An Inner Dialogue Across Time – Warning or Inspiration?

A Holistic Reflection on Inspiration, Warning, and the Evolving Self

Human beings often imagine what it would be like to travel back and speak to a younger version of themselves. This idea appears in philosophy, psychology, and narrative storytelling because it symbolizes the universal desire to reflect, correct, and integrate one’s life experiences. Beyond the fantasy of time travel lies a powerful metaphor for holistic health: the encounter between the “older self” and the “younger self” represents an inner dialogue between potential and maturity, between innocence and insight, and between raw possibility and lived wisdom.

A central question arises: if the older self could appear before the younger, would they be seen as an inspiration or a warning? In reality, a person is always both. The meeting highlights the continuity of human development and the opportunity for conscious self-direction at every age.

The Younger Self: A Vessel of Possible Selves

Developmental psychology emphasizes that adolescents and young adults form “possible selves,” internal images of who they might become, who they hope to be, and who they fear becoming (Markus & Nurius, 1986). These imagined futures strongly influence motivation, health behaviors, coping strategies, and identity formation.

The younger self typically carries:

Curiosity
Imagination
Flexibility
A broad horizon of potential
Sensitivity to validation and guidance

From a holistic perspective, this early stage corresponds to Jing, the foundational essence and latent potential a person enters life with. The younger self is fertile ground for direction. If an older version appeared, the younger self might interpret them as evidence of what is achievable or as a signal of what must be avoided to preserve well-being.

The emotional impact would depend largely on how well the older self embodies the younger self’s hoped-for qualities (Oyserman & James, 2011).

The Older Self: Integration, Insight, and Embodied Lessons

With age comes the accumulation of experiences, patterns, consequences, and lessons. While aging itself does not guarantee wisdom, reflective integration does. We all grow older, however we do not all grow up. Research in adult development shows that meaning-making, emotional regulation, and resilience tend to strengthen across the lifespan—particularly through processes of cognitive appraisal and narrative reconstruction (Charles, 2010; Park, 2010).

The older self represents:

Lived consequences of habits
Emotional intelligence gained through adversity
Patterns of health, self-care, and neglect
Wisdom derived from integrating experiences
Clarity about purpose and personal truth

In holistic terms, this corresponds to Qi and Shen: the active life force shaped by choices (Qi) and the clarity, awareness, and purpose that emerge through integration (Shen).

Depending on the life lived, the younger self might see the older one as:

Inspiration if they embody calm, vitality, meaning, and self-possession
Warning if they carry bitterness, physical decline from neglect, or unhealed patterns
A realistic combination of both, which is the most human and psychologically accurate view

The Dual Truth: We Are Always Inspiration and Warning

Self-reflection research shows that individuals learn most effectively when they can hold both positive and negative self-assessments simultaneously, a process known as integrative self-reflection (Morin, 2017). The older self naturally embodies this duality:

1. A Lighthouse

Showing what is possible when discipline, compassion, and health practices accumulate over time.

2. A Signpost

Revealing which choices, habits, or relationships lead to stagnation or suffering.

3. A Mirror

Reflecting truths the younger self could not yet see but might have recognized earlier if guidance were available.

4. A Bridge

Demonstrating that healing, resilience, and transformation remain possible even decades later. Research on post-traumatic growth shows that meaning-making and growth often occur long after adversity has passed (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004).

In Taoist terms, this mirrors the dynamic interplay of yin and yang, where apparent opposites coexist, complement one another, and create a fuller picture of the truth.

Holistic Health and the Self Across Time

Holistic health recognizes the interdependence of body, mind, and spirit. The meeting of younger and older selves highlights how long-term well-being is shaped through consistent, incremental choices.

Body / Jing

Long-term research in public health demonstrates that consistent health behaviors such as sleep quality, physical activity, balanced nutrition, stress management, and avoiding harmful habits, predict well-being and longevity across the lifespan. These lifestyle factors, when adopted earlier, form a stable foundation for later-life physical vitality and resilience (Belloc & Breslow, 1972).

