I have no other reason or excuse for posting these music video clips than I enjoy them.
This is another one I edited myself.

Proverbs 16

1THE PLANS of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man, but from the Lord comes the [wise] answer of the tongue.

2All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits (the thoughts and intents of the heart).^(A)

3Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

4The Lord has made everything [to accommodate itself and contribute] to its own end and His own purpose–even the wicked [are fitted for their role] for the day of calamity and evil.

5Everyone proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting, hateful, and exceedingly offensive to the Lord; be assured [I pledge it] they will not go unpunished.^(B)

6By mercy and love, truth and fidelity [to God and man--not by sacrificial offerings], iniquity is purged out of the heart, and by the reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord men depart from and avoid evil.

7When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

8Better is a little with righteousness (uprightness in every area and relation and right standing with God) than great revenues with injustice.^(C)

9A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.^(D)

10Divinely directed decisions are on the lips of the king; his mouth should not transgress in judgment.

11A just balance and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights of the bag are His work [established on His eternal principles].

12It is an abomination [to God and men] for kings to commit wickedness, for a throne is established and made secure by righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation).

13Right and just lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right.

14The wrath of a king is as messengers of death, but a wise man will pacify it.

15In the light of the king’s countenance is life, and his favor is as a cloud bringing the spring rain.

16How much better it is to get skillful and godly Wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.^(E)

17The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; he who guards his way preserves his life.

18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

19Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the meek and poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20He who deals wisely and heeds [God's] word and counsel shall find good, and whoever leans on, trusts in, and is confident in the Lord–happy, blessed, and fortunate is he.

21The wise in heart are called prudent, understanding, and knowing, and winsome speech increases learning [in both speaker and listener].

22Understanding is a wellspring of life to those who have it, but to give instruction to fools is folly.

23The mind of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning and persuasiveness to his lips.

24Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body.

25There is a way that seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.

26The appetite of the laborer works for him, for [the need of] his mouth urges him on.

27A worthless man devises and digs up mischief, and in his lips there is as a scorching fire.

28A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.^(F)

29The exceedingly grasping, covetous, and violent man entices his neighbor, leading him in a way that is not good.

30He who shuts his eyes to devise perverse things and who compresses his lips [as if in concealment] brings evil to pass.

31The hoary head is a crown of beauty and glory if it is found in the way of righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation).^(G)

32He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he who rules his [own] spirit than he who takes a city.

33The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him].

Cross references:

1. Proverbs 16:2 : I Sam 16:7; Heb 4:12
2. Proverbs 16:5 : Prov 8:13; 11:20-21
3. Proverbs 16:8 : Ps 37:16; Prov 15:16
4. Proverbs 16:9 : Ps 37:23; Prov 20:24; Jer 10:23
5. Proverbs 16:16 : Prov 8:10, 19
6. Proverbs 16:28 : Prov 17:9
7. Proverbs 16:31 : Prov 20:29

Mr. Tzu lays forth an axiom, which is common knowledge among nation states, malevolent neighbors, competing corporations, and department store shoppers on the day after thanksgiving, i.e. deception is absolutely necessary to prevail in a “dog-eat-dog world.”

If this is true, what does this say about God?
As a faithful believer in Christ and the Father, I believe that God cannot lie. Deception is antithetical to Jesus’ nature.

How does the axiom relate to faith in an Omni-benevolent Creator, who never deceives, and yet is at war with the adversary of humankind?

Our nation is at war. Our generals and president understand Sun Tzu’s axiom and employ this principal at all turns. We, as citizens are not privy to truth of the war, because when we know truth, the enemy of the state necessarily has the same knowledge.

Scott, on this blog, has been rightly critical of the leaders of the USA, because of their duplicity in disseminating “knowledge”. Yet, the leaders are following the axiom that the world has established for the Art of War. How does one accept these paradoxes?

