The War Within with Origin of Existence

I find it ironic that this interview came to my awareness, just as tensions increase on the global stage. It’s easy to get swept-up in the saga and drama, but what if the greatest conflict you will ever face is not happening out there in the world, but inside yourself?

That was the thread running through this candid and heartfelt conversation I had with my old friend Josh Austin of Origin of Existence at the Conscious Life Expo back in February.

Josh has been a creative partner of mine for years. He designed the covers for both of my books, and seeing him at this event felt like a full-circle moment. As we caught up at my booth, the conversation naturally turned to something that I know is on everyone’s mind right now: the state of the world, and what we can actually do about it.

The Problem with “War” Language:

I want to start with something that does not get talked about enough: the language we use shapes the reality we create.

Given how much political tension, division, and unrest we are witnessing, where do we go from here? How can holistic practices actually help?

Think about how often we declare war on things. A war on drugs. A war on poverty. A war on illness. These phrases feel powerful, like we are taking a strong stand.

But here is the problem. When you put the energy and the intention of war into any situation, you create more war. Your system does not filter for your good intentions. It responds to the signal you are sending. And that signal, repeated over and over in your thoughts, your words, and your internal dialogue, becomes the very thing you are trying to fight against.

It is something you can observe in your own life.

How often do you “fight” stress, only to feel more stressed?

How often do you “battle” a bad habit, only to find yourself more consumed by it?

The war metaphor keeps you locked in conflict, because conflict is the operating system you have installed.

The invitation is to stop fighting and start healing. (Breathe that in). Simply by reading these words, you are transformed.

Your Thoughts Have a Ripple Effect

Your thoughts do not stay inside your head. They radiate outward. Like a pebble dropped into a still pond, the ripple moves beyond what your eyes can see, touching the edges of everything around you, and beyond.

This means that becoming a watchful observer of your own thoughts is not a passive or self-indulgent act. It is one of the most powerful contributions you can make to the world around you. When you choose to shift the inner climate from one of war to one of peace, of curiosity, of compassion, that shift moves outward. It affects the people in your home, your workplace, your community.

We are not as separate as we have been led to believe. Just as the organs of the human body are interconnected and mutually dependent, we as human beings are part of a larger living system. When one part suffers, the whole system is affected. When one part heals, the whole system benefits.

Getting to the Root, Not Only the Symptoms

In classical Chinese medicine, we make an important distinction between the branch and the root. The branch is the symptom, what you can see and feel on the surface. The root is the underlying imbalance that is generating those symptoms. You can treat the branch and get temporary relief. But if you want lasting change, you have to go to the root.

This principle applies just as powerfully to our mental health as it does to our physical health.

When you find yourself repeatedly triggered by external events, whether it is the news, a difficult relationship, or the broader chaos of the world, that reaction is almost never really about what is happening outside of you. It is a signal. It is your inner world communicating that there is something unresolved underneath, a past emotional wound, a limiting belief, a stored trauma that has not yet been fully processed or released.

Until you address the root, the symptoms will keep returning. Different faces, different situations, same pain.

Qigong as a Path to Emotional Well-being

This is exactly where the practice of Qigong becomes so important, and it is the heart of what I explore in my book, Chris Shelton’s Easy Guide to Emotional Well-Being with Qigong.

Qigong is often misunderstood as simply a form of gentle movement or breathing exercise. While it is certainly accessible in that way, its depth goes far beyond the physical.

Curative Qigong is a system for cultivating, moving, and transforming the vital life force energy, or Qi, that flows through every cell of your body.

Our emotions are not separate from our organs. Unresolved grief affects the lungs. Chronic fear disrupts the kidneys. Unprocessed anger creates imbalance in the liver. These are not metaphors. They are clinical observations that have been refined over thousands of years of practice.

When you work with Curative Qigong consistently, you are not just stretching or relaxing. You are literally moving stagnant emotional energy out of the body and creating the conditions for new patterns to take root. You are addressing the root, not just managing the branch.

In Chris Shelton’s Easy Guide to Emotional Well-Being with Qigong, I walk you through exactly how to do this in a way that is practical, accessible, and grounded in the wisdom of Curative Qigong. Whether you are dealing with anxiety, grief, chronic stress, or simply a sense that something feels off and you cannot quite name it, this book offers a clear path forward.

Intentionality Is Not Optional

I will leave you with something personal. Every single morning, I do mantras. I do prayers. I set my intentions clearly and consciously before I step into my day. I do not consume rhetoric that does not serve me. I do not buy into fear-based narratives from the outside world. I know who I am, and I reinforce that knowing every morning before the noise of the world has a chance to cloud it.

This is not spiritual bypassing. It is not pretending the world’s problems do not exist. It is choosing the operating system from which you engage with those problems. Because when you are rooted in clarity, in presence, and in an understanding of your own inner landscape, you become far more effective at contributing to real, lasting change in the world around you.

The war within is the war that matters most. And the good news is, it is one you can actually win, not by fighting harder, but recognizing the true of who you are, and then cultivating healing, health, and happiness.

Ready to begin? Pick up your copy of Chris Shelton’s Easy Guide to Emotional Well-Being with Qigong and start the journey from the construct of war to inner peace, from the inside out.

And be sure to check out Origin of Existence for more inspiring conversations at the intersection of culture, spirituality, and conscious living.