Rejecting spirituality for a pot of gold. by Dáibhidh de Gernier
This was a commissioned piece published in the Irish Sunday
Independent. I was asked to write an "short" (article) on the spiritual costs of
the the relatively sudden acquisition of wealth in Ireland since that
countries entry to the EC. The so called Celtic Tiger. I have since come to realise that the
problem is endemic throughout the "Celtic" regions. Do you think that
the loss of spiritual values is now the norm in most western countries?
"The maintenance of good health for many of us requires a paradigm shift in our lifestyles," says healer Dáibhidh de Gernier
THE magic has gone from many of our lives. We have lost the "other-worldly" facets of our culture. Our ability to access and converse with our intuitive, healing gifts, and give birth to creative forces latent within us is being lost. The music and poetry of the mountains, rivers, and the earth are no longer heard in the land. The Celtic Tiger is eating its young.
The normal state for any organism is being healthy. When this state of homeostasis is lost, the organism makes adaptations to recover it, and if it fails, a condition of disease develops. Many factors in modern lifestyles put irreconcilable pressures on our body, but attention to a few details can keep it healthy.
'We are what we eat!' This truism has more bearing on our lives than ever before. We use intensive methods to grow our food with its plethora of chemicals. This is exacerbated by the way we process food for enhanced monetary value, combining it with more chemical additives. Much of the food we eat is nutritionally poor and contains much that causes the body damage. Even the way we cook and eat our food detracts from its nutritional value. We cook the life out of food, and gulp it down on the move. The only thing fast about "fast food" is that it speeds up the journey from the cradle to the grave.
As with nutrition, so it is with our lifestyles. Life in the fast lane at work, home and play, trying to satisfy our appetites for more possessions, money or prestige puts the body under pressure, with physiological and psychological stress producing biochemical toxins. Add to this the loss of spirituality, and concomitant lack of sacredness in our lives, we become mere automatons, lurching from one crisis to another, existing in a vacuum, living a life devoid of meaning. This engenders a feeling of loss; leaving us looking for something missing from our lives, but not knowing what it is.
Inevitably, we look for this missing factor outside of ourselves, rather than within. Once caught in this web of our own weaving, it is easy not to notice our body, mind, and spirit screaming in protest, until the body reaches crisis point, and breaks down. In many cases, the manifestation of illness is the result of many years of poor nutrition, unresolved life issues, and soul loss. In such cases, illness can be a wake-up call, a harbinger for the potential hidden within all of us.
The maintenance or realisation of good health for many of us requires a paradigm shift in our lifestyles. By paying attention to diet, only eating pure, organic, and non-processed foods, and eating what we need, rather than what we want, we can take a lot of the undesirable chemical loading off our bodies.
If we take time to savour our food, we recognise that in eating, we are converting another life source into energy for our own nutritional needs. (Eat the steak but thank the cow that died to provide it.)
As you attempt to eliminate toxins from your diet, you should also work at resolving stressful issues in your life. Harbouring entrenched feelings of anger, hurt, emotional pain and angst, is as damaging to health as a poor diet.
A life without spirituality is a barren life that denies the soul. Spirituality does not necessitate adhering to any particular religious creed, nor need it impose attendance at any particular place of worship. There are many paths to spiritual realisation, and each person must choose their own way. There are many people, where loss of faith and lack of the sacred in their lives has created a vacuum, where all their endeavours and aspirations are in regard material matters, negating the spirit. This leads to "soul loss" and "soul pain".
Soul loss is particularly evident in the Celtic races. The recent acquisition of material wealth has resulted in an attendant diminution of the Celtic connectedness to things previously considered sacrosanct. Connectedness to nature and the land has in many cases, been replaced by an attitude that views the land as "so much an acre" or rich woodlands as "so many tons of paper". The age-old, Celtic open-hearted welcome and nurturing of the "stranger in need", has, in many instances, been replaced by an insular attitude, born out of fear and suspicion. Houses are no longer homes that give shelter, nurturing, and security to our families, but have become assets, investments, or financial millstones around our necks.
A UN report declares Ireland to be the eighteenth best place to live in the world. Many consider it the best that is why they live here. What attracts them to Ireland, and keeps them here, is the Irish people, their culture, and the energy and beauty in the landscape. There is however, a large section of the community which is denied its share of the booming economy. If we look at the reality behind the statistics we see a less-than equitable society.
