Your body ~ your temple
So what does your body have to do with Spirituality you say? Well pretty much everything.
There is a powerful & inseparable link between mind, body and spirit.
They are connected and yet separate, however to achieve harmony we needed to strive for balance between the 3 aspects that make you you!
If my mind is full of stuff; stress, money, family, people who annoy me and so on, I cannot focus.
If my body is bloated or misused from poor nutrition, fatigue or any other kind of discomfort, I cannot focus.
If I am so busy with my life, rushing from one chore to the next, then I cannot focus.
For me, listening to my body, to the spirits around me, to nature, to animals and to my dreams, allows me to focus. However, in order to achieve this & reach the place where I am now, (please remember we are all a work in progress), the first thing I needed to do was slow down.
Finding time for myself, seemed impossible, I was married, teaching full time as a primary teacher, raising four daughters, have a whole menagerie of animals, a home, a garden, but I found time.
I found time to do little things at first, drinking an early morning cup of tea in the garden, doing pilates, manicures. These things gave me ‘Me Time’. Time to relax and think and just be me. It is in these hours, minutes, moments, that I connected with my spirit and learned to focus my mind.
I used simple meditation techniques to relax my body and calm my mind. I started small and then discovered a hunger for more, which in turn enabled me to drop the excess baggage of the many things in life which dull your day. It enabled me to give more to the people and things that had true meaning in my life and to basically to become a more complete human being. I began to reclaim my mind.
Our bodies are finely tuned, fantastic works of genius. Have you ever noticed the little signal you get from your Solar Plexus when you have had enough to eat? It is so easy to miss. The key here once again – there’s a theme – is time. I discovered that when I began taking my time to eat, to truly enjoy every bite, slowly and with focus, that was when I felt it. It’s like a little nudge, or like the slight rim on the edge of a jar just before it overflows. That’s when I stop, before the pleasure has disappeared and you start heading down the slippery path to ‘food sweats’ territory and bloating. When we stop and listen to the pulse and beat of our bodies we flow. Like knowing that by the time you reach the point of feeling thirsty that you’re already a bit dehydrated, when we know our own bodies we connect and flow.
There are times when I crave something, like cheese or nuts or fruit. I have taught myself to listen to my body knowing that I must be in need of calcium or protein or vitamins. I love to drink water with slices of lemon in it, I find it so cleansing and delicious especially first thing in the morning, and now that I pay attention, I recognise that I love it because I’m literally cleansing and giving a boost to my insides. Of course my husband always smiles when I say I fancy a bit of chocolate, the food of love, or the serotonin giver. (Aside: Did you know that women generally have more serotonin in their brains and are more sensitive to chocolate?) By listening to my body and observing the signals it gave me I began to reclaim my body.
Our spirit and spiritual awareness exists in much the same way as our minds and our bodies. Through harnessing and gaining control of our minds and bodies we are so much closer to spiritual awareness, (although occasionally we all need to be a little wanton once in a while , see my previous blog, A soul journey began , and embrace your dark side).
This is not something I just did one day and then was done. No no no it is something I am nurturing and continuing to develop every day.
It’s why I found the indoctrination and dogma I was raised with to be so limiting. For me that is other peoples experiences and points of view, not mine and probably not yours. It creates hierarchy and secularism and excludes us mere mortals who cannot possibly have a direct relationship with spirit unless, of course, we go through one of the ‘chosen ones’. I couldn’t imagine seeking forgiveness myself, I had to go to confession and confess to another far more important human being as I was merely a little girl. But of course that was a crucial way of controlling the masses and keeping us one step back from whatever spiritual being you may call god, and one of the main reasons I started this blog.
We are no better or worse than any other human being, and once we recognise that in ourselves, then we are open, if we so choose, to get that direct line to spirit ourselves – intermediaries not required – and that's when the real spiritual the magic begins & your soul starts to truly awaken.
Being spiritually in tune required stillness and the ability to listen. To see and hear the messages I was receiving, and perceive the guidance that was presenting itself to me in so many ways. This is how I connect and how the magic began. In those quiet moments when I may feel troubled and then come across a white feather, or am looking for inspiration and then suddenly I witness an event, or find it through a thought provoking conversation with someone. I had begun to reclaim and awaken my spirit.
For me conversing with my spirit, and my Goddess and God, is like your solar plexus signal, spiritual signs come quietly, and I needed to be still in a loud and fast paced world, and open to feel the presence, heed the signs, and follow the clues that were being given to me.
This world is a magical place where nothing is a coincidence and everything has a purpose and it is not exclusive only to the chosen few, but to anyone that may be open to it. We are entering an era where we see Mother Earth and the crazy havoc we are wreaking upon her. We are entering a new era of spiritual awakening and connection to this beautiful and perfect planet we live on. It is why I find it so ludicrous when people insist that their way is the only way and are willing to kill other human beings to prove that they are right.
There is no one way, and there is no right way, there are as many paths as there are people, and we don’t need buildings or hierarchy to find our path, we just have to open our minds and let our spirits soar.
My awakening to becoming the Spiritualist/Pagan/Earth lover that I am was no accident, it found me and I listened.
Why not try it yourself, whichever path you choose, once you begin to hear the voice of spirit your life begins to transform in so many ways (some of those transformations can be painful as you awaken to things you never knew you knew).
In the end balancing body mind and soul is the one true way to finding peace and harmony in your life and of course all great paths begin with meditation!
My next blog is a witchy one, protecting yourself and removing a hex. Stay tuned and thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings.
Blessed Be )O( & Namaste ૐ