Balance and Spiritual Liberation

Daily Thought for Sunday, May 3, 2009 by Master Djwhal Khul
My increasing balance fuels my capacity for spiritual liberation.
Daily Thought for Monday, May 4, 2009 by Master Djwhal Khul
Perfect balance is the open door to spiritual liberation.

Balance has definitely been a key word for me lately. I have been drawing into my awareness those who are extremists in various aspects of life, from the fella who weighed 300 pounds and clung with all his might to the canned foods and 6 boxes of expired oatmeal, and refused to listen to any music that had an inkling of flute. He was very slow and damp in all decisions and movement... to the vegan continual meditator, attached to the spirit world, and anti-the manifestations of this planet, and a few other unique extremists in between.  The pendulum keeps swinging. Perhaps I am here to show balance to others, I dunno. I asked my mother yesterday if there's anything extreme about me that I am missing. At first she thought not, and then she said that perhaps the only thing I may be extreme in is enthusiasm.

en·thu·si·asm (n-thz-zm)
n.
1. Great excitement for or interest in a subject or cause.
2. A source or cause of great excitement or interest.
3. Archaic
a. Ecstasy arising from supposed possession by a god.
b. Religious fanaticism.

[Late Latin enthsiasmus, from Greek enthousiasmos, from enthousiazein, to be inspired by a god, from entheos, possessed : en-, in; see en-2 + theos, god; see dhs- in Indo-European roots.]
Word History: "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm," said the very quotable Ralph Waldo Emerson, who also said, "Everywhere the history of religion betrays a tendency to enthusiasm." These two uses of the word enthusiasmone positive and one negative both derive from its source in Greek. Enthusiasm first appeared in English in 1603 with the meaning "possession by a god." The source of the word is the Greek enthousiasmos, which ultimately comes from the adjective entheos, "having the god within," formed from en, "in, within," and theos, "god." Over time the meaning of enthusiasm became extended to "rapturous inspiration like that caused by a god" to "an overly confident or delusory belief that one is inspired by God," to "ill-regulated religious fervor, religious extremism," and eventually to the familiar sense "craze, excitement, strong liking for something." Now one can have an enthusiasm for almost anything, from water skiing to fast food, without religion entering into it at all.

I like to see enthusiasm as God, or the Universal Life Force expressing through me.  I have the intention of making my life one big meditation, which actually simply means that I am present in whatever it is that I am doing, wherever I am being, whomever I am engaging with.  Intentional meditation definitely makes this goal more attainable.  I definitely do not have time nor interest in going into deep meditation for hours per day, for there is living to be done, and love to share and beings to encounter with heart.  So, yes, I am enthusiastic about everything in my life I have set forth and created for myself.  Everything from being a present mother, to pursuing my career goals, to communing with my friends and family.  I am enthusiastic about continually learning and growing, and experiencing what I can through this short period of time on this planet in this reality.

Back to balance and the door to and capacity for spiritual liberation.  As I wrote this last line I received a phone call from Creighton University offering me a seat in their upcoming starting PharmD. program.  This is, by far, the most balanced option I had interviewed for this past winter.  I had let go of it being an option because I had been placed on their wait list for an indeterminate amount of time, thus I moved ahead enthusiastically with my next best option which provided a far less balanced proposition than the distance learning program, but a slightly more balanced option than packing everything and leaving Peter behind to start school in Oregon.  So, interesting timing, I say.  Definitely taking the most balanced route allows more flexibility and time and energy in my school schedule to continue to pursue 1) my acupuncture practice and new clinic, 2) my meditative practices, 3) a routine of health and self-care, 4) hopefully nurturing and nourishing family and friend contact.  These things are very important to me, and allow me to be a spiritual being manifesting my dreams in a balanced way.

Now as I sit and ponder my initial question to my mother yesterday morning about what these perceived extreme people making themselves known and might be mirroring to me, perhaps it was the choice I had made to go to UC-Denver's pharmacy school and the extreme attention that would take in my life because I would be enthusiastic about the program, wherever school ends up being.
Indeed, I am liberated from extremes, and find balance in my activities and my inactivities, in my knowledge and in my meditation, in my heart when I give and receive love, and share with others and share with myself. This is a very good place to be, a place of manifesting my dreams.

S.A. Lyonheart :-)