Be Balanced: Introduction

 

Throughout my recent journey to find a true wholeness within myself, I have returned over and over again to the concept of balance. I have learned that balance, in all its many layers, is a vital key to unlocking my wholeness and becoming more of who I am and who I want to be. Patterns and visuals have dominated much of my thoughts the last couple of years, resulting in scattered papers and chicken-scratch notes in random places that I’m sure will continue to reappear for some time to come.

This compilation of thoughts is my way of organizing what I have learned for myself, as well as to develop a system to self-evaluate where and when there is imbalance and to have a direction to go in returning to self. For me, when I put in the effort to return to self and find connection there, my relationship with others and Divine Source naturally become healthier and stronger - not because other people in my life change, but because I change what is imbalanced within me.

What is balance?

Before I set out on this journey, I thought that in order for something to be balanced, it had to be equal in quantity with something else, like scales unmoving and perfectly aligned.

However, I’ve learned that this is not the case!

Balance is: the right measurement needed from moment to moment, a fluctuating flow that brings a dependable surety. This flow occurs between varying dualities working together, a unity forming one melody - a consistent rhythm with ever-changing harmonies.

I have found that the visual that perfectly illustrates balance is the infinity symbol or symbol of Eternity.

Here is a basic example to illustrate this:

A balanced sleep schedule is not made by sleeping 12 exact hours and being awake for 12 exact hours every single day like some robot could be programmed to do. Rather, a balance may look like a person getting 6 hours of sleep one night, waking up, and then being busy all day. Then, feeling exhausted, they go to sleep again for another 6 hours, but wake up feeling far from rested. Their body may require more sleep, and if this person is in tune to their body’s request and they sleep till they feel better rested, they have found balance through the right measurement of what they needed in that moment.

Naturally, it will be different every 24-hour cycle, but flowing between the duality (sleep and wakefulness) as best as possible adds to the overall health of a person. It becomes an infinity symbol where sleep becomes wakefulness and wakefulness returns to sleep.

The maintaining of balance is illustrated everywhere in nature and in our lives beyond our awareness or comprehension. Everything exists together by natural law because of balance; from the seasons, to tiny ecosystems, to the organized universe, it is a layered tapestry made of tiny threads woven together to create one, whole masterpiece. Take a look for yourself and see what you notice. It will give you greater understanding beyond what I can tell you.

Balance is timeless, yet it is delicate.

It is both certain and uncertain.

It is ever moving, yet holds the space of true security and wholeness.

It is both a journey and a destination.

 

What is imbalance?

While balance is the connection and unity of opposites, imbalance generally takes on the form of two extremes of the two opposites. Imbalance, in a nutshell, is where chaos and temporary disintegration occurs. This is also where our behaviors create more imbalance unless changed.

For example, if you over-indulge in sleep or experience a deprivation of sleep (over-indulge in wakefulness), you experience an unhealthy extreme that leads to an imbalanced state that takes away from the wellness of your life and being.

There is an over-arching Balance (with a big “B”) that makes up this universe, and imbalance is actually a vital part of this great Balance and your very existence. For this reason, imbalance cannot be labeled as “bad” or something to be ashamed of.

In order for you to be more fully Balanced and unlock your wholeness, understand that it is the very way of life that you flow between both balance and imbalance. Nature’s cycles play out this dynamic constantly, it being the way of growth, change, and movement.

Imbalance is present even in the way you physically get from one place to another. When you lift one foot to walk, you create a moment of imbalance, which then leads you to balance again when that foot is placed in front of you. It doesn’t make sense to hop around everywhere on one foot in an exhausting struggle of imbalance, or to remain in one place indefinitely in an illusion of constant balance, only to fall over backwards from locked knees. True progression is not achieved while remaining in imbalance.

However, any imbalance can be used to propel you forward into balance through awareness. It need only be temporary in the larger scheme of things, because in some way, at some time, an imbalance will return to balance due to natural law of the greater Balance. So don’t fight, ignore, or deny what is there. This will only create conflict within yourself and the opposite of wholeness and well-being.

We all experience imbalance in many aspects and layers, from day to day and year to year. It is simply reality. Any fear-based behavior, unbelief (a belief of limitation), or uncomfortable emotion can be accepted, honored, touched with love, and then returned to balance each time that you return to yourself. As you read about the many layers in the coming chapters, your perspective of what is imbalanced with expand.

Where ever you are right now, whatever space you feel you are in today, it does not matter. You will find imbalance in yourself, and it is a gift if you use it propel you forward.

 

Finding Your Balance

Finding your balance is a personal journey. Only you have access to the map that will get you to where you desire to be.

