Homeostasis & Equanimity: Finding Balance and Harmony on the Path

I was having an inquiry today: how can we know if we have free will if we are following the universal flow? I guess it's a paradox that the mind cannot figure out. In the enlightened state, there is no self at the same time, the personality doesn't disappear, and the flow moves through us as a unique expression.

The mind is invited to be flexible and flowing, and each realization softens it up a little more. I think I finally get what you were reflecting to me, that the soul will create because it's meant to create. I could only see this when a karmic layer was unwound, which was fixated on a particular state and resistant to gear change and flow. Life feels more like a game where creations are weaved from the quantum field, reflecting what I'm being at any particular moment. Sometimes there is streaming synchronicity, informing the inner inquiry. It's a language that is fast and light for the lower mind to interpret.

Remember Open, I told you about the regulator of the gas stove coming off while making coffee. A synchronicity happened around it yesterday as it broke further and a big ball of fire was spit from it towards my head. Fortunately, nothing happened other than a few burned hairs, but it spoke of the dragon warrior being unleashed.

Vimal 

Hey Open,

I am being drawn to centering via the senses recently. It gets me out of mind chatter and draws me into the moment.

What can I smell? The eucalypts, wet earth, frangipani fragrance, grassy horse smell as I kiss his soft velvety nose mmm! 

What can I see? The blue glow of the hills in the distance with a myriad of green hues in the foreground, the trees- silent sentinels being.  And at night as I shine my head torch over the grass I see hundreds of glittering reflections like wee diamonds scattered everywhere, of the creatures nestled there! Quite stunning! 

What can I feel? the gentle breeze, the earth under my feet, the soft fur of my animals as I stroke them. 

What can I hear? the butcher birds chortling away filling the air with their songs.

What can I taste?a fresh wound in my mouth after having 2 teeth extracted! 😄 lol

I am grateful for living where I do despite the challenges! 

Much love to all

Erin 💚🌺

Hi Barb,

I grew up living with a narcisistic mother and can resonate with most of your feelings. I also resonate with the difficulty in sitting down to meditate.

The problem with just reading about spirituality but not walking the path is that it also acts like MJ. I mean, Open’s words are always so truthful and beautifully written — we can easily come here, read something and feel a bit more connected for some minutes!

It may be hard to walk the path initially because you are literally learning a NEW way of living — and most of us have been living in a mind-led way for decades.

The sense of presence and clarity grows over the time as you pay attention to it, so although it seems impossible to focus on the breath now, it will certainly get easier in a few days or weeks as you keep relaxing the mind and surrendering. Trust me, every meditation counts — even the poor ones! But it must be first thing in the morning and you do have to keep going, day by day.

Work to differentiate both states, the present one and the over-thinking one. Get used to your sense of self. Be curious. And when you get hurt, be ready to enter into your space and cry. Cry a lot. Crying is releasing and it’s very empowering.

You’re right, you don’t know how to relax and surrender — that’s why you must learn it by yourself. In my experience, what motivates me the most is the same feeling of tiredness that you mentioned. I’m tired of toxic humans, tired of society, tired of how we destroy the planet and, most of all, I’m tired of my mind making me suffer. And I know there’s much more to life than that.

As it becomes easier for you to “find” your presence, so it will be to speak your truth in a detached way (which usually involves speaking less). Of course, you’ll still hurt people’s feelings sometimes.

And regarding MJ, I chose to quit it completely. Even tough it used to highten my senses and inspiration, it also trigged lots of thoughts and ego desires. Maybe the same happens to you?

With love,
Edu

For me it is having enough time (usually in the morning and in the evening) to be alone, sit and just be for a while. And, in general, being alone works for me.

Also connecting to feelings or sensations without discrimination, no matter it is pleasurable or painful, letting it happen, it makes it move much faster.

I kind of let go the need for pleasure. I also remember that pain can be highly addictive as well. Many people hang around addicted to pain and suffering. And, in general, the problem with addictions is that you deal with addiction, get rid of it, only to switch it to something else, unless the source of it was treated. So people stop drinking and start gambling. Stop gambling and become sexoholics. It never ends. This is why for me just dopamine fasting is not enough in this case.

It helps to "know" my addictions - food and instagram - but then I have to get to the origin of the discomfort that makes me turn to dopamine and to find alternative ways to sooth that will release oxytocin. This is the main thing with adrenaline and dopamine withdrawal - switching to an oxytocin alternative rather than starving. Our society forgot how to live on oxytocin. It's effect is subtle, gentle, calming.

So what I do is hug a soft pillow, put some soothing music on, I don't jump from bed in the morning right away, I cuddle with myself, sometimes for an hour, meditate a lot, practice yoga, give myself massage with a foam roller.

I found this video fascinating, for me it helps to explains some of the "peak to trough"  that many people experience in day to day life. I see it as a waveform pattern with equanimity, like a line running through the middle.

The interesting thing is that at the peak or the trough, is where we are really feeling and experiencing and where the growth and evolution is most potent.

Maybe equanimity is what the soul is yearning for but peak/troughs are the reason we chose to be a part of the 3D?

Stickman Kev

Hi Open,

i get the idea of homeostatsis and i very much resonate with the idea of a pendulum swinging in one direction and the same way in the other. Feels to me this applies to everything in life and the more i get to know myself the less extreme the motion of the pendulum becomes. Over the years i cut out almost all soft comfort, just some watching movies and playing card games that consumes me sometimes.

What i am really struggling at the moment is how to stay in the sacred ground of beingness at all times within the business of daily life ... to be the eye of the storm. And it's becoming more difficult i feel, because the collective energy is so much more triggered. Certainly what i am going to try is taking more small breaks to breathe and taking quality time for contemplation. 

Intermittent fasting is not bringing up much for me, maybe i've sufficiently equalised with the feeling of hunger during my years in Africa. I am actually barely feeling the want to eat - it's more a habitual thing. When you do 23 hour fasting, at what time of day would you take your meal? I imagine something like 2pm? Do you then fill up massively? There is still some idea in my mind that i won't be able to give to my body what it needs with just one meal a day.

Much love,
Thomas