Enlightenment. Clarity. Everything in its rightful place. Philosophers, sages, and mystics have all spoken about such experiences. The Jewish prophet Isaiah captured the thought when he announced, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined." I've had such moments of enlightenment and they're pretty cool. I wish I lived in enlightenment all the time but I don't.
In past times, Jane and I have enjoyed hill climbing, hiking the English Lake District and up to the Great Wall of China. Climbing the steep hill, as the mist descends you see barely a few meters in front of you. Beyond that, objects are too indistinct to make out. Then suddenly the mist lifts and you see the summit. Exhilaration! Clarity! Everything makes sense! As the midst descends again, you climb with a renewed sense of purpose. One time, as we reached the summit of the Old Man of Coniston, deep midst descended and we could not see clearly the way down. It was a little scary as we tentatively searched for the pathway marked by stone cairns. When the way is unclear and you can't see the path ahead, you need persistence until the mist lifts and you can see clearly again.
I've wondered whether such moments of clarity just happen willy nilly, or whether we can do something, if not to make them happen, at least to encourage them?
With a little self-reflection it seems to me that I have more moments of clarity when I am in balance—physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally and spirituality.
At the risk of writing like a middle schooler, I'm going to change the metaphor from mountains to gardens. I am my own little ecosystem. My garden is my body, my relationships with other people, the complex of the mind where I feel, think and choose, and my spirit—my essence, which I'd like to define but can't. I suspect that moments of clarity arise most often when my ecosystem is in balance, when I have well tended my garden. All in the garden plays a part in a balanced ecosystem
When I am physically exhausted, lacking energy, or when I have over-indulged in food and drink, then I know my body is not in balance and the ecosystem is disturbed. When the ecosystem is disturbed then I am aware that I am more dull and less clear. When my body is in balance through good food, moderation, and exercise it's like tilling the ground for the plants to grow unhindered. Body affects mind and spirit. Thinking, feeling and choosing well depend on the balance of my whole person. Relationships, too, play a part. If I nurture good relationships and have a sense of mutual well-being with those I am close to, then moments of clarity are more frequent. Toxic relationships sap energy and cloud my thinking, how I feel and the kind of choices I make.
I tend my garden by providing good food for the mind in reading, watching, listening, conversation and music, good nourishment for the body with healthy food and exercise, and sustenance for the spirit in some form of spiritual practice. For me, that practice includes taijiquan, meditation, daily morning and night prayer, and consulting the Yijing. When all is taken care of, when my ecosystem is in balance, then I can expect more moments of enlightenment.
Switching metaphors again, here's to those times when the mist lifts and we see more clearly!
+Ab. Andy