Sadly, Axiom Two of the Positive Paradigm is a little known but important fact of life we never learned in school – but should have. “We Are Each a World Complete, Containing the Potentials of the Universe.”

In large part, The Positive Paradigm Handbook was written as the book I searched for on library shelves during school years, but couldn’t find. It’s now available for others who also sense that there’s something important missing from what we’re taught which urgently needs to be restored.

Hints of Axiom Two are embedded in ancient healing traditions, both West and East. Medical sciences of Europe as well as India and China map mapped subtle inner energy patterns which traverse the spine. Huston Smith (the famous comparative religion teacher) was correct in recognizing what he called an “invisible geometry” which shapes all humanity to a “single truth.”

Here’s that single truth: We are all made (quite literally) in the image of God. Each and every individual mirrors the structure and godlike potentials of the Creator. As miniatures, we each embody the perfect and complete pattern of the Universe. Starting from the inalienable eternal core, it’s possible to generate (as in “genesis”) entire worlds from that center.

But here’s the catch. We’ve forgotten who we truly are. Most of us are sleeping giants. Only a vestigial memory of this ancient wisdom remains with us. It’s ever present, however, as for example in the familiar shield of modern medicine.

The Caduceus is the symbol of the Greek healer-messenger god, Mercury. The central staff represents the spine. The pair of snakes coiling around it represent alternating positive and negative energy currents that link the levels of the spine into a continuous whole. The pair of wings at the top extend from the third eye, the point of divine connection and intuition. All life emanates from and returns to this creative point of origin.

Similarly, in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), subtle energies radiate throughout the physical body in meridians which link and nourish the internal organs. Chi is stored in energy centers (“dan tiens”) which correspond with the upper, middle and lower parts of the physical body.

Yoga anatomy details seven major centers where energy (“prana”) pathways intersect along the human spine. They’re named “chakras” (“wheels”), reflecting their spinning, wheel-like dynamics. As detailed in Conscience: Your Ultimate Personal Guide, each of the chakras is associated a with specific level of psychological/social evolution.

In each of these traditions, “health” means “whole.” The health of subtle energetic and related biological systems depends on the integrated balance of the interrelated parts. Each part depends on and completes the whole. The concept of “holism” expresses this worldview.

The Positive Paradigm Wheel is consistent with these medical traditions. The Handbook extracts from these sciences the universal basics most relevant to today’s immediate, survival needs. Its purpose is to restore applications of this wisdom to their necessary, central place in the decision-making process.

Corollaries (applications) of Axiom Two could fill an entire book. Here, for starters, are a few:

Corollary A: This view of human origin and creative potentials is the universal foundation of respect, both for oneself and for others. That all humans are created equal is an existential truth. [What they’ve chosen to do (or not do) with this gift is different subject.]

Corollary B: “To save one life is to save the world entire.” Every human life is a complete mirror of creation. As an integral and necessary part of the whole, each of individual has intrinsic value and is worth every effort to save.

Corollary C: Because light at the center of the Positive Paradigm Wheel is the source of energy, which in turn generates mass, the biblical instruction is good advice. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God. All else follows.” As Stephen Covey puts it, “First things first.”

The first of the Ten Commandments given to Moses in the Old Testament calls for exclusive commitment to conscience. When faced with a conflict over which commandment to obey, again, the first comes first.

When a noisy world tempts away from inner knowing, survival depends on the ability to listen to the still inner voice at the heart of hearts, and having the courage to honor that calling by following through with positive action.

Corollary D: Looks are deceiving. What is visible on the surface isn’t the whole picture. What’s hidden at the middle energy level and deeper still within the inner core are often very different from surface appearances. [Superficial thinkers produce shallow work and are themselves easily deceived.]

Corollary E: Every excess or deficiency is detrimental to health. In extreme, the opposites of spirituality and materialism are equally dangerous to the whole. If any level is neglected, problems are certain to follow.

Corollary F: When the natural thirst for inner light is not satisfied in healthy, life-confirming ways, life becomes blighted. When high energy people are denied confirmation and remain ignorant as to how best to harness their energies, they become vulnerable to the promises of cults leaders, succumb to mental illness or worse.