2.
GEOFF (CONT’D)
When you stay true to your vision and your spiritual plan, your heart energy aligns with your higher soul purpose. Amazing things happen as a result. The second aspect of luck is that good fortune seems to smile on those who are favoured by the grace of God – that little piece of serendipity that comes the way of people who consciously live in
such a way that the laws of cause and effect are respected and followed. Living in this way, the interval between cause and effect never gets too wide – which means there are fewer messes to clean up – unnecessary time is
therefore not spent on doing things that are not productive.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
So what you are saying is that everybody is capable of receiving their fair share of luck as long as they abide by the spiritual rules.
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
Precisely. Another way of saying much the same thing is to suggest the term ‘creative living’. When we live creatively, fear is removed as a response to the challenges we face – and in its place, we discover that the vision is everything. When you live in your vision, your heart automatically governs proceedings – in other words, your thoughts and feelings are elevated to perform a more spiritually aligned function in keeping with a higher purpose.
When this purpose is shared, we discover we aren’t alone.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
On that note then Geoff, how do you see your purpose?
(Geoff to JB)
3.
GEOFF
It has evolved over time I think, JB. Initially, I was immersed in the process of learning what oriental medicine actually is – how it operates, the principles, the art. Once, I became comfortable with my relationship to it, I began to explore outside of the box. I discovered that oriental medicine provides a template for the cultivation and refinement of the complete human being – and that within its structure, it is possible to bring the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects together holistically. I tested this out in the clinic, in the classroom, in every conceivable way. And I learned that in general, people are not aware of the mind,body,spirit connection on a
deep level – that is, as far as it determines their experience of health, balance, and harmony. So as far as purpose goes now, I see myself expanding on playing an educational role. One of the avenues for presenting material
is through seminars and classes. Another avenue that I’m becoming increasingly more interested in is television – presenting holistic medicine in a stimulating and visual way. And of course, distance education is the way of
the future.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
I think you are right, Geoff. The indications certainly are that ‘e learning’ is gaining in popularity. What was it like to design the oriental psychology course? What factors did you have to consider?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
I’ve been involved in curriculum development since 1988. The technical aspects of writing curriculum are straight forward. What I really wanted to do with writing an e course though, was to design the program in such a
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4.
GEOFF (CONT’D)
way that students would be able to get as close as possible to a classroom situation. To do that it was necessary to include stimulating and exciting learning activities that supported their reading. The most important element however, was the selection of the material to be used. The fields of oriental philosophy and medicine are huge – they are literally worlds within worlds. I wanted to make sure there was plenty of reference to the classics -
especially the I-Ching, the Chuang Tzu, the Wu Chen Pi’en, the Huinanzi, and the Art of War.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
What is it about those classics in particular that led to them being included in the course? Let’s start with the I-Ching.
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
The I-Ching is a book of ancient Chinese wisdom and contains the secrets of 64 spiritual principles – keys to successful living – as it were. And successful living depends on self-mastery.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
The Chuang Tzu is a mysterious book thought by some to contain nothing but riddles. Is this true?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
The Chuang Tzu is one of my absolute favourites. In a sense, it is a book of riddles and quite difficult to comprehend without a background in oriental thinking or spiritual practices. It exposes the human condition, sets aside illusions, and does this through storytelling. The book is full of brilliant anecdotes, tales, and stories that are as relevant today as
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5.
GEOFF (CONT’D)
they were when they were written, several thousand years ago. Some of the stories in fact are used in modern psychology as a reference – the famous butterfly dream being a good example.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
What is the significance of the butterfly dream?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
Chuang Tzu has a dream. He wakes up in the morning startled to find he is Chou. He doesn’t know whether Chou has dreamt he is a butterfly or if a butterfly has been dreaming it is Chou. The point of the story is to contemplate the nature of psychological transformation – the butterfly does this instinctively. It simply emerges from they cocoon to discover the joy of flight. A human emerges from the darkness of obscurity at some stage to discover
enlightenment, it is not a simple task and it certainly is not easy. The process of transformation is a struggle because the human has a mind and a mind is something that goes astray! It, the mind, can never be whole – it cannot see the front and back simultaneously – hence, the problem of division. So the journey of transformation for the human is to discover the ending of separateness. This can only be done when distinctions between this and that cease.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
Wow! What about Wu Chen Pi’en?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
The Wu Chen Pi’en is a classic text of spiritual alchemy.
