The Way of the Symbol

If I had to describe my spiritual path in one pithy expression, it would be, "The Way of the Symbol". I have discovered little nudges along the WAY over the years, pointing me in a direction of my choosing. When I see these signs, I just know that it is meaningful for my spiritual journey. So in a way, I would say that I have my daily conversations with GOD, yet, I would never be so arrogant to claim that what is meaningful to me has to be true for others as well. 

When we live our life, reacting to external signs and voices and giving them spiritual meanings, we of course have to ask ourselves, what is truly of GOD and what is our own make-belief.  I actually think that I have become pretty good in these situation-specific "yes", "no", "no", "yes" choices for the very reason that I have worked the best TEACHER there is for a while now, the WAY. 

Today, I stumbled on a note that I wrote many years ago when I wanted to understand better how exactly one knows when something is "right" or "wrong". And while I still don't have a clear-cut answers that I can pass along, I have mellowed a bit on that subject; I will argue later that this distinction matters much less than you think. Please read the problem statement I faced a while back first, and then allow me to provide some updated thoughts afterwards.

True Self or Super Ego, June 7, 2009

We always talk about the True Self, the higher institution inside us which is permanently connected to the universe. How can we separate this voice from the super ego, i.e. Freud's concept of the deep-seated biases that we receive from our our parents, society and culture?

Let me give you an example: I had some receding hair line, so I got a hair transplant done a while back. It is a minor operation and actually worked out quite well. In any case, one day before the operation, I banged my foot into a door such that I could hardly walk for almost one week. But since I am very well-coordinated, these things just don't happen to me. On top of that, the injury miraculously vanished exactly at the same time when my scalp had healed. I conjectured that my True Self wanted to give me the lesson that "you are not your body" and promptly cancelled my follow-up operation.

Perhaps it was a message from a higher institution, perhaps not. The alternative is that I was just ashamed as our culture still sometimes frowns on plastic surgery. My super ego was quite well articulated by my mother. When she heard about the upcoming operation she said, "My son, these are your genes, you should accept who you are!" You see the alternative view point, I may have run into the door because my subconscience wanted to tell me that I should not go against our cultural norms. How do we know? Any ideas how we can separate the alleged True Self from our subconscious desires and fears?

This was my problem statement from 2009, and as I mentioned, I canceled the follow-up operation and even stopped taking the medicine to prevent further hair loss, not because I believe that God frowns on those things, but simply because of a feeling I had during the operation. In order to transplant hair from one part to the other, the doctor has to penetrate your skin with a scalpel, and I simply disliked the feeling. "No one has the right to cut holes into me", I heard a voice say, and that was the end of this discussion. Super-ego or True Self, I didn't know who talked then, and I also didn't particularly care, all that mattered was the feeling to stop this madness and I never looked back. Frankly, when I look into the mirror these days, I kind of like what I see.

All of us are on a path that is meaningful to us; we need to find this path for ourselves and need to stick to it without losing much sleep over whether the super-ego or the True Self is talking. I am reminded of Siri's voice: we use her for digging up stuff; for finding restaurants in our neighborhood, or for reminding us of upcoming calendar events. So she is somehow there to help us. Similarly, we can use our super ego as a convenient tool to help us proceed along our spiritual path. But then, on those few occasions when the signs of the WAY and our super ego, or our id seem to clash, that is the time to dig our heels in and override what seemed obvious and natural all our life.

When Freud developed his insight of ego, super ego and the id, he perceived himself as part of an enlightenment process designed to help us discover our "healthy ego". C.G Jung felt a spiritual component was missing in Freud's theory, so he alerted us to the "Collective Unconscious" and spent his life trying to incorporate his spiritual insights into the rational thinking framework. But even he was only willing to go so far. It was him who stumbled on Synchronicity, a framework that I frequently use along my spiritual journey. But he stopped short of developing it. At one point in his career he admitted that once he stopped looking for Synchronicity, the signs of the WAY also stopped coming. Perhaps even more revealing, when someone later in his career offered to introduce him to one of the enlightened Hindu Mystics - I believe it was Sri Ramana Maharshi - he politely declined as he didn't want to go down that path. We all manufacture our story, our path, and all of us are only willing to lean so much out of the window. Life is an ongoing choice to define our "self", and there is no "right" or "wrong", there is only our way.

