Time, to me, is probably one of the most fascinating measures that exist in our world. Time is extremely accurate and can be calculated down to milliseconds, yet time is also extremely relative and hard to measure. Ten minutes can seem an eternity if you are involved in something monotonous, but an hour of something fun flies by faster than we care for it to. So many pieces of our modern world are so heavily controlled by a clock, and as our lives get busier and our schedules more full, we begin to add hours into our day by sacrificing one thing to make more time for another.
I went to one of my favourite meditative books, The Kuan Yin Oracle, by Stephen Karcher, for a different perspective on time. This book contains 100 Poems of the Goddess, which are short poetic interpretations of the teachings of the Goddess Kuan Yin. To me personally, Kuan Yin sits in the role of a Bodhisattva rather than a Goddess, but either way, she has some pretty good advice:
The world wants to be in balance. Everything that exists from humans to the smallest cellular organism – all strive to attain equilibrium and balance. Time is a factor in life that can affect such a balance, if we allow it to. As is demonstrated in the short poem above, everything happens naturally in the time it needs to. Everything works in a sequence…whether we are aware of the complete sequence or not is another story, but things move in specified patterns. Like a domino effect, movement through time must occur in a specific order. If we allow this movement to happen naturally, we will see that the universe does indeed offer just what we need in a very timely fashion.
I looked up the Chinese character for time, and found some interesting results. One of the words that I found was the word “qia” which was defined as “timely.” The character itself is made up of the characters for the words heart, union and harmony. So, something that is timely is something that brings an outside factor into harmonious union with the heart.
One of the key focuses of philosophical Taoism is to live your life in a way that creates balance and harmony with our world. Not only the natural part of our world, but the human, mundane, modern part as well. Stepping back and looking at your surrounding environment in all aspects, the space, the energy, the people, the interactions, the circumstances, and trying to live in a way that achieves balance.
Keeping with that notion of creating balance, timing becomes a vital force. In Tao, timing is everything. To act in a timely manner, knowing that time has to move in sequence and pattern, is essential for harmony and balance.
We all know the phrase, “to be in the right place at the right time.” That is basically what this is talking about. A photographer takes an amazing award winning photo for being able to capture a precise moment in time where the lighting was perfect, view was unobstructed, and all elements were working together. A farmer will plant and harvest according to season and weather. A construction team building a bridge works in a specific sequence for optimum safety and stability. A baseball player knows exactly when they need to swing to get a home run. When things come together at precisely the right moment, that is perfect timing.
The main point for me on the subject of time is that balance and harmony are achievable only if we get out of our own way. Let things in life happen in the order and time that they need to happen. Stop fighting to have our personal timeline trump that of the universe. We do it all the time. All of us. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with manifestation, prayer, spellwork, asking for something to come into our lives or for something in our life to change…the issue comes in when we are not patient enough to see the outcome through. Some things aren’t 24 hour fixes. Maybe there is something other than time that affect our wishes.
Maybe you are trying to manifest a perfect relationship. Well, maybe you already did, but your perfect person is in the process of ending an old relationship. Maybe your timeline is paused so theirs can catch up. It doesn’t mean it’s not coming, it’s just coming when it needs to. Maybe you are trying to manifest a fantastic job. It is quite possible that it’s already there, but someone else already holds the position, but they are going to be moving to England in two weeks, so as soon as they leave and the desk is empty, the job is yours. Instead of getting impatient and thinking that nothing you are doing is working, be patient and wait for a result. Maybe you didn’t get the job you thought you really wanted, but maybe that company is going to file Chapter 11 next week. Maybe your dream guy/girl isn’t as pleasant of a dream as you think. Maybe someone else won $500 at bingo because they are going to give that money to their brother, who just lost his job and needs $500 to pay his rent. My point is, when dealing with time and timing, there may very well be forces and factors on the other end that we never know about or see.
Letting go of the constraints of time and inviting the natural flow of events into your life isn’t easy by any means. Even as I’m sitting here writing this, I am growing exceedingly impatient waiting for a phone call that I know is coming at some point today. I am trying to practice what I’m preaching here, but it is hard. I am still human. And as humans, we have been conditioned by society that things have to work within a pre-described timeline with a final result of instant gratification.
