Springing into balance

Psychologically-speaking, spring is a time of individuation. We are called to be our very own kind of daffodil. Yet, all the pushing and pulling is essentially a drive for that one, very, all-encompassing state of being called balance.

Rippling across the geographic zones, spring has arrived. The mere thought of spring is uplifting; spring signals change and hope. There is nothing more positive, energizing and life-giving than a huge bouquet of hope. Spring does that. Spring surrounds us in possibility.

Spring, like fall, is a transitional season. Fall prepares us for the longer, darker days of the winter to come. Winter sounds the call for deep rest and incubation.

And then spring arrives, all zingy and noisy. The winds shake loose the very stillness of winter and air out the stale remains of its deep hibernation. The rains pummel the earth with nourishment. The air smells fresh and alive. The ground burgeons with buds and blossoms, sprouts and tendrils of green. The skies hold the light longer. The world feels newly washed and freshly painted.

And given that we can never disown our umbilicus with Mother Nature, we find there is a lilt in our step and, perhaps, a song in our heart. The world feels alive and brimming with potentiality.

Psychologically-speaking, spring is a time of individuation. We are called to be our very own kind of daffodil. Spring marks a time when the push/pull and contractions of birth are felt intensely, deep within our psyches.

It is curious to note that there are more psychiatric hospitalizations in the spring than there are during the Christmas holiday season. And why is that? The chaotic, new birthing energies of becoming your own person can be difficult to maneuver. It´s not always so easy to become your own version of a daffodil.

This makes me think of that wonderful quote by Anais Nin: "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom."

Speaking of painful, this week I pulled something in my lower back while I was working out at the gym. I called a body worker to see if she could fit me into her schedule. She allowed that she was having a wildly crazy week as it seems almost everyone she knew had pulled something in their back.

The fact that there are an unusual number of us who have pushed or pulled too hard seems rather apropos with all of these spring energies. Spring certainly speaks of these strivings, these primal urges to flower and unfold in our most life-giving, passionate (as in full of the juices of life) ways.

And why do we push and pull, strive and retreat, debate and accept? I suggest that we are all looking for one thing, one very all-encompassing state of being called balance.

Balance is often illusive. Many of us say, "Yes, please, bring on the balance." We might think of balance as a temporary resting place before we venture more fully out into the world, but that would be inaccurate.

Balance is an active state; there is nothing passive about it. Balance requires a fair amount of tenacity and grit; it is not for the faint of heart. Balance demands focus. And, here´s the real rub: balance demands an openness of the heart. It is impossible to maintain equilibrium if we are tightly constricted and knotted up like a pretzel.

Balance suggests a stable point amidst other strong and, often, competing and compelling forces. Balance – of all varieties -- is about holding our own and not falling down or keeling over; balance says we are upright. We are standing with flexed knees and able to take deep breaths.

Think of a tightrope walker and how the walker holds out his hands to maintain steadiness. For us balance-seekers, we need our metaphoric arms wide open. These wide open arms prevent manic, tight-fingered control of the situation. Wide-open is a kind of surrender and trust in ourselves that we can refind our balance if we slip or become unfocused.

We would all agree that it takes persistence and resolve to maintain our footing and stay centered. A yoga teacher once told me that to maintain balance and keep yourself from falling over; you need to keep your eyes trained on one fixed point in the distance. Makes sense, doesn´t it? You target a stable set-point and that line of vision maintains your equilibrium.

I suggest that the set point is actually deep within us. It is our connection with Source and our relationship with our Best Selves, the wonderfully soulful parts of us that have expanded hearts and detached vision.

I have come to believe that life is a series of events that continually tests our ability to maintain balance. Experience after experience, time after time, we are confronted with situations that pluck and pull at our very beings. There can be anger, doubt, fear, rage, despair and grief. Yet, we eventually discover that if we let go, open up ourselves and reconnect with our divine aspects, we are able to regain our balance.

Spring, along with all the planetary energies of this 2008, a "1" year in numerology signaling new beginnings, is blowing with change. To be sure, this year heralds a clearing out the old and stale. There are crises galore in today´s world. And, as our election campaigns promise, now, more than ever, we need hope; we need change.

May I suggest you call forth your Inner High Wire Walker and allow yourself to remember your own abilities to stay upright and be centered? All you have to do is open your arms and heart wide and stay focused on higher ground.