Spirituality

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The Peach Blossom Spring – Musings On Utopia

File:P1080320.JPG
From Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

Peach Blossom Spring

Peach Blossom Shangri-la, also known as Peach Blossom Spring and the Peach Blossom Land, is a Chinese fable written in 421 CE by Tao Yuanming, one of the greatest poets of the six dynasties. He wrote it during a period of national disunity and political instability and tells how a poor fisherman chanced upon a hidden utopian village where people lived happily in peace and harmony, isolated from the outside world.

There are elements and influences from Chinese mythology and folklore and the political and social situation at the time of the author’s life and is essentially an allegorical work of fiction. Nevertheless, with millions of refugees in the modern world seeking a safe sanctuary to live in peace without fear, in the ways of their ancestors before them, this story is still very relevant today. Presented here is a translation by Rick Davis and David Steelman (1), followed by a few observations for discussion.

Peach Blossom Shangri-La: Tao Hua Yuan Ji By Tao Yuanming Translation

During the Taiyuan era of the Jin Dynasty there was a man of Wuling who made his living as a fisherman. Once while following a stream he forgot how far he had gone. He suddenly came to a grove of blossoming peach trees. It lined both banks for several hundred paces and included not a single other kind of tree. Petals of the dazzling and fragrant blossoms were falling everywhere in profusion. Thinking this place highly unusual, the fisherman advanced once again in wanting to see how far it went.

The peach trees stopped at the stream’s source, where the fisherman came to a mountain with a small opening through which it seemed he could see light. Leaving his boat, he entered the opening. At first it was so narrow that he could barely pass, but after advancing a short distance it suddenly opened up to reveal a broad, flat area with imposing houses, good fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, bamboo, and the like. The fisherman saw paths extending among the fields in all directions, and could hear the sounds of chickens and dogs. Men and women working in the fields all wore clothing that looked like that of foreign lands. The elderly and children all seemed to be happy and enjoying themselves.

The people were amazed to see the fisherman, and they asked him from where he had come. He told them in detail, then the people invited him to their home, set out wine, butchered a chicken, and prepared a meal. Other villagers heard about the fisherman, and they all came to ask him questions. Then the villagers told him, “To avoid the chaos of war during the Qin Dynasty, our ancestors brought their families and villagers to this isolated place and never left it, so we’ve had no contact with the outside world.” They asked the fisherman what the present reign was. They were not even aware of the Han Dynasty, let alone the Wei and Jin. The fisherman told them everything he knew in great detail, and the villagers were amazed and heaved sighs. Then other villagers also invited the fisherman to their homes, where they gave him food and drink. After several days there, the fisherman bid farewell, at which time some villagers told him, “It’s not worth telling people on the outside about us.”

The fisherman exited through the opening, found his boat, and retraced his route while leaving markers to find this place again. Upon his arrival at the prefecture town he went to the prefect and told him what had happened. The prefect immediately sent a person to follow the fisherman and look for the trail markers, but they got lost and never found the way.

Liu Ziji of Nanyang was a person of noble character. When he heard this story he was happy and planned to visit the Shangri-la, but he died of illness before he could accomplish it. After that no one else ever looked for the place.

Peach Blossom: A Special Moment In Time

Peaches are highly regarded in Chinese mythology and tradition and are considered the fruit of immortals. Therefore, when the fisherman comes across a grove of blossoming peach trees, he is moving into a magical place, and their flowering indicates a special moment in time. Furthermore, the blossoming peach trees stop at the head of a natural water spring, further showing that something extraordinary is happening. For the Chinese, the wellsprings and sources of streams and rivers are places where water and life enter the world pure, uncontaminated, and transparent. 

A Vulnerable Paradise 

This utopian village exists in tandem with the outside world but is separated and hidden from it, only protected by a secret entrance through a cave. Here, people happily live together in the ways of their ancestors, in peaceful harmony independent of the outside world, sustained by their own efforts. This would seem an ideal way of life, a veritable paradise to many people. But is it all that it seems?   

A Sceptical Viewpoint 

While this happy utopian village society has not changed in centuries, the outside world has moved on. Unlike other examples of mythical other worlds or magical places, the time in the village runs at the same speed as the time in the outside world. We know this because when the fisherman leaves for home after several days, he is still in step with the inhabitants of the outside world.

In this Chinese example, although the two societies move in time, they have evolved in oppossing ways. Moreover, despite the conflict and chaos in the outside world, it is deemed to have progressed, yet remains dangerous. The village has remained stable, happy, peaceful, and safe. While some people see this positively because, living in this state of splendid isolation, its people have remained content and safe from interference from the rest of humanity. 

