The best healer of all is love.
We’ve hopefully come to a point in our human evolution that we have remembered how well-being is a holistic way of love – how we must tend to all parts of us continuously and consistently, and show our care for the entirety of us.
We have four bodies of consciousness: the physical, the mental, the emotional and the spiritual. These are vibrational fields of energy, which overlap and affect one another; together they are all one but the energy is just expressing itself differently through them.
Often times when I am doing a session for a client, whether they are facing a hard time connecting to their intuition or life purpose, or have a desire to create sacred relationships with deeper meaning and intimacy, I also discuss well-being techniques. And the reason for that is because we can only meet another as deeply as we’ve met ourselves; and we can only hear and align to our intuition when we feel more balanced within our emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. Because it is all interconnected and interdependent.
By understanding how they interconnect, we can then focus on balancing one area of life through another. One important thing to remember is that – we will never have all of our bodies perfectly balanced, because we are human. So there is no need to put unrealistic expectations and too much pressure on yourself – all you need to do is be more aware and do the best you can. Also – there is no right or wrong way to do something. We are all unique and as such, we need to learn our own unique way of language of body and its needs.
There are many tools and guides out there on wellness for mind, body, emotions and soul, but what I often find is that they do not go in deeper on allowing the reader the opportunity to understand the higher purpose of each of our bodies of consciousness; and it is only through this understanding that we can then apply the guidance in more meaningful ways.
To help you imagine it more easily, I will associate each body of consciousness with a direction:
the physical body relates to the west,
the emotional body relates to the south,
the mental body relates to the east, and
the spiritual body relates to the north.
This gives us an insight into how they are all interconnected, and how we are held in a totality like a tiny little earth while we travel along our own unique physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wild lands.
Now let’s delve deeper into love of self and nurture of self, using some ancient mystical and esoteric techniques. And at the end of the article, I will offer you examples of how we can use all directions when facing an issue in our life.
The Spiritual Body.
The Inner Core, Sacred Self, Inner Truth, Knowing Who We Are
The spiritual body is perhaps the hardest to understand but it is the one without which nothing else will ever feel right or fulfilled in our life. It is easier to see if our physical space is messy, or our foot hurts and needs extra tending; it’s easier to tell if we are stressed or worried; and if we are more self-aware, we’d also be able to realize if we are having a harder time to connect to our intuition, creativity, sensuality, emotions and intimacy in our relationships. But how can we notice the unique language of our soul?
The spiritual body is the place we enter to know who we are.
We go in to answer questions like: What do I believe? What are my values? Who am I? Why am I here? What is my soul purpose?
The spiritual body is our church within. It is our bridge to faith and to love. It is the place where we can always be held in a power that nothing and no one can take away from us. It is our connection to God, or however you call the divine power you believe in. It is what anchors you, gives you peace and where you can surrender in trust and in knowing. It is the bridge to yourself – and you need to keep this bridge sacred and clear, because otherwise you’ll lose your way.
The spiritual body is the way of the devotee, the priestess, the mystic – it is the inner quest when you close your eyes and feel the weight of your body against the body of night, when you relax like water into the silver of spoon, and you enter yourself. It is the drums, the deep humming, the slow rhythm, the ancient voice calling you into the depths of the mist and towards the moist dark northern forest – a voice older and more ancient than us, from a time before time beyond time. It is your soul.
According to psychologists, little children wake up in the middle of the night and go into their parents’ bedroom, not to see whether their parents are there, but to see whether they are there. This re-assures them of their existence. We are born and start forming. We form who we are, or rather who we think we are, based of what others say to us, how they react to us, how they see us – and all these, and many more such as our perceptions, behavioural and thought patterns and our emotional tendencies, form the frame that becomes our identity and our ego structure. But who we are in our true essence is a thing deep within in our underground. It is like a scent of wild rose. When the inner separation between who we are and who we think we are becomes too wide, we begin to feel disconnected, and eventually, it may start to affect us on all levels – emotionally, mentally and physically. In other words – it all begins from the level of spirit.
