Embracing Our Holistic Side

Holistic means to embrace all aspects of ourselves, not just the physical, the mental or the spiritual. However, if one is having trouble experiencing one’s holistic self but would like to start tapping into it, our thinking is one of the best places to start. Holistic thinking is a mental competence of great value. It understands the ability to see things as a whole to understand and predict relationships in complex systems.

Holistic thinking does not seek to destroy analytical thinking; that is a misconception by people who are not familiar with the essence of Holistic self. It is true the holistic cognitive model forms a strategy capable of seeing harmony in contradictions and seeks to also make sense of the chaos, filtering reality in a more patient way; however, both styles of thinking are equally valid, useful and necessary processes on a day-to-day basis.

To think holistically is to recognize the interconnection of various factors that, in some way, end up forming patterns, more complex systems or larger objects. This term was precisely summarized by Aristotle himself in his writings on metaphysics: “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”–kind of like pieces of a puzzle.

There are characteristics which highlight a person who is holistic or approaching the holistic way of thinking….

• People observe each aspect or detail in its entirety and not in isolation. They try to understand the origin, the context where something happens, etc.
• They study everything trying to contextualize it. For example, before judging a person quickly, they pay close attention to the person’s behavior–while detaching their own ideas of how one should be, think or feel. They try to understand what could have happened and what conditions surrounded a person for them to have become who they are now.
• They assume that nothing happens just because, but understand the irrationality of creation for they understand everything has an origin, everything is related to more dimensions but also we lack the vision of the whole to understand what can be magickal chaos–for they understand within what seems not orderly, there is an order, one has to be patient to find the pattern and experience something before fully understanding it.
• They also understand that human relationships define and determine us. Our family, friends and social context is what shapes us.
• Life is accepting its eternal contradiction. In fact, one thing can be both beautiful and unpleasant. The human being is noble and also capable of the worst.
• Contradictory ideas are valuable.
• People defined by holistic thinking are patient when it comes to judging, but impatient when it comes to superficial things or people. They know, no one is perfect.
• They understand that although people can evolve, there are patterns that repeat themselves and do not always change if one isn’t willing to embrace all aspects of self and of the life…lightness and darkness.

Holistic thinking allows us to understand the relationships of all things, to draw inspiration from any stimulus by thinking about their relationships, about higher and greater concepts. Therefore, it is always interesting to enhance it a little more. Here are the keys to so; however, remember that your path and way will be unique to you; for holistic doesn’t mean giving up self, on the contrary, it means embracing your uniqueness and individuality; in doing so, organically a natural sense of connection takes place without dissolving self.

• Thinking holistically forces us to broaden the horizon, to look away from ourselves to attend to what surrounds us, the context that surrounds us and the people who make it up. It is time to broaden our sights, to see everything in perspective.
• Learn to recognize patterns. Instead of analyzing each problem as something unique and isolated, put it in context. It analyzes interdependencies, origins, triggers until it identifies some kind of pattern–bur remember that your brain and heart do go hand in hand.
• Thinking holistically involves developing our creativity much more. That means you’ll need to reason out more innovative solutions to problems taking into account the whole context around you. Holistic thinking requires a lot of feeling; not detached but unattached. It requires strength and vulnerability.

The Holistic approach requires leaving behind old conditioning and becoming aware that each of us is part of a whole, but that whole although connected is a unique and individual world to each…for that is how it expresses itself. Thinking holistically can improve our lives for it teaches us balance and to value the human spirit and its divinity without rigid attitudes.