The phrase “body intelligence” seems like an oxymoron. We think of intelligence as active consciousness coming from the mind, and the body being the passive victim of influences like viruses, toxins and bacteria that we have no control over. But the body is not a victim. It is an active, organized intelligence that has our best interests at its core. 
The reason we have never thought of the body as intelligent is because it doesn’t seem to respond to our attempt to control it with our minds. We would dearly love to be able to protect ourselves from getting diseases and to heal ourselves quickly if we should experience illness or accidents. But that doesn’t usually happen. If the body is intelligent, it certainly seems to have a mind of its own.
This is because the mental intelligence system and the bodily intelligence system have two different agendas and operate according to two different sets of rules.
The brain and central nervous system, with help from the emotions, are programed to keep the physical body on Earth for as long as possible. As new beings on Earth (babies), we create a specific energy pattern called the Ego to help with this task. The purpose of the Ego and mental intelligence is to protect us and control our environment to make sure we are safe and get our needs met.
The brain does this by receiving pain or pleasure signals from the emotions, and recording the circumstances in memory so that we will know to avoid or repeat these experiences in the future. The Ego organizes and supervises these memories. In this way we can control our environment to the best of our ability.
Body intelligence, rather than being aligned with the Ego, is instead aligned with the Soul. As such it has a completely different agenda than mental intelligence. The purpose of this body/Soul alliance is not physical well being, but rather spiritual well being. Consequently the body is programmed to cease to exist at some point because spiritual well being depends on accumulated wisdom from as many different experiences as possible. Shedding our body and then acquiring another in different times, spaces and/or dimensions allows us to grow our wisdom and understanding, and so increase our spiritual consciousness.
Our state of health and disease is also a function of the body’s alignment with the Soul. Physical symptoms and/or disease can hold clues to imbalances in our relationship with the world, and /or offer us gifts we could not get any other way. For example, Diabetes can urge us to reassess our relationship to the sweet things in life, while a cold or flu offers us time and space to rest that we might not have felt entitled to take otherwise.
Body intelligence not only has a different agenda, but also operates by a different set of rules. Mental intelligence is logical and operates in a linear fashion. It follows classical logic and the classical laws of physics that govern physical matter. Body intelligence follows energetic or quantum laws. Like the Soul, the body is always trying to communicate. But like other kinds of energetic communication, we usually don’t recognize its communication because it is the opposite of the verbal, linear, logical kind of language we normally use. Communication from the body is multi-layered, symbolic and multidimensional. It comes in symbolic images, experiences and whole insights, often in complete gestalts with no linear sequence. It can also be conveyed on certain energetic vibrations and frequencies.
The body tries to communicate with us in two very specific ways. The first and most subtle is through certain energetic signals that clue us in to positive or negative situations or choices that we may be facing.
Take, for example, telling a lie. Most of us try not to deceive, but we have all done it. Think for a moment about how it feels to tell a lie. Imagine standing in front of someone you know well and telling a fib. Then you realize they know you are telling a fib.
Notice how you feel. Observe how your body reacts. You will probably feel some negative feeling, vibration or frequency somewhere in your body that may actually feel physical. You may feel like you swallowed a stone, or that you’re going to loose your lunch. You could have a sinking feeling in your stomach or a catch in your throat.
Carefully take note of whatever feeling this is for you, and then watch for it again in the future. Your body will give you the same energetic signal when you make a choice that is not in your best interest, or when you turn in a direction that is less than optimal for you.
Our body gives us these signals all the time, but usually we ignore them because they have no physical cause and our actions at the time seem to be emotionally or logically justified. But remember, body communication is not logical, nor is it a function of the pleasure/pain dualism of the emotions. It is important to pay attention nonetheless.
Now imagine being in a place where you feel loved and safe and excited about what life has to offer. Keep working with your imagination to create a place and a feeling of perfect trust and well being. When you have achieved this goal, feel your body respond energetically to this fantasy. Feel how your vibration rises and all frequencies are perfectly in sync. You feel in complete harmony with yourself and everything around you. Pay attention to this feeling for your body will repeat it when you are on the right path and/or when you have made a choice that is just right for you.
I call these subtle energetic signals “body energetics”. Once you have mastered these body communications you will also have established a direct link to your Soul, and can benefit from this information in every choice or decision you face.
Body energetics is a skill that will also help in your physical well being because these subtle signals come into play before we develop full-blown symptoms of disease. If we heed these signals correctly we can often (but not always) prevent both minor and major illnesses from coming our way.
Physical symptoms are the second way our bodies communication with us. If we have not been cognizant of the body energetics that alert us to our interaction with ourselves and the world, then we may experience full-blown symptoms and physical disease.
But even in this case, our bodies continue to speak to us. The location of the symptom, the kind of pain and the specific disability or discomfort caused by the symptom are sources of information about the imbalance we are experiencing.
For example, colds shut down our senses so we are forced to take a vacation from the world, even if we choose to try to work or perform everyday tasks while sick. All of us have experienced the feeling of going through our daily routine like a zombie, unable to interact with others or our environment in anything other than a most superficial way. Flu is a more severe reminder of the need to rest and take a break. The flu knocks us out completely, forcing us to take to our beds and do nothing but rest.
Each part of our body has symbolic meaning that calls out to us to be understood. Stomach problems have to do with digestion, taking in something that disagrees or poisons us. If you have stomach problems, ask yourself what you have encountered lately that you are having trouble assimilating or integrating into your life.
Do you often have sore throats? A sore throat literally speaks to us of words left unsaid, of self-expression stymied or squashed. So many of us suffer from back pain. Our back bones and muscles hold us up straight and allow us to move freely. Back pain signifies a lack of confidence and love for ourselves that keeps us from standing up for ourselves in the face of others who might not approve.
Physical symptoms are information. But this communication is symbolic in form. Until we learn the language of symbolism we will miss the cues.
There are many good books on learning symbolism (The Secret Language of Signs by Denise Lynn, for example) and some specifically on body symbolism (Your Body Speaks Your Mind by Deb Shapiro and The Secret Language of Your Body by Inna Segal). These books can point you in the right direction in terms of deciphering the information physical symptoms present. But remember that body communication is intensely personal. One size does not fit all. You will have to feel into the energy of your particular symptom and the meaning it may have for you. You may find clues a book, or you may have to just feel into the energy for a correct interpretation.
Serious and/or life threatening illnesses present a more life changing spiritual challenge. When confronted with a potentially terminal disease, we are being given notice of an impending spiritual transformation. We can transform from a physical being into a purely energetic one (death), or we can use this experience to radically transform our lives. If you study the stories of those who have had seemingly miraculous recoveries, you will notice that life after the disease is not in any way the same as before. We are being presented with an opportunity to experience life in a new way that often entails entirely new belief systems, attitudes, environments and appreciation for life.
Once we begin to understand how body intelligence works, we realize that we don’t have to think of our body and mind as operating independently of one another. Despite having different agendas and different sets of rules, these two intelligent parts of our energy body can work together. Paying attention to the body’s efforts to reach us will greatly enhance both our physical and spiritual well being.
But communication is a two way street. In my next few blogs I will address two-way communication; how to gain information from body intelligence on request, and how to let the body know how it can best cooperate with our consciousness. In so doing we can establish a truly collaborative effort in maximizing both our physical and spiritual lives (in ways that many would think miraculous).