November 19, 2021

01

There is the inner world,
and there is the outer world.
Inner and Outer.
Think of them as another aspect
of Yin and Yang.
We have to balance them with each other
and harmonize them both 
with the context and circumstances
of our life,
moment-to-moment,
day-by-day.

All our life long.

Balance and harmony
flow out of emptiness,
stillness and silence.

Outer is grounded upon
and flows from Inner.

Without Inner,
Outer is hell on every level.

Nothing goes well with Outer
until everything goes well with Inner.
If our Inner life is even just a little bit off,
our Outer Life is in shambles.

If we are ignoring,
dismissing,
disregarding,
disrespecting,
neglecting,
failing to honor
emptiness, stillness and silence,
it shows.
In every possible way,
on all available levels.

First Inner, then Outer.

We can't do yoga once a week,
or twice a day,
and think we are doing our part.
It is showing,
and we are pretending it isn't,
and refusing to look.

We cannot smile and nod to Inner
and have Outer like we want it,
much less, how it needs to be.

Inner "is a harsh taskmaster,
planting where it does not sow,
and harvesting where it does not plant."
It doesn't work to think we can "fool Mother Nature."

Emptiness, stillness and silence, Kid.
Emptiness, stillness and silence.

–0–

02

It is our place
to work out the proper ratios
among having, doing and being--
with who we are being the central focus,
and having and doing falling into place
around being.

The old Taoists wondered,
"What was your face
before your grandparents were born?"

They knew that living to serve,
honor,
reflect,
exhibit,
express
our original nature
is the fulcrum
which levers our life into place.

What we have is a statement
about who we are.
What we do reveals and announces
who we are.

In knowing and serving who we are
with filial devotion,
fealty,
fidelity,
loyalty
and allegiance,
we establish
the center around which
having and doing revolve and evolve.

And that's the alignment
that brings our best to bear
on each situation as it arises
for the highest good possible
under the circumstances.