|
Centers and Balancing Them
(This article is by Matthew Spears, validated by Karen's channeling. It contains some key extensions to what has been said before.)
Centers
are a concept that is intuitively known to everyone. We know almost
immediately when interacting with someone: Is this person a "head"
person? Or are they a "heart" person or a "body-centric" person. This
is the intuitive knowledge of centers everyone has.
Expanding this, centers essentially little energetic “computers” in
which the experiences we live are filtered, processed, and delivered to
our consciousness. There are 7 centers in all, although there are
mainly three most people consciously interact with on a regular
basis. These three are essentially summed up as "heart, mind, and
body". In the Michael system, these correspond to the emotional,
intellectual, and moving centers. The Gurdjieff system - and many other systems, such as NLP - also have analogous concepts.
This article will mostly deal with these 3 most commonly used centers and partly with the Instinctive center. The
instinctive center, loosely speaking, is the center that supports all
the other centers by keeping the body alive and keeping records of
experiences. The remaining 3 centers – Higher Intellectual, Higher Emotional, and Higher Moving centers – are explained elsewhere. However, balancing the 3 “lower” centers is an effective tool to enable you to access the higher centers.
One interpretation of why they are called “centers” is that we tend to “center” our consciousness in one of them. Thus an “intellectually centered person” will interpret all experiences through this perceptual lens. Emotions
could be categorized, labeled, psychoanalyzed, and even considered “not
valid” unless the reasons for them are understood. A
moving-centered person would listen to what the body says, store
information in the body, and listen to the intuitive wisdom of the body
more than others.
The concept of centering applies both to the individual as well as to a family, a group, a community, a nation, or a world. The western world is very much intellectually centered, though there are pockets which have other centering. In general, the order of preference of the 3 main centers are:
- Intellectual center: Almost all high paying corporate jobs are primarily based here.
- Moving center: Some athletes are rewarded, and this center is needed to “get things done”.
- Emotional center: Emotions
are recognized, but are often seen as something to “deal with” rather
than use with intelligence, as a form of perception or to enrich one's
life.
Centers are related to chakras, but are not identical. Chakras are gateways
of energy, allowing energetic movement and interaction between the
"outside world" and your own experience. A chakra is not where you
process this energy, but is the conduit of that energy from within to
without and back. There is thus a high level of interaction between centers and their appropriate chakra.
Imbalance in Centers
As mentioned, most people have a “favorite center”. This is usually where they spend the greatest amount of time – perhaps all of their time - operating from. There is nothing wrong with this, as no center is in any way “better” than any other. Each center has its own unique strengths. At
the same time, when one center is relied on to solve everything –
including areas which are not its specialty – imbalances occur. This might be equivalent to using a screwdriver when a wrench is the easiest tool. A
common scenario might be an intellectually centered person in a
relationship fight who insists on being “rational” while denying all
emotions, intuitions, and warmth at that moment.
These imbalances affect health in the body as well. When there is imbalance or blockage, the flow of energy meridians in the body will be affected. There may be a concentration of energy in one area, leading to problems in that area or surrounding ones. Much
of Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture comes from thousands of
years of observing the flow of chi, or energy, in the body, and noting
where the most natural flow is in the body. When energy gets re-routed in areas the body was not designed to handle it, over time illness can occur. This is analogous to what an imbalance of centers is.
Beyond health issues, being imbalanced – and this is the most important aspect - will restrict the perception of what choices are available. If
you are imbalanced towards one center, you will only see possibilities
based in that center, even if they are inappropriate ones. The imbalance creates a buildup of energy that can fixate into patterns of behavior that may not always be appropriate. Thus
in the example of the person insisting on being “rational” above, there
is usually no awareness that there is another way to be. The
consciousness is seated entirely in one center and has no easy routes
to other centers, and so only sees the options from that place.
When it comes to centers, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. This
means that if you have all of intellectual intelligence, emotional
intelligence, and body/world intelligence, you will be a much more
powerful force to the world than three people manifesting each of these. Adding the awareness of the other 4 centers is more powerful still. Balancing
the centers enables a much more regular and clear access to the higher
centers, which are the source of epiphanies and ecstatic religious
experiences.
