Tag: Lao Tzu

Two Chopsticks Cross a River… a conversation with Lao Tzu on Balance

by Jennifer, posted in Ascended Masters, Channeling, Lao Tzu
Wooden bridge crossing river with villagers walking in a green mountainous village
Villagers cross a wooden bridge over a river in a lush mountain village

Jennifer Channeling Lao Tzu, June 19th, 2026

Jennifer: 

So, okay, I’m really intrigued with the application of Balance in everyday life, and I think I understand it, and I love it, and I use it, and sometimes stuff gets out of balance, but then I get back into balance.

So, what about a situation where you have a tendency to just plain carry too much, try to balance too much, try to juggle too much… Am I jumping ahead and trying to be multidimensional when in fact I’m just struggling and fearful of dropping?  I’ve got all these eggs in there (let’s try another metaphor) and I’m afraid of dropping any of them! It’s really hard to even set them down. They all seem really important to me. I’m trying to keep them all in balance, but it’s honestly too much. It would be really good if I just went back to one, sometime, and I don’t know how to, how to do that. So there’s where I’m seeking some guidance from Master Lao Tzu, if you would like to channel with me? 

…I’m getting an image of two chopsticks crossing a river… [thanks to AI for the digital image].

Portrait of an elderly man with a long white beard, wearing traditional robes, smiling gently against a light background.
Master Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu: Greetings, this is Lao Tzu. I am pleased to be invited into your presence on this day. This is not completely unfamiliar to you, Jennifer, although you think it is. It is just that you have been for many years glued to your impression that the Masters of the West were the ones you were closest to. In the story of your many lives, there has been a balance between East and West, between North and South, between this world and other worlds.

You are well acquainted with the concept of balance. It always intrigued you as a child. You were interested in ballet which is greatly dependent on balance, and other forms of activity. This is the human challenge when in the body and you are, while a multi-dimensional being, definitely committed to your physical experience and expression at this time, for many reasons. 

One of those is to to master balance in the physical, and part of that is what you are forgetting: emotional balance, mental balance, physical balance, of course, which is the literal level, and spiritual balance. You are, you are attempting to bring into your daily life an ascended perspective, which you are not practiced in, and you are also trying to control it. 

So, what is happening is… you, ultimately, are balancing a multitude of things in any instant, and a part of you knows this, and you are seeking to align with that part of you, but the human part is going, “Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, that’s not going to work,” and you do not wish to embarrass yourself by falling flat on your face. Or -and this is another one of your terrors-  letting anyone else down. 

What you are sensing is the natural flow of things at a higher speed, and you are applying this seeing into a space where there is still a great deal of resistance, because all of the practical wisdom you’ve received in your life [says] that you have a tendency to do “too much”, you have a tendency to try to accomplish more than is comfortable, you have some beliefs around this, you have some experience around this, and certainly some wisdom. And so it continues to surface for you, to recur and to confront you. 

What are you going to believe now, if you are interested in a path of ease, a path of balance? Because, being in a state of balance is most comfortable, truly. Then you will want to feel into each choice, into each day, and to also feel into the love that you have for yourself, which you would extend to another who lost their balance temporarily or many times in a day. 

Would you be loving and understanding, or would you be critical and harsh? Think how you would practice this on yourself, would you be loving and understanding, or would you be harsh and critical? Which is the higher vibration? This is always your choice. You will realize there are times when you are playing in a lower vibration again. Would this be an opportunity to beat yourself?  You see, it is clear.

This is just “what is,” this is just the momentary experience. This is just the contrast, because you do live in a physical world, and there is much contrast present to guide you, to show you the way forward. 

You can always – and you have already begun to do this – you can always ask for greater ease, ask for greater comfort, ask for greater calm, whenever you notice that you’re in some discomfort, or you’re in some “choppy waters”, as you like to say,. 

So this is Balance: to see yourself as a living being making choice, moment by moment, for the most graceful path forward.

And you are capable of this. You are each of you capable of this. You, Jennifer, are just apt to run along ahead and try to do it before anyone else, or to fuss about it if you deem yourself incapable yet. 

Be kind to yourself, see yourself as that little child who wants the validation or… who wants the experience of being able to test your abilities and succeed. Realize that this can be done privately to great effect, though, of course, your brothers and sisters will often give you feedback, and that is especially true for your biological brothers and sisters! [LOL] Yes, they will often give you feedback for when you are out of balance. This is most useful. 

All of this learning is most helpful. So proceed, proceed, be kind to yourself, be gentle, ask for the gentleness, ask for the reminder of how to balance in your kindness, how to carry kindness. Replace all of those sticks of sugar cane [the burden on the little burro] with gentle elements, lightweight elements. And when you notice things are a little harsh or a little difficult – you will notice – then shed a few of those, save them for later. 

We’ve been most pleased to have these moments with you, and most grateful for your willingness to continue to grow. We will be watching and encouraging from our space of greater grace. With much love, I say farewell. 

Smiling older woman with glasses and light gray hair, wearing a blue sweater and scarf, outdoors with greenery in the background.

Jennifer:  Thank you, Uncle Lao Lao (grin).  

