The Tao of Wonder Woman — Richard Kightlinger

Chapter Nineteen, Abandon Cleverness & Wisdom

“Forget about knowledge and wisdom, and people will be a hundred times better off. Throw away charity and righteousness, and people will return to brotherly love. Throw away profit and greed, and there won't be any thieves. These three are superficial and aren't enough to keep us at the center of the circle, so we must also: Embrace simplicity. Put others first. Desire little.” *

“You must unlearn what you have learned.” – Yoda *

The Tao suggests stopping trying to know more. It is the search for knowledge and cleverness that we forget to seek the spiritual. When seek to show how humble or giving we are that we forget the true meaning for giving and charity. It is the search for more and more that we see increased robberies and other crimes. When we seek to be ourselves not to be better than anyone else. When we seek to be just ourselves whatever that means. There is no reason to be better and show-off our gifts or money or material wealth. We truly begin to see just what the universe has to offer us. We begin to receive the true gifts that can be bestowed freely. However, to be able to let go of the grandiosity we need to unlearn what it means to be simple.

Most people do not like Brussels sprouts because our mothers steamed or boiled them. Then by sheer coincidence Brussels sprouts are served. To be a good guest we put our feelings aside and try the dish. These Brussels sprouts are sautéed in butter with onion, garlic almonds and the slightest hint of brown sugar, resulting in a new taste and there is an immediate change in perception of Brussels sprouts and a willingness to try more. We have let go of the old perception to learn something new. We are humbled by our old idea and willing to accept the new idea. When we can accept our spirituality and are willing to learn new ideas we too can let go of the old to accept the new. We will then return to a simpler way of thinking.

“Great sisters. All this time, you have been weaving a fate for me. If there are fights, I will win them – but I won’t be a weapon or a warrior. Let me be more than I was made to be” *

Diana’s mission is clear and strong she never wavers. However, there are times she must use her knowledge and cleverness to succeed. But her mission never changes. She let’s go of her grandiosity. She let’s go of herself to help those in need to teach a lesson. She will lower herself to solve a problem – to win the battle. The victors are those that can lower themselves. There was one battle particularly important. Wonder Woman battles Medusa to find that the only way to win this battle is to take the step further than expected. Diana to prevent being turned to stone by the Gorgon, Medusa Diana blinds herself. (Stoned Conclusion, Wonder Woman, volume 2, #210, DC Comics, January 2005)

“One mortal life…is worth MORE…” *

Diana’s sacrifices can teach and mold us to be better people. To take that extra step. To let go of the vanity and the grandiosity. To humble herself. For Diana it’s not about being the best or the greatest. Diana is not seeking to be a queen or a goddess she only seeks to serve those in need.

“It is my heart’s desire to help a world in need, to alleviate humanity’s injustices and remedy their pain. I believed I was given these powers, so I could accomplish this mission by being a stronger, woman, a better warrior, a more perfect Amazon. But maybe there is another way, a better way to grant peace.” *

*Tao Te Ching - http://www.wright-house.com/religions/taoism/tao-te-ching.html

* Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, episode V, Twentieth Century Fox, May 21, 1980, Frank Oz (actor)

* Wonder Woman: Earth One, Volume 1, DC Comics, 2016

* “Stoned Conclusion” Wonder Woman, volume 2, #210, DC Comics, January 2005

* “Heart of the Amazon” Part Four, Wonder Woman, #29, DC Comics, October 2017

Chapter Twenty, The Thin Line

“It's a thin line, between love and hate. It's a thin line...” *

“He lives next door, Mr. Odd, Mr. Odd; He's rather strange, Mr. Odd, Mr. Odd; He's walking in the rain, Mr. Odd, Mr. Odd and that's his name, Mr. Odd, Mr. Odd” *

There is a thin line between Love and Hate. There is a thin line between normal and odd. Those who practice a spiritual life separate from tradition are normally found to be odd or different. They wake up early to pray and meditate. They may journal daily. They have special diets. Those people that do not follow these practices do not understand and even may question the deepness of the faith. Faith is in the beholder. Who is to question another person’s faith. We all seek different ways to center our beings – to quiet our thoughts. Who’s to say what works for one will not work for the other. But for those that often do something different they often feel alone.

