If each snowflake is
A mind, then today’s blizzard
Is our Satori
Psychic Counselor, Astrologer, Tarot Reader, Teacher, Author & Playwright
If each snowflake is
A mind, then today’s blizzard
Is our Satori
***If you wish to purchase a copy of “Liber Tao” select “Books” on the main menu where there are links to both Amazon and Rebel Satori Press.
From the Introduction
“This book is a love child born from the mingling of the Mystical Traditions of both the West and the East. To illustrate its mixed heritage I have chosen to title this work “Liber Tao,” a pairing of the Latin word Liber or “Book” with the Chinese word Tao or “The Way” whose combined translation, “The Book of the Way,” is a direct reference to the legendary classic of Chinese Mysticism known as the “Tao-Te Ching.
It has been my intention with “Liber Tao” to recreate my own version of the “Tao-Te-Ching.” By “my own version” I do not mean another translation or interpretation of the original masterwork, but rather a brand new effort based on the experiences and insights I have gained while trying to forge my own “Way” in life. In homage to the great Chinese classic I have subsequently organized this current work into the same format and style as the original “Tao-Te-Ching,” namely a collection of 81 entries (none longer than a single page) with each one written in a direct, minimal fashion………….”
“…………..By itself, the term “Tao” represents an idea that is at the center of all Chinese thought. While its most common translation is “ The Way,” conceptually the Tao may also be thought to mean a path, a method, a principle, a doctrine, or even the matrix of universal consciousness. Yet beyond all these possible translations, the Tao is ultimately recognized by the Chinese mind to be the symbolic name for the eternal essence from which all other reality emanates.
Even though it is believed that the true nature of the Tao is beyond human comprehension, ancient Taoists nevertheless endeavored to find traces of the Way in nature, the social world, and also within the individual. As a result, the Chinese feel there is a Tao or Way that represents the purest and most truthful approach to any activity or form of being. The desire to be more in touch with this type of awareness is essentially the driving force behind all evolution, so when the Chinese speak of understanding the Tao, they are essentially referring to the possible bridge that can be forged between our normal daily perceptions and the Intuitive, Divine presence that permeates all life…………”
From the Text
6
The usefulness of a vessel is not how much it can hold
But rather how much it serves
This distinction is subtle, yet forms the root
Of the difference between fear and courage
Fear wants the vessel to always be full
And will hoard in anticipated need
Courage uses the vessel with impunity
Seeing the cycles of emptiness as the way of life
This dynamic is the root of all creativity
And allows the student to see how letting go
Is the first step to acquiring what is necessary
43
When small children are brought to cemeteries
They want to run and play between the headstones
Yet they are scolded and told to respect
Something they do not understand
When small children are brought to churches
The candles, shadows, and echoes, seem like a funhouse
Yet they are scolded and told to respect
Something they do not understand
This is how we all get divided from the Tao
Into the illusory world of this and that
Yet there is room in a cemetery for more than death,
After all, a cemetery is maintained by the living
And there is room in a church for more than piety,
After all, a church is a refuge for the wayward in spirit
Therefore, to reunite ourselves with the Tao
We must remember to sometimes forget
All we’ve been taught to understand
50
When we perceive the world
Without intending to do so
Like a mirror that reflects
Everything it faces
This is called “no mind”
What we think of as “mind”
Is because we discriminate
Between ourselves
And what is around us
This is why the mind is always in conflict
With the world in which it exists
Therefore, just as a mirror can be useful
For expanding the sense of a small room
So too can embracing “no mind” be of use
As a doorway beyond our discrimination
And into the Tao
60
Creativity is how we interact with the unknown
The Tao is how the unknown interacts with us
Thus our consciousness is an alchemical marriage
Of an awareness of form and a formless awareness
When one does not allow this partnership to deteriorate
Through attachment to temporary conditions
This is known as relinquishing the mind
Without abandoning it
62
The Tao allows for every possibility
Yet the mind seeks perfection
Eternity is endless
Yet the mind searches for conclusions
Birth and death are infinitely recurring
Yet the mind forms a sequence
Being and Non-being require each other
Yet the mind retains a preference
It therefore makes perfect sense
Why museums preserve the brains of famous men in jars
It is a way for us to see
The nature of our limitations
71
What are the sounds of wind and rain?
Moving in the heavens, the wind is silent,
Only to be heard when it meets resistance
As it shakes the trees
Or fills our ears
Falling from the heavens, rain is also silent,
Only to be heard when it meets resistance
As it hits the roof
With its steady drumming
Both wind and rain come from silence
Yet are known by how they disturb the silence
Likewise, we come to know ourselves
Only by what we do,
Unaware of what we truly are.
78
Our mind is a flame
And our body is a candle
Yet what remains
When the fire and wax are done?
Such is the essence of the Tao