Harmonious Flow

Being in God’s Way, or being in God’s Will, is being in a more harmonious Flow with Life. It is entering into the Divine Process of Harmony. Every occurrence and every action within this Way may not actually seem harmonious, but it is leading to greater harmony. In other words, sometimes the Way might involve occasions of temporary disharmony, in order to achieve greater harmony down the road. We may have to initiate or participate in debates, or struggles against falsity or injustice, yet such temporary disharmony can hopefully lead to greater harmony and justice down the road. So the immediate picture may be disharmonious, but it is of the Way if it leads to greater harmony along the unfolding process.

Of importance is that we come into the process of Divine Will coming into manifestation, and this Divine Will is towards harmony and love. This is the great Intention of the Divine Will, and it needs to become our own intention, our goal in life. This path is called The Way. It is also called the Tao, or the true Natural Way. The Great Way, the Tao, is following the true way of Nature, and our true self nature. In other words, The Way is to be true to our own real nature and to be in harmony with the overall nature in which we live.

The Way is to dance harmoniously with Life. Make the dance beautiful and harmonious. Yet remember that confrontation, debate and argument is also part of this process, if it is intended to bring about greater truth and harmony in the long run.

Dance. Dance the polarities.

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It is possible to be in a wonderful harmonious Flow with Life and the Living Spirit. We might not always be in this Flow, but it is the potential goal or ideal. Being in the Flow is possible, but it is also possible to out of the Flow. In other words, we are not necessarily in the Flow of unfolding Spirit. It is a potential, but not necessarily an actuality. Also, there are possible degrees of being in the Flow, which means that one can be more or less in the Flow. One gets in the Flow when one is open, embracing, and loving in Life. One gets out of the Flow when one is fixated on little self-concerns, or when one is negative and an untrusting about Life. The Flow is where we want to be. Then, things are working out for the better, and life is easier and more harmonious. There still may be struggles and challenges, but when we are in the Flow these struggles and challenges are soon resolved for the better good. To be in the Flow is the same as being in God’s Will. It could also be called Dancing in the Tao. Yet this is a potential. It does not necessarily happen automatically. For it requires our own agreement, attunement, and trust in the Divine Flow. Keys to this Flow are agreement and trust; also knowledge and conformity to the principles of Life or Nature; also wanting to be in the Flow. In fact, if we make this our goal, to be in the Flow, and set out to be in the Flow; then our life immediately begins to change as we consciously pursue to be in the Flow. This should be our greatest prayer, and our greatest decision. We should be willing to give up anything and everything to be in the Flow.

Flow down, and Flow up. Flowing down to lowest level like water. Also Flow up: divine attraction surrendering-submission upward.

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Taoism

Our fundamental spiritual path is to be harmonious in nature. It is to be in the Tao of nature, the Way of nature. In the Tao, dance harmoniously with life. Swim with the ebbs and flows. Be receptive and allowing in life, yet actively assertive when needed. Balance patience with perseverance.

In the Taoist view, there is no God telling man what is good or how to live, as found in main western religions. There is no God separate from this world who sits outside of the world with a set of moral demands that we are meant to fulfill, and who is observing and judging our activities. This sort of God is nonexistent in the Taoist view. One is not trying to please an otherworldly God, nor is one trying to figure out what this God wants one to do. Spiritual Reality is not outside of nature, not outside of this world. Of course this does not mean that Reality is merely physical. There are many levels to Nature, from dense physical forms to formless consciousness. Yet all of Reality, including the Great Intelligence, is fundamentally right here in front of us, right here in the nature of life and the world. So if one is used to thinking of God as outside of the world, either as manipulating events or as judging the morality of events, then it takes a bit of effort to make the mental paradigm shift necessary to view Reality from the Tao. Once again, in the Taoist view there is a spiritual dimension, but the spiritual dimension is right here within this world of life. In this eastern view, there is a sense and meaning of God, as the absolute Spiritual Essence/Being, but this God is not outside of our world. Rather, God as the Spiritual Essence of Life, is right within nature, in the world.

Knowledge of the Tao is not derived from prophets bringing wisdom from God sitting outside of the world. Rather, Taoist knowledge is acquired by studying nature and ourselves. In this way, spiritual knowledge is not elitist, as though it is only given to a chosen few, from some otherworldly dimension. Spiritual knowledge is not derived from some book authored by God. Rather, spiritual knowledge is found right here in the world of nature.

The fundamental principle of the Tao is to learn Truth from nature and be in harmony with nature. All other [subsidiary] principles are derived from an honest, insightful study of nature.

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No firm dichotomy between Spirit and matter, or between God and nature. Instead, Spirit or God can be understood as the absolute Essence from which comes the natural ecosystem and diversity of life. The meaning of God, in the Taoist view, would be the absolute Spirit of nature, or the Essential Power and Intelligence of life itself. This absolute Spirit, within nature, is the very root of all natural life and eco-subsisting abundance. So it is the source of all life. And it is the root of all existence. Thus, all of nature, or we might simply say this very world we live in, is the flowering manifestation of the One Great Spirit, the Absolute Tao. As well, one can understand reality as a connected continuum of spiritual levels, from dense material form to subtle [formless] consciousness – all the way to the absolute Life-Spirit. So Spirit and matter are as two poles of one continuum, between the formless Life energy and the diversity of densified material form. The Life-Spirit, or Life-energy, has continuous potential to become materialized (densified) in some form or another; while every material form has within it some degree of Life-Spirit energy. Thus, everything in life and all of the world is included in one great divine wholeness. This includes consciousness, mind and experiences, as well as physical nature and manifest form.

The Taoist view can also be understood as enfolding spheres of conscious intelligence. Each single particular form of life is an intelligence, with some degree of consciousness as well. And each particular intelligence is part of a wider enfolding sphere of intelligence, which is then part of an even wider enfolding sphere. This interrelated continuum of enfolding spheres of intelligence is the ecological web of Life. It is a web of eco-intelligences within greater eco-intelligences; thus forming a harmonious wholeness of nature. Each individual intelligence, or each sphere of intelligence, is informed and inspired by the greater sphere (or natural eco-system) surrounding it. As each seeks to harmonize with its surrounding eco-system, or environment, the overall harmony of the whole is nurtured.

Each living entity has its own natural intelligence, known as its te. This intelligence, by the way, is an intelligence for being harmonious with the rest of nature, rather than an [sic] intelligence for how to exploit nature and other people. So the Taoist believes that if everyone were to sincerely follow their natural intelligence, then there would be natural harmony everywhere in the world.

