Saints, Lazy Bums, and People like You and Me

Sattvic workers are free from egotism and selfish attachments, full of enthusiasm and fortitude in success and failure alike. Rajasic workers have strong personal desires and crave rewards for their actions. Covetous, impure, and destructive, they are easily swept away by fortune, good or bad. Tamasic workers are undisciplined, vulgar, stubborn, deceitful, dishonest, and lazy. They are easily depressed and prone to procrastination.
(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad Gita)

As I read Lord Krishna's description of how different people are and how differently they approach their life's mission and their careers, I came up with the title saints, lazy bums and people like you and me. Truth is we all have our saintly moments, our periods of striving and greed, as well as times when we are lazy. I am sure that you have have your serene moments in some areas of your life - a state of perfect equanimity. I am also sure that you have your thrills your strives, as well as your egotistic and lazy moments. Fact of the matter is that different personalities come to the fore dependent on where you are and with whom you interact. You may act saintly in your church community, but then you go out and "kill" your opponents while playing tennis. Meanwhile at work, you may be somewhere in-between.

Repression is the biggest challenge for us spiritual travelers. So often have I fooled myself in believing that I was Zen in all my interactions only to observe that the demon popped out at 2 am on a full moon. Taoism can help you with that problem. Along the Tao you experience everything that comes your way with  full-intensity and complete engagement. Lust meets love, greed meets generosity, and evil meets life-affirming actions. You observe yin and yang at play and you transcend both forces in the holy now. Taoism would say that there is a time for serenity, a time for strive and a time for laziness. Along the Way we welcome everything. Life comes our way, we embrace it, deal with it and digest it. Along the Way we let go of the old baggage while the new one just doesn't stick.

Finding Serenity under Pressure

How do you feel about your life right now?  Do you feel stressed out by all the stuff that accumulates throughout the day; the work, the chores, or working out some rocky relationships? Do you feel your health is deteriorating? Do you feel like you are always running behind, never able to keep up with everything that is coming your way?  Do you feel a constant pressure and don't experience any fun at all?

 A depression is a darkness of expectation, a complete slump of energy. You somehow feel overwhelmed by the tasks at hand, with no relief in sight. You feel that life exerts constant pressure. All your attention is on duties and responsibilities, and you completely forget to focus on the incredible upside that slumbers inside of you. It must have happened to you that you suddenly felt that surge in energy inside of you and with that little energy kick all the problems vanished almost effortlessly. Yet these energy bursts feel sporadic to you and when you are dragged down by life's relentless attacks you can't even remember them.

We think the Tao can help you! Take pride and joy in facing everything that comes your way; consider every task, small and big, as a present you send to yourself to help you succeed. The German poet Goethe once said, "Even with stones that someone put in your way you can build something nice." That's indeed how the Tao works. There is no good nor bad along the Way, there is only the path that helps you discover who you truly are. Find the upside in everything that comes your way and you will find it!

The other energy booster is meaning. They say that you can bear almost any pain as long as it is meaningful. Well, we don't want you to experience any pain, we want you to have fun along the Way instead. Still, the same principle applies. Find meaning in what you do and discover a boundless energy source. Always remind yourself what each situation is for and see how the necessary energy to get the job done will be at your disposal.

Remind yourself of your mission and your life will be so much more purposeful; study the Tao at work and you will have so much fun. But then, if at some point resentment, pressure and anxiety do overwhelm you, that's ok too. That is what we all experience from time to time, just remember that you can always snap out of it. Your fears and restlessness are the impostors; serenity and peace is your natural state that you always can return to.  May peace be with you!

By Christian and Su Zhen

Accepting Your Drives

When Sattva predominates, the light of wisdom shines through every gate of the body. When Rajas predominates, a person runs about pursuing selfish and greedy ends, driven by restlessness and desire. When Tamas is dominant, a person lives in darkness, slothful, confused and easily infatuated.
(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad Gita)

When you are greedy it doesn't make much sense to tell you that running after name, fame and profit doesn't become you. When you are full of lust it doesn't make much sense to remind you that you are not your body. When you are worried it doesn't make much sense to advise you against taking out insurances and protections. Spirituality wants you to be generous, pure and worry-free; yet, if you are not, pretending to be will only create a super-ego. All you will do that way is to push the tensions and unresolved conflicts under the surface. Don't bother with artificial spirituality, live your life instead. Like a magnate you attract the situations that allow you to express yourself.  There is no wrong or right, there is only your next choice that allows you to advance spiritually to the next level. This is why living the life that presents itself to you is the best of all worlds - perhaps not from a happiness perspective, but certainly from the perspective of your soul development.

