Body image issues

So, here’s the deal:

My body is basically a metaphor for my life—it’s my bible, my encyclopedia, my whole autobiography. Everything I’ve ever been through is etched right there; it’s all visible. The body knows, and it definitely speaks. Think of it like a marriage between the physical and the spiritual—you can't exactly file for divorce, even if the relationship isn't always exactly sunshine and rainbows.

The thing is, most of us aren't even actually *in* our bodies. We’re living entirely inside our heads, stuck in the past, worrying about the future, or chasing some pipe dream...

So, the real question is: how do you find your way back into your own skin? And, honestly, do you even know why you checked out in the first place?

granitewalker21 said:...so many of us aren't actually present in our own bodies. We're just living inside our heads...

But isn't the head (arguably) the most vital part of the body anyway?!?😕

swiftcobra15 said:I mean, isn't the head the most important part of the body anyway?😕

True. For a guy, you actually have to specify which head you're talking about. 😁

I really agree that we spend way too much time stuck inside our own heads—lost in all those mental constructs, rigid plans, and endless ideas about how the world *ought* to look. We get caught up in all this wishy-washy thinking that just pulls in more desires, fears, hopes, and anxieties. You start spiraling with thoughts like, "What if things don't turn out exactly how my brilliant mind mapped them out?" or "How can I force my intentions to actually work?" or even, "Wait, does this choice align with everything I’ve learned and processed so far?"

Now, don't get me wrong—it's not like we shouldn't think or live with our minds at all. But intellectual logic alone isn't nearly enough to reveal the full picture of the world if we actually want to live in it with a sense of true integration.

I won't bore you with all the granular details because that would be pointless, but there are certain exercises where you simply visualize your head being located right in the center of your chest.
Just try that... in various everyday situations.
Technically speaking, it's not hard to do once you get a little practice under your belt.

The real struggle comes when Her Majesty, the Head, starts to panic. It’s surprisingly difficult for the mind to get used to the fact that, despite all its automatic reactions and elaborate explanations for everything it perceives, it isn't actually the center of the universe.

Yeah, yeah... granitewalker21

The body is basically a book...

🙂

granitewalker21 said:So, here’s the deal:

...

Most of us aren't actually present in our own bodies. We live inside our heads—trapped by the past, worrying about the future, or chasing desires...

The real question is: how do you find your way back to your body? And do you even know why you left it in the first place?

The body is the foundation and the permanent residence of our spirit. It is the physical vessel and, more importantly, the energetic engine for the spirit's incredible journeys. I only "return" to my body when there's a disruption in the energy driving my spirit.

Today, an issue with the AC actually forced me to reflect on this.😛

🙂 🙂 🙂

P.S. I wrote a single line about souls preoccupied with their physical bodies over on the Initiates forum.😎

granitewalker21 said:The real question is: how do you find your way back into your body? And, if you’ve drifted away at all, do you actually understand why you left in the first place?

I tend to ground myself through my feet... there's something about the earth that helps pull me back down...

I suppose I drift away because I haven't quite learned how to stay centered, and my spirit tends to wander off ahead of me, leaving my physical self behind; eventually, the body just gets exhausted from constantly chasing after the spirit, and since, as you mentioned, a separation is essentially impossible, the spirit is forced to return home after its wandering to finally learn whatever lesson was being avoided. Sometimes that lesson is a bit more blunt—like the jarring impact of falling off a motorcycle onto the pavement, which feels like a stroke of bad luck or perhaps a strange kind of mercy—but ultimately, the body always serves as the vessel for returning.

Harold James9 said:The body is where our spirit actually lives and breathes.

Spot on, but honestly, most people are living completely disconnected from their own skin. Between old traumas and constant stress, we’ve all become fragmented. It’s like we’re dealing with this internal "schizophrenia"—the body feels one thing, the mind argues another, and the spirit is screaming something else entirely. It's total chaos. Who are you even supposed to listen to?

Or even better: how do we actually pull it all back together? How do we heal?

I practice Ki-Akid...

It’s an art form brought into this world by Morihei Ueshiba. If you look at the spiritual foundation of aikido, I guess you could say it’s essentially a blend of Taoist principles, Tantric Buddhism, Shintoism, and Christian mysticism.

One of the core tenets of aikido is the unification of the mind
and the body. Even just looking at the literal meaning of the characters—though they aren't quite as simple as a dictionary might suggest—we have
DO, which signifies the path,
AI, meaning harmony or unification,
and KI, representing life energy.

