There are many different models of care and health systems out there. From what I have learnt from living out bush, for many Aboriginal nations its Spirit Mind Body, here’s why.
To help you understand let’s use the computer, it’s something that you probably know very well.
The body is the computer hardware.
Our consciousness is the operating system.
The internet is the spirit realm.
You can have the best and latest hardware in your computer, but it will only be as good as the operating system allows it to be.
For the operating system to function well, it will need to be connected to the internet so it can download the latest updates or it can update via a USB, Bluetooth etc, which still requires an external connection.
Our spirit guides us through our internet (for Aboriginal people, the Dreamtime), so to be at our best or to heal effectively, we need a strong healthy spirit.
That’s why in almost all Indigenous cultures, we talk about the importance of spiritual connection. When we connect we can download so much, stuff that science cannot measure or define.
For some, our operating systems (our consciousness) hinders our connection, we’ve become corrupted, so we struggle to fully connect. Some indigenous cultures have come up with ways to enhance our connection so we can find and download more. These include song, chant, ceremony, hallucinatory substances and prayer. They calm our consciousness so we can better connect.
We need to maintain our spiritual connection, or we run the risk of becoming infected, just like an operating system can catch a virus, bug, worm or a trojan horse. For us these infections include alcohol and drug addiction, material obsession, jealousy and hatred, to name a few. These infections alter the way we think and behave, and they can take over our operating system (consciousness). They also lower our immune system and we become unwell both mentally and physically.
This is the reason why being on country (returning to nature) is so important, being connected to ceremony (being social) is essential, that’s why our languages (maintaining communication) need to be maintained and that’s why kinship (family and friends) are a priority. They all enhance our spiritual connection and make us strong, increasing our resilience. All of this is what makes us differnent from the computer which has no spirit, and that is the reason why a computer has no unique personality or character, like we do. Without spirit we would all be the same, act the same and do the same.
Our model of health and wellbeing is based on Spirit, Mind and Body or what I term, Spiritual Wellbeing.
Paul Herbert
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