For this reason, I will not provide all the answers (not that I have them anyway), or an all-inclusive set of dynamics for every possible situation. My goal is not to provide the “how to”, but my deepest hope is that the following words I will write will be a sort of compass and a guide to encourage you to pick up your own map. I invite you to be willing to take a good look at where you are, where you want to go, who you want to be, and how you want to feel.

Have you ever desired to feel and experience more of the following?

Peace 

Clarity

Love

Freedom

Security

Joy

Abundance

Growth

Health

Progression

Meekness

Creation

Connection

Power

Light/Truth

These things come from balance and lead to balance.

If you have desired these things that come from balance and lead to balance, then it is extremely likely that you have experienced any number of the things in the next list:

Conflict

Illusion

Fear

Limitation

Insecurity

Apathy

Scarcity

Depression

Poor health

Stagnancy

Pride

Control/Manipulation

Disconnection

Abuse

Darkness

If you are familiar with any of those things listed, you have experienced imbalance. This awareness is the first step and it can serve you if you choose. As you strive to move from imbalance into balance, you will have opportunities to look through perspective lenses of your relationship with yourself, with others, and with your Divine Source. You can also explore the dynamics of emotions, behaviors, and beliefs while letting go of limiting labels of who you are and who you perceive others to be.

Your balance cannot be forced, and it does not come from the outside, regardless of what you think external things and people “should” be in order for you to feel a certain way.

You have it in you to find balance. You ARE nature, so the instincts are within.

Dare to look inward and choose to trust yourself one step at a time.

Written and Created by Danie Davis. All Rights Reserved. 

What is Balance?

                       

Wholeness comes with balance, and balance seems to be that type of existence that I am constantly striving for.

And because so much of my life is spent trying to hang out in this space of balance, having observed that my wholeness is dependent upon it, my posts will come back to this topic often.

I used to think balance meant that things had to be equal to be balanced, just like on a balance scale. Now, I tend to see balance being like an infinity symbol.  

(In my previous post, I talked about Receiving and Giving, so I will use that as an example).

As I mentioned in my post about receiving and giving, what I receive will affect what I give; What I give creates space to receive more, and the cycle repeats over and over again. There are days I give a lot of time and energy to others, and there are days when my body, mind and spirit beg me to do some receiving and self-care. I could spend three days in the receiving space, and one day in giving. In the end, it doesn’t matter if I make things exactly equal in time or quantity. What matters is that there is a flow. It looks different every day, and there are layers within layers, balance playing out in different areas of my life at the same time.  

Balance is a flow. This is key. It is ever changing and moving within a given space.

And do you know what also exists in balance? Abundance!

(There will be another post on Abundance at some point, so stay tuned).

I don’t know about you, but not only do I desire wholeness in life, but I also desire an abundant life! And it can all be found within balance.  

Look at the picture of the connected pools of water at the beginning of this post. A pool near the top receives its fill of water and keeps receiving more water. As it is receiving, it gives to the next pool while staying full itself (this is abundance). In that giving, the next pool receives its fill and then gives to the next pool after that, and so on and so forth. No pool lacks. All pools have enough AND to spare.

Imagine with me for a moment, a community or group of people that all exist in this balance of receiving and giving. There would be no lack! There would be no poor! All would be filled in their receiving, and have a surplus to keep giving to each other!

This type of living tends to be easier to talk about than to live, isn’t it? There is always need out there and some of us feel like we don’t have the time or energy to receive in-between meeting needs, and then we are told we must always put others first in order to be a good person. There are too many demands that keep us giving more and more each day, building upon the expectations that service to others and productivity is the measure of our success. But are these things actually true??

I know that for me, I am out of balance when I have been giving from my metaphorical pool of water without realizing that I have cut off the receiving flow. I get caught up in all the things on my check-list, I feel burnt out, overwhelmed, resentful, and really stressed. I want to run away from all people and responsibilities. I feel a lack because I am not full. It isn’t until I finally get to the point of allowing myself to receive what I need that my pool gets filled again and I start overflowing with water to give.

I am learning to more quickly catch those moments where I am draining buckets of water from my pool and the flow from receiving has stopped. I am learning what it looks like and feels like, so that I can set the bucket down, correct my receiving flow and get back to balance. I often ask myself:

• What am I able to give today because I first received?
• If I am feeling run down and struggling to show up for others, what am I receiving for myself today? 
• Am I wanting to give more? Then how can I increase my receiving capacities?
• What am I afraid of that is getting in the way of my flow? 
• Am I willing to spend time in receiving?

Not only have I learned more of what balance and imbalance feels like for me, I have also had the opportunity to identify why receiving can be hard, why I feel the need to give more than is balanced for me, and why receiving can be considered “selfish” by others (I will be redefining what “selfish” is at some point). All this inquiry has been very eye-opening for me and caused me to shift my perspective. It has been good for my soul!

Balance really is the name of the game, so to speak, and there will be more thoughts to be shared later. Guaranteed 😉