Channeled by Jennifer Joy Donaldson, June 18, 2026, in Maine, USA.

Lao Tzu on Balance: As Above-So Below, As Within-So Without

by Rob Loveland, posted in Channeling, spiritual guidance, spiritual info

[This is the first of a series of six messages related to the Infinity Keys, the pairing of the Keys to Self with the Keys to Heaven, which will be the subject of a series of workshops to begin 29 Aug 2026.  Stay tuned for upcoming announcements. — Rob]

Lao Tzu

Rob: Well, if we’re going to talk about balance, then Lao Tzu would be the right choice. So we’ll go meet him in our Zen garden, with a stone bench sitting by a pond and green grass and cherry blossoms.

Okay, Lao Tzu, thank you for receiving me today and starting this series of going through each of the Infinity Keys. So let’s start with balance. Any words of wisdom to share?

[Laughs] Sorry, he’s teasing me. He said, “Greetings, Grasshopper!”

Lao Tzu: Yes, hello Rob. Hello, all. It’s always good to start these sessions with a laugh. It keeps the vibration high [and] allows the connection to flow more smoothly, does it not?

So this idea of yours, having differentiated the Keys to Self from the Keys to Heaven, that balance comprises two parts: As Above-So Below and As Within-So Without, it is an interesting idea, an idea that has merit. But I think you probably would agree that As Above-So Below and As Within-So Without, they are the same. Same, same.

For what is within you IS the above, IS the below, IS the without. It all starts within you. This is where you find that Heaven on Earth that you are seeking.

So you witness the chaos around you — what you call chaos — and you understand that it is only chaotic when you interpret it that way. Everything happens for a reason. The universe is not in the business of creating chaos. Events are what they are. They transpire as they need to be. Whether it is chaotic or not is your interpretation of those events based on an imbalance within yourself, within your own belief system.

So if it feels chaotic to you, then, as was expressed several weeks ago, that emotion of feeling chaos is an indicator to you that there is an imbalance within you. There is a conflict. There is something happening in the world that is contrary to your belief about what should be there, what you expected to be there. This is the within and without. What you see without does not match what is within you, the deepest part of you, the part that knows the divinity within you.

And as soon as you restore that back to its state of balance, that you understand why it is the way it is, then you will find the As Above-So Below. And the As Above follows, in reality, the So Below. The below happens first, which means you reconcile that imbalance within yourself to find that state of heaven — as above.

So you have paired all the Keys to Self with the Keys to Heaven, and rightly so. This would be a valuable exercise to continue as you have for all of them, but for balance, they are the same. What is heaven? What is self? It is all the same. It all starts with balance within yourself, within your own belief system.

So you are also correct that this is the starting point for finding that Heaven on Earth. All of the keys — Keys to Self [and] Keys to Heaven — must be within balance. And if any of them are causing you any difficulties, then it is that indicator to you that you are out of balance, and there is something to address.

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Lao Tzu on How To Be a Dispassionate, but Compassionate, Observer

by Rob Loveland, posted in Channeling, spiritual guidance, spiritual info

Rob: Welcome Lao Tzu. My question is, how do we reconcile this idea of not getting wrapped up in external events, almost to the point of not caring. But it’s not really not caring. Of course we care. So how do we care without caring?

Lao Tzu: Greetings, all. It is my honor to be with you today, in this setting, within your circle, as you contemplate the deeper experiences of life, the meaning behind all that you experience. These are questions that everyone must grapple with at some point in their journey. So of course, all of us are so proud of the progress you are all making.

It is an interesting question, is it not? How do you go through life, filled with compassion for others, while at the same time recognizing it’s not your role to be involved in all that others are experiencing for themselves. And I would suggest to you that it is, in fact, an act of very deep caring [and] compassion to allow others to experience what they came to experience.

It may not be your path. You may look upon the events as something you would never choose for ANY society that would experience love and ask yourself, “Why would you do that?! How does that make the world a better place?”

But it is all for a purpose, so your act of compassion is to allow others to experience what they came to experience. Let them choose for themselves. If you go through life trying to control how others behave, how others think, what others believe, where is the caring in that? That would be you trying to impose your will on another. That’s not exhibiting a care for them. That’s, again, you trying to exert your control based on YOUR beliefs, based on your understanding within your own journey. They have theirs; you have yours, so allow them to be.

As your teammate said, let it be, not in an uncaring way, but with the mindset that you care enough for them to let them be who they are. Approach all events that occur to you in your life from that perspective. THAT is the loving response.

The only force in the universe that truly matters is love. Ask yourself every day, what is the loving response to anything that you see? If it does not feel like love, whatever it is that you witness, and you say to yourself, “I don’t see the love in that,” then choose, choose that that is NOT the way that you want to go.

And as you constantly come back, within your own heart, to that feeling of love for ALL that you see, exhibiting that caring enough to allow it to unfold as it must, then you will find that all that you see will change. It will morph. It will transition … perhaps slower than you would desire, but again, let it be. Let it proceed at the pace that it needs to proceed to bring as many along as the Divine Plan calls for.

