Have you ever felt like you were in two places at once? What’s it like to have your body in one place and your mind somewhere else? Just where do we fit in the space-time continuum anyway?

It sounds like something out of a fantasy novel or science fiction movie. Or, as Mose Allison put it in song: “Your mind is on vacation, but your mouth is working overtime.“

Isn’t that one of the classic thought experiments? If you could move faster than the speed of light, would time start going backwards?

Time, space, and our conscious awareness are all interrelated in mysterious ways. While time seems like a cosmic arrow that only moves in one direction, when you get your subconscious involved, things start to get non-linear. Just take a look at your dreams.

Some say that’s why we humans have a different level of awareness than our fellow creatures. Not only can we conceptualize the past or the future, we can abstract ourselves into it and create stories and narratives that become the bedrock of culture.

Unlike animals, to whom it comes naturally, we often have to make an effort to be fully conscious and aware in the present moment. Our ability to tell ourselves stories about our before and after can work to our advantage when we use it creatively. It can also hold us back when we fall into the trap of catastrophizing or worrying about things that we have no control over.

Split personalities and temporal dislocation are fodder for fiction such as Jekyll and Hyde or A Wrinkle in Time. But for you and me, where do these sorts of splits happen in real life?

Well, if you’ve done much traveling, you know what jet lag is like. There’s nothing like starting your day in one time zone and 24 hours later finding yourself in another part of the world where the clocks are off by nine or twelve or eighteen hours. I’m writing this today from the West Coast in California, just a few days ago I was in Western Europe.

I literally feel like one of those Looney Tunes cartoons, where the Roadrunner’s body gets stretched like a rubber band and snapped across the desert. The cosmic whiplash is real!

My body arrived in the Bay Area, but my consciousness seemed to want to stay in Sarthe. Something about the atmosphere of the French countryside I suppose.

I think the lesson here is that our bodies need to feel grounded before our consciousness can be comfortable. If you’re feeling a split between your physicality and your awareness, the best thing to do is pay attention to what your body needs and try to supply it.

Left-right brain integration is one thing, body and soul is another. If you find yourself stretched out like Wile E. Coyote, give yourself a chance to come back together before asking too much of yourself. Your soul will thank you!

Merci et à bientôt!

M+

ML #626

Mark Metz
Monday Love
Music & Movement Calendar