THE DANCE OF THE DUALITIES

We’ve been exploring the above-below duality, and as the descending heaven energy merges with the ascending earth energy, we understand that opposites are actually connected, that there’s a meeting point in the middle where we can have a new experience of integration and comfort with paradox. We now begin to notice all kinds of polarities—heaven-hell, life-death, masculine-feminine, inside-outside, left-right, black-white, young-old, smart-stupid, beautiful-ugly, winner-loser, good-evil—and how much will power it takes to keep opposites separate, since they naturally want to flow into and become each other like the figure-eight flow of the yin-yang symbol.

This highlights the blockages to that figure-eight flow wherever they exist in us—our fixations and resistances. We see them more easily as they appear in others, and we experience heightened emotion concerning the pressure to loosen up and expand our views. We’re now exploring the inside-outside duality, comparing ourselves to others, feeling threatened, blaming and judging—so we also activate the better-worse, attraction-repulsion, aggression-defense, possession-rejection polarities.

At this point we develop problems with social interaction and relationships, more divorce, war, legal conflicts, problems between parents and children, and a desire for the perfect partner or soulmate who we model after the most beautiful celebrity du jour. There is a rise of criticalness, argumentativeness, condemnation, and the desire to reject what we don’t like. Symptoms include road rage, hate crimes, vanity, voyeurism, reality TV, bipartisan pundits, caustic and humorous talkshow hosts, and parenting and relationship gurus.

We learn we can’t avoid polarities we don’t like, but must allow every option to be part of life. We embrace the concept of “mirroring,” where what’s in me is also in you in some way, and vice versa. As we learn to own both sides of any duality, we feel how they flow into, turn into, and feed each other supportively. As this occurs, we receive energy and information from the parts of ourselves we previously rejected, and information overload intensifies even more.

We also become more understanding and tolerant, less reactionary. Where there is the figure-eight flow between parts of a duality, blockages are dissolved and the soul can come through. We can now see similarities between people, and are able to hold differences as interesting and valuable. As exclusive either-or thinking changes to inclusive both-and thinking, we’re able to comfortably hold paradox and complexity without fragmenting our understanding.

As we continue to connect what is inside us and outside us, and find similarities everywhere, we see that what’s personal is also impersonal because everything I (or you) experience can be experienced by everyone. This means we can be more personally involved in global issues, and less obsessed with holding a narcissistic view of ourselves as isolated victims.

We also understand the “law of correlation;” because we know the inside and outside aren’t separate, if a thought occurs to us, it also must be occurring, or soon will, as an event in our world. If a dramatic event happens to us, conversely, we can assume there is a corresponding thought or belief inside that brought that event into our awareness. This teaches us to “read our reality” for clues about what’s going on inside us and to pay attention to how what we think patterns our reality. We’re interested in things like feng shui, mediation and communication gurus, the power of positive thinking, and ceremony.

An outgrowth of our work on relationships and their varied characteristics is much new understanding about masculine-yang and feminine-yin energies, and the left and right brain. We learn how to balance ourselves with equal development of our receptive, intuitive, sourcing side and our active, focusing, manifesting side so our perception can be more fluid, creative, and perpetually renewed.

As we understand the balance of yang and yin consciousness, we draw parallels between these internal qualities and the external male-female gender dynamics in relationships. There is a new awareness about what’s possible in a relationship between two internally balanced people, along with new behavior possibilities for both genders. Symptoms of this are role reversals for men and women, Mars-Venus archetypes, increased visibility of the gay-lesbian population, bisexuality, backlashes against women’s rights, and homophobia.

The Revelations: Things I’ve held as opposite are really two versions of one idea! Each opposite keeps its mate in existence! I can have-be both rather than one or the other! My relationships can be more enlightened!

The Choice: I will flow; I will not be stuck in polarized positions. I will personally experience whatever I resist and thus dissolve the charge I have about it.

Copyright by Penney Peirce