Honor Your Body as the Instrument of Your
Soul
This book is an attempt to undo the damage
we’ve sustained living in a culture that thrives on our
self-hatred. It is a sanctification of our human bodies, a
consecration of ourselves as hosts to the Great Beloved. It is
a journey of awe and reverence through the sacred terrain of
foot and hand, back and breast, heart and brain. The path to
peace is the pathway through ourselves, starting with the
inward step, the brave, gentle step toward the Divine within.
—from the Introduction
Our view of the human body is always
evolving. From the goddess-worship of civilizations millennia
ago, to the strict social rules of Victorian England, to the
modern feminist movement, the human body—particularly the
feminine body—has always been a point of interest,
mystery, and contention.
Discover an entirely new way to look at
your body—as a pathway to the Divine. Award-winner Jan
Phillips takes you on an energizing journey through your
physical self, drawing connections between the bone, muscle,
and sinew of your body and the spiritual teachings of various
faith traditions, modern scientific research, and her own
experiences. You will find yourself empowered to work to
transform the world around you and overcome self-defeating
thoughts through positive, practical exercises and meditations
that show you how to climb back into your body and honor it as
the temple of God that it is.
“Potent insight, profound
information, spirited practices, all wrapped up in sumptuous
prose make this work a gift that will keep on giving. The
author has traveled deep into the hidden countries of body and
mind and returns with wisdom to awaken the world and time. Each
page sings the truth of ourselves as embodied
spirit.”
—Jean
Houston, PhD, author of A Passion for the Possible
“If you have ever wondered how the
human body went from being a ‘temple of God’ to
being ‘dirty,’ read this book. Richly researched,
embodied in full, this book befriends our bodies and
souls.”
—Rev.
Donna Schaper, author of Sacred Speech: A Practical Guide for Keeping
Spirit in Your Speech
“A wonderful meditation on the body
as the temple of God, from our feet to our brains. The
exercises are excellent and help us understand the roles each
part plays in manifesting the sacred within.”
—Ana
Hernández, author of The Sacred Art of Chant: Preparing to Practice, and member of HARC
Jan Phillips is
an award-winning photographer, writer, multimedia artist, and
national workshop leader. She is cofounder of Syracuse Cultural Workers, publishers of artwork that inspires justice,
diversity, and global consciousness. She is the author of many
books, including Marry Your Muse:
Making a Lasting Commitment to Your Creativity (winner of the 1998 Ben Franklin Award) and God Is at Eye Level: Photography as a Healing
Art. She lectures throughout the
country, giving presentations that inspire creativity,
community building, and commitment in personal, social, and
corporate environments.
