Inhabiting the Body Temple
For hundreds of thousands of years, humans around the world have practiced shamanism. This practice includes performing shamanic journeys in order to allow part of the spirit to “fly” to transcendental dimensions where divine beings, called helping spirits, reside. Another part of the practice of shamanism is to communicate with the benevolent spirits of this world in order to connect, appreciate newfound wisdom, and work alongside these non-human beings in supporting the Web of Life in which we are all a part of. The practice is both dis-embodied and embodied, depending on the intention.
However, as humans who have been facing the ongoing and intensifying global turbulence for the past few years, many are finding it challenging to stay connected to their body and therefore to be fully present. Our body is its own universe unto itself and is the vehicle for housing our spirit for this life experience. It holds the history of one’s present life, past lives, ancestral DNA, as well as the deep wisdom held within body memory. The Body Temple holds an inner knowing and intuition that can be trusted beyond any external static. Have you ever had that “gut feeling”? That’s your body telling you something your thinking mind couldn’t possibly know. We can either acknowledge the miraculous creation our body is, or we can take it for granted and live disconnected from it. This is especially true for those who have sustained trauma - whether emotional or physical - because the body no longer feels like a safe haven for that individual’s soul. Being fully present cannot occur without being embodied, but because we humans live in a complex dimension, there can be an external lack of safety in times such as these, which can hinder this experience.
Our modern culture often dictates societal “norms” of what our bodies are supposed to look like and attributes worth to those who fit the mold of “perfection” while disempowering those whose vessels do not. This phenomenon is inescapable for young children, adolescents, adults, and elders - regardless of gender or gender identity. And, this sad phenomenon is a form of sickness in our modern time.
Making friends with the flesh and bones that carry us through our lives is a healthier way to live. Often, illness or pain is akin to the body screaming because it hasn’t been heard for so long. Our culture does not give us tools to listen, but rather dismisses the wisdom our body is often giving us. Although certain negative experiences may send the spirit outside of the physical body, it is an act of rebellion of sorts, to be fully present and embodied in the vessel we have been gifted for this time.
