The Spirit and the Feminine

 Advent helps us focus on the Incarnation--"O Come, O Come,  Emmanuel." Emmanuel--God with Us. But how God is present in our actual daily life is the place of the Spirit. As many of you know, I have been reflecting quite a bit on the role of the Holy Spirit this past year--given that the Spirit is what gives life to the body. No Spirit--dead body. Lots of Spirit--enlivened body--in fact in the Bible at times, things that are dead come back to life! Pretty simple. So, it is quite an understatement to say that my Pentecostal world was rocked when I came across this passage this summer when reading the Wisdom of Solomon, in which Wisdom (The Holy Spirit) is described in the most beautiful portrait I have ever read:
"For in wisdom there is a spirit intelligent and holy,
      unique in its kind yet made up of many parts,
subtle, free moving, lucid, spotless, clear,
      invulnerable, loving what is good,
eager, unhindered, beneficent, kindly toward men,
      steadfast, unerring, untouched by care,
all-powerful, all-surveying, and permeating
       all intelligent, pure and delicate spirits.
For wisdom moves more easily than motion itself,
      she pervades and permeates all things because she is so pure.
Like a fine mist she rises from the power of God,
      a pure effluence from the glory of the Almighty;
so nothing defiled can enter into her by stealth.
      She is the brightness that streams from everlasting light,
the flawless mirror of the active power of God
      and the image of his goodness.
She is but one, yet can do everything;
       herself unchanging, she makes all things new;
age after age she enters into holy souls,
       and makes them God's friends and prophets,
for nothing is acceptable to God
       but the man who makes his home with wisdom.
She is more radiant than the sun,
        and surpasses every constallation;
compared with the light of day, she is found to excell;
       for day gives place to night, but against wisdom no evil can prevail.
She spans the world in power from end to end,
      and orders all things benignly."   Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-30.

Wow. Beautiful. Kind of makes you want to have the Spirit around--doesn't it? And to be honest, what also rocked my socks was the fact that this Spirit was referred to in feminine terms! That there is something feminine in God is something often given lip-service to...but I think we are missing something if it is only lip-service or a cognitive acknowledgement. There is something much more profound being expounded in this passage--that will personally be my focus of my own reflection and prayer during Advent. "Come, O Come Emmanuel....and O Come, Holy Spirit!"  A Blessed Advent, Indeed!!!

Untouchable...

 Have you ever felt "untouchable?" There is a HUGE difference between not wanting to be touched (e.g., when you have a migraine headache, have experienced trauma, or are angry at someone) versus feeling no one wants to touch you. The latter emotional experience that some people have of feeling “untouchable” is of particular interest to me—both as a psychologist and now also as a massage therapist/bodyworker.

You may be familiar with the Indian social caste system, which assigned the “lowest status” to that of the Dalits, also called the “Untouchables.” The resource, Wikipedia, states the following about the “Untouchables:”

  

“ [they have been] historically associated with occupations regarded as ritually impure, such as any involving leatherwork, butchering, or removal of rubbish, animal carcasses, and waste. Dalits worked as manual labourers cleaning streets, latrines, and sewers. Engaging in these activities was considered to be polluting to the individual, and this pollution was considered contagious. As a result, Dalits werecommonly segregated, and banned from full participation in Hindu social life. For example, they could not enter a temple nor a school, and were required to stay outside the village.”

Powerful words….impure… polluting…considered contagious… segregated… banned…outside the village…Hmmm. People can feel psychologically like this. They may feel shame about their actual Self….feel impure, polluted, ...that there is something wrong with them—something toxic about themselves. And as a result, they may shy away from personal contact—actual physical contact, and even social contact in general, for fear that they are in some way “contagious” to others.

As you can imagine, bodywork by a gentle, sensitive practitioner is a powerful intervention to “dilute” and reverse this sense of toxicity that people may carry with them. In bodywork, you have the opportunity to change someone’s thoughts (in this case particularly negative ones) by working on their person. Touch the surface…you touch the depths. And physiologically, one reason this occurs, is because the brain and the skin are part of the same sensory/perception system.

When someone who experiences themselves as "untouchable" experiences loving, nurturing, caring touch--it has the potential to reverse the negative messages about the self—and one can begin to experience themselves instead as Touchable, Lovable, Pure, Clean, and Whole. Touch the surface...touch the depths.

Being a Bodyworker (Part 1)

What is it like to be a Bodyworker? To be honest, it is a lot like being a psychotherapist. I am amazed how much they parallel each other! But I will focus on bodywork in this post: the two words that come to my mind are sacred and sublime.

Sacred  because the desire for healing and wholeness--whether it be body, soul, or spirit--is a sacred enterprise. Whenever people come to me (whether for therapeutic bodywork or counseling) there is a sense of being on sacred ground. One walks with reverence and respect for those who come, for they are willing to bring their vulnerability, hurt, injury and need to the presence of another.. Vulnerability in others has always drawn out my own desire to tend and care--to be present and utilize all the skills I possess to serve and help. So whether the injury or pain is from neglect, accident, trauma, illness, or even self-injury, being present to help in a broken place has always been my passion and calling.

In our culture, people are often embarrassed or ashamed of their bodies, or certain parts of their body. This is maximized by the media--to make people constantly dissatisfied with their own body...in order to sell various products. I like to be a part of righting this wrong. To me, being a bodyworker is a lot like being an artist--who paints or sculpts the human form in order to highlight its sacredness. Christianity teaches that we are created in the image of God. To me, this means that there is an intrinsic beauty that the body possesses--and as a massage therapist, I have the opportunity to bless and bring out the best of a person's being through my work with the body.

The word sublime comes to mind, because a healing space is not something you "drum up" or can in any way "make happen." Preparing a place for others to receive healing is a humbling experience. The most important part is as a practitioner, you must  make room....which usually means being fully present but getting out of the way of what God wants to do! Your own Ego has to be checked at the door when you enter sacred space, for you are there to serve--not be served. Being a bodyworker is sublime because it is an honor to serve others in this way, and a privilege to be allowed to witness the healing that takes place.

Here is a friend's description of my work: Body & Being