Shake up is the way I’d describe what’s just happened to us over the past ten years, a shake up that’s gathered momentum exponentially, hence felt totally bonkers over the past few months and weeks – I’m talking both objectively (as far as possible) in observing what I see of the world around me and subjectively in respect of my personal adventure, particularly over the past few weeks.
Now if, as I experience it, the entire show, everyone in it and all the action that results from all the interactions between everyone and everything is the Tao expressing itself, if the whole universe is merely the outer mantle of the one presence, why would the Tao wish to shake its various bits (you and I, in this instance) about so vigorously?
I suggest it’s to remind the bits that they are not autonomous, individuated, discrete beings, to remind each bit, that it is merely imagining itself as something or someone separate, to remind each bit to divest itself of the imaginary and instead experience the real.
And it would do this so it, itself, can experience itself more clearly via each of us.
Another way of looking at it: supra-consciousness spreading itself with ever more urgency has to force its way through all the collective impurities and blockages built up over decades, centuries and millennia and the rumbles and turbulence that causes are what we might experience as a shake up.
A turbulent tale
Take me, for example. I contracted the swine flu virus on a plane to Germany, which a while later combined with stress and goodness-knows-what else, caused a lung to collapse, landing me in a rather painful, grueling Ibiza hospital experience for two weeks the day I arrived back from the UK after a three day trip by road and sea. I got out of hospital on the basis I’d continue investigations and treatment if needs be in the UK, waited a week or so till I had a bit of strength, closed up my apartment, packed it all into my car, assuming my stay in the UK might be indefinite and made exactly the same long journey back (I couldn’t have taken a plane in any case on account of what the air pressure might do to the lung). I was waiting for one of my sons to fly down and do the drive with me as I was still weak but the extreme snow null-and-voided three flights he’d been booked on and he eventually gave up, so I went for it solo.
Once on the mainland, there was a ten-hour drive from one side of the Iberian Peninsular to the other, some of which was in the thickest fog. Finally at Santander, I got on the boat and found myself parking in exactly the same spot – I mean exactly – as on the way down and staying in exactly the same cabin. It was as if the god of the boat had never really wanted me to get off the first time round.
Proceeding into the notorious Bay of Biscay, I was afforded a wonderful example of why that stretch of water earned its reputation as one of the bounciest rides on the planet.
The huge boat was tossed about all over the show like a bath toy and was slamming down then flying up or vice versa with such ferocity and extremity I was sure the car must be all smashed to smithereens.
As it turned out I handled it well – I somehow found my internal plumb line and was able to sleep through it without any nausea. The car made it through OK too.
I drove out the other end at Portsmouth and was suddenly confronted with the extreme contrast between the warm Iberian winter climate and the freakish northerly Arctic conditions, along with the huge decrease of light in the sky.
I handled that quite well too and didn’t succumb to any depressive thoughts – at least not until I stopped at a service on the A3 halfway to London, at which point my spirit involuntarily dived. Standing in the toilet, I suddenly felt all the rocking and rolling of the boat and it was as if my entire universe had gone into freefall turbulence and me with it and I was afraid – gripped by the deepest sort of what-the-f*ck-am-I-doing existential terror.
I no longer have a home in London – in fact, technically speaking I no longer have a home anywhere – I am homeless – a vagabond, a wayward Taoist on the Way – so the first night back I stayed at a friend’s and when I returned to my car the next morning found some kindly, thoughtful soul had seen fit to welcome me by smashing my window and creating a mad mosaic of shattered glass on every conceivable surface. I’m not sure whether he or she was working in cahoots with the local pigeon population but they’d seen fit to join in too and shit all over the car.
This being Christmas Eve and it being an exotic car I confess, naturally the glass repairers couldn’t get the window for a few days, nor on account of the shape could they do a temporary fix, so I had to drive it to the glass repair place amidst the shattered glass with the extreme cold pounding my ailing head and leave it there.
It goes on and gets worse but I’ll spare you the rest. Eventually of course even the worst maelstrom of discomfort passes and the boat finds itself in calm waters again, which is where I am now, thank goodness.
Only the Tao matters
The point being, through all the shaking up, I was forced out of believing I, the individual, mattered. I was a mere leaf blowing in the wind. All that mattered was the Tao – the Great All. In fact once I’d recognized the flow of events in all their head-freezing monstrosity, was just the Tao doing its crazy old thing, and once I remembered to love it, the waters calmed and things started getting better.
So perhaps that’s the lesson for us collectively too now: accept all the turbulence, hardship and inconvenience is just the Tao doing its choppy waters thing, love it as that and allow the action to transform itself.
Or maybe there’s no rhyme or reason to any of it, and sometimes you get calm waters, sometimes rough and as long as you’re still here to experience it, give thanks and enjoy it regardless.
I almost wasn’t four times over the past month or so and am delighted I still am to be here to be sharing with you like this – as much as I’m delighted and honored you’re here to share it with. (Charmer, aren’t I, but/and I mean it).
Magic a new future
Meanwhile, addressing the decade ahead, assuming there is one, let’s band together and visualize it beautiful, miraculous and implausibly marvelous for everyone – let’s see it as a decade of global healing, by the end of which the future is secured in a sustainable way for generations to come – and let’s see it as pure fun. For as we see it, so can it be.
And that’s quite enough from me – thankyou for reading, your energy is important.
I wish you the most marvelous new year and decade.
With utmost love, Supercharged
