Center

 Enso - Zen Circle

This morning I find myself reflecting on the word 'Center'. One of Merriam Webster's definition for center is "a point, area, person, or thing that is most important or pivotal in relation to an indicated activity, interest, or condition ... a source from which something originates". I use the word Center a lot in my life. It has played a large role in my healing and life's journey. Where is my Center? Where is that place from within myself where I am able to ground myself? Is it within myself? Or is it in the spiritual realm? Can we have a spiritual Center and also a physical Center? Can we move between these various Centers as we search for homeostasis and balance in the realm of the Physical, Spiritual, Emotional and Mental?

For as long as I can remember I have always been drawn to circles. There is no beginning and no end. Every point is a beginning, and also an end. We sit facing each other. We are equals. Energy can flow in all directions. The earth is a circle. The sun and the moon is a circle. The planets in a solar system orbit around the sun in a circular manner.

When I think of Center i think of Circles. An infinite point. Vastness. Expansiveness.

I am realizing now my center has shifted throughout my life. I found my Center in different places as I worked to heal childhood traumas. Childhood sexual abuse moved me out of my physical body to survive. I found my Center in the spiritual realm as I struggled to find meaning, place, purpose, belonging, when the physical world, my physical body and humans did not feel safe. I found my Center in the eternal bond with my Papa, and in the angels guided me to .... Ahnung, and other 'angels' who came to me in the form of dogs. I find it interesting that the brightest star, Sirius, is also known as the Dog Star. Ahnung, my spirit dog, continues to be my north star, and she continues to guide me from the spirit world. She continues to be my Center as I explore ways to find a new Center in my physical body; as I explore to return home to my body; as I explore learning a new language of listening to my body as it hold the stories and the narratives of my life.

I am curious and full of wonder as I navigate my Way and my life through new and unchartered territories. This morning, I am curious as to how we all navigate our way through life. Do we look for the stars in our night skies to guide us? Do we listen to the wisdom of our bodies, and to the wisdom of spirits and beings around us? Do we embrace mystery or do we fear mystery? Do we adjust our sails according to the winds? Do we live only in our head and brain, trusting only what makes logical sense and what we can see?

What does it mean to Center? What would a Centering practice look like? And why is Centering so important?