"The striving is the important bit." *

Except when 'the striving' is NOT the important bit.

Seeking a clue to my recent tummy turmoils, I thought I'd visit 'InnerSpace' and see what Deep Self had to say:

Ah, drop now the pretense, loosen tight shoulders, we're not 'going anywhere', stop rowing. What cute pretensions would have you think otherwise? Breathe - You're only here for the moment. Breathe larger, loosen those tight wing-shoulders of yours. Breathe! Stop trying to accomplish everything at once. Breathe! What is the pretense to be avoided? That you need to know everything, MUST know everything, and that everything must be done by you. Breathe!

And while I received this, I had not one burp or acid reflux. Also, when I typed it on the computer, reliving the meaning, only calm stomach.

I've been stressing lately and although the tummy troubles was kicked off by a bad case of MSG poisoning, stress hasn't let the system really heal.

I think the sense of 'we're not going anywhere' doesn't refer to any travel plans, but in the sense of anywhere I go, there I am, and therefore not to 'strive', but to fully enjoy the moment.

Also, I've been so busy lately, I haven't had time to check in with Deep Self, and so I've been missing this Wisdom that only I can give myself. I've been as one dying of thirst, while beside the great lake.

That needs to stop. I've been literally forgetting to breath, or exhale. Maybe that's where the burping comes from. I don't fully exhale, so it collects in the gut.

So again I am realizing the path of duality, striving and not-striving. May I have the wisdom to know when each is required and the agility and flexibility to go from one to the other.

How do I remain agile? By remembering the balance point is within Myself.

THE BALANCE POINT: Always, ever, only, essentially the balance point: Return to the center and leave behind striving and not-striving.

(The earlier quote: * Phil Hine, Walking Between the Worlds: Techniques of Modern Shamanism, Vol. 1)