We advise you to be mindful of everything that is going on inside of you as well as in your environment. When you realize that you are greedy, accept this first and then see what to do about it. Your drives have to be burnt up. Some desires you express, some you repress in the name of spirituality, and some you simply transcend because you have outgrown them. The serenity associated with the state of Sattva has to be earned, you can't will yourself towards it. When you experience the state of Tamas at some stage of your life, rise and get the hidden energies to the surface. When you experience the state of Rajas, go and get the conflicting energies out of your system. The state of Sattva is when your infinite energies circulate in equilibrium. Sattva is also the understanding that the world is already perfect as is. You have to do very little in that state - your mere presence makes it perfect. Sattva is your true nature, keep experimenting and expressing yourself and you will discover it. No one can keep your birthright from you.

The Veil

Has it ever happened to you that you opened your eyes and saw, seemingly for the first time, stunning beauty in front of you? You are asking yourself, "Why didn't I see this before?" Could it be that your thoughts, you worries, your expectations prevented you from seeing the world as it is? We Tao folks advise you to keep an eye on what lies in front of you and deal with each situation as it comes. Well, actually this advice is pretty meaningless. Either you see the world as it is or you see the veil, a world interpreted through your thoughts, worries and expectations.

 So what can you do? Learn how to fall in love with the Now, the world as it is. Everyone has satori moments - the moment in time when the world stands still - but to make this experience a lasting one you first have your job to do. Burn your passions by creating the stuff you were born to do. Transform the raging fire inside and transform this energy into lasting serenity. Face your fears and worries to the best of your abilities. Step towards the sea with an army of adversaries closing in from behind and say, "Sea, in the name of Moses part now", and if it doesn't, laugh heartedly and jump right in. We can't promise you that you will get what you want, but we can promise that a world beyond expectation is waiting for you if you open up to it. Follow your life's mission, keep your eyes open and the veil is lifted for you.

When Serenity Meets Flow

Why do you feel stressful and anxious?  Have you ever tried to observe yourself while this is happening?  Is it because you lack the confidence that you can achieve what you set out to do? Isn't it true that when you are looking at all the interferences that come your way, you are in fact getting signal after signal to take it a little easier? Perhaps the problem is that you try to do it your way and not the Tao's way? Try to observe everything that is going on inside of you and in your environment. You will find the answer.

As a Tao traveler, most of the time you accomplish things with ease.  You tune into the flow of the Now and do whatever needs to be done at that special moment. Faced with the divine Now, your own agenda is simply washed away.  You surrender yourself to the Tao and totally trust Her arrangements.  You don't worry and you are at ease. So if you already have reached this spiritual maturity, what are all these stress attacks about? It is the self trying to eclipse the Self with some lingering worries and irrelevant mental conjectures. Perhaps you can think of these situations like you would of a cold. Somehow you must have undermined your psychic immune system, otherwise the strength of the Self would never have allowed this situation to happen.

Along the Tao everything happens for a reason. So even your stressful periods are here to help you. When you develop a sniffle you have some orange juice in order to strengthen your immune system, don't you? In the same way, when stress and worries creep up in you, ask how you may have undermined your Self and change directions accordingly. The Tao is always here to help you. Lose your self along the Way. Be  alert to your environment, heighten your sensitivity responsiveness to the people around you, while being mindful of everything that is going on within yourself. With this alert, with this sensitivity, with this timely response, you become Her instrument again. You harmoniously merge yourself into the flow of Now. Your mind becomes quiet in the moment and everyone benefits from your actions, especially you. Where serenity and flow meet there is just not enough space for stress to develop. Try and experience this for yourself.

