Material and Pathways

Form and Emptiness. Figure and Ground. Material and Pathways.

In a wonder-filled and delightful class at the Hudson Valley Contact Jam* yesterday, Amii Legendre opened with the concepts of material and pathways.

In the context of improvisational movement, we were invited to locate the material we were working with, whatever embodied sensational and emotional content that had our attention. Material isn’t necessarily what we choose to attend to. This was an opportunity to non-judgmentally explore what was materially dominant in our attentional field.

(Before reading further, you may want to explore: what’s your material right now?)

Differentiated from the material is the pathway. Not to be confused with technique, a pathway is a movement exploration — a particular hand placement, a weight shift, an encounter with the space or another body. Pathways may or may change the material but are distinct from it. We played with different pathways — the “armlet,” falling to ape, partnered weight catching — while being invited to simultaneously attend to our material.

כֹל נְתִיבוֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם
“All Her pathways are peace.”

Kol netivoteha shalom…

As soon as I heard Amii mention the concept of pathways I thought about how I frequently meditate on spiritual accompaniment through the lens of one fragment from Proverbs (3:17) — “all Her pathways are peace.” It comes up when I offer interviews on silent meditation retreats and I encounter the concern, “Am I doing it right?” I think about it when I ask myself the ethical question before offering an intervention, “Who is this for?”

There are myriad mindfulness techniques, schools, postures, and disciplines. Yet,

All practice is idiosyncratic. There is no generic meditation. Each of us is called to discover the path for ourselves. The same goes for prayer. And exercise. And sexuality. And relationship. And all of life.

“illustrated guide to a spiritual awakening” meme

Everyone’s pathway is particular. And no matter the material, it comes from the Mother. These concepts are etymologically linked. Whatever arises comes from and goes to God. Or the Matrix of Life, if you prefer. This meme illustrates it nicely.

Whether on the dance floor or in a spiritual conversation, the resistance we encounter creates interference — in the holographic sense — with the Divine. When we are offered new pathways to experiment with, we are being given a chance to contact what matters to us in a simultaneously physical and metaphorical way.

Contact Improvisation is a pathway. Meditation is a pathway. Relationship is a pathway. Ecstatic dance is a pathway. Spiritual Direction is a pathway.

In this light, a better translation of that proverb might be, “All Her Pathways lead to integration.” If we’re all headed up the same mountain, destined for the same destination, why not take the route that is uniquely yours?

* I’ll be making music at the next CI Jam on February 23, 2025. Details on Facebook.