The Business of Balance
I was doing the ol’ Saturday morning scroll last weekend when I stumbled upon the Substack of Wendy MacNaughton, better known as the illustrator of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. She had launched a 30 Days of Drawing program with simple, 10-minute daily exercises. In my eternal quest to rebalance my consume/create ratio, I subscribed.
The first exercise was straightforward: make a “more of, less of” list to set intentions for the new year. My list started with the usual suspects (less sugar, more movement), but morphed into a succinct summary of my ongoing battle to be less of an a-hole.
More: Open-mindedness, action coming from love, faith, humility, letting go
Less: Reactivity, judgment, blame, approval-seeking
Though I’ve pursued these ideals for years, my progress gained new momentum when I discovered the concept of “psycho-spiritual development.” The term highlights two distinct (but interconnected!) dimensions of growth: the personal (“psycho”) and the transpersonal (“spiritual”).
The personal dimension is about cultivating the individual self—developing resilience, healing old wounds, and becoming a functional, grounded human. This is where therapy excels, with tools like nervous system regulation, rewriting limiting beliefs, and setting healthy boundaries.
The transpersonal, by contrast, invites us to move beyond ourselves. It’s about exploring our connection to something greater—whether that’s a sense of unity, purpose, or belonging. This spiritual type of growth requires a different skillset: surrendering the ego, accepting reality as it is, and fostering a sense of oneness with all life.
To be clear, spiritual development doesn’t replace therapy, but instead extends and deepens it. As a coach once quipped, therapy helps us build the self; spirituality helps us get over it. Together, these modalities provide a framework for navigating life with gentleness, grace, and a generally open heart.
I wasn’t always sold on the importance of both dimensions. I used to dismiss spirituality as naive, equating it with complacency or wishful thinking. But I’ve come to see it as the missing link to navigating our impossible world with love, serenity, and a sense of humor.
So, how exactly does one get on with the messy business of surrender, acceptance, and loving thy enemy? These are the questions I’m working to explore.
There comes a point in every millennial’s life where she starts a blog about holistic wellness, and, reader, I’m ready to embrace my destiny. To both complete my Seminary requirements and support The Salon’s quarterly themes, I plan to start a sub-blog (Substack, maybe?) to demystify spirituality for a secular audience. Expect accessible practices, useful frameworks, and tales of misadventure on the path to enlightenment.
I’ll continue my secular-leaning monthly Shop Talk column, but hope to include fragments from my new Substack in each Friday newsletter for anyone seeking a Saturday morning scroll.
Now, to think of a name…
