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Back to the lesson "The Earthy Land of I'"

"The following is an excerpt (chapter 3, pp. 68-70) of the book
The Joy of Feeling: Bodymind Acupressure by Iona Marsaa Teeguarden

In the land of P'o, the Self deals with issues of what can be called "mine". This is the realm of desires - the primal forces of attraction and repulsion. The focus here is on the instinctive attempt to keep what feels good for us, and to get rid of what does not feel good. P'o is the aspect of the psyche which is involved with the intake of life-giving energies or elements, and with the discharge of toxic or life-limiting ones. The respiratory system is the embodiment of this process; life depends on its rhythmic taking in of oxygen and expelling of carbon dioxide. The functions of the large intestine also illustrate the importance of this cyclic process; without its elimination of useless materials, the body would be a toxie wastepile. P'o influences our general life energy at a fundamental level.

The nature of P'o is dark and turbid, say the classics. As we enter the land of P'o, we are moving down into the unconscious, which looks like darkness and murkiness to the rational mind.In the Secret of the Golden Flower, Wilhelm and Jung described P'o as the "anima soul", which leads us down into the depths of the psyche.) P'o has to do with all sensuous desires and impulses. lt is the realm of instinct, which can - and does - operate without conscious recognition. P'o is an unsophisticated land, a land of raw energy. This energy is necessary for all the changes of consciousness, yet its primal power can feel threatening to the conscious mind. Many retreat from the power of P'o, taking on stoical attitudes of emotional restraint, which may look like non-attachment. True non-attachment begins with accepting our desires. In other words, it begins with traveling through - not skirting around - the aspect of the psyche called P'o.

In this psychic realm, the Self is refined through contact with the material plane, or with worldly desires. The image is METAL, bringing to mind the world of things. One general kind of desire is to possess things. Some of the focus on possessing things is survival-oriented; we need to have the means to secure food, drink, shelter and support in order to live. The basic need to possess is exaggerated, however, because the civilizing process has expanded the realm of desires beyond self-felt needs, to include a long list of wants culled from the past and present fancies of humankind. The conglomerate of individual need packages called "society" also tends to equate worthiness with how much we are worth. A more practical equation to remember is that between possession and control.

Chuang Tzu says of the person ruled by the desire for possessions:

"When he tries to extend his power over objects, those objects gain control of hirn. He who is controlled by objects loses control of his inner seJf: if he no longer values himself, how can he value others? If he no longer va lues others, he is abandoned. He has nothing left !"

Yet, as long as we are not blinded by our desires, they generate energy and lead us on to explore life. The problem is not the desires, but being caught in their snare. Then, thinking that we have been deprived of something we need to possess, we feel oppressed or sorry for ourselves. The backside of feeling deprived is envying others who seem to have what we are denied. A Taoist antidote is to take nature as a guide and live simply. Effortless living is a correlation of being in touch with the real desires of the natural self. The basic recommendation is to travel light, rather than being burdened by a thousand cares about a hundred possessions. Inordinate desires disturb our peace and limit our openness to experience. Excess is the enemy of simplicity - and of stillness. John Blofeld summarizes this basic Taoist advice:

"Take things as they come. Be a stranger to care, to anxiety about what you think is going to happen and, above all, to regret for anything that has already happened. Grief and disappointment come from outside yourself. Lock your door on them. Be rid of them. Having done this, you will find that stillness comes easily and of itself. No effort is needed to fix a mind that has turned away from all sources of disturbance. Do not think your life will be empty then. Quite on the contrary, you will find that the greatest joy of all is just to be!"

Are the Taoists saying that we should suppress emotional responses like grief and disappointment? That would be violence to our inner nature, and the Taoist Way avoids forcing anything, including our emotional self. Besides, joy cannot be forced. Joy is found in stillness, in turning away from the longings that come from the outside - from introjected desires. Occasional disappointment is natural, and grief is a necessary response to deep loss, but excessive attachments open the door to unnecessary grief and agony. Therefore, the Taoists recommend moderation in all things - including moderation!

"Their method is never to repress passion but quietly to transcend it. ... Remembrance of the agonies of longings unfulfilled coupled with reflection on the tawdry nature of their objects and on the transience of such satisfactions as they sometimes bring is a most effective remedy, causing longings to melt away as soon as they arise … As cultivation of the Way proceeds, passions and longings diminish of themselves without the least need for repression … happiness comes to depend less and less upon external objects, more and more upon the joy that comes from within."

When we are in a harmonious state, our emotions flow like the changing seasons, and there is a joyful ease of being. A harmonious state is one which accepts our natural emotional responsiveness, while transcending or discharging emotional grievances and longings based on introjected desires. When distressing feelings come tagging along after negative thoughts, or after bouts of inner chatter, there's a good chance that old introjected messages are stirring up our desires. Staying with an emotion until an image arises from it is one way of tuning into our real inner needs and so finding peace.

The natural rhythm is letting things come and letting things go, breathing in the oxygen of life and discharging the toxic aspects of the psychic air. The turbulent winds of change blow some things away from us, and they blow other things our way. The feeling is one of insecurity, which can be anxiety-producing. That which we lose may have seemed indispensable, and that which comes our way may seem second-best. But if we look more closely, often we find what we need unexpectedly there, amid the junk or hassles. Knowing this can decrease our anxiety. The I Ching says

bq. "We cannot lose what really belongs to us, even if we throw it away. Therefore, we need have no anxiety. All that need concern us is that we should remain true to our own natures and not listen to others."

(from the book Iona Marsaa Teeguarden : "The Joy Of Feeling -Bodymind Acupressure"

Forward to the lesson "The Watery Land of Chih"