Walking The Path
In recent months, I have rediscovered a facet of my life’s journey, which had been stuffed in a jar and put on the shelf; oblivious to the fact I had done it in the first place. I had been so singularly focused on creating greater self-awareness centered on being rational and logical, I had forgotten about what mattered most in my younger years – my spirituality. Yet, by continuing to hone my self-awareness, I have been able to reconnect with those elements in my life I had forgotten.
This post will not be an exhaustive trip down the exploratory Taoist and Zen paths; however, keep in mind whenever I say, I am walking the path or As I walk the path, I am referring to those spiritual and philosophical traditions. Both practices have their own unique approaches to spirituality and philosophy, but they share some common ground in their emphasis on inner reflection and the pursuit of a deeper understanding of existence.
Since I started exploring Taoism more intentionally in the last couple of months, I have experienced a number of what are called flashes of enlightenment. In plain terms, these flashes are often described as moments of profound insight or sudden realization of the nature of reality. These moment are hard to articulate succinctly, so I will forgo explaining them here. Let me just say, the clarity I have received in relation to seeing what is truly around me and letting go of my ego has been life changing. One instance in particular comes to mind.
In working through some challenges related to my profession in State government, I experienced a moment of profound insight into how I was approaching my insane workload, which most state employees have, while attempting to understand why my desire to simply move on to another position every time something did not go my way, kept me in a cyclic existence. Some of you familiar with my prior writings may recognize this as samsara, which refers to the continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in Buddhist teachings, characterized by suffering and the influence of karma.
When I reflected on my 23-year epoch in state government, I suddenly realized I had not just segmented my approach to how I did my work but my entire life as well. I attribute this mindset primarily to how many of us are raised, especially in my case. As I matured and eventually entered the workforce, it had been impressed upon me to keep my life outside of work private. This was based on the premise of maintaining professionalism amongst those on a team and the entire company as a whole.
In the military this was driven home even harder due to its formalized ranking structure, need to respect the chain of command, and deter instances of fraternization. On only one occasion, did I need to remind a close personal friend, who was also my subordinate, to maintain their professionalism on duty when we worked together. It was difficult at times, especially as Air Force cops, considering we spent significant amounts of time on and off duty with each other. Having each other’s backs and forming strong bonds was vital, even in a career field where toxic masculinity and getting stabbed in the back by fellow cops was considered just another day at the office.
Another piece of this thoroughly sliced pie was a nugget of wisdom conveyed to me by a team member who said, Do not have your honey where you make your money. Aside from it being a cute and catchy little phrase, it served as another piece of advice to further convolute minds already full of frivolous and nonsensical information as to how other people perceive the world around them.
When I reflected on the inherent purpose of the Tao, an almost literal flash went off in my mind. It was not my co-workers, my insane workload nor the core duties outlined in my job description creating discontent to where I felt my only recourse was to leave, then to once again have its ugly head raise up in a shiny new position – it was me. By not letting go of what I perceived were impediments to contentment, my ego sought to control what I could not, rather than working on what is most important – myself.
In summation, what created this entire event is the fact we are all part of one existence albeit we walk our own path within it, nothing is truly separate. I like to refer to it as one big pot of stew and while some of us may seek out those savory chunks of potato because we like them more than the other vegetables, it does not change the fact it is still one big pot of stew. How is that for a tasty metaphor?
Now, how does this apply to writing and what inspires us? Based on what I just wrote, it applies to everything. The title to a mindfulness meditation book I was exposed to many decades ago says it all; Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn. From the perspective of walking my own path, we are who we are in the moment, whole and complete. Although certain areas of our culture may prescribe maintaining separate versions of ourselves in a variety of circumstances, it does not negate we are all part of one existence, and our writing is merely one part of a greater whole.
In under two-months, I have completed the edits to book one, The Cradle of Destiny, which had been provided to me by a close friend – the very same who helped get it picked up by my first publisher. I have also revised the tagline and a small blurb encompassing the premise of the series, which is generally asked for by publishers for inclusion on a book cover. During this time I incorporated the concept of The One Source to replace Akasha as the element bringing everything together in the known universe, which feeds into my April 2025 blog post.
Aside from the major shifts I just mentioned, refinements to properly naming the thriving city formed by Michael Sha’ran to Caelith, which will be revealed in book two, Destiny’s Shroud and renaming Norah’s ship to something more befitting of the class of ship she pilots, were implemented. Lastly, fleshing out the details to clean up elements leftover from book one, so they can be properly addressed in book two were created. This all lays the groundwork for jumping back into the second book with both feet to pick up where I left off. The bonus is my vision for The Sy’Arrian Legacy Series is bolder and the clearest it has ever been.
What I have mentioned up to this point would never have been possible had I not continued to walk the path and be present in the present moment. By focusing and working on myself, I have been able to see what is truly happening around me and begin to understand the truth of our existence. This synergy has helped me see my true purpose more clearly, which inspires me beyond what words can capture.
In a scene yet to be written, Lourous, a character whom I created from the very beginning is told, If you create a mind based on unconditional love and compassion, you will inspire others to do the same who will then begin their own path. In doing so, you will help make the universe a much better place to live by changing one mind at a time for the better.
My hope is by reading or listening to this words, it inspires you to look at your own path and begin the journey towards discovering your true purpose.
Until next time, be safe, be well and let us continue to hone the fine art of creative writing.
References
James A. Michener
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Michener
Tao or Dao
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao
The One Source
https://www.gregorydcurrent.com/blog/the-one-source
Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
Zen
