I like to think of meditation, and to what some might call prayer, as to how we reflect each moment every day. Not in some confining way but moving as though we go to where spirit takes us. Spirit doesn’t move in a defined timeframe. We learn the true meaning of spontaneity as we “learn to live in the moment”. Spontaneity means taking divine action without the need for forethought. To be so in tune with universal vibrations that are present showing us the way to proceed in virtue. When we move in this way, we are never alone.
Meditation for me is never a singular event. There is always an empty chair or space on the couch for friends to come to visit and give their own two-cents worth. Like the typing I am doing now on the computer, it may be by less than a nimble finger pushing letters on the keyboard, but it is simply how well I am listening to the universal vibrations that are always present. My best writing occurs when I am listening to music or focusing on what others have written and conveying meaning as my own eternal expression. Giving others a voice for today. We often hear that our best mode of listening is in the silence. I do that to when my yard and garden are telling me what needs done first. This for myself defines the ultimate meaning of living spontaneously by not putting myself first.
I know it sounds crazy, but the book, i.e. manuscript, we are writing commentary on now that I wrote thirty years ago, (as well as the I Ching earlier) was written while listening to Motown… especially Marvin Gaye. Doing things and living beyond expectations of what we believe in the present is possible. What I did doing master plans as a city planner. Just the same as what Monet tells us about impressionistic painting… we are to define the universe for ourselves. Lifting our thoughts to what we may have felt unthinkable and/or unknowable.
As Taoism was to develop over thousands of years, taking a person beyond what was deemed as unknowable from within themselves reflected the earliest teachings of the shaman. Telling us that this light from within that we each possess is a gift from the stars above sent to teach us how to live within the natural order of things and to help make them shine. For each of us it’s a little different and is whatever re-ignites our own eternal flame.
That only the light coming from within can first be our teacher. It shines on our memories of what we have always known that makes what appears to others as unknowable… become knowable for us. If we are lucky there are mentors from our past that care enough for us to come calling. Cultures everywhere have celebrated throughout history what are known as “spirit guides”. We can deny what we don’t believe, but then we may just not be listening. Just as we were taught in Sunday School that we are to believe… “this little light of mine I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, all the time.
My Travels with Lieh Tzu / Interpolations along the Way
Introduction – Your Writing becomes You
4. Keeping to the Open Road
Keep to the open road. The dragons are waiting for your decision to come forward or stay behind with self‑doubt. Come out of the shadows. There is a time to retreat to the inner workings of the knowing sage and another time to come forward bringing all out into the light of day. Cleansing one’s spirit is the essential first step before departing up the path to unknown destinations.
Leaving self‑doubt and criticism behind. Coming clean of past indiscretions and faults that must be dealt with before moving on. There is a light at the end of the tunnel of no return. Keep the beam of light in front of you so that you know that your next step is out of harm’s way.
Problems encountered along the Way have centered around your lack of discipline. You know the right words to say. However, putting them into action and deed remains the ultimate challenge.
Coming to know the Tao cannot be a haphazard affair. Structure and knowledge gained in approaching the Way must be the ultimate direction to be followed. Discard everything not vital to your newfound direction. Things of some perceived value can only serve as chains you remain forever tied to. Letting go brings comfort in the transition that must be accounted for and observed.
New beginnings do not necessarily mean casting aside structures from where you came. Simply abandon from your itinerary anything no longer needed to travel and see the light that you must now follow.
Coming to know the proper way is the ultimate challenge. Stay to the open road and keep the full force of the coming gale force wind behind you. Plunge into your endeavors and destiny unconcerned as to what lies ahead as only blue skies surround you. 8/19/94
Number four of one hundred fifty-eight entries.
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