Your thoughts are important.
God bless,
DSM

We turn away to face the cold, enduring chill
As the day begs the night for mercy love
The sun so bright it leaves no shadows
Only scars
Carved into stone
On the face of earth
The moon is up and over One Tree Hill
We see the sun go down in your eyes

You run like a river, on to the sea
You run like a river runs to the sea

And in the world a heart of darkness
A fire zone
Where poets speak their heart
Then bleed for it
Jara sang - his song a weapon
In the hands of one
whose blood still cries
From the ground

He runs like a river runs to the sea
He runs like a river to the sea

I don’t believe in painted roses
Or bleeding hearts
While bullets rape the night of the merciful
I’ll see you again
When the stars fall from the sky
And the moon has turned red
Over One Tree Hill

We run like a river
Runs to the sea
We run like a river to the sea
And when it’s raining
Raining hard
That’s when the rain will
Break the heart

Raining…raining in your heart
Raining into your heart
Raining…raining into your heart
Raining, raining…raining
Raining into your heart
Raining…
Raining your heart into the sea

Oh great ocean
Oh great sea
Run to the ocean
Run to the sea

My four year old son and eight year-old daughter are currently obsessed with Curious George.

PBSKIDS.ORG has been getting its share of hits from their little IMac in our library.
Many trees have been recreated in the image of a cute little primate and a fellow dressed in all yellow.

My son is also going through a stage of curiosity to match his newest animated obsession.

So, this thought seems very appropriate and it comes by way of my brother. He asked me about the difference between sins, which initially entice people through innocent curiosity and then those that latter dog people until their marriages collapse from two dimensional sexual relationships online, or maybe until their 3D veins collapse from needles filled with chemical nirvana.

The issue is the power of knowledge.
Both, knowledge & power are often discussed by teachers and politicians alike.

The mantra comes as “Knowledge is Power.”

And it is true enough. Satan didn’t offer an absolute lie to Eve and Adam. They did get knowledge, after-all. And consider the power that devolved from accepting will over their own destinies. Yes, I control my own destiny. POWER IS MINE.

The fruit was there daily.
It was pleasing to the eye.
It was new and unexplored
What would it be like to be God? Curiosity!

Our ability to abstain from moral degradation is far more manageable prior to knowledge, than after the first taste of the forbidden fruit.
Just ask an alcoholic. ‘If only I had never taken that first drink.’
Ask a “crank” (methamphetamine) addict. ‘If I had never taken the first hit.’
Ask a porn addict, gambling addict, sex addict, extreme X game junky, blogger addict, etc. etc. ad infinitum ad nauseum.

Whatever, we are talking about, whether its lying, cheating, stealing, or killing; Once the knowledge of the carnal thrill moves across our spiritual palate, we are forever haunted by the ‘joy’ of our vise. Now our personal demon has our number, he knows where our armor is weak. Our heal is exposed to the continual rain of arrows from the Nemesis of humanity. Our knowledge erodes away our will for holiness and we are justly forced to fight our spiritual battles with the enemy inside the gates.

There is no escape from our knowledge and our hubris, because we consumed that, for which we had no appetite, only a vague curiosity of what could be.

The same temptation is therefore both the weakest and the strongest. The perspective of knowledge is the only difference between them.

So take caution.
The tree; the knowledge is power, indeed.
But, do you need food or power?

God bless,
DSM

I just awoke from a dream and decided to set this all down in a post:

Ecclesiastes 3 (King James Version)

Ecclesiastes 3

1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

9What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

10I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

12I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

13And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

14I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

15That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

16And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

17I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

18I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

19For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

20All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

21Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

22Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

_______________________________

These are some heavy thoughts with heavy implications. There are many great theological points and observations and even spiritual dynamics in this one passage. It tells us a good deal about freewill and God’s “purpose” for us as individuals. But it also tells us a great deal about theological truth and the sovereignty of God.

