The Eros of movement

Eros, aside of being considered a Greek Deity, is also a concept that shows up a lot in multiple spiritual contexts. The usual context is around sex, because Eros as a force is classically associated with Eros as a god of love, but if you dig into that classical context you can discover there are different myths and that Eros is also associated with movement, as an overall force. Eros is an erotic force, but that eroticism goes beyond sex into other dimensions of being and identity that are just as relevant as sex can be to the experience of Eros.

The experience of Eros is the experience of life. Movement is one of the ways we encounter and experience Eros. The most obvious form of Eros is found through sex and its not surprising that its emphasized so much because sex can be a very powerful and life affirming experience (though it also contains the seed of death within it). The one problem with sex is that it can also be a distraction from the experience of Eros. What I mean by that statement is that the pleasure aspect of sex can override the experience of movement and life and become the most important experience. While pleasure is good to experience, it doesn’t always create the desired intimacy that two or more people may want to experience with each other. Pleasure can be an essential part of Eros, but an embodied expression of Eros doesn’t focus on one sensation over others.

For example, if you practice sex magic, you know that if you fixate on pleasure it actually takes you away from the sex magic you are working. Sex magic isn’t focused on pleasure. It may use pleasure as a source of energy for the magic, but it never lets the pleasure become the reason to do magic. When pleasure becomes the reason to do the magic, the Eros leaves the experience and the magic isn’t as powerful as a result.

Eros as it is related to movement in general is a practice that brings you into intimate awareness with yourself and the environment. For example, when I practice Kung Fu or Qi Gong and I am connected to Eros I feel each sensation as I move and I am feeling it on ever level of my being. I am also connecting with how those movements bring me into awareness with the environment around me as well as whatever is present within that environment. Eros as movement allows us to connect to the overall embodied experience of reality…our bodies, but also the body of the universe and for that matter all the other life, in all the other forms that exist.

Meditating on this awareness of Eros can open you to how movement acts as an elemental force in your live. Movement is fundamental to Eros. Eros is the underlying power of movement. Eros is the first movement of the universe and so Eros goes hand in hand with movement and may even be thought of as movement, in and of itself. The eroticism of movement isn’t inherently sexual, so much as it is connective and that is true understanding of eroticism in general. Eros is a connecting principle and that connection occurs in many different ways.

A practical example of this…go for a walk and spend that walk paying attention to how the act of walking connects you to your environment and to whatever is in the environment. Pay close attention to your movement as well as to the sensual experience you have as you open your senses to the environment. Part of what you are experiencing is Eros at work and when you apply that understanding to your walk, it will change the way you experience yourself and the world as well as movement itself.

Working with Eros is a discipline as well. It requires discipline to connect with movement and not get caught up in distraction. The distraction is the choice to focus on sensation to the exclusion of the work. When we work with Eros we accept the sensation as part of the experience but we stay with the movement of Eros and allow it to guide us deeper into the mystery of the connection instead of letting the sensation take us in ourselves and out of connection with everything else. It is the difference between senseless hedonism and mindful awareness.

How to step into your power

I’m continuing to read Becoming a Supple Leopard (affiliate link) and try out the exercises in it. One of the key points the author emphasizes is how the torsion of your movements directs the overall experience. I relate this to my study of qi gong, which focuses on both the physical and energetic movement of the body. I’ve been combining what I’ve learned with the aforementioned book with my qi studies and I’m finding that this is subtly changing the way I stand and move, and in turn its allowing me to access more subtle experiences of qi.

In martial arts and qi gong, the subtle nuances become very important. The way you move shapes the experience of the qi as it flows through your body. The more you progress, the more you are shaped by the experience of the movement, as well as your understanding of that movement. The understanding isn’t an intellectual exercise. It a felt experience that embodies the depth of your work as you engage in it.

The cultivation of qi occurs through developing a deeper relationship with your body. For example, over the last few months I’ve been working on my posture. I’ve noticed that as I continue this work, my confidence has increased because of the way I hold myself in my stance and presence. I am getting to know my body through the repetition of exercising, the stretching I do each morning and evening and through the graceful strength of the movements.

Energy work is often depicted as something separate from the body, but the most effective energy work is a fusion of the body with the spirit and the qi. I am not just moving the physical body, but every other aspect of my being. And I am also being moved by the world around me, because I exist in a collaborative relationship with it, and this is made apparent by the physical and spiritual experiences I have through this work.

We step into our power when we embrace the natural state of being that looks beyond the artificial categorizations people are so fond of using to understand the world intellectually. We are more than the intellect and when we embody and embrace this, it enables us to discover a relationship with the world that draws on the experiential work that occurs through such activities as martial arts and qi gong.

My approach to magic has been changing a lot over the last few years. I’ve steadily been integrating a more embodied approach to my work as I feel it’s essential to connecting with the more subtle aspects of reality manifestation. Stepping into your power is a recognition of how potent you are, as yourself, in this work you engage in. Each movement presents a way to get outside of your head and discover the rooted relationship that awaits in the practice of movement.

How to establish spiritual presence through Somatic posture work.

I’m reading Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starret and Glen Cordoza (affiliate link) in this book the author explores the fundamental movements needed to maintain good posture while moving. It brings up a relevant point that posture isn’t a static experience or condition, but rather something which is ongoing and ought to be maintained while moving. How does that translate into practical terms?

If I am exercising or lifting an object, I should do my best to maintain good posture. I want to pay attention to keeping my back straight and in a neutral position in order to optimize the performance of my body, while maintaining my health. I’ve been doing this very activity more mindfully as a result of my martial arts studies, but one aspect I think is worth considering is also the psychological and spiritual aspect of paying attention to posture.

When I sit or stand, in the past I have had the tendency to slouch. I never really thought about it until it was pointed out to me, but when I started paying attention I noticed not only how I felt physically but also how I felt emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Focusing on my posture altered my experience. I began to feel more confidence in myself as well as more connected to both my internal qi and the qi around me. What this illustrated for me was the importance of doing posture work to cultivate states of experience which elevate my identity and my interactions.

I also have noticed this same effect when I focus on my posture as I move. My movements are more confident and focused when I pay attention to and integrate good posture into the movement. Initially as I’ve done this work, I’ve had to really focus on getting my posture right, but as my consciousness integrates good posture into my stance and movements it becomes more and more of a natural part of my being and expression. The result is more confidence but also a deepening of my spiritual power and presence.

Why would good posture make a difference in one’s spiritual presence?

Good posture allows us to align our body physically and physiologically within ourselves but also our environment. On the emotional level it allows us to expand our presence and this translates over to the energetic and spiritual level. When I maintain good posture I move and show up with confidence and presence. This occurs on multiple levels.

What all this work with posture is demonstrating is that something we take for granted, such as posture, can play an important role on multiple levels of our being. Making the effort to work on your posture can have many benefits, provided you are willing to consistently do the work to change and then maintain correct posture in all situations.