5/26/2008 - Tao Quotes - G12

GONG #12

My wife, son and I go to the mall to buy her a new iPod as we are not as concerned as we were about money now that I have a solid job offer. My son and I went into the book store to potty. On the way out I saw three books that I have or am soon to read: Pillars of the Earth...Eat, Pray, Love...and The Secret. This struck me as odd, but I walked past them and out of the store. After contemplating it, I went back in and tried to figure out why these three significant to me books were right together on the end cap. They are the upper left corner of the shelf and none of the other books seemed important. I noticed that they looked like an arrow pointing up and to the left. Where could they be pointing? I finally noticed that there was a section of Ann Rice in the row behind that it seemed to be pointing to and was astonished when I saw the title, “Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt.” I bought it and intend to put it in my reading queue right behind Eat, Love, Pray.

That night I finished the Tao book and OMG! They quoted Castaneda, one of my favorites. They talked about a talk that Carlos and Don Juan had about PATHS Don Juan said:

"Anything is one of a million paths. Therefore you must always keep in mind that a path is only a path: if you feel you should not follow it, you must not stay with it under any conditions. To have such clarity you must lead a disciplined life. Only then will you know that any path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what you heart tells you to do. But your decision to keep on the path or leave it must be free of fear or ambition...look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary."

He goes on to say

"Does the path have heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has heart, the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you."

What I got out of this from my perspective is that I have been so concerned about being shown the path and what direction am I going and how am I going to get there and where there is? I realized that it is not the end result, not which choice to make to start on the path; it is how one travels on the path. It does not matter if I chose a job in CO, or at the investment firm or the other jobs, it matters how I act and how my heart feels about the journey. If you have a positive attitude (THINK+) your journey and end result will be successful and prosperous! I discussed this with my wife before I completely finished the book.

The book shortly after that part quotes the bible trying to associate the Kingdom of God with synchronicity and that it will "provide for material needs if one seeks the Kingdom of God."

The quote form the bible is this:

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arranged like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you. O man of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'what shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'...your heavenly Father knows you need them all. But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well."

-Matthew 6:26-30

THE EXACT PASSAGE FROM CHURCH YESTERDAY! GONG!!!!!