In Taoism, there is a concept known as Wu Wei. This basically translates to ‘doing’ and ‘doing without doing.’ This concept goes hand in hand with timing. There are situations and circumstances that demand immediate action. However, there are also situations and circumstances where the best thing you can do is not do anything. The idea of ‘doing without doing’ is confusing to some. It is not ‘doing nothing.’ It is not ‘taking no action.’ It is making the conscious decision that right now at this precise moment in time, action is not necessary, or action will only push the situation out of balance. In making this realization, you are taking an action. You are ‘doing without doing.’ What you are doing is practicing strategy and working with timing. Remember, timing results in harmony of the heart. So, when you are deciding to take an action, ask yourself, “Would doing this really make the situation better? Would I feel better? Is this really the best way to handle this?” If you have any hesitation on any level about an action toward a situation, put the principle of Wu Wei into practice and ‘do without doing.’ Let things run their course. Go with the flow. Remember also, the world and everything in it struggles to naturally attain balance. One way or another, that will happen. I’m not saying that you should sit idle and let life happen around you. The point of Wu Wei is to learn to recognize when it is appropriate to take an action in a situation, and when the only appropriate action is non-action. In that time of non-action, you can put yourself in a position where you are stronger and more pliant so that when action does become appropriate, you will be prepared and ready.
Sometimes to achieve success in a situation, there isn’t a correlation between the faster and harder you work, the faster you will see results. Sometimes things have to unfold in their own way and in their own time. Recognize the flow of life around you. Begin to recognize timing in your own world.
Namaste,
~J
I went to one of my favourite meditative books, The Kuan Yin Oracle, by Stephen Karcher, for a different perspective on time. This book contains 100 Poems of the Goddess, which are short poetic interpretations of the teachings of the Goddess Kuan Yin. To me personally, Kuan Yin sits in the role of a Bodhisattva rather than a Goddess, but either way, she has some pretty good advice:
# 22, Timely Rain
Young rice sprouts wither and fade in the drought.
Heaven be thanked for the timely rain,
Worth a thousand pieces of gold!
Young rice sprouts wither and fade in the drought.
Heaven be thanked for the timely rain,
Worth a thousand pieces of gold!
The world wants to be in balance. Everything that exists from humans to the smallest cellular organism – all strive to attain equilibrium and balance. Time is a factor in life that can affect such a balance, if we allow it to. As is demonstrated in the short poem above, everything happens naturally in the time it needs to. Everything works in a sequence…whether we are aware of the complete sequence or not is another story, but things move in specified patterns. Like a domino effect, movement through time must occur in a specific order. If we allow this movement to happen naturally, we will see that the universe does indeed offer just what we need in a very timely fashion.
I looked up the Chinese character for time, and found some interesting results. One of the words that I found was the word “qia” which was defined as “timely.” The character itself is made up of the characters for the words heart, union and harmony. So, something that is timely is something that brings an outside factor into harmonious union with the heart.
One of the key focuses of philosophical Taoism is to live your life in a way that creates balance and harmony with our world. Not only the natural part of our world, but the human, mundane, modern part as well. Stepping back and looking at your surrounding environment in all aspects, the space, the energy, the people, the interactions, the circumstances, and trying to live in a way that achieves balance.
Keeping with that notion of creating balance, timing becomes a vital force. In Tao, timing is everything. To act in a timely manner, knowing that time has to move in sequence and pattern, is essential for harmony and balance.
Deng Ming-Dao says in Everyday Tao:
In action timing is everything.
Force doesn’t matter
Weight doesn’t matter
Even being morally right doesn’t matter
All that matters is timing.
In action timing is everything.
Force doesn’t matter
Weight doesn’t matter
Even being morally right doesn’t matter
All that matters is timing.
We all know the phrase, “to be in the right place at the right time.” That is basically what this is talking about. A photographer takes an amazing award winning photo for being able to capture a precise moment in time where the lighting was perfect, view was unobstructed, and all elements were working together. A farmer will plant and harvest according to season and weather. A construction team building a bridge works in a specific sequence for optimum safety and stability. A baseball player knows exactly when they need to swing to get a home run. When things come together at precisely the right moment, that is perfect timing.
