This month, we’ve been considering the relationship we have with comparing ourselves to others; what jealousy teaches us about what we see in others that we either fail to recognize or we have not cultivated in ourselves. As well as, how we may have internalized the voices of others in ways that may cause us to hold ourselves captive.
Comparison is also important to address for the sake of our own bodies and our relationship to them.
Our bodies are us; we are them.
And, yet, we can live our lives completely disassociated with our bodies, making choices that reep havoc to our health and undermine our ability to experience the sensual pleasure our bodies make available to us.
We are so clearly our bodies and yet it is strange to me that we talk about them in an objectified way. Stranger yet, that we can create such a distance from our physicality by rejecting parts of ourselves; pushing ourselves to the point of exhaustion and injury and distancing ourselves from what our bodies are trying to tell us.
Comparing our bodies with other bodies and cultural standards of beauty is a big step that many of us take, quite unconsciously, away from direct experience of our bodies. It is a step toward the objectification of our bodies that undermines our wellbeing and distorts our relationship with sensual pleasure.
I cannot tell you how many BEAUTIFUL bodies I have sat in circles who are cut off from the sensual pleasures of food and true physical intimacy because of the ways they have internalized ideals of beauty they do not feel they conform to.
The highly competitive nature of our culture gives rise to pressure and anxiety that causes many of us to forgo sleep, reach for food to keep our energy up or to self-soothe or turn to other substances to maintain our energy, or otherwise self-medicate.
And the marketplace provides answers that offer quick fixes that further distance us from feeling and listening to what our bodies will tell us if we will only listen.
When we distance ourselves from the needs of our bodies and override its signals, we not only do harm, but we also rob ourselves of a level and layer of pleasure and enjoyment that being in a balanced relationship with our bodies brings.
The Taurus is known for having a long fuse, but for being a formidable contender when pushed beyond its limits of tolerance. When I think about the end of this fuse, a voice comes to me now from my youth, Susan Powter* screaming her message of “Stop the Insanity!” to millions.
While her fiery* energy is not the Taurus style, her call to turn away from the idea of programmed solutions and begin to think and feel for ourselves is.
Her basic questions are very Taurus in nature. She calls us back to the basics at heart of having a good relationship with ourselves that allows us to take true pleasure in this life. What are we eating? How are we breathing? How are we moving?
This New Moon in earthy Taurus, the archetype of grounded physical presence and love of sensual pleasure, is the ideal time to reflect on our relationship with our bodies. It is prime time to inquire how we can learn from listening to our bodies rather than judging them and trying to change them.
Try this New Moon in Taurus Practice:
Find a place to be in nature or sit by a window and look out into the landscape. Take deep cleansing breaths. Then, take a few more, slower and deeper extending the exhale. Set the intention to listen to your body. You may need to apologize for not listening to it for a while as you do. Then, ask your body the following questions, taking time to feel inside before you begin to write. Take a few deep breaths in between each question.
How does it feel about what you are eating? Are your food choices serving you?
Am I using the power of my breath to support the wellness of my body?
How does your body feel about the movement you have in your life?
Would it tell you to move more or less, would it ask for a different kind of movement?
Would it tell you to pick up the pace or slow down a bit?
How might you apply the willpower and persistence that Taurus is so famous for to honor your body, give your body what you truly need and take deep pleasure in you sensual nature?
When you are complete, take a moment to craft an intention for this moon based on what you learned from listening to your body. Consider how it can support you to take more true pleasure in being a body!
*Little astrology note, after Susan’s voice popped into my head, I looked her up and watched a few of her videos. Beginning to see deduce her astrology based on her presentation, I looked up her chart. Sure enough, Sun and Saturn in Sag, Uranus in Leo opposite Venus in Aquarius… I could go on. The accuracy of astrology never ceases to amaze me!