By Christian and Su Zhen

The Bar Has Been Raised

You know what happens in a high-jump competition? Just when you pass the hurdle, it will be raised on you. Does your life feel like an endless high-jumping event? The work-requirements go up, the resources you have access to get fewer and fewer; new and younger colleagues are moving up the rank fast, and in all that you realize that your children and significant others need more of your time, care and attention.

This would be a good time to connect with a life-coach. Someone who reminds you of your bigger picture and helps you to redefine your priorities and objectives. A Tao master could help you as well. After all, our motto is that everything you require to be happy and successful is at your finger-tips. You are always safe and sound, and all these people who you think annoy and challenge you, are really here to help you.

Start with a life-coach first though. Create yourself a little breathing space to look for alternatives, a new way of looking at things. Your problem is that you are on auto-pilot running after things that your parents, your friends, the advertisers, and society at large tell you are important. You are running like everyone else after the stuff that glitters on the horizon and are trampling over the gems that are lying in front of you in the process. Sort out your priorities a little, become more confident and efficient at what you do and start getting in touch with your soul. Once you have completed the warm-up exercise you are ready for the a Tao. And this is when the true fun will start.

Why do you think the bar has been raised on you? You have put yourself into this position. Subconsciously you want to run against a wall to remind yourself that there must be another way out there. You want to remind yourself that you are like a donkey running after the carrot never to be reached. Today is a good day to stop; drop everything and remind yourself of your happier days. We are telling you that you can have it all. You can experience these feelings of joy, love and well-being any time, at home, at work, everywhere really. But first you have to stop and reposition yourself. The life-coach will get you the breathing room to get ready for our magnificent journey, a first step into freedom. For the homecoming-tour, the Tao will take your hand. And when She gets started you will be in for a breath-taking ride.

Try

Where there is desire
There is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame
Someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns
Doesn't mean you're gonna die
You've gotta get up and try try try.
Pink, Try

Pink's song sums up our spiritual journey pretty well. The desire is our mission statement, the reason why we were born in the first place. We have to face our desires just as we have to face life and do something with it. Our journey is about transmuting our passions, about healing our split mind. As our physicists remind us, energy can never be destroyed but it can be changed. As we translate our raw passions into creativity and love, we reduce the blazing fire into an eternally burning flame. A complicated mix of ego fantasies and authentic needs are being translated into love for what you are doing, love for the people in your life and an ongoing feeling of peace and fulfillment. What was passion before has become serenity instead.

We also have to allow life to make our subconscious drives plain to us so that we can stop living our lives simply as marionettes. As we step on our spiritual path, choices become available that we never had access to before. Soon we realize that all these flames and burns are nothing but virtual reality. Choices certainly imply that we make mistakes from time to time, but always we gonna get up and try.  A spiritual path is really about experimenting with the so-called reality that we were born into and that everyone else seems to be perceiving. It doesn't exist. We can step outside of it completely and as we do all we suddenly perceive is love and peace. A spiritual path is an intersection of "reality" and virtual reality. You have nothing to lose, but everything to gain. So please don't negate your desires, let life show you how to make them holy. And until you reach that state,  don't forget to get up and try, try, try!

Divine Energy

Walking the Tao is about working with energy. You can learn how to perceive an energy exchange, how to read the energy of a situation and even how to transform it. You can not see the energy, but you can perceive and sense it. Reading the energy of a situation or a person requires your attention and sensitivity. This skill is certainly something that can be mastered over time.

We are all made up of energy, we are all one in an invisible way. So you can in fact study the concept of Oneness by studying energy. Experience how you are influenced by the persons you get in touch with, by the environment you are operating in and the energy exchange of each situation.

Say you go to a party. As soon as you walk into the door you can sense that you are getting high and excited. So you literally feel this the energy of this situation. Monitor how you feel the next morning as well. You may have had alcohol at the party, you may not be able to sleep well in the following days, or you may feel extremely tired next morning, you may find that your body feels tight. So perhaps next time you don't want to expose yourself to this kind of energy anymore even though it seems to be so much fun when you are part of it.

