skin and boundaries
Skin is, at the most obvious physical level, the layer that separates the “self” from the “other”.
Separation is a condition inherent to the human experience ; and simultaneously so is interdependence.
So while skin is our natural boundary that holds our insides together and separates and protects us from the outside world (bacteria, pollution etc) it is also permeable by nature, absorbing sunlight, nutrients and vibrational medicine through human contact, physical touch, pleasure.
On the energetic level, if our “protective layer” is over-permeable (ie our boundaries are weak or inconsistent), the energies of others leech into us without our consent.
On the other hand, if we are overly rigid with our boundaries, we might separate our selves from the outside with such stiffness that we can’t absorb the medicinal qualities of that external world.
Skin conditions carry an auric quality in this way.
We might have the tendency to lack discernment with who we allow in to our energetic spheres, over-sharing and infringing on the boundaries of others. This lack of discernment can lead to us taking on the energies of others without our noticing. It can become confusing and almost impossible to parse where our energy ends and another’s begins.
This confusion and energetic ‘leakage’ can be what leads us to develop physical symptoms, at which point it is common to stiffen our boundaries and not let anyone in at all due to distrust. This ‘shutting down’, closing our doors and feeling as though we have to do everything ‘on our own’ makes it difficult to ask for help, or to receive it in a sincere way.
When we get stuck in this conditioning, perhaps even ricocheting between being ‘wide open’ and ‘closed off’, it creates unhealthy relationships both with others and with our own bodies.
Skin serves the mechanism of both separating and connecting us to the outside world.
It is both protective and permeable by nature and we need to embrace both of those qualities to remain engaged, whole and human.
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