Therefore, there is a continuum of these spheres of intelligence, from the vast multitude of smaller particularized intelligences to the all- encompassing Whole Harmonizing Intelligence of Nature – which can be called ‘The Tao’ (caps). This Whole-Total Intelligence could also be called Mother Nature, or the Holistic, Ecological, Life Intelligence. And once again remember that in the Taoist view the Great Spirit of the Tao, the Great Spirit of Nature, is the great Living Conscious Intelligence pervading through the whole natural world, including us. This Great Spirit is the natural Intelligence, Consciousness and Life-energy pervading and unfolding through our world. Thus, Spirit (Tao) is continuous, whole and dynamic throughout all things. All modalities of being are integral parts of this whole, dynamic continuum of Life (Tao).

The Tao is also life-generating, life-nurturing, and life-harmonizing. There is no view of a God creating nature and life from outside of nature. Nature and life is not made by the hands of God, which is an anthropocentric model based on a picture of a Creator-Craftsman forming entities out of clay. The Taoist view is quite different; in that Nature Itself is self-generating the diversity of life. Life is spontaneously unfolding from its own nature, rather than being shaped by a Super-Being outside of nature. Therefore, this model of creation is maternal, as we can picture Life/Nature Itself giving birth to the diversity of life.

Life itself is a process generating abundant diversity (from itself), while also balancing and harmonizing this diversity. Nature (Tao) is the spontaneously self-generating, organismic life process. It is Life continuously generating and regenerating Itself in myriad forms, producing and sustaining both diversity and harmony. These dynamics of diversity and harmony are essential in the Tao. They are essential in the overall ecosystems of life. For we can see that diversification is an essential dynamic of life. There is always this process of diversification going on. Yet greater diversity and greater differences tend to produce greater conflict and discord. So in order for the process of life to be self-sustaining, there also needs to be an essential dynamic of integral harmonization and balance. This is the Harmonizing Intelligence at work; in the process of building harmonious interconnected relations and unified purposes among the diversity of life.

These dual but complimenting processes of diversification and harmonization are organically open-ended; that is, the processes are spontaneous, uncalculated, and not determined or fixed by a greater God power. This view is quite different from a western theological model of God deliberately planning things out or making set decisions about how creation and events will come to be. Rather, Life is exploring its own creative freedom, though also guided by its intrinsic principle of overall balance and sustainability. So there is a continual reshaping of life, as though Life were exploring its own possibilities - within the contextual parameters of sustainable balance.

Now these two fundamental principles or processes, which we named diversification and harmonization, can be understood as the yang and yin in the Taoist symbol of life. This is not the only meaning of yin and yang, yet it is nonetheless an important meaning. The yang, which is associated with masculine energy, is the outgoing, exploring and diversifying principle of life. It is the wild, free and unpredictable creative principle. It is the impulse to challenge oneself, overcome obstacles, and achieve new goals never before explored. The yin, which is associated with feminine energy, is the embracing, integrating, balancing and harmonizing principle of life. It is the principle of integration and convergence. It is the impulse within nature to bring individuals of diversity into a harmonious circle. So yin is the impulse of bringing people together in a cooperative family circle and working together on common goals, for the overall sustainability of life. We can also understand yang as the energy of individual assertiveness and individual freedom of expression, while yin is the energy of integrative and communal cooperation.

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So the Tao has a few related meanings. It can mean the Great Harmony of Natural Life, or the Harmony of Nature, or the Holistic Intelligence of Nature. Or it can mean the Way - the way to be in harmony with nature and all of life – to be in the way or flow of natural harmony. Or the Tao can mean the Integral, Conscious, Intelligent Spirit of Life Itself.

Now within the Tao is a primary natural power or essential life-energy. This is usually called the chi (or ki). In the yoga tradition it is called prana, and in the tantric tradition it is called shakti. This chi is the fundamental energy of all life. It can be understood as the primal energy of nature. It is the energy, or power, of the Tao. This energy is all through nature, all through life, and all through us. Chi is usually understood as the vital energy of life. In fact, its earliest reference is to the blood and breath of living things.

So this chi is the energy of our lives, and it is that which sustains us. Thus in this eastern understanding, the spiritual path is much about receiving and gathering chi, rather than receiving grace and redemption from God outside of nature. This makes the spiritual path quite grounded in the natural world and related to the vital and physical energies of life. The ideal is a full and vibrant life, with an abundant flow of life-energy moving in and through one’s being.

One of the essential practices is to continually breathe in chi, the life energy-spirit of nature, and also breathe out this energy to nurture others and one’s environment. It is all about a continuous and harmonious flow of living energy (chi) into and out from oneself, in relation with others and the natural world. It is all about life and vitality and the harmonious flow of living chi energy.

Yet chi is not just a vital energy for the physical body. It is also the vital energy of consciousness. Some Taoists teach that there are two kinds of chi; one is called the earthly chi and the other is called the heavenly chi. The earthly chi is considered yang, while the heavenly chi is considered yin. Earthly chi is the energy for physical vitality, strength, regeneration and health. It’s the essential energy of physical life and well-being.

Heavenly chi is the energy of consciousness and spiritual insight. It is the energy of enlightened mind. heavenly chi is the energy of enlightenment, it is spiritual consciousness. So heavenly chi is energy related to awakened-clear mind and consciousness, while earthly chi is more related to physical vitality and health. Earthly chi helps one be more grounded and able in practical life, while heavenly chi helps one have greater clarity and openness of mind. Of course, mind and body are interrelated, so any improvement in either one will be nurturing for the other. Likewise, the earthly chi and heavenly chi intermix and interrelate in the human world – known as the middle realm between earth and heaven. When the mix of earth (physical energy) and heaven (consciousness energy) are well balanced, then the physical chi energy nurtures higher consciousness energy, and the consciousness chi energy nurtures physical harmony.

So, we can understand chi as a continuum of different levels of energy - from a very basic physical life energy to more subtle energies of enlightened-expansive consciousness - all of which are significant to our lives. There is no absolute dividing line between the physical vitality energy of chi and the mental-consciousness energy of chi; but still a distinction came be made between physical-vitality kind of chi and the chi of consciousness and mental clarity. For the Taoist we are all living in this sea of chi energy, or these various levels of chi. For chi is the source and sustainer of our lives.

Note also that each individual being has its own chi energy, its own life energy, including its own energy of consciousness or heavenly chi. So in life there are multiple individual containers of chi, and each is in some kind of dynamic relation with one another. In other words, individual chi(s) are interrelating in some manner; sometimes harmoniously but sometimes in conflict. This is the world of individually relating chi(s), which are called the lesser chi(s). But enfolding and permeating this world of lesser/individual relating chi(s) is the one great Chi from which we all receive our sustenance. This is the essential, undivided, holistic Chi-energy of the whole Tao Itself, which can be called the Universal Chi.