Mind / Qi

Emotional regulation, coping strategies, and thought patterns evolve through practice. Individuals who learn adaptive regulation earlier show greater life satisfaction and resilience in adulthood (Gross, 2015).

Spirit / Shen

Meaning, alignment, and ethical coherence develop through reflection. Life review processes help individuals construct narratives that support psychological well-being (Westerhof & Bohlmeijer, 2014).

Thus, the older self is the embodied outcome of how Jing was preserved, how Qi was cultivated, and how Shen was refined.

A Practical Thought Experiment for Personal Growth

Imagine your future self walking into the room today. Would they thank you or warn you? Would they:

Ask you to slow down?
Encourage you to keep going?
Remind you to take better care of your body?
Urge you to set boundaries?
Suggest that your purpose needs revisiting?
Praise your discipline, courage, or compassion?

Research shows that visualizing one’s future self increases motivation, improves decision-making, and strengthens long-term thinking (Hershfield, 2011). The time-travel metaphor becomes a tool for conscious alignment.

Your younger self is gone, but your older self is still being shaped now, through today’s decisions. Holistic health is the conversation between past potential, present choice, and future embodiment. The point is not to change the past but to ensure that the future becomes a version of yourself you would be proud to meet.

References:

Belloc, N. B., & Breslow, L. (1972). Relationship of physical health status and health practices. Preventive Medicine, 1(3), 409–421. https://doi.org/10.1016/0091-7435(72)90014-x

Charles, S. T. (2010). Strength and vulnerability integration: A model of emotional well-being across adulthood. Psychological Bulletin, 136(6), 1068–1091. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021232

Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2014.940781

Hershfield, H. E. (2011). Future self-continuity: How conceptions of the future self transform intertemporal choice. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1235(1), 30–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06201.x

Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41(9), 954–969. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.41.9.954

Morin, A. (2017). Toward a glossary of self-related terms. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 280. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00280

Oyserman, D., & James, L. (2011). Possible identities. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 117–145). Springer Science + Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_6

Park, C. L. (2010). Making sense of the meaning literature: An integrative review. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 257–301. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018301

Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1501_01

Westerhof, G. J., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2014). Celebrating fifty years of research and applications in reminiscence and life review: state of the art and new directions. Journal of aging studies, 29, 107–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2014.02.003

The Eternal Now – Consciousness Momentarily Residing in Form

“It has always been now, it has always been you, you have always been here, the eternal consciousness momentarily residing in form.”

The Paradox of Presence

The statement above points to one of the most profound realizations of human existence, that time, identity, and consciousness are not separate phenomena but reflections of a single continuum of awareness. Philosophically, this view resonates with both Eastern metaphysics and Western phenomenology: that reality unfolds perpetually in the now, and that what we call “self” is consciousness temporarily clothed in matter. The phrase invites a dismantling of the illusion of separation between past and future, self and other, body and spirit. What remains when all temporal and spatial distinctions dissolve is pure presence where consciousness experiencing itself through form (Tolle, 1999; Advaita Vedānta, as cited in Deutsch, 1980).

The Illusion of Time and the Continuum of Now

Human cognition evolved to perceive time linearly: a succession of moments divided into past, present, and future. Yet, physics and mysticism alike challenge this perception. Einstein (1955) remarked that the distinction between past, present, and future is a “stubbornly persistent illusion.” From a quantum or relativistic standpoint, all events exist simultaneously in a spacetime continuum. Similarly, Buddhist philosophy teaches that impermanence does not imply temporal fragmentation but the constant flux of a timeless now where each moment birthing the next without true separation (Nagarjuna, as translated in Garfield, 1995).

To say “it has always been now” is to step outside the psychological construct of time and into the living awareness that precedes it. In this state, “now” is not a fleeting instant but an eternal dimension as the background of all experience. Every thought, sensation, and memory arises within this unbroken field of presence. Awareness never departs; only the forms within it shift and fade like clouds across an unchanging sky.

