Ritual 31: Monday, July 30, 2007

Full Moon

The full moon is a time to celebrate the fullness of life. This is doubly so at this time of year (in the Northern hemisphere, at least) when the earth is exploding with life.

When did it happen that women became disdainful of their fullness? I know not all of you are... but even my slim friends poke themselves in the booty or belly when they're feeling fat. This is pure speculation, but I'd wager for modern women, fear of fat rates up there with fear of public speaking. Blame it on the media. Or better yet, ignore the media, and feast your eyes on images of women in ancient times, when feminine fullness was a sign of health and vitality.

I'm not advocating that you tilt the scales with unwanted weight. I am advocating for a world where all women appreciate the magnificence of their bodies... even if they're intentionally changing their shape. There's a difference between jogging manically to flee the fat demon and jogging to circulate chi or to feel strong or even to tone a body into a beautiful expression of human possibility. My body actually resists exercise when I'm doing it because I feel bad about my flab. When I connect with how much better I feel when my muscles are firm, then I get motivated.

The difference, for me, is a matter of perspective -- am I doing it because I feel bad or because I want to feel good? Who wants to be criticized into changing? Personally, I'd rather be enticed or encouraged.

Here's an encouraging thought that might precipitate a shift in your perspective: Your body is a star. Really. Stand up with your legs wide and your arms straight out to the side. You are a five-pointed star, like Leonardo Da Vinci's famous illustration. You are stellar. Say that out loud a few times and see how that feels. "I am stellar. I am stellar. I am stellar!"

The five-pointed star, called a pentacle or pentagram, is the symbol of earth in Wicca and Tarot. It's also a symbol that appears in Kabbalah, Hermeticism, Gnosticism and other spiritual traditions. To the Pythagoreans, it was a symbol for the perfection of humanity.

Check that out: You carry a symbol of your own perfection, embedded in your earthly body.

It's no coincidence that women's bodies and the pentagram have been demonized. Women's sexuality and this special star have been called, on more than one occasion, the work of the devil. Pull them both out the mire of perversion and restore their sanctity.

Take a body inventory: on a fresh sheet of paper write down at least five things that you're grateful to your body for. Decorate the paper with stars, and post it somewhere you'll see it on a daily basis. If you're feeling bold, draw stars with a Sharpie on those parts of your body which you acknowledged.

Now offer up this little love poem to your fleshly vessel:

Oh, my body,
Holy temple of starlight,
I praise you on this full moon night
For your gifts of magic, five:
Taste, touch, sound, smell, and sight.
I am blessed to be alive.

And so you are!

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