Contemplate this:

“yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast”

Ruach (Ruah) is Hebrew for ‘breath,’ and represents spirit- literally, the breath of God, synonymous with life. The root of the word is related to words meaning voice, thunder, and wind.

(hmmm this sounds very much like the American Indian concept of “The Great Spirit” or the spirit/medicine power that emantes from and/or is synonymous with the Creator. It is the power and presence called for in prayers.)

“The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.”
(Job 33:4)

The Great Spirit is a conception of a supreme being prevalent among Native American and First Nations cultures. Also called Wakan Tanka in Lakota, The Creator, or The Great Maker in English and Gitchi Manitou in Algonquian and Provider in Cherokee. In Cherokee, the personal name of God was often rendered as Yehowa. Does that sound familiar? Some claim that this name is a syncretistic corruption. Others claim that this is an ancient usage that came with the Cherokees from the beginning.

The Great Spirit is generally considered equivalent in description to God of the main monotheistic religions (such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism). These main religions often describe a being who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. They believe that God speaks through human intermediaries and issues spiritual laws that human beings are to follow, and an afterlife is promised. However the Great Spirit differs in that his panentheistic nature is especially emphasised; he is embodied in everything. This “embodiment in everything” IS actually a Biblical concept as well- as understood in the Hebrew term ruach. This term, ruach, can actually be thought of to include everything, in that afterall everything originates from the creative power of God. In American Indian thought, the concept of ruach is expanded a bit to allow for not only intelligent life, but all life and all matter which afterall does have at least the intelligence of an acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God… because the abscence of God is NOTHINGNESS… no matter would exist… one atom would not be formed. Creation itself gives testimony and witness from its existence, its order, its balance, its nurturing quality, the fact that it contains intelligence and the existence of morality and/or moral order such as it is:

Romans 1:20
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (for not seeing and/or acknowledging the sovereignty of God).

The only thing missing from American Indian theology was the Christ. History could have been much different for them if the people “evangelizing” them had generally been better living examples with better theological understanding themselves and also better understanding of those whom they sought to teach about God.

The Spirit of YHVH is YHVH Himself…

In the Tanakh, the word ruach generally means wind, breath, mind, spirit. In a living creature (nephesh chayah), the ruach is the breath, whether of animals (Gen 7:15; Psa 104:25, 29) or mankind (Isa 42:5; Ezek 37:5). God is the creator of ruach: “The ruach of God (from God) is in my nostrils” (Job 27:3). In God’s hand is the ruach of all mankind (Job 12:10; Isa 42:5). In mankind, ruach further denotes the principle of life that possesses reason, will, and conscience. The ruach imparts the divine image to man, and constitutes the animating dynamic which results in man’s nephesh as the subject of personal life.

When applied to God, the word Ruach indicates creative activity (Gen 1:2) and active power (Isa 40:13). The Spirit of God also works in providence (Job 33:4; Psa 104:30), in redemption (Ezek 11:19; Ezek 36:26-27), in upholding and guiding his chosen ones (Neh 9:20; Psa 143:10; Hag 2:5), and in the empowering of the Messiah (Isa 11:2; Isa 42:1; Isa 61:1).

In short, as the ruach is to the created nephesh, so the Ruach Elohim is to God Himself, part of God and identified with God. Ruach may be understood as the Author of the animating dynamic of the created order, the underlying Principle of creation, and the One that imparts the nephesh to the entire universe.

Ancient Israelite Concepts of Soul

The Bible gives few clues to the ancient Israelite idea of the soul or spirit. Three words which over time developed the meaning of “soul” are present in Tanakh: Neshamah, Nefesh, and Ruah. Tracing the evolution of these terms gives us some idea of the ancient Israelites’ beliefs regarding the soul.

In the Creation story, we read of God blowing a “breath of life” into the man of earth and dust (Genesis 2:7). The word used is a form of the Hebrew root indicating breath. Although this “neshamah” later becomes associated with the soul, the word here only describes the element that animates a body. This animating element is not, in early biblical tradition, separate from the body in life, nor does it possess any personality.

