Gut Level Part 1
December 10, 2025
Gut Level Part 1
Welcome to this series of Daily Reflections on The Gut Level.
From time to time, we may say to ourselves or someone else, “I have a gut-level feeling about this.” Sometimes our minds are unclear, and even our hearts hold mixed emotions. But the gut speaks with unmistakable clarity. We feel its message viscerally, deep within our core. The viscera are the soft internal organs of the body, including the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, stomach, intestines, and reproductive organs. When they are affected, we know it. These vital organs hold our most primitive and instinctual feelings.
The gut is a major center for receiving and communicating instinctual truths. Composed of the enteric nervous system (ENS), which is often called the “second brain,” it is a complex network of over 100 million neurons in the gut wall. It regulates digestion and communicates directly with the brain through the autonomic nervous system. Our gut is, therefore, not only physical but intelligent.
More specifically our lower digestive tract and pelvic bowl are our instinctual radar, guiding us to fight, flee, freeze, or take refuge. We speak of a “feeling in the pit of the stomach,” a “gut-wrenching” moment, or being “sick to our stomachs” with worry. These are not metaphors alone, but the body’s truth speaking through sensation.
Our inner organs send messages that bypass the thinking process, delivering wisdom straight to awareness. They alert us, guide us, and even influence the brain. These vital organs evolved for digestion and survival, and they continue serving that sacred purpose, but they also have evolved to warn us and to set us at ease.
To be spiritually awake, we must stay in touch with the body because it reveals our limits, needs, desires, and wounds. It also senses what nourishes or harms us in our surroundings. To live only in the mind or heart is to deny an essential form of intelligence—the body's wisdom.
Our body has been called the temple of God. That name is sacred because the body is a container of divine wisdom. As we develop spiritually, we feel more at home in our body and listen to its messages. Being tethered to the Divine, the body is a major conduit for divine inspiration and knowledge, but sadly it is often disregarded and used as only a vehicle.
When genuinely in tune with our body, we re-experience our soul child’s hand-in-glove fit between our body and soul, when sublime union with the Divine was our natural state.
Spiritual practice: Find a quiet, uninterrupted space. Breathe deeply and scan your body. Where do you feel tension or strain? Where do you feel peace or joy? What messages is your body offering you today?
Self-inquiry: Why do we first consult our minds or hearts when deciding? Why not consult the wisdom of the body?
Prayer:
I pray for a closer relationship with you in the temple you gave me. Amen.
