Leonardo da Vinci called the foot a "masterpiece of engineering & a work of art". Nevertheless, the foot, located opposite the self-ennobling head, often symbolises humility.
Our feet connect us to the earth, and in repetitive impacts, to the ground of reality. The earth with which the feet have such intimate contact is also the dust to which we return in death. Mother Earth is divine soil, & in the ancient rituals that honoured her, devotees bared their feet in order to more directly receive her nurture.
At the base of the erect skeleton, feet root us. Similarly, the foot exudes a sense of strength; like people who are reliable & practical are firm on their feet. They perceive & act according to their standpoint; they are sure-footed.
Similarly, "setting foot upon" has symbolised the acquisition of lands on behalf of distant sovereigns. The foot measures pace, time & progress, & is our most natural measure of distance.
Highly sensitive, the foot can readily respond to subtle changes in the terrain and move along accordingly. Feet help support the body & balance its weight & shifting motions. With its flexible, grasping toes, the foot negotiates the ground's unpredictable & multifarious elements. Highly erotic, the foot has been the sexualised object of adornment or fetishist desire, including the elaborate crippling of Chinese foot binding. Feet are the resilient instruments of sport & give expression to aesthetic & religious sensibilities, from improvisation to the precise delineations of religious dance ceremonies & classical ballet.
Instinctively feet know when to stay put or carry us away from danger even before the head has got the message.
Bound feet have often signified the conquered or enslaved.
The heel of the foot is emblematic of particular vulnerability, its wounding often affecting the entire leg, and mythically it is the most human part of the foot. Emblematic of one's material being, feet can also suggest the sequenced movement along a spiritual path, sacralised in the pilgrimages of all the great religions.

JUNE, 2022
REF: BARBARA G, WALKER