Maintaining a Gentle Force
For every up there is a down, for every light a darkness. This is true not only for the observable world around us but also for the mental, emotional, and spiritual world within us. Because of this, every mystical lesson will always lead us back to the magic word balance. The secret to everything is balance.
Being balanced within ourselves means recognizing both our meek and our powerful natures. When we are at a state of inner equilibrium, we recognize that we are only as important as any other expression of the universe. We are at once on the same level as river stones and mountain ranges, a speck of dust and the brightest stars.
It is true that we are all imperfect, damaged, and at times weak. But it is also true that beneath these things we are beautiful, toughened by our scars and powerful beyond measure. When we accept the first, we allow the second. But if we deny or hide one, balance is lost and we end up being propelled by everyone’s power but our own.
When we forget to acknowledge the underlying strength, beauty, and power within us, we become victims to an uncontrollable reality. We come to believe that there are unyielding external boundaries that we must operate within and that the world in general works according to cold and unloving laws.
When we forget to acknowledge the weaknesses, the scars, and the imperfection of our human souls, we instinctively bury them. The energy that we must invest in this covering up steals away our power as surely as denying it would.
The key is in remaining honest with ourselves about who we really are. Honesty demands a sense of balance between our acceptance of our power and our flaws. When we are truthful with ourselves then we know that buried deep within there is a never-ending source of strength, love, and compassion. But we also know that layered atop that beauty is a scratched, battered, and broken shell. And as we look with naked eyes, we come to see that the damage only lends to greater strength. And from this recognition of our own perfect imperfection, we develop the ability to also see it in others and, with that sight, offer ourselves up as a reflection so that they may see their own beauty as well.
