I was thinking about when I finally found Taoist Classical Chinese Medicine and how relieved I was to have found my tribe and find a doorway to the soul. It was this strange unboxing moment when I suddenly felt a connection that enabled me to unbox myself, to be myself.
I no longer had to spend so much time listening and adjusting to the many different voices in the world. Taoism was that island of stability in the sea of voices. Taoism held the lighthouse that kept guiding my way, allowing me to stay true to my values and separate my emotions and thoughts from everyone else.
I was listening to Krista Tippet and her interview with Robin Wall Kimmerer, a botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. What amazed me was how much Robin’s words resonated with me. As I listened to Robin talk about her love of plants and her struggle to connect Western science’s desire to sterilize the world into distant, inanimate objects and the reality of her world, I heard a similar struggle within myself.
Journey to the Doorway of the Soul
Seeking something profound and new,
I wandered through the hills and morning dew;
A quest to find the secrets of my soul,
And make a fresh new start with a new role.
I came upon a doorway, soft and bright,
Tucked in a field of gentle, warm sunlight.
With gentle hands, I opened up the door,
And felt my soul come racing to the fore.
Inside, a light so warm and comforting,
It soothed my fears, and quickly made me sing.
It lit the corners of my soul so bare,
And showed me all my doubts and fears laid bare.
But now, with newfound strength and resolution,
I step into the light, my soul’s evolution.
-kim
THE OBJECTIFICATION OF WESTERN SCIENCE
Robin studied botany in college and talks about her encounter with Western science,
“…the botany that I encountered there was so different than the way that I understood plants. Plants were reduced to object. What was supposedly important about them was the mechanism by which they worked, not what their gifts were, not what their capacities were. They were really thought of as objects…”
It’s impressive how she focused on one experience, the study of Western science botany, and created a statement so inclusive of this underlying drive in the West to reduce everything to a mechanism. Yet, what was truly impressive was her understanding of who she was allowed her to acknowledge and accept this tendency without getting lost or consumed by the bias.
THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR TRIBE
Your connections with others gives your life meaning and helps you navigate the ups and downs of the human experience. For Robin, her connections with family and the Potawatomi Nation gave her the stability to navigate the currents and upheavals of being human.
That was an important lesson as I listened to her talk. The lesson was that you will be weaker when you stand alone. The support of others, whether family, friends, community, or tribe, allows you to stay connected to your values even when the world is pushing you to be different.
THE SOCIALIZATION OF INDIVIDUALISM
Part of Western socialization teaches standing alone as a quality or characteristic that is not acquired or imposed but instead is an inseparable and permanent attribute of the value system of the West. Lifestyles, education, jobs, and careers are pushing you towards individualism. I only remember a little from school, but I remember my U.S. History lesson on manifest destiny, a doctrine that romanticized individualism – standing alone. It wasn’t just education that encouraged individualism.
In rural America, families stayed in one area farming the land. When I grew up, farming was changing, and the farming families had to change how they managed the farm. The big change was the family farm was transferred to only one child. The rest of the children were educated so they could move to the cities and get jobs. The family units were broken up in profound ways.
The industrial age changed careers into components that reduced humans to cogs. By the 1990’s, this mechanical description of human labor expanded to include the understanding that mechanical things were, out of design, expendable and interchangeable. That fired off the Merger and Acquisitions movement of the 90’s. And being that a “Cog thing” didn’t have much value except for the cog thing it was doing, the cog was not of any consequence. Lay-offs, reorganizations, and financial fleecing of corporations discarded vast groups of individuals like a tidal wave.
HOW YOUR VALUE SYSTEM CAN BE JEOPARDIZED
The separateness forced you to assimilate into a belief structure that may not have been your own. And if you had bought into the individualist lifestyle and were struggling with your value system by yourself, you were more likely to lose your values. With your tribe, family, or friends, you can navigate a sea of dissonance and swim safely to the other side.
HOW YOUR TRIBE HELPS YOU STAY TRUE TO YOUR VALUES
That was where Taoism slipped into my world. It eliminated this internal struggle I was experiencing with what I saw in the world and my value system.
Taoism let me understand the dilemma of being human in really profound ways that allowed me to interact with the world and not become it. It allowed me to accept the situation and yet understand the fluidity of movement and change, recognizing that even the rock doesn’t last forever. It tapped into the needs I had when interacting with the world and gave me a tribe to talk with and get more understanding when I was feeling confused.
Taoism provided clarity, direction, and meaning. Taoism helped me align my actions and decisions with my values. Doing this allowed me to grow into a tree and sink my roots deep into the earth, where I continued to stand even when buffeted by strong winds and storms. It allowed me a presence similar to Robin Wall Kimmerer’s expression in her interview.
If you want to learn more about the philosophy of Taoism, check out this playlist on my Youtube channel Bestacupuncturellc , it covers many of the esoteric concepts of Taoism. And you can look under my blog on Qi- Gong and Taoism. Most of the advice comes from a Taoist perspective on life.
THE YEAR OF THE RABBIT
This year is the year of the Water Rabbit. It is a strong year for relationships and community. The Rabbit’s presence is found through compassion and understanding, two great relationship traits.
And I think about this year more and more because if you’ve been following any of my Taoist ramblings and teachings, I’ve been talking about cycles and the major shift we are going through right now. The dissonance is going to last until 2050. Yet, by the end of this decade, the path will be more clearly seen.
This shift is a thousand times bigger than a generational shift, and the Rabbit is an excellent example of the shift’s energetic direction. This shift is a transition from a yang to a yin cycle. The Rabbit is a perfect time to practice for a yin cycle because the energetics of the Rabbit are closely aligned with a yin cycle, and the Rabbit doesn’t survive as an individual.
If you’re going against the current of this year and the overall cyclical change that is happening, you’re going to find your anxiety will get a lot worse this year. Your voice will fall on shards of glass, cutting you with each word. And because the Rabbit is about community, the community will start to turn against you.
The true bonus of this year is that the Rabbit has such yin energetics. There is a lot of energy out there that can help you find your tribe and your community. The internet has delivered a lot of flexibility on community and what it means to interact. That means you have millions of ways to discover and connect with your authentic self and reawaken your purpose and values.
If you want to learn more about the Year of the Water Rabbit, just query “Rabbit” in the search bar, or check out this article on the Year of the Rabbit.
FIND YOUR TRIBE
Finding your tribe, friends, family can have a profound impact on your life. You can find a greater sense of clarity, direction, and meaning, especially when your values do not fall within the prescribed societal guidelines taught in places like school and work.
By finding what resonates for you instead of trying to swim through the dissonance, you’ll find greater peace by aligning your actions and decisions with your deepest values. It can help relieve the judgment on yourself and others, which can lead to greater self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-love. All of that will improve your relationships with others, allow your soul to step through, and let you find what it means to be alive.
Kim Blaufuss is a formally trained Classical Chinese Medical Provider and Taoist practitioner.
Her unique approach combines Eastern and Western Science to provide a comprehensive and transformative emotional healing experience. By working with her, you can gain access to her extensive knowledge and expertise, and benefit from her personalized and compassionate approach to healing.
Kim Blaufuss’ teachings can help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself, cultivate inner peace and joy, and promote healing at a fundamental level. Her work has helped countless individuals achieve their spiritual and emotional goals, and by working with her, you, too, can experience the transformative power of her teachings. If you’re looking for a spiritual and emotional healer who can guide you toward greater well-being and fulfillment, then Kim is the perfect choice. Set-up your private work session today.