Magical
Hands
“I
gaze at my hand and contemplate how it came to be that such a masterpiece
exists. This hand can cultivate the future by sowing native plants in my little
plot of Earth that will sustain pollinators and a host of other life. The same
hand can move words onto the page that might live beyond the limits of a lifetime.
Or this hand can hold another’s in comfort and solidarity in life, or in
companionship in death.”
Lauren
K. de Boer (A Magnificent Pedigree, Parabola Magazine, Summer, 2022, p.83-84)
When I
began studying the human body for becoming a Massage Therapist, I was intrigued
by hands. Just the structure is incredible—hundreds of muscles, tendons,
ligaments, bones all wrapped in a fascial band to keep them in place. The
fingertips, the most innervated part of the human body, can read another’s body
without spoken word. They can smooth away pain of troubled minds and hearts.
The human hands have a communication system all their own. A simple touch communicates
clearly whatever is in your mind and your intention. Just one hand on someone’s
arm can tell them exactly how you feel about them. And lack of touch speaks
just as loudly.
When
you look at your hands and think of all the things they do in one day, you will
realize what a miracle it was for the first humans to stand on two legs so that
their front appendages could be more than an extra set of feet. In the words of
Lauren K. de Boer, they “could grasp, gesture, communicate, create, and feel
the world in ways that would evolve into speech and supercharge human
evolution.”
Another
way of looking at hands is that they are directly inherited from one’s
ancestors. Mine are shaped exactly like my dad’s, and I’ll bet when you look at
your hands, you know immediately who bequeathed them to you. Like my ancestors
from the Appalachian Mountains, I have working hands. They are not decoration,
nor are they meant to float and dance. They are designed to make things, grow
things, draw things, sew things, cook things, and when they are idle, the rest
of me is not happy.
Our
hands are always in communication with our hearts—energized by the same chakra
and centered in the upper torso. That gives them the capacity to speak when we have
no words, to harm when we are angry, and to heal when we touch with loving intentions. Your
hands are your most powerful means of communication.
Today, pay attention to
what your hands are doing. Be grateful for your ability to use them creatively,
poetically, and lovingly. If you ever need proof of a master creator, you need
look no further than you own two hands.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment