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holistic
October 2007 
Holistic Thinking:
Ray
Hi and welcome!
Six months ago, I had no idea what a "blog! was - now here I am making one!
Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?! Well, here goes!
Holistic Thinking:
Part of my work with individuals and organisations is to help people think and act "outside of the box", and, instead, think and act to the best of their individual ability in unison with:
- God & True Heaven (The Spirit and Soul of True Reality)
- The Whole of Life & (The Mind and Sensitivity of True Reality)
- Nature (The Body and Motion of True Reality)
...with all the above viewed as one WHOLE...
So, in a nutshell, I facilitate HOLISTIC THINKING.
Now most people in the modern and developed world, it seems, have been trained during the past decades, centuries and probably even longer, to think using a process called LOGIC.
LOGIC is very very good at "Little Box Thinking"... and tends to struggle with genuinely being able to "Think Outside of The Box".
However, every single Sentient Being - including you and me - is also capable of thinking using a process called LOGOS, which is literally brilliant at "Thinking Outside of The Box".
So, the key to Thinking Outside of The Box is to practice and become skilled at thinking via LOGOS.
The ability to think via LOGOS has been supressed in many cultures around the world, for centuries, with the result that nowadays most people have heard the word LOGIC, and use it in everyday parlance, but very few people truly understand what the word LOGOS actually means - many people have never even heard the term.
This does not prevent you or anyone continuing to be able to think via LOGIC - in fact you will find that the ability to think via LOGIC as well as being able to think via LOGOS are the two things that make you able to genuinely be able to THINK - and also SEE (with BOTH of the Mind's Eyes) that which is Superficial (Logic is good at this) and that which is Substantial (Logos is awesome at this.)
When we think only with LOGIC, then that is like thinking with one of the Mind's Eyes closed.
So, given the above, you can see that we end up with another pattern of three, which does actually correspond to the first pattern of three (bullet-pointed) in this blog. viz:
Obviously this is all very relevant to Education, on any subject whatsoever, and it is easy to confirm that the majority of our Educatoinal Institutions in the West, and now in many other countries in the world (following our lead) are massively biased, and sometimes totally biased, towards LOGICAL THINKING, as being the foundation or platform from which every single subject in orthodox education is taught.
Teaching our kids how to practice THINKING VIA LOGOS, generally speaking, just doesn't happen.
Not to put too fine a point on this, that is going on for exactly the same reasons that "the abused becomes the abuser"....
Way back whenever, (which some say was around the time of Descartés) (Creating that which is now often called "The Cartesian World View") ...LOGIC became the way of achieving its own self... and we have ended up where we are largely as a result of this.
Now, before Mr Descartés made Little Box Thinking so popular... (the body is separate from the mind, the mind is separate from the soul, the soul is separate from the spirit, the individual spirit is separate from God...and so on)...a few other people had popped in, so history tells us, with different ideas.
Some of whom had actually tried to persuade us to think via LOGOS first and foremost, but to also use LOGIC when appropriate.
For example, I believe there is a saying in the Koran, which translates as: "Trust in God, but tie up your camel" - in other words use LOGOS and use LOGIC too - be both Spiritually Awake and Practical in your actions.
And of course before that, other famous teachers had popped in for a quick visit and a chat, usually just before having their heads chopped off, being poisoned or getting themselves nailed to a tree and suchlike.
"Courage - Love and Wisdom (Courageous-Love-Wisdom)", was the short version of what they taught, but that maybe felt a bit too much like hard work, so the key decision makers amongst us opted, over the centuries, for Greed-Fear and Myopia instead...and trained the rest of us accordingly.
And we became very good at this, so by the time of Mr Descartés, LOGIC was King and pretty much every member of every society on the planet was walking around, going about their daily busy-ness, with one of their Mind's Eyes shut....half awake, at best.
And our educational systems, emerging out of this, became literally "Living Encyclopedias"...seeing the world like a cyclops...generally using only one of our Mind's Eyes...and educating us accordingly.
(And of course, you've probably already realised that we don't actually use the phrase "The Mind's Eyes" in common parlance, we tend to say, "The Mind's Eye")
The great thing that is happening now, is the NATURAL opening of our second Mind's Eye...the one that sees (and of course thinks) via LOGOS.
