The Ancient Secret of Balance
Discover more from Mike Guarneri
When I was a kid, I thought I was afraid of heights for the longest time. I would climb up a ladder just a few rungs and start getting dizzy and nauseous. Then in my teenage years, I began to fly on commercial airliners. Not only did the height not bother me, but I immensely enjoyed flying. In my early thirties, I even took private pilot lessons. Once again, no issues with being afraid of heights.
So, I realized I wasn’t afraid of heights; I was and am still scared of losing my balance. That is why I only experienced those panic attack-like symptoms when I was on a ladder or similar device.
Losing my balance on a ladder was a type of physical balance. What would have happened if I had lost my balance on a ladder? I would have fallen and maybe even been hurt. Obviously, the best result would be to stay physically balanced on the ladder so I don’t fall.
This got me thinking, what other areas in life should we keep in balance? We hear it all the time that we must keep such and such in balance. So, I decided to have a quick brainstorming session to list some of the things I have heard that we, humans, must keep in balance.
Physical and mental health.
Work and life.
Inner and outer. (what we think and feel inside vs. what we show on the outside)
Math equations.
Nature
Rest and activity.
Diet
Caring for self vs. caring for others.
And of course, since I have been in the accounting field for almost 30 years, financial statement balance sheets and bank accounts.
Mind you, this is by no means an exhaustive list, just what popped into my head during five minutes of brainstorming.
It makes sense that things like math equations and accounting should be balanced, and since they involve numbers, balancing is very objective.
But what of the rest of the list? What does it mean to have your physical and mental health in balance, or work and life, etc.? How do we know if they are in balance? What do we do to get them in balance? Do we really want them in balance?
I honestly have no idea what the answers to these questions are. Perhaps the answers are all subjective from person to person. Or perhaps there are answers if we look back to ancient history. I have yet to find them. However, I believe that the practice of balance was understood and practiced in ancient times.
I am currently reading a book called “Druids: A Very Short Introduction” by Barry Cunliffe. In a particular chapter of the book, Cunliffe speculates that the Druids predate the Celts by a significant amount of time. He bases this on his interpretation of archaeological evidence found from the fourth through second millennia BCE in areas that the Celts later occupied. Although his analysis to support the Druids predating the Celts is somewhat interesting, I have a different takeaway from his evidence.
Most of Cunliffe’s evidence involves honoring and giving gifts to the gods. The evidence shows that some practices were for the sky gods, some for the earth gods, and some for both sky and earth gods. He says that the sky gods were essential to the people because they gave the gift of indicating the passage of time, and the earth gods were vital because they were necessary for the sustenance of the community. From this, my immediate takeaway was the balance between the sky and the earth.
Before I present some of Cunliffe’s evidence so you can see how he came to his theory and how I came to mine, I do have to point out to you that Cunliffe believes that only the Druids were capable of many specific things. This is especially true of practices that are assumed performed by Druids at the time that written history became aware of their existence during the time of the Celts.
Burial tombs:
Mr. Cunliffe points out that when people of import passed, they were often buried with various items. These items became known as “grave goods.” He provides three reasons for the practice of grave goods.
Possessions of the deceased to use in the afterlife. This would logically show a belief in some type of reincarnation.
Many of the possessions found have been determined not to be related to the deceased’s life. Cunliffe speculates that perhaps the family put these items there to show off to the community. I don’t buy this.
The grave goods were buried with the deceased as a gift to the earth gods. This makes sense to me, as it seems these ancient people were all about keeping things good with their gods. Also, this would be an act towards keeping the gods of the earth and sky balanced.
More Burial Practices:
Cunliffe also describes other burial practices from before the time of the Celts, which were learned about through archaeological burial records from Wessex, England. Before Wessex became Catholic, it is thought to have been a Celtic settlement. This evidence from Mr. Cunliffe is supposedly from the second millennia BCE.
Evidence shows that only a small number of the population were given the red carpet burial treatment, as indicated above.
Some were buried modestly, without any grave goods. Perhaps only a minor tribute to the earth gods.
Some deceased were disposed of by “ex-carnation,” basically leaving the body out in the elements to rot and be feasted upon by birds of prey. This could be considered a tribute to the sky gods.
