Spirit, Mind your Body
by Hilde Pols
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. – Tellhard de Chardin
It seems to be so simple: Spirit is born into a human life. We come here on earth to learn, experience and evolve, both in the form of individuals as well as in being part of the unity of souls. However, this becomes obscured in today’s challenging circumstances, making us forget this simplicity. Our materialistically driven world has shifted the mind set, as we worry far more about money and saving face, than our development. Thus, instead of standing together to support each other and evolve together, we find ourselves as lone individuals in a sea of bodies, swimming in this experience called life – some being carried along by the masses, others struggling against the current.
Road rage is a prime example for what is happening: the driver of the car is anonymous. How could another recognize them or properly interact with them if they do not play nice? Likewise, our bodies are vehicles to our souls. An exterior to hide behind and set oneself apart. We keep others both figuratively and literally at arms distance, cutting ourselves off, enforcing our right to be individuals. Being cut off like that, it is easier to be unkind to another, to apply the road rage principle.
But we take it even further than that: we extend the unkindness to ourselves. Blaming and judging ourselves and our actions, criticizing and changing our bodies and pressuring ourselves to accomplish things within unreasonable parameters. Thus we have driven the separation even further to even tear the beautiful unity of mind, body and spirit apart.
All for one and one for all, united we stand, divided we fall. – Alexandre Dumas
To rediscover the unity of spirit we first have to rebalance ourselves. Today’s world stresses a mind-driven approach. The majority of Western jobs are at a desk where the mind is the main tool, whilst the body is merely the container that has to look pretty. This is so much the norm, that we even expect children to sit still and only use the brain-muscle from a very young age. We are so up in our heads, we have not only lost contact with our body, but even treat it as inferior. How many Westerners can actually feel their body? Not just touching the skin but feel inside and know for example how the liver is doing? This is still normal to those brought up in the Eastern culture or who train in the Internal Arts. Yet the average Westerner will only get in touch with say their liver, if there is a medical issue. Other than that we treat it like a part of the vehicle and expect it to run smoothly. Yet we are using the vehicle without consulting the owners manual, using it with little understanding as to what harm we might be causing. But then we are so intelligent that any harm caused can be rectified, right? Sadly, the human body is proving that it is not so simple, as it incapacitates great minds by chronic pain and illness.
So how do we reunite mind, body and soul and in so doing the spirit of humanity? Instead of striving for big changes in life style, which we know are hard to implement and replace old habits, it is best to focus on small steps, knowing that these can develop into the biggest differences. For example you can consult with your body what to have for dinner instead of sticking to a mind-driven regime. Or let it decide how to spend that free half-hour in the afternoon. It will know better than your mind if a walk and some fresh air or a sit down with a good book is the best way to rejuvenate. On the other hand your soul can be consulted through your gut and heart in decision making.
A team works best when the leader knows who to turn to for a certain job or piece of advice, rather than playing authoritarian. This is what our mind has to learn to rediscover: the power of unity. And once we have learnt this within our own life, we will start implementing that with the souls around us, maybe even without realising we have made this transition. We have a role to play in life, both as an individual and as a part of a whole. Let us recall the spirit of being human.
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About the Author
Hilde Pols combines her music training with her energy work: As a flute and ensemble teacher she developed many techniques to encourage creativity and a sense of the own body, mind and soul. As a Certified Meditation Instructor, Healer and Dorn/Breuss Therapist she supports individuals to take life into their own hands. Providing healing and other modalities at http://inkaleidoskop-engl.weebly.com/ in Germany, she has also taught in Denmark and the US.
