Sacred Body Image

The image of a woman in today's society is often thought to represent beauty and beauty is equated to sexuality and sexuality is equated with power. Young women are sold images of what they should strive to achieve in how they look and what is attractive.

The image of a woman as a sexual commodity has been oversold in mass marketing. The consequences of the power of this false image over women young and old is one of dis-empowerment and low self esteem. Women are put in a position to try to live up to images that are out of touch with reality.

As women, we must define for ourselves what makes up power, and beauty and sexuality and not allow these things to be sold to us. Beauty must include women of all ages, and color, and must be accompanied by self expression beyond fashion to express the beauty of women. Beauty must include our thoughts, how we move, how we worship, and how we create and nurture our world.

The Muses of Body Imagenn If we go back to the Greek Mythology of the Nine Muses, we find the inspiration for poetry, music, dance, theater, art, history, justice, love, and astronomy. It is through the nine muses that we may find an entry into the path of beauty and enlightenment.

In exploring the sacred, and looking to sources of our collective story such as mythology, we may discover paths toward claiming and integrating the power of the feminine and the true nature of beauty. In order to integrate such a change we must interact with these stories and images and experience them internally.

Sacred Body Image explores movement, music, creative expression, story telling and dreams to bridge the gap of beauty in the feminine psyche. In the process we are able to deconstruct the images we have been sold, and build for ourselves a sacred image that reflects the aspects of beauty that are being actualized and brought to life. This process is a reawakening of the Goddess that exists within each one of us, as a source of unlimited feminine power. Through connecting to the beauty of the sacred and the power of the soul in bringing these energies forth, women have the capacity to re-create themselves through the power of Sacred Body Image. It is time that we take the cover off our beauty, while at the same time, no longer sell ourselves in exchange for some idea of power that is meant to make us nothing but sexual objects to be owned.

For more information about Sacred Body Image visit www.chrysalishealingarts.org