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6.
GEOFF (CONT’D)
It is basically a spiritual guide to penetrate the mysteries of the inner teachings of Taoism – and these are primarily concerned with eliminating the negative and destructive influences of temporal conditioning – so that the mind becomes empty.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
There is also the Huainanzi – the teachings of the masters of Huainan – sometimes called the book of leadership and strategy. It’s an incredible book.
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
Yes. Anyone genuinely interested in the arts of leadership should become familiar with this collection of sayings. The king of Huainan was a ruler of a small principality within the empire of Han dynasty China – second century
BC. He was already quite a distinguished patron of learning when a group of traveling Taoist masters appeared at court. The teachings follow the ancient tradition of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu and reflect the distillation of the essence of Taoist wisdom and the arts of living using a variety of techniques. Written in a period of reconstruction
following centuries of civil wars, the teachings emphasise the deleterious effects of habitual desires, the negative impact of greed and aggression on human psychology, and the importance of self-knowledge.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
Finally Geoff, there is the Art of War, compiled by a mysterious warrior-philosopher, it remains one of the most influential books on strategy in the world today. In essence, what do you think the book is about?
(Geoff to JB)
7.
GEOFF
When viewed in the light of the spiritual tradition of Taoism, the art of war is a study in the psychology of conflict. By understanding conflict, one develops the skills to diffuse or avoid it entirely.
(JB to Geoff
JB
How does that work in a practical
sense?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
The beauty of the art of war as a philosophical treatise on avoiding conflict is that it can be applied to business as readily as it can be applied to the running of a household or a medical practice. Let’s take an example. The famous
general Jia Lin said, ‘The strength or weakness of a country depends on its generals. If the generals help the leadership and are thoroughly capable, then the country will be strong. If the generals do not help the leadership, and harbour duplicity in their hearts, then the country will be weak. Therefore it is imperative to be careful in
choosing people for positions of responsibility.’
(JB to Geoff)
JB
Excellent! I’ve also noticed that you place a lot of emphasis on finding a way for students to reconnect with their purpose.
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
Without an awareness of purpose, life can seem like an endless struggle and sometimes this can lead to the experience of negative thoughts and feelings that inhibit and obstruct spiritual growth and development.
(JB to Geoff)
8.
JB
What do you think gets in the way of connecting with purpose? Are there warning signs that we might be able to recognise?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
There are many. Usually the warning is one of these: You either hate your job or see it as going nowhere fast. Your relationship is either in a rut or you both are going your own separate ways and too afraid to address it. Unresolved issues with mother and father or brother and sister guarantee resentment and blame, and strengthen a case for separation – which is counterproductive. You have money problems that don’t seem to ever go away despite your best attempts to do the right thing. You suffer from chronic health problems that are getting worse and you want to get fixed – as opposed to participating in the process and doing the inner work. Your circle of friends is exclusive and rarely expands to invite now experiences and a welcoming of fresh attitudes. Creativity suffers a loss because you don’t allow for recreation of any kind – and perhaps you have forgotten how to play. You have no relationship to your own sacred space and cannot find a point of sanctuary within that serves as a spiritual refuge. You think with your mind instead of your heart – sentimentality triumphs over love – the connection is therefore cut.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
Your students insist that your contribution to the development of oriental medicine in the west has been to design a metaphysical approach that makes it possible to understand how the medicine works and involves the participant
directly. It is quite unique. How would you define this approach?
(Geoff to JB)
9.
