Here are a few quotes from one of endrocrinologist, Dr. Deepak Chopra's earliest books, Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine:
"When researchers looked further, beyond the nervous system and the
immune system, they began to discover the same neuro-peptides and
receptors (for them) in other organs, such as the intestines, kidneys,
stomach, and the heart. There is every expectation of finding them
elsewhere, too. This means that your kidneys can 'think'. . . "
"We can safely conclude, then, that mind is not confined to the brain
by some neat division set up for our own convenience. Mind is projected
everywhere in inner space."
"Is there really any reason to keep mind and body apart at all?. . .
Everything is interconnected at the level of the neuro-peptide,
therefore, to separate these areas is simply bad science. A body that
can 'think' is far different from the one medicine now treats."
(p. 70-71).
Since
this book was published, in 1989, hundreds of studies have been
published that document that our body and our thoughts and our feelings
are all ONE, for instance the work of Dr. Candace Pert (Molecules of Emotion
etc.). How has this new way of looking and experiencing what we think
of as our SELF impacted our spirituality, our way of prayer and
meditation, our notions of disease, or even what we might "think" is
"wrong" with us? Are we often still in the old paradigm of trying to
control the "physical" body or our emotions with the "mind" and will
power?
The relatively new Theology of Embodiment deals with the
model theoretically, with heavy jargon (see Trisha Famisaran's intro, with a recent bibliography), but it hasn't yet had much
impact on Pastoral Theology and Christian ways to worship and connect
with God. How would or could "Church" services change? How would
public prayers sound? The Protestant Reformation tossed out many
elements of worship that touched and included the whole being,
replacing it with words, Bible study, whatever we normally think of as
mental. Maybe that is why so many Searchers are drawn to more eastern
ways of connecting with the Divine, ways that bring sound, tones,
scents, and movement into a total experience. Those elements were
certainly taken for granted in Judaism, and then continued especially
in the Orthodox traditions, so they must have also been a part of early
Christianity. Maybe one factor has been the increase in literacy. Now,
being a Christian means words, words, words. . .
Here is a quote from a fascinating book "The Alphabet and the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image" by Leonard Shlain--
"No book, no doctrine, no doctrine, no book"--De Quincy
Posted by Victoria Bresee on 3/21/07; 8:23:11 PM
from the dept.
