By Jeffrey Williams
Much of the story can and only will be told by time, yet what can be told of my recent travels in China is that there is something emerging. An impulse that has long been acted upon by initiators of holistic centers, alternative lifestyles, and modern day adopters of traditional wellness systems has been emerging in China and all over the world.
While of course China is the source of massive volumes of holistic wisdom, the impact of western commercialism has left its people, and the people of Earth all over the world, feeling hollow, empty, and unfulfilled.
A deep yearning, a calling from within us, is not isolated to the privileged few who have traversed the subcultures and alternative paths since the esoteric movement of the late 1800’s or the civil rights and hippy movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s.
The Holistic impulse: to be fulfilled, to be well and whole and happy within and with our connection to everything around us, has become louder and louder in the hearts and minds of the masses. It is clearly reflected by the invitation I received earlier this year to attend, speak and teach at the first Holistic Wellness International Forum in China held November 10-14, 2018.
My friends at the Holistic Centers Network partnered with Bene Wellness, based in Beijing, to provide such an event and have undoubtedly impacted the collective consciousness landscape forever. From the moment I was warmly received at the airport, I was humbled by the care and generosity extended to me. I was, in their words, “a distinguished guest” and I am not sure that those words have ever been used to describe me before.
The energy and environment of the conference was something out of a Hollywood awards show, but instead of celebrating the profit and success of another hollow commercial emulation of the western capitalist mindset, the stage wove together a celebration and exploration of consciousness, and successful holistic experimentation both East and West, weaving the conceptual as well as experiential.
From the opening ceremony in which an 11 year old girl sang a song so powerful in both English and Mandarin that inspired tears to roll down my face uncontrollably, to the overwhelming sense of awe and appreciation expressed by more than 700 attending participants, this forum planted long cultivated seeds that will grow to benefit and impact the world for generations to come.
The people who attended the conference were earnest to listen, learn, transform and even get close to us to hear our story or get a photo with us, these “distinguished guests.” There was nowhere to go in which I was not pulled into “think tanks” big and small of Chinese folks wanting to do something to help their people and the world as a whole. In one of these conversations, they shared a common sentiment among many of the attendees. To them the group of westerners from the Holistic Centers Network were a group of Angels descending upon China to answer a call, a longing, a yearning to fulfil a holistic impulse they felt within themselves.
A bit shocked, and from a Western worldview, it is very strange to be called an Angel. However, the definition of angel is a messenger. An angel being a messenger, well I can own and live into that. There is a message, a universally loving and valuable message that humanity is ready to receive and while no one on the Holistic Centers Network team claims to have it in its entirety, WE, together with this assembled team of Eastern Angels may have a really good start!
In humility, love, and gratitude I will continue to serve Life, Earth, and All with a message of our inborn wholeness.
Jeffrey.
Kavita Byrd says
It heartened me very much to read this. But as both a holistic healer and activist for whole-systems transformation, I am often disturbed by the fact that holistic healing centres, in the Western capitalist consumer system, are generally quite expensive and therefore accessible only to the elites. For me a truly “holistic” approach (and this is probably true of places like ancient China, where holistic healing was the norm) is one that is available to all, and today’s holistic transformation needs to include the dimension of social transformation, changing our global economic system so that it is just and sustainable and that it truly serves all of life equally. Holism, and authentic holistic centres, cannot, by their nature, be “exclusive”, as they tend to be when embedded in a Western (and now globalized) capitalist consumerist society. Just wondering if the Holistic Centres Network has looked into this very important issue. Many thanks!
Christine Lines says
Dear Kavita, I appreciate your comment, thank you for engaging in this. Many of us in the holistic centers of the western world notice that the majority of both co-workers and participants tend to be privileged folk. We’re actively working with diversity and inclusion and that was the theme of our Gathering this year hosted by the Omega Institute. It is of course very much a theme in the world at large. Centers respond to this in different ways. For example the Findhorn Foundation has a three tier pricing system where people can choose the one that resonates most with their own personal circumstances. Most centers also offer generous scholarships/bursaries, as making our programs widely accessible is important. I do believe holistic centers as places of demonstration have an important role to play in personal, societal and planetary transformation and we know it’s not a straightforward path. Many centers offer programming to reach people who might not typically be drawn to these centers and acquire funding to support for example disadvantaged youth, people with learning disabilities, people in prison. Our vision is a holistic world culture and we need to work within the current capitalist system and demonstrate alternatives. Centers also need to be financially sustainable and include fixed costs in pricing structures. As places of social change we actively seek to expand our work and deepen our impact in many different ways. Our focus for next year’s gathering is on holistic leadership, the dimensions of sustainability and consciousness around money as an energy force that can benefit all rather than the few. So yes we live and breathe these very issues you raise and welcome collaboration! I enjoyed reading some of the posts on your website http://shakticentre.blogspot.com/ perhaps we can share some of your articles here? May we continue to learn together as we co-create a more conscious world.
Kavita Byrd says
Dear Christine, Thank you so much taking the time for this long and thoughtful reply — much appreciated! And I’m glad you enjoyed the Shakti Centre posts — yes, by all means, feel free to share any of the articles or anything on the site that you like. I’ve also written a book called “Quantum Co-Creative Revolution: We Are All In This Together”, which is available online. It is on the same themes, and you would be most welcome to share anything from that.
In response to your thoughtful reply, I’d say what I am looking for (and also thinking of starting) is a holistic community not just seeking greater diversity within the constraints of the capitalist model but also actively seeking to change that model, both in its own operations and in the world, to a cooperative, egalitarian and sustainable one. For me, this would be a truly holistic model in the widest sense, because I think personal healing and global healing have to go together. Do you know of a holistic community taking this approach? Or people who would be interested in helping co-create one, i.e., like the Shakti Centre ? (currently we are thinking of doing it in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Costa Rica or Bali).
Love to hear if you know of any holistic centres like this, ones with which we could collaborate, or folks who might be interested in helping co-create this vision!
Christine Lines says
You’re welcome Kavita, I appreciate the connection with you and thank you for the offer to share some of your articles! I’ll explore your book as well, sounds fascinating. From experience of the holistic centers I know, greater diversity is just one aspect, we’re all offering alternatives to the mainstream. The whole network is in the spirit of collaboration and personally I feel it’s beyond egalitarian now and more about healthy hierarchies, recognising our unity through our differences, and creating a re-generative world. At Findhorn we very much work with personal and planetary transformation, inner development, outer action. I think every community, each holistic center is an aspiring one, no one has the answer however we’re dedicated to finding the way and learning from each other. One of my favourite models is Breitenbush Hot Springs, a 40 year + worker-owned co-operative in the Cascade Mountain range of Oregon, my dear friend Peter Moore, one of the co-founders and now Business Director was involved in forming the Breitenbush Credo, they were so clear on the founding principles and live by them day by day. Perhaps you could write an article I can share here to reach people interested in co-creating a new center. I’m curious in any one of those places you mention how to create an affordable model, accessible to all, that’s truly holistic! There are centers emerging all over the world and that’s deeply inspiring.