The Self as Eternal Witness

“It has always been you” is not a statement of personal identity but of essential consciousness where we are the observer behind all experiences. In Advaita and Taoist traditions, the self is not the personality but the awareness that perceives both body and mind. This is the “Atman” that is identical with “Brahman,” or the “original face before you were born,” as Zen expresses it (Suzuki, 1956). The conscious witness is silent, unbounded, and ever-present and is the same essence that animates all beings.

In Western phenomenology, Husserl and later Sartre described consciousness as “intentionality”: a self-revealing light in which objects appear (Husserl, 1931). That same light is the “you” in the aphorism and not the egoic self but the perceiving essence. When the individual realizes this, the boundary between “me” and “world” dissolves, revealing that both are movements within the same consciousness. As Alan Watts (1966) observed, “You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.”

The Eternal Return of Being

“You have always been here” expresses the nonlocal and non-temporal quality of consciousness. While the body appears and vanishes in linear time, awareness, as the ground of all perception and has no beginning or end. In Taoist cosmology, the Tao is “formless yet ever-generative,” present before the birth of heaven and earth (Lao Tzu, trans. Mitchell, 1988). Similarly, Christian mysticism speaks of the “Kingdom of Heaven within,” pointing toward an eternal reality accessible through direct awareness rather than belief.

From the standpoint of experiential practices such as meditation, qigong, or contemplative stillness, one discovers that consciousness is not in the body; rather, the body is in consciousness. This reversal reveals that the witness has never left the moment or the universe it perceives. The “here” of consciousness is not a coordinate but a state of being.

Form as Temporary Expression of the Infinite

The final phrase, “the eternal consciousness momentarily residing in form,” brings the insight full circle. It affirms embodiment without attachment in that awareness chooses, or perhaps naturally manifests, as form to know itself. Matter, from this view, is crystallized consciousness; each organism is a unique configuration through which the universal intelligence experiences itself. The Tao manifests as “the ten thousand things,” yet remains unchanged in essence.

From a scientific lens, the body is a temporary aggregation of atoms forged in stars, recycled endlessly through the cosmos. The same elements that compose the body once burned in ancient suns and will again form new worlds (Greene, 2004). To realize this is to understand that life and death are merely transitions in the ongoing dance of energy where consciousness momentarily taking shape to perceive its own reflection.

The Practice of Remembering the Eternal

Philosophical insight becomes transformation only through direct realization. Meditation, breathwork, and mindful presence are methods of reuniting awareness with its source. When the mind ceases its incessant narrative of past and future, one awakens to what has never moved or the now. This awakening does not erase individuality but illuminates it with depth and humility. To live from this awareness is to act without resistance, to see oneself as both participant and witness in the cosmic unfolding.

Conclusion: The Still Point of Being

“It has always been now, it has always been you, you have always been here” points to the truth that existence is not a journey toward some future awakening but the continuous revelation of what already is. Consciousness is eternal, form is transient, and the realization of this unity is liberation. In this recognition, all striving dissolves, not into nihilism, but into reverence. The eternal consciousness does not seek permanence in form; it celebrates the impermanence through which it comes to know itself.

To awaken to this is to stand still at the center of the ever-turning wheel of time and recognize: you were never elsewhere, and you have never been anyone else.

References:

Deutsch, E. (1980). Advaita Vedānta: A Philosophical Reconstruction. University of Hawaii Press.

Einstein, A. (1955). Letter to Michele Besso. In The Born–Einstein Letters. Macmillan. https://archive.org/details/5760562-Einstein-letter-to-Besso-1951

Garfield, J. L. (1995). The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195103175.001.0001

Greene, B. (2004). The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality. Alfred A. Knopf. https://archive.org/details/fabricofcosmossp0000gree

Husserl, E. (1931). Ideas: General Introduction to Pure Phenomenology (W. R. Boyce Gibson, Trans.). Allen & Unwin.

