Beets and Balance
Beta vulgaris
Roasted beets are one of my go-to dishes, especially in the fall and winter. Beets are hearty and warming. Roasting them highlights their sweet and earthy flavor. They can be cooked and added to dips and even snuck into brownies to create a healthier treat. Uncooked beets can also be grated and included in salads and smoothies. They are a good source of B vitamins, potassium, and magnesium.
Beets are an easy garden crop. They don’t need much room, and any gardener will be richly rewarded with a hearty food that stores well after being harvested. Beets come in a range of colors, from deep purples to golden and even striped, so you can plant something different from what might be found at the market.
There is more to beets than the root. The entire plant is edible. Leafy beet greens and stems are another nutritious food. The leaves and stems can be steamed or used in place of any other green like spinach. Young leaves can be added to salads and smoothies. They are a good source of vitamins C and A.
Beets are a root crop and a leafy green. They are of the earth and of the air. The roots are substantial and solid, but the leafy greens are light and airy. Their correspondence is balance. Balance in our lives is often achieved by feeling rooted, yet comfortable with reaching out and pushing the boundaries.
The world and its inhabitants routinely swing in and out of balance. Earth travels around the sun, arcing out to its farthest distance at winter and summer solstice, the extremes of disequilibrium. Then it arcs back, reaching equilibrium at autumn and spring equinox, when the hours of day and night are equal.
As children, some of our earliest accomplishments are about mastering physical balance as we learned to stand and walk. We had to concentrate as we were practicing this skill, but once learned, it became automatic for most of us. We move through our day making constant unconscious adjustments to stay in equilibrium.
Balance has different facets. There is balance, or need for balance, in the world at large. Our personal sense of equilibrium is affected by the state of the world or our perception of it. In maintaining personal balance, we often navigate between multiple divergent points without giving them much consideration. This includes movement and stillness, solitude and engagement with the world, and work and family. There may be a gentle shifting back and forth as with a rocking chair, or you may experience a more dramatic shift that can make you feel unstable. It is usually only when you reach a state of serious disequilibrium that balance—or the lack thereof—comes to your attention.
As you focus on balance, notice this dance of equilibrium that you are constantly engaged in, bringing it to your conscious awareness. Notice balance in the world around you and the practices that help you and the world remain in balance.
Morning Attunement Questions
• What connections do I have with beets and balance?
• Where else in the green world do I observe balance?
• What does balance feel like?
• How can I describe this energetic attribute of balance in words or pictures?
• Where does this correspondence of balance resonate most strongly in or around my body or in my life?
Daily Integration Questions
• In what ways is the world reflecting beets or balance back to me?
• Where are beets or balance manifesting in my life?
• What nuances and shades of meaning do I notice about beets and balance?
Evening Reflection Questions
• Where and how did I experience beets or balance today?
• How did I embrace balance today?
• What wisdom does the beet’s energy of balance bring to my life?