balance

Out of balance

/ Robert / 1 Comment

  

For the last few weeks the following strands have been intertwining, drawing a dark shawl over my eyes. 

  • The gradual slump towards ‘hump month’ and the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere. 
  • Gloom filled days interspersed with a smattering of sunshine
  • A soft tissue injury in my left foot making exercise painful

Peeping through tiny spy holes skewed my outlook. Languishing here provided me with the inspiration to write:

Morning morosity takes hold;
Melancholic meanderings of my mind and
Morbid imaginings of this mindless malaise.

Energy constricted, ebbing. Woefulness clouds; dimming. 
Knowing what is happening, not wanting it to stop. 
Why go on? Hopelessness creeps in, chilling.

Darkness, warmth; slumber away the doubts. 
For now, in this moment balance exists. 

Serendipitous circumstances led to my release: email reminder from the Buddha Bar Healing Clinic, Newtown, Australia; space in my diary; promise of financial assistance from our health fund; and an appointment with the person who ‘felt’ right. 

My journey began with a cup of rose and green tea then I was directed downstairs by Gavin to the ‘Harry Potter Room’. A deceptively large and comfortable subterranean cavern tucked under the stairs. This room, filled with colour, fragrance and spiritual artefacts, welcomed me into its womb like embrace. 

After a 45 minutes massage with lavender oil and a quarter of an hour of Reiki I was decidedly wobbly. I don’t remember my walk to the train station or the trip to Lewisham. While making my way along the platform I felt a sensation in my head, and a slight dizziness as I stumbled to the left. The walk home was taken at a snails pace. The accumulated stress had been replaced by a deep trancelike calm. Like sparks from the fire, thoughts of the previous weeks popped into my head and dimmed without gaining traction. Three days later inner peace persists, a testament to the most profound massage to date. 

More information:

The Buddha Bar Healing Clinic

Gavin Read

Balance

/ Robert / 11 Comments

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For no apparent reason other than I was trying to work out how to weigh up the different aspects of my existence, I realised that achieving balance is essential for peace of mind.

In everyday life we are told that we should:
– Enjoy all things in moderation
– Get sufficient sleep and exercise
– Have a balanced diet
– Achieve a healthy work, life balance

Librans are often described as being the balanced sign of the zodiac. I can happily report the complete opposite is true. As the scale pans of life seesaw up and down I have found that awareness of the present moment is the only way to deal with the seemingly constant momentum.

I am naturally drawn to the elements of air, earth and water, as a large proportion of my existence is spent in grounded thought and feeling. Thankfully, fire seems to pop in when I need a boost of energy, passion and perseverance.

As with most things in my life this post is evolving into something I did not foresee when I started writing.

In the physical world reality is limited to this moment. The wonderful thing about life is that this moment is as vast at the Universe itself and everything is connected by this moment.

I experience a feeling of ecstasy at the moment when on a swing, the seat is at its highest, just before it begins its descent. I am reminded of this feeling in dreams while soaring above the ground. In waking moments I experience it when I have helped someone else, enjoyed a moment of connection with another or experienced something wondrous. To me this is the moment of balance. Is this the point of balance between the physical and the spiritual worlds?

References:
http://webelieveinlight.org/2013/03/07/just-keep-swimming-swimming-swimming/
http://elfkat.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/e-is-for-what-is-your-elemental-affinity/

Frenzy followed by calm

/ Robert / 1 Comment

Imagine a tree with a trunk that twists this way and that, swathed in a maze of deeply cracked bark. It’s gnarled dark brown branches jut out in a contorted mass, effortlessly supporting clusters of ballerina shaped blooms gently bobbing in the breeze.

A gale develops that catches the branches, causing them to creak and groan as the blossom is torn from their grasp. A silky blizzard of white petals tinged with pink dance in downward spirals as they are carried to the ground by the whistling wind.

Order returns to this snow dome scene, the skeletal tree appears naked in the Spring light. Gently undulating white chiffon forms a shifting circle surrounding the base of it’s tortured bulk. White, fluffy powder puff shapes speed across the azure sky above.