But honestly, those basic definitions don't really capture the full depth of what those three symbols represent in their native context.

The character for AI is relatively straightforward; it implies bringing things together, coordinating, unifying, or reaching a state of harmony.

Then there's KI. Within standard aikido theory, it’s usually described as vital or life energy, but if we dig into Morihei Ueshiba’s actual teachings, we can distinguish between a lower and a higher form of KI. There is a KI that vibrates at a certain frequency, one that gradually builds through subtle gradations toward a higher state—
a primordial, microcosmic manifestation. In India, they might call this Prana, whereas some ancient traditions would describe its higher form as a divine Mana descending from the heavens.

As for DO, our final—and arguably just as important—character, it can mean a path, a way, or a method. Even when used in a simplified sense, much like how Laozi or Confucius might approach a "way," it applies to anyone delving into Hermeticism or any form of Gnosis, regardless of the specific label...

A very simplified version of the story regarding KI, inherited from Morihei Ueshiba, suggests the presence of an energy that permeates the entire universe, and by extension, every human being. However, while this flow seems to move effortlessly through nature—in plants and animals, for instance—it is noticeably disrupted in most people. The goal is to find the paths that lead a person back into alignment with the entire universe, adhering to that old Hermetic axiom: "as above, so below." It's all about that relationship between the individual microcosm and the macrocosm.

This realignment with nature happens through spiral movements during what some might call "combat"—though in aikido, there isn't really fighting, just a continuous exchange and learning process between two partners, or two microcosms. These movements follow the helical paths of the Spirit, whose ethers descend into our physical reality. Achieving harmony with these paths means achieving harmony with the universe itself—a synchronization between the microcosm and the macrocosm. It’s actually quite similar to how the Mevlevi Order performs their mystical Whirling dance. Through that circular motion, they break the linearity of this world—that linear way of thinking that leaves our dualistic minds so confused. You won't find true harmony with a partner, or even a perceived attacker, until you've first established that internal harmony within yourself.

🙂

In aikido, you reach this state by blending static exercises (like the "seiza" sitting position) with fluid, moving techniques. Based on this, the term AIKI is often interpreted as aligning your own movements and energy with those of your partner during training—or with an actual attacker. There’s this old Hermetic axiom that suggests there is no such thing as empty space. The transfer between two partners—these two "opponents" acting as micro-cosms—happens both within the magnetic field they create together and in the interstitial space between them. Over time, I suppose, a practitioner realizes they can’t actually execute a technique properly unless they’ve first unified their mind and body, bringing them into harmony with the KI of the universe so that KI can flow through them without resistance. When that happens, you sort of lose that sense of "self," and your perception expands to encompass the entire space between the two people. In that gap, you can feel the transfer between two individuals, as well as whatever message the Universe is sending through that encounter. That message—that life lesson—can be perceived at several different levels:

At the level involving the physical body (movement),
as well as the levels representing our more subtle bodies:
the energetic, emotional, and mental layers, which collectively form our personality and our ego,
and finally, the level concerning the transfer of a higher form of KI ("spirit"), which is the level of the Soul. Of course, that kind of transfer is only possible if the individual has developed a sufficiently strong spiritual vessel.

Regarding personality, the action itself (the transfer) begins on the mental plane—as an image or an intention—and then undergoes various transformations until it manifests as physical movement.

However, depending on where our center of consciousness currently resides, we might experience the perception, the reception, or the transfer of that action and its message differently. Someone might only feel it as a physical movement or a strike, whereas someone else might perceive the transfer as a shift in the very configuration of the space around them. (You know that slow-motion effect when bullets fly in The Matrix? Well, that’s a bit of a caricature, I guess.) The purpose of this kind of perception isn't just for combat; it applies to every aspect of life. After all, what is life if not a struggle for energy? For KI? This type of perception is essential for anyone walking the path of the warrior.
John once spoke about this to a confused Castaneda, calling it "Seeing."
In Gnostic Christianity, they use the term "Awakening."
It’s about being HERE AND NOW, aware of the two natures within ourselves.
Two parallel realities:
The first concerns this world—it is relative and exists only as much as we do, meaning it depends entirely on our personal perception. There are as many parallel worlds as there are people. It is, therefore, DYNAMIC and subject to constant change.

