Navigating the Polarities of our Time

I don't typically make a habit of discussing politics within my practice, as I deeply honor the fact that my clients span a wide range of political affiliations. However, my clients are coming into my office with heightened fears about the amplified division of our country and I couldn't help but reflect on the polarities work I often discuss in my lectures.

When we find ourselves immersed in an environment rife with fear and division, it can feel overwhelming, and disorienting. However, we must remember that these negatively-charged emotions represent just one end of the proverbial battery—the negative pole. In order to restore balance, both within ourselves and in our broader society, we have to be willing to confront the opposite end of the spectrum. What’s the opposite end of the battery?

The only ways we can balance on a seesaw are either with two people, one on each end (+/-) with equal and opposite force, or one person straddling the middle, with one foot on each side (+/-). If we are only willing to see the negative side of what’s happening, the seesaw will remain imbalanced and unable to work. We must find a way to balance at the fulcrum—to sit in neutrality. And the only way to do that, is to accept we also need to acknowledge the positive side of the battery.

I know it’s hard for some to consider but if you’re willing to stretch for a moment, ask yourself: what might be an opposite thought we haven’t yet considered about this current situation?

Many of us might instinctively respond that the antithesis of fear is trust or love, and the antithesis of division is unity. But as my teacher has advised, those lofty ideals of love and unity are actually ascended (neutral) states—they sit at the fulcrum. The true opposing forces to fear and division may in fact be something more like infatuation and clinging.

Where might you be clinging to the past or to a way of thinking? This level of self-reflection is critical if we hope to move beyond the current polarities of our time and rediscover a path toward genuine unity and wholehearted love at the center.

The road ahead may seem daunting, but the reflections imparted by my clients has inspired me to approach this challenging chapter with renewed humility and openness. I am taking time each day to consider what I am clinging to. I encourage you to do the same—to search inward for the areas where you may feel polarized and strive to move towards ascension. Only then can we transcend the divisiveness of the present and reclaim our shared humanity.