I walked the way of Fire,
And I burned, and was consumed.

I walked the way of Water,
And I drowned.

I walked the way of Air,
And I starved.

I walked the way of Earth,
And I was entombed.

I walked the way of the Void,
And I suffocated, and burst apart, boiling in my own blood.

And I walked The Way of the Tao,
And I ate when I was hungry,
And I drank when I was thirsty,
And I slept when I was tired.

And the Earth was firm and strong beneath my feet,
And yielded forth her bounty -
And I took only a little, for that was all that I had need of.

And the Water was clear and clean and plentiful,
And watered the Earth, bringing forth cress and mallow,
Willow and reed, and good bog cranberry,
And I was cleansed, and refreshed,
But I did not stay to wallow, but left when I had completed my ablutions,
And drunk my fill.

And the Fire burned in the sky, by day,
In the light and warmth of the Sun,
And I saw beauty, and green verdant growth reaching for the light that fed it.
And before night fell, I found a lightning-kindled blaze,
Still smoldering in a fallen log,
Amid untouched surroundings,
And by its warmth and companionship I made my sup, and ate my fill, and slept,
For I was tired.

And the Air was soft, and gentle,
And no harsh winds disturbed my sleep,
But in the morning, I was awakened by the zephyr's breath of Dawn.
I yawned, inhaling deeply, and I smelled the good scents of the moist earth,
The living tapestry of growth surrounding me,
The remnants of the prior evening's fire,
And my breakfast - so I followed my nose to a tree heavy with fruit so ripe it would be spoiled tomorrow.
But this was not tomorrow, and so I ate my fill,
Surrounded by the birds and beasts lured, likewise, by the siren song of perfect ripeness.

And I sat by a stream, in the sunshine,
And I drew deep breaths of the morning air,
Breathing in the stillness, and the riotous joy of nature's Now around me,
And I closed my eyes, and looked within.
And within I found that both the joy and the stillness had permeated me,
And I saw within myself the one thing large enough to encompass
Everything -
The Earth,
The Air,
The Fire,
The Water,
The Way, and the walker -
The Void.

I saw it, in the space between the stars, when I looked within myself.
And I saw it, in the space between the energetic quanta, when I looked outward.
And I heard it, in the silence that underlay the joyous Song of Morning all around me.
And I heard it, in the song, in the space between the notes.
And I felt it, in the gap between thought and action,
Reach and touch,
Self and other,
But far from dividing,
It united.
Its continuity wove Everything together,
Into Wholeness.
The Tao.

And I opened my eyes, and I picked up the branch that lay beneath my hand,
And, realizing it was there because I now had need of a staff,
I walked on,
Continuing on my
Way.

Smiling.

And as I walked, I sang.
I sang of silence,
Representing it through sound.
I sang of Void
And the fullness that it brings, to realize that Void within the self.
I sang of an understanding that transcended both words and understanding,
Knowing that my words could not convey it, I put words to it, and sang.
I sang of the Tao,
The emptiness that Everything is full of,
And the emptiness that is full of Everything.
And when I was tired, I rested, and listened to the song the silence sang,
For that, too, was part of my
Way.

Thursday, May 03, 2001