Mind the Dark Force (Revised)

The spiritual community has made a big step forward by putting the God versus devil struggle in the background. Instead, we internalize the divine as well as destructive force inside ourself with help of the ego versus True Self contrast. Yet, something is still missing. What about our soul? Isn't our soul somewhere in between ego and True Self? And isn't the ego versus True Self the battle between evil and good in new clothes? We Tao traveler have a different perspective. We tend to say, "nothing is either good or bad", quoting Shakespeare, "only  thinking makes it so. Our soul has longings that need to be satisfied. We argue there is a Way that gets you there.

No doubt that there is a force that wants to keep us away from the Way. I have often seen it in action. Yet, the same force wants to conquer, wants to possess and wants to advance. Does is really make sense to feel bad about these desires; the aspirations of what we want to have or what we want to be? Isn't there a "good" versus "bad" ego in us?  The soul combines our God connection as well as our earthly mission statement that still has to be completed. Why can't we celebrate the innovative ways we find to express our earthly desires while still operating in harmony with the cosmic design? The Way does this for us.

The Tao defines a divine Path for our earthly desires. We can have it all - all our authentic needs get satisfied while experiencing God every step of the Way. Yet, there is a dark force inside of us that starts running with these desire and literally takes us for a ride. The ride can feel thrilling at times but whenever we deviate from love and spiritual meaning it gets annoying pretty fast. So how about this distinction instead, there are the longings of our soul and there is the Way. Follow your dreams but be mindful of the voice in your head that wants you to wander off in a different direction. Mind that dark force, it is easy to do. All you have to do is to make sure that She is with you every step of the Way.

On Interferences

Our task is but to continue, as fast as possible, the necessary process of looking straight at all the interferences and seeing it exactly as it is.
A Course in Miracles

If you are plagued by interferences along your spiritual path - whatever they might be - face and accept them and don't fight them. Instead, experiment with your dark desires. See what happens when you withstand your temptations and then see what happens instead when you indulge. Repeat this cycle several times over until something clicks in your head. You may never outgrow interferences in the way that they become meaningless to you, but you will most certainly outgrow them in a way that they become a simple choice with clear implications what they imply for you. Most mothers quit smoking and drinking when they are expecting - cutting out spiritual distractions will become a similar straight-forward exercise.

A spiritual path is about energy sources opening up to you and making you so much more powerful as you drop old psychological baggage. The path is also about becoming aware of subconscious drives and about channeling these energies into a new purposeful direction. The reason why cutting out interferences becomes a nobrainer is that you will feel in your bones a massive drop in these new found energies when you revert back to your outgrown behavioral patterns. No one is willing to bear this pain, so once your new energy centers open up there is no turning back on your spiritual path.

With spiritual growth everything becomes a simple choice for peace, love and serenity. This world has been created to provide you with the energy to jump-start your journey home. Interferences imply conflict and they imply soul searching and she who searches finds. Accept your interferences, harness their power to transform yourself and then cut them out.

Bumps along the Road

Some self-help and new-age books claim that it is your destiny to always be at peace. I am not so sure about that. Not because I believe that much in karma, that is, the idea that we have to live through our old sins. It is more that we are on a journey home and along the way the Tao shows us what our personality is all about and who we really want to be. In this creation process you cannot help stumbling a little when the road makes a sudden turn. The promise that I would be able to believe is that you the Tao will offer you always an opportunity to land on your feet and that soon this little disturbance will be nothing but a vague memory. Do not fear a little bump in the road, but trust your flexibility and creativity to lift your self up to an even higher level afterwards.

What you can do though, is 'to step out of it'. The ego is scared if unexpected problems emerge. The lower self is afraid it will be all alone. But there is a serene higher part of you that is always accessible independent of the circumstances. Do you remember the final fight in Jean-Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport. When Frank Dux faced Chong Li, his opponent blinded him. There was incredible panic in him at the moment, but when Frank Dux stepped out of it he remembered that he had been prepared for this moment. His master had taught him how to serve tea blindfolded. Falling back on his sixth sense, he could fight even without being able to see his opponent. He focused, became aware of the situation and and with the help of his incredible kicks managed to beat Chong Li.

Welcome the bumps along the road. They are there to help you grow and realize that no matter what the challenge, the Tao has prepared you to face everything that comes your way.