Introductory thoughts for this blog please:

     Monastic Medicine, a unique dualism between natural science and

     spiritual healing :

·        Centers of hospitality

·        Monks focused on treating a patient’s soul, in addition to his body,

 believing that God had ultimate authority in one’s health and recovery.

·        Rule of St. Benedict: code of rules for monastic living.

·        Start one’s pilgrimage earlier in life.

·        Before others, and above all, special care must be taken of the ill,

 so they may be looked after, as Christ.

·        Spiritual aspect of medicine through Biblical allusions.
         Freemasonry - images/symbols, Geomancy

·        Predominance in Monastic Medicine of Spiritual Medicine over natural,

 physical healing.
 Meditation/Contemplation
 Thomas Merton :)
 The divine origin of herbs remained the primary reason for their healing 

         powers.
         Lecto Divina

·        Building’s designed so that ill monks would remain in touch with God.

         Prelude 

         Cloister
         Stone circles/hearths/chimneys
         Fish hatchery - Koi
         The Church of the Incurabili
         Dowsing
         Interface
         be-tween
         Re-presentation
         Ospedaletto & Mendicanti hospitals (Churches of)
         Mirror pond 
         Ospedali Grandi
         echo
         cohesion
         fractal    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal
         iterations - Gothic fractal, Hokusai's waves 
         Conflict resolution center(s) - deprogramming think tank
         gate keeper or ferryman 
         

HEALING - is the process of re-establishing harmony within the organism.
ILLNESS - implies a loss of this balance, and the need for reintegration with
                   the body's natural ability to heal and regenerate.
Far from being inert containers, spaces can be understood to be fully participant
in the healing experience. Working with the totality of these forces can result in
conscious co-creation of spaces that are not only useful, but which are vibrant
and alive, and therefore capable of their own contributions.