Living well in Overwhelming (and Election) Times
7 Grounding truths from the tao te ching
A Wednesday Evening Zoom Class: Oct. 23 & 30, Nov. 6 & 13
The Yin Yang Symbol
It is a revolutionary act to choose presence and peace in a highly anxious and reactive world.
A spiritually-based presence is a way that we align with a deep, embodied awareness in the here and now. And it has the power to nurture and change us unlike any other force on the planet.
The Tao Te Ching is spiritual super food. It invites us into a here and now presence that doesn't change external circumstances but helps us to hold them differently.
When things seem to be falling apart around us, we can reconnect and find stability through the ancient and wise guidance of the Tao Te Ching:
We find our still point: When the chatter of the mind quiets down, we find the still point around which all of life revolves.
We embrace acceptance: Acceptance is courageous attention turned to the nature of things as they truly are, not as we wish them to be. This attention enables our natural wisdom and energy to work effectively with circumstances.
We practice joy: To gain joy in living we let life live itself. . . .So in this practice we stop trying to change ourselves and find that we naturally change. We stop trying to be good and find that goodness is our nature. We stop trying to get rich, and find that our life is full of abundance. We stop trying to get our own way and find that we enjoy our life.
From William Martin's translation of the Tao in A Path and A Practice:
The Weekly Themes (with the 7 Tao Themes in bold):
Week 1: Living in the age of overwhelm, scarcity consciousness, and the gift of the Present Moment
Week 2: Learning the art of mental and emotional agility: Understanding Opposites and Flexibility
Week 3: The power of release: Practicing Acceptance and Letting Go
Week 4: Living in abundance consciousness through Effortless Effort and aligning with our True Nature
Class Details:
Dates and Time: 4 Wednesdays, Oct. 23 & 30, Nov. 6 & 13, 7:00 to 8:30 CDT.
Book Resource: A Path and A Practice: Using Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching as a Guide to an Awakened Spiritual Life - Participants are asked to purchase this.
Format: Online through Zoom - sessions will be recorded for those needing to miss a class
Cost: $195 - Payment Options:
Credit Card Payment thru Stripe (use the registration button below)
If paying by check or Venmo, please send me an email to register
Mail check to Scott McRae, 3706 48th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406
Venmo: @SojInst (in the business account section)
If the cost is prohibitive, I offer a Pay from the Heart option. Pay what you are able to pay. Just send me an email to let me know what works for you.
Class Format:
Weekly assigned chapters from the book (they are brief chapters)
Opening centering time
A teaching on the themes for the week
Group discussion and application
Final reflections and closing