The Science of the Sacred: Bridging Global Indigenous Medicine Systems and Modern Scientific Principles

Copyright © 2019 by Nicole Redvers. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.

Published by

North Atlantic Books

Berkeley, California

Cover photo by Dave Brosha

Cover design by Jasmine Hromjak

Book design by Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Author photograph by Angela Gzowski

Printed in the United States of America

The Science of the Sacred: Bridging Global Indigenous Medicine Systems and Modern Scientific Principles is sponsored and published by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences (dba North Atlantic Books), an educational nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, that collaborates with partners to develop cross-cultural perspectives, nurture holistic views of art, science, the humanities, and healing, and seed personal and global transformation by publishing work on the relationship of body, spirit, and nature.

North Atlantic Books’ publications are available through most bookstores. For further information, visit our website at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call 800-733-3000.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Redvers, Nicole, author.

Title: The science of the sacred : bridging global indigenous medicine

systems and modern scientific principles / Dr. Nicole Redvers.

Description: Berkeley, California : North Atlantic Books, [2019].

Identifiers: LCCN 2018038359 (print) | LCCN 2018039072 (ebook) | ISBN

9781623173371 (e-book) | ISBN 9781623173364 (paperback)

Subjects: | MESH: Medicine, Traditional | Science | Health Knowledge,

Attitudes, Practice | Philosophy, Medical

Classification: LCC R733 (ebook) | LCC R733 (print) | NLM WB 55 | DDC

610—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018038359

North Atlantic Books is committed to the protection of our environment. We partner with FSC-certified printers using soy-based inks and print on recycled paper whenever possible.

The author gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the NWT Arts Council/GNWT for the production of this book.

Every reasonable effort has been made to trace ownership of copyright materials. Information enabling the publishers to rectify any reference or credit in future printings will be welcomed.

The information in this book is not intended as a substitute for medical or professional advice. It is strictly the opinion of the author. It is recommended that you consult your professional healthcare provider if you have any physical, mental, or emotional health concerns.

To all the Elders, the most brilliant scientists of them all

For wise men, nothing that exists

Remains unseen; they do not share

The idle dreams of would-be scholars.

Only the artist, not the fool

Discovers that which nature hides.

Introduction

Human beings are arguably among the most complex creatures on this planet (at least we like to think so). With our highly developed social structures and lifestyles, you would think we could have most things figured out. Yet somehow in the development of our complexity, we have forgotten about the simple things that make us well. We continue to get sicker and sicker, with no end in sight. The promise of new medical discoveries for various cures, and the abolishment of certain diseases, always seem to be just on the horizon and never closer.

As Albert Einstein stated and has often been quoted, The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. In this regard, the healthcare delivery patterns in developed countries have essentially been the same for the last century. New treatments, tests, and scientific advances have occurred; however, the fundamental basis of day-to-day medical practice has remained stagnant: patient in, prescription written, patient out.

As we continue to update our practices and applications, we mold medical care on the same delivery model and expect different results. Not only that, we apply and hold up the Western biomedical model to all populations under the Health Governance Structure. Regardless of ethnicity, belief system, and cost, primary-care delivery remains the same at its base, with outskirt satellite operations occasionally providing care in culturally specific ways. We base most decisions on evidence-based practice instead of including evidence-informed practice, which is an important clarification that needs to be understood.

The evidence is telling us, however, that the times are changing in regard to what the general populace desires from their healthcare experience.1,2,3,4,5,6 Individuals and families are becoming increasingly unsatisfied with the patient-in, prescription-written, patient-out model of communication and delivery encapsulated in a five- to fifteen-minute person-to-person interaction. As a result, we see definite examples of practitioners and jurisdictions that are open minded enough to listen to those desires. Riding the wave of change are institutions such as the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine; Anishnawbe Health Toronto (AHT); the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA); the University of Arizona Integrative Health Center (UAIHC); the Hospital of Integrated Medicine in Pitigliano, Italy; Scarborough Hospital’s Centre for Integrative Medicine (CIM) in Toronto; and regulated naturopathic medical programs in North America recognized by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME).

We also see examples of practitioners and institutions that seem to resist any change to the status quo. This could be for various reasons that can be substantiated by the lens through which they view medical care, debatably however, at risk of remaining frozen in medical bureaucracy (and cost). This status quo then often assumes, often unknowingly, an antagonistic attitude toward people who desire freedom of choice in their healthcare delivery (this point has been brought to light more recently with the passing of Section 2706 of the US Affordable Care Act, which is titled Nondiscrimination in Health Care7). As the years go on and the structure of medicine remains solid in its convictions (and costliness), more patients will turn to more personalized care to deal with the broader range of chronic disease symptoms and diagnoses that will continue to dominate our human state for the foreseeable future.

