Monotheism & Monogamy: A playful exploration of intimacy, theology, and embodied poetics:

I guess I will began by riffing a little on the phrase, embodied poetics; what do I mean by it? As far as I can see, humans are creatures of meaning. We believe as we bleed, argue as we digest, reveal as we breathe, and thirst for wisdom even as we compose ourselves of water. Even our de-composition and our dying is poignant, expressive, and visionary. We forget that words burn and become flesh as we speak them. It is a transformational ethic in which communion shapes us, and our vulnerability saves us, in which we are makers of making and speak as we are spoken. It is curious that with such powerful shared passion, we become as divided as we do along the lines of politics, religion, and sexuality. Is it because we have lost touch with the metabolic spark that unites us, or the sweetness that distinguishes each soul as blessed, gifted, and unique? Whether it is an inability to tune into our oneness or an oppressive conformity, I imagine embodied poetics to be the elixir that inspires us to fully celebrate form while remaining rooted in spirit. The book, All Things Shining, by Hubert Dreyfus explores similar themes by analyzing western classics to find meaning in a secular age, saying, Meta-poiesis, as one might call it, steers between the twin dangers of the secular age: it resists nihilism by reappropriating the sacred phenomenon of physis, but cultivates the skill to resist physis in its abhorrent, fanatical form. Living well in our secular, nihilistic age, therefore, requires the higher-order skill of recognizing when to rise up as one with the ecstatic crowd and when to turn heel and walk rapidly away. In short, embodied poetics is a blend of wholeness, insight, and eros, and its practice can help guide us in the wild frontiers of our evolution and becoming. It is in this practice that I wonder about the conjunction between monotheism and monogamy. In a relationship, a significant other can play the role of a divine image to mediate the ripening of our own spiritual longing, and in our faith in one god, we create a bridge between multiplicity and essence that is as bold as it is subtle. Both are metaphors that bring us to the edge of our sense of what is possible and pose a continuity through which we can project a universal identity and be initiated into a profound fellowship. The delight of this contemplation is that it opens up the dimensions of our life as a medium of creative engagement and places us in the role of witness, artist, and steward. The psychic movements here are not totally literal so much as they are a kind of deep play. Is this new to you? Does it resonate? As always, I would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to comment or contact me through a private message.

By Sofiya Hyder