Yada Yada Yada more about acceptance....

As anyone who reads this Blog knows: I teach acceptance.

It's not a hard concept and it's compatible with all religions and science.

However we make it hard since we each have so many aspects of our inner life to come to peace with. So many issues with the past to come to terms with, so many fears of what might happen in the future... So many cracks and fracture lines criss crossing our souls.... Hence why the self help industry is so large.

A Word About Self Help

I actually have a problem with much of the self help industry as often it's really geared for the mass market and very exploitive in my opinion. Too many spiritual pyramid schemes. Too many self help routines based upon consumption of healing. Too many people basing acceptance upon the whims of teachers over their own acceptance. However, many self help routines cleverly rework enough concepts of "acceptance" into the practice to make them feel valid.

The other problem with self help... especially for those who teach it... is it's very easy to get trapped into yourself and false preaching. Not really my style.

Don't get me wrong, any path that works and helps a person discover acceptance in life is a valid path. It's just many of pre-packaged self help paths are a bit more twisted than I personally would want to travel. Life is wonderfully twisted enough as a puzzle without my having to jump through other people's ego trips.

So how does Taoism help a person discover acceptance?

Taoism teaches:

• The past is just... the past.. long gone and passed on by.
  
• The future is not here yet...
  
• Taoism teaches you are here now, firmly in the moment: dancing from moment to moment. By embracing the ride of now, a person quickly learns: to let go of false attachments to past pains, learns building a future is just a way of deceiving oneself away from now... In this process of embracing life now... a person can let go enough to actually have a chance to see themselves truly in the now...

A strange thing happens at this point... a person discovers all the internal fractures once considered to be flaws and weaknesses... Are actually beautiful... That in the light of living now... all aspects of our life makes us what we are.. and that is wonderful. That in living now.. all futures are possible: opening up new "Possibilties" of 10,000 dreams where each one is valid... and it's fun to play about, to flow as life weaves together into something unexpected.... Because its always possible to accept who you are now.

• Is it an easy path to let go of the past?
  
  ... no... since being able to remember the past always gives strength to avoid issues.

• Is it an easy path to stop holding onto the future?
  
  ... no... since it's by planning and slowly building with a good plan... humans have built so many marvelous wonders.
  
  
• Is it easy to accept oneself?
  
  .. no ... not when so much strength can be gained through community: and in turn we are taught to base personal acceptance upon other viewpoints over our own personal values.
  

Initially as a Taoist you learn to let go of everything in order to see oneself clearly and to embrace oneself as is.

In time Acceptance comes, at the point of relaxing into oneself.

Later in this process a Taoist Master mixes together all aspects of themselves.. to truly live as oneself... this means being fully human. In harmony with the past and future to now.

Living with a Taoist outlook doesn't mean to stop being yourself...

It simply means to stop defining yourself to what you were.

It simply means to stop defining yourself to what you might be.

It simply means to accept yourself now... within your own terms.

To take all the whimsy, experiences and your nature to where ever it might lead.

So for myself the goal is just to enjoy , discover and swirl in wonder. Along the way to move gracefully while giving a helping hand as I can. I am not sure if I ever will teach larger self help classes or not... All depends on how life swirls me about actually, some days I think I might, other days, I am quite happy helping people one on one in my patterning business or those who come to me with questions after reading a Personal Tao. Other times I just remain reclusive and stay far away from others since it can be very draining. (empathy does have its down side).

So who knows? I don't and its nicer that way. This keeps everything simple and honest. The most beautiful part is here now, where I do have acceptance, in each moment as it happens...

one step at a time.

Having no illusions: since the dance of life comes both with hard days and easier times. The Taoist path just takes it as it comes... One moment, one step, one breath at a time.

Peace

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If this post repeats parts of other posts. my apologies, I wrote this in part, as I am mentally preparing for a Taoist presentation for later in this month. While the presentation is free flowing, it helps to practice out loud (or in writing). With so many ideas, and possibilities: focus is a good thing at times, when talking with others to help bridge the communication gap between each person. I have discovered when I truly let myself go free form around non-Taoists, it's hard for others to keep up or to make the same connections...

Actually as a life long Taoist, that has been the hardest road... learning how to shift my communication style so people can actually follow my chain of thought... When I am seeing dozens of things at once, and when talking only being allowed to express only one idea at a time... it's such a difficult translation process. While Now touches everything and yet when painting the story people only grab onto the first thing you say... Language is such an interesting process .

Anyways

Have fun and laterz!