So, recently in the last few years (I consider recent, since relativity is subjective), I have been enthralled and enchanted by Chinese Fantasy, specifically the modern rendition of Cultivation type settings. The type where one goes into a group or sect and cultivates in a cave and consumes pills, medicines, drugs, and elixirs to refine themselves to reach new levels of spiritual enlightenment. All with bouts of mystical beings or fights using martial arts.
One of the common themes or phenomena in this fantasy setting is that there is a thing called ‘body reformation’. Where someone would undergo extreme conditions, whether they eat a spiritual elixir or they subject themselves to harsh poisons, heat, or cold. Then their body would change and adapt, purging out toxins and such.
As with any work of fiction or fantasy, we can draw concrete ideas from them. Every mythos is a concrete (and perhaps loose) explanation of reality. Since, no story is an island to itself, and no such inspiration is derived in a vacuum.
Point being, the body reformation is one to purge and expel toxins. Essentially if you do a fast or change your diet enough, and limit exposure or over expose to harmful chemicals or bacteria, then your body will go for a change.
Some real life examples
In terms of DNA or genetic expression, we can think of this as our genes activating various expressions to change pathways and behaviors of our system of body to expel or adapt to changes.
Similarly our gut biome and anti-bodies can benefit from exposure to certain weakened viruses or parasites. We can develop an ecosystem within ourselves that can handle some parasites and viruses depending on diet and temperament.
We can also take substances and drugs that purge parasites and viruses, giving us new leases on life, a new feeling and uprooting problems that may have been ailing us from long ago.
In Thailand, they have Muay Thai fighters kick bamboo to strengthen their shins through repeated micro stress fractures. In an anatomical sense, this is called ‘Wolff’s law’, bones rebuild and grow stronger after inducing micro fractures.
Similarly, the arduous training of the Shaolin Warrior monks temper both mind and body to one day ascend into the aspects of the soul.
In body building, as the muscles exert themselves they tear and build up lactic and other amino acids. The body has to detox itself and purge the excess. The result is a body recovering and healing and transforming.
In a sweat lodge, we expose ourselves to both dry and wet heat and expel toxins through a normal pathway of sweating. This also helps alleviate cortisol levels and other varying factors. In the opposite sense, we can also do an ice plunge or cold bath to offer cold treatment.
There was a person developing an immunity to some snake venoms by ingesting(or perhaps injecting) it slowly over a long period of time. Allowing his body to develop anti-bodies in a controlled manner to withstand the snake venom. Just enough to cause a reaction but not enough to be deadly, that’s a very fine edge.
The old Vaccine theory utilizes weakened viruses to be exposed to the body to develop anti-bodies to learn the virus and be able to fight off future visits of such a virus. The first vaccine was using Cow Pox to treat Small pox. A form of homeopathy where ‘like treats like’ since both Poxes were technically different viruses.
In plenty of native tribes, they may expose themselves to bullet ants, poisons, venoms, sacred drinks, and such that are both a rite of passage and medicine. Often these traditions result in a purge of sweat or vomit or other materia, in such there is waste.
The steps are rather simple, Body does something or is exposed to something, Body purges toxins, Body changes.
Sort of like that adage “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. Of course there are some stipulations as to debilitating outcomes or injuries.
The point of all of the above is
-to draw a connection to the mythos and that of the real world. Essentially, the body is exposed to things internally or externally, and in doing so the body adapts or purges toxins and it changes. In the fantasy setting, typically the body reforms to a stronger form and is able to accomplish more or become ‘tempered’ like cold iron.
If this fails, the toxins may subdue the person, and they may undergo qi deviation or die or even form injuries sustained for a long while or a life time.
There are always side effects to every effect. Positive and negative reactions are par for the course. Both boon and curses come with any path walked.
To the main point,
I believe that the Mind, Body, and Soul can undergo similar process.
The above explain mainly the Body reformation process.
There are techniques to reform the mind, to overturn biases, logical fallacies, cognitive foci, and uproot belief systems. We can alter our thoughts and perception of reality.
