Drumming Out Destiny

Choice by Choice, Consider All Pathways

It is easier to carry an empty cup.

shallow focus photograph of clear glass mason jar with fairy lights
Photo by Burak The Weekender on Pexels.com

Then one that is filled to the brim.

unrecognizable person with cup of ice coffee
Photo by Charlotte May on Pexels.com

The sharper the knife.

kitchen knife
Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

The easier it is to dull.

pomegranate and bread knife
Photo by Badulescu Badulescu on Pexels.com

The more wealth you possess.

bullion gold gold bars golden
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The harder it is to protect.

close up shot of two people wearing robber mask
Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Pride brings its own trouble.

mad formal executive man yelling at camera
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

When you have accomplished your goal.

girl in red shirt and black shorts kicking a soccer ball
Photo by RF._.studio on Pexels.com

Simply walk away.

woman wrapped in blanket walking on sandy shore
Photo by Spencer Davis on Pexels.com

This is the pathway to Heaven.

photo of a woman sleeping near fluffy clouds
Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com

Chapter 9 | Tao Te Ching by Laozi

What is fate? What is destiny?

Fate * Destiny * Choice | Music: Caddyshack — Various Artists | [1] I’m Alright – Theme from “Caddyshack”    3:47

It seems especially important to understand fate and destiny since a person’s circumstances can be greatly impacted for the good or for the bad by the roll of the dice of either one.

But do we even have a choice? Can we stack the decks of fate and destiny so we get more paradise and less hell in life? Is this even possible?

Laozi believes it is and chapter 9 shows us further how to drum out our personal destiny day by day by being conscious of the choices we make and actions we take that are determined in a large part by how much we consider. Laozi suggests considering all pathways of action, especially possible opposite actions.

A deeper dive into Chapter 9 by Laozi is provided by DAN CASAS-MURRAY in his podcast-blog: The Tao Te Ching for Everyday Living

It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to attempt to carry it when it is full. If you keep feeling a point that has been sharpened, the point cannot long preserve its sharpness.
When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them safe. When wealth and honors lead to arrogance, this brings its evil on itself. When the work is done, and one's name is becoming distinguished, to withdraw into obscurity is the way of Heaven.
Taking things too far: Lao Tzu is wonderfully clear in this verse - it’s easy to understand that a knife that’s been sharpened too much loses its edge.  Or that a vessel that is at capacity is overflowing.  
So why is it so hard for me to see that I already have enough?  Why do I need to keep getting more and more to feel accomplished in life?
I don’t know about you, but there have been times when I’ve felt that it’s never enough - and I’ve actually thought, “yeah, I like this - this means I’m driven!  Let me keep this feeling and I’ll always be achieving!”  -- To read more, see The Tao Te Ching for Everyday Living

Feature Archetypal Animation

Blending Modern Images and Music With Ancient Wisdom

Tea Cup Drink Dishes Hot Porcelain Household | Nile | Deutschland  •  Member since Nov. 21, 2014

 Kitchenknife Sharp To Cut Knife Blade | Silberfuchs | Walter Bichler  •  Austria  •  Member since July 26, 2011

Tax Consultant Files Pile Of Files Country Office | Alexas_Fotos | Alexa  •  Steh über den Dingen/und finde DEINEN Weg  •  Member since Jan. 6, 2015

 Self Love Man Mirrors Archetypes Awareness | geralt | Gerd Altmann  •  Freiburg/Deutschland  •  Member since Sept. 15, 2012  •  #37

Creation Adam God Man Bible Human Painting Eden | kadumago | Kadumago artista conceitual Kadumago  •  Rio de Janeiro/Brasil  •  Member since Aug. 21, 2018

Footprint Beach Sand Summer | StockSnap | English  •  Member since March 30, 2015

Eye Creative Galaxy Collage Flowers Paint | DanielHannah | Daniel Hannah  •  Age 30  •  Melbourne/Australia  •  Member since Feb. 16, 2018


