Feel the Dark Energy, Maybe Engage, but Don't Give Power to It

The Tao is a way of living tailored just for you. It is your divine connection while living in the so-called real world. Walking the Tao is different from religion in that there is only your Path you are walking on. You are probably shown that the notion of "right and wrong" is quite flexible, person and situation specific and certainly tailored just to you. Walking the Tao is a religion in the true sense of the word, "to bind". Yes, after you have experienced Grace you will always do your best to hold onto the Way. Because the alternative paths are really not that pleasant after you have gotten a taste of bliss.

Only you can cut yourself off the Way. Walking the Tao is a lesson plan of the workings of your ego. After you have experienced Grace, spotting the ego is not hard. You experience a different energy flow, you  focus on your environment very differently, you attract different characters and situations and you feel restless. The Tao is always there for you; only you can cut yourself off the Way.

You still are who you are, but your destination becomes "holy". It turns out that your "ego" isn't fixed at all. It changes over time just as your body does. So you naturally drift to readjust everything in your life towards the Way. A little spring cleaning has to follow since there are still so many outdated belief sets that have to be thrown by the wayside. There are certainly also dark energies. Stuff you have repressed, aspects of your being that kick and scream as you walk towards the light. You are probably no stranger to "self-improvement", so nothing changes from that perspective.  What changes is what before you knew only on a subconscious level: there is no alternative but walking your Path. It is suddenly a conscious realization; every step you take makes perfect sense, even the so-called mistake.

Before you experienced Grace  you had a much harder time to feel what is wrong or right. Now you immediately experience when you have cut yourself off that magnificent Force. You can now experience when the ego takes over. The dark energies have all kind of outlets, and some you might know well: anger outbursts, frustrations, depression, useless shopping sprees, mindless eating, sexual binges, feelings of stinginess or worthlessness, guilt-attacks, and so much more. You experience them like we all do. The trick is not to beat you up over these ego trips. The trick is to experience the dark energy, maybe express it, but not to give power to it.

You may ask so how exactly doesn't one give power to it? Just let the dark energy pass, get it out of your system and then put your best foot forward to re-connect with the Way. To give one example, suddenly blowing up over a trifle is one thing, but staying with this negative energy or feeling guilty about it for a long time afterwards is quite another. Eckhart Tolle gave the example of fighting ducks; after they are done with it they shake the negative energy off and then calm down as if nothing has happened. Find your unique way of getting the stuff out of your system and never regret your so-called mistakes.
 When you are on guilt trips after your shadow dances, who do you think is doing the beating. It is the ego, isn't it?

The shadow is attached to your journey towards the light. Accept it. With every period when you again cut yourself off your Path the determination to stay your course next time will only go up. Never blame the outburst, it is just a reflection of the yin and yang of the different forces inside that you experience along the Way. Let go off the steam, but don't give any more power to it. The dance of shadow and light will converge over time for that is the way of the Tao. Life is a perfect outlet to get all the frustrations out of you, all you really have to do is to embrace everything that comes your way. Meanwhile, just accept the dance of shadow and light. More than that, have some fun with it.