Connections between Centers
The centers communicate amongst themselves. Because each center has
their own intelligence, each benefit from the very different
intelligence of the others. When used in co-ordination, there is
immense power and wisdom that can be tapped by person. The emotions
may inform the brain of their own wisdom, which then makes a more wider
scope decision than it could have otherwise if it denied any emotional
factors.
Most people have only certain pathways in the connections between
centers open to them. To give an example, one person may be
intellectually centered and base his consciousness there. He may not
be open mentally to listening emotional sensitivities, and thus it is
generally only the intellect that affects emotions, and not vice
versa. There may be a good two-way connection between the body and the
brain (but not the body and emotions). There may also be a strong
emotional memory of certain pain in the past from the instinctive
center, but thoughts of these events are unwanted and blocked. This
may result in a connection flow such as this:
![]()
This is of course a simplified diagram of the connection in this
example (your habitual connections may differ), but it is helpful to
illustrate that connections exist and can be blocked.
The goal of balancing the centers,
or being a balanced human being, is to ensure there is a good two-way
connection between all the centers in the body. Each center listens
and speaks to every other center, and each center performs its natural
function while allowing others to perform in their own strengths.
There is a perfect complimentary nature to all the centers, each
helping the others in its own way. The idea of a 'balanced man' in
Gurdjieff is based on this.
Parts of Centers
Nothing
is an island in itself, and this includes centers as well. There are
thoughts that have much emotional energy, and emotions that are close
to being a thought. In this framework, this is because each center can
be thought of as being itself a spectrum of all the centers, or a
spectrum of 7 parts. (Again, we will focus only on the 3 "lower"
centers here) Thus within the moving center, there exists a spectrum
that covers the energy of all the centers in your body, but with a
moving-centered foundation laid under it. So the emotional part of the moving center would deal with body-centered states and motions that have a definite emotional expression or focus.
The Michael Channel Shepherd Hoodwin has written the following about centers, introducing the part of a center:
Every
center has seven parts of centers, which is a sort of doorway into the
other centers. The parts of centers have the same names as the centers
themselves. So there is an intellectual center, and an intellectual
part of every center. Also, your part of center is like your secondary
centering.
The part of a center is both within the original center as well as part of a connection with the matching center. Thus,
as shown in the diagram, the Intellectual part of the Moving Center
naturally connects with the Moving Part of the Intellectual Center.
If you could imagine each of the
centers in the body, the various parts, and the interconnecting
energies, you would get a picture of immeasurable beauty, a complete
system that is in effect a miniature reproduction of the energies of
the 7 planes of existence. When someone has all the centers connected to each other, there tends to be a great feeling of peaceful completeness. All is well.
Each part of each center has their function. Here is a table of some manifestations of the parts of the 3 more common centers a person might have. It is by no means a comprehensive list.
|
Part of center
|
Manifestation
|
|
Intellectual center, intellectual part
|
Pure thought, abstract theory. Thought for the sake of thought.
|
|
Intellectual center, moving part
|
Planning events and what to do.
|
|
Intellectual center, emotional part
|
Poetry, thought and words with a weight of emotion attached. Psychotherapy.
|
|
Emotional center, intellectual part
|
Awareness of emotions, where they come from, and what they mean.
|
|
Emotional center, moving part
|
Movement of the body as expressing emotions.
|
|
Emotional center, emotional part
|
Pure emotion; crying, joy, perceptual feelings and some energetic sensitivity. Emotions for the sake of emotions.
|
|
Moving center, intellectual part
|
Thoughtful actions, finishing projects, tai chi, movement meditations. Movement with awareness.
|
|
Moving center, moving part
|
Running, pure dance, movement for the sake of movement.
|
|
Moving center, emotional part
|
Emotive expression of the body. Dance, physical theatre, embodying emotions. Catlike movement.
|
When
centers are discovered in someone or are channeled about them, what is
usually given is the main center and the part of that center that is
usually inhabited. In the example above, one's consciousness can be fixated in the moving part of the emotional center. This
is still the intellectual center, but is an aspect of thought that is
focused on getting things done: thoughts about action.
