The Deep Ecological Wisdom of The Tao Te Ching
A Way Forward Calling To Us From Our Ancient Past.
with Ron Moor
January 29-31, 2021
$90
Five hundred years before Christ, the legendary Chinese sage Lao Tzu composed a poetic and profound text known as the Tao Te Ching. It’s eighty-one short wisdom verses come down to us with an uncommon elegance of deep feminine philosophy on such perennial matters as power, happiness, and the source of meaning. Written down at a time of great chaos in ancient China, it is gaining wider recognition in our own time of challenge.
We will begin with the origins of The Tao as it was initially expressed in its sister book, The I Ching, that dates back to around 3,000 BCE. Of the same linage, both cannons, or “Ching” in Chinese, spring from the mystery beyond the mystery. After learning the mythic story of how the text of The Tao came to be, we will then explore several of the core verses, reading, discussing, and contemplating. We will bring each verse we encounter into a time of silent meditation so that the meaning of the text resonates more fully.
Inherent themes we will explore include the present moment, the play of opposites, accepting what is, recovering our true nature, effortless effort, flexibility, letting go and the next step. In greater alignment with this ultimate source, our lives are carried by and become actualizers of the ever flowing current of life.
If you have a translation of The Tao, or two, bring it. Handouts of all discussed verses will be provided.
“It is the profound modesty of the language that offers what so many people for so many centuries have found in this book: a pure apprehension of the mystery of which we are part.” – Maria Popova
“It is the most lovable of all the great religious texts, funny, keen, kind, modest, indestructibly outrageous, and inexhaustibly refreshing. Of all the deep springs, this is the purest water. To me, it is also the deepest spring.“ – Ursula K. Le Guin
Join us as we drink from this very deep spring.
There was something formless and perfect
Before the universe was born.
It is serene. Empty.
Solitary. Unchanging.
Infinite. Eternally present.
It is the Mother of the universe.
For lack of a better name,
I call it the Tao.
Tao Te Ching, Verse 25
Ron Moor has been a non-denominational minister, spiritual teacher and hands-on energy healer for almost 40 years. He is the founder and director of The Sheltering Oak, a center for healing and spiritual growth. He has taught classes and worked with hundreds of individuals across the country and been a frequent guest lecturer at The Center For Spirituality and Healing at The University of Minnesota. He has co-parented two sons and served for eight years as lead minister for the Spirit United Community in St. Paul. He relocated to Milwaukee in 2018 to be a part of The Thiensville Health Alliance, a community of physicians and complementary health practitioners. He is a presenter at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center and group facilitator for Meditate Milwaukee. He hosts a weekly meditation based on The Tao Te Ching.