Most people on the planet pay for their healthcare. Even individuals in countries such as Canada, which offer free healthcare, pay for it every day with their taxes through their purchases and employment, or in premiums to insurance companies for drug and benefit plans. We must forget this illusion of free healthcare, as it never has truly existed and never will exist in the conventional sense. What differs is our ability to access care based on how we pay into our healthcare institutions. The research organization IQVIA Institute predicts that global spending on prescription medicines will reach nearly $1.5 trillion by 2021, up nearly $370 billion from 2016 spending.8 If public healthcare systems continue to be completely and utterly reliant on private profit-making corporations, we will have a hard time trying to explain away our free medical systems as we lose access to more and more unaffordable medications.

So where do we have it wrong and how can we fix it? Being critical of a system is successful only if you can provide valuable and realistic alternatives to make the existing system obsolete. How this revolution will continue to be relevant is by people being continually unsatisfied with their choices in healthcare and how it is delivered. The system will have no choice but to continue to change. More importantly, people themselves will have to change. We need to rise up and take responsibility for making ourselves well, and if we don’t know how to do this, we need to accept the idea of seeking support in this important endeavor.

The revolution in medicine truly starts with the revolution of self. The revolution of self begins with an understanding of the body and mind in a way that is rarely explained in today’s mix of electronic media, publications, health news, and cultural beliefs. The human body functions in mysterious, complex, and intriguing ways, and when we simply understand what to do to support this being, there isn’t much else that we have to do.

If you or a family member is lost in the medical system, or you want to avoid being a part of it, there is an abundance of balanced knowledge out there to help you reach levels of health you never thought possible. We have existed for thousands of years for a reason, yet we forget how important and relevant the knowledge of health and wellness was that was gained throughout that time. The revolution begins when we remember the teachings of the past and their relevance today in the twenty-first century. The revolution sustains itself when we see how the advances in science can actually help us, if we see them in the context of the underlying principles of health and balance that are not new to us, but are increasingly being lost and forgotten.

The origin of the word doctor is from the Latin word docere, which means to teach. And as an Aboriginal Elder shared at a university graduation ceremony, Knowledge is nothing; knowledge means nothing unless you share it. In a way, that makes sense; knowledge can motivate us and empower us to become our own healers—when we are ready. The following chapters share the knowledge and teachings of health and wellness that have been passed down through the generations of Indigenous Peoples, and at the same time tie this knowledge to current scientific advances. With this well-researched and compassion-driven endeavor, the goal is to inspire the change that is needed to link the revolution of self with deeper meaning and a connection to traditions, while at the same time not compromising modern values and advances.

Figure 1. Two young eagles with Dene woman, 1956.9 NWT Archives/Henry Busse/ N-1979-052:0350.

1

The Natural Physicist

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.

—Albert Einstein (1879–1955)

Iam often baffled by the complexity in the world; however, on closer inspection, I realize that if we carefully dissect any living or inert thing, we arrive at the same endpoint. Take our physical bodies for example: We have our muscles and bones, which are made up of cells, which are themselves made up of cell organs (organelles), which are made up of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids (fats), which are made from elements such as carbon and hydrogen, which are made up of atoms, which are themselves made up of electrons and quarks (which make protons and neutrons). These electrons and quarks are considered fundamental particles that cannot be broken down any further. If something cannot be broken down any further, then there is nothing physical about the something in the first place. This is consistent with the main theories of physics (string theory, particle physics, quantum physics), which describe these fundamental particles as vibrations, electromagnetic fields, or simply indivisible.

Therefore, if I decided to put on some special magnifying glasses that enabled me to visualize the fundamental particles that we are made of, I would see a whole lot of nothing. In fact, if I looked around myself at the tables and chairs, the dog, the plant, everything would look exactly the same. There would be no separate entities as the air would look the same as the so-called physical objects. Ultimately, if we follow the makeup of our physical bodies, or anything for that matter, to its smallest parts, we will find that we are made up of only vibrations, electromagnetic fields, and nothing. Sounds a little New Age, doesn’t it? However, this is basic physics.

Interestingly, in Chinese-medicine philosophy, the energy permeating Qi (pronounced chee) can be compared to fundamental particles in physics as they both, in essence, link their surroundings together. Therefore, Qi is the life force, the vital energy that permeates all creation. All things are said to come from Qi. Qi flows and connects everything to each other.10 A vibration is a vibration is a vibration, and nothing is nothing is nothing. So if Qi is Qi is Qi, as per Chinese medicine, we can see the utilization of different terminology to describe the same fundamental state in which the universe exists.