The part becomes the trap
Returning to the connections between
the centers, as mentioned earlier, most people have only a smaller
number of connections active. When
someone’s awareness is based in the Intellectual part of the Moving
Center, this does not necessarily mean their connection to the
Intellectual Center is well established. Often
this connection is blocked to some degree, which means that there is
some blocked energy, and the “part” becomes the “trap”. It is a “trap”
because the majority of a person's focus is spend locked in that part
of the center, with significant inflexibility in accessing the wisdom
of other centers.
For an example, say you were trapped in the Moving part of Intellectual center. In
this trap, the energy that comes from a thought about putting something
in the world would not move into action, nor come out as emotions that
might inspire you further. You might think
over and over thoughts about a plan of action, potential problems,
analysis of other people involved and so on, but not do anything
towards the plan. The impulse stays in the
intellectual center, without using the balancing and completing energy
of the moving and emotional centers. The
trap tends to be a downward spiral, no matter what center it is based
in. In this case, there might be a recognition of procrastination
going on, in which case even more thoughts about doing something about it would form. Rather than solve the blockage in flow between the centers, this places even more energy in the already over-utilized centers. Those in a trap will have thoughts that things aren’t working because they’re not trying hard enough. There is thus more energy spend in doing the same thing with the same method, thinking things will be different.
Another example might be being trapped in the Moving part of Emotional
center. This trap could appear in a number of ways, from always having
a "jittery" feeling, to being very reactive to emotional events. In
essence, there is an immediate emotional reaction to events, and then
there is a reaction in the body (inwardly or outwardly) that keeps one
in an emotional state. Any action that appears tends to be a
frustrative reaction rather than a productive choice, and will have a
strong emotional flavor. The full power of the Moving center has not
been engaged and it is hard to step back and think in a detached manner
about choices when a strong emotion is present. The trap is most
noticeable when the reactions to emotions perpetually create even more
emotions, leading to a life filled with emotional drama.
It is important to see that no trap is "better" than any other. They
are all limitations: of perceptions, of resources, of choice. Society
might have a preference that says it's better to be stuck in the
intellect, but aside from societal preferences there is no 'better'
trap. Some will be more internal than external and are not as obvious
to others who are not closely connected. The only issue is that of
being whole; living more completely in who you are.
Techniques for Balancing
Focusing on the trap
To continue the example above, the solution to this downward spiral is to bypass this trap by moving into other centers. What is normally recommended is moving over to the actual center instead of the part. In the above center, this would mean moving centered activity: going for a walk, exercise, dancing, cleaning, or certain forms of energy work. However, utilizing any other center can often help break this pattern, including higher centers.
Doing non regular activities (e.g., going for a walk in a forest) can
often help anyone stop circular thought or emotional patterns.
Likewise, listening to emotional music and singing along with it can
help intellectual or body patterns. And finally, stopping to do a
Sodoku puzzle can help distance oneself from emotional and body
roadblocks.
The usual downside with using the
method of focusing on the trap is not really the method itself, but how
it is approached : reading material and thinking about “how to
approach” something means that invariably you will be using the
intellectual center somewhat. Having a living teacher can mitigate
this, but most people read this method from books or online. This is
why doing nothing but reading self-help books rarely provides a full
balance; there will always be a thought-based focus.
Balancing the centers again means knowing when and how to access ALL
your natural intelligence at a given time. Some situations call for
certain specialization, and allowing yourself to naturally gravitate to
that portion of your entirety is much more efficient than first moving
to your comfortable or "favorite" center and then struggling to move
from that one to where you really need to be in order to process the
situation you're in. So the trick is, then, is intuitively knowing
what center to use that works for you and having the access and
openings in place to use it without effort. This intuitively knowing
must be intuitive: it cannot, for example, be based in the emotional
center. It is also based in a good communication between the centers
being already in place, so that when one center exclaims "this one's
for me", it is heard.
Therefore, another method is to simply focus on opening these connections.
