Sunday, May 8, 2011

Body and soul

Motivation for this post springs from reading Marylinn's blog over the weekend. She talks about the longing for lively internal connection (the grace that links us head to toe, and lets us be) alongside the challenge of managing a brain that keeps hanging us out to dry. It's a terrific post, and has set all sorts of thoughts in motion for me. This morning, in the sweet hour of quaker silence, I started thinking about those questions of delivering mercy and compassion to self, burdened as we are, with flawed 'equipment'. I remembered a quote by Irish writer John Odonohue; the exact words elude me, but the notion he expressed was that our soul holds our body, (not the the other way around). I love the idea of such a configuration. It makes sense to me, and steadies me somehow. That mind and body will go about their rock and roll business - sometimes out of kilter, sometimes not, as is their wont. And all the while there's a holding soul, complete, compassion-able, a source - shaped to fit. Albumen to our rollicky, yolky lives.

8 comments:

  1. This brought tears, the idea that the soul holds the body and not, as we seem to have assigned it, the soul clinging for dear life aboard a very leaky vessel. Thank you for the link. In the middle of the night I now feel there is something a bit more substantial - and true - to help me regain my bearings. Soothing from one's own soul, imagine. xo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ahh, I'm so glad this has resonated for you too. It's an idea that seems to make sense of many things, including the comfort we can bring to one another. px

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was glad to have this notion in my bag of tricks as today seems to be flocks of saboteurs up to such tricks as leave me feeling hopelessly outflanked. xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good to hear this notion has been a timely tool Marylinn. To pick up your leaky vessel metaphor, (which I can relate to) I think of those pesky saboteurs as circling squarking birds. The story pleases me that they would wheel away, one by one, when they see there are in fact no leaks, no floating debris for them to scavenge. (Steady and afloat in our soul boat.) Px

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Marylinn again, it seems blogger has eaten your last comment and mine. (!!) I'm baffled and a bit thrown. I want very much to be able to trust this container where these/our meetings take place. Anyway I did receive yours - perhaps you got mine too before it was *etherified..? *At least I've learnt a new word out of this experience. Go well, px

    ReplyDelete
  6. dear pam, could you please email me your postal mailing address?
    thank you....
    xo

    susan (susantlandry at gmail.com)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Pam, this was an absolutely lovely post, and tear-bringing, as Marylinn said.Blogger was having tantrums all week--they kept telling me I didn't exist, which I hotly disputed! A letter is coming--keep watch!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Melissa - hello. What is this invisible hand that's rocking our place?! I am reminded when things go wrong with our blog-room, just how very important and precious it is. Who do we get mad with, and how do we keep the gremlins out? The good news is you're back- whew!! And hopefully things are now on track in the engine room (apart from my two gobbled-up comments). Thanx for your response to the post vespersparrow, and for the delicious promise. px

    ReplyDelete