Re-Membering: A Reflection on Wholeness, Spirit, and Cycles

My Mate Marv
Sep 26, 2024
8 min read

In the still of meditation, I found myself contemplating the meaning of re-membering. Not just recalling a memory, but the act of bringing together the members that make up the whole — the mind, the body, time, space, life, death, and even each other.

These wonderings led me to ask: Are these all members of spirit?

The Language of Re-Membering and Dismembering: Unpacking Meaning and Story

Words have power, and sometimes the deeper meanings lie hidden beneath the surface. When we examine the words "re-member" and "dis-member," it seems they might carry a profound insights into the way we perceive ourselves and our relationship to the whole. Let’s take a moment to break these words down.

Dismember: The word dismember comes from the Latin dismembrāre, meaning “to remove the limbs,” with dis- as a prefix meaning “apart” or “away,” and membra referring to the limbs or parts of the body. In its most literal sense, dismembering refers to the act of tearing apart, separating what was once united.

But what happens when we move beyond the physical body? Can we be spiritually, mentally, or emotionally dismembered? In a metaphorical sense, dismemberment may reflect how modern life, with all its distractions and separations, has led us away from our essence, from each other, and from the deep connection to spirit.

The story we’ve been told—of success, productivity, and independence—often pulls us apart, leaving us fragmented. It creates a sense of disconnection between the mind, the body, and the spirit, each functioning in isolation rather than in harmony.

Re-member: By contrast, the word re-member brings a very different meaning. The prefix re- means “again” or “back,” and member refers to the parts of the body or the components of a whole. So to re-member is to literally bring back together what has been separated, to restore unity.

It invites us to ask: What are we re-membering?

Perhaps it’s a process of coming back into alignment—of rediscovering the interconnectedness of our parts, our relationships, and our place in the world.

In many ways, this re-membering is a reclaiming of wholeness, a way to piece together the fragmented aspects of our lives, our communities, and our collective spirit. It offers us a way to re-tell the story we’ve been given—a story where we are not fragmented and isolated, but part of a greater whole.

Other “-Member” Words: New Paths to Explore

There are other words that share this root, and each offers a new perspective:

Disassemble: To take apart, often used when talking about mechanical or constructed systems. How much of our inner systems have we disassembled over time?
Member: A member is a part of a group or body. It brings to mind the idea that we are not just isolated beings but parts of larger systems, be they familial, societal, or spiritual.
Remember: While this word typically refers to recalling past experiences, in light of our exploration, it also invites us to "re-member," to pull together the threads of memory and bring our scattered parts back to coherence.

In re-telling the stories of our lives, we can choose to shift from a narrative of dismemberment to one of re-membering, from separation to unity. By examining the language we use, we can reshape the stories we tell — about ourselves, our relationships, and our place in the broader, interconnected fabric of life.

Beginnings, Continuums, and Endings: A Look Through the Lens of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva

In Hindu cosmology, the cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction is embodied by three principal deities: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Each represents a key aspect of the universe’s ongoing cycles—beginnings, continuums, and endings. As I explore the tension between starting, stopping, and the circular motion of existence, these figures offer rich symbolism to contemplate the rhythms of life and spirit.

Brahma: The Creator, The Start

Brahma, the god of creation, represents the birth of all things — ideas, worlds, life itself. He is often seen as the initiator, the spark that ignites the process of becoming. In the context of our exploration, Brahma stands for beginnings, the moment of starting. But as we’ve already sensed, even beginnings aren’t entirely isolated events. They are part of an ongoing cycle. In meditation, we may start a new breath, a new focus, but that beginning always exists within a larger framework of continuity.

Brahma’s role as the creator reminds us that beginnings aren’t absolute — they are the reconfiguration of existing elements into something new. Much like the concept of re-membering, beginnings draw from what has come before, assembling fragments into fresh forms of existence.

Vishnu: The Preserver, The Continuum

Vishnu is the sustainer, the force that preserves and maintains the cosmos. While Brahma initiates the cycle, Vishnu keeps it moving forward, embodying the continuum. In the same way that the breath moves in cycles, or the pistons of a steam train maintain their steady rhythm, Vishnu represents the ongoing flow that holds everything in balance.

In the story of our lives, Vishnu’s energy reminds us that life is not just about starting and stopping but about the ongoing pulse that sustains us in between. Vishnu’s presence brings harmony to the chaotic forces of existence, encouraging us to see the underlying unity beneath apparent fragmentation. In meditation, even when I pause or hold our breath, perhaps its Vishnu reminds me that there is still movement — stillness itself is part of the ongoing cycle of life.

Shiva: The Destroyer, The End

Shiva, who i perhaps once misunderstood as a "god of destruction", represents the transformative power of endings. But endings, in this case, aren’t finalities — they are necessary for the cycle to begin again. In Hindu cosmology, Shiva’s destruction clears the way for new creation. In this sense, endings are also beginnings in disguise.

