I would like to propose a shift. An attention to semantics to guide you towards embodying a new paradigm. Why? Because language is powerful and important. The words that we choose create meaning. And within that meaning there is energy and story. The energy and story created by our choice of words trickle into our intentions, actions, and our general approach to life.
In the past six months of my healing journey, I have found medicine in the strangest of places. Language, being one of them. I have learned that I love to write and I have learned to listen with my full body and intuition. With a commitment to earth resonance as a spiritual practice, my emotion-body-mind complex is teaching me things that I couldn’t have predicted or seen coming! But with complete trust and without attachment, I am re-discovering a biodynamic approach to life (both ancient and innate for all of us). And, I am learning to prioritize my body’s connection to nature as source. So, I would like to share this musing inspired by a ‘download’ from the biofield (if you are unfamiliar with this term, the book “Healing Ourselves: Biofield Science and the Future of Health” by Shamini Jain is a great resource). I hope that you find relevance and resonance with this blog entry.
Words have a word root, or word origin. Your body has an energetic root chakra. Plants have roots. Let’s face it, roots are important! When we speak of dis-ease, we can parse out two things that relate to roots. The root words which establish meaning (the absence of difficulty or effort) and a desire to find the root cause. Sometimes we can’t find the root cause. Sometimes we can’t find the meaning in a dis-ease. Sometimes, we don’t care about a root cause. But there is always a root! Why are roots important? Just ask a botanist! It is because they form a foundation, they stabilize, they nurture, they inform, they connect,…important and essential!
In the health and wellness space, there are all kinds of words being thrown around. We have a proclivity to attach ourselves to the latest catch phrase and associated trends, methods, services, products, etc. (Keto, Paleo, ashwaganda, turmeric, mushrooms, mindfulness, HIIT, Pilates, – just to name a few.) We also want to attach ourselves to a medical diagnosis (chronic fatigue, adrenal fatigue, sleep apnea, Hashimoto’s, fibromyalgia, anxiety, attention deficit disorder- the list goes on and on). This is NOT to say that there isn’t a physiological manifestation of dis-ease in the body, there absolutely is,…AND in the absence of understanding a “root cause” we cannot appreciate the whole truth of the problem, nor can we come into a whole-istic approach to health and healing.
Listen, I have no judgement! I have been there and I continue to find myself having to unhook from my attachment to the buzzwords of the “health marketplace” which serve to label, trigger, activate, and sell. I can also find myself challenged by pervasive false narratives sold to us under the guise of “science”. With that said, I don’t believe that (generally) there is a malicious endeavor to undermine us and our health. But rather, we are living in a paradigm that is incomplete, divisive, hierarchical, patriarchal, competitive, and industrial. It’s been the perfect storm of yuck and has created a mass accumulation of compost & trash!
But, I digress. Two words that are at the front and center of the health industry, which I believe to be more harmful than helpful, are “biohacking” and “online”. Let’s take a closer look, listen, and feel, starting with biohacking. Bio means life. Hack means to cut or chop; more specifically, to cut into pieces with rough heavy blows. So, let me ask you this…should we be seeking to upgrade or optimize our health by “cutting life into pieces with rough heavy blows”?! 😬😨😭
I don’t have a total distaste for the biohackers out there. They have some really helpful suggestions and insights. I would even go so far as to say that because we (as a human species) have come SO far away from nature, that there is a need for supportive therapies. They may be important (and even necessary) for you to make a transition out of the substitutive model of dis-ease management towards a biodynamic, health-supportive, regenerative model of health. Returning you back to who you are meant to be; as manifesting life itself.
But, maybe we should start by considering a shift away from the word “biohacking” (and the market economy surrounding it). Many of the products sold by biohackers are intended to substitute a chemical in your body or to create an artificial environment for your body to replace what you have been told is “missing”. The presumption is that your body is lacking something and that science-man created a product to artificially replace or support your lack. We are dealing with the premise of the fictitious story that you are “less-than” perfect. In other words, you can’t trust your body and something is wrong. Therefore, let’s-dissect-our-physiology-into-pieces-and-force-it-back-to-where-it-belongs! Umm, if you have been living on this planet in the last century (or longer), this is what we have come to know as healthcare! Is biohacking any different?!
Let’s move on to the word “online” in the context of health and healing. The root meaning of this word is ‘connected to and under computer control’. Scary, to think that we are putting our health in the hands of computer control! Of course, there is a place for the use of computers to disseminate information. And, generally, I would say that we are better off for having them and for having the ability to virtually connect with others all over the world. The downside, is that the information that we receive is often controlled and limited by the powers-that be. So, when you are using “Dr. Google” to find information on your health, be advised that you are receiving information that is under the control of someone or something; notably, those who are trying to sell you something or assert some form of control over you.
So, how do we navigate this world of online biohacking for health? The simple answer is to become aligned (and less online) with biodynamics (and less biohacking). Let me assure you that this is a better way. It creates an energetic matrix that is supportive of true health and it is sustainable. Life is not what biohackers are selling you. Life is regenerative. We are made for health. Our body knows how to heal. When we live life with the alignment of body and earth, there is an alchemy leading to wholeness, balance, and vitality. And we may return to our roots; living the way nature intends for us to live: fully alive and connected.
