Traditional Healing is the oldest form of structured medicine, that is, a medicine that has an underlying philosophy and set of principles by which it is practised. It is the medicine from which all later forms of medicine developed, including Chinese medicine, Graeco-Arabic medicine, and of course also modern Western medicine. Traditional Healing was originally an integral part of semi-nomadic and agricultural tribal societies, and although archeological evidence for its existence dates back to only around 6000 B.C., its origins probably date back from well before the end of the last Ice-age. There were and of course still are some regional differences between the principles and philosophy of Traditional Healing although there are also many fundamental similarities that arise from the profound knowledge of natural laws and the understanding of how these influence living things, which is shared by all Traditional Healers.
Traditional Healers practise in a different way than practitioners from other
types of medicine.
There are "four pillars" of Traditional Healing which according to the Roman historian Piny the Elder (23-79 AD.) were: "Eruditio, Perspicacitas, Beneficentia et Caritas". Roughly translated these mean: "learning, insight, goodwill and empathy". These are the basic principles that should guide the Traditional Healer in all his or her actions. It is because of these principles that Traditional Healing was and still is, often referred to as "Wisdom Medicine" or "Wizard Medicine" (the word wizard means 'wise man', not 'sorcerer').
The principles and philosophy of Traditional Healing always deal with natural laws, because all life is subject to these natural laws and ill-health is usually due to an abnormal imbalance, either within an organism, or of the organism with its environment. Therefore Traditional Healers do not only work at correcting the internal imbalances through which disease can manifests in an individual, but also work at re-establishing an individual's harmony with their environment and their relationship with the natural cycles to which all life is subject.
Traditional Healing sees the universe as operating according to natural laws that manifest according to specific rules and correspondences. They believe that the purpose of life and the nature of disease cannot be understood without a knowledge of these laws and their correspondences.
Traditional Healing is an energetic medicine. It considers that an all-pervading
energy is present in all matter, that embodies the natural laws and universal
creative force. This energy has different names in different cultures; for
example the ancient Greeks called it Pneuma and also Aether, in China it
is called Qi, in Japan Ki, in India Prana, while in the Pacific cultures
it is know as Mana. Although this energy may have many different names,
the underlying attributes of this energy are perceived very much in an identical
way in all cultures. Thus living beings are considered to manifest a higher
level of this energy, while inanimate objects manifest it in a much more
limited and basic way. Traditional Healers believe that this energy can
become disturbed in living beings due adverse thoughts and emotions, an
inappropriate lifestyle, an unwholesome diet, unhealthy air, tainted water,
an unnatural environment and a disharmony with natural cycles. As these
are the ultimate causes of disease, the Traditional Healer may initially
set out to improve overall health, but will always recognise the need to
correct the cause in order to provide a full and final recovery.
Click
on this button for more on the methods of treatment used in Traditional Healing
This energy manifests itself in the physical world in the form of concrete entities called elements. These elements are not the same as the elements used in modern chemistry, but rather represents specific attributes. For example, Fire is energetic and consuming, Air is active and enlivening, Water is formless and controlling, while Earth is solid and nurturing. These attributes represent different levels of activity of energy, and determine not only the appearance of material objects, but also the inherent nature of living things. In man this translates into a system of individual constitutions and temperaments, which represent inherent and acquired characteristics, and which must be taken into account to ensure the correct treatment approach is used for a given person. The Oriental Schools of Traditional Healing also have an additional system of elements that represent the cycles of life rather than states of matter; this system that consists of five elements, namely: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood.
Since the advent of 'big government', which in Europe occurred with the Roman invasions and in North America with English colonisation, Traditional Healing has at best been misrepresented and suppressed and at worst been persecuted. This is not surprising, as the Traditional Healers' extensive knowledge and their independence, because of their use of freely available natural resources, tends to place them outside of the economic and political control of governments. Governments have, through the ages, therefore tended to view Traditional Healers as a legacy of the past freedoms of tribal life and thus a threat to their autonomy and power. This is why all governments have striven to fragment and control healing practises. Big government is generally only interested in control and power, and very rarely has had any real and genuine interest in the health of its subjects. This is proven by the fact that governments have, over the ages, been quite happy to sanction and give patronage to medical practices that were more lethal than helpful, as long as these were under their control. For the ability to control a country's medicine gives rulers unsurpassed control over its citizens.
In the past, the fear of reprisals by governments has caused a severe decline in Traditional Healing and has forced most Traditional Healers to do their work very quietly, within a circle of trusted supporters. With the new resurgence of ethnic practises and medicine all over the world however, Traditional Healing is also gradually gaining strength and is making a slow, but sure return, although the number of Traditional Healers worldwide is still not large by any means. Traditional Healing is not looking for endorsement by any governments however. Governments and civilisations exist at best for a limited time. Traditional Healing is both an ancient medicine and the medicine of the future. It is timeless.
Traditional Healers that are Chartered members of the Traditional Healers Fellowship have a Code of Ethics, which they
have pledged to abide to at all times.
Click this button for more information
on
the Traditional Healers Fellowship 
This Code of Ethics fulfils two important roles:
The Traditional Healers Fellowship
is an organisation dedicated to promoting the interest of Traditional Healers
and Traditional Healing.
Click on this button to find out more about
the Traditional Healers Fellowship
For
membership enquiries or to inquire about a
qualified Traditional Healer in your locality, contact:
Traditional Healers Fellowship.
P.O. Box 346,
Elizabeth, South Australia 5112.
Phone/Fax: (08) 8254 8602
Int'l. phone/fax: + 61 8 8254 8602
Email:
|
|
|
Copyright © Traditional Medicine Network 2003.
