“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.”― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
I discovered the Tao Te Ching 2 years ago, and spent about 7 months reading and reflecting on the 81 short verses in this ancient Chinese book of wisdom. It is so mind blowing to me that the messages in this book that was written in 4-6 b.c. are so relevant to us still in this 21 century. We are born with infinite knowledge of the true nature of life, yet as we grow and mature we forget our innate nature and need to re-learn all over again how to be fulfilled and at peace. There are so many guides and teachers that are available to us to remind us of the way, it can be confusing and overwhelming to know our path.
When I was studying this text I focused on living and reflecting on the verses for 2-3 days before moving on to the next one. As I intentionally took the time to look into my self, I began to be aware of a voice inside me. This was a different voice from the one that is in my head. You know the Head Voice, we all have it- its the doubting, negative, fearful one that wants to pipe in at any opportunity. No, this voice was quieter, and seemed to come from a different place in my body. It spoke softly but with calm and certainty from a place I can feel below by heart, from as my gut.
When I began to notice this voice, I recognized it. It was the voice that spoke to me when I had conviction and belief in something. But somehow I had more often than not discounted it, or ignored it due to the loud Head Voice that drowned it out. Once something comes into your awareness, however, it is very difficult to ignore it and to go back to ignorance. Once I noticed the Gut Voice, it became a little bit more persistent. Not louder, just made itself heard more frequently.
I was confused. I didn’t know whether to trust that Gut Voice, I had already learned that the Head Voice was always going to tell me to pull back and protect myself, but I didn’t know what the Gut Voice’s motivation was. How did I know if it was the Gut Voice I was hearing or the sneaky Head Voice disguising itself? This may sound crazy, but I was still learning how to trust myself. I am a thinker. I like to figure things out, and this can be a benefit and a curse, depending on the situation. I needed to have an answer key for myself to help differentiate between the voices. They were all me, that was the problem. My cheat sheet when I am hearing both voices is to ask myself- “Is this message coming from LOVE, or is it FEAR?” The Gut Voice, my intuition, always acts from love, and conversely, the Head Voice, speaks fear.
I am learning still to pause and listen, and choose Love instead of Fear. I trust my intuition, and if the choice is not clear, I know the time is not right to make the decision. When the time is right the path is clear if you listen to your intuition.
“Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.”― Lao Tzu