I love how it’s possible to get so….

Entwined , en-wrapped and finally entrapped into a blog.

Taoism teaches to let go of ego… and it’s easy to use a blog to re-enforce ego.

Blogging is a great experience. I use this blog as a sounding board to work on material and think out loud.

However, attention has a down side of artificially pumping up ego. I was going to post a “I will be away for a few weeks post” and I thought.. how silly.. the larger world doesn’t truly care if I am away for a few weeks… This was just my ego trying to get attention. Ego sneaking in at that moment.. working at getting some recognition.

At which point I mentally shrugged, grabbed the pesky ego, pinned it down to this post and began to ponder what to do with the little child of my ego today.

As a Taoist I threw ego on the surgery table long ago to dissect and play with. In the end, I kept it, let it play about, since it is part of our nature. Ego can be the source of some entertainment, to help keep life interesting.

But Taoism does teach to remove ego fully… Or does it?

Well it’s a question of timing and perspective.

Taoism does indeed teach how to remove ego and many Taoist practices exist for just this reason.

But, that isn’t quite right. Don’t confuse the destination to be the path. Within the path of living, Taoism teaches one how to accept your own nature. Part of our nature is the ego. So while physically alive, ego is an aspect of the living experience.

At some point, in a Taoist practice, when one “sheds the bones” a Taoist will fully let go of ego, since ego is the glue that holds the spirit to the bones… However, until that point a Taoist keeps ego, as ego is part of our very nature. Instead at first a Taoist learns how to live their life without ego in control.

The initial lesson to learn to live “ego less” initially means learning how to not let ego control your life.

Once embracing this, it then becomes possible to go further. To leave attachment and travel in spirit.

This means many things.

In the West, some would jump to the assumption this means astral projection. It means being able to live selflessly, to share fully in life, going places the body cannot, to laugh when the thunder rumbles and to truly fly in life by embracing the light of the new day.

So the path of letting go of ego, opens up amazing practices… but it’s best to leave possibility undefined… for when done openly, this process is the entrance to the larger universe.

Peace