I look for signs of the WAY. I look for ONENESS. I look for spiritual insights and I look for love. The signs of the WAY surround me daily, and I consider it so much fun to unwrap the little blessings that GOD sends me. It is a feeling really, an insight that strikes. I may miss a few steps, but more often than not, I recognize the symbols of the WAY and react accordingly.  If I felt today for some reason that a hair transplant could help me remove an inner obstacle along the WAY, I would immediately sign up!

It is arrogant to believe that I have something more worthwhile to say than Freud or Dr. Jung. Yet, it may be able to offer better directions for the select few who want to travel "The Way of Symbols" together with me. We can always appeal for GUIDANCE to a FORCE beyond our horizon, and this FORCE will cleverly use the symbols that we embrace. Observing Synchronicity in action does not prove that GOD exists. All it shows it that we are that magnetic and powerful to attract the symbols that are meaningful to us. Neither of us has any right to lecture someone else on what is "right" and what is "wrong" by GOD. "The Symbols of the WAY" are an intensely personal conversation.

God, in Neale Walsch's "Conversations with God", repeated one insight over and over: lose less sleep over the question what is "right" or "wrong", and start asking whether something is useful or a hindrance towards where you personally want to go. That's it really; first you decide what your life story is all about, and then go after it with all you got. If the collective insights of our forefathers and mothers have installed certain normative shortcuts to help us get to our goal, the better. And if we painfully have to overwrite certain biological, psychological or normative programs to advance instead, then so be it. This is our story. Let's make it a good one.

The WAY is always here to help us advance once we ask request the journey HOME. We are not intellectually or spiritually superior to anyone else, but when we travel next to HER, we end up having a lot of fun! Join us along the "The Way of Symbols"!

When does a Faux-Pas become a Bad Omen?

We have all experienced these Freudian Slips; the misspelling of names, the mixing up of words; or the so-called "accidents" that clearly show the opposite of what we intend to accomplish. If you are a spiritual traveler like me, you most certainly have received nudges from the universe to lean in a certain direction. Only these tend to unfold more in form of blessings that we receive at special moments; a sign from the universe when the clock strikes 11:11 just at the time as we hit the send button of an important email would be one such example that many spiritual travelers have observed for themselves. 

So if a moment is not so blessed, how do we know whether it was nothing but a faux-pas, an internal resistance that has to be overcome, or a "bad omen", a divine message that encourages us to change direction? My personal observation, you just never know when it comes to these negative nudges. When your intention and reality clash, you simply have to keep monitoring how life's feed-back mechanism evolves as you embark on what you set out to do. If the resistance only gets stronger as you progress, chances are you have to reposition your goals a little; if the resistance fades on the other hand, chances are that the observed "bad omen" was nothing but your nerves temporarily gaining the upper hand. So never mind a faux-pas here or there, just keep on moving; chances are you are on the right track.

Easy as 1 2 3

Su Zhen and I once used the phrase "Easy as 1 2 3" in a note and perhaps that was the reason why she sent over the photo of a sign she found on the street with 1 2 3 written in red with a triangle drawn on top of it.  What was remarkable about the event was that I was at a restaurant at the same time and I observed that the house number was  123. We had lot's of fun telling each other the story and when I deposited a note on our blog a couple of hours later what do you think was the time? 12:03

We used to have many stories like that when she was still living in Hong Kong as well, so these occurrences are completely independent of space and time. All a synchronicity really shows is a connectedness, a playfulness and a meaning. Live by these occurrences and life will be so much fun. Life is playful. You can live this too when you go with the beat.

Freud, Jung and the Tao

Freud's big achievement was to remind us that the ego is very much empowered to dig stuff out of the unconscious and grow as a person that way. Jung's big accomplishment was to recognize that you don't need to look down on the unconscious the way Freud did when he called this force the "it". To the contrary, the Unconscious could be something to look up to - it's the Force that contains our wisdom, mission statement and God connection.

Jung touched on the Tao when he stumbled on synchronicity, but he didn't explore these mystical events much further and said that when he stopped looking for them they also stopped coming. Well, that is how you can dig a little further. I claim that if you completely open up to life, a Force will come to the fore that teaches you everything you need to know about your Unconscious. More than that, your "ego" - that is the way you perceive and react to the world - is perfectly tailored to the life experiences that are coming your way. When you open up completely to this divine Force, your ego will be synchronized with the Beyond. You will find that don't have to give up anything that is dear to you. Think of yourself as a diamond in the rough getting a beautiful shine day by day. I claim even more than that, by meeting life with this new-found perspective you realize that you are Her.

