A Mystic Journey

by Cheryl A Chatfield, PhD

Balance is finding our center, where our power is located, and accepting who we are. Unlike my previous discussion on Compassion, Balance: Focusing On Inner Growth emphasizes changing ourselves rather than understanding others.

Balance, for me, is accepting that I am a dragon in this human incarnation. For some, that might be an Andromedan, an Arcturian, a Pleiadian or a channeler of one of those extraterrestrials. For others, that might be a spiritual seeker or teacher, a healer or just a better version of yourself. Perhaps you are a combination of these. Now is the time to connect with that identity, whatever it is. Discovering and accepting our true self, no matter how different that may or may not be from our current reality, is required for our spiritual growth. 

When I was younger, I disliked the concept of balance, believing moderation was boring as I craved more excitement. The problem, as I learned, is that an adrenal rush brings highs and lows, rarely helping us achieve.

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 resides in balance. Think about how our lives might be different if they were less like riding on a seesaw and more like being peaceful while we settle in the middle. In this middle, it is quiet enough for us to tune into and acknowledge who we are. 

But as I also learned, there is another aspect to balance: Polarity. Polarity is one of the Seven Cosmic Principles, which I have studied and written about for over 30 years.

Polarity exists in our lives, the world and the universe. Everything had an opposite, and opposites are an aspect of the same thing. They are not distinct or separate. 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. Traveling west, we eventually reach the east. Going north, we pass the North Pole and head south. Up and down, fast and slow, truth and error, belief and disbelief – all of these are simply two sides of one thing. The same is true of light and dark, or good and evil. Our challenge is to find the center and avoid the extremes. 

Moderation, or living from our center, creates a more peaceful life, a more peaceful  world and a more peaceful universe.

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 to be at peace within to achieve successful thoughts, emotions, words and actions. 

Thich Nhat Hahn in The Art of Power claims power is being at peace in the moment.

He describes our activities of “Doing” as pulling us from the importance of “Being” and how we must balance those two, reiterating the idea of Balance. Power is usually viewed by society as money, fame, political clout, and other external successes. Thich Nhat Hanh suggests power is when we are happy in the moment without worry, fear or any other negative emotion.

We justify our multitasking as a good thing, and we are proud that we can balance family, work, and recreational activities with other demands. Are we happy, though, in the sense of Being at peace within? Or are we so busy Doing that we forget our constant activity may be an effort to be liked and approved of by others and/or ourselves? What if we stopped Doing for a while and concentrated on Being? If we want our actions to make a difference, we need to be in balance in all areas of our lives, even internally, and not use external actions to prove to ourselves, and perhaps to others, that we are worthy.  

Any imbalance in our bodies, minds and/or 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. 

 A better view is rising above the mundane and seeing a bigger picture.. Remember the old saying of “Not seeing the forest for the trees.” If we don’t rise to another 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 an elevated scale, or a higher vibration, a path clearly leads out of this maze, allowing us to balance this greater perspective with a focus on our daily activities. 

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. We just need to be  aware of any extreme emotions, which may exaggerate, rather than ameliorate, any outward reactions.

We can raise our vibrations and think better thoughts as we transition into a fifth dimensional frequency range. We can become who, in our hearts, we know we are. We can learn to remain peaceful and not overreact to any situation. Our internal control of the power within helps stabilize the world.

To find balance, avoid extremes. 

Our power and strength lie within, in our center. 

Our balance impacts the world.