Behold Your Body of Knowledge

Does it honor Earthways, Body, Soul, and the Dancing Center

A body of knowledge is what you or I know from our own experience. It's the gestalt of one’s embodied soulful data and patterns, including stuff from all the unchosen, inherited, and unintentionally downloaded data, templates, and patterns.

I made a holy covenant with this tree

When I was in my twenties in seminary, my professors, brilliant liberation theologians, and artists, believed that a spiritual leader needed a theological worldview. A theological viewpoint recognizes that something more than human will and cognition is at play. My professors did not tell me what to believe, but I was to consider how my worldview and beliefs related to my community and the world through the lens of my tradition.

What an audacious thing to ask of a twenty-four-year-old! Maybe that is why I started my first systematic theology paper by saying, “Words are like bricks, and I’m no bricklayer!” It was and still is far easier to dance with the fluid, changing dynamics of life.

But, my profs wouldn’t have it. One retorted, “Seems like you’re doing pretty well with your words.““Another said, “Words are living things, they’re dancers!” Yet, another said, “Art, theater, and dance have systems too. Draw on what offer for a way to make meaning.”

Oh.

It’s been years now. I’ve written reams as I’ve slowly noted what has staying power and honors Earthways, Beings, Body and Soul, and the Dancing Center. I’ve established clear covenants and rely heavily on family, friends, colleagues, writers, artists, opposers, beings, The Great Tree, ancestors, Indigenous examples, and wise people every step of the way. I read many worldviews to see where I resonate and differ.

The Art of Ensoulment is my Body of Knowledge. You have yours, too. Maybe our worldviews are resonant.

Would you like to be a co-researcher? To explore why I think we need not just body wisdom but soul wisdom, I’m offering a free Kindle version of the playbook from September 12 to 14. Get it now.

One thing I’ve yet to do is publish my many initiations and struggles with evil, oppression, and learnings about freedom. As a white settler whose roots extend to early Puritans in the United States, am I ready? More shall be revealed!

Right now, I am excited to offer Creative Strategies for Energy, Clarity of Vision, and Courage to Love starting next week. Check it out here.