So what you will find happening pretty soon, throughout all of our educational establishments, little by little, is a re-awakening and genuine facilitation of:
(Another pattern of three - fits with the first one - you get the point, I'm sure)
And another great thing is that people in communities like Zaadz will be helping this to happen.
Oh....and just to wrap this up....
Another word for LOGOS, which apart from meaning "The Word" or "The Law" is, quite simply:
LOVE.
Cool, huh?
Any comments welcome!
Ray
Access: Public
Loving this Ray!
You are putting into words some of my evolution in thinking over the past few years. I appreciate the way you are expressing the core of thinking that has been driving modern humanity. I ( like everyone else) was trained to think logically, in school and by the society around me… and as I continued to grow and stretch I realized something was missing in how I interpeted the world. And, I opened myself to something else… beyond “thinking” to BEING, to actually realizing that I have something called intuition, that I had another eye with which to see… and that that eye of spirit can inform my thinking and broaden my world.
LOVING the “little box thinking” I remember “out of the box” thinking being “new” business philosophy I discovered years back. The challenge was everywhere I looked for examples of “out of the box” thinking was simply another box… maybe a little bit bigger… but still a box. When we transcend the walls of the box, holistically bringing the ALL into our awareness there are no more boxes to get out of. :)
I would love to hear more of your LOGOS on this:
Teaching our kids how to practice THINKING VIA LOGOS, generally speaking, just doesn't happen.
What are some practical steps to bring LOGOS into teaching… kids and adults.
Peace,
Mark
Thank you Ray for sharing your expression of love…:)
I dropped by to read your blog……Mark is a beautiful guide…and I am happy I did..:))
a big hug..((()))…
love love and more love…
Hi Mark and Nikki,
Thanks for the comments, guys!
I agree about there being very few examples of genuine “Out of The Box” thinking, Mark, and this is basically why that happens. (Another pattern of 3 coming up)
- Our SOUL has a Mind of its own, which we can call the Soul-Mind.
- Our MIND has a Mind of its own, which we can call the Mind-Mind.
- Our BODY has a Mind of its own, which we can call the Body-Mind
These are not actually separate Minds…. they are just distinct States of Mind, which we can sit in, be in, think from and so on…
Now the BODY and Body-Mind is like the Sentient Vehicle we're all driving around in.
The MIND and the Mind-Mind is like the Aware Navigator being driven around.
Whilst the SOUL and the Soul-Mind is actually supposed to be the Omniscient Driver.
- The primary focus of the SOUL and Soul-Mind is “That which is and of the ETERNAL”
- The primary focus of the MIND and the Mind-Mind is “That which is and of the INTERNAL”
- The primary focus of the BODY and the Body-Mind is “That which is and of the EXTERNAL”
There are at least three two-way bridges between the Body-Mind and the Mind-Mind.
- The first is called LOGIC.
- The second is called DESIRE.
- The third is called WORRY.
There are at least three two-way bridges between the Soul-Mind and the Mind-Mind.
- The first is called LOGOS
- The second is called LOVE
- The third is called THOUGHT
Now, just as the MIND is essentially a neutral form of SOUL, in the same way that ENERGY is NEUTRAL-SYNERGY, in each one of us the basic nature of our Mind-Mind, is that it per se is essentially Neutral, but it is capable of being open to three things:
The LOGOS, LOVE and THOUGHTS of SOUL and Soul-MInd.
The LOGIC, DESIRES and WORRIES of BODY and Body-Mind-
And it is also capable of hosting its own:
The CONCEPTS, IDEAS and VIEWS of its own MIND.
So the MIND and its Mind-Mind aspect are perfectly capable of having INTERNAL ideas of their own, but they are also open to a bunch of other influences from the ETERNAL as well as from the EXTERNAL.
By the way, as a slight aside, this is basically exactly the same as saying that:
ENERGY per se is essentially NEUTRAL (Neutral-Synergy), but ENERGY is capable of being open to both SYNERGY and ENTROPY (With Entropy being the opposite of SYNERGY)…and ENERGY is also capable of being ENERGETIC…(Energy can also interact with other forms / versions of Energy).
And furthermore, what you will find is that:
ENERGY and MIND are one and the same thing.
(Now that little statement there is a real biggy—maybe should put that one on Brian's blog!)
Anyway, back to Little Box Thinking and so on…
This is how Little Box Thinking happens.
Person A or Person B (any one of us) has been trained to see the world, Life, the universe and everything, mainly using LOGIC…(generally just using one of the MIND's-Eyes.)