11:11

When you are a Tao master you have your way of communication with the Source. Christian tried describing a few glimpses of this communication channel in his book, "The Magnificent Experiment", but these can at best be pointers. This communication is a highly idiosyncratic experience. Many path travelers report seeing 11:11 when they are connected as just one example.   You will have your own channels and when you are connected the message will be blazing as the sun so that you cannot overlook them; yet, very much like the 11:11 symbol,  when you try to communicate it to others it will feel somehow childish.

After this communication channel has been established you will certainly know when you are not connected. When you are in that stage, most of the time you will feel very unstable. The voice in your head will be in overdrive and you literally will be too busy to observe what happens in your environment. From time to time you will bump into things, a subtle reminder of the Tao to stop everything and just observe. You  probably will wolf down food when you are excited or not eat at all when you are depressed. The food will be tasteless anyhow. You will literally not perceive it, just as you block out everything that happens outside of you.

When I am at this state, even I walk in a beautiful park full of different species of plants and flowers, I cannot appreciate a bit.  I cannot see the beautiful scenery, the lake, the mountains, the trees, the flowers; I cannot hear the birds sings and bugs hum; I cannot notice the people walk by and say hello.  Hence I am not able to receive this wonderful present that mother earth has prepared for us.  I am not able to resonate with nature at this moment and be lifted up by its pure energy.  Connection means you are "here", you experience the divine Now that Eckhart Tolle described in his book The Power of Now.

 Have you observed yourself that how often you become disconnected?  This is a state of mind when you just get lost in some external energy that isn't you. If you are very busy with your work, your family, your daily activities. In fact, you are so lost in it that you simply forget being mindful. You don't realize that your mind is run by a force outside of your Self.

The life run by the mind is unstable because that is its nature. Thoughts pop up like bubbles from seemingly nowhere and the only choice you have is to pop a few while letting the others become in a creation of your Self.  If you observe your mind, you will find that it is a little bit like the wind. Thoughts seemingly come from nowhere and disappear into nowhere.  However, when you have no idea how your mind functions you will take your thoughts for real and will try to solve all the problems that your mind comes up with. What a waste of time and energy! Reflect for a moment. How often has it happened to you that life took a very different turn than all the scenarios you stewed over in your head?

 All you really need to do is to recognize that your mind is in action again. Let it run its course, observe it, but stay in the Now. At some point, when you engage with your life, your daily activities, the voice in your head, the endless back and forth  will suddenly stop.  At this moment, you can suddenly sense a void, something so vast that is able to include everything.  You are then able to sense the nature, the songs of birds, the rain, the smell of your environment, the people around you.  It is like you suddenly wake up from a dream.

Your state of mind state is can be quite surreal and unrealistic.  It keeps you from being in touch with the beauty of Now. The people, the lively energy the Tao puts you in touch. Let special symbols like 11:11 remind you of the state you belong to. Embrace the Now and learn to disconnect from the energy that isn't you. Wake up friends, sleeping is easy but will keep you from experiencing something wonderful!  Join the world, join the Tao, join the lively vibration, excitement, you will find life is lots of fun!

By Su Zhen

Silent Communication

Why don't you shut off the news, the TV and the Internet and start observing the other information that you always can tune in. Did you know that your environment is communicating with you non-stop, just as you are emitting signals all the time without being aware of it?

 You can find out this fact as you spend time with other people. There is a Chinese saying “when you get close to the red, you will become red and when you get close to the black, you become black”. This is exactly what is going on. People around you influence you just as you influence them.   You can realize this when you suddenly have some thoughts or emotions which are perfectly in tune with your environment. Even more than that, along the Tao you can observe that sometimes you are in these unexpected moods only to find that the environment and the people who otherwise would have caused this mood find you later. We are one and time literally doesn't exist. Before, afterwards are all perfectly accessible in the Now. Your subconscious already knows early in the morning who you will meet today and why.

Our claim that “You are not your thoughts and are not your emotions" applies here as well.  You are really part of a giant theater stage that puts you subconsciously into the situations that have to play out.  You only think you are in charge. In fact, you are playing out programs that you acquired in previous life-times and by your parents. Just as your kids will find out 40 years later that they in fact have signed up for the homework that you left for them. We are all part of a big puppet theater play and the master of ceremony behind the stage is wise indeed.

