In One Drop

”In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans; in one aspect of You are found all the aspects of existence.”

―Kahlil Gibran Jr.

A holon is defined as something that is a whole, in and of itself, while also being a part in a larger whole. Consider the organization of individual cells that make up a tissue. Tissues organize to create organs, organs organize into systems, and systems organize to sustain the networks of complex living bodies. Each cell is a functional unit with its own needs. In order for the cell (and therefore every other expanded aspect of which it is a part) to express its function in a normal (i.e. healthy) way, there are nutritional and environmental requirements, as well as the ability to receive, perceive, and respond to signals that coordinate it and its neighbors.

I agree with Gibran. From a chiropractic perspective, I would add that our ability to explore those innate secrets depends on the clarity of the signal our selves, our cells, and our holons use to communicate. This signal is largely communicated through, processed in, and experienced via our nervous system. How we express those aspects of our existence that are most interesting and most congruent with our true nature is directly related to the shape, tone, and tension of the spine (itself a holon). It is often the case that the spine reflects the state of the nervous system. I understand “signal” as the dance and dialogue between the nervous system and the spine, and by extension how we express the intelligence of life through the matter of our bodies. We are the drop that contains the ocean.