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The Holistic Mystic: |
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Questions of Spirituality
by Lonny Brown, HHc. |
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It's one of those paradoxes of human existence that while one's spiritual nature is arguably the most important dimension of life, it is also the most difficult to speak of. Many people can feel spirituality and recognize it in others, but because of the limits of language and thought, and the subjective nature of the experience, the concept remains difficult to explain. Is there a universal definition, or is spirituality strictly a matter of personal opinion?
Speaking of spirit.
The English language reveals something about our ambiguities - if not our understanding - about spirit. For example, it has always been closely related to the breath: The word inspiration comes from "breathe in," but it means much more than just air. The word conspiracy literally means breathe together. "Spirit" has been used to describe everything from a part of the Holy Trinity to ghosts and goblins. Team spirit (esprit de corps in French) is a popular concept, although we can only describe it by its feeling or effects. And why do we use the word spirits to refer to alcoholic beverages?
The Spirit of Inquiry
• Is spirituality evidenced by certain virtuous traits in people, such as love and compassion?
• Is spirituality a feeling, like connectedness or sacredness?
• Is spirituality determined by special behaviors like forgiveness, charity or service?
• Is spirit a noun, similar to soul?
• Is spirituality a kind of love?
• What does faith have to do with it?
What about Religion?
One way to clarify our understanding of spirituality is to compare it to religion. Of course the two domains frequently overlap; after all, the general "purpose" of religion seems to be to engender and perpetuate spirituality. Nevertheless, when considering the comparison, many people make the following general distinctions.
| Spirituality |
Religion |
| internal source |
external source: inherited, adopted. |
| experiential, personal, self-validating |
belief, dogma, authoritarian |
| individual, non-denominational |
communal, group identity |
| non-denominational, all-inclusive |
defined by differences |
Spiritual Medicine and Healing
The question of human spirituality is gaining importance because we are discovering how the subjective dimensions of faith and belief, as well as religious activities such as prayer, meditation and even regular church attendance can have significant positive impact on health and longevity. Even traditional but controversial spiritual healing practices such as ritual shamanism, laying on of hands and ecstatic trance have been recognized for their therapeutic effects. Researchers are convinced that this is not all placebo effect, making spirituality a "real" force in nature.
These revolutionary findings, coupled with the fact that some ninety percent of Americans profess a belief in God, lead medical forerunners such as Dr. Herbert Benson (founder of Harvard's Mind/Body Medical Institute) to predict that patients' personal faith and beliefs will increasingly be incorporated into mainstream health care, with pastoral counseling, meditation, prayer, and ritual accompanying conventional medical interventions in clinical settings. This will be a sign that while the mystery of spirit continues, we are indeed asking the right questions.
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Lonny Brown,
HHC.
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Lonny J. Brown, HHC is the author of "Self-Actuated Healing" (Naturegraph, Publ.), and "Enlightenment In Our Time," (BookLocker.com/
LonnyBrown).
His writings on holistic health have appeared on AOL's Alternative Medicine Forum and in Alternative Health Practitioner, Yoga Journal, and many other progressive publications.
Lonny Brown teaches holistic health, mind/body healing, and stress reduction courses at hospitals, schools and businesses throughout the US. His Web site also features essays, tapes, books, and links to a variety of integrative health sources.
holistic.com/lonny
lonny@holistic.com
lonnybrown@aol.com
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Send your questions to:
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