You have a choice in exposing yourself to the energy that works for you; the kind of energy that doesn't just give you a temporary high but a permanent lift. You will know what kind of energy fields these are. It may be the presence of your soul partners; it may be a loving or creative work environment. Find something that ignites a fire in you, but one that burns permanently. You must have experienced the difference between serenity and passion. One is permanent, the other is a temporary high. The trick is to be in touch with the permanent and uplifting energies as much as possible.

Nature will connect you with this uplifting energy. The greener the environment, the better the effect. Music can have the same effect too. It is always easy to tell how your emotion is changed according to the music you are listening to. Different music radiates different frequency. The books or articles that you read have the same effect too. Spending time with good friends or children lifts you up. And if you are really blessed, meaningful work can give you this lasting energy connection as well. Giving and thinking of others always connects you with positive energy. We often talk about the Tao. The Way is really an energy connection. There is a divine connection moment by moment that you can tab into. When you have seen glimpses of this fact you are on your way to become an energy master.

You will probably feel anxious or will be in a bad mood after you read or watch news because most of time these media only broadcasts negative stories. Start studying your energy dynamics after particular events. Schedule downtimes that allow you to evaluate your energy states. Soon it will become normal for you to stay with the uplifting energies and avoid the negative one. You will discover the Way as an ongoing purifying process. A high energy field will build and soon you will avoid anything that interferes with it like the plague.

An energy master will develop over time. Follow the divine energy and see where the journey gets you.

By Christian and Su Zhen

The Serenity of Walking the Tao

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
(The Serenity Prayer)

The energy exchange of people can be studied every day. I love observing seating arrangements in company gatherings, and although they sometimes seem to be completely random, they always set the agenda in advance. The other day I was pushed into a corner spot by a colleague which always tells me that I am just participating and not leading the discussion. Indeed, when we discussed personnel decisions, I wanted to speak up on behalf of a colleague but I realized quickly that it was a lost cause - the outcome was already predetermined before the meeting started. I am sure that I would have found that out on my own in the meeting, but I kind of already knew that I had a good opportunity to shut up based on the seating arrangement. The person who proposed the agenda also sat at the head of the table, while everyone else was sitting around him. In the Western set-up at least, this symbolizes that the person at the head of the table is in the driving seat and, as it turned out, he had already decided on the outcome. So I didn't need the courage to change things, because I already had the wisdom to know that nothing could be changed about the outcome. The Tao gives you that wisdom, just study the energy dynamics for yourself next time you are in a similar setting.

Just Keep the Rascal Occupied

Our spiritual community loves to beat up on the ego. Everything is so simple, there is the ego, the 'I' that wants something, and then there is the soul, the True Self, the love we can read about in spiritual books and can oftentimes feel in ourselves. Well, when you contemplate on the ego concept, who do you think is doing the contemplation? It is the ego, isn't it? Fact of the matter is that you are you, just as I am I, and that is all we know with certainty. Figuring out which part of me is the 'I' and which part is my True Self is an academic exercise in my opinion unless, of course, you have a really good intuition, which some women do have.

The path of the Tao is to realize that every moment is priceless, every moment is an opportunity to be connected with a Force beyond our comprehension. It is actually not that hard to perceive that divine connection. When you are holding Her hand you just know. You can experience this divine connection everywhere, at home, at work, when you interact with people, when you enjoy nature, when you express your creativity - everywhere really. At this blessed encounter you do not need to question your ego, it simply gets sidelined, burned up in the holy Now.

I think of the ego as the rocket that propels you into outer space. Eventually the fuel tank burns out and will be disconnected from the space capsule. The capsule simply gets going in outer space since there is no resistance. Yes, the ego does burn out if you keep headed in the right spiritual direction. When you walk the Tao, there is no resistance either. Just keep the rascal occupied and let Her show you the way. Along the Tao, passion is transformed into serenity, while the desire to get your agenda fulfilled becomes the love for what you do and the people you care for. Do not worry about your ego, keep instead the divine connection going and your spiritual life will be blessed indeed.