Ayurvedic medicine, one of the oldest medicine systems on the planet, states that all things in the universe (both living and nonliving) are joined together (unity on a fundamental particle level). Interconnectedness between all things is the basis on which other natural laws are built. If a vibration is a vibration is a vibration, then all things are exactly the same on a relatively nonexistent structural level. This means that on the energetic level, all things are joined together by the same forces.

Louis Hill describes the Aboriginal view on holism, which again emphasizes the importance and understanding of the underlying connection of all things (i.e., interconnection):

Holism relates to the inherent interconnection with the earth and all the spirits of the Creation. The centred and quartered circle is a sign of wholeness, of inclusiveness of all reality, of life, of balance and harmony between man and nature.11

Up until now, we have had these wonderful magnifying glasses that let us see the scientific connectedness between all matter on the planet. Now if we take off these special glasses, we witness some sort of intelligent order where all of this nothing is able to organize itself on a macro level to produce what we see through our physical eyes, the human body (flesh on bone under skin, invigorated with life energy through our conscious and unconscious wills).

Many different Indigenous groups have descriptions for what physics describes at the subatomic level. The proven reality that we (as well as inert objects) are all made up of the same fundamental particles is often described by traditional cultures, religions, and philosophies as this interconnectedness. Regardless of the geographic location of a group of people on the planet, and irrespective of the level of isolation they live in, the interconnectedness on an energy level is consistently understood by the majority of Indigenous and ancient healing systems.

The philosophical foundation of traditional knowledge [in Aboriginal groups] revolves around a holistic model that recognizes the intimate interconnectedness between the person, the food they eat, their environment, health and healing.12

If we take the knowledge of basic physics to point, we can clearly see that there is no real difference between a person, the food they eat, and their environment—particularly if going to the indivisible level (or vibrational level) of that which is essentially nothing. Great sages were said to come out of deep meditation with the realization that all we are is a thought.

Dr. Paul Davies, a well-known professor of mathematical physics, estimates that the time required to achieve the level of order we now meet in the universe purely by random processes is of the order of at least 10¹⁰⁸⁰ years,13 much longer than the current age of the universe. In their book Angst and Evolution: The Struggle for Human Potential, F.X. Jozwik and J.M. Gist quote the following from systems theorist Ervin László’s book The Whispering Pond: A Personal Guide to the Emerging Vision of Science:14

The fine-tuning of the physical universe to the parameters of life constitutes a series of coincidences—if that is what they are … in which even the slightest departure from the given values would spell the end of life, or, more exactly, create conditions under which life could never have evolved in the first place. If the neutron did not outweigh the proton in the nucleus of atoms, the active lifetime of the Sun and other stars would be reduced to a few hundred years; if the electric charge of electrons and protons did not balance precisely, all configurations of matter would be unstable and the universe would consist of nothing more than radiation and a relatively uniform mixture of gases.… If the strong force that binds the particles of a nucleus were merely a fraction weaker than it is, deuteron could not exist and stars such as the Sun could not shine. And if that force were slightly stronger than it is, the Sun and other active stars would inflate and perhaps explode.… The values of the four universal forces [electromagnetism, gravity, and the nuclear strong and weak forces] were precisely such that life could evolve in the cosmos.15

Natural laws are stable and binding in many cultures; however, there is an understanding of the changing dynamic between forces that keep the relative stability of our earthly existence, avoiding potential catastrophes such as our sun exploding. This constant flux of balance that keeps our systems stable is described in Chinese medicine as yin and yang, the philosophy of opposites and balance. According to this understanding, everything in the universe is balanced by its own polar opposite.16

Again, from a Western standpoint, we see this reflected in the behavior of the fundamental particles. Protons are positively charged, and electrons are negatively charged, so if we have the same number of both present, the atom is in a neutral balanced state. These fundamental particles often do a dance of constant fluctuation between giving and taking from one another in a dynamic interactive relationship. This is demonstrated pictorially by the yin and yang symbol (noted in Figure 1), where we see a balance between two opposites with a portion of the opposite element in each section.

Figure 1. The yin and yang symbol in Chinese philosophy

The Neijing, translated as The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (the authority on Traditional Chinese Medicine), states that the entire universe is an oscillation [a form of vibration] of the forces yin and yang.17 Like a guitar string when plucked, the specific vibration determines the mass, charge, and other properties of the entity, which, when multiplied from a fundamental state to our physical bodies, creates a unique state of being that is always in fluctuation and never stagnant.

As the theories of yin and yang point out, the seemingly adjustable vibrational nature of matter is again consistently described by many ancient medicine systems. Sri Chinmoy, an Eastern spiritual teacher, describes the significance of Aum, the vibrational sound often chanted and meditated on by many seekers.