When we want to tend to our spiritual well-being, there is only one way to look: inward. The introspection offered by quietness and solitude will allow us to do that. We need to shut out the outer world and go in our inside of, to uncover the essence of who we truly are within. Once we know this deeper truth about ourselves – we will no longer allow the external world to define our identity and we’ll re-connect to ourselves.
We can think of the spiritual body as the direction of the north, the winter season or the time between 12am and 6am. The north is the cold place, where it is cold enough for absolute honesty; where the branches are bared, so that wide trees no longer hide us from our eyes. It is also the winter time, when we stay inside and nurture the warmth inside of us, when we water the spiritual wild lands. It is also the night time between 12am and 6am – the quiet time when we become more esoteric, our body regenerates itself, we shut out the consciousness and go into the other astral realms, for purposes of introspective, and reflection, and to make the unconscious conscious for wiser life choices. The night time, while “light” in body and mind, is actually related to “great courage” in ancient mystical teachings. This is because we can’t approach anything in the spiritual or subconscious or unconscious, without significant reserves of courage, strength and radical honesty.
When we are in alignment to our spiritual body, we are living in the truth of who we are. And when we are living in the truth of who we are – then all else in life will just flows and feels more natural. We become more fulfilled and able to experience life more deeply in any and every way. Pleasure will be more deeply pleasure experienced and felt; love will be more deeply love experienced and felt. It also gives us a clear vision, sharp insight and awareness, and a deeper trust in ourselves; we become more rooted in our strong spiritual core within out of which all else is illuminated. And then no matter how dense forests become, we will be able to navigate our way through with our inner lantern.
It is essentially about self-realization, and about seeing and accepting ourselves for who we are, outside of external validation and false masks.
Anything that has to do with self-development, spiritual work, mysticism, esotericism, reflection, introspection, consciousness development, third eye activation, prayer, and building faith and connection to something higher and divine, is part of taking care of our spiritual body.
A lot of people associate the spirit with fire, but I offer you the perspective of connecting to the element of earth to help you balance your spiritual body. This is because we need grounding when we are working with the hidden realms – otherwise we’ll just fly up somewhere and have a hard time coming back. We need an anchor, holding us to the earth, so that we can go journeying in the other realms and then know how to come back. We also need discernment. Because the spiritual realms can become an abyss into which we may get lost.
I also align the animal spirit of jaguar to this consciousness. The jaguar is the birth totem or spirit guide for many shamans, mystics and healers because it is incredibly powerful and represents inner truth and wisdom. Jaguar people walk a life of truth and authenticity. The jaguar is also a very sensual animal and it is this connection to earth and the senses that keep it grounded, and yet it is the animal with great psychic power, which allows it to journey far and beyond the human eye, no matter what the terrains look like. It is also about patience and knowing the cycles of the land. The jaguar teaches us the way of the luminous warrior who stands impeccably in her inner truth. Another animal I think of is actually the turtle – representing ancestral wisdom, slow pace, “as above so below”, bringing heaven and our divinity into our physical home and body, in its shell.
When the spiritua body is in balance, we may feel: calm, courageous, confident, creative, humble, centered, authentic, trusting, believing, having faith, feeling a connection to higher power or God, self-realization, feeling strong inner core or inner stability, knowing who we are, our life seems more balanced, true joy based on who we truly are
When it is not in balance, we may feel: disconnection, inner separation, loneliness, hopelessness, powerlessness, feeling unseen and unheard, heavy emphasis on appearance, shallow communication and shallow relationships, over-reliance on doing or controlling, not knowing what we want, feelings of emptiness, not turning ideas into reality, procrastination, illusion and head in the clouds, not knowing who we are, broken inner core, self-illusion, self-deceit, self-sabotage, identity crisis, lack of deeper connection in relationships, emotional numbness
How to bring the spiritual body into balance: prayer, meditation, self-development, introspection, meditation, grounding techniques, strengthening the inner spiritual core, meaningful solitude, building a connection to faith and higher power, trusting in God, learning surrender, generosity and charity, learning to let go, developing higher consciousness, purification techniques, spiritual cleansing, karmic release, soul ties release, learning interdependence and humility, cultivating inner peace and calm, developing your intuitive abilities and connection to spirit, trusting your intuition, soul growth, spiritual development, understanding the divinity in the self and in others, understanding that heaven in within, connection to Christ consciousness or love consciousness, building and nurturing the church within
The Mental Body.