Lao Tzu. (1988). Tao Te Ching (S. Mitchell, Trans.). Harper & Row. https://ia600209.us.archive.org/16/items/taoteching-Stephen-Mitchell-translation-v9deoq/taoteching-Stephen-Mitchell-translation-v9deoq_text.pdf

Suzuki, D. T. (1956). Zen Buddhism: Selected Writings. Doubleday. https://archive.org/details/zenbuddhism0000dtsu

Tolle, E. (1999). The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. New World Library.

Van Es, D. (2019, November 14). One Yoga — TripuraShakti. Tripurashakti. https://www.tripurashakti.com/one-yoga/one-yoga

Watts, A. (1966). The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are. Pantheon Books. https://archive.org/details/bookontabooagain00watt

The Still Mind and the Snow Globe

“When the waters settle, the reflection is clear; when stirred, the light is scattered.” – Taoist proverb

The human mind can be likened to a Christmas snow globe. When resting in stillness, it is calm and transparent, revealing its contents clearly. When shaken, the glittering particles obscure the view until motion ceases and calm returns. In much the same way, the human mind loses clarity when it is agitated by thought, emotion, or distraction. Yet, when stillness is restored, insight becomes visible again.

This analogy is ancient in spirit though modern in form. Taoist, Buddhist, and contemplative traditions have long taught that the unsettled mind is filled with “ten thousand thoughts” and is like muddy water that cannot reflect the sky. When the water is left alone, sediment sinks and the surface becomes clear, mirroring reality without distortion. Neuroscience has since confirmed that mental agitation disrupts attentional networks and self-regulation, whereas calm awareness engages prefrontal regions that enhance clarity and emotional balance (Vago & Silbersweig, 2016).

Agitation, Clarity, and the Nature of Mind

Just as the snowflakes in a globe swirl when shaken, so do thoughts and emotions when the mind is disturbed by stress, fear, or overstimulation. The more one reacts, the longer the “flakes” take to settle. Mindfulness teacher Jillian Pransky (2023) uses this same metaphor to describe how meditation allows the inner “snow” to fall to rest and thus revealing stillness and depth beneath the surface.

In a similar vein, meditation research shows that repeated exposure to calm awareness enhances the brain’s ability to disengage from habitual thinking and recover from agitation (Fox et al., 2016). Thus, stillness is not passivity; it is active regulation, a physiological return to balance. This capacity for returning to center is what Tai Chi and Qigong practitioners seek to cultivate daily.

The Snow Globe and the Internal Arts

In Qigong and Tai Chi, movement arises from stillness and returns to it. Between each form lies a subtle pause or an internal settling. When agitation arises, practitioners are taught to “let the mind sink to the dantian,” mirroring how snow settles to the bottom of the globe. Breath slows, the nervous system calms, and the clarity of awareness expands.

Daoist classics such as the Qingjing Jing emphasize this principle: “If the mind is pure and still, all things will become clear of themselves” (Li, 1981). Stillness (jing) is not an absence of life but the foundation for transformation. Without it, internal energy (qi) becomes scattered, and consciousness (shen) clouded. With it, harmony between body, breath, and mind is restored, a concept echoed in modern psychophysiology as “parasympathetic dominance,” when calm awareness stabilizes physiological rhythms (Mayo Clinic, 2023).

From this lens, the snow globe becomes a teaching instrument:

The glass represents the body—transparent but containing.
The water symbolizes consciousness.
The flakes represent thoughts, memories, and emotions.
The base is the dantian—the center of gravity, both physical and spiritual.
When the practitioner “shakes” with stress or emotion, the particles rise and obscure vision. When stillness returns, the scene or the true nature of mind becomes visible once again.

