Mary chose our instructors with such wisdom, and we are so blessed to have access to their thoughts. Each one is happy to share their journey with us so that we may KNOW MYSELF BE IT IS, IS.

Anita Willoughby shares part of her awareness and understanding with us in the Spring 2009, issue Number 64, of The Main Central Jin Shin Jyutsu Newsletter. You may obtain your own personal copy at http://www.jsjinc.net.

PHYSIO-PHILOSOPHY (Nature-Effortless Reality), Part 3

A few months ago, I decided to try out this new profession. On my way back into the U.S.A., the immigration officer asked me my profession, and I looked him right in the eye and said, “Yes, (you know) ‘physio-philosopher’.” I rolled those Ps, he rolled his eyes, we both smiled, he gestured me through, and said, “Welcome home!” While writing this paper, I have been trying out physio-philosopher with some of my clients, friends and family. Some of their responses have been quite illuminating. “Wow! Awesome…Cool…So descriptive and beautiful.” Physio-philosopher has become my husband’s term of endearment for me. My father’s response to physio-philosopher was, “My god – never heard of that before!”…and this coming from a 94 year old promoter of peace.

Now that I have declared I am a physio-philosopher, I know who and what I am. It is time to find out what physio-philosophy IS. “Physio” comes from a Greek word, which means nature and is a combining form meaning nature, natural, or physical. The definition of the word NATURE, in my old Webster’s Dictionary is “the essential character of a thing; quality or qualities which make something what it is; essence.” Another is “inborn character, innate disposition, inherent tendencies of a person.” And “the sum total of all things in time and space, the entire physical universe.” Philosophy means love of wisdom or knowledge and comes from “philo“, which is a combining form meaning loving, liking, having a predilection for – and “sophy“, which comes from the Greek word, “Sophia“, wisdom, and is a combining form meaning knowledge or thought. History has it that Pythagoras invented the word “philosophy” as a result of a question posed to him. When asked, “Are you wise?” he is said to have answered, “No, but I’m a lover of wisdom.”…thereby creating the word philosophy. “Philosophia” is a term signifying “the love of wisdom” and “to lift the soul to truth”. (from A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe, by Michael S. Schneider, p.xxiii)

On the forward page in Text 1 and Text 2, Mary mentions the complete phrase, JIN SHIN JYUTSU, Physio-Philosophy at least 5 times. Is this to remind us that JIN SHIN JYUTSU is first and foremost a physio-philosophy, and to remind us that this study is for “lovers of wisdom and natural truths”? Throughout the introductory pages of both Text 1 and Text 2 there is an interplay between JIN SHIN JYUTSU and PHYSIO-PHILOSOPHY. Both are featured pretty prominently. (There’s that alliteration again.) Go take a look at those pages, see for yourself. On other pages, further elucidation is added in parentheses beneath PHYSIO-PHILOSOPHY (Nature-Effortless Reality), and beneath JIN SHIN JYUTSU (Cosmic Artless Art of KNOW (Help) MYSELF), but that is fodder for another article. I have tackled enough for now, Nature and Art will be left for another day.

Now I am quite comfortable with being a Physio-Philosopher. I am grateful to Mary for sparking my imagination to look within, beyond, above and through to the roots of these simple words. Thank you, Mary, for your part in bringing JIN SHIN JYUTSU, Physio-Philosophy to the light. And thank you, Philomena, for helping me become a Physio-Philosopher.

Thank you, Anita.

Thank you, Mary.

Thank you, David.

Gassho, Namaste, Blessings