Sacred Work, Vision, Mind, Clarity
The mental body is connected to our thoughts, ideas, beliefs, perceptions, the way we communicate and the way we bring ideas into reality. It is connected to the element of air, and like air, there needs to be clarity, purity and freshness, because otherwise we feel stagnant and polluted. Joy is one of the more creative ways to work with this energy – which is to awaken our playfulness and freedom.
I also connect this body of consciousness to the east direction – to where the sun always rises, and the need to approach life through a clear perspective, as well as the ideas that inspire us. And just like the sunrise, we need to invite freedom, warmth, joy and freshness into our minds every morning.
The mental body is also associated with the seeds we sew such as ideas, beliefs and thought patterns that then begin to rise within us to become creation. The east direction is all about our visionary selves as we reconnect to our destinies. In this direction, we also learn the tools of personal alchemy and how to harness our powerful energies, so that we can co-create consciously and intentionally.
If the spiritual body was like winter, the mental body is like spring. After a long winter, seeds begin to sprout and we see the aliveness, vitality and fresh new colours outside. There’s a newness in the air and it is time to manifest our realities in every moment. This direction also reminds us and teaches us how to dream our world into being on the individual level, but also for the collective good.
The mental body is how we bring forth the wisdom of the north and our soul, and how we interpret it through our own ideas, beliefs, perceptions and perspectives. This is why self-work is crucial because if the mental body isn’t clear, we’ll be interpreting the messages from our soul in a skewed way.
Our mental body comprises of all the ways through which we view the world – it is our belief systems, perspectives, conditioned understanding and thought patterns. Through spirituality, we expand our perception, and this allows us to come into more balance. But to do that, we must first be willing to face our own constraits and limitations that shaped us. Regular self-reflection, as well as developing the high mind are needed.
We can relate the mental body to the archetype of the visionary and anything related to the throat chakra such as communication, prayer, singing, chanting and sound.
The animals that I associate with the mental body are the hawks and eagles – they fly high but have laser-eye vision with clear intentions. They can see the higher perspective of things and of life, yet know how to stay focused and true to what they want to accomplish – and how to bring ideas into reality.
We can also think of this as it relates to our sacred work. Our sacred work refers to what gives us fulfillment within, what makes us feel purposeful and what is of service or contribution to others. When the have the clarity of mind, the clarity of intention and the strength and courage of will, perseverance and self-motivation – we can do our sacred work more easily. On the other hand, if we are doubting, criticising, judging and unclear in integrity and perceptions, we’ll just not be able to move forward in the way we may want or envision.
When the mental body is in balance, we may feel: clear vision, good problem solving, being decisive, discerning, innovative, organized, responsible, confident, initiative, ability to bring ideas into reality, ability to solve issues in a kind and supportive way
When it is not in balance, we may feel: procrastination, messiness, confusion, brain fog, forgetfulness, ideas lost quickly, lethargy, lack of purpose, neuroses, doubt, no self-confidence, lack of integrity and ethics, gossiping, lack of self-esteem, insecure, low self-worth, ego-centric, selfish, narcissistic, little to no empathy, no accountability how our actions affect others, little to no compassion, disregard for others, over-driven, over-ambitious
How to bring the mental body into balance: expand the mind through reading, writing, travelling and education, spend time learning new things that you are passionate about, develop discernment, self-discipline and self-organization, write in a journal, expand imagination, psychotherapy to uncover limiting self-beliefs and thought patterns, calm the mind, meditation, engage your curiosity, be playful, self-motivation, set goals and make small steps each day, develop your confidence and self-esteem, develop your skills and talents, stay creative, begin a creative venture and stay dedicated to it, manage stress levels, exercise, spend plenty of time out in nature, wind cleansing i.e. let your hair and body be in the wind for a little each day, visualize what you desire -keep dreaming and believing, making steps towards it
The Emotional Body.
