The below exercise is so funny that it will jar your perspective.
1. While sitting on the edge of a chair, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles with it.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number 6 in the air with your right hand.
What happened to the circling of your foot?
Did it change directions?
I bet you’re laughing right now…I was when I tried it…
It seems we can master one action at a time. We tell our foot to circle clockwise, but when our thinking diverts to drawing a circle on the bottom of a six counterclockwise, the circling of our foot changes to conform to what we’re doing with our finger in the air. It’s our mind’s preoccupation that is directing the action of foot and finger.
I can’t help but believe we see a similar effect in the health of the body at times.
Our body may be in fine health, but then, for some reason, we get mentally distracted onto the subject of disease, and then, without realizing the negative effect our preoccupation with disease has on the body, we later see evidence of that illness in the body. It’s like telling the right foot to circle clockwise and expecting it to stay in its course, but then we get focused on drawing a circle counterclockwise with our finger, and the action of the foot changes without our conscious consent.
The best way to ensure on-going health is to be sure consciousness is focused on the permanent health and spiritual perfection that is divinely ours. That awareness of Truth sends the right signals to all parts of our experience, and keeps every action circling in a health producing direction.
Are you still trying to master the finger foot exercise…!?
Thanks, Evan! I’ve read about this before – and tried it unsuccessfully! But I’ve never drawn a lesson from it – I like your analogy – it makes sense to me.
Yep, burst out with a belly laugh at that. What a wonderful reminder. Can’t wait to use it with my Sunday School kids and family! Thanks Evan!
Warmly,
Tawny
Chico, CA
Had the office do it today! Some got it right and I totally “braked” in mid-air! Led to a great discussion. A good intro into CS, very low key-Keep it up!
Just start the six from the middle (the circle) rather than the top and both the hand and foot are going clockwise. Then it works. “To begin rightly is to end rightly.” (Please excuse me for using Mary Baker Eddy’s quote as a pun.)
Maria,
Well, that is a tricky way to get around the challenge!
I did laugh out loud! But when I showed my kids, they could do it without a hitch and looked at me like, “so, what’s the big deal.”
Says something about the thoughts of little children!
To anon above,
Yeah, the same happened with my kids. Although I could see their foot get rather confused when they started to draw a circle mid-air, even though they insisted it wasn’t! They wanted to prove it was no big deal…but they did laugh a lot!