Similarly, ruah is the animating force from God. Most often used as “wind,” ruahmay also be used as “breath.” “God said, ‘My breath [ruhi] will not govern man forever, since he is flesh…’” (Genesis 6:3). Here, we see the added element of transience: The ruah ends its association with the mortal body at death.

The word nefesh is often used to mean “person” or “living being”. In the Torah, however, animals may also possess this life force–a “nefesh behemah.” The term nefesh is particularly associated with blood, as in “the life [nefesh] of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11).

Nefesh does reflect a personal dimension. It may be used in the sense of “self” (including “himself”). Nefesh is also associated with personal desire or attraction. One’s nefesh may cleave to someone (as in the case of Shehem’s yearning for Dinah, Jacob’s daughter), or to evil (see Proverbs 21:10). In a later example of this usage, a person of considerable appetite is called “ba’al [possessor of] nefesh” (Proverbs 23:2). In all of these usages, the nefesh is connected to the body and its material wants.

In later books of the Bible, the soul (using all three terms) is mentioned apart from the body and as more than just an animating spirit. This subtle evolution of meaning reflects the growth of the idea of what we call the soul–the unique, everlasting, intangible part of a person. In the stunning poem that serves as the centerpiece of the last chapter of Ecclesiastes, the death of a person is described as occurring when “… the dust returns to the ground where it had been and the ruah returns to the God who had given it” (12:7). While previously we saw the life-breath leaving the body at death, here we see it as a separate entity that returns to God, rather than simply disappearing.

Nephesh

Appendix 13 to The Companion Bible

The word nephesh occurs 754 times in the Hebrew Old Testament.

In the A.V. and R.V. it is translated “soul” 472 times, while in the other 282 places it is represented by forty-four different words or phrases. In fifty-three of these places there is a marginal rendering which calls attention to the fact that the word is “nephesh“, while in 229 passages the English reader has hitherto been left in ignorance of the fact. The English word “soul” is in every occurrence the rendering of the Hebrew nephesh, except in Job 30:15 and Isa. 57:16.

Though, with these two exceptions, the English word “soul” always represents the Hebrew nephesh, nephesh is not always translated “soul”.

This Appendix will exhibit all the varieties of translation; and, while it is not intended to teach either Theology or Psychology, it will give such information as will enable every Bible reader to form his own views and come to his own conclusions on an important subject, about which there is such great controversy.

This can be done only by giving every occurrence of the Hebrew word nephesh.

The usage of the word nephesh by the Holy Spirit in the Word of God is the only guide to the true understanding of it.

It will be seen that the word “soul”, in its theological sense, does not cover all the ground, or properly represent the Hebrew word “nephesh“. The English word “soul” is from the Latin solus = alone or sole, because the maintenance of man as a living organism, and all that affects his health and well-being, is the one sole or main thing in common with every living thing which the LORD God has made. The correct Latin word for the theological term “soul” (or nephesh) is anima; and this is from the Greek anemos = air or breath, because it is this which keeps the whole in life and in being.

The first occurrence of nephesh is in Gen. 1:20, “the moving creature that hath life (nephesh)”. (*1)

The following are twelve classifications of nephesh :

I. Nephesh is used of the lower animals only, in twenty-two passages, and is rendered in nine different ways :–

II. Nephesh is used of the Lower Animals and Man in seven passages, and rendered in three different ways :–

III. Nephesh is used of Man, as an individual person, in 53 passages, and is rendered in six different ways :–

IV. Nephesh is used of Man, as exercising certain powers, or performing certain acts (may be often well rendered by emphatic pronouns), in ninety-six passages, and with eleven different renderings :–

V. Nephesh is used of Man, as possessing animal appetites and desires, in twenty-two passages, rendered in five different ways :–