The Tao Te Ching (I use the one translated by Hua-Ching Ni) says:
32
The universal subtle essence is unnameable
And omnipresent.
Although it appears even in the plainest
And most ordinary of things,
It is inferior to nothing.
It maintains itself as a model of indivisible integrity.
If people would embrace it as their own true nature,
Everything would settle down
In right order and peace of its own accord.
Harmonious relationships can be illustrated
By the cycle of the seasons
Which produces rain and dew
At exactly the right times,
People do not need to do anything
To insure the harmony between Heaven and Earth.
32
The universal subtle essence is unnameable
And omnipresent.
Although it appears even in the plainest
And most ordinary of things,
It is inferior to nothing.
It maintains itself as a model of indivisible integrity.
If people would embrace it as their own true nature,
Everything would settle down
In right order and peace of its own accord.
Harmonious relationships can be illustrated
By the cycle of the seasons
Which produces rain and dew
At exactly the right times,
People do not need to do anything
To insure the harmony between Heaven and Earth.
The main point for me on the subject of time is that balance and harmony are achievable only if we get out of our own way. Let things in life happen in the order and time that they need to happen. Stop fighting to have our personal timeline trump that of the universe. We do it all the time. All of us. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with manifestation, prayer, spellwork, asking for something to come into our lives or for something in our life to change…the issue comes in when we are not patient enough to see the outcome through. Some things aren’t 24 hour fixes. Maybe there is something other than time that affect our wishes.
Maybe you are trying to manifest a perfect relationship. Well, maybe you already did, but your perfect person is in the process of ending an old relationship. Maybe your timeline is paused so theirs can catch up. It doesn’t mean it’s not coming, it’s just coming when it needs to. Maybe you are trying to manifest a fantastic job. It is quite possible that it’s already there, but someone else already holds the position, but they are going to be moving to England in two weeks, so as soon as they leave and the desk is empty, the job is yours. Instead of getting impatient and thinking that nothing you are doing is working, be patient and wait for a result. Maybe you didn’t get the job you thought you really wanted, but maybe that company is going to file Chapter 11 next week. Maybe your dream guy/girl isn’t as pleasant of a dream as you think. Maybe someone else won $500 at bingo because they are going to give that money to their brother, who just lost his job and needs $500 to pay his rent. My point is, when dealing with time and timing, there may very well be forces and factors on the other end that we never know about or see.
Letting go of the constraints of time and inviting the natural flow of events into your life isn’t easy by any means. Even as I’m sitting here writing this, I am growing exceedingly impatient waiting for a phone call that I know is coming at some point today. I am trying to practice what I’m preaching here, but it is hard. I am still human. And as humans, we have been conditioned by society that things have to work within a pre-described timeline with a final result of instant gratification.
In Taoism, there is a concept known as Wu Wei. This basically translates to ‘doing’ and ‘doing without doing.’ This concept goes hand in hand with timing. There are situations and circumstances that demand immediate action. However, there are also situations and circumstances where the best thing you can do is not do anything. The idea of ‘doing without doing’ is confusing to some. It is not ‘doing nothing.’ It is not ‘taking no action.’ It is making the conscious decision that right now at this precise moment in time, action is not necessary, or action will only push the situation out of balance. In making this realization, you are taking an action. You are ‘doing without doing.’ What you are doing is practicing strategy and working with timing. Remember, timing results in harmony of the heart. So, when you are deciding to take an action, ask yourself, “Would doing this really make the situation better? Would I feel better? Is this really the best way to handle this?” If you have any hesitation on any level about an action toward a situation, put the principle of Wu Wei into practice and ‘do without doing.’ Let things run their course. Go with the flow. Remember also, the world and everything in it struggles to naturally attain balance. One way or another, that will happen. I’m not saying that you should sit idle and let life happen around you. The point of Wu Wei is to learn to recognize when it is appropriate to take an action in a situation, and when the only appropriate action is non-action. In that time of non-action, you can put yourself in a position where you are stronger and more pliant so that when action does become appropriate, you will be prepared and ready.
Sometimes to achieve success in a situation, there isn’t a correlation between the faster and harder you work, the faster you will see results. Sometimes things have to unfold in their own way and in their own time. Recognize the flow of life around you. Begin to recognize timing in your own world.
Namaste,
~J
