Sometimes political events starkly reveal the current nature of the collective mind.
What is playing out in the current midterm elections in the United States is much related to a deeply suppressed shadow. The nation appears at the edge between two opposites of a raging river cutting through the heart of America.
The tendency to extremist positions is often rooted in deep uncertainties and fears, in the U.S. probably stemming from the times of the civil war. On the fringes of society you will then see the triggering of the pent-up fury of disturbed personalities – dispatching pipe bombs or going on a killing spree in a synagogue
The challenge in the law of opposites is finding the middle ground−that difficult territory where the truth has many shades of grey.
The Chinese masters placed great emphasis on this aspect−not only as crucial in the martial arts but as a life philosophy.
Without solid foundation in dealing with the everyday mundane any type of self-development will come to naught.
The ancient Jewish sages went further in teaching that if we failed to master the normal daily activities such as looking after our health, nutrition, relationships and livelihood−we couldn’t hope to advance to higher spiritual experience.
Thus, a good portion of life in the monastery is spent in cleaning, gardening and other menial chores. It is not only a practice in humility but stems from the knowledge that mastering the mundane is the gateway to loftier spheres.
Photo by Eduardo Prim on Unsplash
Physical exercise and the mindful carrying out of mundane chores are excellent for grounding. If your work is mostly in a sitting position in an office it is crucial to use breaks for walking or other exercises.
The “Yoga tree routine” is especially effective as a grounding morning exercise.
- Fold your hands with the forefingers touching each other.
- Ground yourself with your right foot, imagining roots like those of a tree growing from the center of your foot deep into the earth.
- Place your left foot at the height of your right knee and then lift your hands with forefingers pointed to the sky above the focal point of your skull.
- Imgine that you are mentally connected by a stream of energy to the sky above your head and the earth below your foot.
- Repeat the exercise with the left foot.
- You can close the exercise with a powerful mantra or prayer aligning all your activities of the day with what God, the universe or any other deity has planned for you that day.
Reino Gevers – Author, Mentor and Consultant