Table: Mind States vs. Snow-Globe States

Aspect	Snow Globe State	Mind State Equivalent	Practical Cultivation Method
Unsettled	Shaken; snow whirling chaotically	Agitated thoughts, anxiety, scattered focus	Pause; deep diaphragmatic breathing; grounding awareness in body
Settling	Flakes gradually fall	Thoughts subside; awareness re-centers	Gentle movement; slow Qigong; rhythmic breathing
Still	Water clear and unmoving	Calm mind; perceptual clarity; inner balance	Meditation; standing post; mindful observation
Re-agitated	Globe shaken again	Emotional disturbance or overstimulation	Recognize trigger; respond with patience and non-reactivity
Restored Clarity	Scene visible again	Insight, creativity, emotional regulation	Continued practice of calm-abiding (samatha) and mindful awareness

Embodied Awareness and the Settling of Qi

In Tai Chi, teachers often say, “Where the mind goes, qi follows.” When the mind is disturbed, the qi scatters; when the mind is calm, qi gathers. The settling of mental “snow” mirrors the condensation of energy within the body’s core. The nervous system reflects this change: heart rate variability improves, cortisol decreases, and attention stabilizes (Fox et al., 2016; Mayo Clinic, 2023).

This internal stillness is not a withdrawal from life, but rather it is refinement. It allows the practitioner to perceive without distortion and to respond without haste. It is what the Zen tradition calls mushin, “no-mind,” where thought does not vanish but becomes transparent and responsive rather than turbulent (Li, 1981). The snow globe thus offers a contemporary bridge between contemplative science and ancient practice, a visualization of how calm leads to wisdom.

Transmutation Through Stillness

The deeper message of this metaphor lies in transformation. When one repeatedly allows the snow to settle, a new pattern of being forms. Neural pathways shift; emotional reactivity decreases; intuition sharpens. In Taoist alchemy, this is nei dan or the refinement of essence (jing) into energy (qi), and energy into spirit (shen). What begins as calming the surface mind evolves into inner transmutation or the awakening of clarity that is no longer dependent on circumstance.

Therefore, to train the mind is not to eliminate its contents but to see through them, to let every swirl of snow reveal rather than obscure. Through stillness, awareness refracts light instead of scattering it. Through daily practice, one learns to set down the globe and simply watch the snow fall.

“The mind once still is capable of reflecting heaven and earth.” – Zhuangzi

References:

Fox, K. C. R., Dixon, M. L., Nijeboer, S., Girn, M., Lifshitz, M., Ellamil, M., Sedlmeier, P., & Christoff, K. (2016). Functional neuroanatomy of meditation: A review and meta-analysis of 78 functional neuroimaging investigations. arXiv preprint arXiv:1603.06342. https://arxiv.org/abs/1603.06342

Fox, K. C. R., Kang, Y., Lifshitz, M., & Christoff, K. (2016). Increasing cognitive-emotional flexibility with meditation and hypnosis: The cognitive neuroscience of de-automatization. arXiv preprint arXiv:1605.03553. https://arxiv.org/abs/1605.03553

Li, J. (1981). Qingjing Jing (清靜經): The Scripture of Clarity and Stillness. Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju. https://archive.org/details/daoist-scripture-qing-jing-jing-louis-komjathy/QJJ%20-%20Louis%20Komjathy%20%28Editor%29/

Mayo Clinic. (2023, December 14). Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858

Pransky, J. (2023, June 11). a meditation to create space in the midst of chaos — jillian pransky. Jillian Pransky. https://www.jillianpransky.com/blog/creating-space-snowglobe-meditation

Vago, D. R., & Zeidan, F. (2016). The brain on silent: mind wandering, mindful awareness, and states of mental tranquility. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1373(1), 96–113. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13171

As Above, So Within – The Hermetic Thread of the Warrior, Scholar & Sage

Every comprehensive system of human transformation contains a bridge, one that links the physical body to the invisible dimensions of mind and spirit. In the Eastern traditions this bridge is expressed through Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (consciousness). In the developmental framework I teach, it appears as the Warrior, Scholar, and Sage. In the Western esoteric lineage, the same bridge is known as Hermeticism, a philosophical and spiritual system attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, the “Thrice-Great” master of physical, intellectual, and spiritual wisdom.

