Embodying Spaces

Our bodies are in constant dialogue with our environments. The way we experience our bodies depends upon how they relate to their surrounding spaces. A moonless starry night sky can make us feel small, similar to how a tight cluttered room can make us feel restless. The way that we relate to the sensorial aspects of space dictates the relationships that form between our thoughts and feelings. We speak of the ‘warmth’ of one’s love, for instance, and the ‘coldness’ of one’s indifference. Our mind molds, reflects, and responds to the interactions between our body and space.

As in a dialogue, the mind casts its own topography of interpretations—of meaning—onto the environment. Between our bodies and space is not mere emptiness but experiences and expectations which alter the very way we perceive the world. 

Similarly to how we may not consciously think about walking or eating, we may not consciously think about the way our bodies interact with space. However, under the influence of psychedelics, the fabric of mind-body-space becomes impregnated with meaning—meanings are born, amplified, and made more conscious. A well-prepared trip requires at least some intentional arrangement of the space. Architects, designers, and other artists are more tuned in to these relationships. To them, the aesthetics of space becomes a matter of taste and deliberation.

This issue of Entheoscope is dedicated to exploring the symbiotic relationship between our body and the environment. What elements of our perceived space affect our relationship to our bodies? In environments defined by certain socio-political and economic dynamics, how have these spaces altered our sense of self in uplifting or limiting ways? In what ways has the ease or exclusion of access to certain spaces affected the way that we perceive the world? How can we intentionally mold our spaces to recreate our perceptions of self in the world?