Drums of Destiny: Moving Energy by Alis Aquilae | Drums of Destiny: Moving Energy    7:08

First Archetypal Animation

Painting: Fate, by Alphonse Mucha from Wiki Destiny

Statue Facial Fate Broken Gemini | szjeno09190 | Jenő Szabó  •  Age 66  •  Pécs/Magyarország  •  Member since Jan. 14, 2015

Fantasy Composing Gruesome Reaper Tombstone Scary | LMoonlight | It is not permitted to sell my photos with StockAgencies  •  MoonlightsArt.de/Germany  •  Member since April 27, 2014

Image: Les Misérables — 2012

Image: Polarization Opposition Conflict Judgment Duality | johnhain | John Hain  •  Age 73  •  Carmel/United States  •  Member since July 24, 2014

Image: Question Unknown Unfamiliar Forgotten | johnhain | John Hain  •  Age 73  •  Carmel/United States  •  Member since July 24, 2014

Music: Caddyshack — Various Artists | [1] I’m Alright – Theme from “Caddyshack”    3:47

Good, Like Water

And Water Like Gold

Tao Te Ching — Chapter 8 |

Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Man… and Woman 😉

Ancient Wisdom | Sapience

The supreme good is like water,
which benefits all of creation
without trying to compete with it.
It gathers in unpopular places.
Thus it is like the Tao.

The location makes the dwelling good.
Depth of understanding makes the mind good.
A kind heart makes the giving good.
Integrity makes the government good.
Accomplishments make your labors good.
Proper timing makes a decision good.

Only when there is no competition
will we all live in peace.

Sapience Sense | Where Does It Come From

In this chapter of the Tao Te Ching (Chapter 8), Laozi talks about how supreme good is like water.

So, just what is supreme good? Isn’t is our ability as human beings to know that we knowto know that we feel something… to know that we can do good in the world or we can do bad?

This is consciousness, right?

So how do we choose Good over Bad?

Is it entirely an individual choice: Good vs Bad?

Or, is there a collective responsibility hidden in this choice? A collective basin, deep reservoir upon which we all must draw from and upon which we all depend for our sentient sense… for our sentient life.

Song | Sapience | Synchronicity

The song I found for the feature archetypal animation is sublime! There is something very synchronistic going on with this song and this chapter in the Tao Te Ching. But, I can’t quite pin it down.

Can you?

Verse 1 and 2 seem to get close to what/why I feel a synchronistic blending going on… a mixing of ancient wisdom with modern day experiences and feelings (I’ve copied the lyrics to this song below).

How often does competition and trouble arise in our lives from not being understood or being left behind by the group. How often do we simply need others to see who we are for what we are… all of what we are (the good parts & bad parts)?

When we don’t feel seen, heard, or understood… isn’t there a part deep inside of us that wants to fight to be seen, heard, and understood? We need it like water, like air. We need the attention of others, the sense of belonging, the feeling of unconditional love to live… it feeds us deep down inside the part of ourselves that is sentient… the invisible part inside of everyone that feels, perceives… that knows that it’s alive!

"And they had gold like water"
"They wanted to fight"

Maybe the gold like water is consciousness… the sublime boundaries of personal and collective consciousness.

Gold like water = consciousness, knowledge, knowing, kinship, culture, protection, safety…

You tell me what you think is the resonance here?

Images for Feature Archetypal Animation

Marguerite Leucanthemum Composites Asteraceae | geralt | Gerd Altmann  •  Freiburg/Deutschland  •  Member since Sept. 15, 2012  •  #35

Flower Blossoms White Rough Meadow Marguerite | Hans | Hans  •  Deutschland  •  Member since Nov. 24, 2010

Hd Wallpaper Nature Wallpaper Drop Splash Water | qimono | Arek Socha  •  Stockholm/Sweden  •  Member since Jan. 27, 2016

 Earth Moon Flower Daisy Blue Water Droplet | DigiPD | Digital Photo and Design DigiPD.com  •  United States  •  Member since Sept. 27, 2013