I use a lot of shadow work and neuro-linguistic-programming to break down my own belief systems and view them as an externality to myself. If you really think about it, thoughts are not you and that separation of ego and observer have immensely aided my own path.
Your belief systems are they themselves a wall that you erect within yourself, what lies beyond that wall may be doom or salvation. At some point in your life, you made a decision that a generalization is true, maybe as a way to survive or a way to cope with the madness of the world.
Often times we box ourselves in so many walls (of limiting beliefs) that we navigate a labyrinth or a maze in our mind. In doing so we may narrow our path down to doom, often times people have suicidal thoughts or tendencies because they see that ‘there is no way out’ stuck in a narrow view of their own reality. They often view death as the escape, that the path of the narrow maze leads to doom as their form of salvation. You can think of this sort of thought train or line of rationality as a form of mental qi deviation or inner demons that is often expressed in the Chinese Cultivation Fantasy settings.
The trick to pull one out of the doom of the never ending maze, is to find calmness within oneself and remove some of the walls. Some limiting beliefs, or beliefs in general, served a purpose at one point and are no longer needed to move on. Like any tool, thank the tool, the wall, and move on as you are no longer stuck to it. (Think of it like the The Pot Roast Principle, but with our thoughts and beliefs)
Thus the work of the ego and the reformation of the ego, is the work on the self.
Hopefully your labyrinth isn’t one of harsh cold walls, but becomes a palace or a mind garden that you cultivate diligently with many tools to deal with many situations and people. To become the master of your own mind allows you to achieve many things, mind over matter, sort of deal.
And in Jungian Philosophy of Jungian Psychology, the work on the self, the Psychos, is the work on the Soul. The Greek word ‘Psychos’ comes from ‘Soul’ and also develops into words like ‘Psychic’.
The Great work for Alchemists is also one of the soul, the Magnum Opus can be argued to be the self. In many paths, there are forms of transcendental reformation or change in which a person can attain enlightenment, moksha, Christ consciousness, liberation, etc. etc.
These different paths have different forms and result and lead to different understandings, so they are not exactly the same and there are also degrees to understanding of each form of soul work.
Even Warriors and Monks and artists and many practitioners of various forms of meditation are first in their path. They work and live their lifestyle, doing the grind and improvement, getting lost or absorbed in their sadhana or work, and then come to a point of self realization. These people may come to see philosophy or enlightenment or satori from their craft. Thus moving from the realm of the body work to the realm of the soul.
Others, start with reforming their soul through harsh experiences, traumas, trials, and tribulations. Then they deconstruct and reconstruct their mind and body to follow suit.
Epilogue,
Honestly, I just wanted to justify to myself and world that I have found analogs in the mythos of Chinese Cultivation Fantasy series. The reason for my doing is to both confess my guilty pleasure of enjoying culture and entertainment (I have absolved myself of shame for such a vice, and no longer am beholden to it), as well as spreading enlightenment of the analogs of using a story device mechanism to be a metaphor for changes in one’s life as they walk their own path in the Dao, The logos, or in the Universe or whatever you believe in.
If you pursue anything, start with a strong foundation (build no house on sand), whether you choose your mind, body, or soul as the first core. From there you can help to reform and stabilize the others in a measured way, and then reach new and greater heights if you care to do such a thing.
If you pay attention to your life that you’ve lived, you would notice that you have done work in all three, so choose whatever you feel inclined to cultivate and I’m sure you’ll find the path that you desire.
As a side note, I have found that the Heart is not yet mind, body, nor soul yet is a central point in all of them. So do find a way to incorporate the heart and it’s intuition and energies into your work and I’m sure you’ll find more increasing benefits and gains from it. Although I speak from the brain and from a gain perspective, the Heart is beyond such a value or quantifiable metric, so please forgive my egoic sound in discussions of the Heart.
The above is but an observation, may it find use or purpose on your journey through life, this one or the next.
Words Mean Things 
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