Embodying The Mystery

Sharing profound stories, transformative incidents, and provocative situations from across his more than seven decades of life, founding elder of the Somatics movement Richard Strozzi-Heckler explores the moments of insight and awakening that have been pivotal in forming his unique perspectives within the fields of embodiment, meditation, Aikido, and leadership. Beginning with an early experience with death that revealed the universal principle of impermanence, the author takes us on a rich, textured journey into the inquiry of what it means to embody the mystery of spirit. As we follow him through apprenticeships with masterful teachers, out-of-body experiences, meditation retreats in Asia, martial arts in Japan, facing his trauma at the hands of his father, and his struggles to become emotionally literate, we're also taken on a path of learning, healing, and transformation. For each story, the author offers interpretations of his experiences poised as questions, reflections, and inquiries, rather than being distilled into direct lessons. In this way we are invited to participate in the author's reflections on what opened for him on his quest for self-realization, including successes, failures, struggles, and enigmas. The author demonstrates how his experiences unified and informed him professionally and personally, opening the possibilities of an emotional, energetic, and spiritual awakening by living the embodied life. A deeply personal and intimate portrayal of a life's journey through a somatic wisdom, this insightful memoir depicts the immeasurable wealth that teachers, practices, vulnerability, and community can offer the sincere seeker on an embodied spiritual path.