Conversely, cynics see the village as static and sterile, where no progress has been made in centuries. A hideout for people who lack the courage to face the turmoil, fear, and pain of the outside world, lacking the will to adapt to change to survive. They argue that trouble and pain make the external world dynamic, forcing and accepting change, making individuals and society tough and adaptable. 

The apparent absence of strife in the reclusive village, although bringing happiness and peace to its citizens, provides a static society vulnerable to change from natural events and interference from the outside. The villagers certainly know the dangers of the outside world and ask the fisherman not to reveal their presence. Their fear is underlined by the fisherman marking trees hoping to find his way back and by telling the Prefect of a town of his discovery.

Chop Wood, Carry Water: A Positive View

There is a well-known proverb or koan from Zen Buddhism which springs to mind,  

“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” 

Although the quote may not have influenced Tao Yuanming, it does relevant with the villager’s way of life. 

On the surface, a person appears no different after enlightenment as they were before. However, that is not necessarily so. Before enlightenment, a person focused on the outside world of “doing,” doing what ever must be done to survive. After enlightenment, the person’s inner consciousness has changed, and the focus becomes the world of “being”  and being at peace while doing the necessary mundane tasks. 

The hidden village in Tao Yuanming’s story is the inner world of being – the world of enlightenment, peace, and contentment – while the outer world – the world of their origin, the world of the fisherman, of emporers, wars, and strife that stem from the inner resistance and conflict we fight in when doing things we do like doing, despite knowing they have to be done. The villagers all appear happy and content externally to an outside observer, but it takes a great deal of inner strength and effort to accept the necessity of the everyday mundane tasks and sheer hard work necessary for survival. 

The outstanding achievement of the villagers is their acceptance allows them to carry out the mundane and demanding tasks of life happily. Conversely, people in the outside world tend to protest and oppose the tedious and challenging aspects of life even though they are necessary for survival, only to create more conflict for themselves and their society. 

The villagers may appear to look calm and living effortlessly, in a similar way a swan may appear to glide easily and serenely over the water. Yet, all the time below the waterline, out of sight, its legs constantly work hard to maintain the seemingly effortless movement across the water. 

Curiously, the fisherman chooses to return home to his own world, hoping to reveal the rare and fragile paradise he has found rather than stay and enjoy it. He leaves a trail intending to return himself or others to follow, but the trail disappears strangely. Liu Ziji of Nanyang, a man of noble character who planned to visit the village, dies suddenly, so the hidden sanctuary remains undisturbed.   

The disappearance of the trail and the nobleman’s death are fortunate for the villagers. However, the attempted betrayal of the hidden sanctuary’s whereabouts is a typical reaction by someone from the outside world, who finds somewhere special, where people have lived peacefully and happily for centuries, and feels the world must be told about it and see for themselves.   

The Mystery Of Meaning

The meaning of the work has been and still is discussed and argued over by many experts and scholars since its creation. There are many different views, and I would contend the different viewpoints are a necessary part of its mystery which is why it continues to be studied and discussed, and reminds us how,

“all the best things escape too much definition.” (2)

© 14/09/2022 zteve t evans

References, Attributions, And Further Reading

Copyright September 14th, 2022 zteve t evans

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The Brujo De Chiloé – The Wild Warlocks Of The Chiloé Archipelago – For Ancient Pages

Mapuche Funerary Statues – Gary Todd, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

This article was first published on AncientPages.com, May 4, 2022, titled, The Brujo De Chiloé – The Wild Warlocks Of The Chiloé Archipelago, by zteve t evans.

The Brujo de Chiloé

The Brujo de Chiloé, or the Warlocks of Chiloé, were a secretive coven of male witches allegedly involved in witchcraft and crime on the islands of the Chiloé Archipelago off the coast of southern Chile. It should be emphasised that not all witches on Chiloe were males or belonged to the cult. There were male and female witches who worked for the good of people and were healers and fortune tellers. These were called Machis and considered benevolent, but there were also malevolent practitioners called Kalku, and from these the Brujos may have originated.

Brujo’s cult was believed to be a complex tight-knit, secretive organisation, drawing from indigenous superstition and tradition and using black magic in their activities. Utilizing the superstitions and beliefs of the islander to their advantage they were alleged to have used intimidation and fear to minimise opposition and to achieve their aims. They were said to be involved in blackmail, extortion, smuggling and other criminal activities.

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Spirituality: The Whale totem

Animal totems represent the virtues and special characteristics of an animal. They are not pets and people use them as an aid to get in touch with nature, help create inner harmony and wisdom and to help the evolution of their spiritual being. By getting touch with the qualities of an animal a deeper affinity and understanding of the animal is created both with the animal and with nature, leading to greater harmony with the universe.

