Love Your Body
Clytie, Evelyn De Morgan
from 1989’s FTE, Vol I, No 4
Anyone who has ever read a women's magazine, watched a pop psychologist on TV or read a self-help book has heard the admonition to Love Your Body. Easier said than done. We are bombarded almost constantly with suggestion that our bodies -- and therefore we -- are imperfect; witness ads for cola to cars, fashion magazines, news from the latest health guru, etc., etc., we don't have to enumerate them, you know!
Even while there are hundreds of little voices telling us our bodies are flawed in some way, and we tend to believe them and become disgusted, we also are intelligent enough to know that something will thrive far better in love than in hatred, or neglect (a slightly "milder" -- if possible -- form of hatred). We all know that loving vibrations do better for living things, whether plants, animals or children ... And so, of course, we know that we would be far better off if we could indeed love our bodies.
Being Free To Experience this body exactly as it is, is an aim of any woman working toward Spiritual development. Appreciating that there even is a body (!) is a first step. Being thankful that it functions even reasonably well is certainly beneficial. Really seeing the body as the temple of Spirit is bliss. In the meantime, until this understanding becomes part of ourselves, until we live this moment-by-moment, exercises in this direction may be of some help. (The following exercise is an example of acting upon understanding with love, in order to make it Wisdom.)
The exercise is this: Forget about the body for a moment. Love your cells! The temple is made up brick-by-brick, and each cell is a tiny part of the temple that you are. Look at the back of your hand and see all the little cells joined together with the one thought of keeping you intact. You have read or heard a little biology, you know that your body contains cells who fight infection, little soldiers protecting you constantly from any and all invaders. There is an army at your command! And you don't even have to bother with it, other than maintain the bare necessities. There are little repairman cells, little maintenance workers, little couriers, etc. You already knew this, but have you ever stopped to appreciate what all these little living beings are doing for you?
You can shower the body with love and appreciation and even admiration at any time, just by contemplating the millions of devoted cells, working for you, at all times, just for you. A deep appreciation of this will raise anyone's vibration, and we have heard so many times, "I live in what I radiate." Let's radiate Love, let's Love Our Bodies.
[For more about living in what one radiates, check out Influence.]