VI. Nephesh is used of Man, as exercising mental faculties, and manifesting certain feelings and affections and passions, in 231 passages, and rendered in twenty different ways :–

VII. Nephesh is used of Man, (a) as being “cut off” by God; (b) and as being slain of killed by man, in fifty-four passages : and is rendered in eight different ways :–

VIII. Nephesh is used of Man as being mortal, subject to death of various kinds, from which it can be saved and delivered and life prolonged, in 243 passages, rendered in eleven different ways :–

IX. Nephesh is used of man, as actually dead, in thirteen passages, and is rendered in three different ways :–

X. Nephesh, in thirteen passages (all rendered “soul”), is spoken of as going to a place described by four different words, rendered as shown below :–

i. “sheol” = THE grave (as distinct from keber, A grave), gravedom (or the dominion of death), in five passages, rendered in this connection in two different ways :–

1. “grave”. Ps. 30:3 (R.V. “Sheol”); 89:48 (R.V. “Sheol”, marg. grave). (Cp. Ps. 49:15). (2)
2. “hell”. Ps. 16:10 (R.V. “Sheol”); 86:13 (marg. grave. R.V. “pit”, marg. lowest Sheol). Prov. 23:14 (R.V. “Sheol”, marg. the grave). (3)

ii. “shachath” = a pit (for taking wild beasts); hence, a grave. The Septuagint and New Testament take it in the sense of corruption; but, if so, not implying putridity, but destruction. Occurs in six passages, and is rendered in two different ways :–

1. “pit”. Job 33:18, 28, 30. Ps. 35:7. Isa. 38:17. (5)
2. “grave”. Job 33:22 (R.V. “pit”). (1)

iii. “shuchah” = a deep pit (cp. all the occurrences, Prov. 22:14; 23:27. Jer. 2:6; 18:20, 22). In one passage only :–

1. Pit. Jer. 18:20. (1)

iv. “dumah” = silence. Ps. 94:17. (1)

Total = 754

(*1) It is used of the lower animals four times before it is used of man; and out of the first thirteen times in Genesis, it is used ten times of the lower animals.

1 Corinthians 2:14-15

14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment.

That means we are supposed to discern of all things- hold to that which is good and true and beautiful and helpful and throw out the rest. On that note… here is useful information:

Traditional [Native American] Indian Medicine
Treatment of Chronic Illness:

Development of an integrated program with conventional medicine and evaluation of effectiveness

Lewis E. Mehl-Madrona, M.D., Ph.D.

1990 North Kolb Road
Tucson, AZ 85715
Phone: 520-304-6898
Fax: 520-621-3249
Email: mehlmadrona@aol.com

Summary :

Increasingly, traditional Native American healing practices are being requested by Native Americans and non-Natives alike. A series of meetings among traditional Native American healers and the author resulted in a dialogue between the Native American world view and that of biomedicine. Recommendations arose for how treatment should proceed in the modern world and how best to introduce interested non-Natives to Native American healing practices. An approach was developed for bridging cultures to facilitate the interaction of non-Natives with traditional healers.

One hundred sixteen patients were treated in this manner by the author in conjunction with traditional Native American healers. More than 80% of patients showed significant, persisting benefits of a time-intensive treatment program. A comparison group of patients derived from the author’s emergency room patients showed significantly lower rates of improvement. The author suggests that an intensive treatment experience (inspired by Native American practices) over 7-10 days for treating chronic physical illness achieves both health benefits and improved cost utility.

The treatment philosophy underlying this approach and communicated by the traditional healers is best described as general systems theory, or that of dynamic energy systems. Within this theoretical framework, physical illness can be treated by counseling and ceremony, since illness is viewed as simultaneously spiritual, mental, and physical. Because of the interaction and hierarchical embeddedness of these levels, intervention at any one level should affect any other.

