Many of us are familiar with the concept of manifesting. “The Secret” told us to visualize until we achieved what we wanted in our reality. That didn’t work for many. Then we hear we had to feel it, ok, I can get behind that. After all, the language of the subconscious mind is images and emotions, so if you are feeling it and visualizing it then YES! But, as I meditated on this concept, I realized that this is still a very action-oriented process, even though most of the action is happening in your mind. The amount of force required to manifest in that way is rather exhausting. Months ago I did a video on manifesting, called a New Way to Manifest. In  this video I talked about the concept of masculine vs feminine forces in manifestation, or  balancing the masculine energy or doing with the feminine energy of allowing or not doing. In other words, rather than focusing on getting or achieving something, the purpose is to be in flow with the universe, to access the superconscious mind, or to connect to the Tao.  

Know the masculine,

Keep to the feminine, 

And be the Brook of the World.

To be the Book of the World is

To move constantly in the path of Virtue

Without swerving from it,

And to return again to infancy.

Life is Easier In The Flow

Breath happens to us, heartbeats happen to us, our blood flows, and our light shines; unless we get in the way. Have you ever tried to put your attention on your breath without changing its rhythm? To become conscious of something changes its behavior. When we put effort into something it becomes effortful, swimming upstream is harder than going with the flow. Take aging for example, a certain large segment of our population is fighting against aging, knowing full well that this is a losing battle, yes you might have your skin stretched so tight that you think you look better, but at the end of the day, you are still one step closer to the inevitable. Americans view aging as a deterioration of  what was, or something to ignore, hide or fight against. While Taoists for example, understand that nothing in the universe, including us, will ever stay the same, they allow this transformation or ‘flow’ as a natural process and positive part of the energy cycle of life.  Being in flow and acceptance with what is rather than fighting against it. 

Know the white,

Keep to the black,

And be the Pattern of the World.

To be the Pattern of the World is 

To move constantly in the path of Virtue

Without erring a single step,

And to return again to the Infinite.

 Our Societal Demands

 Recently I posted on my personal page about the Danish concept of Jante Laws. The laws of Jante or Janteloven are a way of living in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries. However, they don't talk about it, they don't teach it, it is just ingrained in their society. The concept of Janteloven is that no one person is better than the whole. When your child achieves something, parents  don't brag about it and they don't give out trophies. Teams will never hold one player above the rest, and so on.  I believe these laws have helped the Danes and other Scandinavian cultures reach the top of the World Happiness Report since its inception in 2012. Unfortunately, in recent years, the young Danes are rebelling against their old ways for a more Western philosophy of a more “look at me” attitude. If we stop and think about this, we can see that this striving to “be better than '' is endless. It's an endless efforting against the flow, it's an endless forcing of what is.  Further, in the 2021 World Happiness Report, Americans ranked 19th just under the Czech Republic, and above Belgium. Despite the Danes happiness index rating they still are just 3 places under the US in GDP per capita in 2017.

https://www.worldometers.info/gdp/gdp-per-capita/ 

Know the glorious, 

Keep to the lowly, 

And be the Fountain of the World.

To be the Fountain of the World is

To live the Abundant Life of Virtue,

The Tao of Take Back Your Light 

It is my belief  that living in the flow requires a period of pulling the weeds of your subconscious mind, reprogramming old limiting beliefs, and releasing fears and blocks to who you really are. I believe that as we reprogram and do this work we begin to see ourself as more connected to the all, to the universal energy, to your higher self, or to the Tao. Whatever language suits your needs, it’s all the same. As we do the work and step into the flow, life becomes less effortful, because you require less effort in the flow. 

My business name is Take Back Your Light, I realize that ingrained in the name is effort. The effort of taking back something that you've had before, something that you’ve lost or misplaced. However, the process I take my clients through is peeling  away the layers of trauma, or old limiting beliefs until they find or are able to see and identify with that light again. This is doing, but it is only half the process. The other half is understanding that you are the light, your light was never lost or misplaced, you are the universe, you are the Tao, this is not doing.  

I simply remind you of Who You REALLY Are.

And to return again to Primal Simplicity.

When Primal Simplicity diversifies,

It becomes useful vessels, 

Which, in the hands of the Sage, become officers.

Hence, “ a great tailor does little cutting.”

#28

Tao The Ching