Listen to the Music Within The mysterious Angela Monet is quoted as saying, “Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.” Living passionately requires listening to the music within and hearing the music of the world, without being distracted by the noise. As children, most of us were naturally enthusiastic and danced freely to the song playing clearly in our heart. Unencumbered by the accumulation of disappointments and regrets, we approached each day with excitement and exhilaration. But if again and again, your feelings were hurt, your boundaries were crossed, and your basic needs for attention, affection, appreciation, and acceptance were not met, you may have joined the sad ranks of the sane. As the residue of emotional toxicity accumulated in your body, heart, and mind, the natural flow of life energy was impeded. To regain your passion, vitality, and creativity, the most essential step you can take is identifying, mobilizing, and releasing the emotional pain you have carried for so many years. You can begin by asking yourself, “What am I carrying with me from the past that is no longer serving me in the present?” If you recognize that you are harboring unresolved emotional pain, misunderstandings, or toxic beliefs, set the intention to mobilize and release the congested energy. Once you let go of whatever isn’t serving you, you will naturally make choices that are nourishing and life-affirming. When you release your emotional turbulence, the internal noise that has been preoccupying your mind will become quiet and you will be able to hear the music once again. Then, as the Sufi master Hafiz reminds us, you will be able to “cast all your votes for dancing.”

 Love, David

 [ send green star]

The mystery of life is how each of us creates our own reality out of the quantum soup of energy and information in which we’re immersed. The Western viewpoint, since the time of René Descartes, has been to objectify what’s out there, as if it were possible to separate the observer from the observed. The body of scientific knowledge we hold to be true assumes that there is a stable world of form and phenomena that we can understand through rational inquiry.

From this perspective, the body is a machine of molecules, and illness results from chemical mishaps. Following this reasoning, the most effective interventions to restore health are those that manipulate biochemistry through drugs. Your heartburn is the result of too many hydrochloric acid

The Eastern perspective views consciousness as the ground state of existence that conceives, creates, governs, and recycles the world of matter and energy. Human beings are not mere physical machines that precipitate thoughts and feelings; rather, we are fields of awareness, manifesting as bodies and minds, deeply integrated into our ecology of relationships. Illness is a disruption―a blockage―in the flow of energy and information that creates a sense of separation or alienation from the field. Symptoms and sickness are the body’s call for attention to reestablish the loving, nurturing connection between our individuality and universality. Dianne Connelly once said, “All sickness is homesickness.” The consciousness-based perspective calls us to return to wholeness . . . to come back home.

We don’t have to choose one model over the other, for the questions we pose determine the answers we receive. Just as in quantum physics where light can be seen as particles or waves, depending upon the context of the experiment, the body can be seen as matter or consciousness, depending upon our viewpoint. Having access to both worlds enables us to choose the perspective that has the greatest potential for healing and transformation.

With love,
David

 [ send green star]