The Growing Shift Away from Traditional Healthcare Solutions Towards Holistic Health

There is a reformation of thought rising from the discontent created by the current health-care model. We no longer believe there is a pill to cure us: a “magic bullet” waiting to solve all that ails us. This shift has led many to explore holistic health as a way to reclaim control over our well-being. Slowly, inevitably, the realization that we must take back our right to choose the kind of health-care we participate in is pervading our culture. If we wait for others to change the system, we will never experience the divine expression of God that is waiting to burst forth from within us.

Why Personal Responsibility Is the Foundation of True Health

Each of us must become Self-reliant. It is our duty to be our own care givers. No one can do for us what we must do for ourselves. To begin this transformation of awareness about our health, the first step is to discontinue the mistaken belief there is a God or a Doctor or anyone outside ourselves that will step into our lives and restore us to health. There is no external force, no power, no being, good or evil, that causes our problems or solves them. We and we alone are the creators of our current perceived states. If we choose to wait for an external authority to save us and we never take the steps required towards Self-reliance, we are fated to stagnation and all that is ours will be denied us.

How Self-Awareness Shapes Health, Happiness, and Inner Peace

If “the kingdom of heaven lies within us,” so too does the kingdom of hell. Heaven and hell, joy and despair, health and disease, are states of awareness. Our perceptions of experiences are solely dependent on choice. The more aware of this truth we are, the more unrestricted we become to express authentically. All we need is waiting silently in the deep stillness within us. To be Self-aware, Self-Reliant and therefore content, healthy, and prosperous should be the goal of us all. In achieving this, we achieve ideal health.

Why Chronic Illness Requires More Than Prescription Medication

The existing medical model is failing in most ways. However, contrary to popular belief, neither the insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, medical doctors, nor the AMA are to blame. They have succeeded in making our emergency care system and our surgery protocols some of the best in the world. The responsibility for the failure of healthcare rests squarely on our own shoulders. We have for too long expected others to take care of us. We have delegated the responsibility of our health care, and we are now paying the price. For many decades, we have gone to medical doctors with problems caused by chronic poor behaviors and expected them to cure us with a pill. Humanity is discovering that there are no sometime side-effects with synthetic medications; instead, there are always effects. All synthetic medications have negative consequences and it is a matter of weighing the need against those consequences. It is the individual’s responsibility to understand the actions of each consumed drug, and the negative effects it produces.

The Connection Between Mind, Body, Spirit, and Overall Wellness

The notion that an event happens in the body in isolation is obsolete. We know what influences one metabolic system also influences another or several others, and those medications, synthetic or natural, always affect the organism as a whole. We know our emotions play a dynamic role in our health. Stress, diet and lifestyle must all be taken into consideration when addressing health concerns. Our spiritual life should nurture and support us as the keystone of our existence. We are complex and integrated systems whose health must be approached from an undivided perspective. Our bodies are unable to reconcile duplicity. The level of integration between spirit, mind and body is always reflected in our clarity and health or lack thereof.

Why Holistic Healing Is Essential for Long-Term Health

It is not possible to cure a chronic health care disorder with a pill! There is no substitute for holistic care. Spirit, mind, body medicine is no longer the alternative; it is the imperative. We are fast learning that the current model of chronic health care will disappoint, frustrate, and often worsen the conditions we have created by long-term poor health choices.

Reclaiming Accountability for Your Physical and Mental Well-Being

The current era requires us to take back responsibility for how we think, feel, and act. To restore personal accountability is vital to our well-being. The individual, and only the individual, not the doctors or the government or our relatives, is the designer of his or her health care model. Health-brick by health-brick, we build the bodies and minds in which we live. In order for unrestricted expression of the Soul, the mental and physical temples we live in and express through must be clean and well cared for.

Self-Determination and Holistic Living: The Path to Lasting Health and Purpose

Chronic medical problems require a shift from an external locus of authority to an internal one. When we give up Self-determinism and allow an outside source to dictate the healthcare actions we take, we suffer.

Taking care of our minds and bodies allows God, expressing as the Soul, to create living art. Each life can be a work of art, a thing of beauty, a thing which lifts up all who see it: a perfect example of God’s eternal sculpture.

