Notes from the minister
This is the season of increasing darkness, the season of memories and hope and
sparks of twinkling light.
I recently re-engaged a morning practice of tai-chi, with movements I learned from
a colleague several years ago. I don’t remember when I last practiced, and I wasn’t
sure I would remember the movements. It was awkward, at first. Making the transitions from one pose to the next is the hardest part. I have been saying to myself,
“Just go through the motions. The body remembers.”
The body remembers
When you want to begin again,
to find whatever it is you have left behind
Steps, fingerings, positions, movements,
breath, touch, stillness
The body remembers
Ask it
If you want to know, the body remembers
The body remembers lost childhood magic,
firsts of terror and delight;
it remembers small feet in red boots,
lifted high in waist deep snow
The body remembers what the mind has buried, sealed
against all but dream appearances;
it conjures up running shadows,
not quite recognized voices,
sudden strength to scale a wall rising up
at the edge of a wide, white, woodland
The body remembers touch, belly laughs, sobs
It remembers the way it felt when it was young
If you want to know
The body remembers
Ask it
May you find a way to tap into the body’s wisdom, during this dark season of memories, hope, and
the spark of twinkling lights. May you re-experience a moment of childhood magic. And may you
have the holidays you long for and need.
I am grateful to be your minister.
TO CONTACT THE MINISTER: Please email or call for an appointment Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays. [email protected]; 584-1390 x202 (office); 727-8497 (home – before 9 pm for non-emergencies)
The Pioneer 2