This is part of a series exploring the seven lower Sephirot (spheres) of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. These spheres are the seven core emotions that drive human interaction.
This week we are exploring the sephirah of Tiferet, which is about creating beauty, harmony, and balance.
when disruption comes
maintain equanimity
to find harmony
The sphere of Netzach is about sustainability, endurance, and victory. It speaks to our willpower, persistence, and perseverance. Netzach is always driving toward a longer-term vision or goal with its eye on the prize. This sphere is all about navigating the obstacles that get in the way.
At Netzach of Tiferet, our task is to navigate the obstacles that interfere with achieving and sustaining harmony and balance.
It seems fitting that this week of Tiferet is landing on a week where the planets are aligning to inflict some big disruption.
My life right now does not feel very harmonious. And of course that just gives me fuel for the practice.
What Obstacles Interfere With Harmony?
The first task is to identify when I’m not in harmony and the obstacles that interfere with harmony.
Signs that I’m out of harmony include the spinning voices in my head and the judgments about whether I’m on the right path or whether what I’m doing is effective. I feel the need for control.
Emotions like anger in all its forms tend to arise: frustration, annoyance, irritation.
The discordance is internal and often unrelated to the outer disruption.
For me it is often caused by rigidity of expectations, trying to be and do everything at once, and getting caught up in resistance.
So what happens when I’m feeling like life is disrupted?
How to Endure in Harmony
*How do I sustain harmony when my world is disrupted and everything feels like it’s disintegrating?*
Here are 5 things that help me sustain inner harmony when my world feels disrupted:
(1) Stop Resisting
Resistance uses up more energy than the obstacle itself. When I’m in resistance, I’m completely disassociated from myself and not focused on my long-term goal.
Anytime I find myself wanting things to be different from how they are, I know I’m in resistance.
In each week of this journey so far, I have learned a lesson that the path to harmony is to allow what is here to be here. Nothing is permanent.
(2) Maintain Equanimity
Equanimity is the mental position of non-attachment and non-investment in what’s happening. It avoids telling a story. Nothing is “good” or “bad.” It just is.
The truth is that we don’t know what will turn out to be for “good” and what will turn out of be “bad.”
The disruption and “derailment” could be the thing that takes me off the path that wasn’t meant for me, and steers me to the path that is my true destiny.
This is a long game, and sometimes things look a lot different as the context shifts.
(3) Detach From Outcome
Attaching to a particular outcome from a particular effort is one of the best ways to lose my inner sense of harmony and my motivation to persist in my efforts.
Think about this:
If you feel like what you’re doing “is not working” then why would you continue doing it?
When I start to feel overwhelmed and annoyed with what I’m doing, I return to the basics of my practice.
(4) Refrain From Self-Critique
I try my best not to think about or judge whether my work is “good” or “effective.”
Thinking that I’m not doing my best work is another invitation for the resistance to convince me to stop doing what I’m doing.
For example, with my blog, maybe what I’m doing right now is not my best work. But it’s certainly better than not sharing any work.
In the context of my workouts, maybe they’re not effective. But showing up to practice is better than not showing up. I choose to believe that if I continue to show up consistently then eventually my mediocre will improve. And when it does, I’ll be in place to capture it.
(5) Find My Center
Even—especially—in the midst of big life disruptions, I make sure to carve out at least some time each day for practices that bring me back to my center and silence the voices in my head.
Devoting time to self-care is essential. Self care can include things like:
- a few minutes to sit in stillness, or take a walk around the block
- physical practices that reconnect my mind and body
- passive healing modalities like sound healing or yoga nidra
- breathwork
- being in nature
Anything that creates space for deep listening, so I can listen to the inner voices and hear what they need, and attune myself to the peace that lives within.
How do you sustain harmony when your life feels out of tune?
Join Me Live
Each week during this Omer journey I am hosting a live interactive community gathering.
This is a space for deeper exploration of the week’s theme and how it’s showing up for you. There will be opportunity for connection, sharing, and reflection.
The calls are on Thursdays at 12–1:30 pm EST.
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