As our body is the first identity we learn (see Selves), it is the most "real" thing in our lives. Even when we grow spiritually, virtually all of the things that we question relate to the body. No matter how "aware" we become, we constantly carry "exceptions" to our awareness, and these exceptions always relate to the "proof" we see with our physical senses, i.e., the body.

A Course In Miracles (ACIM) says "the body is a fence the son of god imagines he has built to keep himself separate from love". We know, through our awareness, that nothing is apart from the One thing that IS, the I AM that is ALL. How, then, can we learn to view the body while still in the body?

ACIM goes on to state "made to be fearful, must the body serve the purpose given it". It is our mind that determines the purpose we assign to the body, and therefore a change of mind is all that is needed. If we can understand, as ACIM states, "the body is neutral", we begin to learn our power to change its purpose. If we further understand "the body is a means of communication", we begin to utilize it for its intended purpose. And when we know that life is learning, and that we teach what we need to learn, then we "teach only love, for that is what you are".

In our "duality", as both a physical and spiritual being, we are free to see everything two distinct ways, from the material or from the spiritual. Our material view of the body seems to be one of weakness, and we seek to be "guided" by our "higher self". We must learn to take a different viewpoint, and see our wholeness and strength from the spiritual viewpoint.

Imagine yourself at the base of a huge cone, looking up and outward as far as you can see. Your body is the tip of the cone, and the rest of the cone is your spiritual self. But beyond the range of your vision, where the edges of the cone end, two edges go straight up, all the way to our One source. Rather than a cone, we are actually like a pencil, and the body is the tip that writes upon the world.

From this viewpoint we can see that the body is in an equal partnership with our spiritual self, for THE BODY IS THE ONLY MEANS THE SPIRITUAL SELF HAS TO EXPRESS ITSELF. All of our spiritual Self is focused on this one, tiny point. No wonder it seems to rule our lives.

And no wonder we have such a great ability to know and express Love, with all of that magnificent power doing the writing. And we don't even need an eraser at the top.