finding balance in opposites
/My intention was to send this out before the fall equinox but as life throws curveballs I am experiencing first hand the need for flexibility - isn't that a perfect initiation into balance. Balance is an interesting notion. It is often thought of as stationary "Once we have achieved balance we remain in balance". In reality balance is the constant ebb and flow of opposites. These Opposites have a symbiotic relationship, both needs the other in order to exist.
Light - Dark
Male - Female
Day - Night
Sun - Moon
Active - Passive
Inward - Outward
Hot - Cold
Push - Pull
As we move from the heat and activity if the summer months, Mother Earth comes into balance. The equinoxes are the time of year when day and night are equal in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is the balance between long and short, cold and hot, inside and outside etc. 2 days of the year when the earth exists in one form of balance. As we observe this balance in Mother Earth it is an ideal time to look at our relationship with balance in our own lives.
In my practice I have a particular interest in promoting female/lunar energy. This isn't a focus on tipping the scales (so to speak) towards the feminine. Rather it is to find balance. It addresses our cultural obsession with male energy - outward moving, active, production focused and logical vs intuitive. We are in a constant state of more, more, more. As a result our culture is chronically depleted of female energy. In order to be in balance all humanity needs male and female energies. It is my belief that this is one of the root causes of the epidemic of infertility and menopausal distress (but I'll leave that for another post).
Often we identify one side of opposites as positive and one as negative. As we change our perspective and see the need for both, we are better able to achieve balance. Cultivating an awareness and appreciation for the light and dark of all opposites we begin to understand that balance is not stagnant, it is inherently mobile - constantly moving between each set of opposites. As this awareness is developed we can move more fluidly between the opposites to find balance within ourselves.
As we move from the active motion and heat of summer towards the receptive contemplative cool winter period
notice the ebb and flow in your mind. In the fall we plant seeds that will germinate and come to fruition in the spring. What seeds will you plant in this period of balance?
What opposites are you working on balancing?