With the following reflection I hope to assist you in dealing with this challenge.
When you listen to the news and the policy makers, you will hear that their solutions are all based on the paradigm that GROWTH should go UP, and that there needs to be EXPANSION.
Listen next time to the voice of the radio or TV announcer when they report the DOW Jones numbers. If the numbers are down, you can often hear a slight 'disappointment' or 'judgment' and even fear in their voices.
Look at yourself too and notice your reaction when you hear the news.
One of my studies has been in Chinese Medicine, where I was taught a profound system, called
'The Five Elements'. I think applying these principles would be very useful in coping with the uncertainty we are dealing with today.
In our culture we generally assume and work from the paradigm that life functions LINEARLY - up and only up.
The ancient Chinese observed nature, and learned and experienced that life unfolds in CYCLES, like the seasons of the year or the phases of a human life.
In a brief brief:
The 'Great Mystery' that is life manifests itself as Yin and Yang, the dualistic forces, and Yin and Yang develop into the five elements or phases.
The 5 elements can be experienced by observing the seasons: Within the seasonal cycle of a year, life/nature moves from the explosion of life in spring -- represented by the Wood element, thru the season of summer, where nature expands to its fullest -- represented by the Fire Element, to the season of late summer (Indian summer) where traditionally harvest occurred -- represented by the Earth Element, on to the season of fall -- associated with the Metal element, where all that is NOT essential needs to be let go of, and where we prepare for winter, the time when nature withdraws within, the season we are finding ourselves in right now, which the ancient Chinese associated with the Water Element. (….German-English sentence….)
These observations regarding the cyclical nature of the seasons led to the creation of a system in which, everything that exists can be understood from the perspective of the 5 elements.
Like the seasons, life also is cyclical -- if we now apply the understanding of the 5 Elements to our lives and what is happening in the world, we can see that globally we are in a Metal phase.
The Metal phase or element is about CONTRACTION, just like the exhale of our breath,
and contraction is a necessary part of life.
Yet our society wants only to INHALE, only expansion, and resents the EXHALE, the contraction part of life.
It is us, our attitudes that are the problem. It is our
Collective mind that fights with life. When one steps back, it is very obvious that house prices couldn't go up and up and up. Neither our economy, nor that of the Chinese or the Indian, which are now the new hope, can expand all the time.
Wood, Fire, spring and summer, are natural seasons of expansion, where the life force rises, which is called the Yang energy. In our societies and its policies, our tendency is to want to extend these seasons/phases of expansion, and avoid the phases of contraction, rest and reflection, the phase of the Yin, the Metal and Water elements.
The last decades have been expansion oriented, all run and dominated by the principles of the Wood and Fire elements: expansion, growth, pushing, forcing, making it happen – the Yang approach to life – which is only one half of the whole.
The Yin approach of contraction, restriction, letting go, contemplation and reflection has been neglected and actually demeaned.
One extreme example is the loosening of the restrictions on our financial markets during the Wood and Fire driven last 20 years. The restrictions were the counter forces of the Metal element. Just like in a garden, when there is only growth (Wood and Fire) and no pruning and weeding (the Metal principle), growth gets out of balance and in the long term harms the whole system.
The principles of the 5 Elements work in any system, whether it’s a garden, a company, a person, a family, or the financial markets.
Our underlying cultural paradigm and we have been in opposition to the laws of nature, resulting in a fight that in the long term cannot be won.
One cannot 'beat' the laws of nature. In spite of all our achievements, we are still PART OF NATURE.
Our collective resistance to truly face the reality of ‘Global Warming’ is another consequence of our human hubris of feeling ‘above’ nature and the creators of our fate.
Literally, for us and many species to survive on this incredible awesome, beautiful and interconnected planet, we need to shift from the Yang approach and need to nurture the Yin approach of Metal and Water on all levels of society and need to find a balance between the expanding and contracting forces of life.
Here is some basic guidance coming from the perspective of the 5 Element teaching:
1. We have entered the Metal phase. It is the time to embrace getting rid of that which is in excess, both within and without.
It is time to 'tighten our belt' and focus on the essentials of life in order to preserve it.
The high and rush of the wood and fire phases are over and the Metal Element offers its gift of clarity, to clearly see what is really going on, and then the power to cut what needs to be let go!
Collectively and individually, the Metal element invites us to:
- Stop and examine our lives: What is in excess and what is really needed?
- What is really important? What truly matters?
- Where in our life are we ‘wasting’ resources?
2. Bringing in to this phase the gifts of the Water Element -- introspection,
contemplation and wisdom are also greatly needed in these times.
When the government in October pushed a 700 billion rescue package thru congress, a huge chance was missed, to stop and apply finally wisdom, which means thorough examination and a halt to a panic driven behavior.
We need to stop doing things as usual and learn to reflect and think about consequences and outcomes before action – which is applying the teachings of the Water element.
This is true personally and collective.
So take time, slow down, reflect about important decisions, plan ahead, let impulse (Wood element) and need of doing (Fire) subside.
3. In the midst of a general ‘not enough’ mentality, tapping into the qualities of the earth element –service, true caring, giving, and support -- are key. The Earth Element balances the Yang and Yin forces. While as a society we are in the Metal phase, which brings up the self-preservation aspect of our nature, the gifts of true care and compassion are needed more then ever, to soften the impact of personal and collective down sizing and changing to a simpler life style.
Lastly, if one is in touch with the bigger picture of life, realizing that we are part of something much bigger -- life itself -- we can also trust, that the principles of life that we experience right now in its contracting form, in its Yin phase, will turn again into its Yang aspect.
There will be an end to the downturn – of course we all know that intellectually, yet only by being in touch with the deeper ‘laws of life’ on a being level, can we stay more relaxed and trusting in the midst of
a ‘tumbling and shaky world’.
There will be spring again, after winter comes the spring.
If we voluntarily go along with the natural flow of life, the pain is much less than when we fight it.
I sincerely hope that the insights of the 5 Element teachings will assist you in your journey ahead.
Michael
www.innerjourneyseminars.com
michaelijs@gmail.com
415-990-5629
You have brought a calming perspective to our "more is better" economic thinking.
ReplyDeleteThere is a time to let go and reflect and that time is now.
Gordon Ian