Don't Forget the Body
Why the way we relate to our physical vessel matters in ancestral work and spiritual development.
Dear Reader,
I never start my newsletters off like that, but it felt appropriate today. Because the topic I’m writing about is very personal and I am sharing a part of myself in a vulnerable manner in the name of release, accountability and hopefully, helping someone else think about this in a way that helps them develop a better, more spiritually conscious relationship with their body.
As I write this, I still struggle with honoring my body. I struggle with disordered eating due to bad habits that went unchecked in my youth, poor decisions of my own, the limitations of disability and poverty. I’m currently in a 5th House profection year and I’m coming toward the end of it. So as I head toward a 6th House year, health is becoming a glaring issue. Not to mention, I am in the midst of my Saturn return. Everything is pushing me to look at my health, specifically my body. How I have treated my body and failed myself by putting myself last, thinking that was what I should be doing in order to get ahead in life. How my body had to get my attention by rendering me a disabled person.
Beyond just the physical aspect, I want to talk about the spiritual aspect as well. It’s not a new concept that when something is spiritually, emotionally or mentally off, we can feel it in our bodies. Pain becomes an indicator that something needs our attention. Similarly, when we are doing well spiritually, emotionally and mentally, we can feel that in our bodies as well. It comes through in the way we move. Our skin. The way we indulge in practices that our bodies rejoice in. There’s also the aspect of how spirits communicate with us through out bodies. Simple things, like goosebumps or quivers can indicate a spirit trying to get our attention.
Going deeper though, there are times when our ancestors utilize our physical vessels to show us things. Sometimes, things that they went through.
They can show us how or why we are suffering through our bodies. They can show us our strength through our bodies. They can give us explanations about why certain things are occurring in our experience due to how it relates to our bloodline. They can assist us by inhabiting our bodies in a way that is more grounded than usual. In this way, how they are communicating is less feelings and more force. It is an extraordinary thing and in my experience, it does not come without pain, pressure and when honored, divine blessings.
When a spirit (one or more) is on you (not just grazing you or tapping you on the shoulder), you move differently. Unless you have consciously gone through this, you may struggle to grasp what I’m saying beyond a surface level. It feels as though you’re letting someone else navigate the controls of your body. This is not the same thing as possession because you’re fully aware of what’s happening. You’re just not initiating it. You are instead surrendering to it. You are moving, but they are the ones moving you. It is collaboration. It is a spirit’s way of carrying you through a period of time or a lesson. Sometimes it could be because you can’t do it yourself, but it can also be because through them, you get to utilize your energy for other things such as channelling messages, receiving downloads, integrating lessons, fighting for survival, things that require so much of our bodies.
This is why energy work can be so draining, because the reserve that is getting used to do this work is coming not just from our spirits, but from our bodies as well. These bodies are instruments that need to be cleansed, fine-tuned and used with intention. Most importantly, these bodies need to be loved. As a dark skinned Black queer woman existing in this world, learning to love my body has been a 28 year long lesson. It’s been years of peeling back layers of lies I was socialized to believe, years of receiving below adequate healthcare, years of finding triumphs in how I engaged with my body, losing them to trauma and having to work to regain them.
A couple of weeks ago, I apologized to my body. I became acutely aware of how I had failed to take care of myself due to not valuing my physical vessel and seeing it either as a means to draw attention to myself or a means to produce and earn the right to exist. I have multiple debilities to show for it. Bad habits that carry it on, even as I work to get better.
Through hardship and spiritual initiations, I have learned the power that my body holds. I have seen the way it pushes forward to carry me deeper into the work that I do. I have also learned that to neglect my body is not only neglect myself, but my spiritual duties. Not only does it disservice me, it is a disservice to my family and community. Still, recovery is a long road and it’s also something I’ve realized I should not and can not do alone. And that’s part of why I’m sharing this with you today.
I say all of this to say, when you’re walking the path of your spiritual journey, remember to feel your way through with honor and love for the vehicle that has carried you since your birth into this world.
Don’t forget the body.
Peace,
Kamila Shakur
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