This is part 2 of a series on Discipline. To read the other parts, please visit our Discipline Page. We have also have a series on Awareness and one on Stillness, so please check those out as well if you are interested.
This series on discipline is the third series in our Tao Te Ching Exploration Project. Throughout this project, we will be discussing some of the basic principles brought up throughout the Tao Te Ching. The principles we will cover are Awareness, Stillness, Discipline, Humility, Flexibility, Consistency, Connection, Service and Leadership. I am sure that there are many other principles that have been discussed throughout the text, but these are the nine topics that I am choosing to focus on over the next several months.
I relate to each principle by focusing our attention on each of the nine chakras, based on the Q’ero Shamans’ chakra system that is explained in depth in Dr. Alberto Villoldo’s book, Shaman, Healer, Sage
I hope that you are enjoying the series and will continue to explore with us throughout the rest of the project.
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The Second Chakra: Creativity, Sex and Money
How does discipline relate to our creativity?
It’s an interesting question! Practice makes perfect, right? Discipline is like an art form. Playing the piano well is a discipline. You have to study it, you have to spend a fair amount of energy on it consistently to be a good pianist. Any art form gets better with time and practice.
You really have to spend time with your creativity in order for it to grow.
You can’t just throw a painting together and think that you are going to be a good painter. It’s fun… the second chakra has that element of spontaneity, that flamboyant quick flash in the pan feel to it. But with relationship to discipline, how do we take all of that passion and creativity and channel it into something? How do we channel our passion into art and make it amazing?
What about sex?
We need to practice it to be good at it, right? lol… What makes it excellent? How can I do it better over time and let it develop? How can I make my sexual experiences have a higher quality? I am not sure if people would say that they need a lot of discipline to practice sex, thank goodness, but we can improve it through awareness and working on making it better. Reading books about techniques and practices are good. (No, not just Fifty Shades…there are many excellent books out there besides that one!) Are you trying to learn new things in the bedroom?
Finances are part of the second chakra as well.
How do we do this? How do we incorporate a sense of discipline without feeling limited and constrained, but instead having it mean a deeper appreciation of that quality? With finances, we might practice different ways of being with money. We might look at what is working in our lives financially and see if we can learn something from it. If your financial life is a mess, perhaps we can study someone who understands money and begin to develop that quality and discipline around it. Where are you not disciplined with money?
What do you think of all of this? Let us know in the comments and tell us what your ideas are. What do you think of when you put discipline together with these concepts? We would love to hear your opinions!
great post Amy, discipline is something we have to have in our lives. It does not stunt our freedom but enhances it, if used correctly.
Athena Brady recently posted..Giving Something Back Post 5
Agreed, Athena! So glad we finally connected on FB! lol…
Discipline can be so freeing but people often feel it is restrictive. Thanks for the post. Money is something I’ve been very careful to let it never have a grasp on me and I believe I’ve passed that on to my daughters. Thank you for the post.
Sheila Skillingstead recently posted..Learning versus doing
I am curious of what that means to you. How does money get a grasp? Do you mean that you are teaching them not to be too focused on making lots of money or something else?
Excellent, Amy. It is interesting how sex and money are combined.
I’m learning discipline in the financial arena.
Arwen Lynch, Professional Joy Seeker recently posted..Tarotscopes 2/17-2/23/2013
Yes, I found that interesting as well. They seem so different, but yet we have an obsession with both at times. I totally neglected to discuss addictions this time. Hmmm… Addictions and discipline? Any interesting combination there as well!
Your post has got me thinking. I was challenged a bit recently by a group of close friends that I was too unfocused (kind of like being undisciplined). Mostly, they were talking about my personal life and I’ve been really wrestling with whether it’s important or not. Why can’t I take a photography class and then go sewing and then take a cooking class and then go paint, etc.? I’m looking to have fun and variety and it brings me joy. I feel like I can be disciplined in the areas that it’s important and a little more flexible and spontaneous in the other areas and this is just fine
Michele Bergh recently posted..Web Design Trends for 2013
I think diversity is fine. It just depends on what you want. You and I are similar in that way – we always have a LOT going on and this can be both good and bad. On the good side, we have many skills and are able to do many things. On the bad side, the attention to many things diffuses your energy to each thing and so we perhaps don’t do those things as well as someone who is very focused on just one thing. We are also more busy and stressed from this behavior. I am always learning from my friends, Michele. It seems that we can learn from each other on this one.