Right whales – Public Domain

A totem is a symbol, picture, sculpture or other object that reminds us of the animal spirit it represents. Animal totems do appear in other traditions around the world as well as in North America. People experience animal totems differently because there are many stages of personal and spiritual development and everyone has different needs and tasks to accomplish in this world.

Whales as an animal totem

Whales are sea creatures that have been on the planet for millions of years. They are perfectly adapted to their marine environment living in harmony with the sea and the natural order. They move through their environment with grace and power. Some species of whales are known to communicate with each other over great distance.
The Whale Totem symbolizes harmony and ‘Oneness’ with nature, the power and mystique of the sea, ancient wisdom, communication and communion.

Precious gifts of nature

Whales have been the inspiration for many stories, paintings, songs, legends, works of literature and film. They are present in all the oceans of the world and are known by many people and societies many of which have created traditions and rituals around them. In the past many human societies hunted them and depended on them for their survival. Some species of whale were hunted to the brink of extinction.
The Whale Totem reminds us that the gifts of nature are precious and not to be taken for granted. The Whale Totem also symbolizes inspiration and creativity. It reminds us that humans also have natural gifts that can actually enhance the natural world if only we choose to use them wisely. The keyword being ‘choose’ for we do have choice on this which also means we have responsibility for the consequences.

Nurturing children

The female whale if very protective towards its young and often they will join together with other females to form groups that encircle the young. This allows the mother to hunt for food while the calf is protected by other females.
The Whale Totem symbolizes nurturing and protection of young and reminds us of our responsibilities to children.

Harmony

There are many different species of whales and many of these are very different from each other. Some are hard to tell apart even by experts. The color, size and characteristics of whales vary greatly and for the most part they all seem to get along tolerably well.

The Whale Totem symbolizes living in harmony with each other. It reminds us that there are also different races of humans, with different characteristics, and we come in different shapes and colors and that each of us have a right to be here and our need to live in harmony with each other.

For everything there is a season

Many whales are great travelers who move with grace, strength and endurance through the ocean relying solely on their own powers and resources taking only what they need along the way to survive. Some species of whale such as the Baleen have to migrate to find food for their survival in different seasons. No one understands how they know it is time to move on or how they find their way to their new feeding grounds which can be thousands of miles apart.
The Whale Totem symbolizes grace, strength and endurance in moving through their environment and reminds us to tread lightly on the planet taking only what we need to get by. It also symbolizes trust in intuition and knowing when to move on, telling us that for everything there is a season and a time for every purpose. It teaches us to trust the natural order.

Qualities of the Whale

There are many wonderful virtues and qualities that whales possess that would help a person evolve spiritually and in wisdom. A person who can see these virtues and qualities and tries to emulate them, even if only partially successful, will experience greater harmony and ‘Oneness’ with nature and the universe. They will grow in wisdom and intuition and in doing so learn how to take only what they need from the world. They will become someone who nurtures and accepts and fulfils their responsibilities to the young, offering them protection to grow spiritually and in doing so will experience the flowering of their own soul.

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Spirituality: The Raven totem

Around the world animal totems have been used by many different societies throughout history. In the present day some people still use them to help with their spiritual development and growth. Many societies believed that by reproducing an animal’s qualities in their own lives, spiritual growth, greater awareness and harmony with the universe can be achieved.

Animal totems are not the animal and they are not the animal spirit. Instead they are representations that serve to remind of both. These can be in the form of sculptures, or pictorial representations such as pictures or symbols, or something as simple as a feather from a bird that can be kept on the person, or somewhere convenient.

Raven – Public Domain

Harbinger of death

The Raven has a reputation of being a harbinger of death, destruction and ill omen, in the eyes of many human societies throughout history. This is often because they are associated with battle and often seen scavenging among the dead. The blackness of its coloring enhances this dark view point but in spiritual terms this is a misconception. The Raven is actually a bird of warning and its arrival signals the ending of the old and the beginning of the new. The arrival of the Raven flying from the ‘otherworld’ into the human world is a sign to prepare for great change.

In the ending, is the beginning

The Raven totem is a reminder that in life we face situations that we perceive as good or bad, light or dark, right or wrong. The arrival of forced changes can indeed be like a battle causing real inner turmoil and anguish.  As part of the universe humans are governed by universal laws. Humans cannot see the cosmic perspective but think and react through their own personal perception. The Raven totem is a reminder that humans are subject to universal laws that work even though the end result cannot be seen.  For example a divorce from a spouse or redundancy from a long held job brings the end, or death of a situation. However with that death, or ending, a new situation, or life, is born from the depths of despair.

