Take the sun. Put it in your heart.
Take the moon. Pull it to your belly.
Draw down the Big Dipper.
Merge with the Northern Star.We have gone from distant views of gods to a more inner-oriented one. In the past, our relationship was viewed vertically : People were in a subordinate position and the gods were supreme. Without much effort, we can see that this point of view was a reflection of feudalistic definitions and childlike emotions.
By contrast, those who follow Tao declare that gods do not exist.
To think this blasphemous is to miss the point. Rather, those who follow Tao seek a relationship with the divine in which there is no division. They are seeking a state of oneness.
If people are one with their god, then it stands to reason that there is no division between them. If there is no division between them, then they are god and god is them. This doesn’t mean that a person can do all the things that gods are supposedly able to do. Instead, they attain a state of being and understanding where there are no distinctions, fears, or uncertainties about what is divine.
That is why we sometimes contemplate bringing the stars into our very being. We want to merge with Tao. In essence, we become Tao and Tao becomes us.
Empty yourself of everything.
Let the mind rest at peace.
The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return.
They grow and flourish and then return to the source.
Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature.
The way of nature is unchanging.
Knowing constancy is insight.
Not knowing constancy leads to disaster.
Knowing constancy, the mind is open.
With an open mind, you will be openhearted.
Being openhearted, you will act royally.
Being royal, you will attain the divine.
Being divine, you will be at one with the Tao.
Being at one with the Tao is eternal.
And though the body dies, the Tao will never pass away.Tao Te Ching, 16
Have you ever had one of those days when everything goes your way, your work feels effortless, you know what is coming next and things flow smoothly all day? That is the experience of being with the Tao. When you feel yourself as a part of everything around you and stop trying to fight with the world, you move to a state of being at peace with everything. The feeling of oneness can be overwhelming, as if you have stopped existing as a separate entity at all.
When we are separated from the Tao, we feel out of sorts, cranky, angry and exhausted. Everything requires effort, everything is a burden. When I feel this way, I like to get out in the garden and reconnect, or just go someplace quiet and regain my focus.
For today, though, there is painting to do…. and not the fun kind, but the work kind. Off to paint doors!
One Response
Yes, I just had one of those days.
I drove my old car around the neighborhood for two hours.
After I parked it away in the garage, I threw up.
Weak stomach after chemo.
I hate I31.