Enthusiasm, Exuberance and Serenity

My father suffers from bi-polar, which is also sometimes referred to as manic depression. It is a horrible affliction and while his conditions have improved somewhat in recent years, it was a huge burden for him over several decades.They say that the bi-polar disease is genetic, and given that I am like my father in many ways, I certainly keep an eye out on potential symptoms in me and have been reading a fair bit on the subject as well. For example, did you know that there is even a milder form, bi-polar II, which may not have the manic episodes attached so it is often misdiagnosed as an outright depression.

A spiritual path traveler understands something about manic phases because along the path you cannot help being 'high on life' more often than not. During that phase you feel so in tune with everything that is happening in your life that you literally feed of the energies of your environment very much as you share your abundant energies with others. You are certainly enthusiastic given that the root of the word implies 'possessed by God'. You may even be exuberant on occasions, but you also know that you have to keep that phase to yourself. No, when you are connected to God or the Tao, you experience a clarity of thinking and a focus that you have never experienced before. Manic depressed in contrast think they are in tune in their exuberant phase, yet they are completely disconnected with their environment. Traveling along the Tao is the polar-opposite of that experience. As Jesus said, 'You shall recognize them by their fruit and they shall know themselves." When you travel along the Tao, everything should make sense all the times - this hardly is the case for a manic depressed.

Spiritual path travelers certainly can be moody just because there are days when this divine connection is less apparent. There are simply negative energy fields around on some days that disturb this free energy exchange with the Source. This is a horrible experience compared to the high phase, but it has to be accepted very much as every period of sunshine has to make way to clouds and rains. Who knows whatever the psychological benefit of these more sobering periods are, but you never fall in a dark hole just because you always know that the Tao is out there waiting to connect with you whenever you have worked through whatever it is that separates you from the Tao at that time.

It is a mistake to think that the chemical imbalances in our brains or our genetic propensity to experience these mental states are disconnected from what we do and what our life is all about. Nassir Ghemi wrote an interesting book in ''A First-Rate Madness' in which he makes the cases that many exceptional leaders in exceptional circumstances led as effectively as they did because of their propensity to experience mental bi-polar or depression states. He cites Churchill and FDR in the political realm as examples. His observation certainly also applies to our artistic community since the enthusiastic and sometimes even manic phases often correlate with extra-ordinary artistic inspiration. I would also think that our spiritual community has that susceptibility for creativity, which likely comes with some moodiness attached.

I sometimes wonder whether - on a soul level - my father carried this incredible burden to allow me to experience the bliss I do. Anyway, I would conclude that you don't need to worry much about manic depression. Along the Tao you cannot fall into the trap of disconnecting with your environment because your many soul siblings as well as everything that happens in our life will ensure that you are always connected. And if once in a blue moon you really have a fit of exuberance or depression, the Tao will also make sure that you will be in your private corner at this time and that no harm comes your way.

Serenity

For the man who wishes to mature, the yoga of action is the path; for the man who is already mature, serenity is the path.
Lord Krishna, Bhagavad Gita

Ten years ago I had a big fall-out with a colleague at work who, as I thought then, stole my ideas and presented them as his own. The other day I experienced a scene that was somewhat reminiscent of this time. I smiled to myself and said, 'Oh, my friend is here to broadcast our idea and make it so much more powerful for all of us'. That is exactly what happened. Our teamwork was well-received and everybody who participated in the process got the recognition they deserved.

If you really aspire to grow spiritually, there is absolutely nothing that you need to do. Growing you will automatically. Wisdom is just a jump in consciousness that takes place when you are ready for it. In the meantime, trust that everything you do is perfect for your soul development as long as you always put your best foot forward. You should always feel serene, whether you are working in a fast-paced environment, or whether you are sitting at home meditating. When you encounter a hostile situation as I did ten years ago, step back and look for that possible jump in consciousness. Serenity is always yours to have.

You Don't Need to Stay Hungry My Friend

The other day a Russian colleague told me that he wanted his children to feel a little like foreigners. After all, the feeling to be different and excluded at times gives him the hunger to succeed in the US society and economy. His children were born here in the US, so he knows as well as I do that this is just a wish; his children will grow up to be American like everybody else. Don't worry about the drive I would say, your life sets you up optimally to be the one you are born to be. I know this sounds like an empty tautology, but it is true.

