Our church is built on a foundation of ink and steel, of beautiful scars and chosen piercings. These are the visible marks of our faith. But our path is wider than that. It includes a vast landscape of practices that don’t leave a permanent mark on the skin, but instead forge the spirit through the deliberate manipulation of the body.
This leads to a question we often hear: Does fasting count? What about distance running, or bodybuilding, or firewalking? Is a person who wears a corset practicing a CoBM rite?
The answer is powerful and liberating: it depends on why you’re doing it.
The Action vs. The Intent
The Church of Body Modification does not lay claim to the act of running a marathon. We don’t own the practice of fasting or the art of corsetry. These are ancient and varied human activities. What defines a practice as a rite within our church is the one thing no one else can see: your intent.
A person can run 26.2 miles purely to get a new personal best. Another can wear a corset simply for the aesthetic. Someone else can fast to fit into a certain outfit. These are all valid personal choices, but they are not, in themselves, spiritual rites of our church.
The rite begins when the intent shifts. It’s the moment the marathon runner ceases to chase a time on a clock and instead uses the grueling miles as a moving meditation to connect with their own spirit. It’s when the person lacing their corset uses the gentle, constant pressure as a tool for mindfulness and a conscious exploration of their physical form. It’s when the fast is undertaken not for vanity, but for the spiritual clarity that comes from denying the flesh.
The why is the alchemy. The why is what turns a physical act into a prayer.
The Unseen Transformation
Should every marathon runner be a member of the CoBM? Of course not. But the runner who intentionally uses that challenge to strengthen the bond between their mind, body, and soul? They are walking our path, whether they know it or not. They are engaging in a sacred manipulation.
This is true for so many practices:
- Firewalking: Is it a party trick, or is it a deliberate ritual to confront fear and demonstrate the power of mind over matter?
- Bodybuilding: Is it about winning a trophy, or is it a disciplined, daily ritual of breaking down and rebuilding the self, turning the body into a temple of will?
- Breathwork: Is it a simple relaxation technique, or is it a conscious manipulation of the body’s most basic function to achieve an altered state of spiritual awareness?
In every case, the action is the same. The intent is what makes it sacred.
A Church of Purpose
This is why our church is so inclusive of so many different paths. We are not defined by a narrow list of approved activities. We are defined by a shared purpose: the sincere desire to use our physical bodies as the tools for our spiritual growth.
So, yes, these practices are absolutely part of what the CoBM stands for, but only when they are infused with meaning. The most important modification is the one that happens in your heart and mind before the physical act even begins. It is the conscious choice to take an ordinary human challenge and turn it into your own unique, sacred rite.