Then there is the second: the absolute one. It is STATIC in the sense of immutable divine laws—not in terms of the physics of mechanics and their dynamics or statics, mind you. This second reality is separate from this world for one simple reason: we don't possess the apparatus to perceive it. Or rather, we *do* possess it, but that apparatus lies entirely beyond the reach of our ego-driven perception. It is our spiritual nucleus. It’s the seed of a new soul that, for most of us, remains latent or dormant. It sleeps. It’s like that "sleeping beauty" concept mentioned in ancient folklore. Because of this, it's almost impossible to even talk about a state of "Awakening."

A few times now, when various conflicts have cropped up on this forum, I've asked my interlocutors not to trip over my ego, but to pay attention to what is "written between the lines." To focus on the vital things that can be "seen" or "felt" in the seemingly empty space between our micro-cosms. Looking at the responses provided, I suspect I haven't quite been understood. But the thing is actually quite simple:

There is no empty space...

😎

Jesus once said: Love your neighbor as yourself.

In aikido, you don't actually defeat an opponent. When a technique is executed properly, the concept of "I" simply evaporates. There isn't even a conflict because there’s no mechanism for action and reaction between two egos. Instead, the opponent's energy is either redirected back to them or diverted until it just dissipates. According to Morihei Ueshiba—regardless of how much that sentiment might feel watered down or cliché by modern standards—aikido is essentially the Path of Loving Thy Neighbor.

Why am I rambling about this?

Through the actual practice of the technique, you quickly start to notice three distinct centers of consciousness within ourselves:

The head, the heart, and the sacral plexus...
By shifting our point of awareness between these three centers, we realize just how much our sense of "self" depends on where that focus happens to be sitting. It shows how incredibly dependent and unstable our ego-consciousness really is...

Do you remember that old Greek wisdom? "Give me a firm footing, and I shall move the world."
There is a specific point that allows us to shift our own little world—our *minutus mundus*—both within our earthly navigation and our celestial navigation.
But let’s start by talking about shifting our tiny, fallen microcosmic world within its current material manifestation. Let's talk about moving within this deterministic, "Newtonian" universe and its corresponding frequency of Ki energy.
By shifting consciousness and focusing on the so-called "hara"—the point where Ki is concentrated (located roughly 1.5 to 2 inches below the navel; you might recall the Japanese warrior ritual of discipline: "hara-ki-ri")—we find the point where we are centered, grounded, and stable. This is a stark contrast to those states where our awareness is stuck exclusively in the head, the heart, or somewhere way down below... 😉
A practitioner very quickly gains insight into their own state of being, which, due to the constant shifting between these centers and the lack of harmony among them, is usually in a state of discord.

Our centers of consciousness aren't unified or synchronized, which means our perception of everything else is partial at best. And if our perception is partial, what does that say about the world around us?

p.s.

Hmm, I’d probably write something about that other point within us—the one used to shift our world in celestial navigation—but I know a few people on this forum who react pretty negatively to both my subject matter and the length of my posts. So, if anyone is actually interested... we can discuss that other little point via email, through a PM, or, if you prefer, right here in the form of massive essays or simple Zen koans.

🙄

LET'S GO!🙂

The only way this works is if we start a new thread. You guys need to hash it out and decide.

Ha, Roger Hall15, our body is really just a temple for the Spirit.

It reacts to—and tries to align itself with—the various influences and vibrations rippling through this space-time continuum we call home. It responds to the ones that give it its physical shape and hold its energy in a state consistent with matter, but also to those on a completely different frequency along the Logos scale that makes up the Harmony of Spheres.

The Sufis say the body is a divine instrument.
The alchemists and Hermeticists say the exact same thing.
You can find some version of that recorded in pretty much every sacred text out there.

The body responds to all these different radiations, all these varying vibrations.
Since the entire universe is in constant motion, I guess it’s only natural that we—with our own little microcosms—follow along to some degree, whether more or less.
Everything around us is a dance. Everything is movement.
The Shivin dance.

Maybe we could use this thread to talk about dance techniques, folk dances, body positioning in spiritual practices, the movements of warriors found in every culture, the Whirling Dervishes, eurythmy, and so on... and perhaps explore where the boundary actually lies between external movement and that internal realm where everything truly begins.
Where exactly is that fine line between action and non-action?

So, within this topic, we could also discuss the nature of movement itself—how the body expresses itself within this material manifestation.

I imagine there are plenty of people here who work with the body, dance, or movement, so I’d be interested to hear their experiences.