 You can never free yourself from this subconscious bondage and identification, but you can rise above it by being mindful. Observe for yourself  how your thoughts and emotions interact with your environment. Can you imagine that one day you have that dark thought of commiting suicide but only to find out this is the thought from the person sitting next to you on the train?  How silly would it be to let your "I" drag you down on a wave of self-accusations and misery when in fact you can stop this train of thought before it leaves the station and instead let your positive being instead lift up the brother sitting next to you.

We are communicating silently even if you don’t put our moods and thoughts in words.  Energy is going back and forth in this invisible world.  Experiment with this concept and just observe; you will have lots of fun and you will feel a lot better about yourself. Let the world smile with you.

By Christian and Su Zhen

Just Do It

Walking the Tao is not really a religion in the way that someone can tell you what is good for you and what is not. But then, it is very much a religion when you go by the true meaning of the word "religion" which means to bind in Latin. When you follow Her signals you are literally glued to the path. But it is you who has to do the steering to get into the vicinity of the holy Now; from there on She will take over. We hope that our notes can help you with that first step.

You can not really know what the Tao is, very much like you do not know what a summer breeze is until you have actually experienced it for yourself. We have tried to describe the Tao in detail to you in many previous notes but this is based on our experiences. Many ways lead to Rome as they say and you will likely travel your idiosyncratic path. You probably already had a glimpse, or you are about to get a glimpse of Her. But this first encounter is unfortunately just transient. It will be up to you to make this connection a permanent one and there is only one authority in the world that has the ability to accomplish that feat and that is you.

Everything you do can be an experiment; everything you experience is a chance to connect with the holy Now or an opportunity to remove psychological blocs in yourself. To connect with theTao means to surrender to life. Trust, love, joy, peace and a magnificent feeling of connectedness are your companions when you travel the Tao and they can be your yardstick. But as you will find out for yourself, they are present for only as long as you are ready to receive them. A spiritual path is a journey to make this connection with the Tao a permanent one and more importantly, it is your journey; no one else can help you with that.

Su Zhen and Christian discovered the Tao from different starting points. Su Zhen discovered the ancient Voice inside herself with the help of meditation and mindful living exercises while Christian discovered the Tao in external signs, in relationships, in synchronicities and in seeing meaningful connections wherever he looked. Take it easy, do not over-think it, as a matter of fact, do not think at all, just do it. Go towards Her and discover how you can always discover a soul sibling in all your daily interactions. Take a few steps away from Her and see how the babbling in your head will get stronger and stronger. Just experiment! If you are really driven to experience this divine connection you cannot really make a mistake. Everything you do will make Her path clear to you one way or another.

Slowly, you will find yourself connecting with a Force which is all knowing, loving and guiding. The more encounters you have with Her, the more confidence you will have to walk the Way. This Force is growing you the wings to fly. You only need to have tasted Her once and a life-long synchronization process will occur.

Everything will make sense along the Way. The good stuff as well as the bad stuff; everything will be spiritually meaningful to you. Dismantling walls has some dust, dirt and noise attached to it so please bear the demolition process patiently. This destructive force is just there to break down the walls that inhibit you from experiencing freedom, healing, joy, peace and love. The things She tries to take away from you are harmful for you so please don't stand in Her path. Don't be scared and trust the Tao always knows best and always does everything for you with love and care. With this trust, even you are undergoing some difficult transitions, you will still experience peace doing it. Our last advice, stop reading and thinking about the Tao. Delve into life and experience Her yourself. Just do it!

By Christian and Sue Zhen

The Scientific Tao Traveler

When you read psychology books one author will tell you that our brain is designed to read meaning into randomness, while the other might tell you that everything that happens to you has meaning and it is yours to find it. This seems like a downsized debate on whether there is a personal God or not, and like the big debate, one thought system can never convince the other.

The French Surrealist Albert Camus once said that the most meaningless way to die would be in a car accident. Well, as coincidence had it, he died in a car accident and the accident seemed really pointless as he had a train ticket to Paris in his pocket. In the last moment a friend convinced him to drive him the distance by car instead. So it almost appears that you create the symbolic journey that works for you. If you believe in the randomness of the universe and a pointless life you get what you want and if you believe in meaning, you search until you find that too. Carl Gustav Jung reported that after he had identified the theme of Synchronicity he experienced meaningful 'coincidences' everywhere but when he stopped looking for them they disappeared.

