The Power of Equanimity

In my last edition of Practicing the Future, I left you with the news that I was going on retreat and entering the unknown. It was not the trip I expected. For three weeks I experienced chaos, strange polarities of healing and severe illness, of love and discord. It was a trip into the Underworld and I still haven’t recovered. I’ve been trying to get back into this work, but have lacked energy, focus and will. Finally today I remembered one of the allies of spiritual practice – Equanimity.

This seems a good reminder for us all as the world “out there” grows more threatening. Not only are we being pressured by the rise of authoritarian leaders, the peril of a third world war, possible nuclear annihilation and the looming doom of our climate crisis, but now we have a disease threatening to become a pandemic, possibly wiping out millions of people and destroying the global economy. There is much to fear right now, yet this is the very thing we must avoid.

I mentioned in January that this year will test the mettle of humanity. Pluto is offering us the possibility of total transformation through an evolution of personal and collective consciousness. We are being asked to grow, to awaken, to step into Spiritual Adulthood. If we can accomplish this, the transformation of our world will follow. The process is painful and fearful and intense. The daily assaults on our psyches are breaking us down, opening cracks in our fixed minds, tugging at doors to our hearts, preparing the way for change. We are being compressed into diamonds by the unrelenting pressure of our physical reality.

This is the process and it’s our job to endure it, to survive it and to evolve through it. So we need all the tools and support we can get. According to the teachings of mysticism, there are qualities of consciousness that we can cultivate that will strengthen our spiritual practice and build our resilience. I mentioned the first of these in January – Innocence. To practice innocence we let go of our preconceptions and admit that we truly don’t know. This opens the door to the unknown where anything is possible, especially in times of chaos.

It’s tempting to envision devastating scenarios. I found myself doing it with the Coronavirus and the more I indulged, the more fear grew in my core. Fear is a very low vibration. That doesn’t mean it isn’t strong, just that it operates at a low frequency. Its products are dense and destructive. Fear is our greatest enemy, the one that will make us weak, literally disempower our immune systems, infect our choices, taint our relationships and shatter our inner peace. We can fight back by cultivating equanimity. It is defined as “mental calmness, composure, evenness of temper especially in a difficult situation.” In a spiritual context equanimity is much more. It is the clarity and inner peace that comes with stillness, and stillness itself is a gateway to inner depth.

Think of consciousness as an ocean. The surface experiences squalls, choppy waves, fierce winds. But in the depth it is silent and peaceful. Its stillness is only slightly affected by the movement of sea creatures. We can access this depth of calm in meditation. The key is to be absolutely still. That means not moving our bodies – not scratching itches, adjusting posture – and not being moved by the contents of consciousness. The mind will offer up thoughts that beckon us to follow them, but we remain still and let that little fish swim on by. Thoughts can bring up feelings, but we are not moved. We are neither attracted to good ideas, nor repelled by bad ones. We are only interested in stillness.

As we practice stillness, we open the way to inner depth. We leave behind the tempest raging out there and rest in peace. The more we practice peace, the more we can absorb its healing impact. Our nervous system gets soothed. We become more grounded in our bodies, less agitated and reactive. Connection to this inner peace provides enormous strength. Equanimity is a spiritual power. We can rely upon it to hold us up through stormy times.

In a state of equanimity, we perceive more clearly, we make wiser choices, we radiate a peaceful vibration that has an impact on those around us. It becomes easier to dismiss fearful thoughts because equanimity functions at a much higher frequency. In a state of equanimity our immune systems function properly. The psychosomatic environment is conducive to well-being. We become a source of sanity and comfort to others.

So set aside 20-30 minutes every day to truly love and care for yourself by providing your mind and body with an infusion of equanimity. Turn off your phone, close the door and sit in absolute stillness. Quiet your body and your mind. Spirit will take care of the rest.