So, we look outwards to the EXTERNAL. Try to make some sense of that by INTERNALISING that, then we form our own ideas and views on that which we see or conclude INTERNALLY and then re-engage, using those ideas and views, with the EXTERNAL.
As if we have our back to the ETERNAL and very often we can also view, with our Cartesian World View, that anything outside of the MIND and Mind-Mind (i.e. the BODY, the Body-Mind and the physical Universe etc.) is something that is EXTERNAL to the MIND.
So a square, Little Box Thinking pattern (can't draw it here, but I am sure you can figure this out) of the following happens:
That which is INTERNAL, but relatively superficial, (The Mind-Mind) looks to that which it regards as being EXTERNAL and receives info from that EXTERNAL process, place or thing. That info arrives and is stored in the INTERNAL (The Mind-Mind)…then further INTERNAL processes go on (in The MIND), filtering information, making sense of information, and the individual is then better equipped to re-engage with the EXTERNAL again.
So the square of Little Box Thinking is basically:
Mind-Mind————(looking to the )External (and then info comes form the) External———-(back into the) Mind-Mind————(and all of that info is dealt with by the) MIND, (but only some of it is fed back to the) Mind-Mind (which really only practices superficial thinking)( thus the MIND enables the) Mind-Mind to re-engage with the External.
(Sorry this is taking a while to explain, guys - it's a lot quicker with a flip-chart and a pen!)
This might make it easier for you to get the above picture:
m = The Mind-Mind
E = That which is viewed as being External to The MIND and/or the Mind-Mind
M = The MIND…
m———————–E
| |
| |
| |
| |
M———————–m
And as you can see from the above, THINKING like this (also known as figuring things out) is very complicated and uses a lot of energy. (Remember, Energy and Mind are one and the same thing.)
Thinking from your ETERNAL SOUL, however, is a lot easier:
There the pattern is like coming from an infinitely wide open space above the very wide mouth of a funnel, then going through the funnel and out of the narrow end….
From the ETERNAL————–to the INTERNAL———–that which is KNOWN by the ETERNAL is INTERNALISED—–(by the MIND)————-and then some of that information is then passed to the Mind-Mind———to enable that profound MIND and its relatively superficial Mind-Mind to engage with the EXTERNAL.
(And there is absolutely nothing in the EXTERNAL, or indeed the INTERNAL, that is not KNOWN by the ETERNAL, as it happens, in Real-Time……)
This makes it possible for the MIND to KNOW without having to figure stuff out.
So, all the above boils down to:
Think from the SOUL into the MIND and then engage with the BODY and EXTERNAL reality, accordingly…..(This is thinking with The WHOLE of Creation)(Holistic Thinking)
(But we have been trained to do Little Box Thinking instead.)
Hmm…. have to dash…will add more later….
Hasta luego!
Ray
Hmmm…seems like you have self-realized into a Yogi, my friend:) Check out “raja yoga” if you are not familiar with the concepts already. They're quite similar, in my opinion. I think this is a great post, overflowing with beautiful insights. However, I believe that ,for the average feeling and sensing person who works with energy in a slightly more intuitive way, the CAPS and terms might be a bit difficult to wade through. The concepts, as presented, are kind of like short walls. Once a reader understands and gets ''over” a complex concept, there is another hurdle to assimilate. Easier for some who are on a different point on the path, and for some, I imagine hearing a big “HUH?!” Just throwing in my two cents in an attempt to be helpful…
Nameste,
Michele
btw: Nice pic. You look like a real horseman:)
Hiya Michele,
Thanks for the input - never heard of “raja yoga” before, but will check it out!
Your comments are actually spot on…some people really appreciate the emphasis on certain words, which I place in capitals, whilst other people have said that they have that HUH? experience you mention…
Each specific term in “CAPITALS” has an accurate definition, and because I do a lot of holistic thinking work with clients (and to make it easier for them they don't take notes, I write everything up for them after the programme) I have found that in the notes that I give people, (which usually have a glossary at the end) anything in capitals is something that they (may) need to think about more deeply, instead of just skipping over the word to get a general idea of roughly what I mean…my hope and aim is for people to take the time to get exactly what I mean, not some close approximation….and so anything I write in capitals would be more deeply defined in the glossary I provide…
Up until now, the stuff I hav written has all been educational material, in one way or another, and as such it is not supposed to be read quickly, it is actually supposed to be studied and pondered upon (which is not the same thing at all as “agreed with”).