And my favorite is cremation, which gives the most bang for the body. The smoke of the burning body was a gift and tribute to the sky gods, and the resulting ashes were buried as a gift to the earth gods.
Again, these burial practices say balance to me.
Tributes to the Sky Gods:
Cunliffe also speaks of the various monuments and megalithic tombs built in the fourth and third millennia BCE, which required superior knowledge of the celestial bodies and the passage of time to place them in particular precise locations. He feels that only the Druids would have that knowledge and is evidence of them existing before the Celts. Also, he views these buildings as a gift and tribute to the sky gods.
Once again, I think that this is also evidence of the balancing act between sky and earth.
Tribute to the Water:
The last example of evidence I will provide is what may be considered gifts and tributes to the water. Over time, many goods have been recovered from rivers, springs, and bogs. Mr. Cunliffe offers that these items may have been a tribute to the gods. He speculates that perhaps people believed that the water was a portal to communicate with the otherworld. And Druids were the ones supposedly known to be able to communicate with the otherworld.
So what does this all mean? Has Barry Cunliffe made a good case for Druids predating the Celts by many years, possibly back to the fourth through the second millennia BCE? To me, probably not. But it could be a good start.
However, the evidence shows me that the idea of balance existed long ago in lands that would ultimately be occupied by the Celts.
While contemplating this ancient balance between sky and earth, the phrase “As above, so below” popped into my head. It was so familiar to me. After a few minutes, I remembered that I had heard it concerning the Freemasons. Seemingly this concept of balance has stood the test of time.
Out of curiosity, I did some quick research to see if it overtly appeared at other times in history. I am sure this is by no means a complete list, but this is what I found:
4th to 2nd Milennia BCE - Balanced practiced between devotion to the sky and earth gods. Probably other aspects of balance were practiced during this time.
The Emerald Tablet - 200 to 800 CE - The Emerald Tablet is attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. The second and more complete translation of the Emerald Tablet into Arabic is attributed to Jabir ibn Hayyan (850-950 CE). Jabir’s version was further translated to English by Eric J. Holmyard.
The Emerald Tablet contains the following passages about balance and “as above, so below”:
“That which is above is from that which is below, and that which is below is from that which is above.”
“… and becomes a ruler over that which is above and that which is below….”
The Bible:
Moving on, this concept is mentioned in the Bible in Matthew 6:10:
“For the Lord said to me: Unless ye make that which is beneath to be above, and the left to be right (and the right to be left), ye shall not enter into my Kingdom.”
It is even referenced in the Lord’s Prayer:
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Freemasons:
The Freemasons, officially formed in 1717, have teachings that involve the concept of as above, so below.
The Occult:
Some occult esoteric organizations are known to use the concept of “as above, so below.” One example of this is the Golden Dawn, formed in 1887.
That is just a handful of balance examples using “as above, so below” throughout history. Once again, this is by no means a complete list.
So, what is my end takeaway? It illustrates that the concept of balance has been around for quite a long time. At least from the fourth to the second millennia BCE to the present day.
Now, none of this answers the questions listed at the beginning of this newsletter:
- What does it mean to be in balance?
- How do we know if we are in balance?
- What can we do to get in balance?
- Do we want to be in balance?
However, I think a good place to start may be a time when the people possibly have a complete understanding of the state of being in balance, as well as the practices to keep in balance. I think the time of the Celts is that starting point. I suspect they carried on the same practices as during the fourth to second millennia, and we currently have some knowledge of the Celts.
I will see what I can find about Celtic practices related to balance, which may be beneficial for mental health and general life improvement. If I find anything good, I will report it in a future newsletter. Of course, I will test out any good finds before recommending them.
My name is Mike, and I am a skeptic and recovering accountant just starting to make my way through the world of the Druids, Celts, and Pagans.
Join me on my journey as I use an analytic eye to extract what I believe to be golden nuggets of truth from these fascinating topics. My goal is to find valuable ways, practices, and insights to make your life better today.
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“May the Road Rise to Meet You!”
With a skeptical mind and an analytical eye,
Mike Guarneri