Lead the Mind to Water and Let the Body Drink
I feel like I’m entering the confession booth. Forgive me journaling gods for I have sinned, it has been five days since my last entry.
Journaling is the reason I have a routine. Thanks to The Stoa I have a place to do this every weekday morning. There’s usually at the very least three people journaling together, sitting in silence and preparing a coherent contemplation. I’m very grateful for Peter Limberg for providing this space. It inspired me to open up space in other parts of my life. At first, as a practice with conversation, which then became more of a mode in which I operate. Rather than unloading all of my thoughts and opinions on others, I held space for them and theirs. Having a place and friends to vent my grievances allowed me to provide that for others.
Then I began holding space for group meditation. Every morning and every evening (on the 6’s) I play the daily meditation from the Waking Up App for members of a discord server that I love. Sam Harris is another person for whom I am very grateful. The consistency of these meditations gives even more structure to my day. I find that I’m much more creative now with these two elements of my routine alone. Instead of cramming more into my day, I allow my day to unfold like a beautiful chapter of a book. The ritual, the devotional; the fact that these cycles are deliberate and are able to connect me with the Eternal One. Just like the sun rises every morning, without fail, I feel called to participate in these daily activities in honor of that reliable source.
I remember in university I would schedule my day so that I could accomplish the most. By my final semester, I was a full time student, taking 21 credit hours because I could borrow no more money for another semester to complete my degree. On top of that, I was a volunteer for the International Studies Certificate Program, an intern for the Uteach program, a volunteer at a farm on Sundays, and I was working two jobs. I would serve tables at a local restaurant a few days and nights a week, and on Saturdays I was slinging supplements at health food store. It was thrilling but also stressful. I took great pride in telling people all of the things that occupied my time. I’m still a little pretentious in that way when I tell people that I meditate daily. Part of my identity comes from these practices, but I am no longer so masculine in my approach to life. I no longer feel like I have to conquer her.
Instead, I work with her. We are co-creating a sturdy foundation from which I can flourish into the beautiful woman I was born to be. I’m not looking for a man to protect me anymore, that backfired. I’m also no longer looking for an escape through drugs or other distractions. I’ve been sinking in deeply to this body, having reverence for the amount of time it takes Time to pass by. There’s no rush, there’s no hurry. I’m here now and this place gets me to where I’m going. Its a process and I have a greater appreciation for that now that I’ve taken the time to settle in and get used to being uncomfortable. In fact, another daily routine I have is to turn the shower to cold water at the end before I dry off. Its shocking and I used to really hate cold showers, but now I look forward to that blast of electric energy I feel when my heart beats faster and my inhales deepen. Bringing myself back into the present moment means feeling into the five senses and taking note of what they are experiencing. This body is my vehicle and she is aware of more than I give her credit.
I imagine this idea of opening space and meditation is something people will continue to “just consider”. Those that refuse to try will never know the benefit. They will continue to make excuses or assert that they “meditate sometimes”. Its all about consistency with these types of things. The body needs to become accustomed to the habits and only then do we notice how our lives begin to change. Fortunately, there’s plenty of time to take up the practice or to continue transforming.
“A woman’s highest calling is to lead a man to his soul, so as to unite him with Source. Her lowest calling is to seduce, separating man from his soul and leave him aimlessly wandering. A man’s highest calling is to protect woman, so she is free to walk the earth unharmed. Man’s lowest calling is to ambush and force his way into the life of a woman.”
― Cherokee Proverb
As an Astrologer, I look to archetypes for guidance. While I don’t subscribe to Woke Ideology of trying to eliminate the use of words like ‘man’ and ‘woman’, the above proverb can also be taken to symbolically represent the body and the mind.
A body’s highest calling is to lead a mind to the soul so as to unite him with Source. Her lowest calling is to seduce, separating the mind from the soul and leaving him aimlessly wandering. A mind’s highest calling is to protect the body, so she is free to walk the earth unharmed. A mind’s lowest calling is to ambush and force his way into the life of the body and body’s of others, I’ll add.
Originally written in Collective Journaling at The Stoa