Reults excerpts:

2. Healing takes place within the context of a relationship. The healers recognized that the quality of their relationship with the sick person was important in helping that person to find wellness. The better the relationship, the more likely was success. They recognized the relationship as a kind of container or vessel for the baking of the cake. “You wouldn’t put cake mix in the oven by just pouring it over the bottom,” one said. “You have to put it in something. Some kind of a bowl.” The relationship was the bowl in which the cake baked.

3. Acheiving an energy of activation is necessary. While the traditionals believed that healing takes time, they also believed that the time should be intensive. Water doesn’t boil until it’s very hot, they said. The medical practitioners likened this concept to catalysis and the energy of activation.

In both organic and biological chemistry, an energy of activation is required to initiate a reaction. Once inititated that reaction may proceed irreversibly to completion. Without sufficient energy of activation, the reaction never occurs. A minimal level of energy (usually heat) is needed to transform the internal arrangements of molecules. Traditional healers said that weekly or even daily hour-long sessions with a patient would not be sufficient to inititate healing (change on a physical level or, in the biochemical metaphor, to “rearrange the molecules”). The question of “how many hours over what period of time are necesary to produce change?” is rarely addressed in psychotherapy practice. The weekly visit has become normative. Even in intensive psychotherapy when patients are seen once daily, the question of “what would happen if we ‘raised the heat?’” is rarely addressed.

The Native American healers told us that they typically worked with the client until the job was done. They typically treated one client at a time, and some clients traveled great distances to see them. Sometimes they traveled far to see a patient, and needed to put in maximum effort over a short period of time. Partly because of long distances travelled, they would concentrate their work over a number of days with multiple hours being spent each day. When they felt progress had been made, the client would be sent home with instructions to return at a later date for further treatment, and often with specific instructions for tasks to complete during the interval between treatment.

4. Biological systems behave similarly across hierarchical levels. There is isomorphism of principles. The traditional medicine people told us that nature is the same at every level. The same principles that guides the movement of the stars and the sun work within the body. As a group we returned to the biochemical metaphor. The traditional healers quickly agreed that psychotherapeutic or psychophysiological change should behave just like change biochemical systems. We found ourselves discussing reaction kinetics, which asks basic questions about the amount of materials that must be present for a reaction to occur, the amount of energy that is required to start and to maintain a reaction (and sometimes to reverse it), what catalysts are required to facilitate the reaction, what enzymes are necessary, etc. For example, outside the human body considerable heat (thousands of degrees) is necessary to melt iron. Inside the body the process takes place at 37 degrees. Because of catalysts within the body, a minimum level of energy is needed to begin the change process which is then maintained with less energy. They idea emerged for the biomedical practitioners to try an intensive week of 6 contact hours per day to start a change process.

5. The distractions of modern life “inactivate” catalysts for change. Most traditional therapies stress the need for self-contemplation. With adequate time, skills, and emphasis upon self-exploration and discovery much of modern psychophysiological therapy might be unnecessary. The traditionals believed that the modern world complicated and vitiated our ability to heal ourselves by distracting us from our study of ourselves. Television wastes vital hours which can be used for healing. Reading can both enlighten and deaden. (The great novel brings us face to face with the human condition and our own similarities with the protagonists about which we must reflect; popular novels may repeat trite plots with minimum character development.) Newspapers fill the mind with only slightly relevant information. The more tabloid, the more useless. Running to friends, relatives, or movies can fill waking hours with activity as avoidance. The quest to avoid boredom provides the raw material for many advertising campaigns. This quest also avoids self-discovery. Without external distractions, consciousness turns inward for it must direct itself somewhere. Therapy is harder in proportion to the number of competing distractions. Weekly outpatient therapy is particular difficult since the therapist must compete with so many more pleasurable or obsessional distractions to the process of self-discovery. Our traditionals believed in removing their patients from the distractions of modern life and working with them in an environment of peace and quiet. This was usually done within the client’s home or within the medicine person’s home. Nevertheless, they advocated an intentional avoidance of newspapers, radios, televisions, magazines, telephones, computer games, and the myriad of other distractions available to modern people.

