Volume One
Chapter Seven — Steps to Authenticity
February: The Body
1. The body is separate from all other bodies and all other things. It moves separately and independently. Its brain or command center has freedom of choice in what to do and how to do it. Sometimes the body seems to take control away from the brain. It may say that it is tired, hungry, thirsty, or sick. Other than these times, it just goes along with what the brain dictates. It will be pushed to its limits if the brain wants to run a marathon. It will gain weight and slow down if the brain says it wants more caloric intake and less movement. Since the body is a representation of the brain and its operating system, the ego, its importance in the illusion is bigger than warranted.
2. The body is seen as you, by all who gaze at it. It is you, whether someone knows your name or not. It is you today and will be you in ten or twenty years, if you're still around. To you, it's me, myself, and I. It has a name, a past history, and a potential future. This being said, the body has a great deal of value here in this world. It can be healthy or not so much, but it's all anyone has. It's given to you at birth and the rest is left to genetics, socioeconomic status, aptitude, intelligence, chance, and coincidence, or so it seems.
3. The original A Course in Miracles describes the body as a symbol of separation and says that there is no separation in reality. It also says that each soul creates their own body in order to be separate from God. For a book that sought to get rid of guilt in its readership, it did a very good job of instilling a new type of guilt. The truth of the situation is that bodies are part of an alternative reality in this and in many other worlds of form. Bodies serve as a strengthening activity for souls to master the opposite of love, which is fear. A soul cannot be separate from God or from other souls, even if one wanted to be. It is impossible. The body itself is a magnificent work of art. It deserves great admiration because it is a vehicle for God. It helps God to grow more of itself, and for this simple reason it is a wonderful thing deserving of the utmost respect. In this book we seek to explain everything in ways that will leave no room for doubt.
4. Guidelines:
Pick a time of day that suits you best and read the step that corresponds to the appropriate month and date. This is your starting point. Simply reflect on what the step means to you and ways to put it into practice. Accept whatever feelings come to the surface as you work your way through the steps. These steps are the beginning of a transformation where love replaces fear, which is no easy feat. Be patient with yourself. You are doing what few have ever been able to do. Now you have the means. Just add a little willingness and you will be a more soulful and less ego-driven being in just a year's time. Godspeed.
5. February 1
Is your body yours only?
6. February 2
Can your body be repurposed from self-centered to one of service?
7. February 3
What do you like about your body?
8. February 4
What do you dislike about your body?
9. February 5
Does a body say anything about the occupant?
10. February 6
Reflect on a time when you saw someone for the very first time and classified them into categories based on their apparent age, body type, and style of clothing.
11. February 7
How much thought do you give to the image your body projects to others?
12. February 8
List ways that body image has value to you.
13. February 9
Do you dress according to your own likes, or do you feel compelled to wear things that project a certain image?
14. February 10
Who decides what should or should not be worn in certain environments?
15. February 11
Do you value dress codes of any type?
16. February 12
What purpose does conformity in dress serve, and who does it ultimately serve?
17. February 13
What negative comments have you made about the bodies of others?
18. February 14
What positive comments have you made about the bodies of others?
19. February 15
Have you wondered about the effects any of your comments have had on the receivers of them?
20. February 16
If you gave a compliment about how beautiful someone is when they wear makeup and dyed hair, is it possible that this person may think they have to do these things in order to be pretty?
21. February 17
What other well-intentioned comments have you made that could have been received in a self-deprecating way?
22. February 18
What messages did you receive about your body and your appearance while growing up?
23. February 19
What behaviors do you exhibit today that are directly correlated to comments you have received throughout your lifetime about how you dress or how you do not dress?
24. February 20
What specific teachings were instilled in you about how to dress with regard to gender?
25. February 21
Do you now, or have you ever, wanted to dress or present yourself (makeup or hair style) in a way that broke the traditional norms related to gender?
26. February 22
Whether you are a parent or not, what have you taught children with male and female bodies about how they should or shouldn't present themselves?
27. February 24
As a body ages, are there different ideas or rules about how it should be dressed or shouldn't be dressed?
28. February 25
What are your ideas about nudity? When is it or isn't it okay for you?
29. February 26
When is it or isn't it okay for others to be nude?
30. February 27
Do those with physical disabilities have to adhere to special rules related to their body? Do missing limbs always have to be covered up so as not to upset others?
31. February 28
What are your feelings about mothers who nurse babies in public? If this bothers you, why?
32. February 29 (Leap Year)
What ideas about bodies can you be free of?
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