These are not parallel systems by coincidence. They are structurally identical expressions of the same universal process of human refinement, or the ascent from embodiment to insight, and from insight to integrated wisdom. Across cultures and centuries, the language changes, but the architecture remains.

Hermeticism arises from Hellenistic Egypt, a fusion of Greek philosophy, Egyptian spirituality, early science, medicine, astronomy, and metaphysics (Copenhaver, 1992; Fowden, 1993). Its core message is simple but profound: reality is mental, patterned, cyclical, lawful, and capable of conscious transformation. The most famous Hermetic maxim from the Emerald Tablet expresses this truth succinctly:

“As above, so below; as within, so without.”

This is not merely poetic symbolism. It is a functional statement of psychospiritual law: what is refined in the body shapes the mind; what is clarified in the mind refines the spirit; what is awakened in the spirit returns to illuminate the body.

The Eight Hermetic Principles and Their Living Expression

Hermetic philosophy is traditionally organized into eight fundamental principles (seven classical principles plus the unifying axiom of Integration & Moral Alignment). These principles are not abstract metaphysics; they describe how transformation actually happens in daily life.

Below is a brief, applied summary of each.

1. Mentalism – “All is Mind.”

Reality originates in consciousness.

Example:
Thought hygiene, attention control, emotional regulation, and metacognition all reflect the fact that perception shapes experience. In practice, this is where the Scholar refines Qi through disciplined awareness.

2. Correspondence – “As above, so below; as within, so without.”

Patterns repeat across all levels of existence.

Example:
Organ–emotion relationships, archetypal symbolism, and synchronicity reflect this principle. The Sage expresses it through Shen-based integration and purpose.

3. Vibration – “Nothing rests; everything moves.”

All things exist in motion and frequency.

Example:
Breath rhythm, posture, nervous system tone, and muscular tension all shape consciousness. This is the foundational work of the Warrior, refining Jing through somatic calibration.

4. Polarity – “Opposites are identical in nature, differing only in degree.”

All dualities exist on a spectrum.

Example:
Fear and courage, stress and resilience, pain and growth are not opposites but transformations of the same continuum. This principle governs emotional alchemy and shadow integration.

5. Rhythm – “Everything flows in and out.”

Nature moves in cycles.

Example:
Circadian rhythms, seasonal cycles, recovery cycles in training, and emotional tides all operate under rhythmic law. Ignoring rhythm leads to burnout; honoring it leads to longevity.

6. Cause and Effect – “Every cause has its effect.”

Nothing is random.

Example:
Consistent practice compounds. Discipline produces capacity. Neglect produces decay. This principle governs training progression, psychological habit formation, and destiny itself.

7. Gender – “Masculine and feminine principles exist in everything.”

All creation arises from active and receptive forces.

Example:
Stillness and motion, force and yielding, analysis and intuition are necessary partners. In internal alchemy this corresponds to Kan and Li, or the inner marriage of fire and water.

8. The Unifying Principle – Integration & Moral Alignment

(Implicit throughout the Hermetic texts)

This is the alchemical ascent itself:
Matter → Energy → Consciousness → Unity
Warrior → Scholar → Sage
Jing → Qi → Shen

It describes the return of the fragmented human being to wholeness.

Hermeticism and Eastern Internal Alchemy: One Process, Two Languages

Western Hermeticism and Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) describe the same three-stage refinement:

Refining Jing (Warrior) – stability, grounding, structure, breath, stance
Refining Qi (Scholar) – insight, emotional regulation, meaning
Refining Shen (Sage) – awareness, wisdom, unity, purpose

In Hermetic terms this mirrors:

Earth → Air → Fire → Ether
Body → Mind → Spirit → Divine Mind
Alchemy → Knowledge → Illumination → Union

The training of the body becomes the furnace of consciousness. The mind becomes the instrument of refinement. The spirit becomes the field of meaning.

