There’s a theological term known as “Imago Dei” which is the Latin translation of Image of God. This term is often applied uniquely to humanity, rather than seeing the plant or animal kingdom as imago Dei, and refers to the fact that humans were made in the image of God. This term is most often connected to Christianity, whose creation story in the book of Genesis speaks that humans were made in God’s image.
Usually this is an abstract concept. Most of us don’t wake up thinking that we are divine in and of ourselves and go about our way in that fashion. When we look at imago Dei, the implication is that humans are the image of God, much like the painting of an apple is the image of an apple, not an actual apple itself. You can’t take a bite into a painting and taste the tartness (or sweetness depending on variety) or feel the apple juice run down your chin. An picture of a person can evoke memories, but it cannot hug you, touch you, and it isn’t the same as being with the actual person. So too is the image of God seen as being if not lesser than not exactly the same as God.
And this, among other reasons, could be why the human form is often seen as fallen, not quite perfect. Disregarding any one of us looking into the mirror and finding things we don’t like about our bodies, there’s a sense in general that the body isn’t divine. It’s material. It’s physical with desires and needs.
I believe we are more than a copy of divinity; we are divine.
Use the term divine however you wish, whether in a theological context relating to a specific deity or image thereof, or as simply a synonym for splendid or marvelous. Like flowers, the human body comes in all shapes and sizes, with various forms and functions, and it is this diversity which connects us and reminds us that even as we are part of a greater whole, we’re also unique, individuals.
It took a shower, or rather a lack thereof, for me to realize this. As often happens in an older home, we’ve been experiencing a plumbing problem where our shower hasn’t been working. Luckily we live in a very remote area and the temperatures have been warm enough that we’ve been instead using a camping shower to bathe and it’s worked well enough.
I love the woods which surround our home and the wildlife that lives within it. Caring for the woods, the animals, is something I consider part of my sacred duty and my spirituality. And yet, it was during one of these showers that I finally felt the true connection to nature. We are all existing together, co-existing and working towards fulfilling our needs. Nature and I in that moment were one. Without layers of clothing to protect me from the sun, I stood without artifice, without evidence of civilization or culture or any of those human trappings we put on in an attempt to separate ourselves from other creatures, and I realized that my physical human form was just as divine as the trees, the birds, even the insects that were going about their business unseen by my eyes. We are all the universe made manifest in physical form.
This Spiritual Moment Brought Me Home
Within this profoundly moving spiritual moment, several pieces of my spirituality, what I want to do with this blog, the work I do as panthiest-polytheist clergy, all fell into place. Though I was standing in my own back yard, this moment brought me home to my body, to my self, and I would say to my higher self.
I have struggled for many years with the separation of the spiritual self and the physical self. There’s been a lot to personally unpack, and a lot of realization has gone into bringing these two halves of my being into a cohesive whole. Being vulnerable in nature created a moment of connection with something larger than myself, and in the end, isn’t that what spirituality is? A connection to something greater than ourselves.
The body is divine. You are divine. I hope you have a moment where you realize that today.