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So in its most general meaning, chi is the Spirit of Life, which is the source of life-energy (vital power), emotional energy, and also the source of consciousness and intelligence. All physical and spiritual qualities come from this one essential chi.

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Back considering Te

The Way of the Tao is to follow the flow and rhythm and order of nature. In this sense, the Way is to be yielding and harmonizing in relation to the wisdom of nature. The Way is to live in harmony with natural life. So this is a Way of humility and yielding, in relation to Life that is greater than oneself. Yet the Way of the Tao is also to follow the flow and rhythm of one’s own nature. So in this sense, the Way is to be sincere and yielding in relation to our own true nature. The true nature of oneself, called te, is the nature of our individuality.

Each individual nature, te, is somewhat distinct and unique from others. There are always some similarities and common essences among people, but each person will also find that they are somewhat unique. This is one’s own unique nature. So Taoism says follow your own unique nature, and in doing so one will naturally be in harmony with the Tao. Now this is quite a radical belief, but we can only discover this truth if we are willing to give it some faith. We should still follow the Way of nature and seek harmony with the natural world, but simultaneously we can be following our own te, our own nature. Both approaches compliment and support one another.

So in this Way of the Tao, one does not ask what God Wills us to do, unless this means what Nature Wills us to do. For in Taoist teaching, one is following Nature and living in harmony with Nature, though this can be translated as following God’s Will. In other words, if we can accept that following God’s Will has the same meaning as following Nature, then there is no disparity between these two views.

Yet the simplest answer to the question of “what should I be doing” is follow my own nature. Discover one’s own unique nature, then follow this. For this will be following the Tao of Nature. In other words, our own true nature is already divine, so all we need to do is follow our own inner nature, follow the truth of our own being. Once we realize this, a great weight of worry is released; for the Way is immediately so simple. Yet maybe not so simply easy, because we must discover our true being-nature underneath layers of social-cultural conditioning. We cannot simply sit back and believe that everything we presently do is necessarily an expression of our true nature. It isn’t necessarily true that we are always doing what “we should be doing”, or that we are always following our true nature. One cannot simply say, “I’m an alcoholic and a drug addict and I beat my wife and cheat everyone I meet, but this is my unique nature and that’s just the way I am.” Many of us have layers of weird conditioning, but the Way is not to simply be complacent with ourself, nor simply believe that this is the way it has to be. So in Taoism there is still critical introspection and inner work to be done, to break free of and eliminate unnatural-aberrant layers of false conditioning; in order to finally reach a pure-natural mind and heart, to reach one’s true unique nature and true sincerity. Only then can one follow the path of their true self nature and fulfill their unique te.

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Nature

Being in the midst of just nature - whether it be an ocean, a forest, a desert, or some other natural location - we can let go of our usual thinking, our sets of belief, and even our self-identity. We can let go and let be, and simply experience the natural world as it is. This is pure mind being simply aware, without judgment or thought intruding in on the experience. This is simple mindfulness, open mind, receptive mind. The mind is in a pure state of discovery. And the heart is open as well, being purely receptive and welcoming to whatever nature presents. Emotionally we come into peace and our love naturally opens.

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Sometimes we may encounter nature in its dangerous power, and of course these are not times of peace, but I'm speaking about those times when we are in peaceful nature, when we can relax the mind and emotions in the midst of natural beauty. For in these places of natural peace and beauty, there is opportunity for inner peace, natural love, and purity of mind. These transforming experiences in nature help build an archetype for how our regular life can be. We can have such experiences in human created spaces as well, especially places intended for sacred experience. But in regular life, in regular places and situations, it is often more difficult to come into this experience of peace and purity of mind. Yet if we already have the [nature] archetype of peace and purity in experience, we can bring this archetypal experence into other situations as well. Thus, in our social encounters or work encounters we can meet the situation (and other people) with pure perception, an open heart and clear mind, without habitual judgments and unnecessary thinking. We will still need to use our rational and discriminating mind during the course of any encounter, but we do not need to bring pre-conceptions and pre-judgments into the encounter. The beginning of any encounter in any situation is a significant point, that is, what we initially bring to the encounter. So if we bring nothing but pure mind/awareness and an open receptive heart, with no pre-conceptions and pre-judgments, then this very situation is already transformed and a more divine result will be possible.

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One the greatest goals in life is to discover our true nature, the truth of ourself, the real sincerity of our being. At the core of ourself is a deep truth, a deep essence, which has nothing to do with any conditioning from the world. It is simply who we are, in essence. It is who we are, prior to the world, and prior to any conditioning or education. Yet where did this true essence come from? It came from the Divine Being, from God. We are born into this world from God, or from the Divine, and so our true essence is God-Divine. If all the conditioning of ourself were removed, there would only be this true essence, a purity of Divine Being. This is what we need to re-discover, or un-cover. It is the jewel of our being. It is one essential truth inside us, and yet it can express in many qualities. These are the Divine Qualities of our being. Now, in order to know this truth and its qualities, we need to see beyond the conditioning, beyond the layers of covering. We need to see right through the coverings, to our deepest essence within. Then, from the core of our being, we can outwardly unfold. From this core, or the ground of being, we can then flower. First, we need to come back to the very ground or essence of our being, and then we can outwardly unfold from this essence of being. But to do this in the most profound way, we must first surrender every single conditioning, every outer layer of being. Finally, we must even surrender our religious rules and all philosophical beliefs about ourself. We must surrender everything to uncover the essence of ourself. Then, once we come to know our deepest truth, we can live from this truth and allow this truth to unfold and flower. This may sound simple, but it is not necessarily easy; for the conditionings are many layered and often opaque. Thus, much of the spiritual path is a journey into deeper sincerity, and a seeing through-beyond the conditioning, and a letting-go or surrender of what we normally hold onto.

