Thrive

“Go within everyday and find the inner strength so that the world will not blow your candle out.” Katherine Dunham, anthropologist and dancer. My friends, may we give grace to one another. May we feel love and be set free, no longer trapped by the right and wrong of what we see. May we feel the ‘ripeness’ and have a deep knowing that it will be ok. Choose to be the difference. Choose to be kind. Choose to be brave in love. Look beyond the argument and see the person. Don’t we all want life to be good? Let us be united by love, not separated by ideologies.

A practice that can help. It is called the Four Directions of Love (thank you Becky Parks for adding the Love) and is based on indigenous practices of turning toward and honoring the four directions. Listen to quality mystical poetry such as Yaima. The quality of their music, voice and lyrics are exceptional. “An alluring match of music makers, A unique collaboration of Dreamers, a fine frequency for the future.

When we are grounded and centered, we always give ourselves that moment to choose our responses instead of unconsciously reacting to things all the time. And the more you do it, the more empowering it becomes. This is how you evolve your ego (into a more useful tool); by stepping up and calling the shots when you can see how the ego is holding you back in places you know you need to progress.

Our role, then, is the role of the sage, which is to act in accordance with nature rather than to resist nature. Lao-Tzu, the Old Master of Taoism, condensed the human struggle into the prose of the “Tao Te Ching.” It’s a simple book that after 2500+ years still manages to serve as a salient guide to living well. For those who understand it, it offers a way of being that helps keep the madness of change at bay. #taoistwisdom