We are all driven by some hidden ghosts. Some work hard all their lives because they want to give their children something better. A more prosperous community, a better education, a social advancement. Some strive because deep down inside they are afraid of life, or they feel they have to prove something. Some want to score with the opposite sex and they know that status and wealth often does the trick. Everybody has a secret engine. You don't need to worry about your children. They are being set up for their idiosyncratic movie plot; just always put your best foot forward, but leave the script up to a higher authority.

You may have seen one of the Dos Equis beer adds in which a handsome (but somewhat past his prime) man is surrounded by attractive women half his age who advises the audience to 'Stay thirsty my friends!'. I am not so sure about his advice though. To advice our young folks to step out of the movie plot is meaningless because they still have to make it to the scene when the heroine is born. But you can my friend. Once you discover that life is nothing but a movie - your movie - you can step out of it. Waking up from this dream doesn't mean you become a drifter, it just means that you live a purposeful life full of peace and serenity.

The Spiritual Surfer

The sun is always shining. At night you can't see it, yet the sun is still shining. Sometimes the sky is covered by massive rain clouds, yet the sun is still shining on them. Does it really matter?It is ok if you can't see the sun now and then. We sleep at night which is perhaps the most important spiritual activity we can pursue anyway. Rain keeps our trees and grass green and gives us that great excuse to stay at home and read that fascinating book that otherwise we never would have had time for to read. Rain or shine, everything is fine from a spiritual perspective.

Everything is perfect as is from your spiritual development, but that is not how you perceive it. You have many good days followed by some not so good ones. Just accept this fact there is nothing that you can or should do about it. I came up with the surfing theme because an inexperienced surfer might try to get straight to his destination with little regard for the wind, the waves and the environment only to find that his surfing board is flipped upside down by the elements. This is ok; go out and practice, you will get a feel for the sea and the waves soon enough. Follow the fire that burns inside that is all you can and should do anyway.

And then comes the day when you are aware that the sun is shining always no matter which environment you are facing. Or to stay with the surfing theme, you get a feel for the elements and figure out how the round-about route might get you straight to your destination. This spiritual awakening will most likely will be a process, a back of forth of new found consciousness and old-set pattern until the day when you finally break free altogether. A surfer who has once experienced that magic connection never looks back afterwards. Fact the of the matter is that you can experience life just as a surfer, swayed by the ups and downs of life without being emotionally involved and in fact deriving strengths from them rather than being worn down. The Tao invites you to dance daily, without an agenda you enjoy whatever comes your way. Sure, you determine the general direction you want to go - towards the bay or into the ocean - but everything else you leave up to the waves, the wind, the environment you are operating in. For the Tao traveler the sun always shines, and the fires of passion have calmed down sufficiently to fuel a purpose-driven journey full of serenity, laughter and joy.

Destiny

Chris and Janet Attwood wrote 'The Passion Test', which was a bestseller at the time. When I read it, I thought the authors had stumbled on a necessary condition for fulfilled work, but not a sufficient one. If you examine every six months or so whether you are still excited doing what you are doing, you perhaps forget that you shouldn't only be searching for the work that gives you always the highest satisfaction, but instead for the life project that you were born to do. If you don't know what it might be right now, relax, your destiny will find you; the question is only whether you are ready to embrace it when it comes your way.

"May God grant you your heart's deepest desires" is an old curse of the gypsies. Most of your life you are running after gold, only to find that it is copper and that the treasure you were looking for is laying by the wayside, but since you were too busy running after the sparkle, you missed it. Your passion is the lure of the false gold; it is your destiny to find your treasure after taking a few wrong turns. There is nothing wrong with following your passions, after all, what else can you do? Just understand that all the blood pumping through your veins is nothing but a precursor for a much calmer, much more peaceful and happier period. It is state of serenity that only comes when you feel that you have finally living your destiny.

Time-out

Pursue your passions, run after life's spices and you give your Self a time-out. When the blood is running through your veins in over-drive, the Self can't be heard. But alas, misery will follow your passion with certainty. Succeed with your project and boredom will hit you after a temporary high. Fail and depression hits. The Self will pierce through in these moments of misery. The Self will lift you up, ever-forgiving, but soon enough you will be running after a new craving.

