Back to 
Show transformed page
When the VIHASA pack was being developed between 2000 - 2004, the core working group felt that these were the main values in healthcare and wanted a pictorial theme to link them. And so, the concept of the tree emerged...
The descriptions below give the spiritual significance of each image linked with each value.
Please click on tabs below to see.
Values
Know yourself – what created this life of ours, with all its variety of branches of activities? What essential values drive us? What direction do we now want our lives to take? The tree – light, spiritual, strong, full of impact. |  |
Peace
 | As a tree reaches underground to form a firm foundation, so too we can turn within and create a foundation of peace and understanding through the inner being. Then, no matter what situation comes to shake us, we will not react outwardly. Roots – a firm foundation. |
Positivity
The trunk is the visible support for all my activity. Does my attitude lean one way or the other, or waver with the wind? Does it follow the light, or has it been warped by past events? I need to be clear, open and positive, a pillar of society! Attitude unwavering, straight and powerful, uninfluenced by surroundings, able to give guidance and support. Trunk – underlying attitude, strength.. |  |
Compassion
 | When a tree is healthy and mature it will bear fruit and give of itself, for the benefit of birds, insects and animals. I can give love, the fruit of my inner work. But I must not give the branch as well, or I will no longer be able to bear fruit. Fruit – giving of myself, nurturing, bending low, offering fruit … |
Co-operation
One branch alone cannot provide protection for the birds in the nest, or shade for those that seek relief from the sun. No matter how good our skills are, their effect is multiplied when we come together with others. To take my place in a team is an honour. Branches – doing together what cannot be done alone. |  |
Valuing Myself
 | Quietly, systematically, without show, I follow a spiritual discipline to refresh and replenish my inner resources. In my daily routine, I give time for silence and reflection. In-between activities, I pause, and process, and let go. Understanding and love combine with wisdom and objectivity. When I process my experiences in this way, it will create an atmosphere around me such that others come to do the same. Leaves – regenerating and refreshing the self. |
Spirituality
See a tree in blossom, and the heart is lifted. There is beauty, and wonder, and feelings of anticipation - of summer, and of autumn fruits. In my work, let me see the beauty in others and maintain hope in their emerging future. Illness can reveal a delicate but beautiful part of the patient, in which there is a feeling of wholeness and renewal. Flowers – giving, caring, newness, sparkle - an added extra. . |  |