Coming Home to the Earth

In the Wu Tao framework, the Earth element is the most important for it is here that we finally come home and arrive on this planet.  The spiritual gifts of prayer and gratitude that this element dance embodies is what will assist us to live a life informed and guided by the energy which has shaped us and given us life.

The image of the river is the metaphor that we use for the life-force energy and it is this that we are attempting to return to and remember.  Our connections to and place in the very flow of Life itself.

Coming home to Life is coming home to the Self, the pure self, free of all illusion, ignorance and delusion.  Here is where our true home lies.  It has been given many names – ‘The Buddha Mind, Holy Spirit, Divine Being, All That Is, The Tao.’

For a brief few moments as we do the Earth Dance, we can rest in the knowing that we are at home, we are in the flow with our bodies and spirits together as one.  We can feel alive, enlivened, peaceful and trusting of the process of life.   This is the true purpose and essence of Wu Tao.

 Some basic guidelines for living in an authentic and true way:

  •  Have gratitude for everything life brings you.
  • Surrender to the process of life and trust that all challenges, difficulties and opportunities are a gift which you can choose to embrace and move with or fight against.
  • Be true to your Self.  That is your true Self not the ego or personality self.
  •  Respect your ego/shadow self, it is only been doing what it was set up to do.  Just remember you are the one in charge!
  • Get in rhythm with the seasons and elements.  They live within your body, so listen and follow your body’s callings.  When it needs rest, rest.  Eat what feels good for your body.  If you need to hibernate for a while in winter, make the time to do so.  Cleanse your body in spring etc.  Honouring the rhythms of life in this way will connect you to the flow and to the source.  You will feel fulfilled, peaceful and in step with life.
  • Love yourself, everyone else, your life, everything!  Do what you love to do as often as you can OR love everything you are doing.
  • Express your Self through everything you do.  Be passionate about your life, give it everything you’ve got.  Even the bits you don’t like.
  • BE PRESENT.

Exercise 6:4

Write up your own guidelines for living an authentic life.

 

Deep Peace Meditation (on your CD)

  • Breathing in and out.
  • Relaxing into the ground as you breathe out.  Let go.  Relax.
  • Now just imagine you are floating on the surface of a great river.
  • The river is carrying you along.  Across the landscape.
  • Past the hills and mountains, through the valleys, through forests.
  • Flowing with the river.
  • The more you relax and let go, the more you can feel the River supporting you,
  • Holding you, carrying you along.
  • Very relaxed and peaceful.
  • No time or space.  Just you and the river flowing together.
  • Home in the River.
  • Very still.  Very peaceful.
  • Deep Peace.