If you follow modern dance, you might notice a trend toward minimizing movement. After decades of complex choreography that defined the last fifty years of human consciousness—shaping a postmodern society obsessed with analysis and deconstruction as scientific methods—everything seems to be circling back to Hermetic sublimation. Back to pure, simple movement. To the symbol.

In my next post, I’ll write a bit about the universal Sufi movement, better known as the Sema, performed by the "Whirling" Dervishes of the Mevlevi Order, which was established by Rumi himself.

🙂

Amy said:So, here's how I see it,

A lot of us aren't actually living inside our own skin! We spend all our time stuck up in our heads—replaying the past, worrying about the future, or just chasing after endless little desires...

The big question is: how do you find your way back into your physical self? And, honestly, do you even know why you drifted away from your body in the first place, if you ever did?

...I'm just so exhausted... but I don't mean my physical body is tired; when I feel that kind of fatigue, it's a sign that I've lost touch with myself.

Our thoughts really do shape our physical reality.

Whenever I focus on giving my body exactly what it needs to thrive, I feel totally centered and present, but when I stop caring about how I'm treating myself, I realize I've checked out.

When I keep things positive, I feel so incredibly grateful to be inhabiting this body and for how wonderfully it carries me through life, and it's just such a beautiful feeling!

so, while us regular folks watch Aikidoka, it kinda looks like they’re just fighting, but maybe they’re actually dancing to break through the linearity of this world,

or, I guess, just cutting right through an opponent's guard?

Exactly, Betty Cooper43,
taking an opponent's head off—
that’s kind of the whole point, isn't it?

But I guess you have to ask yourself: who is actually your biggest adversary?
If I recall correctly—I think it's somewhere in the Bible—whoever conquers another in combat is considered strong.
However, anyone who masters themselves is stronger than someone who could conquer an entire fortified city.

The problem is, our egos tend to take up way too much space in our heads.
The more we feed it, the more it turns the mind into this impenetrable fortress.

Every sacred text and mythological tale ever written touches on the necessity of this internal struggle. In the Bhagavad Gita, you have two armies—representing the higher and lower aspects of nature—clashing right at the start over Elephant City. They are fighting for dominance, essentially fighting for wisdom.
In the Bible, Jesus overcomes this primal nature at Golgotha.
John the Baptist sets the stage by saying, "He must increase, but I must decrease," and then, immediately following Solomon's Dance—well, he loses his head.

And since we’re already talking about dancing and Jesus, there's actually a Gnostic text from the Nag Hammadi collection called "Jesus' Mystical Dance."

It’s almost just like Aikidoka. They just dance...

"Dance me to the end of love..."

Cohen knows.

🙂

Man, I was actually getting kind of spooked there, thinking maybe I totally misread those beautiful spiritual descriptions..
I mean, personally, I’m still out here basically devouring my opponents
It's like, the stronger they are, the more energy I soak up from them before they just... fade away...

hmmm, Betty Cooper43

since you know one of God's commandments is pretty clear:

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL!
and I'm assuming that primarily applies to those little energetic parasites who live off everyone else's vibe?

Two partners can dance together in perfect harmony.
A truly skilled dancer will always know how to lead their partner—even if that person doesn't have a clue what the steps are. All things of actual quality tend to be simple and entirely spontaneous. They usually manifest right at the moment when the "I"—that central ego—gets so confused... that it basically loses itself.
As for the ego... "it's a murder on the dance floor..."
I mean, on this world's dance floor, people kill for much less, don't they?

And once the ego is out of the picture, a certain Hermetic axiom takes over in the spiritual realm:

"Receive all, give all, and thereby renew all."

In that state, there isn't even a conversation about theft or any kind of action taken at someone else's expense.
If you have enough to overflow, why would you ever need to scavenge someone else's raw energy?
If you are giving something sincerely from within, nobody can take anything from you, let alone add to it.

🙂

rowdydriver52 said:p.s.

hmm, I think I should probably mention that other internal point of ours... the one that helps guide our world through celestial navigation...

please 🙂

nah, I mean, the energy isn't exactly building up on its own,
and honestly, I don't even follow some of those rules,
but since we both totally went all out—kind of breaking the laws of physics here, I guess—I actually managed to break through his physical limits too...
so yeah, strictly speaking, it’d be a bummer if all that good energy just went to waste,
since I'll definitely need it for the next "dance,"
right?