Gravitas and Levitas

Gravitas is the Latin root for the English "gravity." It means weightiness, substance, dignified demeanor and has overtones of ground, earth, roots. When we have gravitas, we are coming from a deep and connected place.

Levitas is the Latin root for our words "levity" and "levitate." It means lightness, playfulness, spontaneity and has overtones of space. When we have levitas, we are not too serious and we are not stuck.

To encourage gravitas, use the yinning and yanging of the legs exercise and other grounding methods; think before speaking; act with special care. To encourage levitas, "shibabo!" Use the opening the crown exercise, smile, giggle, quip, let go . .

Seven Intelligences Training - optimizing the human instrument

Each chakra or intelligence has its own underlying motivation and yearning:

1st (Root) - Survival

2nd (Pleasure) - Satisfaction

3rd (Ego) - Security

4th (Heart) - Grace

5th (Art) - Sharing

6th (Perception) - Understanding

7th (Crown) - Peace

Each chakra or intelligence has its own natural element:

1st (Root) - Earth

2nd (Pleasure) - Water

3rd (Ego) - Fire

4th (Heart) - Space

5th (Art) - Air

6th (Perception) - Mind

7th (Crown) - [ineffable]

Entertaining Opposites

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."

-- F. Scott Fitzgerald

To perceive both sides is a function of the the 3rd eye.

To help get a feeling for simultaneously entertaining two apparently contradictory realities at once, practice going more and more quickly from the crone to the young lady until you can see them both at once. There are many of these drawings demonstrating the Gestalt figure and ground theory of visual perception which we can use for consciousness expanding practice.

In overcoming the limitations of either/or thinking, we get a view from a new perspective: inclusive, sympathetic, discerning but not judgmental, opening heart and mind to creative possibility. As Lao Tzu suggests, before good/bad, right/wrong, beautiful/ugly, simple/complex, difficult/easy, left brain/right brain, there is a unified consciousness, beyond words, complete-in-itself, yet ever-changing.