I'm not a big fan of David Bowie, but there was a scene that impressed me in the 1976 film The Man Who Fell To Earth. A medical test involving X-rays causes the contact lenses he wears as part of his human disguise to permanently affix themselves to his eyes - he will never see/apprehend things as before.
- For me, this is what a great majority of humanity has become today.
Symbols can help find a way out, they are NOT made by humans. A symbol is there to "point" at something that is beyond words (i.e. there is no proper words for a Divine attribute outside Manifestation). All books of the world would never be enough to exhaust every aspect of a symbol.
I use traditional calligraphy that I find more eloquent (as I do with musical elements), this one was the original chosen by René Guénon in chapter XVII of his book La Grande Triade (there might be a translation somewhere).
It involves three elements, as the Principle is never represented.
From top to bottom: Heaven, Man, Earth.
For the Tao, these 3 terms mean much more than their shriveled meanings of today.
"The Way is great, the Heaven is great, the Earth is great, the King is great.
In the middle, thus, there are four great things, but the King alone is visible"
Tao-te-king - chap XXV
Seen from the West, Wang can be considered as the three powers governing the manifested Universe:
- Providence, Will, Destiny,
"Man is neither an animal nor a pure intelligence; it is a common being, placed between the matter and the spirit, between Heaven and Earth, to be its (willing) link "- Fabre d'Olivet - while Hindus may see the three gunas: sattva, rajas, tamas .
But let me put it straight: I am not "initiated" in anything. For me, it's a model, a way of life. Orient one´s intention to Heaven and pull up what is behind/under/with you.
Which is why I write Own your Self, assuming one's vocation.
It implies all that I do in life, which can be summarized by:
whatever the situation, always ensure the survival of
- yourself, your family, friends, neighbors,
- the place where you live,
- the people you work with,
- customers,
- nature
- the world,
- the universe:
- OURS
This is true sustainability.