Sunday, August 4, 2013

space disappears



People notice space like fish notice water. Which is to say -- we don't. We just move through it like it's not there. Space disappears.


Worship is a drama played out on the stage of space. Worship is inherently spatial. It's the cultivation of space through repetitive movements of the body through space, and with these bodily movements, movements of the mind, for the mind and the body are yoked.

Muslims don't kneel and bow on rugs five times a day for the sake of their cardiovascular health. They make these worshipful movements for the sake of their spiritual health. Catholics and Tibetans don't roll beads between their fingers as a remedy for arthritis. They make these small, slow movements for the refinement of worshipful emotions.

There is wisdom in space if only we would notice it. By cultivating spatial movements, we practice noticing space. Worshipful movements are exercises in noticing space. By moving our bodies worshipfully we learn to undisappear the space our bodies inhabit, the space immediately around us, and because the mind and the body are yoked, we're also learning to undisappear the space our minds and our souls inhabit. We're revealing an inner space to match the outer space we're revealing.

The body moves through space, and the mind goes along for the ride, resulting in a spiritual spaciousness to match a more literal one.