"Peace Maker", collage by Licia Berry 2006
Holding Oneness and the Parts; the Balance of the Universe at Work
The see-sawing of opinions on either end of a far-ranging spectrum of late has me thinking. Since the nature of this universe is balance, the further away we are from one another on the scale the more counter-balancing has to occur to fulfill the model of the universe.
I’m seeing this today as folks are responding to the elections yesterday. Whatever their viewpoint may be (and whether I agree with them or not), many of them are speaking in staunch terms about their opinion about “the way things should be”.
If we want to be Source-like in our behavior, we will hold the space for all thoughts, all ideas, all opinions, all religions, politics traditions, cultures….ALL THINGS. Because that is what Oneness IS.
We can hold the space for someone to disagree with us, even while maintaining our own opinion, while simultaneously being grateful for the other’s opinion that counters ours. Because the universe operates in inherent balance, we can thank the other person for providing immediate physical evidence of the mysterious inner workings of the universe. We can acknowledge one another’s opinion without judgment, collapse into laughter and Oneness, and give them a big hug!
The more Source-like we are, the more we are able to hold all things in this way, whether we agree with them or not.
If we have become attached to our opinion, however, or become averse to another’s, we move away from the Oneness perspective. When we become convinced of our rightness, we harden the boundaries around our individual nature, and lose our feeling of connectedness. It becomes more difficult to have empathy, to see that it is alright for other points of view. It becomes harder to stay centered in the face of a world that does not necessarily agree with our “rightness’, and so we become afraid, and retreat even further into our perspective, forming a hard shell to protect us.
But are we really so fragile? Is that the truth?
From a place of Wholeness, we are not frightened or threatened by another perspective besides our own. We see and honor it, and respond to it from a neutral and balanced place, a non-judgmental place, and observer’s place. We bow to the other’s unique perspective just as we bow to our own.
Sure, I have opinions about the way I’d like to see things go…and to me, they seem pretty cool! But the universe does not say I am right. It holds my opinion just as it holds all others, equally, justly. However stanchly I hang on to that opinion, there is someone on the other end of the scale holding the opposing viewpoint…because that is the way this universe works. In balance.
If we can stay in the place of appreciation and wonder for the marvelous diversity of the Whole, we are modeling Source-like behavior) and feeling more connected to the Oneness as a result.) When we lose that sense of connection by becoming over identified with our individuated nature, we can feel lost, hopeless, despairing, and even angry.
If the goal is to feel peaceful, then perhaps taking our cues from Source and being BOTH the Oneness which holds the space for All Things AND the individuated perspective is a path to consider!
