Friday, October 14, 2011
Can a path have no starting point?
Can a path have no starting point?
Part of holistic medicine for those not in it initially is that at some point you need to divorce yourself from what you thought you knew and be able to appreciate new approaches to old things. Part of this is involves initiation rituals.
Different cultures have different initiations. The concept is so ingrained that even corporate culture has some initiation rites and apprenticeship. For example, making coffee, being forced to miss deadlines, missing paperwork, even the internship program itself, where you need to serve without pay all have their beginnings in initiation rituals.
Some cultures are more interesting, however. For example, the Sioux Sun Dance, where four days of meditation are followed by three days of dancing, and then one of sacrifice, where either small patches of skin are offered, or eagle claws are stuck through skin on the chest. The basic point to any initiation is that your perspective must change, and a good initiation ritual will do just that.
In a way, I miss hazing. Although ostensibly a humiliating ritual fraught with risks, it allowed a young man on his first time on his own to really appreciate the difference, by forcing him to evaluate what he was willing to do to join an organization. It also forced a change in perspective, in that his parents could not protect him, and that he was now dependent on other people. It also provided a definite turning point, one that he could point to as the dividing line between childhood and adulthood, something that men nowadays don’t really have.
But that’s true of any initiation ritual. By defining a point in your life, you can build from that point. As you explore Ayurvedic approaches, be aware that you need that change in perspective. Although it does have some of the approaches of modern science, it also has certain elements of mysticism as well. Being aware of the differences is extremely important to your ability to deal with this type of holistic medicine, and that will allow you to find your path.
Find that point, that point at when you can say that you have stepped over, and your path will be easier; by defining a start, you define the finish, and without a start you can’t finish. In order to be on a path, it must have a start and a finish; you may not finish where you thought you would, but knowing where you started defines the path. Where did you start?
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