“Allow things to flow naturally,
And evil will have no power.
That is not to say that evil loses its power…
Better, perhaps, to say that evil itself is lost.
Without a “good” to point away from,
Evil’s compass spins aimlessly.
And so, the sage leaves things to be what they are,
Leaving evil unharmed,
And in turn being unharmed by evil.
The spinning compass
Becomes a cycle of natural virtue”.*
~ Lao Tzu
Could it be so that our resistance to what we perceive as “evil” is what is feeding the distressing spinning compass we find ourselves living?
What would it take to leave evil unharmed and let it lose its power…
May the spinning compass becomes a cycle of natural virtue instead.
*Braun Jr., John; Tzu, Lao; von Bargen, Julian; Warkentin, David. Tao Te Ching (Kindle Locations 812-821). . Kindle Edition.
Find Your Middle Ground 
Good point, Val.
It is possible to leave evil in many different ways. One could be by forgiveness and by that take away the power, as the evil have had. Forgiveness for own good, not for the evils.
While we don’t feed the evil, the evil will get less and less power.
Namaste ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Irene, finding a way to forgive and let go reduces the energy we give to “evil”.
It reminds me of a cue I give in yoga class. “Where our attention goes, the energy flows”. The more we focus on the negative, the more it will be drawn to our attention and the more we feed it.
Thank you for this thoughtful comment 💛
LikeLiked by 1 person
Which is a great reason for staying positive.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A powerful reminder to keep our energy and spirit spinning in the right direction. 🙏🏻💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
… and keeping in kind the center and steadiness there. Thank you Karen 💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the reminder, Val. When I’m trying to do to many tasks at once, I completely lose my focus to do anything.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gently coax awareness to what matters. Let go of the peripheries. It Seems easy, yet our mind gets distracted and tries to deal with everything. We women are so good at this, but there is only so much we can take in the bombardment of technological stimuli. xo
LikeLiked by 2 people
an excellent way of thinking, val –
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Beth. It’s always worthwhile to seek an other perspective and to stay there for a while 💕
LikeLike
This is such a challenging concept. Yet to hold and not hold it is the duality we must contain and release to be able to allow things to flow naturally.
I love what you wrote in your comment to Irene about your cue in yoga class — ” “Where our attention goes, the energy flows”. The more we focus on the negative, the more it will be drawn to our attention and the more we feed it.”
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think most of us find this challenging to get our mind around. FIghting against “evil” is so ingrained in us. Its what our ego is programmed to do, and the ego mind will have a hard time letting this thinking go.
Thanks Louise 💕
LikeLike
Yes! What we resist persists. I just love this quote from Lao Tzu. I had never seen it. Thank you Val!
LikeLiked by 2 people
So glad you appreciated this Mary. 💕 Have a good week and enjoy the shifting season!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Val, this is a great post with many thoughtful reminders. All of the comments add even more as I reflect on what everyone has offered here. 💕🙏🏻
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Carrie. It is a concept that is counter to the way that most of us have grown up… and brings up deeper insights 💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
when i stop
spinning
i might have
an answer
or question, Val 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love your comment David. May the spinning subside soon 🙏
LikeLike
Interesting, Val. But we are safe at the center…
LikeLiked by 1 person
When we focus into the center instead of the external extremities … it is so.
Thank you Helen for this perspective. 💛
Another one that comes to mind is to let go completely of the dualistic thinking of good and evil. Then no compass is needed. xo
LikeLike
The spinning compass is a very different idea for me. Although many times I feel that my compass is always spinning because I am directionally challenged! XO
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for the smile Pam! Many of us are directionally challenged … especially these days 💛
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love Lao Tzu because he frequently turns my thinking on its head. This is a tough one, Val. It reminds me of another you posted – we become what we resist (or something to that effect). More to contemplate. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
“What we resist, persists” come from Carl Jung. It is in the same vain … and not easy to get our heads around, ( perhaps because our heads are dominated by ego) Listen to what your inner wisdom tells you 💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
So many of us are taught to stand up and speak out against evil versus just looking the other way when it isn’t our personal battle. That’s where I tend to get stuck. Much to contemplate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Diana, I’m interpreting your thoughts here, and may be off center. I read “evil” in your words as injustice or acts of depravity or violence. When we stand against it, we are standing up for some thing else. The focus must be on what we stand FOR and not against.
Its like #MeToo that is on Facebook right now. The focus is passive. Its about victims coming together, rather than what we as women stand for and what we want to bring about.
Hopefully that will shift to:
Teach our sons. Teach our men. Be the change.
xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. Standing with, not against. For peace, kindness, compassion, respect and all those good things. A powerful shift. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
No question in my mind that the more we focus on an aspect of our inner self the more it comes to the front of our daily consciousness.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Paul. It was good to talk in person today. I love that we share our love of dogs and insight into our earlier years 💛
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a very special conversation and I am grateful for your involvement.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is something to contemplate, thank you. Gnashing our teeth endlessly in the face of evil feeds it, like a fire. If instead we simply turn and face the sun, the evil will shrivel. Our attention creates reality…. Interesting thought!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Betty for your insightful comment. I appreciate it 💛
LikeLiked by 1 person