This Week’s Quotation:
You either are going to be very active—self-active, that is—or you are going to do nothing; it’s either action or nonaction….But there is something in between which could be described mentally as rest-action… Rest-action results from a yielding to the pulsations of life, not maintaining the rigidities of the mind…Rest-action is the experience which is known when life, the pulsations of life…govern in all the earth; that is, in the whole of one’s earth, not only physically but mentally and in spiritual expression.
~ Martin Cecil
The Tao of Attunement
Attunement Teacher and Practitioner
It’s either action or nonaction. How easy it is to fall into this limiting belief! Such binary thinking—that we must choose between aggressive action or complete passivity—fails to recognize the subtle middle path known in Taoism as Wu Wei and described by Martin Cecil as “rest-action.”
The rest-action of attunement emerges when yielding to the “pulsations of life” rather than imposing mental rigidity on one’s experience.
Attunement is quieting the controlling mind enough to begin to sense these currents flowing through every dimension of our being—physical, mental, and spiritual. Like a skilled sailor who neither fights the wind nor sits motionless, we can learn to position our sails to harness the natural forces of love.
Yet, how does one begin letting go of preset concepts and goals without falling into indifference?
Attunement isn’t ‘doing nothing.’ It’s about allowing a different quality of action to emerge, one that doesn’t deplete but energizes because it aligns with rather than opposes the fundamental nature of reality.
In my experience, Attunement is anything but passive. It’s deeply engaged, but without the exhausting struggle of self-assertion. Cultivating rest-action, one may discover that life moves through us more powerfully than we could move through life on our own.
Rather than indifference, this heart experiences childlike wonder in any moment of rediscovering, refining, and elevating a collective experience of Attunement. Such meaningful service emerges not from striving but from alignment with heaven.
In this middle way lies a profound paradox: through yielding, we discover our greatest power.
What Is Attunement?
Attunement is a consciousness practice and an energy medicine practice that leads to personal spiritual regeneration.
Great wisdom in your words, Oren. As you indicate, “Attunement is anything but passive. It’s deeply engaged.” A major part of my spiritual work each day is engaging with world events and issues via the news and other media. Though there may be an impulse to react and aggressively oppose what is happening, the wise course is to simply respond to everything with the ordering power of Love at rest in the core of my Being.
Many thanks to you, Oren. yes, the middle path of rest-action, or of following the Tao, is best. Attunement IS action even though it appears nothing is happening. And as you say it is a special mode of action – not self-active but in tune with the pulsations of life. I’ll meet you there. Loving thanks to you and all who publish here – and loving thanks for all mentioned on this website including courses and meditation blogs which I strongly recommend. aloha from Oahu, Tom