Vicki Matthews
This blog, Reclaiming Balance, is the passion of Vicki Matthews, a physician, author, and teacher in Chicago. Click on the photo to learn more about Vicki.
WeNeedBalance.com
A umbrella website for all things balance
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The Goddess Letters
The Goddess Letters is a story of love and faith, and one man’s unfolding relationship with both. A testament to passion of all kinds, it celebrates those who have the courage to discard the new in favor of the old, be it love, beliefs, or entire civilizations.
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Tag Archives: fear
Diversity, Fear, and Commonality
Diversity usually isn’t a popular concept in a patriarchy. In general, patriarchies value individual success over action taken for a collective good. Sadly, this can make people in a patriarchy somewhat self-focused. I think it was Ben-Hur who said, “You’re either … Continue reading
Posted in reclaiming balance, Uncategorized
Tagged commonality, diversity, fear, the other
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Fear: The Great Paralyzer
Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. – Paulo Coelho It’s all about the fear. Fear impedes, separates, and will always make any situation worse. The fear of failure can birth failure. The … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bridges, change the world, death, equality, extremists, failure, fear, feminine principle, love, masculine principle, motivation, paralysis, patriarchy, Paulo Coelho, politicians, reclaiming balance
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There’s No Way Around It People: We’re All One
Whenever something as gruesome as the June 17th Charleston church shootings occurs, I can’t help but wonder how a heinous event like that can still happen in our country. Haven’t we all grown past this level of hate? Haven’t we … Continue reading
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Tagged Africa, caring, compassion, connection, economic status, education, equality, fairness, fear, fear of the other, feminine principle, individuality, love, masculine principle, nationality, one species, patriarchy, race, reclaiming balance, religion, separateness, violence
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Unbalanced: Prejudice, Ignorance, and the Other
“Prejudice is the child of ignorance.” There is wisdom in this quote beyond the obvious. Clearly, even in a patriarchy, prejudice and ignorance are not desirable, yet they are widespread in our world. Not only do we find them everywhere, … Continue reading
Two Kinds of Power
Power as a topic fascinates most people. What is it? How do you get it? Why do you want it? Depending on who you ask, you’ll find a wide range of answers to these questions. Some will say that power … Continue reading
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Tagged equality, external strength, fear, feminine principle, financial strength, flies, Gandhi, heart, heart strength, honey, inner world, love, Machiavelli, masculine principle, material world, nature, patriarchy, physical strength, power, reclaiming balance, vinegar
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The Pros and Cons of Fear
Fear can be valuable. It can be a warning. It can be a teacher. It can be a motivator. All very good, unless overdone. The problem with fear is that in large or regular doses, it can be paralyzing. Once … Continue reading