So if someone comes to a word in capitals, and it stops them, the basic idea is that the reader appreciates that that WORD is a technical term.
In the future, as this information is compiled in e-book format, rather than written as if it is going to be printed, I suspect the key words that have deep definitions will be highlighted and underlined in blue, as in Wikipedia….which is not so… IN YOUR FACE….but I can't do that at the moment with the tools on these blogs…
Thanks for pointing this out though, Angel.
Big hugs!
Ray
Ray and all,
Love this discussion and it parallels some of my thinking. I believe that we are all being called on to use “matrixed thinking” which I describe as the embodied ability to hold paradox (among other things) and all of what you have described above Ray. I believe that this is part of our conscious evolution. I believe that there is a “divine matrix” of collective intelligence that folks all over the planet, through various means (raja yoga, mediation, art, other spiritual practices) are tapping into in greater and greater numbers. Zaadz seems to be a container for some of this conscious co-creation.
namaste,
Zoey
www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com
Ray,
Well, I wandered over here to read your blog and give you my impressions as to why I wrote, “count me in”.
Two things came to mind which may or may not be on the same track you are on here.
I have always thought our educational system in general lagged way behind where we should have been a long time ago. The thing I most wanted to change was putting self-esteem, different belief systems, different ways of thinking as part of the cirriculumn. Instead of trying to fit all students in the same mold. Being allowed to think differently, express their own ideas, be a non-conformist, without being labeled, “weird”.
I remember in elementary school wanting to color things a different color than they actually were, for example purple bark on a tree with pink leaves or whatever. This was simply not acceptable, it wasn't reality. And always being told to color inside the lines, who cares????? What does this teach you?????
Enter Junior high school and then High school and all the bias you were taught in history. The cowboys were always the good guys, the Indians always the savages. Very little if any discussion on what slavery actually was and how they were treated. What great men certain individuals of that time were when the truth was anything but, all the immoral, unethical and totally predujiced talk and behavior never made it inside the pages of the history books or into any of the lectures.
I got off the main topic a bit. I believe if self-esteem, positive & creative thinking and psychocybernetics and LOA were taught starting at an early age and on through graduation, this world would indeed be a much, much better place.
Also, as mentioned above educating students on the differences between various cultures, religions and people who had various disabilities be they mental or physical and how everyone is special.
I raised both of my children as a single Mom. I raised them to love & beleive in themselves, respect the differences in others, to be their own person, I read to them everynight and always, always encouraged them in all their efforts and dreams.
And I am proud to say it worked. They are both self-assured, beleive they can do or be whatever they put their mind to, are their own person and respectful and considerated of others.
While raising them I used to talk about wanting to build an organization where single Moms or Dads, the homeless, the abused etc., could go to. A one stop shopping sort of place. Where they could see a lawyer, a therapist, a job counselor, a life coach, child support advocate, all the people necessary to help them with whatever they needed. Also there would be a fund. If you needed it for childcare, back rent, help with utilities, clothes for an interview, help in getting a car, childcare, deposit on an apartment or help in getting a home.
We would also work on building and building that fund and getting people on board who could help build nice housing with a sliding fee scale for the rent or if homless, they would get help from the fund. They would have to be either looking for a job or in job training. They would contribute to helping others with childcare, contribute whatever talents they had to helping others. When they could move on, they would pay it forward by contributing to the fund and not “walking by” those who needed a helping hand.
If these were built all over in different communities what a change would come about.
Like in settling this country people helped people, if you lost your crop or your home, the town came around and helped you re-build. You were never alone.
It's the principle the Amish practice, helping the people in their community. (I'm not saying I beleive in all their philosphies or way of life, but sticking together is indeed one I do.)
Now you're lucky if you even know your neighbors name. Let alone expect any kind of help from them. If you live alone and have no support system you could die and have no one discover you for days.
These are things I would like to be involved in.
I'm working on a Domestic Violence site and empowerment cards and a book. A percentage of the income will go to causes I beleive in. I'm also working on a book for children and self-esteem.
Little by little I want to pay it forward. That as you may have guessed is my favorite movie. Look what happened when it caught on. People's lives changed. They felt better about themselves and felt good about helping others. What a wonderful assignment to give children.
Okay, that was my motivation. Before I even knew the whole story. :)
PK