I believe that our psychological journey has only meaning to offer, but I also keep an eye out to the possibility that I might be deluding myself.You can be a Tao traveler and a scientist at the same time. You just make your thesis that every interaction, every occurrence is meaningful to you and fits in a bigger plot. You follow closely to what people say, you get completely absorbed by the now. And if after your experiments you feel frustrated like Albert Camus was by his life events, well then you just change your perspective. What else can you do?

 In my experience such a day of disappointment never really comes once the Tao has gotten of you, but then, please don't take me as an authority. Only you can be the judge, only you can establish a bond with this magnificent Force, no one else can do it for you. Try to be honest with yourself. In the end you do have to end up reaching that stage that Jesus described as 'By their fruits will you recognize them and they will recognize themselves'. Enjoy your magnificent experiment!

Spiritual Signs

Most spiritual path travelers possess some metaphysical perks would be my conjecture. It is like a little opening in this play of maya that shows that behind all the apparently hard facts there is something quite different, something magic in the background. One of my idiosyncratic modes of communication with the 'beyond' happens to be license plates: believe it or not, they contain little messages from the Source, mostly spiritual in nature, but from time to time even some  'real' predictions concerning people and events as well. How can that be, I often ask myself? Have the cars and license plate numbers been manufactured for me years ago with this magic moment today in mind?Is the Source Itself directing traffic to get these messages to me. Is there an authority inside me that knows when these signs will be available and directs me subconsciously to get me to these places at the right time? The one answer that may come to your mind I personally rule out, I don't think I read meaning into randomness.

I remember C.G Jung once saying on the famous synchronicity subject that for him these metaphysical occurrences stopped when he didn't look for them anymore. This doesn't surprise me at all. As I said, this metaphysical opening is your little nudge into the 'beyond', if you prefer to see only 'scientific' connections, your Tao is happy to have it your way. Anyhow, I cannot convince you either way, you will have to find out for yourself. Once the Tao has got a hold of you, you can run these tests yourself. I am sure that you will also find out that this rational universe of ours falls apart like a sand castle once you poke it with your metaphysical wand. If you already have some  psychic abilities, would you mind sharing them with us?

Moments of Creativity

Yesterday I was typing something in my personal notebook and my word processor did what it always does, it changed a word as I was typing and out came, after a little editing,  Michelangelo's David sculpture. Wow, it was a little creative jump from what I was writing, but I could see the connection very clearly and this direction was so much more meaningful than the one I had in mind. This is the Tao in action. When it happens you just feel the connection and the creativity of the beyond. You probably will say that this 'synchronicity' is nothing but a coincidence and my imagination and I will respond, well it would be if there weren't countless magical moments like this one in a day. You will have to try for yourself.

Unfortunately it takes a while to get to this stage. The transition period from the 'normal' life to this stage of creativity can unfortunately be a little confusing since you constantly question your sanity in the process. Have some fun with it. If there really is a Tao out there That wants to guide you, you will receive plenty of signals along the way. Enjoy your new-found creativity.

The Living Web

My sister-in-law installed FEEDJIT on my blog a while back which allows you to monitor the visitor activity; initially, I just enjoyed seeing the localities of each visitor and was of course interested in learning which topics they tend to peruse. In the meantime, however, my connection with my visitors has grown so much deeper even though they rarely leave comments. You may have a hard time believing me, but the blogs that you, dear visitor, read on a day by basis, are very much connected to my thoughts, my experiences and the material I am writing about each day. The web is a living thing and we all are connected and influence each other, even though we wouldn't recognize each other on the street. Another example of the Tao at work and the principle that if you give, you always happen to receive with a handsome interest.

The Joys of a Tao Traveler

The Tao promises happiness, but how exactly does this happiness materialize? Will you get the career of your dreams, the spouse of your dreams, the wealth and success of your dreams? Well, the answer should very much depend on how synchronized your personal wishes are with the spiritual path you are traveling. After all, the world is designed for you  to encourage this convergence. As far as I am concerned,everything I wish for I have:  a job that allows me to be creative and free;  I am surrounded by people I care for, and at home I have a loving family. What else do I need? My personal mission statement is to be one with the Tao, and this journey has been going on for a few years now. I actually have no idea where this spiritual path will take me, but it certainly is a lot of fun. Actually, the joys of a Tao traveler might be a little different than you think. Let me give you an example of an occurrence that made me extremely happy yesterday.

