The body as spiritual focus

Last updated on: March 15, 2019 at 1:21 pm by Brandy Williams

The body as spiritual focus 2019-03-15T13:21:34-07:00 Brandy Williams

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The body is a powerful spiritual focus.

I take a stretching class at the gym on Tuesday mornings. The teacher begins by telling us “come back to the body”. This is my cue to collect my thoughts from all the places they’ve scattered: out to my house, checking on my friends, dipping into memories, scurrying ahead to the future. I settle into the strength of my back, the firmness of my support, the steady rhythm of breathing. What if I didn’t have a body to center my awareness? I imagine it would be much harder to create a coherent sense of self. This is what people who look beyond physical life tell us, that incarnation is a great gift because it gives us a place to focus.

My body authorizes my experience. I am the only person who knows what I see, what I hear, what I feel. I am the only person who can tell me what is right for me. Claiming this authority is actually pretty difficult in our current culture. The information stream bombards us with messages about what foods to eat and how to sleep and the best exercise patterns. I see this as a form of cultural delusion, demanding that we abandon awareness of our bodies and replace this with intellectualization.

Actually, to be honest, a lot of messages I’ve gotten demonize the body. The soul is spirit in matter, and matter is the opposite of spirit, it is filthy and evil. The soul’s journey is to liberate itself from matter. The way to do that is to detach from experience, to reject pleasure which encourages attachment to matter. There are a lot of messages about a woman’s body too. Being a woman makes me unfit – to be a priest, to be a philosopher, to so much as interact with men lest I arouse their thoughts of pleasure and lead them astray. Secular culture on the other hand rejects spirit – matter is all there is, the spirit world is an illusion, my past life memories are fantasies to comfort my fear of death.

I reject the rejection of spirit. I also reject the rejection of matter. I am spirit in matter and the body is not the opposite of spirit, it is the manifestation of spirit. As a Thelemite and a Witch and a Tantrika I embrace the world of the senses, accepting both pain and pleasure as opportunities for illumination. My body is the exact place where spirit recognizes herself. Without the body there is no meeting ground, no place to touch down into physical experience and allow myself to be changed by it.

The body is holy. The body’s unique size, shape, skin color, place on the gender spectrum are not impediments to the spiritual journey, they are the spiritual journey. Exactly who we are is the shape of spirit on the earth. Accepting this, moving from this awareness, builds trust in the body. Our animal selves know very well how to live. Listening to the body teaches us to eat when we are hungry, stop when we are full, sleep until we wake up, move in ways that strengthen and delight us.

When my exercise class teacher calls me to the body she doesn’t call me away from spirit. She calls me toward spirit. Listening to my body, allowing myself to truly immerse in physical experience, is the most spiritual practice I can do.

Personal magic

Thelema

Previous Post

March 4, 2019

Questioning my faith

Next Post

March 21, 2019 How does spiritual worth look on me?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Activism Book review Conferences Esotericism Golden Dawn Interfaith O.T.O. Personal magic Ritual Tantra Thelema Theurgy Uncategorized Witchcraft Women

Select a Month September 2025 May 2025 January 2025 December 2024 August 2024 June 2024 March 2024 December 2023 July 2023 May 2023 February 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 July 2022 May 2022 January 2022 November 2021 September 2021 July 2021 June 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 September 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 July 2018 May 2018 March 2018 October 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 February 2016 November 2015 October 2015 April 2015 March 2015 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What Christian group is known for "confession" to a priest?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Baptists Presbyterians Catholics Methodists