In The Spirit of Oneness

The basic mood of the future might well be one of confidence in the continuing revelation that takes place in and through the Earth. If the dynamics of the Universe from the beginning shaped the course of the heavens, lighted the sun, and formed the Earth, if this same dynamism brought forth the continents and the seas and atmosphere, if it awakened life in the primordial cell and then brought into being the unnumbered variety of living beings, and finally brought us into being and guided us safely through the turbulent centuries, there is reason to believe that this same guiding process is precisely what has awakened in us our present understanding of ourselves and our relation to this stupendous process. Sensitized to such guidance from the very structure and functioning of the Universe, we can have confidence in the future that awaits the human venture.’’

~ Thomas Berry  “The New Story, The Dream of the Earth”

Scientists from over the world have made important discoveries in recent years regarding our oneness with nature. Thanks to the emerging science of epigenetics * and of the human micro-biome**, we are now becoming more aware of what the ancients and native communities all around the world already knew. It is about our interconnection with the natural world upon which we depend. It is about the interdependence of our human cells and reality within the super-organism that is our home, meaning our physical body, planet and universe. Our health, well-being and future depends on the recognition of this intimate age-old evolving relationship, the understanding and heeding the language of nature, the interconnection between the evolution of original seeds, food and plants as medicine, the micro-biotic system of the living soil and our human micro-biome.

Have we lost our way along our modern evolution? I was recently watching ‘’Cosmos’’ from the late physician Carl Sagan. It reminded me that Aristotle the ancient Greek philosopher of 400 years B.C., already knew of not only the circumference of the earth, but observed and recorded the  movements of the planets in their orbits and the positions of stars within their constellations.

In the same way, Hippocrates the ancient Greek philosopher, doctor and considered the father of Medicine, knew that our body has the astounding ability to heal itself, that food is medicine, and that all diseases start from the gut. We are just starting to understand the value of those profound statements, as if we were waking up to open our eyes and finally see and understand that we are in an intricate relationship with the world in which live. In fact, our organism has evolved under the programming of our universe in constant communication with each of its components. When we look at the complexity of life, we open up to this concept: “As above, so below’’, everything is a reflection of everything else, and we start to see its expression in everything we put our eyes on.

Thomas Berry, cosmologist, cultural historian, author and provocative thinker ( 1914-2009), in his book ‘’The New Earth’’, explains that we have forgotten who we are, the intimate interconnection with the Earth and the whole Universe. That the ancient people and indigenous people all over the planet knew how to relate to the deities of nature, cultivating an extraordinary intimacy with the natural world. They understood and related to the four elements: earth, water, air and fire (light), upon which every expression of life depends. Not only have we lost our connection to the natural world but we forgot who we are. Also, according to Berry we have lost what they called the ‘’Wisdom of Women’’. It is the nurturing, intuitive and sensitive part of our being that knows how to relate with our surroundings and care for all life on the planet. Feminine wisdom is distinguished by an emphasis on non-duality, intuition, introspection and subjectivity, and is also the source of visions and dreams. More than ever, we need a vital change of  consciousness, culture and transformation of the ways we actually live with one another and in relation to the ultimate sources of life, its renewal and to the cosmos.  We need to move away from the concept of one superior culture, patriarchal dominance and the psychology and mechanistic views that entertain gender and cultural separation, disconnection of the mind and emotions from the body and of our physical nature from the Universe.

Berry brings our attention to the bare truth: since the 1980s, we humans have stopped replenishing our resources that we are engineering, corrupting and destroying all over. We continue to use our natural world as material commodity as if irresponsible, immature and unconscious children. The truth is that nature can not renew itself as quickly as it is destroyed and, as he reminds us: “Human health is a subsystem of the Earth’s health. You cannot have well humans on a sick plane.”

As Plato wisely said: “The part can never be well unless the whole is well.”

I invite you to take your vision here on earth to the limitless and creative expressions of nature, particularly the vegetal world of food and plants, where everything is coded to be potentially Medicine or Medicinal.

This body that we live in is a truly astonishing computer that recognizes the signals of its environment. It is in a constant mode of operation over which we have no control, except for choosing to support or not its infinite functions. Think of our digestive system. Our digestion starts with the brain’s sensory experience of seeing food, smelling it and anticipating it. Already, the computer sends signals to our endocrine system to start releasing saliva and enzymes in preparation for digestion. Now, lets introduce into our mouth a black peppercorn. At that moment, because of the peppercorn’s medicinal properties, and because our food and body have evolved together for millions of years as one organism, the brain recognizes its code and sends a signal to the parietal cells of the stomach to release hydrochloric acid which is necessary for the food absorption and digestion. All of this happens completely unconsciously because we live in this astounding organism that has more complexity than we will ever be able to imagine. Our sacred temple is performing these extraordinary tasks that we take for granted for our well being, completely at our service, without us having to ever worry about having to breathe, pump the heart or assimilate nutrients, water and oxygen. And that in complete inter relationship with the Super-Organism that provides the naturally coded seeds, food, nutrients, air, water, and light necessary for us to thrive.

Furthermore, there is no life on earth without the light of the sun. We are the children of the sun. All our seven systems: nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, digestive, immune, musculoskeletal and reproductive are wired to interact and depend on the natural light of the day, and to the different cycles of time throughout day and night. For example, the adrenals start their functions at 4:00 am and slow down twelve hours later. This explains the old saying : ” early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”.  The pituitary gland is stimulated by the morning light which in turns  affects the pineal gland and the adrenals  for immunity and survival. We also have monthly moon cycles and cycles similar to the changing seasons, like life growth hormones etc…In the same way that our life depends on natural food so does our food depend on the sun light and other rhythms of seasons and of the universe.

Someone said: “Know yourself and you will understand the universe…’’ When we start to realize that we have so much more to understand about the beauty and perfection of our body, the world and ultimately of the Universe we live in, we start to trust in its magnificence and wisdom. We then realize the sacredness of our ecosystem and the necessity to protect our sacred seeds, food, natural environment and to develop a mutually enhancing human presence upon the Earth. We need to create a New Story!

“Ultimately, the entire universe has to be understood as a single, undivided whole,
in which analysis into separately and independently, existent parts has no fundamental status.”

~ David Bohm, physicist

*Epigenetic: genes are turned on and off, not by the genes themselves, but through external, environmental stimuli.

**Microbiome: the totality of microorganisms and their collective genetic material present in or on the human body.

 HEALTH TIP OF THE MONTH

 RECIPE OF THE MONTH

INSPIRATION OF THE MONTH

In the Spirit of Oneness, to continue to be inspired on our relationship to health, our earth and universe, here is a short interview of three minutes with Thomas Berry in his latest days. All his life. he advocated deep ecology, “eco-spirituality”, and I would add eco-responsibility. He is famous for proposing that a deep understanding of the history and functioning of the evolving universe is a necessary inspiration and guide for our own effective functioning as individuals and as a species.

And again…

I am excited to share my passion about this very empowering subject that is the Spirit of Oneness which is going to revolutionize our way of living, growing food, treating animals and caring for each other and for our environment. As we become more aware of these new opportunities, it is going to change not only the way we see our world but our relationship to it, moving us all toward the New Earth that we are yearning for. It is all very exciting!

In Gratitude, Love, Health and Happiness,
Denise

‘Let the seeds be exhaustless,
let it never get exhausted,
let it bring forth seed next year’’

~ Old Peasant’s Prayer.  India