For some time now I have observed two birds on my yard which are apparently nesting in one of the nearby trees. I love birds, but know very little about them given that I grew up in an urban area. One of these birds was hopping on my lawn looking for rainworms and I was thinking that I would love to know its name. That evening I was playing the guessing game with my children and our visiting in-laws and when it was my turn, I was asking what animal sometimes visits our lawn? Immediately, my brother-in-law shouted "a robin", and I had my answer. Yup, a quick look at google images revealed that my lawn guest is a robin. The little joys of the Tao traveler are really these amazing occurrences. I am sure that a driven person could only be mildly entertained by these events, but to us spiritual path travelers these connections mean a lot. You experience first hand how everyone and everything is interconnected. So may a robin salute you today as you wander along your spiritual path!

Synchronicity

I was driving home and the expression 'Live and let it be' suddenly crossed my mind. Wait a moment, I thought to myself, something is off with this expression. Then I remembered that it was 'Live and let live' instead. Curious, I thought to myself, and as I was just flipping radio stations, I realized that Paul McCartney's 'Let it Be' was playing. (By the way, it was also Paul McCartney who sang 'Live or let Die'! That's how the Tao works; once it grips you it adds layer on layer of meaning to you until at one point you just let go because your head is spinning.)

There is a voice connected to everything deep inside yourself. It has access to everything there has been, everything there is and everything there will be. Learn to get access to it and you will be in awe day in and day out. If someone says to you that the universe is random you will not be able to disprove the agnostic, but you will know that the Tao happens to be a very different place instead. Moreover, once you understand that everything is connected in one way or another you cannot help clinging to every word of the next person you meet in the street, or the lyrics of the song on the radio, or whatever it is that you currently communicate with. Enjoy!

Walking the Tao

I had a funny occurrence at work the other day. My colleague and I were coming out of the elevator and I was just about to get my ID to open the door for her when she charged forward and opened it. She was completely lost in thoughts and did not even realize the small miracle that had just taken place. I thought for a moment about the incident and then figured it out. From the inside the door opens when you get close enough to it, so a colleague must just have triggered the light signal when he walked by. An amazing coincidence and my colleague was completely unaware that she had just walked the Tao!

Synchronicity

I got a couple of new technology devices this week and everywhere I look I find the word synchronicity. Magically, all the systems, the e-mails, the files, etc. merge into one. It seems the spiritual path is exactly like that. The Source pulls you in and as you increasingly let go of your own agenda, you are propelled onto that self-reinforcing wave until one day your personal agenda happens to be perfectly synchronized with the Tao.

I am sure that every spiritual path traveler has his or her idiosyncratic ways of receiving messages from the Source. My mode of communication happens to be reading license plate numbers. I often ask what kind of strange process is that which lines cars and traffic flows up with me. It seems strange for me to believe that the Source spends Its time to redirect traffic in Massachusetts just to get a message delivered to me. More likely it seems that there is an authority inside myself that has all the information available and lines me up perfectly with all the news that works for me when I see it. I feel a little like my new I-Pad: I am being synchronized moment by moment as long as I have the mindset to perceive it.

The Course in Miracles states "To unite having and being is to unite your will with His, for He wills you Himself. And you will yourself to Him because, in your perfect understanding of Him, you know there is but one Will." (Chapter 11, 2, 1) In other words, every step you take on your journey home is realizing more and more that you and the Tao are one!

Synchronicities versus Spiritual Intuition

The Tao exists, it can be observed moment by moment and I have often written about it in this forum. The question however remains, does it exist for everybody? Some spiritual path travelers describe real conversations with the True Self, a good example in this direction is Neale Walsch who manged to fill books with his Conversations with God. Perhaps the Tao is just an external conversation device for those who don't have the same trust to rely on their inner voices. Synchronicities are seemingly magic connnections that you have with other people and events. You cannot help but to accept their meanings as a gospel from the beyond. Who knows, perhaps they stop after you have finally embraced the inner voice and no longer need any external guidance. Either way, bring it on!

Fooled by Randomness

Those of you who take an interest in financial markets may know that this title is actually a book by investment guru Nassim Taleb who argues that not everything that shines is gold: extraordinary financial performance may have been caused by randomness and you need a lot of time, and even better, an understanding of the underlying investment philosophy to find the best investment manager for your hard-earned money.

