On the Meaning of Health
Health is not the mere absence of disease or symptoms, but health is also not a static state of perfection. Parameters of health can only be defined subjectively and not objectively. Fundamentally, health is defined by our ability to effortlessly participate in and adapt to the dynamics of life. We have to remember that disharmony is also natural in the flow of life. There are highs, lows, and the full spectrum of emotions. Health is the ability to experience the spectrum of life appropriately. Temporary imbalances that arise in response to the environment, such as those caused by seasonal shifts or astrological influences, are not necessarily a point of concern. Yet, when these imbalances persist beyond their appropriate time, it is a sign that we are stuck in some way and not moving forward in the natural momentum of life.
Rather than looking at health as an idealized condition of the body or mind, I find a dynamic view of health is more accurate and realistic. Health is not the mere absence of symptoms but it is also not without symptoms. In fact, the more that the self-correcting intelligence of the body-mind is in motion, the more we will see symptoms arising from time to time. This is not an imbalance as much as it is a natural purification. Here it is useful to consider Hering’s “Law of Cure” which describes healing as process that moves from the interior to the exterior. The body is constantly cycling through the process of purification, re-balancing, and rejuvenation. It is in the purification phase that we tend to get thrown off, wondering if we have regressed, if after all our healing efforts we are just back to where we started. This often results in a feeling of dismay and disappointment in relationship to the body.
It raises interesting questions about how we relate to our bodies. When the body gets sick, we feel betrayed and rejected. When we have applied ourselves to healing therapies and lifestyle practices, and then the body shows symptoms again, we feel betrayed and rejected. The body is meant to sustain us and when it does not, we feel betrayed and rejected. Our psychological relationship to ourselves is a significant part of healing and these dynamics come to the fore in the healing process. It is not only the body that must be healed, but our conception of the body, and our relationship to its process.
With a right understanding, we can begin to appreciate the body’s innate intelligence and natural phasing. This allows us to relax and participate in the fullness of life, without fear and concern. Then life becomes available to us, high and low—and amidst these oscillations we may begin to notice that which does not change, a prior current that is the source of all dynamics.