Jung and Psychology as Modern Hermetic Science

Carl Jung recognized Western and Eastern alchemy as symbolic maps of individuation, or the integration of the unconscious and conscious psyche (Jung, 1968). He interpreted alchemical stages as:

Shadow purification
Integration of opposites
Inner marriage (coniunctio)
Emergence of the unified Self

This is precisely the Warrior–Scholar–Sage progression expressed in psychological language.

Why Hermeticism Matters Now

Modern culture suffers from a dangerous fragmentation:

The Warrior has been reduced to stress and survival
The Scholar to data without wisdom
The Sage to abstraction without embodiment

Hermeticism restores their unity as a single ascending current of human evolution. It re-establishes the coherence between:

Body and breath
Thought and emotion
Discipline and compassion
Knowledge and service
Identity and purpose

This blog summary introduces the deeper work now fully developed in my newest release:

Book 38 – Hermeticism: Its Relevance to the Teachings of the Warrior, Scholar & Sage

This volume stands at the architectural center of my entire body of work. It reveals:

How the Warrior becomes the Scholar
How the Scholar becomes the Sage
How the Sage returns to unity
And how all three operate simultaneously as a single living process

It is not a theoretical book. It is a map of transformation, as it seeks to integrate Hermetic law, Eastern internal alchemy, Jungian psychology, nervous system science, breathwork, ethics, and the meaning-making process of human life.

Hermeticism is not something to believe. It is something to practice, embody, and become.

As above, so within.
As within, so becomes the world.

Available on Amazon at: https://a.co/d/fbD2mU0

References:

Copenhaver, B. P. (1992). Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius. Cambridge University Press.

Faivre, A. (1994). Access to Western Esotericism. SUNY Press.

Fowden, G. (1993). The Egyptian Hermes: A historical approach to the late pagan mind. Princeton University Press. https://archive.org/details/egyptianhermeshi0000fowd

Jung, C. G. (1968). Alchemical studies (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). Princeton University Press. https://www.jungiananalysts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/C.-G.-Jung-Collected-Works-Volume-13_-Alchemical-Studies.pdf

Mahé, J.-P. (1998). The treatise on the “Emerald Tablet.” Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 61, 1–20.

Principe, L. M. (2013). The Secrets of Alchemy. University of Chicago Press.

“Polishing the Sword with the Soul”

The Tao of Inner Refinement in MuDo Practice

The phrase “polish the sword with the soul” is rooted in Taoist and Mu-Do (武道) traditions and expresses a universal ideal of continuous self-cultivation through disciplined practice and moral awareness. Like a sword that must be repeatedly sharpened to retain its edge, the human being must refine body, mind, and spirit to express the full potential of Dao (道) or The Way. This teaching transcends martial technique; it symbolizes the transformation of the practitioner into a vessel of harmony, wisdom, and integrity.

1. The Sword as the Symbol of Self and Spirit

In both Chinese and Korean philosophical systems, the sword (jian) is not merely a weapon but a metaphor for consciousness itself. The Taoist classic Zhuangzi likens the true swordsman to one whose blade never dulls because his mind is empty of attachment (Watson, 2013). Within Mudo, the sword embodies the shin (mind-heart), which when pure, reflects truth without distortion. The practitioner’s journey is to temper this “inner blade,” learning balance between yang (activity, assertion) and yin (stillness, receptivity), a theme central to traditional Taoist cosmology (Kohn, 2009).

In the Korean context, this teaching resonates with the ideal of Su-shin, meaning “cultivation of the body/self.” Confucius placed Su-shin at the foundation of social and cosmic harmony: “When the self is cultivated, the family is regulated; when the family is regulated, the state is in order” (Great Learning, trans. Legge, 1893). Thus, polishing the sword is both personal and social, in refining oneself to act justly in the world.