Sacred Relationships, Love, Heart, Intuition, Intimacy, Creativity, Sensuality
The emotional body is related to our relationships, intimacy, sensuality, sexual expression, intuition, feelings, emotions, love, desire, passion, creativity, playfulness, movement, self-love and anything heart-centered. It is how we feel the world. It is how we travel through our emotions. It is how we feel our feelings.
Most of the things that happen in our life, starting from childhood, are stored in our emotional body. When unreleased or unhealed, emotions begin to affect our health as well as all areas of our life, such as relationships, intimacy and creativity, and we may begin to feel a deep disconnection from self or emotional numbness. They also affect our physical body, as each emotion is connected to a specific organ and I’ve written about this in-depth in my wellness guide on Emotions and the Physical Body, where we cover some of the major emotions such as anger, worry and sadness, and also learn how to be more in tune and understand our inner needs.
The two most important parts of our well-being and our wholeness are the spiritual (self-realization, knowing our true selves) and the emotional (self-love, accepting our selves). Without these two poles of our being, nothing else will ever fall into balance.
When we spend too much time over-identifying with other people, we lose who we are inside and what are our own feelings and needs. Once we start to prioritize loving our own self, accepting all parts of us with compassion and forgiveness, without judging our selves or criticizing ourselves – this is when we will begin to be more emotionally connected, and through that, our intuition will begin to flow naturally.
This is also related to intimacy – because intimacy (into-me-see) is about our ability to show our true selves to someone, which is essentially about our willingness to be vulnerable. The more we begin to value and respect ourselves, and stay true to our values and needs in relationships and to what kind of partner we need – the more connected we’ll feel to our emotions – because we are showing ourselves that we trust, value and respect our emotional needs. The key to that is to consciously choose to spend our time and energy on people who value us, accept us, respect us and we can feel free to be who we need to be. Any time you feel shame, blame, fear or guilt, these are signs that this person is not right for you.
I associate the emotional body to the south direction and summertime. The sun is high and hot, matching the heat in our undergrounds of creativity, aliveness and sensuality; while the seas are matching the waters of emotions flowing freely within us.
In the south we learn to communicate intuitively which is fueled by the north direction, and we also learn intimate communication such as listening and holding space for another person and their own truth. We also communicate through our creativity and through our emotions. Learning to feel our feelings freely and understanding what our emotions are telling us, are the key to a healthy fulfilled life, both emotionally and spiritually. If the emotional body is unhealed and our emotions are unresolved or suppressed, our physical body will also be impacted. We need to be nurtured and nurturing, loved and loving.
The higher purpose in this south direction related to our emotional body is sacred relationships.
Sacred relationships are soul-deep and deeply intimate – they are rooted in the truth of our soul. As such, it is impossible to have a sacred relationship without being in our truth and authenticity – which means that we need to be in balance with our true self, our spiritual body and the north direction, as this is where we understand the core of who we are. When we see ourselves on a soul level, and recognize the divinity within us – only then we would be able to see the truth in another, and connect deeply on a soul level. Otherwise, it is impossible. We can only meet another as deeply as we’ve met ourselves.
In sacred relationships there is no hiding, no judgement, no angst, we are truly ourselves and the love is selfless, deep and sensual. Such sacred bonds happen in soul truth and open hearts. This is why self-love, emotional intelligence and spirituality are crucial for deep love.