Our traditionals believed that catalysts on the organismic level corresponding to biochemical catalysts on the molecular level arose from self-exploration and developing an awareness of emotional states. Knowledge of personal misery fosters an inclination to do something about it. Excessive business or exhaustion can prevent reaching a level of emotional awareness from which change can occur.

___________________________________________________

S. Starr says,

Native American healing methodologies have a long history of effectiveness. I do not find the Native understanding of holistic, quantum healing to be much different than the spiritual Christian approach. Right off, critics and skeptics will be quick to point out the lack of evidence of miraculous healings. I would submit that this dilemma actually comes down to understanding what constitutes a miracle. The problem with the reductionist approach of the Western mindset, which has come to define what science is, is that it assumes that all levels of reality function like a logical, preditctable, reproducable mechanism or machine. Something then , is only considered valid by this mindset when it falls within the parameters of consistent reproduction in a lab or lab like setting. This sort of mindset is not apparent with true spiritual people whether they are Christains, American Indians or any other grouping. Most Western minded Christians consider themselves to be spiritual people- but rather they are not.
Western minded Christains seemingly have no problem accepting the creation story from the Bible or many other grand tales of the Bible as literal. Yet, they seem a bit shy and stop short of contemplating what these tales might actually imply about the spiritual reality that their everyday physical lives exists within. The Church, such as it is called, has made certain compromises with what they collectively agree upon as science. These compromises impinge upon eternal, supernatural thinking.
As to the point of lack of evidence of miraculous healing- I would humbly submit that often what is considered supernatural is often only natural. What is natural is “supernatural”. It is a miracle afterall that anything exists at all. That atoms are formed and cling together one upon the other to make matter is a miracle . Needless to say, matter being organized into living consciousness is miraculous even if- and especially if- you believe that sub-atomic particles organized themselves into consciousness by sheer, mathematical, random chance over a long enough period of time.

Simply put, the common definition of a miracle is the breakage of the laws of nature or physics. I am simply suggesting that often what we think the “laws” of the universe are and what they actually are - do not match. Also, there are limitations to spiritual healing in the physical realm just as there are limits to physical medicine, limits to time and space and comprehension.
Spirtual people operate on spiritual discernment combined with logic and reason as opposed to logic and/or reason alone. The Western reductionist cosmological view and the spiritual view of reality seem to be out of two entirely different conceptions of reality. Ultimately I believe this dichotomy is a false dichotomy. The Western mind believes it can define the ultimate reality as it would explain the workings of a machine. Perhaps that could be so- but first that mindset will have to get outside the self imposed box of “emprical rationality only” and reconsider what a machine actually is and what this reality actually is. Wkipedia has this defintion of EMPIRICAL:

“A central concept in science and the scientific method is that all evidence must be empirical, or empirically based, that is, dependent on evidence or consequences that are observable by the senses. Empirical data is data that is produced by experiment or observation.^[1] It is usually differentiated from the philosophic usage of empiricism by the use of the adjective “empirical” or the adverb “empirically.” “Empirical” as an adjective or adverb is used in conjunction with both the natural and social sciences, and refers to the use of working hypotheses that are testable using observation or experiment. In this sense of the word, scientific statements are subject to and derived from our experiences or observations.

Spirtual people should avoid compromising and allowing a Western/scientific mindset to influence their definitons of ultimate reality. They should get out of that self imposed box of perception inasmuch as they are able. Spiritual people should consider their holistic- spiritual experience and observation as part of the “empirical” process. You ask how to ascertain of the spiritual? Its simple really… start by starting. Try. Open up and try. Be honest and patient with the results and keep trying. The rest will take care of itself. Just remember its all predicated on developing right relationship with all things. Developing right relationship may take some longer than others. It comes down to proper discernment and the proper combination and application o