Light Bulb Sea Turtle Digital Art Ocean Beach | DigiPD | Digital Photo and Design DigiPD.com  •  United States  •  Member since Sept. 27, 2013

Ocean Girl Walking Atlantic Mediterranean Cliff | DigiPD | Digital Photo and Design DigiPD.com  •  United States  •  Member since Sept. 27, 2013

 Loveourplanet Earth Peaceful Journey Travel | Jordan_Singh | Ajay kumar Singh  •  Age 35  •  Mumbai/India  •  Member since Jan. 23, 2017

Music: Gold Like Water | Constant Smiles | [1] Gold Like Water – Radio Edit    2:52

Gold Like Water — Radio Edit

[Verse 1]
Your voice always calms me down
I can’t explain it somehow
I need you to see who I am
And now that I’m here with you
I can accept what I’ve been through
To watch over the voices

[Chorus]
Oh-oh, Mary
And they had gold like water
They wanted to fight
And they had gold like water
They wanted to fight

[Verse 2]
And everyone you meet is someone you couldn’t leave behind
And now they’re getting close to the people that you know
And you’re still scared that they won’t believe you as much as you do

[Chorus]
Oh-oh, Mary
And thеy had gold like water
They wantеd to fight
And they had gold like water
They wanted to fight

[Breakdown]
They’re waiting for you
They’re waiting for you

[Chorus]
And they had gold like water
They wanted to fight
And they had gold like water
They wanted to fight

[Outro]
Oh-oh, Mary

Lyrics from Genius

Go out and hug someone today! Tell them you love them! And get outside in the warm embrace of our collective loving Mother Earth!

Resting In the Good Hands of Mother — A Love Story | Earth Alive Series

Spirit of Emptiness | Chapter 6 — Tao Te Ching

The spirit of emptiness is immortal.
It is called the Great Mother
because it gives birth to Heaven and Earth.

It is like a vapor,
barely seen but always present.
Use it effortlessly.

Text From:

Microsoft Word – Tao Te Ching – trans. by J.H.. McDonald

Ancient Wisdom | Modern Images & Music

Feature Archetypal Animation Images

Stained Glass Spiral Circle Pattern Glass Religion | msandersmusic | Marybeth  •  Age 35  •  Arlington, VA/United States  •  Member since Jan. 29, 2016

Thành Phố City Sun Nature Beautiful Fantasy Alone | DesignND | ĐÔ NGUYỄN  •  Age 24  •  HÀ NỘI/VIỆT NAM  •  Member since Feb. 25, 2020

Woman Nature Environment Young Female Face | 0fjd125gk87 | Deutschland  •  Member since Sept. 3, 2013

Sunset Sunrise Continents Abstract Graphic | geralt | Gerd Altmann  •  Freiburg/Deutschland  •  Member since Sept. 15, 2012  •  #15

Yellowstone National Park Geyser Usa Nature Hot | cocoparisienne | Anja-#pray for ukraine# #helping hands# stop the war  •  Deutsch  •  Member since Jan. 10, 2014

Other Things to Wonder & Ponder

Throughline’s award winning episode on Afghanistan is well worth listening to and perfectly aligns with the sentiments of Chapter 6 of the Tao Te Ching.

Afghanistan: The Center of the World (2021)

Afghanistan: The Center of the World (2021)

Description: This episode was published days before the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and just weeks after U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan. It is the first part in Afghanistan: The Center of the World, our Peabody Award-winning series about Afghanistan, focused on the country and its people.

Afghanistan has, for centuries, been at the center of the world. Long before the U.S. invasion — before the U.S. was even a nation — countless civilizations intersected there, weaving together a colorful tapestry of foods, languages, ethnicities and visions of what Afghanistan was and could be. The story of Afghanistan is too often told from the perspective of outsiders who tried to invade it (and always failed) earning it the nickname “Graveyard of Empires.” In this episode, we’re shifting the perspective. We’ll journey through the centuries alongside Afghan mystical poets. We’ll turn the radio dial to hear songs of love and liberation. We’ll meet the queen who built the first primary school for girls in the country. And we’ll take a closer look at Afghanistan’s centuries-long experiment to create a unified nation.

