Many religions view the body as a necessary evil. Some say it is a temple and yet condemn its desires to procreate and its innate abilities to dance. Some say it is a cloak to be shed and discarded when the great light comes. Other religions say we were made, “in all ways,” like God, and yet post strict rules on what we can eat, drink, or on what and how we can sing. Some believe the body is a treasure chest holding a deeper, truer body–a celestial being—making the body essentially a carrier for the soul or the “real” self (And why not think this?—It’s in our language after all—even I use the term, “my” body in this post. Who is the “my?”). Still other religions divide the body into sinews and chemicals, bones and various liquids that will one day dissolve into dust leaving behind a vague, drifting energy that will hopefully find another body to inhabit so that it can move closer on its steady, evolutionary ascent from animal to God.
After many years of despising the body and being involved in several of those systems that viewed the body, along with its sister Nature, as evil—I have finally settled into a place of self acceptance. In my case this took years—decades. And I still have a long way to go in terms of treating my body right in terms of food, exercise, and sleep, but changes are being made and being made with a gentleness and joy that signals the ease with which I move my body today.
The body used to mean pain and shame, and I dreaded pain and discomfort. At the slightest hint of a headache I would be downing aspirin. In addition, I withered under the weight of what I imagined people thought of my body—I wouldn’t wear shorts for fear of people laughing at my skinny legs. I would never take off my shirt if I got into a pool (which was rare because of my inability to swim) for fear people would laugh at my skinny arms. I used to walk with my chest puffed out while sucking in my gut to make it look like I was strong.
So what changed? Three years ago when I profoundly accepted my utter inability to manage my own life and began opening my heart just enough to let other people help me, the realization dawned that I was a child of God. It took awhile to sink in, but gradually, with the enormous help of EFT, my body became an integrated part of an organic wholeness. My body was no longer something to deny or despise. It was to be guarded as holy in and of itself. Never again would I let myself be victimized, used, or abused. That meant if I needed to set boundaries and not let myself be touched in any way, then that is what I did. If I needed to take a nap I did. If I needed to let myself be touched then I did. The decision was mine. For if my body was God given and God created—in the image of God no less, then it was something to be celebrated and used for good. It was the ultimate expression of the spirit and the true desires of the heart.
And so as human beings we embrace when happy, grateful, or in the act of either comforting or being comforted–our bodies instinctively move to open us to touch hearts. When we see someone else crying tears form in our own eyes. When someone else laughs we laugh. These are all physical manifestations of souls connecting via the loving guidance of the body.
What then exactly are the spiritual aspects of the body? Your eyes, your fingers and toes, your lungs, your skin and hair, your ears, your various systems—digestive, respiratory, reproductive, endocrine, and so on—all of you. You–body and soul together as one tapestry of heavenly creation—are spiritual. So rejoice. Dance. Play. Revel in the senses. Eat something you love and know your body isn’t just some sort of elaborate taxi for the soul—your body IS your soul expressed in the last act of Divinity.
Copyright Joseph Anthony of the Wonder Child Blog