10 WAYS TO GO WITH THE FLOW

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10 WAYS TO GO WITH THE FLOW
by WAYNE DYER

In the following excerpts, best-selling author Wayne Dyer delves into the ancient book the "Tao Te Ching" and gives timeless advice for easing struggle and letting go. Dyer offers verses from the Tao along with practical, spiritual advice for applying that wisdom to your everyday life.

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1 RELAX INTO PARADOX

...The difficult is born in the easy. Long is defined by short, the high by the low. Before and after go along with each other... So the sage lives openly with apparent duality and paradoxical unity.

-Do the Tao Now-

Do the Tao today by noticing an opportunity to defend or explain yourself and choosing not to. Instead, turn within and sense the texture of misunderstanding, feeling it all the way through your physical system. Just be with what is, instead of opting to ease it by traversing the outer-world path of explaining and defending. Don't get caught up in the apparent duality of being right or wrong. Congratulate yourself for making a choice to be in paradoxical unity, a oneness where all of the spectrum simply is. Silently appreciate the opportunity, along with your willingness to practice your sageness!

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2 BUY CONSCIOUSLY

Putting a value on status will create contentiousness. If you overvalue possessions, people begin to steal. By not displaying what is desirable, you will cause the people's hearts to remain undisturbed.

-Do the Tao Now-

Watch for an opportunity today to notice that you're planning on buying something. Choose to do the Tao and listen for guidance. Be grateful that you have the choice to make the purchase, then practice listening to yourself and not doing. Through your feelings, the Tao will reveal the way for you in that moment. Trust it. You might be guided to buy the item and savor it with gratitude, donate it, procure one for you and one for someone else, give the money to a charity instead of getting the item, or refrain from obtaining it altogether. Practice doing the Tao in everyday situations and you'll know contentment in a deeper sense. As this verse continues, "When action is pure and selfless, everything settles into its own perfect place." Now that's my definition of contentment!

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3 PRACTICE BEING IMPARTIAL

...The sage is like heaven and earth: To him none are especially dear, nor is there anyone he disfavors. He gives and gives, without condition, offering his treasures to everyone....

-Do the Tao Now-

As many times as possible today, decide to approach interactions or situations involving other people with a completely fair mind-set, which you allow and trust to guide your responses. Do this as often as you can for an entire day with individuals, groups, friends, family members, or strangers. Create a short sentence that you silently repeat to continually remind yourself that you're approaching this situation with an unbiased attitude, such as Guide me right now, Tao; Holy Spirit, guide me now; or Holy Spirit, help us now. Keeping this brief sentence on a loop in your mind will prevent judgment from habitually surfacing--but even more appealing is the feeling of relaxation and openness to whatever wants to happen in those moments of impartiality.

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4 OPEN TO THE FEMININE

The spirit that never dies is called the mysterious feminine. Although she becomes the whole universe, her immaculate purity is never lost. Although she assumes countless forms, her true identity remains intact. The gateway to the mysterious female is called the root of creation.

-Do the Tao Now-

Today, notice babies and small children. Look for the mysterious feminine nature in little boys and girls who haven't yet become so attuned to cultural and societal demands that their true selves are hidden. Can you see some whose inherent nature is intact? Notice what seems to be their natural character, or their gift from the Tao. Then try to recall yourself as a child, when the natural, Tao-given self was unaware of the ego-self-the time before you believed that acquisitions or power were important. Who were you? Who are you? Yes, today spend a few moments with a young child and contemplate his or her connection to the Tao and how it unfolds perfectly without any interference.

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5 MEDITATE ON WATER

The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to. It flows to low places loathed by all men. Therefore it is like the Tao. Live in accordance with the nature of things...

-Do the Tao Now-

Drink water silently today, while reminding yourself with each sip to nourish others in the same life-flourishing way that streams give to the animals and rain delivers to the plants.

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6 EAT JUST ENOUGH

To keep on filling is not as good as stopping.Overfilled, the cupped hands drip, better to stop pouring.

-Do the Tao Now-

At your next meal, practice portion control by asking yourself after several bites if you're still famished. If not, just stop and wait. If no hunger appears, call it complete. At this one meal, you'll have practiced the last sentence of the 9th verse of the Tao Te Ching: "Retire when the [eating] is done; this is the way of heaven."

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7 SEE ALL AS ONE

Carrying body and soul and embracing the one, can you avoid separation?....

-Do the Tao Now-

Today, practice seeing oneness where you've previously seen "twoness" (separation). Feel the invisible energy that beats your heart, and then notice it beating the heart of every living creature all at once. Now feel the invisible energy that allows you to think, and sense it doing the same for every being currently alive.

Contemplate these words from the Gospel of Thomas: "His disciples said to him, 'When will the Kingdom come?' Jesus said, 'It will not come by looking outward. It will not say 'Behold, this side' or 'Behold, that one.' Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it. Today, know that practicing oneness thinking will help you see that Kingdom.

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8 NOTICE LIFE'S TRANSITIONS

Become totally empty. Let your heart be at peace. Amidst the rush of worldly comings and goings, observe how endings become beginnings.

-Do the Tao Now-

Dedicate a day to consciously seeking situations to practice impartially observing endings as beginnings, challenging yourself to find a specific number by noon. Begin in the morning by being aware that the end of asleep is the beginning of awake. Break your waking time into sections, noticing without judging the endings that make space for beginnings. Start to consciously live with constancy by opening your mind to the fact that change is the only certain thing. Remember to include all of your feelings in its cycle--impartially observing sadness, for instance, permits its natural ending to transform to a beginning. You're doing the Tao!

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9 INVITE DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS

The flexible are preserved unbroken. The bent become straight. The empty are filled. The exhausted become renewed. The poor are enriched. The rich are confounded...

-Do the Tao Now-

Listen to someone express an opinion that's the opposite of yours today. It could be on any of a variety of topics, such as politics, the environment, religion, drugs, war, the death penalty, or what have you. Refuse to impose your position, and instead remark, "I've never considered that point of view. Thank you for sharing your ideas with me." By allowing a contrary position to be heard, you'll dismiss ego's attitude and welcome the Tao.

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10 EMBRACE YOUR GREATNESS

There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born... Thus, to know humanity, understand earth. To know earth, understand heaven. To know heaven, understand the Way. To know the Way, understand the great within yourself.

-Do the Tao Now-

Copy the following words and apply them to yourself: I came from greatness. I must be like what I came from. I will never abandon my belief in my greatness and the greatness of others. Read these words daily, perhaps by posting them conspicuously where you can see them. They will serve to remind you of the truth of your own greatness.

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Guest

I came from greatness. I must be like what I came from. I will never abandon my belief in my greatness and the greatness of others.
gif17

Guest

Subject: Re: 10 WAYS TO GO WITH THE FLOW Wed Oct 17, 2007 11:10 am

What happened to worshipping me? ;.;

Guest

We love you bunches, Liam! Always and forever.

Subject: Re: 10 WAYS TO GO WITH THE FLOW Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:22 am

Wonderful post BTM.

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