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The journey towards deeper sincerity, or towards the real truth of our being, is often obscurred by our conditioning, our automatic thinking, and also because of our [ego] tendency to think that we are being sincere and truthful when in fact we are not. It is difficult to discern deeper sincerity and real inner truth from the conditioning and automatic thinking, if we are presently in the latter. The only way around this problem is to be awake and self-observing in the present moment, in order to aquire some amount of distance or perspective from the conditioning, so that we are not just trapped in it, and then delve into the inner depths of our true sincerity, to discover (or uncover) our true centre and true qualities of being. It is from here that can make better decisions and unfold a more divine action. What we find at our centre is a more expansive love and expansive consciousness, and from this state of being our decisions and actions will be more wise and also more in accord with the Divine Will towards good. So, it is indeed possible to discover our deepest spiritual nature, but we need to be cautious of false masks within ourselves that believe they are true but in fact are not. We need to cautious of our self-deception, and remember that self-deception is our greatest enemy. It is that which pretends to be sincere and true, and even thinks it is, but in fact is not. This is predicament we are in. And we have to find a way to discern true sincerity and true being from self-deception. Others can help us with this task, but ultimatlely it is our own responsiblity, because we could just as easily become decieved by others. In other words, even if we accept guidance from a spiritual teacher or from a friend, it may be our self-deception that accepts the guidance. If we can fooled by our own self-deception, then it is just as possible to be fooled by others. This is simply a caution to be aware of, since the discernment of what is true coming from someone else is equal to our ability to discern what is true from our own inner knowing. Basically, others can wake us up, but we can not simply rely on others to show us the truth of our being. Ultimately, we have to see this for ourselves.

So self-deception is a possible problem, but so is simply believing what others say is true. We have to be cautious of gullibility. So very often, people simply believe what others say. Believe only what you check is right by your own experience and reason. Simply believing what others say, or even what spiritual teachings say, without having any inner certainty about it, is like traveling on a path blind-folded. And this is related to self-deception. For self-deception begins by being conditioned by what others say is true. Our self-conditioning began by this blind-belief, this blind-faith, and it will continue if we continue with this blind-faith. The only recourse to this is to check everything by experience. Don't believe anything, unless it is verified by your own experience, your own inner feeling of truth, and your own reasoning. Question everything; especially generalities not backed by examples from experience. This is the path of intelligent awakening, vs. blind-faith.

Finally, the journey to our deepest inner truth is a process of uncovering. It is a process of letting go, and a willingness to let go, of all the layers of conditioning; in order to reach the naked core of being. It is only when we are willing to do this that we can uncover the essential deepest truth of our being, uncovering who we are.

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Be free of the world of attraction. Be free of the forces of the world, for there are forces of the world that are continually in process of manipulating us. The world is continually pushing and pulling us, and the automatic part of us is continually being influenced by these forces. The only way to break free of this is to return again to our own centre of being. Live from the inside. Come to the inside and live from here. If we can enter the inside of the inside, the deepest inside, this is God. Of course, this is not just the inside of ourself, but also the inside of everything and everyone.

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Divine Spirit, Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Life, the Presence of God are often associated with air and breath. Through breath we can breathe in the Living Holy Spirit, the Energy of Divine Being, the Presence of God. These are different ways to describe the same divine energy or the living spirit of life. This Spirit, this Life/Consciousness Energy, this Presence of Divine Being is all around us and through us. It is in and through the air around us and in the air we breathe. In other words, we are in the Divine Spirit, just as we are living in air. We take this air for granted; we live in this atmosphere of air, but seldom are we conscious of the air we breathe. So this is an important spiritual practice; to be conscious of breathing air. But instead of considering air as just a physical need, consider the air as Spirit, or the energy of Life/Consciousness. Then consciously breathe Spirit, in and out.

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When guidance comes from within, we say it comes from God; and when we learn from the world, we say it comes from nature. When one is inwardly guided intuitionally, or when one inwardly receives some revelation, through heart or mind, we say this guidance or revelation comes from God. Yet when one is outwardly guided by studying the world, we say this learning comes from nature. God and nature are not two completely separate sources for guidance and learning; it’s just two different terms for distinguishing where knowledge comes from, from within in mediation or prayer, or from outside ourselves in the world. These two directions often bring two kinds of knowledge. The knowledge from God, from within, is usually about spiritual purpose and the path to this purpose. It is also often a psychologically transforming knowledge or guidance. While knowledge from nature is often about causes and effects, interrelationships, and other kinds of scientific or ecological knowledge. This kind of knowledge often helps us live more practical in the world. For example, we can learn how to make use of plants for medicines, or we can a better knowledge of good foods to eat by studying things in nature and their effects. So both kinds of knowledge, the inward intuitional and the outward scientific, are important.

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Analogy of the Flow.

It is said that the spiritual path is a return to the Greater Flow of life. Our goal is to come back into the spiritual Flow. Because of the mistakes of humanity, motivated by ignorance and selfish desires, we have disoriented ourselves from true GW and the potential harmonious flow of life. Generally speaking, humanity is out of harmony with the Divine.

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Using the analogy of a Flow, we can think of the Divine as ever-present and available water, the water of Love and Goodness, which can be received at any time. We can receive it or not receive it. That is our choice. We can open the taps and fill our vessel, or we can keep the taps closed. It is not the fault of the water if we do not open the taps or if we do not drink from the water. The water is still here and present, even if the taps are closed or even if we are closed to it. Or let us view ourselves as swimming in the pure waters of Divine Love, Goodness and Guiding Wisdom. We can realize this truth at any time, and we can drink this water at any time, but maybe we do not realize it or maybe we do not drink from the water. The water is still here, even if we do not realize it or make use of it. So many of the world do not realize the Divine present all around, and so many behaviors and actions come from ignorance or lack of this divine realization. This is why many events in the world lack divine quality; because of ignorance or un-realized divinity.

Why is there this ignorance? How could there be such ignorance in creation, if creation is ultimately the radiance or expression of God? It is because creation/manifestation is a process of realization (and then expression from this realization). Creation begins from an explosion of the One Being, which produces individual fragmented pieces of the One. Each of these pieces is a fragmented, partial, limited piece of Divine Knowledge (or Gnosis), whereby most of the Whole Divine Knowledge is unconscious and unrealized. Yet within each fragment is the hologramic essence of the One. So each fragment begins a process or journey of realizing more and more of the Whole One, until finally the Whole One is realized, until finally the Whole Being of each individual is realized. One might think of this as a process of waking up from sleep, or remembering what has been forgotten, or bringing to consciousness what is under-conscious. This process or path is like an exploration of life's depth, rather than only dwelling on what is at the surface. This is the Path of Return and also the Path of Unifying creation. Every being is in a process of Divine Realization, and through this process there comes about a vast range of diverse manifestations, some higher in quality and some lower, some wise and some stupid, depending on the degree of realization. Remember that the process is over millions of years and lifetimes. Perfection of the Divine Qualities in manifestation takes time. So we should not expect that overnight the world (or ourselves) will be all divine in realization and in manifest quality.

