Tao Disaster Balance by Aimee Cavenecia

There was a hurricane on Monday. One that literally pulled the rug from underneath New York & New Jersey. For me, the hurricane was a mixed bag of feelings. Many that I might discuss in future posts. But the one feeling that remains strong, is the clarity. I feel that I had this clarity before the hurricane, but it is known that disasters put things in perspective. I feel that this clarity is even more apparent now, & that many others that experienced the hurricane, share a greater sense of clarity as well.

All of my work was canceled after the hurricane for various reasons (no public transportation, no electricity in lower Manhattan, etc.), except meditation. I continued to offer it online, as usual. My approach to sharing meditation changes, depending on what comes up spontaneously in each session. But for the session I lead on Friday, we previously decided that we would add a section of the Tao Te Ching to each of our weekly meetings. So before we mediate, I read a section, & share my thoughts on what I just read. But because of the hurricane forecast, I typed-out the brief section of the Tao Te Ching, & my thoughts on it in advance. I emailed it ahead of time, because I wasn't sure if I would still have internet on the day I was scheduled to lead the session. This was a precaution that wasn't needed. The session happened without interruption, & all was well. I felt fortunate to be able to work online, & to keep my mediation sessions going.

What I am sharing with you, is what I emailed. The Tao Te Ching section I shared is in RED, & my personal thoughts are in Black. For some reason, sharing this as my Sunday blog post this week feels more appropriate than talking about the hurricane (or my feeling about it) in detail. I'm not sure why, but I will trust this feeling.    

#3

If you over-esteem great men,
people become powerless. 
If you overvalue possessions, 
people begin to steal.

This shows that labeling and attaching meaning to things, is not only separating oneself from the truth, but also from their power -- divisiveness sets in. Believing in contrast, or duality, or good/bad, or god/devil, creates an imbalance. Just like if in nature, people suddenly decided that eagles where bad for eating mice: "How dare they swoop-down and sneak-up on a mouse and eat it! Eagles are bad! Let's do-away with them!" If they thought that and acted on it, the ecosystem would be thrown off balance. And when the ecosystem is off balance -- we are off balance. Because everything has been designed perfectly to support the existence of the Whole. No right, no wrong -- just is -- nature just is, life just is. And because it just is, and because it allows itself to be as it is, it is the most powerful force we know of.    

The Master leads  
by emptying people's minds  
and filling their cores,  
by weakening their ambition  
and toughening their resolve.
He helps people lose everything 
they know, everything they desire,  
and creates confusion  
in those who think that they know.    

A wise person knows that the answers to the greatest questions of man are unknowable. An adult would be much smarter if at a certain point, they unlearned all that they have been taught. School text books, cultural norms, the ideas and facts that have been programed into us, are all stifling. Compare a wild edible (a plant that is thriving in the wild) to one that has been cultivated, hybridized and mass-produced. The latter would be less hearty and ravished by insects. It must be protected in order to survive (with chemicals, enclosures, or other inventions). This is the current state of man. He is confused, and he has lost his inner knowing, his innate understanding. He was once the animal that knew exactly what to do, but is now the refined animal that has no idea how to survive without his inventions.

Practice not-doing, 
and everything will fall into place.    

Understanding that you are not the doer is liberation. See that it is not you that created the sun, yet it is there for you daily. See that you have life, you were born; but you did not birth yourself, nor give yourself life. See that you are breathed, without any effort on your part. See that your heart pumps, yet never asks you for permission. See that you dance to a rhythm, without a thought, without a plan. See that you can fall in-love, with no say in the matter whatsoever. When you can see that there is such a thing as 'being moved', you stop trying so hard. You see that everything is energy, and of the same source. The weight of the world is no longer on your shoulders. The weight of your life is no longer a burden. Because you understand that you are being carried. You see that there is a flow and a dance to life; it moves with great beauty, and with great force. When you let go, when you relax, you see that life supports you -- and has supported you all along. Like floating on the water, there is very little required of you, yet you are there -- floating. When you stop resisting, blocking, or fighting life; when you move with it, as if you were in water -- you will travel fast. You will find yourself doing -- without doing. Succeeding -- without trying. Powerful -- without forcing. You will return to your natural state. You will be free.