The Miracle of Balance

For many years now I've enjoyed getting my day "started right" with my daily miracles workbook lessons and remembering to practice them throughout each day. More recently however, I have also made a commitment to eat better, lose weight, exercise every morning and walk my dog in nature for one hour every afternoon (and a few other things).

Initially this may sound like a lot in addition to my normal daily activities such as working at my day job, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping and all of the other daily pressures and duties life imposes, and in a way it is. But I've also found that in addition to my "normal" daily responsibilities these are actually the things that I love to do, as well as some of the things that help me to keep sane.

In fact, as A Course in Miracles student, one of the biggest lessons I've learned (the hard way) is the importance of maintaining a proper life balance.

The Buddha taught this valuable lesson in his instruction to follow the "middle way." After starving himself and immersing himself so deeply in his aesthetic spiritual practice where he nearly died, he discovered the simple realisation that he is after all not just a spiritual being, but a spiritual being having a (perceived) physical experience.

I found the acceptance of this idea removed in myself for many years and have also noticed that it is an idea that is still missing in many ACIM students. Yes, we understand that the Course teaches us, "I am not a body, I am free," but more often than not we (subconsciously) misinterpret this idea to mean that we should dismiss the body and the physical experience as "not real."

Still, although it might be an illusion metaphysically speaking, the Course reminds us that our path is a course in miracles, not a course in denial. It encourages us to recognise that our magic, money, pills, etc. are illusory, but at the same time also acknowledges that at this stage in our evolution to deny our belief in them as helpful would be "a particularly unworthy form of denial."

I have personally known ACIM students that have experienced tremendous guilt, frustration, sickness and even clinical depression in spite of their dedicated spiritual practice because they simply failed to fully understand the importance of maintaining a BALANCED outlook on life within "the dream."

I myself experienced this when I put so much focus on my spiritual practice, I gained 30 pounds and as a result, hormonal imbalances, mood swings, foggy thinking and various aches and pains all over my body. It took me several years to fully embrace the idea of living what the Course calls "the Happy Dream."

In this state we go to work, we eat, sleep, pay our bills and do all the things that the world expects of us, yet we find a balance in all of these things. We gain a deeper understanding of the reality that even as we live and act as the world does, it is the joy of truth we carry within our hearts that allows us to be IN the world but not OF the world.

The ego would love to have us feel deprived of all the world has to offer as a result of this mindset. And, it can easily accomplish this when we allow it to use our spiritual practice as a means to slap our wrists for partaking of the things of the world. But Jesus said, it is not for us to transcend the world, but to LOVE the world.

We can do this when we first love ourselves by living a balanced, healthy and joyful life. We can do this when we laugh and play, study and pray. We can do this when we eat right, exercise and stop feeling guilty for being in a body. We can do this when we allow ourselves to have a human experience.

In the world of form, proper diet, exercise and recreation can have a great beneficial effect on our sense of well-being. In other words, we simply feel better when we engage in a balanced earthly lifestyle. God's only Will for us is to BE happy. I suggest we hereby give ourselves permission to accept and look forward to a wonderful new year!