Why We Need to Begin with Wholeness
The word wholeness has preoccupied my mind for a while.
It seems fairly simple when it refers to something like a fruit. But what does wholeness mean when it is directed to our life and ourselves?
Can we shed anxiety, stress, endless thinking, worrying, and physical tension in our body when we set out to achieve wholeness in our life? Can we become healthier, more confident in our skin, and perhaps even more successful? These were the questions that I wanted to answer.
Now let me ask you. Do you feel whole? Scan your body.
Do you think that feeling whole is something that is achievable in practical terms in your life?
My online dictionary search confirmed that the world whole simply implies being undivided, complete, and that nothing has been omitted or ignored. What equally fascinates me was that even the word integrity (meaning the quality of being honest with strong moral principles) is derived from the word whole or complete. In other words we cannot reach integrity without achieving wholeness!
Oh, and did you know that the word healing, in its original meaning, referred to the process of becoming whole?
Being a coach and mentor, and having had the privilege of working with a wide variety of clients, I have heard many people describing themselves as incomplete. Some were trying to find themselves in a prestigious career, others in getting over an illness, an intimate relationship, becoming a parent, looking younger and more attractive, wanting to reach happiness, getting rid of anxiety, becoming vegan, starting a spiritual journey, and the list goes on.
I came to believe that wholeness truly starts with the most basic and often ignored foundation. And what I am going tell you now may sound at first way too simplistic for you. So please bear with me. The foundation for wholeness lies in recognizing that we become complete and undivided when we accept and respect that we are made of the same material the world is made of.
This “material” includes :
AIR FIRE WATER EARTH and SPACE.
Imagine and feel for a moment that there is air inside your throat, water running down your arms, rocks and soil in your legs, and fire in your belly. Are you still with me? Take a more conscious breath now. Can you imagine space inside you and around you?
Each of nature’s elements exists within us, although each acquired a “human form.” I invite you to consider your thoughts and intellect as clouds moving through you, your spiritual essence as a volcano in your heart, your emotions and creativity as a waterfall cleansing your entire being, and your physical body as abundant earth.
The recognition that we are not separate from nature is, I believe, the beginning of stepping out of our illusion of separateness. It is also the gateway to avoid getting lost in your fears and worries, to putting an end to drowning in your overthinking, and to aligning yourselves with integrity.
When we respect and honour who we are in our essence, and respect our connection to nature, we tune into the wordless whispers of our body, our visions, and our dreams. And we can build from here!
Recognizing the foundation of what it means to be undivided, united, and in integrity, will not only lead to healing and better health, but also to a better relationship to ourselves and others, and our ability to create something much bigger than ourselves.
In this series of blog posts dedicated to wholeness, I will further explore what wholeness means and how it can shift your life and your health into a new direction.
To be continued in the next week’s blog post….