Much like our meditation practice, where the end of one breath is simply the beginning of the next, Shiva’s presence reminds us that endings are not to be feared but embraced as part of the greater cycle of existence. The tension we feel between starting and stopping, between birth and death, is resolved in Shiva’s energy — where destruction is not an act of negation but one of clearing the path for renewal.

Have you seen God? Why, Yes! She is black!!!

On a very personal note, when I cam across the Trumuti — or perhaps the "holy trinity" pattern in Hindu cosmology or framework or culture. I mentioned earlier that I mistook Shiva for the "god of destruction". I used to identify so strongly with Shiva. I discovered these ideas at a point in life when I had become disenfranchised with everything; my shattered dreams, the cruelness of the world, the recognition of my limits and my mortality and the mortality of most everything I'd had come to love, so it seemed. I was arriving at a rebellious state. I wanted so much to destroy it all — to be done wit it. Shiva, with his dreadlocks, his purple throat (and haze), his deep meditative contemplation and destructive powers embodied something of what I was feeling deep in my being. Perhaps I saw something in him of myself — perhaps I projected something of myself onto him. Perhaps there is something of a continuum in how my perception works.

And then I came across this idea or spell that was cast upon me.

Philosopher Alan Watts used to tell a story about an astronaut who was asked upon his return from a space expedition whether he had seen God. “Yes,” he replied, and after a pause, he added…and she’s black.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6S4evYZ6oQ

This spell is one that I am grateful for. It ended something, and began something else but, still I keep going — I keep breathing.

Kali: The Wild Power of Time and Transformation

Kali, often associated with Shiva, takes this concept of destruction further, representing the raw, unbound power of time, death, and transformation. She is often depicted as fearsome and wild, yet she holds a deeper wisdom — Kali’s role is to strip away illusions, sever attachments, and bring us face to face with the truth of impermanence. In this way, Kali embodies not just destruction but transformation.

Where does Kali come into our story of beginnings, continuums, and endings? She exists outside these boundaries, embodying the ultimate truth that time itself is fluid, that life and death are but two sides of the same coin. She reminds us that re-membering is also an act of cutting away what no longer serves us — dismembering illusions so that we can return to wholeness.

Kali challenges us to face the difficult truths, to recognize the cycles of life and death, creation and destruction, not as separate events but as interconnected forces that drive the unfolding of existence. In her wild, transformative energy, we might find that re-membering requires the courage to let go of what has been dismembered, trusting that in this process, we are being reassembled in ways we cannot yet fully understand.

Spiritual Revelation: Spirit Train

And back to the still of meditation, feeling the rhythm of my breath — the circular motion that mirrors the steady churning of a steam train — I’m reminded of the intricate mechanisms at work beneath the surface. Each breath feels like a new beginning, but within it lies a continuum, a steady flow that holds everything in harmony. And even when I pause, when the breath stops, I sense the movement of life continuing in its quiet rhythm — heartbeat, blood flow, the subtle hum of existence.

This circular motion speaks to the cosmic forces embodied by Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and Kali.

Like Brahma, the creator, every breath is a new beginning, a gathering of the scattered parts of myself. Vishnu, the preserver, reminds me that these breaths are part of an unbroken continuum, a steady force that sustains all things. And as one breath ends, Shiva’s energy comes forth — destruction not as an end, but as a necessary clearing, making way for the next cycle to begin.

But it is Kali who brings something deeper to this experience. Kali is the force of transformation, the wild energy that breaks through the illusions of separation and stillness. In those moments of stillness during meditation, when I hold my breath and feel the pulse of life beneath the surface, it is Kali’s magic that works within me. She is the transformative spark, the spiritual awakening that shatters old perceptions and reveals deeper truths.

Perhaps this is the true nature of spiritual awakening — not a slow accumulation of knowledge but a moment of reckoning, a breakthrough where the fragmented pieces of our lives are suddenly reassembled. Kali’s fierce energy strips away what no longer serves us, forcing us to confront the deeper reality that creation and destruction are intertwined. It is through this transformation, this dismembering and re-membering, that we come into wholeness.

In the quiet of meditation, in the cycles of breath and stillness, I see now that beginnings, continuums, and endings are not distinct but part of an eternal rhythm. Even when things appear to stop, the deeper pulse of life continues. Kali’s transformative power reminds us that this is the nature of awakening—to see, in a single breath, the full circle of life, death, and renewal.

This is the story of re-membering—a journey from fragmentation to wholeness, where Kali’s transformative magic leads us not into chaos, but into clarity. In each breath, we come closer to re-assembling the scattered parts of ourselves, finding that spiritual awakening is, after all, the recognition of the deeper cycles that have always been at work.

And so I leave you with these questions to ponder:

What if there are no real beginnings or endings, only pauses in the cycle of life and spirit?
What does it mean to re-member the fragmented parts of ourselves and our world?
In the stillness of your own practice, what truths are waiting to be revealed?

The journey to wholeness is ongoing, and perhaps in the act of re-membering, we’ll find our way back to the fullness that was never truly lost.