Standing At The Edge Of Your Calling

A personal story of spiritual purpose and divine guidance

by Rev. Tami Johns

The title of this blog reminds me of a t-shirt I own that says “if you are not standing on the edge, then you are taking up too much space.” Standing on the edge can be a scary place and we often step back to reduce the fear. Maybe it is a fear of falling, a fear of heights or the discomfort of being so close to the edge. The same can be true about our spiritual calling and purpose. Often, we can be standing at the edge, afraid to take the first step, because it feels so big.

When God calls us, the call often does not arrive when we feel fully prepared or qualified. God does not always call the fully qualified. Sometimes God qualifies the willing. So, I ask you, are you willing? Are you willing to ask, how am I being called to serve right now?

Moses: Called to Spiritual Purpose While Feeling Unqualified

The Hebrew bible, in Exodus, gives us an example of someone being called, yet feeling unqualified in Moses. He was not looking for a big assignment. He was simply tending sheep in the wilderness when God appeared to him through a burning bush. God called him to go back to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery. But Moses did not immediately say, “Yes, Lord, I’m ready.” He questioned himself. He asked:

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

That question shows Moses felt unqualified. He did not see himself as powerful, persuasive, or important enough for the job. You see, Moses had a complicated past, he had run away from Egypt, and he did not believe he had the right words. He did not feel eloquent enough, so basically, Moses’ first response was not me, find someone else.

Moses’ story reminds us that being called by God does not always feel exciting at first. Sometimes it feels scary. Sometimes it feels too big. Sometimes we look at our past, our weaknesses, our fears, or our lack of experience and think, “There is no way God means me.”

Arjuna: Called, but Frozen by Fear

The Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture, gives us another powerful example of a person being called, yet feeling unqualified in Arjuna, He was a great warrior and prince. He was skilled, respected, and trained for battle. But when the moment came for him to fight in a major war, against people he knew, he broke down and refused to fight because suddenly, the purpose in front of him did not feel heroic. It felt painful, confusing, and impossible.

Then came Krishna’s guidance. Krishna teaches Arjuna about dharma, which means duty, purpose, moral responsibility, or the right path one is called to walk. Krishna tells Arjuna that his purpose is not about personal comfort, fear, approval, or avoidance. His calling is about doing what is right, even when it is hard.

Arjuna’s story reminds us that spiritual growth and purpose are not always peaceful at first. Sometimes it meets us in the middle of fear, conflict, and uncertainty. But being afraid does not mean we are not called. It may simply mean the calling matters.

Tami: Frozen Scared

I share these examples because they show that the Divine often calls people when they feel afraid and unprepared. My own calling to ministry came in my early thirties, at a time when I was occupied with my career and content with serving the church in ways I thought were sufficient. I couldn’t believe God wanted me to become a minister. It was unsettling and I pushed the idea aside. Initially, it was just a gentle nudge, but soon a quiet voice urged me to step forward. Since I ignored the subtle signs, something stronger was needed; I required a bigger push.

During this period, I attended an empowerment seminar. A weekend of profound self-discovery and transformation. I had to reflect deeply on my life, past experiences, and purpose. One exercise involved the facilitator assigning each participant a label representing how we showed up in life. We wore this label as our name badge for a day, and everyone addressed us by it. Mine read “frozen scared,” which shocked me because I saw myself as strong. Yet I realized I wasn’t progressing toward my purpose out of feelings of inadequacy and fear. During the weekend, I had to move out of fear to rid myself of the name tag.

Sometimes God’s calling doesn’t come when we feel ready. Instead, it arrives while we are still questioning ourselves, healing from our history, and wondering if we have enough to give.

Your Name: Your Story

So, I ask what is your calling? What name tag are you wearing that is keeping you from living out your purpose?

Maybe you are feeling discomfort, restlessness, or a quiet inner knowing that will not leave you alone. Yours may be a call to leadership, service, community work, or volunteering. Perhaps it is simply becoming more available to the Divine. To spend quiet time in meditation, prayer, mindfulness, or spiritual practice that allows your spirit to commune with the Spirit.

Whatever you are standing on the edge of, step into it. Answer the call. Even if you may think, who am I to do this? God does not only call people who feel ready. God calls people who are willing.

At Unity of the Triangle in Raleigh, NC, we believe spiritual seekers from all backgrounds can discover deeper spiritual purpose and calling, personal transformation, practical spirituality through community, prayer, meditation, and spiritual education.

The Future of Holistic Health

Why Self-Reliance and Mind-Body Wellness Matter

By Rev. Michael Gadway