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June/July/Aug 2010
UNDERSTANDING CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE Chinese herbal medicine is one of the major clinical healing modalities in the ancient Chinese medical system. It is not as well-known as acupuncture, possibly due to its complexity and lack of immediate effects compared to acupuncture, which can reduce pain quickly. Chinese herbal medicine is not quite an accurate description of this modality because it employs herbs or plants, minerals, insects (silkworm skin, for example), sea creatures (oyster shells), and animal products such as tiger bones. People who seek help from a practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine are very often confused by what medicines might do to them, how they work, and how they are prepared. THE ROLE OF A HEALER Many years ago as a young, physically fit vegetarian, I faced cancer. I healed myself without medical treatment, a process that required much effort and focus over two years. This personal journey illuminated a great deal about the nature of healing and eventually led me to a new path – working as a healer. When a person is out of balance – physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually – there are many paths they can take to wellness. These include using conventional medicine, altering one’s diet, exercise, new thought patterns, alternative medicine like acupuncture, chiropractic or naturopathy, psychotherapy or hypnotherapy and various spiritual practices. Some will choose to visit a person who is commonly referred to as a “healer.” CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITH CHIA When you think of chia seeds, you most likely think of the tiny seeds that were the joke of a generation as we slathered them on clay sculptures and gleefully watched the sprouting of “green hair” on Homer Simpson and porcupines. Chia seeds (salvia hispanica) are wild seeds with origins in Mexico and Guatemala dating back to pre-Columbian times and have a long history as human food. Domesticated by ancient Mexicans in 2600 BC, these tiny seeds were a staple food of both Native American and Mexican cultures. OSHO REBORN Thirty years ago, he was widely known, and published his voluminous work, as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. (Bhagwan means “blessed one” in Hindi.) Rajneesh’s real name was Chandra Mohan Jain. He was born in 1931 in Kuchwada, India. As he went through the Indian educational system, he became known as a fiercely intelligent, even provocative student. He began public speaking when still in college, and, according to his later recollections, became enlightened when he was twenty-one, “dropping all effort and hope.” Thereafter, came a steady course of public speaking that would culminate in the forming of an ashram in Pune, India. What distinguished Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, aside from his striking intelligence, was his wicked sense of humor and his promotion of the liberation of the individual—to include liberation in the sexual realm. (Rajneesh was also nicknamed “the Sex Guru” in India during this time.) Rajneesh began to attract not only Indian audiences and members, but Westerners, too. A lot of them. See issue for complete article. NOT A QUESTION, BUT A QUEST Man is a quest—not a question, but a quest. A question can be solved intellectually, but a quest must be solved existentially. It is not that we are seeking some answers to some questions; it is that we are seeking some answer to our being. It is a quest, because questions are about others. A quest is about oneself. Man is seeking himself. He knows he is, but he does not know who he is. Hence, a great inquiry arises in the innermost core of every human being at the moment of birth. We can suppress that inquiry, we can divert that inquiry, we can change that inquiry for substitute inquiries, but we cannot kill it. There is no way to kill it, because it is intrinsic to human nature. It is intrinsic to consciousness to know one’s quest. YOUR PEACE IS YOUR DIVINITY How many times have we seen and used terms such as authenticity, intention, and enlightenment? We know serious practice of the vertical path gives us respect for the meaning of these terms, even if they’re overused in the common discourse of our time. Our ability to live the power of the universe – our authenticity – is enhanced through this respect, and is key to living a life of peace. Today’s age of technology and instant communication has facilitated an accelerated spiritual curiosity and sharing of questions, answers and possibilities – a type of spiritual renaissance. This global spiritual unity is increasingly supported through recent discoveries in medicine, quantum physics and mathematics, leading many of us to examine and expand the definition of who we are, the values we exercise and how we make our choices. NUTRITIOUS & DELICIOUS: LE BAR LYONNAIS We had an evening reservation at Le Bar Lyonnais, downstairs from more formal Le Bec Fin, one of the highest rated French restaurants in the world. There were three of us--publisher Anne Khoury, editor Miro Lipinski and myself. As fate would have it, our table downstairs was still occupied, but we were immediately told that, if we didn’t want to wait, there would be a table immediately available to us upstairs at Le Bar Lyonnais, where we could still be served from the more affordable Le Bar Lyonnais menu. We checked out Le Bar Lyonnais, which was a pleasingly cozy and intimate, and found that the couple occupying our table was waiting for desert and coffee. It could be a ten or fifteen minute wait, for sure. Despite the promise of relaxing at the bar nearby while we waited, we truthfully could barely repress our delight at being offered the opportunity to dine at the more spacious and deluxe Le Bec Fin. |
