The Balancing Power of Spirit

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The Balancing Power of Spirit

    Sanford Baran:  It is a pleasure and privilege to be alive right now, blessed with these human capacities, enabling us to glimpse the gloriously rich, multitextured fabric of the creation all around. What a marvel just to contemplate the design of our own human forms. If we’re not deliberate, we can easily be distracted by the din of human activity, which tends to highlight what is miserable in the lives of people throughout the world. Yet this morning, we can individually and collectively raise our voices in praise and thanksgiving for the precious gift of life that we very much cherish, allowing us the opportunity to play our part within the wholeness of what we have referred to as the Archangelic Body.

    It should be apparent that our worlds are not just a matter of black and white. As Alan Hammond was pointing out in our last consideration, there are trillions upon trillions of factors in everyone’s lives. These various factors combine to form an incredibly detailed, finely articulated landscape that is nuanced and rich in its composition and expression. In view of all the factors that potentially impinge on a given situation or setting, theoretically there could be an infinite number of distinct outworkings. But we observe that of all the unique possibilities, somehow there is one that puts in an appearance that is the most perfect. How does this work?

    First of all, why all these trillions of factors? I suppose if we wanted to live in a cosmos that was much coarser and considerably less expressive, there wouldn’t be the need for all of these factors. Perhaps we think sometimes that if we could only reduce the number of factors, this would make things a lot simpler. No, these myriad factors exist because collectively they provide the precision and granularity to express the nuanced and highly articulated nature of the Design. They are, in fact, very necessary. The trick is, given the existence of this raw material, how to configure the exact right combination of factors in the exact right proportions for the given situation at hand. Fortunately we don’t have to figure this out; there already is a mechanism in place. That mechanism I’ll call the balancing power of Spirit. I’ll describe it as: the process of configuring the most favorable combination of factors, blending them together in the exact right proportions to generate a peak state of spiritual equilibrium.

    For those of you who took chemistry, this idea of a peak state of equilibrium might be analogous to the way electrons position themselves around the nucleus of an atom. Electrons, we’re taught, have very specific orbits that they inhabit. They can’t just be anywhere they please! Furthermore, electrons will always try to reside in those orbits that are closest to the nucleus, since these closer orbits require less energy. Electrons do this to optimize the atom’s overall state of restfulness. In other words, atoms much prefer being in a state of relative restfulness, versus a state of agitation. From a spiritual perspective, you could call this state of restfulness and cosmic relaxation spiritual poise. I think the word poise provides a very good description, as poise has to do with polish, grace and refinement. So it is the balancing power of spirit that optimizes the configuration of factors, creating a state of spiritual equilibrium and composure, which most optimally expresses the qualities of I Am.

    Interestingly enough, another meaning of the word poise is, freedom from affectation—in other words, freedom from attracting notice by pretense. The balancing power of Spirit is certainly not looking to attract attention to itself and likely is going unnoticed as far as human beings are concerned. But rest assured, its action is quite significant, always balancing those combinations of factors in the exact right proportions to optimize the expression of Truth throughout the cosmos. Of course we as individuals have a part to play in all of this.

    In the affairs of human beings, there is the need for a sufficient quantity of fine substance to be generated by each of us. You could say that it’s this fine substance that fuels Spirit’s balancing engines. This is what allows the perfection inherent in the invisible realms to permeate down into the visible. Without fine substance, there is no way for the trillions of factors to configure themselves optimally into a state of equilibrium and composure. We routinely see the effects of such a shortage—things out of balance, out of control at every hand. I suppose we can be quite thankful for whatever fine substance has been generated, as conceivably things could be a lot worse. So, it is incumbent on those who have any awareness of these things to play their parts.

    I’ve been thinking about this matter of getting back to basics. We can acknowledge that the generation of fine substance in our moment to moment living is absolutely critical. Of course we’ve been talking about this for years. It can almost sound like a broken record. There can be a tendency to think, "Okay, we know that, let’s get on with the greater works already." But I would emphasize that the generation of fine substance is absolutely fundamental if anything of a creative nature is to happen. The greater works are in fact built by the consistent expression of our moment to moment thoughts, words and deeds. So there are no shortcuts to the greater works. It really is a matter of rolling up our sleeves and getting back to basics—the expression of fine substance in the moment.

    Some of you might know that over the last few years, I’ve taken up learning to play the piano. I’ve worked pretty hard at it, and have attempted to play a few of the greater works in the piano repertoire. I think I’ve managed to do this by taking a few shortcuts along the way. Even though I’ve had some level of success, ultimately I’m finding that I’m paying the price for taking the shortcuts. Basically, this approach is just not sustainable. By taking these shortcuts, I’ve developed some major flaws in my technique that are proving to be serious impediments for me to move forward. So I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s back to the basics for a while if I really do want to move on and play the greater works.