After tasting a few bitter fruits like that, you can turn the table and give the ego a time-out. Become an artist in whatever you do, get lost in the the beauty of your creation, work and serve without expecting anything. Don't worry, you will not miss anything and enjoy serenity and peace wherever you are and whatever you do.

Wholeness is dancing with life without involving the " I"

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman "whoever will drink from this well will thirst again, but the water that I shall give you gives you everlasting life"

The desires of the mind will give you highs, but you will never be satisfied. Sure, the successes are much nicer to experience than the failures, but both outcomes will leave you dissatisfied in the end.  The joy of dancing with the Tao gives you serenity instead; you feel completely satisfied during the experience and afterwards.

The question of course is what to do with this insight; you cannot negate your desires. Yet, if you allow the guidance of the Tao you can always find an outlet of your passions; express your desires creatively and the Tao chooses the environment that allows the transition into serenity.

Passion Versus Serenity

Norman Mailer in his 'On God' introduced an idea that really resonated with me. He said he had most energy whenever his angel as well as his demon were equally interested in a project. The ego is passionate, your Higher Self experiences serene joy, and you do best if you allow both parties their share. Passion is the force that jump starts you, the True Self is the one who confronts you with the choices that get you to your desired journey from a holistic perspective. 

The image I had in my mind when I reflected on this theme was that of a rocket. The rocket is the one that shoots you out of the orbit, and when the resistance vanishes disposes of its fuel tank. Shooting you into space can be thought of as passion's burning desire, while the effortless journey of the rocket without the resistance of the atmosphere can be thought of as the serene enjoyment of the True Self.It is the straight  direction that gets you into the orbit, if your trajectory is crooked, you stay within the earth atmosphere and no matter how powerful your fuel supply, eventually you will run out of power. 

Passion can only jump-start you, and it should. Whereas the Holy Spirit will work with your desires and will confront you with the necessary choices that allows you to catch up with your True Self. That way you live in the best of all worlds. You burn a little of your ego fuel, while you are directed into a trajectory that allows you to create in harmony with your True Self for however long you like to travel.

Disentangling The Hook

The time of the season is here when we have to sign up our kids for summer camp again, and I was reminded of this dreadful picture I once saw that tried advertising a camp by showing a picture of a teenage girl with a lifeless expression pretending to bite into a hook that a bored middle-aged man was holding up for her. As you can imagine, I didn't sign my kids up for this one.

The spiritual mensch flows with the universe moment by moment and doesn't stop anywhere since the tune is changing all the time. When you truly exchange yourself with somebody you care about you will notice this ongoing flow. There is no set agenda and there is no game plan. The difference between passion and enthusiasm is subtle, but it can boil down to the difference between an obsession and serenity. You are on fire in both cases, but you dance to your own tune in the former case, while you are operating in harmony with the universe in the latter.

You have to follow your passions, that's your life mission statement, but understanding the different feel of the two states can at least help you to find that creative healing opportunity to launch you on your spiritual path. Yes, your passion hooks you, but if you are truly putting your best foot forward, the Tao will find a creative way to help yourself disentangling yourself. The fire that consumes you will slowly die down that way. As you take your hand out of the fire and will instead jumpstart that eternal flame that burns inside you.

May Peace be with You

The Christians in this forum might know this expression, I remember many a Sunday service when the pastor would turn around and offer peace to his congregation and we would all wish peace to our neighbors as well: "May peace be with you", "And also with you" was the reply. Isn't odd that out of the many possible blessings like health, prosperity or happiness, we choose just peace? Well, anyone who has experienced this magnificent feeling knows that love and peace is all you need.

I also remember days and moments when I was at graduate school, and especially the time when my course work was done and I was on my way back to Germany. Often on those occasions peace would enter every fiber of my being. It came and it went, but the memory of this terrific feeling will stay with you forever.

The holidays are approaching and the feeling is back. Happiness, health and well-being are all contained in this blissful feeling. I am now ready to take on another eventful 2011. May peace be with you!