Taoism for Modern Humans: How Aligning with the Natural Flow Improves your Health, Wealth, & Relationships

“The Tao which can be spoken of is not the Eternal Tao”

What is meant by this first line of the somewhat cryptic Tao te Ching? Anything we speak about, write about, or attempt to convey with our limited human communication falls short of what it is we’re attempting to describe. Each of us has our own unique interpreting system that has been molded by the path of our lives – it’s a miracle that we can communicate at all with our wildly different perceptions!

If we attempt to describe “God” or “Creator” or “Universal Energy”, a concept which is infinitely complex, nuanced, and attached with baggage from the multitude of cultures living on this earth – we will most definitely fall short. God has been given infinite names, infinite titles, and varying personas throughout time, the rise and fall of cultures, and the socio-anthropologic climate of each time and people.

In short – God cannot be named because any naming of the divine falls short of what it actually is. Lao Tzu (the apparent author of The Tao te Ching) started off his mystic philosophy with this one line and could have ended the work there, but he continues on, to portray a beautifully simple way of living that emphasizes allowing our life to happen – not forcing it.

The principles elucidated in this work were applied at a much simpler time, when we humans had more time and less distractions, more hands-on work and less convenience, and a tremendously deeper & connected, intimate relationship with the world around us than we hold today.

One of the fundamental tenets of Taoism is that our world is inherently dualistic – shadow and light, joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, activity and rest. Every aspect of our world can be summarized by where it falls on a spectrum of existence, and when we are in one state, we often seek it’s opposite.

Understanding and embracing this perspective re-orients our perception from a linear way of thinking, to a quantum, non-local, metaphysical existence founded on the assumption that CHANGE is the only constant; it allows us to become comfortable, content in fact with wherever we are because we know that life is going to continue in a wave-like fashion.

For example, when you have just worked a long, hard day and you finally hit the couch upon returning home, this is the law of balance at work. Finding little ways to tap into that restful state throughout the day can and will give you more energy. (Meditation isn’t just about sitting on the cushion – you can find that restful center at any moment.)

When we fully digest and embody this realization, it provides us solace in times of sorrow, resilience in times of pain, and enjoyment when we finally rest after a period of intense activity. It lets us know that wherever we are, whatever we’re experiencing, “This too shall pass.”

How can this help us in our modern world? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the pressure to always be ‘on’? Taoism offers a way to find peace.

Unlike the times of old, we are constantly being bombarded with advertisement and influence that convinces us that “If we’re not doing, we’re not going to be successful.”

Taoism teaches that to live a healthy, whole, and harmonious life, we need to always be aligning ourselves the middle, the center. To be truly in balance is a lie – life is an act of counter-balancing. If we were to attempt to stay perfectly balanced all the time, we would invariably & inevitably fall.

Have you ever watched someone walking a tight rope or slack line?

They are not static. They don’t try to stay in the middle. They sway, they shift back and forth in a smooth fashion in order to stay balanced. That’s exactly how The Way encourages us to live: dynamically moving and responding to what live presents in our field, without attachment to the moment or to the center.

For, each side of the spectrum defines and manifests its opposite. That is why Taoists are meditators – they understand that much of our daily routine is activity. Even in our sleep, our minds are active, creating dreams and visions. In meditation, we are purposefully and effortlessly not-doing; furthermore, it’s not quite the same as sleeping because we are remaining conscious, yet we allow time and space for not-doing, for restfulness.

Meditation is a natural state for all other creatures except us modern activity-driven species. The word itself has many different potential meanings, but the simplest of which is “to be with what is.” That sounds much easier said than done, especially because our modern culture here in the West tells us we need to be active, we need to be doing, and that’s the only way to drive us toward our ambitions.

Watch the birds outside your house, or your dog or cat, and you will notice they naturally have moments of time where they literally sit and do nothing. Naturally.

Finding balance in your personal day-to-day, your health, your relationships, or your career and financial activities will benefit most from counter-balancing. According to modern metaphysics, 99% of all cells is EMPTY SPACE. We must stop trying to fill the space with things, activities, distractions, and allow the space to fill us!

Such a simple tenant has profound effects when you realize it for yourself. I can sit here and write or tell you what I mean but until you have had the experience and realization on your own, its only a philosophy. When it becomes a way of being, the universe yields unending peace, a sense of safety, and full trust in the Way, in your unique path, and that the invisible hand of God is and always will be guiding you.

If you’re having conflict with your partner or spouse, perhaps you’ve been spending too much time together or not enough time giving each other energetic space.

If your health is declining, are you eating too much or exercising too little (or too much!)? Have you ever considered fasting or allowing yourself more space in between workouts?

What about your career? Perhaps you have created something seriously successful by working hard and sacrificing much for your vision - what has suffered because of your tunnel vision for your work?

The Tao contains all and is constantly, eternally in-flux – there are seasons and epochs of weather patterns and great cosmic cycles that play out over thousands, even millions of years. So perhaps even the season you invested your time in to create something great was necessary to build what you desired; but now that you have it, how are you going to counter-balance your activities to create more harmony in your relationships or your health?

With this awareness, you will grow to understand life in a more wholesome way. The natural tendency to grasp on to successes and run from failures will cease to happen because you know that the only true success is in how you handle and respond to life as it moves through you.

Life isn’t happening to you or any of us. It is happening in relationship with you, for it wouldn’t exist from your perspective if you weren’t even here. Embracing this perspective, you become friends with the fact that at some point, your body will die – to cherish each moment, each experience, each opportunity to learn is the ultimate freedom we seek. You understand that no two moments are the same. Each moment is entirely unique. You relax.

And because you are a unique being and your world is a mosaic of experiences that are unique to you, one can say that each of us has a Way of Being that is unique to us too. Discard whatever anyone else tells you about who you are and find out for yourself! For when you align with your unique flow, the universe provides limitless opportunities, endless side-quests, and fundamentally, a deep and unwavering trust that you are on the right path.

Need help aligning yourself with your path or finding harmony in your relationships? My passion is helping other souls, just like you, find and feel peace knowing that they are proud of who they are, confident in their path, and full of responsive LOVE for everyone and everything in their world.

Ready to find your unique flow and bring harmony to your life? I’m here to guide you on your journey. Send me a message today, and let’s explore how Taoism can transform your health, relationships, and career.