    I ran into an interesting article written by an erudite fellow named Iain McGilchrist, who is a practicing psychiatrist. I believe he studied English literature at Oxford, so has quite a range of intellectual pursuits. He’s had a keen interest in the field of consciousness and has recently written a book entitled, "The Master and his Emissary." I learned of him from a recent article he wrote entitled, "The Battle of the Brain: The Mind’s Great Conflict Spills Over Onto the World Stage." The focus of this fascinating article relates to the overall architecture of the brain—the fact that there are two highly articulated, distinct hemispheres, each with its own distinct province of specialty. He raises the question, why are there two hemispheres if it’s true that every thinking function is served by both. Why the division?

    Now this idea of a division of labor by brain hemispheres is nothing new. I recall a popular book written a number of years ago entitled "Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain," which explored the idea of tapping into a vastly underutilized portion of consciousness focused by the right hemisphere. Some thirty years later there is now substantial neuropsychological evidence to indicate that the right hemisphere plays a very unique part in the way consciousness perceives the world. Generally speaking, it is the right hemisphere that pays wide open attention to the world, seeing the whole, whereas the left hemisphere is adept at focusing on detail. The right hemisphere is adept at processing new experience, seeing things in context. It tends to see various parts of our world as inseparably interconnected. It is comfortable with the implicit—in other words, with something implied rather than expressly stated. It sees the world as more complex and nuanced, not so much in black and white terms. It is responsible for all that is nonverbal and metaphorical. It deals with the ironic and with humor. It is at ease with ambiguity and the idea of opposites, and is comfortable with the idea that opposites may be compatible.

    The left hemisphere on the other hand processes information that is predictable. It is very much detail-oriented. For that reason it can be narrowly focused. It tends to isolate what it sees. It is relatively blind to things that can be conveyed only indirectly, and likes to pin down meaning unambiguously. We know the left hemisphere plays a crucial role in our ability to learn and utilize language. The left hemisphere is adept at accumulating knowledge within a closed system. It tends to be literalistic—letter of the law type of thinking.

    So the two hemispheres embody two very different types of conscious function. Perhaps if we were to make some judgments about it, we could say the right hemisphere might have more of a spiritual bent to it. Maybe we should be focusing on trying to use more of the right side of our brains. The fact is, all of the functions I’ve enumerated, whether right-brain or left-brain, are absolutely essential for us to live our lives and accomplish what we’ve come to do. It all gets back to this matter of balance. How is it that these disparate factors in consciousness, segregated across the hemispheres can harmoniously work together in a balanced way, to allow authentic and accurate mental function to be known? In right connectedness, both hemispheres are necessary and rightly work together in harmony and cooperation to optimally provide a blending of the different types of consciousness, allowing the fullness of I Am to be expressed.

    The intriguing part of Dr. McGilchrist’s article is his exploration of literature, and the arts to reveal a definite power struggle between the two brain hemispheres down through the ages. He makes the case that artistic expression on the part of human beings is quite reflective of what is going on in consciousness. On this basis, the balance of power between the hemispheres has apparently been shifting back and forth over the millennia. In fact right now, in our times, it seems that the left hemisphere has gotten the upper hand. Maybe he’s right. We see the evidence of this manifesting in all spheres of human activity. Everywhere we turn there is conflict—conflict based in divisions. Increasingly there is the shrillness of separation, of extreme partisanship—one political party against another, one special interest group against another, one culture against another—we’re right and they’re wrong and never the twain shall meet. However, we can contrast that experience, the strictly left-brained experience, with something Alan mentioned a couple of weeks ago. He mentioned that everyone is part of the Archangelic Body, therefore are part of our ministry, and we are part of theirs. This is quite a different view altogether—a view of unity, of wholeness, of oneness.

    In reading this article I was thinking that yes, there’s a huge problem if the two hemispheres are at war with one another. However, the problem is not that there are two hemispheres. The problem is the missing connecting substance. From my perspective, the design of the two hemispheres is a masterpiece of spiritual technology. Even though the right hemisphere might seem to be more spiritually enlightened, I personally prefer having my full brain! Human consciousness is only useful to the extent that there is sufficient connecting substance allowing the hemispheres to work seamlessly together. So I say to myself, let it begin with me. I take responsibility for the generation of fine substance in my moment to moment living. I take responsibility to allow what is seemingly a state of conflict, what apparently is irreconcilably separate, into something that is Whole and genuinely useful. Once there is a sufficient reservoir of fine substance, the balancing power of Spirit is quite up to the task of configuring the optimal composition of factors to allow the intelligence of I Am to be known. So I say, let spiritual poise be known in our living. It’s truly a matter of getting back to basics, and it’s the only way that the greater works will ever be done. Let the experience of grace, harmony, balance, and spiritual intelligence be our experience now and in the days ahead.