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FLOW (may need some editing with paragraphs)

At every moment in our lives there is a Greater Divine Flow in which we can participate, or in which we can be in flow with. This could be called the Flow of Divine Will, or the Flow of Love and Goodness. The Divine Will is always seeking to express Goodness. But if people are unconscious of Divine Goodness, or lack faith in it, then there is no channel for this Divine Flow of Goodness to express in our world. Then the Divine Flow is blocked and must remain dormant. Yet if people are conscious of Divine Goodness, or have faith in it, then this makes a channel for the Divine Flow of Goodness. Then Goodness will flow [from Potential] into our lives and into the world.

This might sound too simplistic or overly optimistic, but it is generally true. There are other factors involved in the Divine Flow besides our own channeling of it, such as how others are relating to the Divine Flow; so, Goodness may not always work out even if we are doing our best to allow it. Yet if we do our part in this, the Divine Flow will work out better than if we do not. We can either encourage this Flow by our own receptive state of consciousness and trusting attitude, or not. The Flow depends on us, individually and collectively.

Remember that the Divine is always seeking to bring about goodness in the world, such as love, wisdom, justice, harmony, health, and beauty. In other words, all that is Good is meant to manifest in the world. Goodness is coming into the world from an invisible dimension of Potential, or from Essence Itself, but it can only come into the world by way of receptive living beings. The Divine needs receptive, co-operative channels or vehicles to flow through, to work through. Without co-operating channels (that is, with blocked channels), the Divine Goodness cannot flow.

The Divine Flow of Goodness emerges from the Divine Potential of Being Itself. It emerges from Divine Power (or Divine Will). Yet its emergence and actualization in the world (or in our lives)depends on our state of consciousness and receptivity. We can also invoke Divine Goodness to emerge from Potential to actualization.

But to some extent, there is already a Divine Flow in the world. There are streams and flows of the Divine Goodness happening right now. Metaphorically, picture Divine Water flowing down the great heavenly mountain in various streams. We can enter one of these streams and float along in it. In other words, we want to be in a divine Flow, a flow of Goodness, and we can enter the divine Flow as it is happening right now. There are good divine streams flowing through the world right now, so we can get into a good divine flow and hopefully stay there.

We can be IN the Flow or out of it. When in the Flow there is more Goodness, through us and around us. When in harmony with the Divine Flow, we are in synch with Love and Goodness. We flow with the Good Flow already manifesting in life. We surf with the Wave of Goodness, rather than crash because of being out of synch. This means being in good time with the Wave or the Flow. In life there are paths of harmony and paths of disharmony. Paths of harmony are created by people in harmony and by nature in harmony. But paths of disharmony are created by people out of harmony with nature or with Divine Will. These two kinds of path are all around us. So it is better to be in the path of harmony and goodness, rather than the other path. We want to avoid the disharmonious path, the path of chaos and pain. We want to be on the good path of harmony and enjoyment. If we can get into the Good Flow, then our travel will be safe and good.

Being out of the Flow is being out of synch with life, with others, or ultimately out of synch with the Divine Unfoldment. When out of the Flow, the Divine does not easily unfold through us, it doesn't flow through us very well, and our life in the world doesn't unfold as well as it could. Everyone experiences these times, which are not too enjoyable. It feels like being out of synch with the Good that could be. Sometimes we just get back in the Flow without any conscious effort on our part, but some conscious effort or a change of attitude is often needed to get back in the Divine Flow, the flow of Love and Goodness.

So what can we do to get back in the Flow, if we find ourselves out of the Flow? First, we need to stop whatever we are thinking and just breathe consciously. Conscious breathing can help bring us back to the Flow. The key is to relax (because tension and worry block the Flow), and then begin to breathe consciously in a harmonious rhythm while sensing the Flow. This may sound esoteric, but you will understand when you try it. The goal is to get back in rhythm, in time, with the Flow. The goal is to bring our whole being and consciousness and activity back into flow with the Divine Flow of Love and Goodness. Make the effort to follow the Divine Flow, the Path of Goodness, the path where things are working out for good. Let the breath and consciousness come into this Flow. Then, one is on the Path of goodness, love, and protection.

Second, we need faith in the Goodness of this Divine Flow. The Goodness of Divine Will seeks to manifest in our world, and is always ready to unfold and flow through us and in the world. With faith in the ready Flow of Love and Goodness, we turn our heart and mind to this Flow, and we enter into this Flow. What is central here is that there really IS a Divine Unfoldment, which proceeds as a [potential] Flow in life, but this potential Flow is actual only when we come into it. The essential key is to come into harmony with the Divine Unfoldment as it is seeking to manifest. Surrender to the Flow and allow the Flow to unfold through you, but also will to be in it.

Third, we must want to be in the Divine Flow, that is, we need to consciously desire to be in the Divine Flow rather than outside it. For some people this is a desire to be in obediance to the Divine Flow (synonomous with being in obediance to Divine Will), but for others this could be a desire for being in divine enjoyment (rather than suffering or irritation). For the Divine Flow is an enjoyable and good experience. We want to get into the Good Flow, the Better Flow. We want to get on the Good Track, the track leading to fulfillment, love, beauty, health and joy. The Divine Flow IS this Goodness. And when in the Divine Flow, the Divine flows through us, unfolds through us, and brings goodness in our lives. Surely, this is what we want in life.

Related to our wanting to be in the Flow is prayer. Prayer can help us get in the Flow, and we can also use prayer to help channel Divine Flow into the world. Prayer is partly an attitude of wanting Goodness and partly an attitude of faith in the Divine Power for Goodness. Prayer is an inner asking for the Divine Power of Love and Goodness to manifest in our own lives, in others, and in the world. This opens the channel for Divine Goodness. Faith is also important, because faith allows the Divine Goodness to flow. For example, we can ask for health. We can ask for protection on the road of life. We might also ask for love, harmony or peace in our life. We might ask for things we truly need in life. We first ask, but we must also come into a sincere faith that this Goodness can and will happen by the Power of Divine Goodness. Prayer is partly an asking for Goodness and partly an affirmation of the Goodness. We need to want the Goodness and ask for it, and we also need to affirm in faith that it will happen. This affirmation of faith is often the most difficult, so it is something to especially work on. Also important is that we are willing to do all we can to help make this Goodness manifest.

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We are speaking here of Divine Goodness, because Goodness is a general word encompassing all the Divine Qualities such as Love, Harmony, and Wisdom. We could also talk about the Flow of Love, or the Flow of Wisdom, or the Flow of Harmony. If we are honest, we know whether or not we are in the Flow of Love, or Harmony, or Wisdom. If we find ourselves not in the Flow of Love, or not in the Flow of Harmony, then we need to take some time out, or a time to pause, and then look again for the Flow. Make a conscious effort to find the Flow of Love, by sensing or by feeling. Then open to it and let the Love flow through you. Remember that Love flows from a deep divine source within us and also from sources around us. In this way we get back in the Flow of Love. The same principles can be used to get back in the Flow of Harmony, or in the Flow of any of the Divine Qualities. One should also remember and apply the other principles stated above, such as bringing our breath and consciousness into the Flow, wanting to be in the Flow, and having faith in Divine Goodness.

