Nothing Less than Our Whole Unguarded Open Fully Engaged Human Presence

     He said to me, 'You must not ask for so much.'
     And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door,
     She cried to me, 'Hey, why not ask for more?'          Leonard Cohen - Like a Bird on the Wire

     Instead of routinely employing a host of conscious & subconscious ways of guarding our "self", can we instead investigate what happens if we consistently, intentionally, open up and become porous to life as it is?

     "The World Health Organization (WHO) describes the introduction of spirituality into the domain of health care. These discussions question the very nature of health and wellness. Proposed revisions to the WHO’s Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion regard health not only as the absence of illness or maladies but also as a psychodynamic state consisting of people’s physical, mental, social & spiritual aspects. This perspective suggests that traditional psychological categories are insufficient when addressing the complex issues facing people in contemporary society. Further, it suggests that there is a need for initiatives & care that are grounded at a deep emotional level, such as upon people’s existential values. The concept of spirituality can be expressed in terms that are based on a number of different perspectives such as life, spirit, soul, heart, existentialism, religion and the meaning of life.

     For many people, the aspects of spirituality inherent in daily life contain religious factors; however, being spiritual is not synonymous with being religious. Some say that spirituality can be understood as consisting of those elements that comprise the totality of human life, including physical, psychological and social factors. In many cases, spirituality relates to an interest in concepts related to the meaning and goals of life. In other words, this interpretation of spirituality emphasizes the value of incorporating higher level psychogenic endeavours into aspects of care ..."

       Oshita D, Hattori K, Iwakuma M. A Buddhist-based meditation practice for care and healing: an introduction and its application. Int J Nurs Pract 2013; 19 Suppl 2: 15-23.

     See: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2013/07/367-discovering-manifesting-our-innate.html
     and: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2013/09/403-mindfulness-wisdom.html