Almost every bit of snow has melted, at last!
Who among us hasn't longed, at one time or another, for transcendance? After all, the body is, among other things, a royal pain in the ass. It must be fed and cleaned, shaved, trimmed, brushed, dressed and undressed every single day. The body has needs, oh yeah.
The body also has desires, strong ones. The body wants to touch and be touched, it wants sex, sleep, vigorous exercise in order to get an endorphin rush. Also: a nice hot bath, rich food and liquor and coffee. And sleep, of course. I could go on and on about the aches and pains, the small colds and devastating diseases that are also a part of incarnation. Or I could talk about aging, the most humbling experience, believe me! I don't have to do that, though - do I?
The mind, on the other hand, seeks beauty, music, knowledge and wisdom. The brain, according to the Chinese, is a "curious" organ. It sure is. The mind likes working out puzzles and mysteries, finding the right word on the right occasion. The mind loves to philosophize and wonder, the mind loves learning. And, too, the mind is extremely judgmental about the needs and desires of the body. At least mine is!
One really interesting thing about the mind is that it does not age. Those of us who are getting older really do feel a shock when we look into the mirror. The aging face does not match (for most of us) the inner sense of youthfulness that is a key aspect of the mind.
Though I'm often impatient with it, my body is the space ship that's taking me on this voyage through life. I honor and respect it, well, most of the time. Yesterday in order to get back from the outer reaches of the solar system back into my body, I skipped having a drink with my friend and instead had a latte. I listened extensively to the blues (thank you Hammer for the suggestion, and thanks, too, to John Hayes for posting all those cool train blues videos on your blog). I cleaned my room, did my laundry, and cooked a dinner centered around all natural, grass-fed steak. I avoided gazing at my star charts, kept my eye on the landscape instead of the sky.
It worked! I feel back in my body today. Woooo-hooo. Now - back to the stars! Oh yeah.
The Chesapeake Bay. Isn't it magnificent?
29 comments:
As if to coax me back out into the galaxy, the Astronomy Pic of the Day posted this today. Timing is everything!
WOW!
I love physical existence, it's why I'm here. Of course when my body no longer responds to my mind I might not love it so much and long for transcendence. Until that time though, it is a glorious place to be.
Thanks, I enjoyed that glimpse of the big picture.
Wow oh wow, I feel so infinitismally teeny, and yet, I am.
In truth, I, too, love physical experience and I do trust my body to always tell the truth.
Felt like winge-ing, though, after my spaced out transcendent flight through the solar system of recent days.
Feet on the ground. It's good.
Wow, that link was unbelievable. You are being drawn to the skies and I'm being drawn to physics. We are definately in Seeker mode.
My mind is a curious organ, too. I love it. But I think we need the body to touch and smell and sense warmth and sunshine on our skin and cry salty tears and to be able to literally jump for joy. Being of pure mind would make me sad, I think. Not being able to EXPRESS my feelings. When we will have left our body, we`ll perhaps know...
It's all about balance, isnt' it? (oh yeah) :^)
Yep, balance.
Hey, hello Angela!
And Nancy, I LOVE it when I'm on a wavelength with you!
The body is a pain the neck, but it's so WONDERFUL, isn't it? It takes a lot of care but it's also amazing resilient and just so FUN. I love my physical being -- living in this "skin bag," as some old Zen master memorably called it.
Steve - a friend of mine calls it her 'meat suit'.
Remember the band, the Meat Puppets? Same idea.
Steve your body is stupendous! So is mine. I was just whining for a minute there. Mea culpa.
u-huh! a good daydream helps to escape the incarceration...i hope at some point we all get to travel through space and time. How beautiful would that be!?
Tom we are all traveling through space/time. In fact, there's no way to get off this train, no way to make it stop.
Not that I would want to, actually.
I just saw the moon.
It was looking pretty cheerful up there.
Yes, I feel about 8 and look 103.......
am not going to worry about it!
It seems like aging in our culture, leans more towards the selling of "youth" than most cultures.
Once ya get past the mirror aspect, it ain't so bad to be aging, really.
Cheers!
Boy, I loved that trip into outer outer space! Thanks for sharing that!
Like you, I've learned to trust my body (and my heart area in particular) to give me the straight story about what's going on. I read recently that the heart has more neuron cells in it than muscle cells. It ain't just a pump.
hi reya - my body does almost everything i ask of it. my mind does more than i ask of it. for reconfigured stardust i'm happy with what i've been given for this go through!!!! steven
Elizabeth you do NOT look 103. For heaven's sake.
Hi Coffee Messiah!! Yes, I, too actually like being older - well - most of it.
And Dan, the heart is an electrical realm of soul. You know that, though!
Bodies are necessary for our existence on the planet while our soul grows from the experience. The mind is a very curious thing, in that it can transcend space and time if we allow it to.
Thanks for the cheerful quip about how the mind still thinks it's, oh, about 13, in my case. But unfortunately plagued by the body's limited energy at times. Also - I'm recognizing it's time to hand stuff over to the younger folks, like the compulsion to work and build up organizations and stuff. Keep that balancing act going!
Sounds like a giant teeter-totter ride. One minute your feet are on the ground and the next they're the sky.
I was flipping end over end for a few days, Ronda. But I believe I'm upright and stable now. Thank you!
What great perspective on mind/body. Much better than St. Paul's.
Totally love the reflections in brick/stone.
Yes, the Bay is a special place. Happy 2010!
I don't see a division between the mind and the body. What I observe in myself and others is a longing to escape from the body through the mind. Hume said "Reason is the slave of the passions".
The photo is stunning.
Thanks, Artsparker. I agree there is no division. I felt divided when I wrote this, that's all.
Greetings, Get Zapped! (imagine me waving.)
This is an incredible post. The best part of aging for me is the growing ability to see. What my body is beginning to lack, is more than made up for in my mind. I'm enjoying the ride. Yes!
I like the contrast of the pictures here: the first one is mental puzzle (it took me a few seconds to figure out what I was looking at) and the second one is sublimely serene!
You always have such a fascinating way of expressing yourself. I've been thinking about that body/mind dichotomy quite a bit, too.
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