Trust the universe

The Raven totem is a reminder that all things on earth must one day end but that in that ending there is a new beginning. The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, ‘what the caterpillar calls the end, the world calls a butterfly.”
The Raven is not the bringer of destruction or the weapon of destruction. The function of the Raven is to prepare the person for the ending of a situation that has served its purpose, and point them to a new situation that will lead to greater spiritual evolution for the person.

Trust the universe

There are times when the universe is a vast and impersonal place and we cannot see our place in it. Things happen to us and situations arise which seem unfair and cruel. The Raven totem is a reminder that it is necessary to die to be reborn, that it is necessary to be destroyed before being renewed. The message is trust the universe.

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Spirituality: The Cougar totem

Animal totems are symbols that represent an animal and an animal spirit.  They help remind us of the special qualities and attributes an animal possesses that help it live in harmony with the natural world.

Mountain lion by USFWS Mountain-Prairie – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license –  From Wikimedia

Opening doors

In some cultures, particularly those of North America, there is a belief that an animal spirit will find a person when they are ready to evolve spiritually, or when they have a task that must be accomplished.  In other cultures it is believed that doors to spiritual development can be opened by studying an animal’s behavior and special attributes. In both cases there is the need to bring these special attributes and qualities into practice in our own lives to further spiritual development.  This does not mean literally taking up hunting, burrowing or other animal activities.  It means looking at how they live in their environment and how they harmonize with nature – living as ‘One’ with nature.

Animal totems

Many human cultures around the world use animal totems and ideas and practices vary from region to region.  A totem can be a sculpture or carving, or any type of pictorial representation such as a drawing or painting, or an object that can meaningfully represent an animal and spirit. Totems are tangible, visual reminders of the qualities of the animal and the animal spirit which we cannot touch or see, but we which are trying to get in union with.  The belief is that by getting in touch with the qualities we grow and evolve in knowledge and spiritually.   Even making a determined attempt to do this will bring significant rewards helping us to know ourselves better.  An animal that can help us with this is the cougar.

Know who we are

The cougar has many different names given them by humans, including puma catamount, mountain lion, panther, screamer, and many more.   None of them matter to this animal as it is a beast that knows who it is.  It knows its own name. The Cougar totem reminds us that in this life we are on a constant voyage of self discovery and that as life progresses we discover more of ourselves.  In doing so come to know ourselves and we come to know who we are.  Other people will think of us as they will but it is what we think of ourselves that matters.

Know our own power

Being a solitary animal the cougar must know its own power and trust in its instincts to survive.   It is a powerful and stealthy hunter often stalking its prey with great stealth and deliberation, or lying in wait for the right moment to pounce.  In the chase it can reach great speed but tires quickly. The Cougar totem teaches us that we must learn to know our own power and learn to trust our instincts.  If we can do this we can choose suitable goals that are attainable and satisfying.   When we know this we know what goals are within our power to attain and we can focus on them stalking them with deliberation. The Cougar totem reminds of the power of focus, determination and patience for there are times when we must actively seek out our dreams and other times when we must be prepared to lie in wait and seize the moment.

Climbing to higher levels

Learning these things is not always easy and it is often by trial and error that the skills and knowledge are attained.  Humans are not naturally solitary like the cougar and we may feel alone in our trials.

Cougar – Public Domain

The Cougar totem reminds us that through trial and error and our own effort we can evolve our own spirituality and abilities to higher levels.   Although we may live in human society receiving help from others it is up to us alone how we use our qualities and talents.  It is our responsibility alone to find the path to our own spiritual growth.

Gentleness and strength

The Cougar preys on deer and actively seeks them out. Deer are associated with gentleness.   From the deer the cougar gets nourishment and from the nourishment it gets gentleness and strength. When rearing cubs the mothers ferociously protect their cubs in their determination to nurture them to independence.  We are reminded that the powerful need to learn, determination,  and the patience to nurture as sometimes it takes great strength to be gentle which is not the same as weakness.    There are times when gentleness is more powerful than force and the Cougar totem teaches when to know this and when to use it.

Learn to know ourselves

Although we are all destined to evolve spiritually there are many people who fight against this in themselves and resent others from doing so.  They feel threatened because what is happening they do not understand.  They will mock and sabotage and deliberately hurt others who they see growing spiritually.   But the cougar has determination, patience and focus which give it power.  Though it is a solitary creature and its path is a lonely one the cougar naturally knows and trusts itself overcoming opposition and obstacles and instinctively finds the way.