Building up Inter-center communications
Again, when there is an open, well-used connection between all the
centers, it is far more easy to see all the choices available in every
moment. Like building a highway system between cities, it can take
time and attention to cultivate these connections. They are all
available to all of us in childhood, but for the most part blockages
and decisions cause many interconnections to become unused.
The most basic example is to simply go through all of the parts of
centers in the table above and practice being in them. Practise
moving from center to center as Figure 2 describes: moving from the
part of one center to the part of the related center. (e.g., Emotional
part of Intellectual to Intellectual part of Emotional). After
exploration, ask yourself these questions:
- Were you completely immersed in the experience?
- Was there an extra resource of energy that came?
- Was there a sense of fun and playful exploration?
-
Did you involve other centers? (e.g., if you are exploring the
emotional center and its parts, were you analysing it while doing
something?)
When you are fully immersed in a center, you are tapping in to a
greater resource of energy than is normally available to you. Perhaps
you have seen people participating in tribal African dances. If
someone does not have a background in this very Moving centered
activity, then there will be an attempt to do the movement from another
center. They will think about the moves, and then do the moves while
watching themselves and evaluating. However, there can be a shift in
which suddenly there is no thought about doing it "right" - one simply
dives into the experience of being completely in the body and loving
the motion of limbs, the freedom and play of intense motion. It is at
that moment that the Moving center is fully activated. It is also in
those moments that access to the higher centers are more available.
All centers' energies are more available to you when there is that
sense of immersion and play. University professors usually learn to
play with their thoughts in order to keep the joy and energy going of a
purely intellectual experience. Emoting actors must have a great sense
of play to keep the energy repeated throughout every performance.
Balancing the centers is work, but for it to work, there must be a great deal of play as well.
It is useful in the path of balancing centers to have a series of
exercises that aid in experiencing other centers and communication
between parts of different centers. Again, this is because trying to
learn something exclusively from printed words is a surefire way to
keep yourself in the Intellectual center. Some exercises can be done
alone, but it is recommended to do things in a group, or at least one
other person. It is much easier to trick yourself into keeping to a
familiar center when you're alone. In a group there is a natural play
and family feeling.
Here are some exercises that may help revitalize connection pathways between your centers.
Exercise 1: Instinctive-Moving Center connection
The instinctive center
governs instinct, basis processes of the body, and a repository of
memory. This exercise comes from Vipassana Buddhist meditations.
First, sit (or stand) and do nothing but pay attention to the breath.
For a few movements, watch the inbreah and outbreath. Notice how it
affects every part of your body. Notice the rise and fall of your
chest, the gentle sensations in your nostrils or mouth, and how each
breath creates a tiny motion everywhere in your body. Watch the
impulse to breathe and the internal sensations. Enjoy the moments and,
after some time, play with your breathing. How does pausing at some
point feel? What parts of your body will speak up then? Simply notice
and listen, then go back to playing.
The next part is a moving meditation. You will be noticing your body as it very slowly
walks back and forth in a straight line. Ever so slowly, notice shifts
in your weight. Notice all the movements in your body, from your
breath to how your arms help you keep your balance. Notice the impulse
to move and how it connects to your muscles. Again, play with your
motion and notice the results.
Now,
after this is done, evaluate yourself: did you immerse yourself and
feel alive and in that state of play? Did you become somewhat
childlike? Was there a joy in simply being alive? There is no "right"
way to do this exercise, but these are signs that you are activating
the energy of other centers. If you feel there is still more
connection to be had, find some way to do things differently. There is
always a way to turn a 'chore' of an exercise into a playful
exploration.
Exercise 2: Emotional-Moving Center connections (group)
This exercise must be done
in a group of at least 3 people, preferably 5 or more. Because Western
society is primarily Intellectual centered, this exercise is extremely
beneficial to most people. It also usually creates a good amount of
laughter and fun.
It is something called "impulse passing". It is to be done as quickly
as possible, without pausing to stop for thought or to collect one's
self.
