Food – Holy and Cosmic
Not only are the movements of our body incredible but so is that which we use to fuel our body. Our bodies are made from star stuff and so is the food take in. Plants have taken the energy from the sun and grown. Animals have eaten plants, or other animals, to help them grow. We eat both plants and animals to make ourselves grow. Of course we do, we are animals ourselves. In the end we feed the plants as our bodies decompose in the ground. Ashes to ashes, (cosmic) dust to dust. This food chain, this cycle of life is so beautiful in it’s simplicity. In the Hunter Gatherer metaphor I mentioned how some cultures thank an animal for giving their life so that we may live. In rereading this chapter I saw that, even though I don’t say grace before a meal this practice could help me both spiritual and in raising my 2 boys ( a spiritual journey unto itself ). Through being thankful to animals who gave their lives and standing in awe of the universe for providing the fruits, vegetables and grains we can offer up good fodds to our body temples.
The Chakras: Rediscovering our Sacred Bodies
I some trouble fully connecting with the concept of chakras. However, the second reading of this chapter gave me more insight into chakras as junctions of energy. If our bodies are a temple, these are the places that our spiritual energy meets to create. I won’t get into the details of each chakra as there are books galore on the topic and this book ( buy it if you haven’t already! ) is only a place to start but I will speak to the concept in general. All these metaphors in the book overlap in different ways and the chakras seem to be the overlap between Our Cosmic, Animal Bodies and the Spiritual Warrior. From the connection to the earth, to the strength of inner values, the wisdom and the powerful force to be reckoned with chakras have the pieces that make up the warrior.
Recovering Body Awareness: Four Practical Steps
Like many of the other metaphors in this book you might get into the chapter and see that there is a missing in your life but the how and what of rebalancing is missing. This section is a good start and I found it very helpful. Step One: Grounding – Before I created myself as a runner, I did get a book called Chi Running by Danny Dreyer. It helped me a lot in my form ( which helped me when I became a runner ) but it wasn’t a program so its benefits at the time of reading were limited. The lessons in it are invaluable to me now but one in particular was a warm up that he talks about which is specific to being grounded. So now, as I run, I am present to being grounded and thus connected to my green man and mother earth. Step Two: Boundaries – Boundaries are important, but we have less and less practice at honoring them with others. This book has a specific exercise you can try, but you can start by learn your personal comfort zones with different types of people and honoring your own. Also, boundaries aren’t about keeping people out. The same way that rules in a pro wrestling match are there so you know when the heel is cheating, boundaries are there so you can let people in when you care for them. Without proper respect for boundaries and their role you miss that important aspect to interpersonal relationships. Step Three: Breathing – Sorry to go back to my practice of running again but this is a huge thing I’ve gotten from running. Respecting my breathing and breathing consciously have been vital to running itself and given me practice for steadying my breathing in other parts of my life. Conscious breathing is important, not only to exercise but to many forms of meditation and relaxation. That is probably why so many people have taken to Yoga, where breathing and relaxation are the core of the workout. Step Four: Feeling – Reach out with your feelings. Feelings are emotion mixed with physical sensations. To feel something means to both be sensing something you are touching and to have emotions about something. For myself, fatherhood has sent this power into overdrive. I’ve always been more of a feeling guy but those two little boys have brought my emotions to the surface. This tells me that the image of a “real” man who doesn’t cry is false. There is too much spiritual energy wrapped in your emotions that to not feel is to not really be a man. It is scary, especially to feel around people who are not your family but it is powerful. Start to look at this, not as a weakness but as a strength. It doesn’t mean you need to get soppy over every terrible written sappy cliché in a movie, but it does mean you can start to connect with the world and people around you on a more emotional level.
Conclusion
This metaphor finishes up with the author sharing a poem and discussing our physical bodies in relation to our spiritual bodies. The poem is a good reminder to love our bodies. Not just the body whole, but the body parts as well. From our head to our toes to our heart, lungs, liver and more we have much to be thankful for. As for the relationship between our spiritual and physical bodies, common teaching says that our spirit resides in our bodies. The author, and I agree with him on this, says that is backwards. Our physical bodies are actual inside of our spirit. Its hokey, but when someone says they can see your aura it is really your spiri(ual body) which is actually on the outside. I’d like to think it is the way in which people are still with us, even after their physical bodies are returning to the dirt to feed the plants.
And now for something a little different. The spirituality of science, because we all are made of star stuff ( and that is so frickin’ cool! ).
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Tags: Men's Studies, running, spirituality
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