This is a continuation of a thread of thought running through my consciousness at this moment in time (and space).
Before reading this, I strongly urge you read the fable of The Rainmaker and then come back to this post.
........
Ok, have you read it yet? Here goes....
To put it simply (and for those familiar with Chinese Medicine pathology), Australia is suffering from a case of Yin Deficiency.
The classic signs and symptoms for this pathology are as follows:
- Fatigue, lassitude, apathy
- signs of heat (but it is not a true heat!)
- tidal fever; afternoon heat/sweating
- sweating and restlessness at night (can't go to sleep)
- feels better with cold and pressure
- weak, rapid movement
- fidgety and wakes frequently
- signs of dryness
- thirst
- Tongue - red, with cracks; scant/peeled coting
- Pulse - deep, weak, and rapid
Getting back to the Rainmaker story, I have always had a niggling feeling that there is a deeper, collective unconscious link between this drought and ourselves. āI saw that there was much dis-harmony in your hearts and souls, so I went into the cave in the hills and made peace with the dis-harmony within me - and the drought broke!ā said the Rainmaker in the story.
Zang-fu pathogenesis would reveal to us the nature of the psycho-emotional turmoil that is consuming our collective yin - the vital substance of cooling, moistening, nouridhing, nurturing, generating, passive, substantial, and internal aspects of our complete selves.
Let's now think about what other signs and symptoms our nation has in this respect: fear, insecurity, dependence on others, inability to absorb and accept new ideas, the need to project our insecurities onto others, quick to anger but with little force, spending too much time thinking about things and not getting to take action, inability to communicate with others, wanting to please others before taking care of our own needs
The treatment principle of course is to clear away some of the deficiency heat and to tonify yin.So how would we do this on a practical, collective level?
Well, we could start with some basic dietary changes: less warming/heating foods, and substances like coffee, alcohol. We could encourage more bitter foods, and more yin foods like vegetables, beans, etc. We could lessen the amount of fried, baked, raosted, BBQed foods and introduce more boiled and steamed foods.
We would need to stop smoking, both personally and collectively - that means less CO2 emissions clearly (ever been through the LaTrobe Valley in Victoria where all the coal-fire power stations are? There a plumes of thick smoke billowing 24-7. This actually creates micro-climate and has changed the weather patterns everywhere east of there!)
These are suggestions to help minimise the amount of heat. But we also need to nourish and build up the yin. We could do this by spending more money (and more wisely) on Health and Education; we could focus on programs that make a real 'on-the-ground' difference in peoples' lives, stuff that nurtures their individual talents, to help them achieve their personal potential, helping them achieve their goals and dreams. We could encourage more tolerance and compassion through the presentation of our culture (especially through the mass media), we could all even be a little nicer and helpful to our friends and neighbours, engendering a sense of true community. We could try and have our children reared and raised by their own families instead of institutionalised 'day-care centres'.
And we would most certainly need to be with good health and happiness and wellbeing on a personal level. A Healthcare system that was based on preventative measures, rather than on illness and last-minute action. The promotion of programs, teachers and opportunities that encourage personal responsibility and the drive and disciplined required to live lifestyles that are healthy and moderate.
The list goes on and on. And it will be interesting to look further at this idea with a zang-fu pattern added to the above diagnosis. I feel it is possible to apply the principles of Chinese Medicine to heal the ills of our own society, and maybe even to help break the drought in this land.
Have I left anything out? I welcome comments and discussion on this topic, especially from other Australians and CM practitioners and students.
Mitakuye oyasin, folks: "we are all related!"
Posted from my blog PANDORA'S LOST GIFT with SteemPress : http://metametheus.net/making-rain-healing-pain/