BALANCE IN NATURE

Image by Víctor Melchor.

I was inspired to write this post by the energy of AJ in the Mayan Calendar. AJ represents, amongst other things, the tree, the pillar that connects the cosmic and telluric energies. It reminds us how nature works together, is abundant, and flourishes by sharing. It also reminds us of the importance of the spiritual process.

Nature is a wise teacher.  Just by sitting and observing it, you can get a deep understanding of life.

I was reminded of how we sometimes put more value in the masculine energy of action and forget to nurture ourselves with the feminine energies of stillness and receptivity. Most of us go just outwards to find answers, to find things and people to complete us. Or we measure our value just for things we do or achieve. If we just focus on action, ignoring its complementary principle, is like a tree that wants to get tall and give fruit without growing roots. If the roots don’t grow deep, and if the soil is not rich, the tree will fall or die prematurely.

What happens when we start looking for the answers just outside of us is that we start comparing ourselves with others and stop honoring our own codes, cycles, and paths. We then want to be like someone else, have the same things as others, or follow someone else. We forget that each path is unique for each one of us and that we need to honor that diversity. Plants grow well in diverse systems. Doing the same thing everyone else does, is like planting the same crop in the same place, again and again. It has many disadvantages for the environment…

When we plant a seed in the soil, the roots are the first to emerge. They start absorbing water and nutrients from Mother Earth (feminine energy). And then, the seed sprouts and a plant starts developing. The plant grows towards Father Sky (masculine energy) and eventually matures to provide yields. From here, there is an interaction between both energies. One cannot be without the other. And actually, the plant itself becomes a connection between both.

We, humans, are like walking trees. Our roots and branches are not physical, but energetical. We are a channel that connects the Heart of the Sky and the Heart of Earth. When this channel is open, letting these energies flow freely, the codes inside of us are activated. If this channel is blocked, then we remain disconnected, and we will struggle in life.

Each one of us is like a seed. Inside of us are all the codes for the “plant or tree” we are going to grow into. To honor that, the first thing is to connect to our essence (feminine principle) and let the codes activate and unfold by themselves without any struggle. This stage is a little bit scary as it happens in darkness (like a seed into the soil). It may also be painful, as the seed needs to break apart (or die as some people say) to start becoming something else. It’s just like a baby that starts growing in the mother’s womb. Everything is dark there, we cannot see, and we have no idea what’s going on. But, a miracle of life is happening by itself in that darkness.

Then, the seed sprouts. This baby plant comes in contact with the “outer world” (masculine principle) as sunlight helps it grow. Is like us, growing into our potential. In this stage, we need to keep nurturing ourselves and stay receptive, keeping the attention inside as we transform, recognizing our own cycles, and honoring them. Action in this stage happens by itself, as we start knowing what the next steps are. We are not rushing anything or forcing something to happen.

When the plant reaches maturity, it’s ready to set fruit or flower (masculine and feminine principles). I often use this example: If we plant a spinach seed, we can harvest in around two months. But if we plant an avocado seed, it takes years until we can harvest the first fruit. Does that mean one is better than the other? No. They are just different. Each one takes a different time to mature, and they have different nutrients and properties.

We cannot rush an avocado to give fruit in 6 months. Nature doesn’t do that, but we humans do. If we do something like that in our lives, we will be disconnected from our natural process of life.

We can see that in action-oriented industrial crops. People add chemical fertilizers to accelerate the process and increase the crop yields quickly, and the size of the produce. But the nutritional value of the product is lower, contaminated by chemicals, plus this approach ends up destroying the soil. 

The same thing can happen with us being just action-oriented in our lives. We may be producing a lot. But, what will be the quality of what we produce, if we don’t give priority to feeding our soil and honoring the process of nurturance and receptivity?

If we don’t rush the process and follow the natural ways, the trunk of the tree becomes a strong pillar where the energy flows freely. The yield is rich, healthy, juicy, and abundant. 

Last year, I had to reflect on this theme as I was feeling a little bit like a loser. Years ago, I had left almost everything behind and started my conscious path. I changed to a simple lifestyle of retreat and self-discovery. I had people around me that were more action-oriented, and that hadn’t been able to relate to my new lifestyle.

I saw around me all these people that had clear what they wanted. Some of them were already doing amazing things, while my main drive was not even easy to put a label to, and very few could relate to it. By comparing myself to them, I felt smaller. This false belief of being a loser because I was not doing anything “important”, or was not earning good money, became so strong in me. It started affecting me at a deep level. I even started questioning my intuition and my path.

It got worse last year when someone reflected on my projection. He ended up telling me in kind of a diminishing way that he was used to being around people who had big dreams and worked hard every day to achieve them, that he forgot other people didn’t have that mindset at all. It hurt. He put his finger on my open wound.

As a dear friend wrote in a song: “A wound never heals when it has to bleed. That’s why it looks for an exit anywhere.” I am thankful for this person that put the finger in my wound and forced me to look inside to start healing it. I went back in time to my childhood, where those false beliefs were deeply imprinted.

While doing that, I remembered a story that another dear friend of mine told me once. Her mother had to struggle in life. She had to work doing things she was not proud of when she was young. So, she wanted something different for her daughters. When my friend was a kid, her mom kept telling her: “You need to go to school and study. You need to become someone in life!”

When my friend was 13, she seriously thought about this. She asked herself: “Am I not already someone?” It didn’t make sense to her that she needed to “become someone” when she felt she already was someone just for being alive. This impacted her so deeply that at this young age, she dropped school and started walking her way. Now, maybe her grammar and spelling are not the best, and she doesn’t have any academic degree, but she is amazing. She has a big heart full of wisdom and is connected to her gifts as a healer. I love her humbleness.

Remembering this story helped me understand that this voice inside of me, telling me I was a loser, was the voice of a collective that has forgotten and lost the balance between the masculine and the feminine energies. Both energies must be fully functional and balanced within us to truly thrive in the fulfillment of our true potential.

Measuring value just from what we produce, and the speed of production is a very limited way. We all have different dreams and purposes. Each path is unique, and we are immeasurably valuable just for Being. 

That’s why instead of comparing ourselves with other people, we need to dare to start our inner discovery to understand and honor our unique place in this creation. Honoring diversity is important to maintain balance. Look at a forest and how different types of plants, trees, organisms, and pollinators interact with each other to thrive together. They are all different and have different purposes. But, as they remain connected and do what they are meant to do, they keep the balance.

Thank you for your existence, dear reader.

In kindness and respect,

Jen

Warm thanks to James Bronner, for his input in this post.