A Mystic Journey

Summary of “Introduction toTranscending the Divide: A Spiritual Approach to Our Social Unrest” (See Oct 17, 2022 post), which presented the Seven Cosmic Principles, or Universal Laws: Connection, Law and Order, Change, Pattern, Cycles, Balance, and Creation.

These Cosmic Principles relate to the 4 Required Actions of I. Release Insecurity, II. Accept Responsibility, III. Find Balance, and IV. Create the Future, which ask us to change ourselves, not others, as we help heal the earth:

Summary of “Part I – Release Insecurity” (See Oct 24, 2022 post). This first of the 4 Required Actions is related to the 1st Cosmic Principle: Connection in which we learn that we are a part of everything and everything is a part of us. Once we accept ourselves as connected to a higher or divine energy, we can believe in our own worth and Release any Insecurity.

Summary of “Part II – Accept Responsibility” (See Oct 31, 2022 post). This second of the 4 Required Actions is related to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Cosmic Principles in which we learn that everything happens for a reason and that we are responsible for our actions.

This post:

Part III – Find Balance

This may be the most significant of the 4 Required Actions in relation to “Transcending the Divide.” The 6th Cosmic Principle: Balance will make the difference in being successful or not in our spiritual endeavor.

There is polarity in our lives, the world and the universe. Everything has an opposite. The two opposites are an aspect of the same thing; they are not separate or distinct. Think of hot and cold. There is no one place where hot becomes cold; they are just varying gradations of two states blending into one another. If we travel west, we eventually reach the east. Going north, we pass the North Pole and head south. Up and down, fast and slow, motion and rest, west and east, north and south, truth and error, belief and disbelief – all of these are examples of two opposing poles or ideas. 

Our challenge is to find the center between two extremes. Think of a seesaw as an analogy. Riding this childhood joy provides highs and lows.  Many of us seem to find our seesaw lives as exciting, but too much wasted energy is required for the ups and downs. 

Moderation should be the goal, even though we often tend to quest for edges, not realizing they come with an equal and opposite reaction. Our power is not in a crisis but in a calm. Our power resides in balance. Think about how our lives might be different if they were less like a seesaw and more peaceful while we settle in the middle. Might that eliminate some problems we create in our lives?

An imbalance in our bodies, our minds and our spiritual thoughts is reflected in an imbalance in the world. This is seen in the extremes of climate change, anger, violence, war, racist behavior, LGBTQ discrimination, pandemics, immigration, natural disasters, and financial anxieties. Rather than ignoring any of these problems, our goal is to find a middle ground. This isn’t about negotiating with others to find the common thread; this is about finding our own center as we maneuver a better view.

Finding Balance was always difficult for me. I once considered moderation as boring and insignificant in my life, enjoying the thrills of excitement. I now understand the need for tempering my thoughts and outward reactions. How about you? Is this or one of these 4 Required Actions more important, more difficult, or more easily ignored? Do you have any biases, like mine, that might lead you to diminish any of these actions?

In a world where extremism seems to reign supreme, Balance may be the main difference in promoting a spiritual approach to our actions. Going to any edge is less acceptable. Our internal control helps stabilize the world.

 A spiritual approach is looking at the bigger picture, rising above the mundane and seeing the necessity of a broader view. Remember the old saying of “Not seeing the forest for the trees.” If we don’t rise to a higher level in our thinking, we get caught wandering through the forest or life, lost among the trees and unable to see a way out. Viewed from a higher scale, a path clearly leads out of this maze, allowing us to balance this higher view with a focus on our daily activities. 

Chaos and Order

Our bodies reflect the balance needed in the world. Chaos and order exist within us. Chaos is not always bad, and order is not always good. They are both natural and necessary.

The heart beats in a steady or orderly fashion. An irregular beat means trouble. We cannot survive without this order. The brain, however, has a chaotic pattern. This is the opposite of how the heart behaves. Within our bodies, chaos and order thrive.

We usually try to quell any disruption in our daily routine. If that happened in our brain, the result would be disastrous. Any disruption to our orderly heart beat is equally disastrous. If chaos and order coexist in our bodies, why can’t they coexist in our lives? If we accept that everything is connected, as in the 1st Cosmic Principle: Connection, our bodies can teach us something about the bigger picture. The world mirrors our dichotomy, our internal balance of chaos and order.

Perhaps that awareness will help when we are feeling stressed or outraged about any social injustice. This is not to suggest that we temper our beliefs, just that we need to be aware of any extreme emotions that may interfere with our outward success. 

Power is Within

Power is within, not external. The control we think we strive for is not rule over others or events, but command over ourselves. When we can achieve balance in our lives, we have sway over activities, decisions, and emotions. We can take charge. If we expect to make a difference in the world and in ourselves, we need that internal power, that internal control. We need a balance within to achieve successful thoughts, emotions, words and actions.

One way to achieve this calm is through meditation or sitting quietly, which helps in times of stress or inner and outer turmoil. We can learn to remain peaceful and not overreact to any situation as we find our center and the power within.

To find balance, avoid extremes.

If our bodies balance chaos and order, so can we.

Our power and strength lie within, in our center.

Our balance impacts the world.