"Each individual is at once the cause for the whole and is caused by the whole, and what is called existence is a vast body made up of an infinity of individuals all sustaining each other and defining each other. The cosmos is, in short, a self-creating, self-maintaining, and self-defining organism." - Francis Dojun Cook
The Universe is alive, filled with life force, Qi, Spirit or energy. The rhythm of life has a breath, just as we and all living creatures do. As we are opening and creating space which ‘attracts’ and fills our life with new creations, in other ways we find we are then closing or restricting the space, which releases or transforms things in our life that are coming to a close. The Universe and we are continually flowing, flexible and moving.
The Tao Te Ching says: "Even the greatest storm eventually abates and peace and tranquility are returning." Notice that this doesn't say, "returns" which has an implication of finality to it. It says it is "returning", which recognizes and reconciles with the cyclical, circular nature of the Tao. Duality is transformed into the third thing, which is a direct result of the synergy of the two and in this way wholeness becomes realized as a living, dynamic creation.
The Tao begot one.
One begot two.
Two begot three.
And three begot the ten thousand things.
Tao Te Ching - Number 42
With this concept of being part of the whole, while always transforming you will see everything and everyone in you…. and vice versa, you will see yourself in everything and everyone! Nothing, or no one is not a part of a greater story, any other thought or action is misaligned and goes directly against the understanding of the flow of Qi and Tao. The Cosmos does not discriminate or make things worse or better for one over another. It simply flows in balance and harmony. It is non-judgmental, bares no grudges and does not hold on to anything. It arrives and departs in its own time, just when and where it is needed.
"At the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit. And that center is really everywhere. It is within each of us." - Nicholas Black Elk
Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightment.
Mastering others requires force;
Mastering the self needs strength.
He who knows he has enough is rich. Perseverance is a sign of will power.
He who stays where he is endures.
To die but not to perish is to be eternally present.
Tao Te Ching Number 33
This concept of allowing can be extremely challenging to understand, trust and accept for the western mind. We have been conditioned to be pro-active, set goals and use ‘force’ and personal willpower to make things happen in the way we desire. We have manifested many things by force and many could argue that it had to be this way. But we may never know what we lost out on by forcing our will, or what price we have paid as our lives become out of balance. We may not even know what it is that we truly would like to create, because we do not know ourselves. We may not realize how we have misaligned with Qi, and gotten in our own way causing the very things we are trying to avoid such as loss, delays and failure. Yet, the Tao returns an equal opportunity at every turn to the art of allowing even in apparent 'error".
Teaching without words
and work without doing
Are understood by very few.
Tao Te Ching Number 43
The Tao is based in trust and allowing that the Cosmos/Universe will provide what is needed when it is needed. As we engage in this experience of manifestation, we find it to be a much more centered, joyful, richer, rewarding and collaborative creative process. As we enter this new age that holds such a tremendous potential for more peace, abundance and love than possibly at anytime in our human history, we realize on whole new levels the implications of the "journey being the destination". For as we open to the fullest experiences of this creation we find that we gravitate toward the fulfillment of our divinity through our oneness. The wisdom of the Way of the Tao will become the standard for living a whole, healthy, happy life.
In the universe the difficult things are done as if they are easy.
In the universe great acts are made up of small deeds.
The sage does not attempt anything very big,
And thus achieves greatness.
Tao Te Ching - Number 63
"While I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; For I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being. And I saw that it was holy." - Nicholas Black Elk
Sunday Talks with Rev. Renee Bledsoe
October 04 - The Rhythm of Life
October 11 - Indra's Net: The Holographic Universe
October 18 - Cultivating Energy for Healing and Creation - Rev. Maribel Figueroa
October 25 - Sacred Circle Altar: Ancestral Healing & Honoring
TAO AFFIRMATIONS
I am one with all.
All is One.
I am peaceful.
I am flowing.
I allow the third thing that is wanting expression to come alive.
I see the perfection in all that is.
I practice the art of allowing.
I am enough.
I have enough.
I have all that I need in this moment.
Each moment brings something new.
I pay attention to the new that is constantly being born.
I breathe life, as life breathes through me.
Everything and everyone is a part of me.
I am a part of everything and everyone.
Peace and tranquility are always returning to me.
I am at one with the present moment.
I sit in stillness and experience the golden silence.
I open my mind to the way of the Tao.
I tap into the divine mind of the Tao to better understand myself and this creation.
I embrace the death, rebirth and renewal of my life's journey.
I experience new modes and ways of being through the beginner's mind.
I am willing to learn, un-learn and re-learn.
All is as it should be in this moment.
The way of the Tao is within me.
The universe expresses through me.
I am one with the rhythm of ife.
