On the Cusp of Change: Equanimity

The third skill of threshold living

Practicing equanimity "is not denying the realities of our circumstances or our world; nor does it ask us to step back when we are called to speak out when we or others have been wronged. Rather, it equips us to step forward because when the future is not already decided, it can still be influenced by our own response to the present." (From Trusting Change, by Karen Hering)

This month’s focus is on equanimity is a practice of holding our stories open. It moves us away from either/or thinking and our assumptions that we know how the change we’re experiencing will end. It cultivates curiosity about a wider set of possibilities for the future. If you’d like to explore this in an online session of embodied practices and guided writing, reflection and conversation, please register for “On the Cusp of Change: Equanimity,” on Tuesday, April 9. Registration through the Christine Center and Prairiewoods retreat centers is open to all. Paid subscribers to Threshold Times can register using the link below, where you’ll also find this month’s audio recording from Trusting Change. Both are benefits of a paid subscription; if you are a paid subscriber, be sure to scroll down to receive them.

Practicing equanimity can be challenging, as the media often rings the alarm bells of our amygdala. Instead, a posture of equanimity offers a pause and a prospect for unforeseen turn in any story. It can be a true antidote to the anxiety of changing times.

What might be possible, if we learn to say, “We’ll see,” and then participate in shaping the story of what comes next?

Karen