I love the "Fooled by Randomness" title because I would use it for a concept that is exactly the opposite of what the author had in mind. We actually have the choice to live in a pretty deterministic world that serves our conscious will. There is just a little randomness sprinkled around to keep the folks confused who haven't (yet) discovered this secret.

As some of you know, I am fascinated by synchronicities because they are the link from our perceived real world to the metaphysical dimension that is so hard to get our arms around. Every scientifically minded person can prove to him or herself that this dimension exists and there is no faith required. Unfortunately, these occurrences only come from time to time in the beginning, but as you grow along your spiritual path they become more and more frequent. One day you have reached the stage that enables you day by day to show scientifically that these meaningful occurances are not random at all.

There is only one way to perceive those occurrences, you have to look. They are out there, but too often we are distracted by the desires we run after. But the more we look out for them, the calmer and relaxed we become. A spiritual path is a virtuous cycle in the making. Enjoy your life without randomness!

Not so Fast

I was in the elevator the other day, talking to some colleagues; then as the door opened I said good-bye to them and walked out, only to find that I had not yet reached my floor. "Oh-oh", I thought to myself, "I know what that means: slow down!" So even though I had an important meeting coming up and despite the fact that I still had some work to do, I made it a deliberate effort to stop by colleagues' offices and had a casual chat. Then as the meeting approached, I was informed that my contribution was postponed to next week. "Great", I thought to myself , "first, I already knew about it, and second, my presentation will be so much more relevant when our next meeting approaches".

The theme of synchronicity, the secret or the law of attraction are all over the bookstores, not to mention all the books on spirituality and the road towards enlightenment. So why on earth am I taking these notes, when so many others have already communicated beautiful spiritual theorems and affirmations of love. It is very simple, we have plenty of theory and now need some practice of how we can implement these insights in the real world. I happen to work in the financial industry and am proving to myself that with the laws of love, creativity and magnetic attraction you can prosper. More than this, while you manage not only to ignore the competitive spirit that surrounds you, you can even transform it, at least that's my hunch. My life is nothing but an experiment and I have no clue what my thoughts will be on this subject in 14 years from now, but boy, it's a lot of fun! My little elevator story is just one point in this direction.

The other day one of my boys started preschool and the other kindergarten. Actually, I wondered on which level I am in my spiritual journey to master the Tao. I was afraid it is more the former than the latter, but then the Course in Miracles reminds us that when the student is finally ready, time becomes non-linear very fast. The sky and the stars are my limit when it comes to spiritual develoment and I can't wait for my next elevator ride next week.

American Idol or American Idiot?

I watch the show regularly during the cold Boston winter evenings and especially enjoy the qualifying rounds to make it to Hollywood when the stars and idiots present themselves. Sometimes I wonder if this is just a ploy to get viewership up; nobody can be so out of tune and expect to be a star - what do you think?

In any case, I am convinced that the American Zeitgeist is the real thing and that the messages that I receive from the universe on a daily basis is not just randomness disguised in spiritual clothes. I hope my studies and my profession have trained me sufficiently to distinguish the two, but in the end who knows. I recommend a great book on the subject, Fooled by Randomness, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Did you know that if you put an infinite amount of monkeys in front of a computer, one monkey will end up writing the Bible? A scary thought, perhaps I am just an incredibly lucky monkey!?!

Many of us have the American dream of being in-tune with the divine Tao, of having the opportunity to share our enthusiasm and insights with others, of participating in many spiritual discussion and perhaps even earning some money this way. Well, let the new season begin!

Dreaming Creativity

My times spent in Providence, RI as a PhD student now appears to be like a dream far in the distance. When I wrote my PhD thesis I spent many nights thinking about my models and formulas and had many instances when I couldn't figure out whether I was still awake or already dreaming.

My spiritual path often appears that way too. You struggle with a question and then suddenly answers hit you out of nowhere with the force of a sledgehammer. People saying random things to you, licence plates, music lyrics on the radio, movies, numbers appearing on watches etc. Everything makes perfect sense at the time, you admire the beauty of the connection, you are so grateful to the Source, but you also feel frustrated. No one, not even your soul partners would understand the significance and beauty of the events that are unfolding in your life. It's like a dream with so much significance and meaning, yet, when you try to relay it next morning to somebody else it feels flat in comparison. Of well, perhaps creative writing is my mission in order to share at least some of the beauty of the amazing expirience that unfolds every day.