Being in the Flow of Wisdom is being in the guidance of Divine Wisdom. Under this Flow of Wisdom (imagine a waterfall of wisdom coming down through the top of your head), we understand more clearly about life and Divine Reality, and we are also guided by wisdom along our path.

Health is another important Flow in our lives. Health and healing comes from the Divine Flow of Love and Wisdom. We are the bodies of Divine Being, temples for the Divine, and so the Divine Power seeks to express health through us. But this Flow of Health can get blocked, just as any Quality of Divine Flow can get blocked. There are many possible causes and factors of dis-health, which we will not discuss at this time, but to regain health we can apply the basic principles already discussed. Basically, we need to re-enter the Flow of Health and allow the Flow to work through us. We re-enter the Flow of health by consciously recognising this Flow and allowing it to move through us. We also need faith in this Flow, which is faith that the Power of Divine Love seeks to heal us and manifest perfect health through us. Complete healing ultimately depends on our faith in Divine Love. It is faith that we are Loved, and faith that the Divine is always seeking to express health through us. Let the Flow of Love's healing move through you. Have faith in this Flow and allow it to work through you. We can also help heal others by having this faith and becoming a medium for the Healing Flow.

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The Flow of Unfoldment is always a ready potential, ready to flow into existence. But this flow into existence depends on the readiness and willingness of the individuals at any moment in the time/space existence. It depends on the existent state of progress in the time/space continuum. There is always a manifesting Flow of Divine Unfoldment [to some degree], and always a Potential Flow [behind the manifesting], but the Flow from potential to manifestation depends on how receptive and willing we are to it. The manifesting Flow (the unfolding Divine Flow) also depends on us being conscious of it. We channel this Flow as we become conscious of it. In other words, as we are conscious of the Divine Flow, in one Quality or another, the Flow is channeled into the world. Consciousness is the medium or the channel. So as we become conscious (or realizing) of the Flow going on, this Flow becomes a reality in this manifest world. For example, as we become conscious of Love's Flow, we are channeling Love into ourself and into the world.

This principle may seem perplexing, because it is saying that Divine Love and Intelligence manifests only as beings become conscious of it. But what are conscious of if it is not already here? We become conscious of the Love or Intelligence that is here, yet potentially here and at the same time flowing into actuality. This principle does seem perplexing. Love is here, but not here unless we realize it. It is as though the Love remains as just potential until we become conscious of its Flow right here and now in the manifesting world. Yet if no one is conscious of Love's Flow, in any moment or circumstance, then the Love is not here and not flowing into manifestation. But when there is conscious recognition of the Flow, it comes into manifestation. So if we recognize it, it becomes manifest or flows into manifestation. If we are not conscious of it, not recognizing it, then it remains hidden and unmanifest in this world.

Certain facts about quantum particles in science exhibit this perplexing principle, whereby consciousness (called observation in science) is the pivital factor in the manifestation of particles from the realm of potential. In the moment we look for Love it appears, but without the looking it is not then actually here. When we look for the love in another person, it tends to actually emerge; while if we assume there is no love, or if we neglect to look for it, then the love has less tendency to emerge from hidden potentiality into manifest appearance. This speaks of our own responsibility in how love emerges in our world.

Love is here. But not really here, for us, unless we recognize it. This is why one of the great spiritual practices is to be conscious of Love, or in recognition of Love. But if our habit of mind is to not recognize Love, then we must make the recognition of Love a practice in order to break the old habit of non-recognition. First, in any moment or circumstance, see if you can recognize Love's Flow. If you cannot, then at least look for Love, or at least open to the feeling of love. If there is still no success in this, then maybe Love is not flowing too well in the world around you. If this is the case, then invoke Love. Invoking Love means to intentionally draw out Love from potential to actualization, or in other words, helping to draw forth Love from the person or circumstance. Awaken Love in those around you. See it coming forth, nurture its coming forth, and awaken it coming forth. Consider what has been said here, then try it.

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Vibrant life and youthfulness are spiritual themes not often spoken about in spiritual traditions, though it is covered well in Taoist teachings. A vibrant life ought to be one of our spiritual ideals. This includes having vitality of body, mind, emotions, and spirit. That is, having vitality and being vibrant in all aspects of life. It is, of course, also related to self power. Youthfulness is also related to this, in the sense of being vibrantly youthful in body, mind, emotions, and spirit. It is not so easy to stay youthful in body, but certainly possible to be ever youthful in mind, emotions, and spirit. In fact, it is possible to become even more youthful in these non-physical aspects, even as the body itself grows older. It may even be possible to halt or reverse aging in the body by developing youthfulness in the other aspects, while also exercising and eating rightly.

Let us consider a few of the needed principles and practices for youthfulness, vitality and vibrancy. One principle is brightness. This begins with brightness of spirit. Our spirit is our true inner life. It is our source of inner inspiration. It is that which feeds or breathes into the aspects of mind and emotion. So a bright spirit produces a brighter mind and emotions, and this also has a positive effect in the body. A bright spirit is much like a happy spirit. It is happy and trusting in life. Mentally and emotionally this translates as a mind believing in the overall love and guidance moving through life, and as emotions in concordance with the radiance of divine love. So the ideal is a bright, happy, youthful, trusting, loving spirit inspiring all parts of mind and emotions. These are actually true qualities of our innermost spirit, so if we can contact and feel our true inner spirit, our mind and emotions will be transformed and be revitalized. Don’t let the mechanical mind and emotions overcome the spirit; instead, concentrate upon the inner spirit of bright youthfulness, and allow this spirit to inspire the mind and emotions. So the key is to be bright and youthful in mind and emotions. Unnecessary worry, irritation, negativity and cynicism bring our energies down; while greater trust, joy, and positive thought brings our energies up into youthful vibrancy. Granted, this positive view and feeling about life may not always be easy to maintain, but a positive upliftment can be produced by conscious choice – choosing the positive over the negative.

So youthfulness is essentially produced or maintained by a brightness of spirit, which is the spirit of light and lightness emerging from within. This is our happy, joyful, loving and trusting spirit. It is the spirit of eternal youth. If we make contact with this and receive from this, then every other part of ourself becomes just as bright and youthful. So make the choice for brightness and youth, and keep this lighted flame strong. Practice being youthful in spirit, mind and emotions. The body will follow. Find happiness first in spirit, then all else will flourish in joyful youthfulness.

