Balancing the Light and Dark

-->Spring Equinox (Equi=Equal, Nox=Night)

Today in the northern hemisphere is earth’s threshold from the long darkness of winter towards the bright light of summer. All over the planet there is a balance of light and dark, equal daylight and starlight. In the north the earth begins Her deep exhale, springing forth in vibrant blooms of the seeds planted in the waning light of autumn, held in the potential of the deep dark of winter.

First Principle of Anusara yoga, Open to Grace is the unequivocal affirmation of what is. It’s the affirmation that every moment, every thought, every feeling, person, experience, every thing is a unique vibration of one Supreme Consciousness.

The Divine pulsation of the Universe (Spanda) is the intrinsic throb at the Essence of everyone and everything, every cell in our bodies bursting with the pulsation of potential to be. In the relative embodied world, Spanda expresses through a constant contraction and expansion, the polarity of contrasting compliments, yes/no, here/there, now/then, up/down, winter/summer, good/bad, light/dark. Everything is a vibration of Consciousness, the one Light becomes the many, everything a unique wave with its very own unique amplitude and velocity. Think Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon.

It is so easy to be open to all the pleasurable and desirable feelings of life… love, happiness, joy and peace. Everyone wants to feel these, actually everything we do is because on some level we think our actions will bring us into these states of experience. When you are experiencing energy in motion (e-motion) as these pleasant vibrations of Consciousness, of course it is easier to recognize (Cit) divine Nature within yourself, others and the world around you. Like the old saying goes, “It is easier to be enlightened in Tibet.”

What happens when you don’t welcome your own feelings of fear, anger or sadness? These flavors of emotion are also divine expressions, often considered dark and shadow emotions. When you refuse to own your internal shadow emotions they show up in the way the outer world reflects back to you. You can easily see the specks of dirt in the eyes of those around you without recognizing the plank in your own. If you are ‘triggered’ and don’t embrace internal anxiety, depression or outrage, you reflect your shadows into the world as control, judgment, competition, seeing difference and separateness, isolation, fear, depression, violence, rage, self-destructiveness, skepticism, addiction and the list goes on. No matter what your intention is, ultimately what are you projecting into the world? Are you acting in ways that uplift or creates pain?

Welcoming and hugging your shadow, without self-deprecation or judgment of what is, invites you to appreciate all the different ways that Consciousness takes form. It places you into your Heart, cultivates compassion, self-love and forgiveness for yourself. Then you can love, forgive and have compassion for others. You feel balanced and an inner equanimity where love can grow. When you can truly welcome and embrace your own inner enemies, you realize you are free to allow and accept other’s shadows without harsh condemnation.

What are you seeing in your outer world and communities? What are you seeing in others that you are not willing to see in yourself? Where are your shadows lurking in your life?

On this threshold day may we all realign to the inner point of balance, the place where we can stand in our open vulnerable Heart. Open to embrace our own joyful radiance and accept those painful aspects of ourselves we tend to push away. The equal affirmation of inner light and darkness is the opening from which your awakening springs forth, the revelatory power of Grace. When one awakens, we all awaken.

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“If you look for anything in this world, find things that draw you into the greater Love...” – Wah