sacred bodies, sacred selves
Jan. 11th, 2006 03:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chelidonComment made to this post by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
yezida:
Just as the ego is the "gross vessel" through which the godself manifests change in the world of form, and so a healthy ego is essential, the body is the vessel through which we actually do our Work of living our lives and building the world to be, and a healthy body is no less important than any other part of who we are. And, of course, my using the word "vessel" falsely implies something lesser, separate -- the body is no less sacred or holy than the mind, no less pure than any of our more subtle bodies, so why do we (myself included of course) often give it such short shrift?
It's that old dualistic split again, the assumptions that underpin our actions...the flesh is lesser, fallen, unworthy, base, to be ignored or transcended, or at most, treated as one does a much-battered tool, keeping it reasonably sharp perhaps, but only grudgingly, dutifully, certainly taking no pleasure in it, without any real honoring of the flesh. Attention we give our bodies to keep them strong and healthy is nearly as devalued as the attention we give to bodily pleasure, or indeed, to any bodily sensation or need at all.
But... "Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano." Let us pray for a sound mind in a healthy body. And more than pray, make it so, since our bodies are absolutely holy, and not only worthy of, but demanding of, all the praise, attention, and health-making work and play we can muster! Our bodies are of the earth, and as it is sacred, not one whit less are we. Exercise and treating oneself well is an act of the most profound worship, and part of the problem with how we treat ourselves is that many of our inherited and unconscious cultural assumptions are in opposition to that purest truth.
I embody that sin no less than others -- while my eating habits and fitness schedule have gotten much better over the years, my own particular weakness is failing to give myself enough sleep, and boy do I struggle with that one. The Protestant work ethic, fully-culturally-rooted in me though I am no Protestant, tells me that my body is to be used and abused as necessary, squeezed ever-harder to produce the maximum amount of work in the minimum amount of time. Bleah. We are not cogs in the machinery, we are Gods! And the egoistic savior-ethic many of our "alternative" groups live by is just a variant of that -- save the world, only you can do it, throw yourself in front of the oncoming train, the body is just a distraction, ignore it! Hmm, aren't we supposed to be holy in all our parts? Aren't each of us as worthy as the causes we fight for? That doesn't mean there's not times for sacrifice, but well..."Nor do I demand aught of sacrifice..." And that includes sacrificing our health and well-being on the altar of martyrdom for our beloved causes and sacred cows.
yezida:Just as the ego is the "gross vessel" through which the godself manifests change in the world of form, and so a healthy ego is essential, the body is the vessel through which we actually do our Work of living our lives and building the world to be, and a healthy body is no less important than any other part of who we are. And, of course, my using the word "vessel" falsely implies something lesser, separate -- the body is no less sacred or holy than the mind, no less pure than any of our more subtle bodies, so why do we (myself included of course) often give it such short shrift?
It's that old dualistic split again, the assumptions that underpin our actions...the flesh is lesser, fallen, unworthy, base, to be ignored or transcended, or at most, treated as one does a much-battered tool, keeping it reasonably sharp perhaps, but only grudgingly, dutifully, certainly taking no pleasure in it, without any real honoring of the flesh. Attention we give our bodies to keep them strong and healthy is nearly as devalued as the attention we give to bodily pleasure, or indeed, to any bodily sensation or need at all.
But... "Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano." Let us pray for a sound mind in a healthy body. And more than pray, make it so, since our bodies are absolutely holy, and not only worthy of, but demanding of, all the praise, attention, and health-making work and play we can muster! Our bodies are of the earth, and as it is sacred, not one whit less are we. Exercise and treating oneself well is an act of the most profound worship, and part of the problem with how we treat ourselves is that many of our inherited and unconscious cultural assumptions are in opposition to that purest truth.
I embody that sin no less than others -- while my eating habits and fitness schedule have gotten much better over the years, my own particular weakness is failing to give myself enough sleep, and boy do I struggle with that one. The Protestant work ethic, fully-culturally-rooted in me though I am no Protestant, tells me that my body is to be used and abused as necessary, squeezed ever-harder to produce the maximum amount of work in the minimum amount of time. Bleah. We are not cogs in the machinery, we are Gods! And the egoistic savior-ethic many of our "alternative" groups live by is just a variant of that -- save the world, only you can do it, throw yourself in front of the oncoming train, the body is just a distraction, ignore it! Hmm, aren't we supposed to be holy in all our parts? Aren't each of us as worthy as the causes we fight for? That doesn't mean there's not times for sacrifice, but well..."Nor do I demand aught of sacrifice..." And that includes sacrificing our health and well-being on the altar of martyrdom for our beloved causes and sacred cows.
