The Way and the Power of Virtue

If we understands the masculine and safeguards the feminine, Then we can be a valley stream to all under the heavens, abiding in our personal power and virtue. and not departing from it. As a valley stream to all under the heavens, abiding in our personal power and virtue and not departing from it,  like a bird from a net, returning home again and again to the state of a precious newborn babe. Regardless of gender, each of us has masculine and feminine energies within us, one displaying and manifesting, one reflective and receptive; one active and ambitious, one passive and peaceful, one passionately pursuing its purpose and desires, one open to embracing the unknown opportunities of the universe, one exuberant and one enduring.  Understanding our masculine sides while preserving and safeguarding our feminine sides brings balance .  Far too often, we embrace one side as our identity while rejecting or suppressing the other.  Just as both masculine and feminine are r...

  How could the ruler of a ten thousand chariot state regard oneself   as being any less personally significant than everyone else under heaven? When we feel slighted, then we lose our foundation.   When we run about in commotion to the tweeting of others, then we lose our power to govern ourselves. We are often tempted to think that a ruler who has legions of troops and treasuries full of wealth would have a pretty good impression of him or herself.  In our day, how often do we think that if we just had more money, more power, more influence, then all of our problems would be solved?  How many times have we seen millionaires, celebrities, athletes, and other social icons who have all the wealth and prestige imaginable struggle with depression, divorce, and addiction?  The truth is that while money is a great resource for solving problems and doing good in the world, it does not inherently make us any better or any different than we are inside alr...

  Of old, those who excelled at the Way, Were subtle, amazing, mysterious, and interconnective, Their depths were unfathomable. The ancient Exemplars of the Way – those Wayfinders and Waymakers – had unique characteristics.   They were subtle, they focused on little things, started small, determined first steps, and were detail-oriented.   They worked behind the scenes and out of the limelight.   Nothing is too small or insignificant for their attention.   By starting small, nurturing seeds, and encouraging unseen potential, they made incremental progress and ultimately worked wonders.     They were also amazing, in its original sense of the word – a maze!   While most people get lost in their own lives, thoughts, and feelings, the ancient Exemplars recognized that life is a maze – and they made their Way through it.   They wove their Way through their own limiting labels  and beliefs, untangled their own internal issues, and wo...

  Its heights are unbounded – light cannot shine down upon it,  and yet its depths are undarkened.   Coiling and coiling as an endless length of rope, it cannot be labeled. Coming and going, back and forth, over and over again,  it is a homecoming to the myriad things. This is called the form of formlessness, the image of no-thing –  This is called a flash of perspective. The Way is unlimited.   Its heights are so high that light cannot shine down upon it; yet even it’s deepest depths are undimmed by the darkness.   No matter how far down, we may find ourselves, there is no hole too deep, no abyss too dark that it is out of reach.   There is ALWAYS a Way – a Way forward, a Way upward, a Way out, a Way through, from wherever we find ourselves to wherever we want to go! The Way coils and coils, like an endless rope – sometimes seemingly twisted and tangled like an indistinct mass – no limiting labels can constrain or contain it.   The...

Therefore, only those who value themselves as part of a larger world can be entrusted with it; Only those who love themselves as if the whole world depended on them can be put in charge of it. This passage is about understanding our place in the broader universe and valuing ourselves accordingly.  We live not just for ourselves – but for the greater world.  Everybody in this world is important – is valuable.  We matter and have our existence, our very being has purpose.  Everyone has something to offer and contribute to the world.  When we learn to see ourselves – our being as part of a greater world and choose to embrace the value that we can add to the world – what we can offer to all those around us – that’s when the world can be entrusted to our care.  In the words of author, spiritual thought leader, and political activist Marianne Williamson : “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It ...

Wise people set themselves and others forever free from outsmarting and expectations.   They won’t ever try to outsmart others and they do not act only for themselves – then nothing is left ungoverned. To become sages, we engage in a two-fold process of self-acceptance and surrender of our own expectations.   To become sages, or wise people, we must constantly setting ourselves and others free from the need to “outsmart” others – understanding that we are already enough.   Content in our identity and purpose, we don’t need to look for opportunities to appear smart or put others down to curry favor or to outmaneuver others through our cunning or intellect, our best laid plans, or by devising strategies to outcompete or get ahead at the expense of others.   We don’t need to “ show off ," roast someone, always have a witty or barbed comment or backhanded complement -- even though that is what is portrayed and propagated in so much of our entertainment and social med...

  Don’t put "desirable" objects on display and people’s hearts won’t be disturbed. We live in a world that feels like it must constantly “show off” and “showcase” its bling and put itself on display for all to see.   We are constantly bombarded with marketing manipulations telling us what is "desirable," what we should want, and what we need to do be "desirable."  So w e don our new swag, accessories with the latest fashions, surround ourselves with “eye candy” and wonder if it's enough.  We feel pressure from the world and put pressure on ourselves to look “desirable” personally and professionally – to be wanted, accepted, valued, and deemed worthy.   When we try to show-off, either our accomplishments, attributes, abilities, or accessories, we disturb our hearts and stir up trouble.   Who likes feeling that we are an object on display all the time?   Who likes the pressure of having to dress up, get made up, and appear a certain way to win acceptance...