Two weeks ago, I invited us to reflect on nurture from “above” in the form of angels and other spiritual supports. Last week, the reflection focused on nurture that is around us in the form of nature. This week, I invite you to explore a powerful source of nurture from within - a nurture that activates personal peace, purpose, and power.
Power, Purpose, Peace
These aren’t abstract virtues or self-help buzzwords. They’re living capacities - qualities we lean on when life feels out of control, intense, or simply too much. Together, they form a triad that helps us stay steady and resilient, even when the ground beneath us is shifting.
This triad aligns with the three centers of intelligence we all live from: the body, heart, and head. Each center carries its own kind of wisdom, and we need each of them to live well. When we tend all three, something in us settles while something else awakens. We experience an inner alignment that helps us move through the world with more ease and authenticity.
We Begin in the Body: Power
We always start in the body. There’s no shortcut around this. Without a calm, regulated nervous system, our inner energies can feel twitchy and anxious. The body houses the heart and head and therefore has a primary holding function - it’s the place where energy, stability, and grounded presence live.
What activates in the body isn’t power over, but power within. It’s the quiet power of being here, inhabiting ourselves fully, feeling our feet on the ground. When the body is settled, we regain access to will, stamina, and agency. From here, we are able to embrace what’s in front of us rather than bracing against it.
We Open the Heart: Peace
From a grounded body, we turn toward the heart. The heart is the feeling center, and when it’s open, safe, and supported, it becomes a wellspring of peace. This kind of peace doesn’t mean everything is resolved or easy. It means we’re not being run by fear, anxiety, or overwhelm.
A peaceful heart gives us spaciousness. Room to breathe, to stay connected, to respond rather than react. Without this heart-quality of peace, even strong body energy can trip into tension or defensiveness.
We Gain Clarity in the Head: Purpose
With a grounded body and a peaceful heart, the head can finally do what it does best: reflect and discern. The head center offers purpose - the ability to sense what is ours to do, and just as importantly, what is not.
Purpose isn’t about forecasting or figuring everything out. It’s about orientation, direction. It guides us in aligning with our values. It helps us listen more carefully, choose more wisely, and channel our life energy where it truly belongs.
And Then… We Cycle Back to the Body
Once a sense of purpose takes shape, we return again to the body - to activate the power and will to live in alignment with what we know to be true. The triad is self-sustaining. Power feeds peace. Peace clarifies purpose. Purpose returns us to embodied power.
It’s a continuous, life-giving cycle.
When one part of the triad is neglected, the cycle is disrupted. We slip back into anxiety, fear, or overwhelm - not as a personal failure, but as a gentle signal that something needs our care.
A Practice of Returning
This triad is sustained through contemplative and spiritual practices that repeatedly guide us from body to heart to head, and back again. We will do this imperfectly. We will lose our way. And still, we return. Over time, this rhythm becomes a quiet companion - supporting equanimity, resilience, and a deeper trust in how we’re meant to live.
Power. Peace. Purpose. Not destinations to reach, but a sacred, living rhythm that supports our journey of living well in the world.
