Twelfth Verse of the Tao Te Ching:
The five colors blind the eye.
The five tones deafen the ear.
The five flavors dull the taste.
The chase and the hunt craze people’s minds.
Wasting energy to obtain rare objects
only impedes one’s growth.
The master observes the world
but trusts his inner vision.
He allows things to come and go.
He prefers what is within to what is without.
Author’s Commentary:
Our physical world reality is made up of artificial constructs, …illusions.
The basis of all matter is energy, light, in fact. And what’s light? It’s actually information, …consciousness.
Thus, everything is made of consciousness, but even if that is understood, it is easily forgotten.
It’s far too easy to convince ourselves that what we see, hear, and taste is all that really matters. We get so caught up in the chase that we lose perspective on what’s really real.
Physical world stuff is temporal, …ephemeral, yet we focus most, if not all, of our time and energy trying to get more of it. Why? …because it seems so real.
But, if we can suspend our false beliefs in just how real it is, we can open our minds to see that our physical world reality is only a symptom of our limited thought systems (limited beliefs) and can therefore be changed based on a different set of belief systems.
But you say, “Sure, that’s perhaps an interesting matter to contemplate, but I have real problems like not enough money to make ends meet, or not enough time with my kids… not a big enough piece of the pie… I need help getting what I need…”
Most people, particularly the divorce lawyers I’ve known, take a rather allopathic approach to “solving” clients’ problems. For instance, if a client doesn’t have enough money, the answer is: file a motion for more support. This is fine, and many times very appropriate, but without focusing some attention on the root cause of the symptom (let’s call the symptom “scarcity” for our example) only temporary results can be achieved.
In order for long term change to come, the consciousness level at which the client operates must change. A wealth consciousness that transcends the more limited scarcity-based consciousness must be cultivated. Lasting change comes from healing the underlying false belief of separation, finally putting an end to the chase, since there’s nothing to pursue.
All things emerge from the formless consciousness that some call the Tao. If you cannot see beyond what’s material, how can you expect to create the life you desire?
The largest trees on the planet come from the tiniest of seeds. All the incredible information necessary to grow the monumental sequoia is contained in one tiny seed. Let’s start planting some seeds of our own. What seemingly impossible dream do you have inside you?
Instead of listening to the part of you that tells you it will never happen, how about tuning into your greater inner vision and start imagining what really is possible? Plant the seeds now.
Your life, where you are now, is based upon what you’ve been telling yourself about yourself up until now. Break the cycle. Change the story. Plant some new seeds.
Stop telling yourself you’re limited. Take your focus off of what you can observe with your five senses and plant a seed and cultivate it with your inner loving (which is the limitless Tao).
Can you allow yourself to envision the life you’d like for yourself and your family? Dare to try. Write it down. Visualize it as best you can. Make it real in your mind.
What can you do right now to plant a seed of peace? Can you call your ex-spouse and make a conciliatory gesture? Can you make a compromise for the sake of reducing conflict?
What can you do everyday to cultivate the seeds you’ve planted?
It is an inevitable certainty that you will regularly encounter those who simply choose to pursue the chase. That’s okay. Let them be a reminder to choose to turn inward to the comfort of your inner vision. Have compassion for where they are in their process and for yourself, wherever you are.
Be like the master who observes the world but… prefers what is within to what is without!
Love & Light Ahead!
Michael C. Cotugno, Esq.
Conscious Divorce Attorney & Coach
M.A. in Spiritual Psychology