Ritual as body memory
There is more than one way to study for a biology test – try dance.
That was the humorous conclusion of a problem on a recent Hannah Montana show I watched with my son. Hannah Montana, for those who don’t have teenage children, is a clever sit-com about a young woman who lives a double life. When she puts on a wig she become a singing teen idol. When she takes it she returns to a normal life as Miley Cyrus.
In this episode Miley Cyrus was struggling with grades at school, especially in biology. If she didn’t pass an upcoming anatomy test, she was going to fail the class. After trying to get one of her brainy classmates to help her she came upon a unique idea. She incorporated the names of the bones into a song and dance routine. When the biology teacher saw her going through strange physical contortions during the exam, she sends Miley to the principal’s office. But Miley turns around and begins dancing through her exam preparation. The teacher was so impressed she wanted Miley to show the principal the new teaching technique.
We learn not just through disembodied mental exercises, but through the body’s activity itself. There has been significant study in the last few decades on ritual action. One of the recognitions is that ritual is the body’s way of remembering.
This is a vital understanding for Christian worship and spiritual formation. Many Christian circles, unwittingly following modernist thinking, emphasize spirit and mind as separate from body. Hence, preaching goes for the mind. We sit in pews, trying not to think about our body, or what we’re going to eat later, focusing on disembodied speech about disembodied concepts relating to a distant God.
Jesus, on the other hand, blessed and broke bread, blessed a cup of wine and shared with his friends. He took children, put them on his lap, touched them and blessed them. He took mud in hand and healed the blind. He felt hunger and thirst. He was embodied.
At a recent charismatic worship event, there was one lone liturgical dancer on stage. Her expression and movement said it all. Body energy in praise of God. Why couldn’t we all join her? She was far more involved in worship than anyone else. In her body she probably recognized God’s grace far better than anyone else in the room.
“Take eat, this is my body which is given for you.”
--georgos
That was the humorous conclusion of a problem on a recent Hannah Montana show I watched with my son. Hannah Montana, for those who don’t have teenage children, is a clever sit-com about a young woman who lives a double life. When she puts on a wig she become a singing teen idol. When she takes it she returns to a normal life as Miley Cyrus.
In this episode Miley Cyrus was struggling with grades at school, especially in biology. If she didn’t pass an upcoming anatomy test, she was going to fail the class. After trying to get one of her brainy classmates to help her she came upon a unique idea. She incorporated the names of the bones into a song and dance routine. When the biology teacher saw her going through strange physical contortions during the exam, she sends Miley to the principal’s office. But Miley turns around and begins dancing through her exam preparation. The teacher was so impressed she wanted Miley to show the principal the new teaching technique.
We learn not just through disembodied mental exercises, but through the body’s activity itself. There has been significant study in the last few decades on ritual action. One of the recognitions is that ritual is the body’s way of remembering.
This is a vital understanding for Christian worship and spiritual formation. Many Christian circles, unwittingly following modernist thinking, emphasize spirit and mind as separate from body. Hence, preaching goes for the mind. We sit in pews, trying not to think about our body, or what we’re going to eat later, focusing on disembodied speech about disembodied concepts relating to a distant God.
Jesus, on the other hand, blessed and broke bread, blessed a cup of wine and shared with his friends. He took children, put them on his lap, touched them and blessed them. He took mud in hand and healed the blind. He felt hunger and thirst. He was embodied.
At a recent charismatic worship event, there was one lone liturgical dancer on stage. Her expression and movement said it all. Body energy in praise of God. Why couldn’t we all join her? She was far more involved in worship than anyone else. In her body she probably recognized God’s grace far better than anyone else in the room.
“Take eat, this is my body which is given for you.”
--georgos
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