Originally published April 14 2008
Your Cells Are on Fire - And So Is Your Heart
by Luke J. Terry
(NaturalNews) We are beings on fire, capable of immense vitality. Our bodies burn from within, in ways more than metaphorical. The oxidative processes that drive metabolism are really no different from the oxidative processes that fuel a forest fire, on a very basic level. Most of the time, we avoid auto-immolation because our reserves of antioxidant, mineral, and fluid pathways keep the fires of metabolism firmly ensconced in the foundries of energy production, the mitochondria, keeping it a balanced fire.
When human beings sustain well-grounded vigor, all is possible. We can create from our hearts, manifest the best of our will and our vision, and love deeply and unconditionally. We can sense and intuit with great precision, and wield our power with great compassion. Yet the system may never reach the apex of its natural potential, breaking down prematurely, preventing our true potential from being realized.
It takes focus and work to be able to coax maximum potential from our biological systems. It also requires faith in God and trust in the inherent powers of our 'wetware,' the neurobiological basis of consciousness and the water-based antioxidant and nourishing systems of digestion, detoxification, healing, and immunity.
When those fire-control systems fail due to neglect or insufficient resources, the fire burns out of control. Sugars start bonding inappropriately to proteins in the process of glycation, and detoxification breaks down, forming reactive and highly destructive molecules like homocysteine instead of beneficial molecules like s-adenosyl methionine. These processes also run at the level of the emotional body, manifesting as out-of-control emotions, passions and desires flaring up in a desert wind, disrupting rationality, calm, and grace.
These runaway fires scorch the body in the form of inflammatory disease processes such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, or more subtly in the form of insomnia, chronic anger or frustration, or overreaching for a particular goal, even addiction, none of which exhibit the vitality of which we are capable.
Our 'burning from within' only begins with the usage of sugars and of oxygen in our cellular power plants. We burn with emotion, feeling, and knowledge. More and more science piles up, confirming the knowledge of the ancients -- the heart is the center of consciousness as well as our physical life. Our hearts maintain a fire of will for the duration of our lives -- beating dozens of times each minute, thousands of times, millions of beats, adding up to a percussive symphony of action, a fire of precision that feeds every cell.
Though the Heart rules our bodies directly through coursing blood into every artery and capillary, all the other organs contain their own fires. The brain lights the lamp of consciousness with a conflagration of neurotransmitters, hormones, and electrical signaling that create the experience we know as 'life.'
There are metaphorical fires that power every organ and system. The element of fire exists in a contextual web in this heuristic model of life as viewed through the classical Taoist 5-Element model with earth, metal, water, and wood. Fire is King, ruling benevolently, bringing light, shining the photonic energy of consciousness into every shadowy corner of the universe, life and love. The other elements exist to serve the fire element, because fire transcends the physical, turning matter into light and consciousness.
So the idea of the Vital Fire is one of a balanced, clear vitality that sheds light everywhere it goes. It is a compassionate vitality, not too hot so that it scorches the earth, nor burns up all its fuel -- it does not blow its wad too early. A Vital Fire maintains its light, giving off a brilliant gleam long into the night, steady as she goes, in all weather, stormy or balm. A Vital Fire retains a deep reserve of energy, fuel, resources, ready for mobilization, yet is judicious on the throttle, capable of burning on and on, for eons, if that's what it takes to do what it came to do.
As you become aware of your innate fire -- your inborn purpose and passion within as well as the metabolic processes that feed vitality and consciousness, personal growth will unfold, manifesting almost independently of effort. As you become more and more resonant and congruent with your own true heart, your own destiny will speak through you, a process that might be similar to what some people call 'following the Tao.'
About the author
Luke practices acupuncture, Oriental & natural medicine, and conducts wellness retreats in the mountain resort community of Breckenridge, Colorado.
He sees clients at Sacred Tree, an integrative healthcare & wellness spa, located at the base of Peak 8 at Blue Sky.
Visit us at http://www.sacredtree.com
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