When the emotional body is balanced, we may feel: empathic, open, honest, trusting, sensual, loving, receptive, playful, emotionally connected, feeling our feelings, less judgmental, non-critical, generous, no dryness of skin, deeply emotional relationships or friendships
When it is not in balance, we may feel: untrustworthy, too sarcastic, gossiping, critical, judgmental, lashing out, reacting harshly, extreme mood swings, little intuition, lack of trust, inability to understand or listen to people, fearful, neurotic, lack of deep relationships or friendships, co-dependent, jealous, controlling, inflexible, dehydration, lack of sleep, stress, self-doubt, irritated, depressed, obsessive, anxious, hopelessness, feelings of drowning in relationships, weight fluctuations, health issues
How to bring the emotional body into balance: joy and playfulness, surround yourself with supportive and nurturing people, read or watch something loving, release emotions, tensions and stress, build intimacy, self-love, charity and generosity, spiritual work, dancing, creativity, heart chakra work, sacral chakra work, water cleansing, water spas, body movement and massage, discerning and cutting ties with unhealthy people, setting boundaries, self-acceptance, learn to harness and channel sexual energy healthily, develop emotional intelligence, learn to feel your feelings
The Physical Body.
Sacred Space, Body and Home
To take care of our physical body, we need to eat well, drink water, get plenty of sleep and exercise. Movement of any kind is needed, whether it is dancing, the gym, swimming or taking walks in nature – do what makes you feel good. It is about learning the language of our body and being in tune – so that we can know what we need and how to give it.
Regarding our physical space, we need to cleanse the house, cleanse the energy, de-clutter, clean our bedsheets and clothes, decorate, and open the windows allowing for some fresh air to circulate. It is also about appreciating all the things we have already and taking care of them.
I connect the physical body to the west direction, autumn and the time after sunset. This is when we come home. Our home, within and without, must be made a place of love, comfort, peace, serenity, gentleness, cleanliness – and boundaries. Boundaries are crucial for our well-being, and as we need to protect our house, we also need to protect our energy. When we don’t know how to set boundaries in our own lives, we are also more likely to cross the boundaries of other people. And that’s not nice.
In the time after the hot sun of summer, there is also a need for some coolness and a reflection filled with gratitude – which reminds us to live a life being grateful for our physical body and space. We are born of love and miracle – and because all parts of us, all cells, said yes – they all said yes to us in a mutual decision. And because of this we have eyes to see beauty, we have hands to hug those we love, we have ears to hear their laughter and have our hearts filled with so much love.
And no matter how hard we mght feel, our body does it best each day and night to hold us through. For this alone, we must be grateful – for our hands that continue to give even when empty and stolen from; for our feet that continue to walk even barefoot and cold; for our lips that continue to say I love you.
To balance your physical body, any embodiment technique is amazing such as dancing, movement, breathing exercises, and connecting to your five senses. These all help you to stay more present and be more aligned to your physical needs.
You can also work with the element of fire. When we work with the fire element, we can use its transformational energy for our wellness. This can be done both symbolically and literally. Get rid of what no longer serves you, with gratitude, always. Because whatever was there in your life, had its right place for its time being, whether it was in the form of belief system, thought pattern, clothes, shoes, scars and wounds, feelings and emotions, an omen or a vase for flowers – all were there for protection and nurturing for their time being. Trust in the knowing that what you need you will have in your path. And when it’s time, clean out the house and the mind, shed the stories that no longer serve you, so that you can make space for new energy to arrive. Walk the beauty way. Embody the beauty and love that you already are.
Since all of the directions and bodies are interconnected, any imbalance from the others will impact the physical body. And while medicine may help relieve symptoms temporarily, we need to remember that our health is a holistic system and understanding how all the aspects of our life, and all our four bodies of consciousness impact us, will be the key to long-lasting health.
