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The Middle Path

Writer's picture: IAM.YogaIAM.Yoga

Extremes exist on on either end of spectrum experiences we engage with in our lives.

Maybe on one end you are a thrill seeker, a manic depressive, or a lover of dark things. Perhaps you only look for spaces and experiences that foster positivity or joy at the expense of any sadness, grief, or anger? Whatever your path is you will walk it. But, one day, if that path causes you a type of pain and suffering that creates a loop, ie: you’ve seen this event before just with different faces, -then you may want to take a closer look. Perhaps the middle path is calling you?


We have fear ingrained into us and many ideologies will like to steer us away from having any fear. We might think this is good and righteous because it’s prevalent in so many spiritual ideations across the world as a primary tenet. However, let’s look at the benefit of fear for a moment; awareness, vigilance, empathy, motion, or stillness, information exchange & survival, to name some. When you feel fear you are being informed about your environment in relation to threat. The perception of threat may be ancient, or experienced. Our experience of threats, large or small, informs how we react to what’s happening in the now. Sure this can be over exaggerated due to our bodies and brains being inundated with high stress and toxins but, it’s our discernment that then becomes our compass. -If we want that working right we’ve got to develop it.

So, because it’s our responsibility to develop discernment based on the intuition of what brings us balance, it might seem at first -if we don’t have a good discernment compass, that fear should just be avoided at all cost.

“Feel the fear and do it anyway”, however, comes to mind as a blanket rule that can be distilled for each situation. It’s incumbent upon us to use fear as a tool!


Let’s try another. How about Anger? Many would try to avoid this menacing outburst of emotion caused by the feeling of sadness or fear, and others may revel in the temporary power they wield when expressing it. Let us see this emotion from the lens of its function as a tool.

What does anger offer? Standing strong, creating a boundary, self expression, & the creation of space, to name some. To avoid it allows weakness to proliferate which makes one nebulous; (thank you for that word, River! Of River of Stars Astrology) having no edges doesn’t serve us well in this 3D space.


Alternatively, to let the anger consume you does just that; eats your light. Neither of those serve us and our personal missions.

So what’s the middle path or how does one use the middle path when anger can so easily become out of one’s control? Discerning when the appropriate time is to use the tool in a constructive way. Let it inform your decisions about what to do in a situation where you are dealing with fear or sadness in the kind of way that makes one feel trapped. Think, -“Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage!” There is of course, the tried and true advice of “hitting a pillow” or “yelling it out into a pillow” and exercise or having an in-depth conversation. Find a constructive way to get it de-charged so you can work with the reality of what the information is trying to illicit from you.


These two examples highlight how we cannot THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER no matter how badly we want to start over. You will NOT rid yourself of these highs and lows without a price. The Middle way is like the Aikido martial artist who uses the opponents strengths to their advantage, not meeting force with force but diverting it with the least amount of efforts. The Dao De Ching calls this Wu Wei or “non-doing”. The paradox of which is not really not doing anything but to find the space where alchemical transformation exists because you are so aware and understand the tools. -You can much more easily transform whatever comes your way for the highest outcome.


Temporal & felt experiences, and your emotions & feelings are the barometer. It makes little sense to break your barometer in order to navigate. We strengthen the barometer by becoming intimate with ALL the feelings & emotes available to us.


The most high offers much love and power of discernment for the travelers of the narrowest path, and those who are still wandering without their compass intact.

You can do this.

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