Taoist Thanksgiving

To all our Taoist Community,

I wish you all a wonderful and peaceful thanksgiving. A time of gratitude and humble appreciation of all the good within our lives. I have found that times of abundance, good fortune and prosperity are certainly enjoyable and grant us capacity for comfort, leisure, relaxation, and generosity.

I also believe that difficult, challenging and scarce times are worthy of gratitude. It strips away the illusions of control, security and reliance on external abundance to meet our internal needs. It ultimately is our character, inner strength and insight, talents and virtues that sustain us, enrich us, and provide for us. These are difficult and historic times and overdue. It is the time to inventory our will, values, and personal responsibilities to ourselves, our families and communities. In the philosophy I study, Taoist principles, this is not unexpected.

Prolonged growth and expansion requires prolonged rest and contraction to balance life. This is evident in all of nature. The animals must sleep and hibernate, the plants must re-seed and re-new its energy for the season. Only humanity seems to seek unending prosperity, acquisition and growth. This is time to rejoice, rest, realign and recharge for the next season in the human era. From this we all will discover our abilities and capacity for self reliance and compassion, especially for ourselves.

Be grateful for who you are and how essential you are to Life. Appreciate that all we "endure" during lean times, strengthens us for the next season of expansion and growth. These are the moments we discover our strengths and deficiencies. Fear cultivates desperation, despair and internal poverty. Clarity is a gift of awareness and an awakened spirit. These are the moments for inspiration, creativity, spirituality and self examination. I will personally enjoy and learn in my experience of this time in history; after all, it's only natural.....

Blessings and Peace,

Clint