The Great Way and the Tao

[JustLikeYou]

Is not the nature of the spirit the embodiment of all that is, even the vessel and the mind that empowers it?

In macrocosm, yes. But a whirlpool has markedly different dynamics and causes from a hurricane. Reducing body and mind to spirit will lead to a reduction of the archetypal mind to a mere 8 archetypes--or perhaps just one.

The evolution of the mind is a moving toward self-mastery or self-possession. Daenerys Targaryen (for those familiar with Game of Thrones) is a good example of this archetype. While it is true that self-mastery rarely comes in the absence of significant spiritual evolution, the energy of it is quite different from the Tao that is and is not, the pure perfect beingness that moves and yet stays still.

Similarly, the evolution of the body is a moving toward perfect efficiency in all acts of manifestation. The balanced body pushes and pulls in exactly the right proportions. Its touch is light but effective. Everything the balanced body touches turns to gold because it has learned to become a carrier for the influences of mind and spirit rather than a clunky machine that is always leaking energy. As with the mind, approaching this bodily horizon is a necessary part of living in the Tao, but the essence of the Tao is not bodily. It is spiritual.

For these reasons, I hesitate to associate a clearly spiritual concept with mind and body. As Ra says, there are many relationships and interactions between these three complexes, but each has its own distinct domain. A student of the archetypal mind must appreciate these distinctions or else risk muddying the boundaries between archetypes. If you want to listen to Bach, listen to Bach. But you cannot appreciate Bach if you also have Nine Inch Nails playing at the same time.