Many of you know how respectful I am of the Body Being. My new book, Awakening Body Consciousness, was written to help others recognize its importance in the unfolding of our life’s path.
So sad that many people treat their body like a donkey—to beat or sometimes cajole with a chocolate carrot. I want to cry out to them that they are missing out on a most meaningful relationship. They are estranged from their best friend.
Yet why be surprised? As you read in my last blog, we have lived the last 400 years on the assumption that we are heads walking around dragging a body behind us, ever since Descartes insisted that “I think therefore I am.” Not true. I AM, therefore I think and feel and act!
What’s more, Gurdjieff made it clear that we are always seeing the world upside down—topsy-turvy as he liked to say. That has never been more accurate than in the instance of our attitude to our own Body Being.
Luckily we have guides to recall us to a more balanced understanding. Not long ago a poem came over my transom. Its humbling but uplifting message comes from one of the wisest people I’ve ever known—and I’ve known a quite a few! Her wisdom came from listening, learning, and experiencing the life her own Body/Soul. Here it is. Enjoy. And, above all, don’t forget to take the treasure home!
This is your body
Your greatest gift,
Pregnant with wisdom you do not hear,
Grief you thought was forgotten,
And joy you have never known.
If you can listen to the wisdom of your body,
Love the flesh and bone,
Dedicate yourself to its mystery,
You may, one day, find yourself smiling from your mirror.Marion Woodman