2. The Polishing Process: Friction as Transformation

Polishing requires friction, an apt metaphor for life’s challenges, failures, and self-confrontations. In Taoist alchemy, this process is described through the San Bao or “Three Treasures” of jing (essence), qi (energy), and shen (spirit). Through disciplined practice, essence is refined into energy, energy into spirit, and spirit into emptiness (xu) (Chia, 2008). The polishing of the sword thus mirrors Neidan, or internal alchemy: the transformation of raw life energy into luminous awareness.

In Mudo philosophy, this transformation parallels the Way of the Warrior – Scholar- Sage, a triadic path uniting physical discipline, intellectual cultivation, and moral-spiritual awareness. The warrior’s physical training tempers jing; the scholar’s contemplation refines qi; and the sage’s insight elevates shen and ultimately leading to harmony between heaven, earth, and man. This mirrors Jung’s (1968) notion of individuation, where the conscious and unconscious are integrated into a unified Self through continual refinement of opposites.

3. The Soul as the Source of Mastery

To “polish with the soul” means to engage one’s innermost consciousness as the agent of refinement. The soul (hun) represents the luminous, yang aspect of spirit that animates purpose and creativity (Larre & de la Vallée, 1996). Without the engagement of the soul, practice becomes mechanical; a sword swung without intention. When the soul infuses the art, each motion reflects authenticity, compassion, and clarity.

Modern psychological parallels can be found in self-determination theory, where mastery arises from intrinsic motivation aligned with personal values (Ryan & Deci, 2017). The Mudo practitioner’s polishing, therefore, is not merely technical repetition but the alignment of inner motive and outer action, manifesting into a harmony of virtue (de) and expression (gong).

4. Integrative Reflection: The Sword as Mirror of the Way

In the broader context of Taoist cultivation, “polishing the sword with the soul” signifies a return to the Dao through continuous refinement. Each moment of training, contemplation, or service becomes a stroke of the whetstone against the blade of consciousness. The goal is not perfection, but rather clarity to remove the rust of ego and reveal the reflective surface of awareness.

As explored in prior discussions of the yin–yang dynamic, strength and vulnerability, action and stillness, are not opposites but mutually transformative forces (Kaptchuk, 2000). The act of polishing symbolizes this balance in assertive effort (yang) combined with humble introspection (yin). Ultimately, the soul becomes both the craftsman and the mirror, through which the practitioner perceives the infinite in the finite.

To polish the sword with the soul is to practice Mudo as a living Tao, where every strike, breath, and thought becomes an act of refinement. The practitioner becomes both the sword and the polisher: a self-reflective being who tempers strength with compassion, power with humility, and mastery with moral integrity. In this process, technique becomes transcendent, and the path of the warrior, scholar, and sage merges into one continuous motion of the soul returning to its source.

References:

Jung, C. G. (1968). The collected works of C. G. Jung: Vol. 9 (Part 2). Aion: Researches into the phenomenology of the self. Princeton University Press.

Kaptchuk, T. J. (2000). The web that has no weaver: Understanding Chinese medicine. McGraw-Hill.

Kohn, L. (2009). The Taoist experience: An anthology. State University of New York Press. https://archive.org/details/thetaoistexperienceliviakohn

Larre, C., & de la Vallée, E. (1996). The seven emotions: Psychology and health in ancient China. Monkey Press.

Legge, J. (1893). The Chinese classics: Vol. I. The Great Learning. Oxford University Press. https://archive.org/details/chineseclassics41legg/page/n5/mode/2up

Chia. M. (2008). Healing light of the Tao: Foundations of internal alchemy. Universal Tao Publications.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. The Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1521/978.14625/28806

Watson, B. (2013). The complete works of Chuang Tzu. Columbia University Press.

wikiHow. (2025, February 7). How to Take Care of Swords (with Pictures) – wikiHow. wikiHow. https://www.wikihow.com/Take-Care-of-Swords