Embodiment, Defined and Practiced
Embodiment is defined as the tangible or visible form, of an idea, quality, feeling.
In my own words, embodiment is a living and felt experience of one’s true nature, that has been discovered and developed through daily practices of self-cultivation.
Embodiment is not the process, it is the outcome.
The process is learning how to make choices (within and without) that align with the truth that one feels called to embody. The process is learning what one’s truth is and what are the self-imposed limitations that keeps them from living their truth.
The process requires daily practice to put truth into motion through our being and bodies, in order for it to be realized and eventually become the very nature by which one lives.
I cannot stress enough the significance and creative power of the choices we make, moment to moment, day by day. The power of choice, is precisely the very force by which we create our lives and ourselves, and together – this world. The creative power of choice is something we are all born with.
Paradoxically, the very aspects of our nature that we are so accustomed to, are at the same time so easily misunderstood, taken for granted, ignored; and yet they are our most powerful assets. For example: the power of choice, the power of our attention, and the power of our breath.
The power of choice includes towards the self within, to others without, to all situations, experiences, of who, what, when, why, how, quality, presence, responsibility to oneself and others. It a massively important topic!
It is our choices moment to moment that shape and mold our bodies and minds.
Our choices are what creates a connection to ourselves, to our inner state of being and relating to ourselves. Our choices are what creates our external experience: our jobs, our relationships, our successes and also our turmoil, and everything in between.
Our power of choice is an ultimate creative force. It is an essential key on the path of embodiment that our choices align with our truth, and through the coupling of the two, we are given a discipline to follow and have a daily commitment to.
Self-cultivation is defined as the development of one’s mind or capacities through one’s own efforts.
Self-cultivation requires intentional time and space created for there to be a ground for the practice. The discipline that we practice is a main key in programming ourselves to be the truth we are called to be. Discipline updates the operating system. Creating the space within requires stillness, quiet, focus, effort, repetition.
It’s about creating a sacred time of personal significance and meaning. It’s about being authentically curious and interested in what lays beneath the surface layer of our identity and stories of ourselves and the world around us.
Contemplative, meditative, physical, or creative activities create a path of connection, practice, and development of whatever the discipline is that we are refining ourselves through.
As diverse and abundant as all of creation is throughout space and time, within our very being we contain a vast and infinite formless presence and power.
It is essential to create a transference of info/knowledge/tools/wisdom received from the external, and bring them inside oneself to “adorn the inner altar”, and “tend the inner garden”, and apply them to daily life.
It is not enough to simply gather tools, one must apply them in order for those tools to have purpose, otherwise they are collecting dust in the corners within us. Imagine how through our external experiences, we gather tools and figurative objects of meaning or power, and we bring them into ourselves and place them on the inner altar, or lay them down on the inner garden.
It is not enough simply to bring new tools to the altar or the garden, we must sit with them in quiet contemplation, to see where on our altar they fit into its design, or where in the garden they best be planted.
Then, once set in place, our daily communing with our inner altar, or tending our inner garden, is what connects us to those tools and gives them power. Then as we move through our day, we have a connection to these tools, moment to moment, to call upon when needed.
That is the work- the daily applications of our practice and actually letting go of what truly no longer serves and is taking up space that could otherwise be inhabited by self-cultivation/life creation efforts. In order to prioritize self-cultivation and embodiment, one needs to let go of other activities or areas of focus that distract or disturb the process.
People are masters of distractions and justifications that thwart them from more empowering and fulfilling self-growth work. I think for some people it isn’t consciously intentional to do so, and I think for others it is; all of which is not to be judged in any way.
Life is a journey of self-discovery.
I do know that in my own life journey, before I began my conscious journey of self-discovery, I experienced my life and myself in a constant state of sheer boredom. I was very insecure, unhappy, frustrated, and I felt useless, disconnected to myself and anything positive about me.
Once I began my conscious journey of self-discovery, a whole new world opened up inside of me. It was dynamic, fun, adventurous, colorful, beautiful, extremely creative, playful, powerful, purposeful, successful, happy, intelligent, wise, and confident.
I won’t ignore the fact that opening up to myself in these deeper more fulfilling ways also came with very powerful personal initiations that were steeped in fears, doubts, mistakes, and insecurities along the way.
“The effort to be miserable and the effort to be happy is the same amount of energy and time. {They simply produce far different outcomes}.” (Don Juan of the Carlos Casteneda series)
Struggle is inherent in human life, there is no getting out of this life without a solid dose of it along the way. In fact, it functions to our benefit if we have the power to choose to see it that way. Over time, with greater empowerment, self-cultivation, and embodiment, the struggle becomes easier to navigate.
One becomes the source of their own security. This isn’t to imply that a person reaches a certain state where nothing in life can throw them off balance within themselves. They simply have a conscious grip on their inner life-line that tethers them to their anchor within, and they are supported by self-care activities and positive relationships in times of need.
Tools received sometimes also need to be released.
Old crops need to be removed from the garden to make space for new growth of relevancy. Altar items do well to be traded out from time to time, passed on, let go of. People, places, experiences, situations, are the granter of these old tools in our external life. It’s best to know when something or someone has run its course and let it go; ideally with reverence and gracious humility for all that it has offered.
One of the greatest struggles I observe in people is letting go of a relationship that has run its course and is no longer serving, yet is still comfortable enough to keep people holding on. And while I do think it is important to feel a true sense of completion before letting go, I also feel there is a fine line between necessity and indulgence, and that there is a tendency for indulgence to take the lead, which leads to a drain of energy and personal power, for everyone involved.
Too many people live as if the work is just showing up for the ceremony, paying for the training and spending the time to receive the certificate. I’d like to see more people who are living practitioners of the power they gather along their journey.
To me, the real sign of true power gained and wielded is coupled with an equal quality of humility. Power without humility has great limitations and potential to be a destructive force. Power over others is not true power. True power comes from within, is coupled with humility, and empowers others; especially regarding people and power in positions of authority.
It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being engaged in a process. Having compassion for ourselves and others along the journey of becoming, and the daily commitment that guides one forward on it to greater states of awareness, happiness, health, well-being, and success.
Here’s another blog I wrote about ways I enjoy cultivating my own embodiment, through a lifestyle that supports the health of my feminine system, both physically and energetically. In this blog I touch on the areas of life having to do with self-care, spirituality, creativity, sensuality, feminine embodiment, and intimacy.
My goal in this blog is to simply inspire women to create their own version of a lifestyle that they love and supports their own unique expression of feminine energy:
https://goddessmodern.com/lifestyle-feminine-blog/
Another complimentary blog I’ve written is about Empowerment, Being Self-Resourced:
https://goddessmodern.com/being-self-resourced/
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