Our sacred space, including both body and home, is the place we come back to each day and night. As such, it needs to be a space of support, calm and peace. We need to be able to rely on ourselves for our decision making and care, and we also need our environment and the people we surround ourselves with to be supportive. And we need to feel like we belong. This is why it is important to be mindful of who you let you. And like a good built house, we need the stability of our walls, floors and ceilings – the stability and strength of our body – because this is the inner vessel through which our spirit flows. And when it is good built, we can move more comfortably in to the winter, and into developing our spiritual selves, settling beautifully into our soulskin.
When the physical body is balanced, we may feel: open, healthy, flexible, energetic
When it is not in balance, we may feel: lethargic, stiff in muscles, messy house, messy mind, body tightness, heaviness, back issues, dryness, loss of elasticity, health issues, doubt that the body can heal itself, tendency to bypass emotions, lack of yin/feminine time, lack of spiritual time, and over-focus on instant gratification
How to bring the physical body into balance: emotional nourishment, body care, massages, movements, exercise, dance, embodiment techniques, grounding, beauty routines, house decorating, cooking and gardening, daily walking, stretching, cleaning the house, practicing forgiveness and compassion, gratitude exercises, establishing boundaries, water cleansing, baths and water therapies, getting plenty of sleep, de-clutter and let go of what no longer serves you, balanced healthy diet, and learn the language of your body and its needs
An Example.
Now that we’ve covered all the bodies and directions, one way we can use them is that when one area of life isn’t going very well, we can see how it relates to the rest and work with it to bring it into balance. We can also see through our own life’s experiences; when one area of life falls into place, all the rest suddenly feel more balanced.
The reason why I started with the north direction or the spiritual body, is because when we become more conscious and aware – all of our other areas of life will flow easier because we are in our soulskin or natural flow of life.
For example, let’s say we are struggling with co-dependency, which would be an over-indulgence in our emotional body. In co-dependency our self-worth depends on the external world and other people, so we want to serve others too much and our self-esteem fluctuates depending on other people’s actions. One way to look at co-dependence is a deficiency of inner trust and inner power – so ways to harmonize it is to strengthen our confidence through our mental body, and also, to build more trust and connection to self through our spiritual practices. We can also work with the physical realm to make sure that we are in supportive environments where people appreciate us and don’t abuse our kindness. Often times, co-dependency is indeed a product of staying in unhealthy environments for too long. Remember: Healthy dependency creates true independency.
As another example, let’s say we are feeling emotionally numb in relationships. This would imply a deficiency in our emotional direction of life, while having an over-indulgence in things related to our mental body such as being a bit more focused on career or material things. One way to balance this is to focus on feeling our feelings, connecting to our heart and emotions, and being creative with what we are passionate about. The reason for emotional numbness is often times related to inability to live our truth, or wearing a mask for too long, over-identifying with external things, so we have lost ourselves. Spiritual work helps with this. Another reason is emotional trauma or unprocessed emotions and wounds from childhood, which have been stored in the emotional body as a coping mechanism. These need to be healed and released, which will then eventually allow the person to open their heart again to the flow of emotions.
I want to remind us all once again – we will always have some parts of us that are not in balance; there is no such thing as complete balance as long as we are in human bodies. We go through life as students, always seeking, and always learning and growing. There is always a way to take things one step deeper and one step further. Even when we are walking a path of truth and authenticity, we’ll still experience days of doubt and even not being true to ourselves. That’s okay. We are constant explorers, students and mystics of life and love.
The point is self-acceptance. It is the acceptance of our current moment and current state of being, without resistance, and the acceptance of making mistakes, not always feeling great and letting go of our need to control the situations. Like ebb and flow, we expand and contract, like breath is God in our lungs. Nothing is not as it should. Settle into that knowing.
*Disclaimer: The content provided on this website is not a substitute for a medical or mental diagnosis. I am not a mental/medical health provider and am not holding myself to be that in any capacity. I am not providing counselling or therapy services, nor am I attempting to diagnose, treat or cure any physical or mental ailment. I am a coach/mentor who assists you in gaining more self-awareness in reaching your own goals through personal accountability and guidance. Any choices and consequences following this article are completely your own.
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