Aum is a single, indivisible sound; it is the vibration of the Supreme. Aum is the seed-sound of the universe, for with this sound God set into motion the first vibration of His creation.… Without birth is Aum, without death is Aum. Nothing else but Aum existed, exists and will forever exist.18

Once again, Aum is Aum is Aum. If a vibration is a vibration is a vibration, then it exists in birth, death, and in between. From our unique state of occupancy in this floating magnified vibrational force, essentially made up of fundamental particles, how is it that so many cultures knew and know so deeply about this significance?

Even further, if vibrations (Aum) exist regardless of birth or death, and are the only things that ever have existed and ever will exist, how is it that health, illness, and our sense of physicality are real? If we truly are just plucks of a guitar string, then physicality has never and never will exist. This means that something about the plucks of our guitar strings changes tune, but never ceases ringing at any point. String theorists will state that the characteristic patterns of vibrating, oscillating strings provide the music of science.19

So what is our reality? Some of the world’s leading physicists are currently researching what is called the holographic principle. The holographic principle states that our reality is a projection (like a hologram) of laws and processes that exist on a thin surface surrounding us at the edge of the universe.20 It states that what we perceive to be a three-dimensional universe might just be the image of a two-dimensional one, projected across a massive cosmic horizon.21 From a scientific standpoint, this potentially means that our lives are just a very sophisticated illusion. Physics labs around the world are currently refining this calculated theory and we have likely not heard the end of it; however, ancient Rishis have been describing this holographic existence from time immemorial.

In the documentary Awake: The Life of Yogananda, which describes the life of Paramahansa Yogananda the renowned Hindu Swami and author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi, the description of reality is clear. Life itself is described as a hologram—like a movie projector displaying an image on a screen—and life’s purpose, through deep meditation and self-realization, is to return to the origin, to the white light, where the projection is coming from (the Anishinaabemowin words waaseyaa miikanaa translate as the path to light22). Once you have reached the white light, you are no longer just a projected image of reality, but one with the origin (described by Paramahansa as the eternal consciousness or God).

The word God can create resistance in those who don’t conceive of such an image; however, people such as Paramahansa describe God very differently from the popular image we have of God in our day-to-day lives (see the first column of the following table). If we were to take Paramahansa’s statements and simply replace certain words with those of our newfound physics knowledge, we might find that his description of God sounds very familiar (see the second column in the table).

Many other spiritual people and cultures describe this as the spirit-soul connection (i.e., the string itself [spirit or white projection of light] and its vibration [your soul and the projected image itself], yet we won’t ask who is plucking our guitar strings or shining the light [although many medicine and spiritual people will tell you pointedly, as we have seen thus far] as this is for you to ponder). The spirit is considered the ultimate vibrational force of the universe with many cultures calling it a form of God or Creator, and the soul is your specific vibration in it. According to Paramahansa Yogananda, the purpose or definition of meditation is the science of reuniting the soul with the Infinite Spirit23 (i.e., reuniting your vibration with the ultimate vibration).

As previously described, in Hinduism the word Aum produces the sound and vibration which makes you feel one with the universe,24 and the Hindus are not the only cultural group to try and connect with this vibratory, holographic reality argued among physicists. Black Elk, an Oglala Sioux holy man, describes the significance of the drum, which is used in almost all Indigenous cultures around the world:

Since the drum is often the only instrument used in our sacred rites, I should perhaps tell you here why it is especially sacred and important to us. It is because the round form of the drum represents the whole universe, and its steady strong beat is the pulse, the heart, throbbing at the center of the universe [vibration]. It is the voice of Wakan Tanka (Great Spirit), and this sound stirs us and helps us to understand the mystery and power of all things.25

In higher states of meditation, reached only by those who have sat in silence for many years with proper guidance and patience, it is said that the sound of the universe will be heard. In answering a question to his student, Sanjib Mukherjee describes this phenomenon clearly:

Energy can never be created, but only transformed. It is said in our scriptures that the original vibration in this creation (from which all other energies and vibrations originate from) is the sound AUM. Chanting AUM actually unites us with this original sound and the source of all consciousness. This primordial sound is always present deep within us, but our ever busy mind is always so pre-occupied with thoughts and other vibrations, that we never get to actually hear its sound. However, as we progress and grow deeper and deeper into our meditation, we quieten the mind at a very subtle level and thus truly begin to connect with our inner self. At the core of our inner self lies the sound AUM. We can begin to hear and more importantly feel this vibration the deeper we get, and hence why at times we may hear a ringing sound as we approach our true centre. However, as soon as the mind realises there is a sound and tries to analyse it, you may have noticed, the sound then disappears, as now we have filled our mind with analytic thoughts which take away from the state