listening to body and soul

quote on label:
Our bodies and psyches are rich with stories aching to be told, life force waiting to be released into vitality and creativity.
~ Camille Maurine

 

color: teal with swirls of blue and green
scent: rain and cantaloupe
gemstone: citrine

 

In March 2005 my life burst wide open during a week-long retreat co-facilitated by the fiery, sweet, shape-shifting shaman lioness, movement pioneer Camille Maurine.

 

Day after day, Camille created the safest of spaces as she led us through oftentimes scary and awkward (for us) explorations of our bodies and souls. We howled, crawled, sang, stripped, collaged, improvised, screamed, danced, laughed, play-acted, and cried. My God, the tears we shed~sobs, snot and all~as we revealed ourselves and witnessed one another with infinite tenderness and awe. It was terrifying work.

 

I wanted to skip every one of Camille's exercises. It's a helluva lot easier (i.e., controllable, comfortable) to sit around and talk blah-blah, which is why most of us experience most of our lives from the neck up. Hushing the mind and surrendering judgment allows the body and soul to express their wisdom, truths and needs. Think of how throughout the world, dance is a sacred form of cultural expression and storytelling. I believe it's also why yoga is so ?berpopular.

 

Thank God I did every one of Camille's exercises, because at the fabulously ripe age of 41, I fell in love with my body and soul. Y'know, that euphoric, head over heels, where-have-you-been-all-my-life kind of love? I spent a week focused entirely on how and what my body felt (vs. looked)~absorbing only sensations of being loved, held, petted and accepted. Honestly, I never knew my body and soul were so awesome and had so much to express! I never knew how to listen to them before. I didn't know how to tap into them as the motherlode of my creativity. For the first time, I understood what it meant to get out of my own way. And the truly awesome joy that happens simply by allowing (vs. planning or forcing) the unknown out to play.

 

Since then, of course, I've been back on terra firma and need help remembering to get out of my lovable yet oh-so-limited head. This candle is an incredibly precious and important reminder that we are so infinitely much more than what we think. I bless your body. I bless your soul. May this candle help us connect to those deeper, richer, brighter places we all want to live from.