In this exercise, an impulse is simply an emotive sound and a
movement. It can be any combination of the two. The sound should not
be a word, but rather a sound with emotion attached such as "aiiigh!"
or "blech" or "ooOoooo" or an animal-like sound. Again, it can be any sound you wish it to be
so long as it is not a word. The impulse movement should ideally
involve as much of the body as possible and be able to be performed in
about a second. It could be making monkey faces, a mock punch, a
wiggling of the feet or body, pulling one's hair, etc. It should not
touch others, but other than that, anything is allowed.
The group should arrange itself in a circle. The exercise is first
done between adjacent people. An impulse is passed between individuals
by one person showing an impulse, and the other person "receiving" it
by repeating it. The receiver then creates a completely different
impulse to the original person or the other person adjacent to them.
Again, it should be done as quickly as possible.
Usually when there is a pause it is a sign that another center is in
operation. Emotional and moving centers react very quickly; there is
no need for pauses here. (This does not mean people should not be
cracking up with laughter, of course!)
It takes a little time for people to be comfortable with this, but is
great as an introduction, to shift energy, or simply to allow more room
for the Moving Center and Emotional Center.
After some understanding of the exercise is achieved, a slightly more
advanced version involves passing multiple impulses in different
directions around the circle. Care must be achieved to not lose
impulses; it requires people to pay attention to the circle. If
someone is "caught" with multiple impulses being passed to them, one
"giver" will have to keep repeating the impulse until they know it is
"received". Still even more advanced variations involve passing across
the circle by eye contact.
This is a wonderful exercise because when there is no pause between
impulses, it is virtually assured the intellectual center is not
engaged. It is also extremely playful and draws a group closer
together.
Exercise 3: Moving / Emotional / Instinctive Center
This exercise can be done alone, but it is best done with a group of people doing the same exercise together.
In this exercise, you lie flat on a floor. It can be a carpeted floor
or on a mat, but it should be comfortable and give you free range to
move a little from side to side and not bump into people.
The instructions are to breathe, connect to your diaphragm, and express
as sounds or movement. There is always something in your body to feel
and/or express. Often this comes out simply as laughter. You do not
require an intellectual understanding of what is going on. Allow
things to come out either via motion (without getting up) or via
sounds.
When you connect to your diaphragm, there is often laughter there.
Allow this to come. It is easier to connect with it when surrounded by
a group doing the same process and a "model" to look at. If the
connection does not come at first, practise nudging it a bit by forcing
a little laughter and seeing if it connects with something. Don't
force too hard; this is about connecting, not doing something the
"right way".
What can occur is an "ecstacy-agony" cycle, where laughter connects to
sorrow/pain, which brings one back to laughter again. Doing this
regularly can help bring non-attachment to emotional states: each state
will always flow into another when nothing is resisted.
Again, this exercise is hard to describe without seeing a good example
in front of you, but if you try doing it with at least one partner, it
can lead to great discoveries.
This exercise is difficult for most people because there is an
assumption that things need to be "there" in order to feel and express
something. So laughing for "no reason" is considered impossible
without faking it. However, there is no such thing as a void in the universe. What this means is that there is never
a place with no emotion in your body. There is never a time that you
are feeling nothing. You also have the power in your consciousness to
shift your focus to different parts of your body and feel different
emotions there. What most people describe as "feeling nothing" is
either feeling a calm peace, or feeling a block of some sort, depending
on the 'heaviness' of the 'nothing'. This exercise can also bring up
energies stored in the instinctive center, and so can be wonderful as
part of a healing process.
Conclusion
These are some examples of exercises that are available. I haven't
listed intellectually centered exercises because most of them are well
known. Psychological exercises tend to be about the
Intellectual-Emotional connection, while formal dance, martial arts,
and movement meditation tend to be about the Intellectual-Moving
connection. It is very helpful to invent your own exercises, as this
brings a sense of your own play and creativity to the process.
Balancing the centers and building up communication between all the
centers in your body is a lifetime project, much like working on
childhood issues and fears that block your perception. There is thus
no "magic" fix to do it immediately. It takes patience and some
discipline, but also a sense of play that is the primary way to be
willing to move to completely different modes of perceptions and
experiencing life.
Please feel free to suggest other exercises here!
|