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Lao Tzu on Being in a State of Contentment

by Rob Loveland, posted in Channeling, spiritual guidance, spiritual info

[Often when I get together with my teammates to channel, we find that we don’t have many questions or topics to discuss.  It seems there’s a reason for that … and it’s a good thing!  😉 — Rob]

Rob and Teammates: Is it enough to just get together to enjoy each other’s company and wisdom, rather than having to have a specific topic to discuss?

Lao Tzu: Indeed. I would also suggest that the lack of a topic is simply an indicator that you are learning, all of you, to just be, to just take life as it comes to you, without any major issues, without any major concerns, or simply living your life and accepting the experiences as they come, for whatever they can offer you and you are happy to do so. As was said, just taking life as it is, no real issues.

This is a state of contentment. Is this not what you are all after from the beginning? Revel in this. Accept that this is what you came to do. And yes, you are raising your vibration with each and every breath where you have no expectations and you are just allowing life to unfold according to your own plan.

It is you beginning to understand at the physical level what it means to be divine in this physical form. Accept it, allow it, have fun with it. Once you are comfortable in this space, then it is time to explore whatever your heart desires.

I will echo to just trust that all that you are putting out in the world, to the universe, is indeed manifesting what you hope to create through that love, that joy. Whether you ever see that or not does not matter … not one iota! Trust that the love will do its work, just as you intended, just as you had infused whatever offering that you put out with that love will, in fact, achieve its end, achieve the end for the greater good, for the divine plan and your part in it.

And, I feel I would be remiss, or Rob would be disappointed in me, if I did not bring up the idea of humility in the midst of this. All of you here, with all of us as equals — no one above, no one below — all taking our place in the oneness of all. I will say again, is this not what you are after from the beginning? You are doing it. You have done it. Enjoy just being here with all of us, as us.

So with that, I will step back. Go with my blessings and my love.

Lao Tzu on Humility and Finding Peace

by Rob Loveland, posted in Channeling, spiritual guidance, spiritual info

Rob: So I’m in my sacred landscape, and I’m going down to the water. And at the edge of the water is a tree with a big rock, a boulder, underneath it. Lao Tzu is there, sitting on the rock, waiting for me. So I’m taking a seat next to him in the shade of the tree.

So since I drew a card on humility, and because humility is one of the Blessings and Virtues, and in fact, I had chosen it as one of the Keys to Self, I probably would have said I know what I need to know about humility. But I acknowledge, also, there’s always more.

So do you have anything to share with me, something I don’t know, perhaps about myself and my own attitudes, my own beliefs, about humility?

Lao Tzu: Greetings, Rob. So nice of you to join me here [on] this pleasant day, enjoying the calm by the water’s edge. And the calm is important. It seems to be a theme — slow down, take time out to just enjoy the peace.

At the end of the day, that’s really what humans need to learn — how to go through this life, any life, in a state of peace and calm. It is fine to be excited about something new, learning something new, experiencing something new. That brings the joy.

But at the end of the day, the lasting contentment comes from the peace, leaving the turmoil behind, centering yourself and going within in order to find that place of calm, to find that place that really speaks to who you really are. For at the end of the day, nothing that happens out there — there in the physical world — can affect you unless you allow it.

And as soon as you accept that, firmly believe that, it stops affecting you; it stops disturbing your calm, your peace. It’s just something that’s happening. It’s all just happening for your entertainment and, yes, perhaps for you to learn something, to witness a scenario play out so that you may understand all sides, so that you can fully grasp the depth of whatever the situation is, whatever it is that you have to learn, that you have chosen to learn.

There is nothing you have to do in this life or any other. It is all based on the plan of what it is that you have set out to learn, set out to experience. So why would any of that disturb your peace? It only does if you allow it. But I am asking, why would you allow it?

Think of it as sitting in a classroom … as you’re sitting in the chair, waiting for the teacher to present their lecture, present the material, whatever form that is, do you feel anxious about that? Do you feel a lack of calm and peace while you’re sitting there absorbing what the teacher is offering? Most likely not. So why would you feel any different about your own experiences that you have chosen as a means to teach you? It’s no different.

The point is, to get to that state, one has to acknowledge at all times that you are divine, that you are a divine spirit who is simply choosing a set of experiences in order to learn or in order to just have fun as a source of entertainment. So none of this should be taken too seriously. The trick is, if I could call it a trick, is to keep in mind at all times [to] never forget who you are. If you are operating from that perspective, then all the rest of it, all of the turmoil in the world, just seems silly to allow that to disturb your own peace.

So the notion of humility is simply understanding, operating from the perspective, that God is your only source, for God is all that there is. You hear at times people refer to God as “All That Is,” and it is true … and you are part of that. You are part of the All, therefore you also are All That Is!

That’s not to be taken in any way as boastful. No, it is operating from a position of humility that you are nothing without the God Source within you. You would not be here without that. None of us would be.

And think of the majesty of ALL of what that means, the complexity involved, the magnificence involved, and yes, THOU ART THAT, that is living from a position of humility and respect for who you are.

I hope that has helped. Perhaps your teammate has some questions for us.

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