GEOFF
There are three kinds of doctor. The first treats the symptoms. The second treats the cause. The third teaches the way of life – governed by the principles of balance and harmony. When something is wrong in the body and mind, it is because these principles have been neglected. Make the corrections and health can be restored.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
Can you give some examples of how this works?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
Sure. Unfulfilled desires lead to depression. This upsets the energy of the liver. When the energy of the liver is unbalanced, the ethereal soul suffers from neglect and this disconnects the sufferer from living the vision and supporting the life purpose. The medicine therefore consists of reconnecting the sufferer with vision and purpose. Once this is done, the depression lifts. This can be achieved through acupuncture, herbal medicine, effective strategy, and spiritual practice. In other words, to connect with vision, there has to be a sense of higher purpose.
Without this, most people get frustrated, become angry, and look for ways to engage the emotional volcano. The bottom line is that all physical disorders are spiritual disorders. All disorders have a relationship to the internal organs, and each of the organs stores an aspect of the mental-spiritual dynamic.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
Wow. So what you’re saying is that psychology drives the body.
(Geoff to JB)
10.
GEOFF
Correct. And there are five aspects of psychology to consider in relation to the body-mind dynamic. Theses are: the ethereal soul stored in the liver, the spirit stored in the heart, the intellect stored in the spleen, the corporeal soul stored in the lung, and the willpower stored in the kidneys.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
What functions do each of them perform?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
The ethereal soul stored in the liver is to the psyche what the corporeal soul is to the body. Psychologically, the corporeal soul stored in the lung is the realm of the body unconscious – with its storehouse of sensations, emotions, passions, and feelings that represent the neurological intelligence of human beings.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
Fine, that’s the ethereal soul and the corporeal soul. What about the heart spirit?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
Psychologically, human beings are assaulted by a lack of intimacy in relationships that is exacerbated by the modern lifestyle and the ramifications of responding to it in a state of de-sensitisation. Many people in fact, use the technique of rationalising themselves into insensitivity, as Robert Aitken puts it, because the levels of shock experienced while living in the world are too intense – and numbing out is an effective, if not dangerous and ultimately destructive, coping mechanism. In simple terms, numbing out is a protective mechanism.
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11.
GEOFF (CONT’D)
Unfortunately, activation of the rationalising policy inhibits the capacity for the heart spirit to be satisfactorily nourished.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
It would seem so. And the intellect? How does that work?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
Psychologically, disturbances of the intellect stored in the spleen are caused by self-absorption. Worry and obsession are close relatives. Consequently, life experience cannot be transformed into ideas and intentions that
otherwise would become profound expressions of the heart spirit.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
Willpower is a curious phenomenon. Where does it come into the equation in terms of oriental medicine?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
Psychologically, the most recognisable disturbance of the willpower stored in the kidneys is the person who is either caught up in compulsive activity or locked into the inertia of a stagnant lethargy. Without acknowledging
the existence and relevance of the ethereal soul, the corporeal soul, the intellect, the heart spirit, one is distracted by the illusion of self-importance. Drained by life instead of empowered by it, the strong urge to control the world because of fear dissipates any possibility for a sense of trust in the process of life to develop. The willpower is usually disturbed because most people push themselves to the brink of adrenal exhaustion. Without connecting to the source of vitality, artificial measures are relied on to sustain lifestyle
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12.
GEOFF (CONT’D)
and along the way, people get lost in the traffic of competition and ambition.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
How amazing. What a model, Geoff. How many practitioners of oriental medicine do you think understand the mind in this way?
