CHAPTER ELEVEN:

HOLISTIC LIVING

AND

THE ASTROLOGY OF THE EIGHT FIELDS OF LIVING

EDWARD TARABILDA: By now we should realize that the eight fields of living discussed in the last eight dialogues comprise a new approach to holistic living. There are many books on holistic living which fail because they leave out one or more of these eight fields.

PSYCHOLOGIST: So the key to holistic living is giving attention to all these eight fields in some organized, systematic way?

EDWARD TARABILDA: Yes. And this is best accomplished by focusing primarily on the spiritual life, and by diligently practicing one's own path of yoga or tantra. "Seek first the kingdom of God and all else will be added unto you", said Christ.

But a primary focus does not preclude secondary attention to the other seven fields. In fact, it promotes it. Gurdjieff, the great Russian mystic, understood that it is wrong to talk about our ego, because we are actually multiple personalities. All these personalities tend to clash until we understand all eight aspects of our being, and we let our spiritual nature lead the others. When we recognize a conflict between any two fields, we can simply ask what course of action will honor our spiritual nature best.

Sometimes people are overwhelmed with all the knowledge I give them in the three consultations and look for some synthesis at the end. Then I tell them, "These consultations teach you about the eight different aspects of your self, and how to integrate them through your spiritual nature. It will take some time for this to take place, but now you have the necessary framework for the work to begin".

QUANTUM PHYSICIST: I experienced that exact thing in my work with you. I can see that people who lack a strong intellect might find it hard to assimilate all the material -- to see themselves clearly from this eightfold perspective, and to understand all the implications to be drawn from this eightfold nature.

EDWARD TARABILDA: That is true, but it really depends more on freedom from belief-system attachments than the kind of IQ it takes to excel in school. The work is both simple and extremely profound. It requires some inner sensitivity and clarity of awareness. Unfortunately, most people have no training in holistic knowledge. But the times are changing! I feel that The Astrology of the Eight Fields of Living lays the foundation for a new subjective science of holistic living.

The ancient Chinese had this knowledge of eight fields of living. It is reflected in the "Ba-Gua", the octagonal arrangement of eight trigrams which is central to Feng-Shui. It is also possible that the American Indians saw an eight-fold division of life. I've heard that some tribes wore an eight-sided insignia on their chest. I'm sure that the Native American tradition had some awareness of this eight-fold paradigm.

To be holistic, all schools must help students answer eight basic questions:

1. What is my spiritual nature?

2. What is my dharma?

3. What is my disease-type?

4. How can I best relate with others?

5. What is my career path?

6. What do I value most in life, and how can I keep these desires from becoming

attachments?

7. How can I best rejuvenate myself through play?

8. What are the best stress-management and emotional enrichment techniques

for me?

When an individual is comfortable in all eight of these arenas, and knows how he is unique in each field, then he deserves a doctorate in holistic living.

PSYCHOLOGIST: The way you have described most of these fields will require a major shift in how the experts view these areas of life.

EDWARD TARABILDA: That's the biggest challenge -- changing deeply-ingrained habitual thinking.

I think this brief summary is enough for today.