If you haven’t read my previous installments on reviewing The Nine Laws, you can start here.
I haven’t written on this topic in quite a while. That’s partly because this installment has been one of the more difficult ones to write, as you’ll see.
The Fifth Law is Posture.
What is Posture? Not just your physical stance. It’s not just your political opinion.
Posture is your arrangement in the world.
Posture is the way in which we position ourselves, how we stand, physically and spiritually. When you see someone who always slouches, our human nature is to think of them as weak or lazy, because “strong” people don’t slouch. One of the reasons this works as a social indicator is because the vast majority of people aren’t consciously aware of their posture. The few that are aware tend to stand straighter, which indicates they’re generally more conscious, more aware of themselves and their surroundings.
It would benefit us then to pay attention to our posture, because it directly affects how others perceive us, and to a lesser extent how we perceive ourselves.
What is the flow of my engagement? It should be continuous reflection. No shading, no twisting, no corruption. Purity of purpose and motion.
This doesn’t just apply to your physical stance. It also applies to your attitude. People who are calm, composed, unflappable, and steady are viewed as mentally very strong, and that’s usually the case. People who are complainers, suspicious, nervous, and shifty are viewed as weak. How do you want to be perceived?
Jesus perfectly exemplified Posture in the spiritual sense. He was always aware of his surroundings, and how he was viewed by others. He was always exactly where he needed to be, and even when he wasn’t, he made it where he was supposed to be. He was unshakable, upright, pure. I wish we could have seen his physical posture as well- I’m sure it was as solid as his spiritual stance.
As a believer, I am supposed to be set apart from the Dark World. My posture is to be distinctly different from those around me. How do I accomplish this? I know guys who study social engineering, and have completely controlled physical posture. But they’re not doing that in the power of God- they’re just doing it out of practice.
Part of me doesn’t care what people think of me. A significant part of me, actually. I just don’t care. But I know if I’m to function with purpose in the Dark World, I need to pay attention to what I do and how I do it. That’s kind of the entire message of The Nine Laws wrapped up in one sentence. Do I want to function with purpose? Of course. Do I know what I have to do to make that happen? Not entirely. But I know where to start. I have to pay attention.
Now I have to look in the mirror, and acknowledge what I see. As always, I ask myself these questions as an exercise in honesty.
Examine your (physical) posture.
I can use a mirror to see myself. Look for the reflection in what I do. Not in vanity, not for self-justification, but as an honest indicator of how I’m feeling and what I’m doing. Posture doesn’t lie.
How does my ego affect my posture?
I stand up straighter when I’m looking at myself. Can I video record myself doing different activities? What message am I transmitting by the way I move and stand?
How does my posture reflect strength or weakness? Dominance or submission?
It reflects a laissez-faire attitude, not purpose. This is a natural consequence of my attitude in general. I’m a laid-back person, and not naturally dominant. That’s reflected in the way I move.
Where does ferocity arise in my thought, word, or deed?
Normally, it doesn’t. Except when I’m talking about things that make me angry, or something I’m very excited about. Normally, ferocity is something I view as being used by weak-minded people to pull more weight than they really have. True ferocity arising from inner conviction, strength, and passion is rare. This is the goal I wish to achieve.
Consider how your awareness of posture magnifies stillness of spirit and increases receptivity, both in your perception of yourself and externally of the world.
My posture awareness is lacking. I think part of my frustration with this law is that I’m so oblivious to it. Part of my problem in life is not having the correct posture, I know that. But to fix it will require concentrated effort and awareness.
How does this increase my spiritual stillness? Should I posture myself before God in a way that stills my mind? Will it make me more receptive to God, and to others? What does a posture of submission look like spiritually?
Examine posture and how it varies in relationships, offices, and environments. Learn the common core of your heart that is consistent from posture to posture, and what changes.
I will have to spend time on this one. It is not something that I normally think about. I have noticed that my relaxed attitude tends to spread to those around me, and in my office environment, that helps our team work a little more efficiently.
Visualize my worst fear, and observe the affect on my posture.
I don’t know if I can do this yet. I haven’t been able to visualize this scenario. My worst fear would be to have everyone I love torn away from me- and I don’t know what that would look like. Probably not nice.
More to come.
Of course I’m not finished with this journey, and there’s more to come. But for now, I have to gather my thoughts.
The next installment, the Sixth Law, is Freedom. That one’s going to be interesting.
In the meanwhile, you can catch up on my previous thoughts, and hopefully begin to formulate thoughts of your own: