"

Of course you have! Now, take a little time and make that list... what is important to you? Many people will start with some of the obvious things... Family, health, God, career success, happiness...

Go ahead, make a list, what things are most important to you? What do you live for?

This can be a sobering exercise... if the top three on my list are Health, Family, Friends, for example... and I take into account that actions speak louder than words.... how much time do I actually devote to the three things I just said were most important to me?

How many times have you skipped the gym, told your kid you didn't want to play (while you are staring at the tv). I am more guilty than I prefer to admit, of spending my time on stupid things and ignoring the very things that I say are most important in my life.

What do your actions say about your priorities? Are your actions congruent with your priorities?

Do you tell your loved ones hollow words? Do you say I love you, but then neglect them? How do you show someone they are a priority in your life? You determine what is important in your life, what are you doing to actually make it a priority?

Have you ever had someone apologize for something only to turn around and do it again? People will show you who they are, so pay attention. It is the actions that matter, not the words...

One of my father's favorite phrases, when I was growing up, "Do as I say, not as I do." Even when I was young, that line always irked me.. how can you preach about something and do the opposite? I always thought it was hypocritical of him.. but, as I sit here, thinking on my own list of priorities, without using such an irritating phrase, I have done exactly that with my own children. I preach good health and smoke, eat poorly and work out sporadically... NONE of these things leads to good health, yet health is one of my priorities..... That doesn't really make sense....

Mohandas Gandhi once said, "Action expresses priorities."

Keeping that in mind, make another list... write a list of a typical day... Do you spend quality time with your loved ones? Do you pray? Do you heat healthy? Workout? Work 12 hour days? Sleep all day? Think about your typical day... How much time do you devote to the things you said are your priorities?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, :"What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say."

So, think about it some more... maybe, make a list of what is most important to you, then make a list of what looks to be most important to you... are they congruent?



Holistic Medicine is a form of healing that considers the whole-person; body, mind, and spirit, in the quest for optimal health and wellness. While my background are in psychology and medicine, my soul has always had a yearning for traditional eastern philosophies. Therefor, I have chosen to embark on my journey in a holistic manner.

Holistic healing seeks to treat imbalances and choices leading to a more balanced lifestyle. While here, in the states, the Science of Medicine is traditionally healing with medicine, I also find it to be a bit more like symptom management, rather than addressing the cause or the imbalances that may cause the ailment to begin with.

Holistic healing is not a replacement for traditional medicine, rather a way to address the "whole person."

Many physical illnesses are symptoms of a greater imbalance that may or may not have a root cause. The holistic healer recognizes that our discomforts or pains are merely symptoms of an imbalance. The holistic healer looks at the whole person, to include physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

I have spent most of the past 17 years fighting major depressive disorder and potentially Bi-polar II disorder. I have tried various medications, talk therapy, support groups, counseling and everything else modern medicine has to offer. Sometimes, I feel better, although it is usually short lived. Sometimes, I feel worse.

With my history of medication and its varying success rates, I have chosen to integrate traditional and modern modalities in my quest for wellness. I intend to try different holistic methods as well as modern medicine (aka anti-depressants) in my quest.

I hope you find this blog to be informative, as I document my experiences and my journey. Take what you want a leave the rest. Please, consider this to be an interactive journey, there is strength in sharing and together, we can help one another rise from the ashes of our own pasts to find a healthier, more balanced way of living.

I have seen holistic described as Body-Mind-Spirit, sometimes including other things, such as emotions or heart as a 4th category. For the purposes of this blog, I have chosen to go with three primary categories  of Body-Mind-Spirit. I have also chosen to add  additional categories: Environment, and Energy, as well as several subcategories within each.  Let's take a closer look:

Body - includes everything of the physical body and incorporates most forms of modern medicine such as nutrition, exercise, medication and sleep as well as some "alternative" modalities of the physical body, including massage, acupuncture, reike, Ayurveda, chiropractic, acupressure, essential oils and herbs.

Mind- This category will include things such as traditional medications, various types of psychotherapy, journaling, counseling, stress management techniques and sleep, but also seeks to look at biofeedback, NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), meditation and mindfulness.

Spirit - In this category, I intend to look at religion, meditation, mindfulness, contemplation, prayer and other techniques to heal the spirit.

Environment - I have chosen to add this category, as a way to look at outlying or external things that  can have an impact on the whole-person, such as relationships, de-cluttering, hobbies, music, aromatherapy, routines and other things in our environment which can have a huge impact on the way we feel.

Energy - Many traditional (vs modern) approaches to holistic medicine look closely at energy or life force. Energy work or tapping into the body's own frequencies, has long been practiced in Chinese medicine. Things I will investigate in this modality include reike, reflexology, tapping, tai chi, chakra cleansing and others.

Since I am just starting my journey, these categories I have chosen to focus on will likely evolve with research, experience and success (or lack of). For now, I intend to try to contain my research to these 5 categories.

Do you think these 5 categories are sufficient? Tell me what you think

The Classical Phoenix

from www.phoenixarises.com

In Greek and Roman legends, the Phoenix is the symbol of immortality and resurrection. 
It is associated with the Sun god Phoebus (Apollo). Its name "Phoenix" is the Greek word for "red",
which links this magical bird to fire and the sun. It is said to resemble an eagle or a peacock.

The Greek believed that the Phoenix lived in Arabia, in a cool well. At dawn, each morning, it sung
a beautiful song, so beautiful that the Sun god would stop his chariot to listen. The Phoenix is a unique bird, there may only exist one at a time, which makes it a solitary bird. It does not reproduce, which adds to its loneliness, as only its death will bring on another of its race. When it feels its end approaching (between 500 and 1461 years, depending on the legend), it builds a nest with the finest aromatic woods,sets it on fire, and is consumed by his own flames. From the pile of ashes, a new Phoenix arises, young and powerful. It then embalms the ashes of its predecessor in an egg of myrrh, and flies to the city of the Sun, Heliopolis, where he deposits the egg on the altar of the Sun god.

The following is a text by a Roman author, Claudian, which tells the story of the Phoenix.

This poetic version is translated by Henry Vaughan.

THE PHOENIX

He knows his time is out! and doth provide
New principles of life; herbs he brings dried
From the hot hills, and with rich spices frames 
A Pile shall burn, and Hatch him with his flames.

On this the weakling sits; salutes the Sun 
With pleasant noise, and prays and begs for some 
Of his own fire, that quickly may restore 
The youth and vigor, which he had before.
Whom soon as Phoebus * spies, stopping his rays

He makes a stand, and thus allays his pains...... 
He shakes his locks, and from his golden head, 
Shoots on bright beam, which smites with vital fire

The willing bird; to burn is his desire. 
That he may live again; he's proud in death,
And goes in haste to gain a better breath. 
The spice heap fired with celestial rays 
Doth burn the aged Phoenix, when straight stays 
The Chariot of the amazed Moon; the pole
Resists the wheeling, swift Orbs, and the wholeFabric of Nature at a stand remains. 
Till the old bird anew, young begins again.

* Phoebus another name for Apollo, but is also a poetic word to describe the sun.

I chose this appropriate symbol to signify my rebirth into this world, free from the loneliness and isolation of depression, strong in my resolve and rising from the ashes of my past.

I have always been drawn to the phoenix, the idea of rebirth, the idea of strength prevailing. I did not know until I started this journey why I was so drawn to the symbol. Finding now, in my quest for health and enlightenment, the phoenix is for me a talisman of sorts, not that it holds for me any mystical powers, rather it grounds me and reminds me of the reason for my journey.