Sacred Balance: A Contemplation

 'It's all about intention'!

We are powerful Beings of Light, but too often, in the crazy-busyness of this strange world in which we live, we tend to forget that. It seems that, to really get anywhere, we are almost forced to lead separate lives. On the one hand, we have the sacredness of life, which is usually relegated to a certain day or days, even a certain time of day, while on the other, there are the issues of everyday life that scream for our attention. The issue at hand, though, is to figure out how, or even "if" we can bring balance to these two aspects. Moreso, how do we keep from making the mistake of over-secularizing what is sacred, or vice-versa? Should we maintain that difference, as we were taught?

One of the "backbones" of this nation, you might say, is "the separation of church & state". It IS a good business model! History, in particular, "Calvin's Geneva", has shown us that the opposite model doesn't work, that in fact, it has a detrimental effect on society as a whole, even if you belong to the Church. The main reason, as I understand it, for separating the Church from the State, was to ensure that the Church would not be enforcing their own brand of justice, based on their interpretation of their sacred text ( the Bible - in its manifold versions ). Look at the mess we have from Calvin's precursor, for instance; back in the 4th century, with the beginning of the institutional Church, it should be noted, when the Emperor of the Roman Empire adopted Christianity as its official religion. Of course, this was a political move, as was later, it could be argued, Calvin's own.

However, the question at hand is whether we should keep these two issues of life separate, or whether we should try to find some kind of balance. The Quakers, for instance, seem to have built their "religion" on the idea, more or less, that all aspects of life are sacred. I couldn't agree more; Life IS Sacred! The whole notion of keeping separate those things which are sacred & those which are secular is dualism at its worst!  As noted earlier, however, "it IS a good business model"! I say that very lightly, for in separating the two, we are only further acquiescing to the notion that there ARE Sacred & Secular aspects of Life! In some sense, one might note, this is true enough, but then again, a whole "can of worms", a veritable "Pandora's Box" could be opened here! Basically, what it comes down to is that, if there are those different aspects to life, one side of the equation might decide that, since the other is opposed, the "other" doesn't deserve to live. "Sound familiar?'

Finding a balance between the two is not as easy as it sounds, but then again, it is! You may have heard the saying, "change your thinking & you'll change your life": yeah, definitely NOT as easy as it sounds! How do we, in the crazy, busyness of this world in which we live, change our thinking?! I mean, with all the stimuli we have these days, especially from the world around us; how are we supposed to get ahead without joining in with the craziness, the busyness ( business )?! History has shown us, as well, that those who go against the flow have often not fared too well. More often than not, they have ended up "on the cross", whether figuratively or literally! So, how then, do we "bring balance to the Force" without being "crucified"? Well, my friend, the proverbial answer is "blowin' in the Wind"!

"Crucify yourself!" In a manner of speaking, we MUST die to Self in order to gain the World! I know, we've been taught, 'to be friends with the World is to be enemies with God"! Without going into a rant against Christianity; "It IS, in true Christian terms, God's World"! It is OUR World; We are the "Gods" of this World & the sooner we realize it, the better! Now, I'm by no means saying that we should just let our World "go to hell in a handbasket"; for one thing, that's the main reason this world is in the shape it's in. As the "Gods" of this World, we have forgotten Who WE are & allowed ourselves to become duallistically separated. By this, I mean that we have become unbalanced within ourselves. On one hand, we might make the claim that Life is Sacred, but then we go out after we have paid homage to what we view as "Sacred" & commit sacrilege, by acting as if "this is Sacred, but that is not'.. Remember, "An ye harm none, do what ye will"; if it's not Sacred, why should we care, right?!

To "crucify" oneself does not mean to literally end one's life, whether literally or figuratively; it simply means to realize, through introspection/meditation, Who we are! Are we primarily human beings, animals in a "dog eat dog" world, or are we literally the Gods of this World with the Power to make It a better place, a place where we don't have to devour our neighbor, just to get ahead?! Some might call me sacrilegious, saying this, but SINCE we are the Gods of this World, not so much as human beings, though there IS that, but as More than human beings. Divinity in our own right, it is through the choices we make that we manifest the greatest good. That said, there IS much "evil' in this World: I say "evil". though that is very often a relative term, but the point is that, though not all make choices we would popularly define as "good", those that choose evilly or wrongly have not come to the realization of Who they really are; they are simply manifesting their animal nature. 

"Balance" IS definitely key! Without Balance. as we have previously explored. Life would not exist. Many elements have to come together, in strict synchronicity, in fact, for Life to persist. When we balance our inner life with our outer life, realizing that our outer life is simply the manifestation of our inner life, then we are indeed that much closer to Balance. But, there is still work to be done. What if our outer life, the manifestation of our inner life, is still filled with "evil". This simply shows the Work yet to be done. If our works are still "evil", that means that we are not working from our Higher Self, our Divine Nature, but are instead, still manifesting from what a friend of mine calls "the monkey mind": I call It "the Ego". The Ego, as we've previously noted, however, is not something to be destroyed, as it is an integral part of our humanity; rather, it is something to be overcome, usually on a daily basis, at the very least! 

The Balance between our Higher Self & Lower Self is what is needed here, in this Life! With this Balance in hand, we will find that it IS possible to live in both 'Worlds" at the same time. Yes, all aspects of Life are Sacred, even in some sense, Divine, but, just as importantly, there are those aspects which are very Mundane, even relatively droll. In some sense, this is somewhat due to the fact that not all are in the same stage of Evolution ( some may not have seemed to be evolving at all, in fact ), but we must focus on our own Evolution & let them worry about theirs. This is not to say, of course, that in our Evolution, we may not influence theirs, for we doubtless will, sooner or later. With our Evolution, the Light will begin to emanate from Within & will, without fail, positively affect the World around us, even though it may mean our actual "crucifixion"!

As Beings of Light & Love, We, at the same time, live in a Mundane World; a world where, without the necessary balance, things tend to fall apart. By overcoming the Ego, by living instead from our Higher Nature, we bring Balance to the Force, so to speak, by bringing the Unconditional Love that We are to bear on a mundane, dying world that so desperately needs Us. Calvin's Geneva, as well as Constantine's Holy Roman empire, were products of their respective Egos: History has shown us the results of those experiments. They ended in failure, though it could be argued that the Holy Roman Empire is alive, though not well, on planet Earth! 

Though this World, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not Fear, for We ARE One with the Source, the Energy that created this World! As Beings of Light & Love, may our Light so shine before this World, that all may truly SEE & harboring their own Light, become Light-workers, as well!

Namaste' & Blessed Be,

Sage Charles