Afghanistan: The Rise of the Taliban (2021)

Description: This episode was published days before the 20th anniversary of 9/11, and just weeks after U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan. It is the first part in Afghanistan: The Center of the World, our 2022 Peabody Award-winning series about Afghanistan, focused on the country and its people.

How did a small group of Islamic students go from local vigilantes to one of the most infamous and enigmatic forces in the world? The Taliban is a name that has haunted the American imagination since 2001. The scenes of the group’s brutality repeatedly played in the Western media, while true, perhaps obscure our ability to see the complex origins of the Taliban and how they impact the lives of Afghans. It’s a shadow that reaches across the vast ancient Afghan homeland, the reputation of the modern state, and throughout global politics. At the end of the US war in Afghanistan we go back to the end of the Soviet Occupation and the start of the Afghan civil war to look at the rise of the Taliban.


Images for Afghanistan Animation

As Trump doubles down on Afghanistan, Russians shake their heads — The US president’s decision to extend the war, reversing his campaign pledges to withdraw from it, stand in sharp contrast to the lessons that Mikhail Gorbachev and the USSR took from the conflict almost 30 years ago.

Music: A Gift of Love – Music Inspired by the Love Poems of Rumi | Deepak Chopra [1] Valetine To Rumi    0:57 [2] My Burning Heart    1:00

Treat all life and everyone with dignity, kindness, and respect. It is the only way we move forward.

Heaven & Earth Are Impartial… Chapter 5: Tao Te Ching

Heaven and Earth are impartial;
they treat all of creation as straw dogs.
The Master doesn’t take sides;
she treats everyone like a straw dog.


The space between Heaven and Earth is like a bellows;
it is empty, yet has not lost its power.
The more it is used, the more it produces;
the more you talk of it, the less you comprehend.

It is better not to speak of things you do not understand.


Text From:

Microsoft Word – Tao Te Ching – trans. by J.H.. McDonald

Ancient Wisdom | Modern Images & Music


Feature Animation Images From:

First Archetypal Image:

Dog Husky Mascot Mammal Animal Straw Field | MilanoNegro | María  •  Soria/España  •  Member since March 30, 2016

Second Archetypal Image:

Sun Phuquoc Island Vietnam Beach Mangrove Plant | Quangpraha | Quang Nguyen vinh  •  Age 61  •  HCM city/Vietnam  •  Member since Nov. 28, 2017

Third Archetypal Image:

Salt Harvesting Vietnam Water Salt Work People | Quangpraha | Quang Nguyen vinh  •  Age 61  •  HCM city/Vietnam  •  Member since Nov. 28, 2017

Fourth Archetypal Image:

 Fishing Fisherman Sunset Sea Ocean Silhouette | Quangpraha | Quang Nguyen vinh  •  Age 61  •  HCM city/Vietnam  •  Member since Nov. 28, 2017

Fifth Archetypal Image:

Background Beach Pretty Blue Cloud Coast Color | Quangpraha | Quang Nguyen vinh  •  Age 61  •  HCM city/Vietnam  •  Member since Nov. 28, 2017

Sixth Archetypal Image:

 Sheep Bleat Communication Communicate To Speak | suju-foto | Susanne Jutzeler, Schweiz,  •  Deutsch  •  Member since Feb. 19, 2014  •  #586

Seventh Archetypal Image:

Man Smoking Smoke Cigarette Face Person Tobacco | Sammy-Sander | Sam Williams  •  Italy  •  Member since Nov. 8, 2018

Eight Archetypal Image:

Squirrel Rodent Newspaper Reading Photomontage | Sammy-Sander | Sam Williams  •  Italy  •  Member since Nov. 8, 2018

Music From:

Music: Earth Shine: Music from the Heavens for Sleep and Rest | Cosmic Space Traveler
[19] Orbital Sunrise    2:13