It's tough being in the "spiritual" world sometimes. Especially on Instagram. There's a lot of well-meaning info that goes around, but it could actually be doing damage and stunting spiritual growth. One way that I see this is the focus on going up and out of the body, without the same attention to going in and down. The body is the key, but I often see the emphasis on leaving the body behind. As if it's some obstacle to be overcome. Let me assure you that there will be a ceiling you can reach if you don't include the body in your expansion.
First off, let's talk about the incredible gift the body is. We are not bodies experiencing this world. We are spirits experiencing these bodies. I believe each of us is a drop of divinity. That means that we come from the essence of the universe. All of the universe is contained in that drop, and yet it is not the entire universe. This means that we should treat these bodies like a divine gift. They are not an obstacle to overcome, or curse to be overpowered. Yet, some lines of spirituality speak of the body as if it were a plague. Something that was given to us to prove we could transcend it. The essence of these teachings is to somehow deprive the body of its pleasures to show that you are better than them. But why would the universe give us such incredible potential for pleasure just as a joke to see if we will take the bait?
If you are truly a spirit experiencing this body, then what does the body offer you the spirit does not? The body can exist in this finite, 3D world through its senses. There's nothing you can experience in this world that does not exist through the senses. Everything you see, touch, taste, smell, and hear all goes through the body. This is another incredible miracle of life! There's so much beauty that we can know just from the gifts of the senses. If the universe didn't want us to know beauty, then why are we surrounded by it? If the universe didn't want us to know pleasure, then why are so many things pleasurable?
The other way that spiritual people bypass the body is by only talking about ways to go up and out. Astral travel, deep soul meditation, contacting spirits and entities on the other side, the window of the mind, visualization, speaking to 'god'. And yes, these are all special and important along the spiritual path, but you must also equally practice embodiment. A lot of us experience trauma, stress, and disconnection and an easy trap to get into is to bypass the body altogether. Yeah, it will be easier for a bit to escape, but you won't be able to escape forever. And when compared to the incredible things that can happen when you do ascend the body, your trauma could feel like a nightmare when you return to it. Which is all the more reason to learn to hold the body in love and compassion through anything.
Instead of using spirituality as escapism, you can learn to fully live in each moment no matter what happens. This will support you throughout your entire life. Learning how to ascend will only help you in certain ways, but learning embodiment and acceptance can almost always help. Learn to send your energy up and down at the same time to experience the radical embodiment of the moment through your body AND the enlightenment that can happen in your spirit. This paired method of experiencing the up and down at the same time will help you find the absolute bliss that is available to you at all times. You know, that bliss I talk about all the time!
Avoid being the spacey, out of touch, drafty spiritual person by going through the body. You know what I'm talking about here! That spiritual friend that's always talking about star codes, and telling you that things don't matter on this plane. Things do matter on this plane. Your soul chose to enter this plane. They didn't do it because they're stupid. They did it because they wanted to experience this finite reality through the body (ie. the senses). Embrace both paths at the same time to become a balanced, authentic spiritual person who can live in both the enchanting and the difficult. The body is the key. This is a main tenet of Tantra, and I'll always keep returning to it!
INSPIRED ACTION: Start practicing sending the energy up and down at the same time. Remember that where attention goes energy flows. Start going down first. Imagine the energy raining down from the sky into your crown chakra all the way to your root then down into the ground. Once you get the feel for this try the other way. Picture the Earth energy rising up to enter your root then traveling all the way up to your crown and out. Now, the tricky part. I find it easier to sort of zoom out with my attention and allow the flows to go both ways at once. Get one started going one way, then without breaking that attention start it going the other. Feel the peace, power, and vulnerability of allowing it to flow both ways. This is absolutely a learned skill, so keep practicing and you'll get it!