In around 2002, I discovered the Tao Te Ching and was floored, and immediately felt connected to, enamored with and inspired by it in ways that many people undoubtedly experience reading the bible. It made sense to me, right away. Yet in the last 12 years the meaning has continued to expand and grow as I have, what a beautiful concept.
There's one particular verse that stands out, it inspired the Phoenix I had imagined for years, that I then searched for an image online to match my longing daydreams and fatefully discovered in Lois Cordelia's work. Lois Cordelia is the artist responsible for the amazing image that graces the logo on this website, and also inspired the creation of the tattoo on my thigh by artist Sharonn Bradbury.
Verse 22 -- Celebrate
No-thing remains itself.
Each prepares the path to its opposite.
To be ready for wholeness, first be fragmented.
To be ready for rightness, first be wronged.
To be ready for fullness, first be empty.
To be ready for renewal, first be worn out.
To be ready for success, first fail.
To be ready for doubt, first be certain.
Because the wise observe the world
through the Great Integrity,
they know they are not knowledgeable.
Because they do not perceive
only through their perceptions,
they do not judge this right and that wrong.
Because they do not delight in boasting,
they are appreciated.
Because they do not announce their superiority,
they are acclaimed.
Because they never compete,
no one can compete with them.
Verily, fragmentation prepares the path to wholeness,
the mother of all origins and realizations.
-Lao Tzu, translated by Ralph Alan Dale
I highly and wholeheartedly recommend the version shown in the link below, as there have been hundreds of translations of this legendary work- none could hold a candle to the succinct, vibrant version translated from Chinese by Ralph Alan Dale. This version is stocked with beautiful artistic works, both in illustration and photography to highlight the timeless beauty and simplicity of the verses; as well as commentary after the featured verses to help those new to Taoism understand its construct and terms. There's also a helpful introduction to introduce Taoism, its history; and Lao Tzu's motivation to use "metaphoric fragments which sing the literary music of the right brain, the transcendence of language through unordinary language" (Dale, Intro, XII). The introduction also helps readers better understand the left and right cerebral hemispheres and the very fabric of our minds and spirits that the work intends to tap into, and the aspects of liberation "from our limitations and distortions" that Lao Tzu sought to guide people towards.
When we are "fragmented," it is difficult to imagine that our countless pieces could ever fit together again to regain any semblance of the figure and identity we possessed before. There are messages in the universe, however, that guide us to loosen our grip on what we think we've known all along; even as intrinsically as we may see and know ourselves. To think that we could let go and experience monumental loss at our own design; and in doing so gain the wholeness that we all seek to a greater capacity than we've ever known- is a difficult leap of faith to make. Without doing so, however, we can never even achieve a chance at the fullness of life and joy that we all deserve. Without faith and hope, we are nothing. The blessed thing about life, though is that we are never at a loss for either. Faith, by definition is always awaiting us in our periphery, destined to be elicited by conscious acts of love for ourselves and others. It is to be discovered when we are ready, and when we are most in need of its energy and direction- and a little dot of hope is all we need to be transported to where we can discover it. We can never leave or be released from the "unwanted" places within ourselves if we do not have the courage to seek them out, open the door to live within them and love with the same fervor that we too often waste desperately sprinting to escape them. To be what you seek in happiness and freedom, we must first feel the pain of the shackles tightened over the nightmares of our past. To be set free, we must first admit that we have been held down for far too long. Be empty, to be fulfilled.
May you be peace and love always,
Phoenix
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