Shakespeare wrote: "All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts..." This is true not only for our individual journeys, but for the journey of humanity. As humans, we often accept facts as the goal and fail to assimilate them beyond our intellectual center into the emotional and moving centers from which it can morph into understanding. If we observe information from all sides, that is, think about what we think we know, we awaken the Emotional Center. We can begin to experience emotions that are not our usual fare. This can enable us to step outside what we've accepted as our truth into a new understanding. However, our intentions will have a profound effect on the result.
Masculine and Feminine Energies
In our world today, there are many situations giving us the opportunity to step back and apperceive or comprehend new ideas by assimilating them with the sum of one's previous knowledge and experience. Engaging the Intellectual and Emotional Centers with an open and receptive mind, we can begin to see the forest of change rather than the trees of discontent. Here in the United States, we are experiencing a global change in our own unique way through the current political scene. If we step back, we can observe that as Shakespeare said, the players here are only fulfilling their roles. We have for centuries manifested a society that reflects a dependence on the masculine energy rather than incorporating the feminine energy. As individuals we have both energies within; however, one tends to dominate over the other as it has with our nation. It is time, however, to embrace the change toward a more healthy balance.
Consider these perspectives: /integrating; individual/collective; external focus/internal focus; speaking/listening; competitive/collaborative; cause and effect/ relationships. These perspectives illustrate the two energies: masculine and feminine. Both have value, but it is easier to embrace one or the other rather than searching for a way to meld the energies into a force that expresses positive forward motion. When we accept the easy route and fight against the movement toward the collaboration of the two by engaging in the extremes of the intellect or the emotions, we find ourselves experiencing unnecessary setbacks.
The Three Forces
When I began stepping back far enough I could observe a situation without wallowing in negative emotions or intellectual piety, both pushing me to fight against, I began experiencing more positive outcomes in my life. Of course, I don’t always succeed because I am a work in progress.
There are two forces which impact the result of all action. Isaac Newton told us in his Law of Motion that “To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.” This is true in physics, but it is also true in the motion that comes about through our thoughts and beliefs. First Force is active or positive. Second Force is passive or negative. Third Force is the Conciliatory Force and comes about based on the energy we invest in either First Force or Second Force.
Think about it like this: Let’s say you desire to open your own business. It’s common practice to expose the pros and cons on paper. If you’re committed to the process, you will reveal First Force in your pros and Second Force in your cons. How many times have you heard someone say, “The cons outweighed the pros, and I just could not justify moving forward”?
The truth is that in your positive expression of a desire [to open a business], First Force was created. In listing the cons, you acknowledged the existence of the opposition within your own psyche to this desire, which is Second Force. The Third Force is the weight you assign to each column, hopefully utilizing both your Intellectual and Emotional Centers. If “the cons outweigh the pros” and you decide against opening a business, then you have created the Third or Conciliatory Force you are committing to take. If you conclude that the pros outweigh the cons, then you will be committing to a different Conciliatory Force that is compatible with your true beliefs at present.
Our American Stage
In recent years, these forces are playing out on a stage in which I had not been an active participant. At the end of the last century, the Clinton Administration with its record of the longest economic expansion in American history, gun safety laws, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and a plethora of other community-focused accomplishments represented First Force as the dominant balance. Unfortunately, as the years have passed, the undesirable shift toward Second Force that has been emerging for decades in this country and the world found its stride in the election of Trump in 2016.
Unfortunately, many of those representing First Force or positive change allowed themselves to become complacent in this century. Positive change is hard work; whereas negativity only requires an ear for propaganda and a susceptibility to sheep mentality or blindly following others without having to think for oneself. There is a proverb which says that empty vessels make the most noise. In other words, those with the least knowledge and talent are the quickest to make loud noise. This attribute often overwhelms those who desire positive change, causing us to withdraw our energies. The next four years did wake up sufficient numbers of people to stem the shift enough to move away from the representative of a dominant Second Force in 2020.
We cannot look at this situation without examining another influencing factor. As with most things in the world, there are extremes on both sides of any stance. In our politics, those extremes on both the right and the left are making the effort to achieve a balance that will serve all people in our nation nearly impossible. The left extreme wants forward movement at a fast pace without any consideration of the stance of the right. The right extreme focuses on controls to forestall any actions of the left. Though these extreme views are not representative of either side, both are obstructing any movement toward establishing a Third Force or Conciliatory Force which will serve the good of all. They may have different views, but they are both feeding energy into negativity within their own parties and the governance of our nation.
It lies with those who are not in the extremes to recognize that the divide is not Democrat versus Republican. It is those who desire to serve all the people of our nation versus those who are focused on personal gain and power.
Shifting the balance of the dominating force on our lives toward positive change both individually and collectively, can only happen if enough of us are willing to step back and see what is really happening. We must involve both our Intellectual and Emotional Centers before invoking our Moving Centers (taking action). If we continue to allow ourselves to be mesmerized by the negativity and sniping, we are giving our energy to the resistance for positive change (Second Force). One can see clearly how this struggle is taking place around the world.
Chemicalization
This is not just about what is happening “out there.” It is a process that must occur within each of us to grow spiritually, which in turn enhances our life. This process is call Chemicalization. Below is an essay I wrote for my book Metaphysical Minute – Philosophy on the Run published in 2005.
“The term chemicalization comes from the word chemistry. Chemistry is defined as "the science of dealing with reactions by which substances are converted into other substances." Chemicalization in your life has the same basic purpose. It is the process that occurs when your desire for spiritual growth demands that you confront your reactive states of mind so that you can create something new in your life.
Every part of your life has structure. Every bad relationship, for example, has a structure that has built up around it. This structure is very complex. Some of the things it includes are your attitudes, the value you place on yourself, your expectations, and usually a myriad of material things. If you want to change your negative experience into a positive one, you will have to deal with the complex structure of that bad relationship.
In the process of changing, however, you must let go of the fixed ideas that keep re-creating the same experiences over and over. Unfortunately, it means that you will have to travel into unfamiliar territory. This is scary for most people. Sometimes it gives you the same feeling you get in the pit of your stomach just before the roller coaster goes over the crest of the hill for that terrifying race to the bottom. After all, that's why you're really afraid, isn't it? You're afraid that if you change, things will just get worse, that it will be downhill all the way. It's true. They could get worse, but since you are the creator of your life, that's pretty much up to you!
The most important thing to remember about chemicalization is that "this, too, shall pass." It is just part of the structure of change, making it a positive experience. Learning to adjust and fine-tune the new situations that enter your life and to always keep your focus on your desire for growth [First Force] will keep your life from being a roller coaster ride.”
©Dannye Williamsen