Ecstatic Body Postures: An Alternate Reality Workbook

by Belinda Gore

Specific body postures reappear in the art and artifacts of world cultures, even those widely separated by time and distance. What are these images of unusual postures telling us? Medicine people, shamans, priests, and priestesses of indigenous cultures have passed on this sacred body of knowledge for thousands of years. Anthropologist Felicita Goodman discovered that people who assume these postures report strikingly similar meditative experiences. The results from this research are inspiring, proving that certain body gestures and movements allow us to access higher states of consciousness. With clear instructions and illustrations, Belinda Gore demonstrates these shamanic postures and how to work with them. Ecstatic Body Postures is a "must read" for anyone interested in meditation, shamanic practice, yoga, or body work.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar to pathwalkers on the Tree of Life, Belinda Gore has discovered 'postures' from ancient works of art that, she believes, through usage and ritualistic meditation, open doorways to other modes of reality or, to use terms that I'm more familiar with, other worlds. I'm very impressed that she and the folks who have tried this method, have experienced success with it because of the discomfort that comes with some of the positions. When I go into trance, my limbs become very heavy and I can't imagine how these folks manage to crouch/stand/recline and hold their arms/hands in very specific and fixed positions for any length of time.

The trances and feelings reported from the postures are fascinating. If I didn't have my preferred method of inner exploration, I would definitely give ecstatic body postures a go. In fact, after I get some more experience under my belt, I would be willing to try them out to see if I could get them to fit into the kabbalistic worlds, which have a huge history of use, lore, and works built up. The author mentions that part of the problem with this method of inner exploration is that, she feels, a large portion of postures are missing or we don't yet know the complete uses of them. If a pathworker could, through experience and the "feeling" of it, be able to fit a posture into the world of Tiphareth as opposed to Geburah or Chesed, the potential uses and powers of the postures would nearly explain themselves. Just a thought.

Ecstatic Body Postures is the first book that I've ever read that has explored this particular subject but I noticed that Belinda Gore has written more since the publication of this work so, for a read-alike, I'm going to recommend another title from this author- The Ecstatic Experience: Healing Postures for Spirit Journeys.

[kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredibly interesting technology. body postures used while in trance to guide the trance experience. drawn from indigenous artifacts and paintings. i had the pleasure of attending a workshop with the author, and was very impressed by her as well as the actual material.