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A very important spiritual analogy is balance. Perennial teachings have always spoke of balance as essential along the spiritual path. Various images have become archetypally symbolic of balance, such as man standing upright with arms equally extended, or a fulcrum with balancing weights on both sides, or the Taoist circle of yin and yang, or the Native American medicine wheel balanced by the four directions. The four directions of the medicine wheel speak of balancing physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs. Aristotle taught that the character of man is best when there is an appropriate balance between opposite virtues, such as a balance between courage and caution, perseverance and patience, assertiveness and passivity, action and contemplation. Taoists believed the Ideal Way to be a balance between doing and non-doing, action and non-action, struggle and letting be. We can also find a balance with outward and inward focus, with sensuality and renunciation, with self-interests and the interests of others, with giving and receiving, with speaking and listening, or between spontaneous free-expression and disciplined order, or between free-play and work. It is basic to the human situation that we have continual choices between these opposite modes of being, whereby these different modalities are each virtuous values in themselves and so the only reconciliation is some sort of balance. There is a danger of imbalance and fanaticism, when one of the modalities are idealized to the detriment of its complimenting opposite.

Making the balance is our own responsibility, so it is up to us to make decisions about balance. But such decisions are not often easy. Appropriate balance is not only difficult to see, but there is also the inherent problem of habits to struggle against. For at present we are probably in some sort of imbalance, which means that our usual habit is probably over-weighted toward one mode vs. the other. So we first need to self-observe ourselves fairly and impartially, to discover our imbalanced side of habit or conditioning. Then we virtually need to go against this usual stream by making intentions and decisions that will bring balance to our life and action. This is a very difficult task, but it is needed if we want a better balance in our life. We may have to give up certain of our usual ways of being or doing, and put more effort into opposite ways of being or doing. This can be difficult, but it is made easier when we keep in mind the goal of balance.

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Native American spiritual teachings say that we enter the Way of Beauty when we are in harmony with nature. Being in natural harmony is beauty. This of course has an outer ecological meaning, but it has an inner meaning as well. The inner meaning is that we need to maintain or return to our natural being. This means being in harmony our innermost nature, which is Spiritual Being. It means coming back to our natural-spiritual essense, which is real beauty. When we live from our natural-spiritual essence, we are in Beauty and we are beautiful. To live from natural essence is to consciously breathe from this essence. Yet remember that our inner essence and the Greater Life surrounding us are metaphysically connected. So as we harmonize our breath with the Greater Life around us, our natural essence/spirit simultaneously comes forth in love and beauty.

So we enter the Way of Beauty when we come into harmony with nature, the true nature of ourselves and the natural world around us. If we widen our idea of nature, it includes all living beings, and human beings as well. But what makes humans unique is our potential for extreme diversity of thought and behavior. Amazing beauty can come forth from human will and creativity, but also unfortunate imbalances. In essence we humans are as natural as any other being on this planet, and within our nature is an innate wisdom for achieving harmony and balance, but this inner natural wisdom can become obscured by extreme selfish desires or fanatical-dogmatic beliefs. We need to be cautious of extreme selfish desires and dogmatic beliefs, because these traits obscure our natural essence and produce imbalances in our personal expression. Balance and harmony are the ideals for coming into the Way of Beauty.

But how do we achieve balance and harmony in an imbalanced world?

We can first be in balance and harmony within ourselves. There is no set recipe for this, no step-by-step manual of directions. We each need to experientially sense or feel what is balance and harmony, and what is not. It is, of course, a difficult task to impartially observe oneself, in order to find and admit personal imbalances and negative patterns in our behavior. It's hard to admit personal faults, mistakes, or unreasonable reactions. The ego has its own unique defenses and excuses for just about anything. So what is the remedy for this general situation?

First, we must be willing and persevering to observe ourselves. Consciousness needs to free itself, at least to some degree, from its usual identification with these automatic patterns. This can be described as rising to self-observation. Second, the transformation of these patterns is catalysed by love and the will-to-harmony. Love is the greatest motivator and catalyst. Whether it be love of others, or love for God, or even love for an Ideal such as Beauty, Balance or Goodness; this love is will motivate us to harmonize and balance our creative expression in relation to others and with the world in general. By feeling our love for others and for nature, we will want to come into a finer harmony and balace with this whom we love. So love will motivate our will-to-harmony, our will to be in harmony with others and with the natural world. This is also related to our will-to-beauty, the will to be in beauty, walking along the Way of Beauty, and to be beautiful in our own self expression.

So besides achieving a finer balance and harmony within ourselves, we need to find a balance and harmony with those around us. This will create group harmony and group beauty. Then, if this group can find a balance and harmony with others groups, we are on the way to world harmony. Now that is a beautiful vision! But how do we come into harmony with others? It is by surrender and love. This surrender is surrendering our own egoism, our ego-identifications. This egoism is surrendered and replaced by love. And with love, we begin to harmonize with others. Yet we don't want to simply surrender ourself to someone else's egoism or to their particular ego-patterns. This is the tricky point with which we have to be careful, when considering principles such as surrender and harmonizing.

So a cautionary note is important here, regarding being in harmony with others. Harmony or harmonizing with others can be highly beautiful, but we need to discern the greater effect of any group harmonization. It is not always in the greater Way of Beauty to simply go along with the crowd, because we might be harmonizing with group pathological or unloving behavior. So although harmony with others is a general spiritual principle, it certainly would not be good to harmonize with group acts of cruelty, prejudice or injustice. It would not be advised to go along in harmony with collegues who are out to cheat others in business, or a lynching mob, or a religious group intent on blowing up innocent people. We all have experiences, from teenage times to adult times, when we are confronted with a decision to either join in on a group behavior or walk away from it (or maybe even struggle to change it).

Let's face it, not all group-social behaviors are good and beautiful. So we don't want to simply join in, harmoniously, with any person or group that comes our way. We don't want to simply harmonize with group-egoism, group greed, group cruelty, group sickness, or group imbalanced behavior. The ultimate discerning principle, regarding what to join in on or what specifically to harmonize with, is to always keep in mind the Greater Good, Greater Love, Greater Beauty, Greater Harmony and Greater Justice. Harmonize with what is best for the overall ecological Good of everyone and everything. Join in and harmonize with those who are harmonizing with Greater Good, Greater Love, Greater Beauty.

