Body Mind and Spirit 2018!

It's hard to believe that we are already here, and that another year has gone by. But then again, if you don't really think about such things its just another day. I think the true significance of such a day escapes most of us at one time or another in our lives. It is just a day to sleep off the ill affects of too much New Years Eve celebration. For me however, at this point in my journey it is an occasion to celebrate being alive and to view it as another opportunity to work the will and accomplish the mission. I remember setting off fireworks with my kids in Germany in the snow, and I remember their excitement and how much fun I had being with them as they celebrated. Then there is a 20 some odd year period where I don't really have any standout memories of the holiday. Just another day. In my past I have always felt that people shouldn't need a specific day to be purposeful and set and have goals. That should be something they just do if they want to be affective at life.

Well last night will be memorable for me because, I watched my friend Steve ask his wife if she wanted to dance for what I believe is the first time ever. The term “Steve does not dance” had been applicable up to that point, but not anymore. I even have the feeling that perhaps dancing lessons are in that couples future. “Steve does not dance” is no longer an applicable phrase for the year of 2018, as a matter of fact, dancing lessons could be in all our futures as we live and grow and learn how to celebrate life just a little bit better.

Yesterday was the twelfth day of Yuletide in which we of the ASATRU faith celebrated wisdom, and the seeking and gaining thereof in honor of our ultimate wisdom seeking Archetype Odin. Gaining wisdom comes primarily through life experience and both increase and improve through acquisition, and application as we traverse time. So not only should we get better at life if that is our focus but we should get better at celebrating/living it. If I think about it dancing represents a ritualized expression of the joy of being and existence. It is elegant, celebratory, mindful movement through time and space, and it can put us in touch with our divine selves or souls and can be a powerful form of meditation, putting us in connection with the deep and primal forces that run through the multiverse and through ourselves.

So the term “Steve does not dance” no longer applies for 2018. I hope that this experience permanently changes his reality for the better, and I hope that it is instructive to the rest of us. It is so easy to specialize in what we do, to organize and prioritize to the max. Execute and repeat like a well oiled machine becomes the mantra and that is good, but sometimes we become so efficient and busy/obsessed with day to day that we lose time or inclination to try new things. Now I am not saying to flit around trying everything and accomplishing nothing. I am simply saying maybe we could try one new thing every quarter and I do mean try it. Take lessons, practice, at least become proficient at it and then examine it. Does it make your life better? What has it taught you about yourself and your life? I think more times than not, getting out of our rut and embracing something new will increase our joy, life experience and ultimately wisdom.

The basis of trying and experiencing new things is the ability to do so. Underpinning that ability is a healthy, powerful, exuberant condition of the temple that houses our soul during its earthly experience. The ability to move unencumbered through space and breath freely during exertion is fundamental, as is the knowledge of the ritual of preparing and consuming clean life supportive energy to fuel our efforts in working our will and becoming more. Healthy Mind, Body, and Spirit, lends itself to joy of discovery and positive wise life experience. Good health allows us to experience all that life should be and ill health will show us the way to darkness of the soul.

At this very cliché time of the year when a large percentage of our society gets on, and promptly falls off the health and fitness wagon I am promoting making your health a part of your spiritual journey and practice. We give thanks and honor our Ancestors and our Gods for the gift of life. Why don't we put a little skin in the game and a little action to go with words and the cerebral dedication? If we indeed give thanks and honor and respect to the Gods and the Ancestors for the gift of life, then let us ritualize and practice mindful physical movement and breath, and the mindful preparation and consumption of food with the purpose of maintaining, increasing, and honoring the gift of life that has been bestowed upon us. Let us make this a daily integral part of our spiritual journey.

We should not claim to honor our Gods and Ancestors and life if we cannot move, breath, dance, and express our joy at existence physically. As a people who honor life we should always strive to be strong, vigorous, and ready to fight the good fight at any time.

Reading, learning, memorizing, meditation, giving Blot and Sumbel are all wonderful and uplifting. Becoming truly more however requires becoming more in Body, Mind, and Spirit, they are all equally important and all support each other.

How can we fight and defend, and sacrifice all in a noble manner as we say we are prepared to do if we are short of breath crossing the road? Will we expect others to carry that burden for us? How will we contribute if we can't carry our own weight?

How can we claim our spiritual practice is strong when the physical temple that houses all the power of that spiritual practice is falling into decay? How will we project the power we say we have developed? How are we an example of what is best for our people if we cannot back word with tangible action? How do we honor the hard won and maintained gift of life when we squander this gift with poor nutrition, and lack of movement?

Our Ancestors were not frail sickly and falling apart, from lack of activity and overconsumption of empty poisonous calories prepared in a mean and meager manner. Every day they struggled and physically overcame just to survive Why are our Sagas to this day are so heroic? Hard people living hard lives require truly extraordinary heroes and accomplishments to be impressed and inspired. Gluttony and laziness were scorned and rightly so. To practice such was to embrace death. If we honor and want to emulate our ancestors we have our work cut out for us and we better start sooner rather than later if we ever want to make it to, let alone fit in in Valhalla.

We have our Nine Noble Virtues to guide us(1): I have taken some liberty to orient them toward the health and fitness aspect of our spirituality.

Courage: Cannot be practiced, demonstrated, or claimed without physical health. It might take a lot of courage however to make the changes necessary to regain and optimize your health.

Truth: Recognition of things as they are. If you are not healthy you cannot live and experience life to your fullest potential.

Honor: Can great deeds be accomplished without physical health and vigor? You do not honor the gift of life if you are not consistently striving to improve your health and fitness.

Fidelity: How will you fulfill your duties and oaths without health? How can you be a functioning member of the group if you cant tie your own shoes without being out of sorts?

Discipline: It will take discipline to become more and better. Do the right activities to become stronger and better. Fuel your efforts properly. Do it consistently even when no one is watching or knows.

Hospitality: If you are miserly and half hearted with your daily health rituals this will bleed into all areas of your life and you will not have the energy or means to be openhanded and hospitable.

Industriousness: Busily engaging in constructive activity that makes your life and the world around you better creates real joy.

Self- reliance: It's hard to contribute and not be a burden to others if you are in poor health.

Perseverance: Daily movement and supportive nutrition will give us the ability to write our own heroic sagas

The Noble Values(1) are even more directly related to what we are talking about:

Strength: is better than weakness.

Courage: is better than cowardice.

Joy: is better than guilt.

Honor: is better than dishonor.

Freedom: is better than slavery.

Kinship: is better than loneliness.

Truth: is better than Dogma.

Vigor: is better than lethargy.

Ancestry: is better than rootlessness.

When we perform ritualized mindful movement and consume mindfully prepared nutrition in a ritual of honoring and increasing our physical and spiritual energy and might. We will become the living embodiment of what we say we believe and what we say we are about.

As a fitness professional with over 15 years of experience of coaching myself and others in ways to increase performance and health. I can help you achieve your goals. I have competed in Natural Bodybuilding, Powerlifting and most recently in Strongman. I am back to Coaching as a business pursuit after somewhat of a Hiatus, and will be launching a web based fitness Consulting/Training business that will offer nutrition and training advice and products primarily for men over 40 of which I am one. Please stay tuned for more, and in the interim if you would like assistance in your fitness quests I can be contacted at fred.larson.fl@gmail.com. Special this month is a one hour consult where we can discuss what you would like to accomplish in the realm of Body, Mind, and Spirit, fitness and flesh out a rough plan. This session can be had for the price of $50.00

1. Stephen A. Mcnallen, ASATRU A Native European Spirituality (USA, Runestone Press 2015) page 89-91.