Perhaps there should have been an Eleventh Commandment extolling the virtues of Stewardship, over the earth and over our bodies.  Perhaps if it were a religious imperative and not simply a moral one, it would be easier to enroll a critical mass of humanity to greater effect.  Perhaps if a parallel were drawn in all of the sacred religions of the world, between the health of an individual and the health of the earth, adherence to the simple tenets of stewardship would be merely a matter of course.  But stewardship is not a matter of course; it is a matter of activism and controversy, and has become the domain of fringe dwelling ideologues.  Environmentalists have become tree huggers and individuals passionate about their personal well-being have been called fanatics, relegated to shopping in our own, “health food” stores.  But in a reactionist society, action is most decisive when our backs are against the wall.  So today, contemporary thinkers, scientists and policy makers are beginning to see the acute necessity of addressing issues that involve our well-being, both in the individual and environmental contexts.  However, even greater, is an undercurrent of creative insight which is challenging the older paradigms.  A crosscurrent has begun to assert itself that suggests there is an intimate relationship between our health as individuals and the health of our earthly home.

 

Any person, who by evolution of awareness, makes the distinctions necessary to treat their bodies as the sacred entities they are, will by extension, adopt a more conscious and responsible relationship to the environment at large. They are not different.  They are the same. As such, there are concentric rings of responsibility and consequence, and the values embraced at the core will naturally impact all of one’s sphere of influence.  Health, both in the individual and the environmental arenas, becomes an act of partnership rather than an act of pushing.  Less activism is necessary in the presence of broader understanding and consciousness.

 

However, by denying our Nature, we circumvent the wisdom that by definition, needs no help; just no interference.  We would be well served to remember that in concert with a Universal Wisdom, we have access to the wellspring of creation, so possibility and health become the norm.

 

Perhaps due to the immediacy of our lives, where gratification has replaced happiness, we have concluded that life’s brevity absolves us of any responsibility to that which will outlast us.  In so doing we diminish the quality and richness from the present and future generations. There is a tenable thread that exists through all of creation as well as all generations.  Past societies not only recognized this, they celebrated it.  They assigned it governance over their cultures.  We, however, focus more on what we have learned over what we have forgotten.  And what has been so easily forgotten are the elements of the Grand Design, without which, we become like rudderless ships adrift in an expansive sea, without purpose and perspective to guide us.  

 

So, it becomes our job then, to cultivate a new awareness. This must not be an ordinary awareness, but one that cuts through many layers of understanding, veils of ignorance and illusions of wrong understanding.  This must be a journey where the final destination is not a place at all but a state of revelation, clarity, lucidity and the articulateness necessary to give it relevance.  A journey back to the center; a journey back to the heart; a  journey back to peace; a journey back to passion; a journey back to laughter; a journey back to love; a journey back to beauty; a journey back to truth; a journey back to God; a journey back to ritual; a journey back to win-win politics; a journey back to respect for the earth, our home; a journey back to adventure; a journey back to health; a journey back to life.  When you arrive, your very life will be a brilliant example for all those in your sphere of influence.

 

Make distinctions for yourself that are so compelling and inspiring you will do whatever is necessary to achieve them.  In so doing, you will know health, perhaps for the first time.  And even greater, you will have reinvented yourself as a philanthropist whose very life is a contribution to the world. Simply by taking a willful stand against those forces of your own life that seek to undermine your greatness and your sacredness.

 

Our bodies, minds and spirit call out for our awakening.  The Earth calls out for our awakening. Listen.

 

David Davis, DC, practices at 158 Danbury Road, Suite 3, Ridgefield. He can be reached at 203-431-7779 or [email protected].