How does it feel to truly live in balance? It's a compelling question, especially in this election year of high-stakes, below-the-belt campaigning. But the more out of balance the world seems, the more important it is to find balance within ourselves. The Huichol believe that balance rests on four powers -- love, intuition, intelligence and physical strength. With these four powers in balance, we can live life with no limits.
The Huichol can quickly sense when a person is out of balance: theirs is a culture with balance at its core. But there are countless examples of imbalance in our own culture. The star athlete, driving himself so hard he seems to hate his own body: he has abundant physical strength, but no love to nurture himself with. The actress, undergoing excessive surgery in a fruitless chase for youth: she lacks the intuition to understand she is ultimately doing herself harm. Leaders, so steeped in their own power that they disrespect everyone else, lacking the intelligence to live in grace.
But with love, intuition, physical power, and intelligence all in balance, each power does its part to take care of us. It's an entirely different state of being that brings us longevity, confidence, resilience, and success.
Love is the strongest, according to the Huichol, and the foundation for developing the three others. It's far more than sentiment; it's all-encompassing, enabling us to make positive, self-supporting choices. It gives us spiritual strength, physical power, and good thoughts about life. Consider how it feels to be surrounded by a loving community: you feel like you can do anything. It's a power we can embrace, grounding our souls, and enabling us to pursue our goals.
Intuition helps guide us: it's that part of our higher self that's connected to wisdom, knowledge, and an awareness of who we truly are. Often overlooked in this modern world, it dwells in all of us: a psychic ability, or an inner instinct, that comes from our hearts. That's what we need to do: when we're facing a crossroads, listen to our hearts, not our minds. It's the heart that tells us what we truly need to know.
Intelligence is about living our lives the right way (it's not about book smarts, or memorizing facts). It's about being a good person, living in harmony and balance, not abusing our power. With intelligence, we can take positive actions that have healing effects on the world. Intelligence brings peace to your soul, so there are no regrets, guilt, or rehashing past mistakes. We can stand behind our actions, feeling at peace.
Physical strength is different for everyone (we're all built differently), but it's good for all of us. It will help improve muscle and joint functions, increase bone density, elevate sinking hormone levels, and create a sense of well-being with far-reaching benefits. That flush of post-workout contentment actually boosts our immune system and, in cases of chronic illness, helps reverse conditions. Physical strength brings natural resiliency to body and soul, and connects us to the physical "body" of Mother Earth.
There are many ways to bring these powers into our lives. Here's a simple, four-step exercise drawn from Huichol Shamanic wisdom:
1. Sit down comfortably. Imagine the four powers as dwelling the four directions: north, south, east, and west. Start by visualizing the nerika -- the soul's doorway -- as a circle that connects you outward, literally and emotionally, into those four directions.
2. Travel into the circle. Visualize a deer -- your higher self and guide --in the center, guiding you towards the east, and look for the image of the rising sun, bursting through clouds.
3. Ask the deer to bring any one of the four powers into your circle of life, whether you want to start with love, intuition, intelligence, or physical strength.
4. With each power, imagine it coming into your circle from a different direction. Imagine the deer guiding it into your own heart, and experience the feeling each brings:
- For love, imagine a profound sense of joy and connection, and feeling embraced by all life.
- For intuition, imagine you are plugged into the entire universe, filled with psychic power.
- For intelligence, imagine there is a force, conscious or unconscious, guiding your every action and decision
- For physical strength, feel your body connected energetically, physically, and emotionally to the body of Mother Earth.
Practice this simple ritual often. Whenever you have a quiet moment, bring these four powers into your circle, your heart, and your life. With them in balance, you can achieve what you never thought possible.
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First published at mindbodygreen.com