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Thus, when practicing the principles of surrender, being in harmony with others, and breathing in harmony with Life, it is not advisable that we surrender to any person or group, nor should we be breathing in harmony with any person or group that comes along. In other words, these principles and practices are in relation to the Greater Life and Purpose, not necessarily in relation to every person or group on earth. It is good to surrender our egoism and harmonize with certain particular people or groups, but not all people or groups. This is being selective and discriminating as to who we feel are worthy of our surrender and harmony. Some people and groups are worthy, but being realistic we should admit that not all people or groups are worthy.

This does not mean that we must morally divide the world into strict distinctions of good and evil, beautiful and ugly. In some cases, what we find unworthy of our own agreement and aquiesense is something that is not right for us but alright for others. Philosophically, we need to admit at least some degree of cultural and individual relativism in aesthetic circumstances, which entails that we should be tolerant and accepting of the aesthetic and life-style choices made by others. If we look around at other people encountered in the world, we find all sorts of behavior and expression, much of which would not be our own choice. Not everyone's aesthetic, life-style or sexual choice/behavior is our own cup of tea. Not everyone has the same interests or aesthetic values as ourself. This does not necessarily make these other people wrong. They are just different, their choices and behaviors are just different. We may not agree with them, but all we need to do is to let them be as they wish. We can simply walk away from those people and places, or avoid them, but let them be. This is spiritual tolerance and acceptance, an important quality of self in this world of diversity. We can accept these people and circumstances, but without necessarily agreeing with them. Our love can still be radiant and inclusive, without condesendense or self-righteousness, and yet we still hold by our own values and choices. We can find those groups we feel more in harmony with, or those people we feel we can harmonize better with, while loving and letting the other folks be as they are. This promotes a world of acceptance and tolerance for diversity, while still maintaining our own values and choices.

In the political context, it is a virtue (and should be a universal right) to voice our opinions and views concerning justice and morality, and also to actively seek change in the political or social realm. We should promote our highest values, but not deny others from voicing or expressing their values. We can promote our own values, yet still be accepting of those values with which we disagree. Acceptance, in this sense, does not necessarily mean that we agree.

Yet when people are doing obvious harm to ourself or the world, we cannot accept or tolerate this behavior. Some people or groups actually express in harmful ways, in relation to us or the world in general. So in these cases, we should rightly oppose these people or work to reform them. In extreme cases of obvious immorality or injustice to others, we all should be responsible for opposing and reforming such behavior.

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So we need a healthy faculty of discrimination in this world where there is such a diversity of possibilities. Harmonize with what is good, but leave behind and be unattached to what is not. This would be a healthy and realistic principle. Our breath (and our life) needs to harmonize with the Greater Being in whom we live, and our lives need to come into harmony with the Greater Values of Love, Wisdom, Goodness, Beauty and Justice. This is the primary harmonization of being. If we can harmonize with loving and good people, along the Way, then all the better. Then the whole world will become a more loving and beautiful place to live.

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? analyses of natural self with spiritual self. Tao and nature.

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When in the stream of love, one is in alignment and in harmony with the One Divine Being of Love. This is real spiritual healing. All aspects of healing have to do with harmony, and the greatest way to be in harmony is to be in the love stream of life. If we begin with spiritual healing, this alignment with Love and coming into harmonious flow with the love stream, then all other kinds of healing will naturally follow. The mind and emotions become harmonious, and then the physical body. So it is useful to all kinds of healing that we begin with this spiritual healing. Let the mind and emotions come into harmony with the stream of love, the Presence of Love. Then Love carries every part of us to healing.

We all naturally seek harmony. Often this is a desire for peace in our lives, but we might also seek excitement, though excitement with harmony. Disharmony and discord are not natural desires, and neither are they spiritual goals. We are really seeking an aesthetic enjoyment in life. Sometimes we enjoy peace and sometimes excitement, but we always seek some form of harmony. We seek to be in the stream or flow of harmony. Harmony brings spiritual contentment and enjoyment, which is the spiritual goal. This is really the same as being in love, for when we are in harmony we are really in love. And once again, healing is to be in harmony, so when we come into harmony there is healing.

Yet in practical life, there are situations where discord and troubles may confront us, and we have to deal with these. In these situations it may not be easy to be in harmony, but nonetheless we have to work towards harmony. We cannot allow such situations to take us into disharmony. We have to come back to the harmony deep within us and confront discord with inner harmony. We have to come into our own inner harmony in these troubled situations, so that our own experience is harmonious in spite of the difficulties. Then things actually change for the better. Be in harmony in yourself and proceed from this harmony. Don’t let outer circumstances discord your own inner harmony.

This becomes a spiritual practice in itself; to return to one’s inner harmony, in spite of whatever is happening externally. This is a centering practice with a quality of harmony to it. It should be an inner state that we can come back to at anytime. Yet first, of course, we have to find this inner state of harmony and know it as our home base. Fundamentally, this is a discovery and recognition of the divine harmony deep within us. It is a state that is found within us, already there to be recognized. So we first need to go deep within ourselves to discover, to uncover, our deeper inner harmony. Yet finding this harmony, or even coming back to it, may not be easy if we are presently in a state of disharmony or feeling troubled. Nonetheless, the only real solution to a present state of disharmony is going within to rediscover the deeper stream of harmony. And when we do return to the deeper harmony, we are returning home. This is, in fact, returning to our inner soul, and in this soul we can also find peace and love and union with Spirit.

To use a different analogy, this place of inner harmony can also be understood as our inner spiritual temple. This is the temple within. Everyone needs an inner temple - a temple within – an inner place to go to be at peace and in harmony. This is really the same as being in our deepest soul, or being in our purest heart, or being in our inner harmony. If going to an outer church, or mosque, or temple helps us enter this inner spiritual place, then that is good; but we should always remember that coming into the inner temple is the true goal, and the main purpose of all outer spiritual places is to cultivate the experience of our inner spiritual home or temple.

Now, to be in this sacred inner place requires a letting go of outer turmoil and disharmonies. One is not denying that such outer problems exist, and one may have to deal with such problems in practical life, but one is temporarily withdrawing from outer troubles and work in order to be recharged with inner spirit. We all have to do this at times. We have to do this in order to be strong in spirit, so that we can then deal with the outer world with inner spiritual strength and inspiration. Thus we take a break from the outer world and return to our inner spiritual home or temple, to once again be in our inner harmony and peace. We can do this in many possible ways. We might sit in darkness and meditation, without any sensory input. Or we might listen to beautiful, inspiring music. We might play music or make art. Or we might be in our inner harmony, our inner temple, while walking or doing simple chores. We can each find ways that work for us, ways to take a break from conflicts and turmoil, and return to our inner harmony and peace.

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