(Geoff to JB)
GEOFF
It depends on their training for the most part, I think. Those who have studied and trained in an environment dominated by the pursuit of academic objectives, tend to miss out on getting a taste for the spiritual tradition
that is the source of the real medicine. Certainly in terms of oriental medicine, Buddhism and Taoism play a big part in the successful and artful expression of diagnosis and treatment. At the end of the day, the quality of spiritual practice will determine the effectiveness of any interaction that takes place between the practitioner and the patient. This is why my favourite teacher told me, there are three kinds of doctor. The first treats the symptoms. He is an ordinary doctor. The second treats the cause. He is thinking bigger but still not getting it. The third teaches the way of life. He is solid as a rock on the inside and as flexible as mercury on the outside. Therefore he can develop endlessly.
(JB to Geoff)
JB
Perhaps this is something we could all aspire to. Thank you so much for the interview Geoff. We have covered much territory and there is certainly plenty of food for thought.
(JB to listeners)
13.
JB (CONT’D)
You heard it from the horse’s mouth folks. I think what we have discussed today provides a platform for deep contemplation. Till we meet again, this is James Brown signing off and fare ye well!
FADE OUT:
8 Lost Secrets To Live Your Life By December 21, 2007
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Health Tips, Meditations, Personal Freedom, Philosophy, Psychology, Wisdom Notes , add a commentLost Secret #1
Each of us is a soul animated by spirit and comes to earth in order to cultivate enlightenment. Once upon a time as the story goes, the floor of heaven opened and all souls went tumbling down through the worlds. Many came to earth of course and formed the consciousness of homo sapiens… housed in the flesh and bones of the human body.
Without knowledge of this secret, the purpose of your life may become confused and as a result you may get distracted and lose your focus.
Lost Secret #2
Soul moves through the endless ages accompanied by the karma acquired from birth to birth. There are several different kinds of karma and each must be worked off (eliminated) before a human being can leave this life permanently.
Without knowledge of this secret, you may fail to reconcile cause and effect in which case you will continue to be the effect rather than the cause of your life.
Lost Secret #3
The opposite is implied in everything. Therefore, it is better to avoid developing preferences for either this or that. In order to see the truth then, one must hold no opinions for or against anything.
Without knowledge of this secret, you may develop bad habits such as the strengthening of prejudices in which case you will experience the conflict of the opposites.
Lost Secret #4
Problems are nothing more than our reactions to things. We become unhappy because we react instead of responding without judgment.
Without knowledge of this secret, you may never experience freedom from judgement in which case peace and harmony will elude you.
Lost Secret #5
We get attached to our feelings, especially when we’re flying high, and we hope it lasts forever. It doesn’t of course, and this is what makes us feel miserable. It is better to see through the things of the world and accept impermanence for what it is without wanting to argue about it.
Without knowledge of this secret, you may find it difficult to adapt to change and consequently get fixated about things. The world is impermanent. Soul is not.
Lost Secret #6
Anger, passion, anxiety, sorrow, and fear, are just reactions to what is going on externally – that is to say, on the outside. In ancient times, they were called the five thieves and the sages made it a point to restrict their influence by cultivating the five virtues of benevolence, compassion, sincerity, true sense, and wisdom.
Without knowledge of this secret, you may become a victim of emotional excess and lose your relationship to personal stability.
Lost Secret #7
The soma/psyche (body/mind) relationship can be understood easily by likening it to a coin. On one side of the coin, are thoughts and emotions arising in our minds. On the other side of the coin, are the respirations (breath) and sensations (pleasures, aches and pains) associated with our bodies.
By observing these carefully, as front and back, we can actually observe the nature of our mental impurities. This is called insight meditation and was discovered by Gautama Sakyamuni (a.k.a. the Buddha).
Without knowledge of this secret, you will not see that whatever has a front also has a back and that the bigger the front, the bigger the back.
Lost Secret #8
You must be able to sink your breath to the lower belly. That’s where the power is. Vital force comes from the waist… the waist is everything! That is why it is important to use the mind instead of force so that the vital energy will follow in the wake of the mind and circulate over the body. This is what is called being lithe in appearance and powerful in essence.
Without knowledge of this secret, you may find it difficult to maintain balance because if the vital force doesn’t follow the mind, chaos ensues and the body becomes confused.