Notes of a Tao Traveler

Walking a spiritual path is quite natural. In fact, it might happen to you that you are already on it and only later discover that you are being synchronized with a higher Force. It is also less glamorous than some might perhaps think. For every Eckhart Tolle there are many spiritual folks who glue the world together unrecognized behind the scenes. A spiritual path will probably be a natural evolution of where you are coming from. It is more a refinement of what you have been doing for a while rather than an earth shattering revolution. You might be surprised to hear this, but every child will understand what you are going through. You know that you are on a spiritual path when you experience peace, love and joy no matter what - this happens to be the birthright of every child as well. We are just returning to our roots.

 You also realize that as a Tao traveler you do no longer have a choice. In a weird way you never really had a choice either before your path started in all earnest, just as you don't really have a choice when you are an experienced traveler. Only in-between there are a few confusing years of soul searching when you don't seem to understand any longer what is going on. You literally learn in these apprentice years to perceive the world with a new perspective.

Walking a spiritual path is like an agreement. Someday something stops you in the tracks and you suddenly feel like a program opened up inside of you and you realize that you have a job to finish. Actually, when you put it like that you realize that in a way everyone is spiritual, whether they believe in God or not. All of us gravitate towards a mission. Some feel they have to build a business, others know that their mission is to raise their children, while some use all their willpower to shake off an addiction or to climb out of a hole. We all have a job to do, whether we are aTao master or not. A Tao master would never look down on anyone. We are all children of God and every voice is sacred.

For us personally, we both hit a wall somewhere on our journey. It is a strange process of falling out of love with old things you used to be excited about and falling in love with people and situations that you never gave a second look before. What was the world you were living in suddenly becomes a desert, but at the same time you can see a breathtaking oasis on the horizon. Mind you, you will likely still operate in the same world as before but everything will get redefined and reevaluated. When the Tao is done with that cleansing process all you will ever see are palms, refreshing waters and flowers while the desert is far out in the distance. All the doubts of the transition period soon make way to an overwhelming feeling of being at home, being loved and being taken care, and being connected to a Force beyond our comprehension. The Tao is everywhere, and where She walks there is peace, love and laughter. Yes, you are literally reborn!

 Sure, there are moments of darkness for us as well, but they tend to be the exception and, painful as they are at the time, we always know two things about them: First, that they will pass like the morning fog pushed away by the powerful sun, and second, that we only have ourselves to blame for it and no one else. In the past that was never the case. These periods of pain were always induced by others without having any visible link to our own actions. Today we see a bearer of pain just as a symbol. Quietly she whispers, "Change your way brother, you are so close already." Pain is easy to bear if it is meaningful, and along the Tao every moment is meaningful.

How did it happen? No one knows. We certainly see a lot of similarities in our journey, but in the end we all come from different starting points and face different milestones along the Way. You probably have had some exposure to spiritual books just as we had. Su  Zhen was really influenced by Eckhart Tolle's " A New Earth", while Christian's spiritual journey was meaningfully impacted by "A Course in Miracles". It always starts somewhere, but it is just that, a starting point. You will have your on mark, you will find your way that brings out your unique perspective and you will share it with others.

We both found that thoughts and emotions are just a layer of our being. You can sidestep them, and we often manage to do that. You become aware of the observer behind the screen and you know that sometimes we just have to sit still and let the energy wave pass without getting involved. It is possible and you can actually become quite good at it. It is  like sitting at a pond and watch disturbed water settle down and after some time the pond is crystal clear again. Peace and love is always at your disposal no matter what. You may have to wait a little, but the Force will always connect with you again if you let your own disturbances pass by.

The biggest confusion for the spiritual community is that they want something. They want to be good, want to be enlightened, want to be loving, peaceful or calm. Yet, the way towards that stage is just be accepting who you think you are. Accept your internal turmoil, your struggles, your split mind. Transcend your judgements and realize that the war with yourself doesn't exist. Accept your so-called flaws and see how they disintegrate in front of your astonished eyes. The Tao is here to make you understand that you don't have to do anything; you are already "here", there is no " there". To get to this realization just embrace anything and anyone life throws at you at this blessed moment. The world that surrounds you was created to help you understand who you truly are. Let life"digest" you and see what "I" emerges in the process. If you experience " I Am" moment to moment, you are way too busy to zoom into the " I". Learn to accept every moment as is and realize that you can be at peace always.

Passing on the secret of the Tao is easy. Show up and get lost in the moment. You have the best teacher in the world at your disposal, so please relax and enjoy the divine stroll!

By Christian & Su Zhen