We see a sick society, that is selling its heritage and culture for a pot of gold.
To heal the country, community, and the family; each individual must first heal themselves.
"The maintenance of good health for many of us requires a paradigm shift in our lifestyles," says healer Dáibhidh de Gernier
THE magic has gone from many of our lives. We have lost the "other-worldly" facets of our culture. Our ability to access and converse with our intuitive, healing gifts, and give birth to creative forces latent within us is being lost. The music and poetry of the mountains, rivers, and the earth are no longer heard in the land. The Celtic Tiger is eating its young.
The normal state for any organism is being healthy. When this state of homeostasis is lost, the organism makes adaptations to recover it, and if it fails, a condition of disease develops. Many factors in modern lifestyles put irreconcilable pressures on our body, but attention to a few details can keep it healthy.
'We are what we eat!' This truism has more bearing on our lives than ever before. We use intensive methods to grow our food with its plethora of chemicals. This is exacerbated by the way we process food for enhanced monetary value, combining it with more chemical additives. Much of the food we eat is nutritionally poor and contains much that causes the body damage. Even the way we cook and eat our food detracts from its nutritional value. We cook the life out of food, and gulp it down on the move. The only thing fast about "fast food" is that it speeds up the journey from the cradle to the grave.
As with nutrition, so it is with our lifestyles. Life in the fast lane at work, home and play, trying to satisfy our appetites for more possessions, money or prestige puts the body under pressure, with physiological and psychological stress producing biochemical toxins. Add to this the loss of spirituality, and concomitant lack of sacredness in our lives, we become mere automatons, lurching from one crisis to another, existing in a vacuum, living a life devoid of meaning. This engenders a feeling of loss; leaving us looking for something missing from our lives, but not knowing what it is.
Inevitably, we look for this missing factor outside of ourselves, rather than within. Once caught in this web of our own weaving, it is easy not to notice our body, mind, and spirit screaming in protest, until the body reaches crisis point, and breaks down. In many cases, the manifestation of illness is the result of many years of poor nutrition, unresolved life issues, and soul loss. In such cases, illness can be a wake-up call, a harbinger for the potential hidden within all of us.
The maintenance or realisation of good health for many of us requires a paradigm shift in our lifestyles. By paying attention to diet, only eating pure, organic, and non-processed foods, and eating what we need, rather than what we want, we can take a lot of the undesirable chemical loading off our bodies.
If we take time to savour our food, we recognise that in eating, we are converting another life source into energy for our own nutritional needs. (Eat the steak but thank the cow that died to provide it.)
As you attempt to eliminate toxins from your diet, you should also work at resolving stressful issues in your life. Harbouring entrenched feelings of anger, hurt, emotional pain and angst, is as damaging to health as a poor diet.
A life without spirituality is a barren life that denies the soul. Spirituality does not necessitate adhering to any particular religious creed, nor need it impose attendance at any particular place of worship. There are many paths to spiritual realisation, and each person must choose their own way. There are many people, where loss of faith and lack of the sacred in their lives has created a vacuum, where all their endeavours and aspirations are in regard material matters, negating the spirit. This leads to "soul loss" and "soul pain".
Soul loss is particularly evident in the Celtic races. The recent acquisition of material wealth has resulted in an attendant diminution of the Celtic connectedness to things previously considered sacrosanct. Connectedness to nature and the land has in many cases, been replaced by an attitude that views the land as "so much an acre" or rich woodlands as "so many tons of paper". The age-old, Celtic open-hearted welcome and nurturing of the "stranger in need", has, in many instances, been replaced by an insular attitude, born out of fear and suspicion. Houses are no longer homes that give shelter, nurturing, and security to our families, but have become assets, investments, or financial millstones around our necks.
A UN report declares Ireland to be the eighteenth best place to live in the world. Many consider it the best that is why they live here. What attracts them to Ireland, and keeps them here, is the Irish people, their culture, and the energy and beauty in the landscape. There is however, a large section of the community which is denied its share of the booming economy. If we look at the reality behind the statistics we see a less-than equitable society.
We see a sick society, that is selling its heritage and culture for a pot of gold.
To heal the country, community, and the family; each individual must first heal themselves.
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