Thursday Uprightness
Seven Exercises for Firm Ground Under Our Feet
4. Thursday: To Be Upright Within Oneself
If I really accept Wednesday’s principle, that my own experience IS real and true, I become grounded in more self-acceptance and self-awareness than ever before. This should make it easier for me not to be pulled off-centre. Uprightness distinguishes us from animals. Trees, who are also upright, are the most grounded and steady beings you will meet.
The first half of today’s challenge is: Can I stay steady in my uprightness?
Once we really delve into our own experience it becomes a steady light of intuition. No matter how much someone may tell us their truth is backed up by expert opinion, research or whatever, if it does not ring true for us, our acceptance of it should be exceedingly circumspect at the best. It should be possible to say: You believe, that, most people appear to believe that, much of society seems predicated on believing that, but for me this does not stack-up.
At best you might say: “I will plant what you say as a seed in my soul, if it comes up and bears fruit then it is also a truth for me.”
The essence of this exercise is to say: My actions are based in my own intuition.
The second half of today’s challenge is to recognise that our inner life directly affects the world. The usual stance “our thoughts and feelings are our own” is not born out in real experience. How often have you asked someone what is up and they say, “Oh, Nothing!” leaving you feeling shut out rather than reassured? Everything around us responds our inner life. Animals famously avoid people who fear and move towards those who feel love for them. Even plants grow well for some more than others. There is an “atmosphere” or “Vibe” around us that comes entirely from our inner life. Taking responsibility for this effect is the other half of awakening to the truth and reality of our own experience of the world.
Once firmly grounded in ourselves and our affects, like this, we begin to realise that doing what we feel called to do cannot be judged by how the world views it. The only judge of success, is our own discernment. The true results of our actions may not be seen for a long time. Occasionally, they may lie purely in how we are changed by our actions. No other judgement has merit.
This may sound extreme, but if you balance this with responsibility for the effects on others of our inner state of being, no rigidity will occur. You could see this as a pair of scales, an open heart for the needs of the world in one pan of the scales and an unswerving inner endurance in the other. Our inner uprightness as the centre-shaft, holding the balance-bar of two pans.
The connecting section of the Lord’s Prayer is “deliver us from evil” Evil only has a hold over us by pulling us off-centre.
This leads us into the fifth principle, continuity of purpose. More on that tomorrow.
Steiner’s original text for these Grounding exercises
Links
Article: www.SoundingBowls.com/1/freedom
Longform on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/561041941
Shortform on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XvKl6MQsbY
A guide to 7-day Rhythms of the Foundation Stone