“The name of this train is the Nothing Special. It's just an ordinary train. A very ordinary train. Just like all the others; just a very ordinary train.” *

There is nothing special about the religious or spiritual practices we have. What is special is what these practices give us. Ming-Dao Deng, in “365 Tao: Daily Meditations”, summarizes spiritual practices. We are all travelers riding to the peak of a summit. We each ride a donkey, but we travel the same path. When we all reach the summit, we dismount our donkey and we enjoy our lives together. * The path we travel is the spiritual journey. The donkey is the spiritual practice. The summit is the final goal – eternal peace. It’s not about what we do but how we reach our conclusions. Those that practice a spiritual life often find ridicule and misunderstandings. Those that practice a spiritual life often feel alone but where they find their joy, their sustenance is in the practice and faith.

"What’s the difference between yes and no? What’s the difference between beautiful and ugly? Must one dread what others dread? Oh barbarity! Will it never end?

Other people are joyous, like on the feast of the ox, like on the way up to the terrace in the spring.

I alone am inert, giving no sign, like a newborn baby who has not learned to smile. I am wearied, as if I lacked a home to go to.

Other people have more than they need, I alone seem wanting. I have the mind of a fool, understanding nothing.

The common people see clearly, I alone am held in the dark. The common people are sharp, only I am clumsy, Like drifting on the waves of the sea, without direction. Other people are occupied, I alone am unwilling, like the outcast. I alone am different from the others, because I am nourished by the great mother." *

We’ve talk of Diana’s mission. We’ve talked how different she is from other men and women. She has received criticisms for her clothing and her beliefs. She never falters. She understands there is a thin line between failure and success. She understands she is different. Knowing this about herself gives her strength, gives her power, and shows her the resolve needed. She is forever connected to her Lasso of Truth; this keeps her continually looking within herself. When needed Diana will turn to her deities for support and wisdom. Diana found her resolve, when she was fighting the Ares imagined but human created monster, Genocide. “All I wanted was to kill that monster. To let it drown alone in the dark. To have my revenge. And yet I find I am not that person. Thank Hera. Thank all the gods. Tears of relief and resurrection mix immediately with the dark water around me. I remain Diana. Right or wrong, I will not murder. I will not take a life knowingly today when any other options exist. My heart is clear and with clarity comes mercy.” *

Like Diana, we find our resolve in our spiritual practices, whatever they may be. I alone am different from the others, because I am nourished by the great mother." * “The great mother”, mentioned in the passage could be the Mother Earth, or the feminine practice of spirituality. Remember it is feminine to be spiritually receptive. To open to a spiritual practice is a feminine response. That is why many religions have strong connections to feminine influences. Diana is not different. Diana will commune with all the Greek gods. She has communed and pledged herself with the Hawaiian god of the sun and sky, Kane Milohai. It doesn’t matter who or what your practices focus around. The spiritual practice is what’s important.

“She, Athena, who loves me and knows me best of all goddesses… She said the one thing that would clear my eyes and calm my mind, she said I knew my duty. I know my duty. I have always known it.”

Diana’s practices make her strong and a force of good. She is an inspiration. There is nothing wrong with using her as inspiration.

“Wonder Woman stood apart from every woman of her time. She was always looking for – yearning for – a connection to others in this new world. To whom could she turn? Not only was she separated from her family and her roots, but she also had her allies to protect. It’s this need to connect that, in my mind, has always made her a human, likable and complex character.” *

* Thin Line Between Love and Hate, album, Thin Line Between Love & Hate, The Persuaders, 1972, Robert and Richard Poindexter, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

* Mr. Odd, album Cult of the Basement, The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy, 1990, Rough Trade Records

* Nothing Special, album Distressed Gentlefolk, The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy, 1986, Rough Trade Records

* Donkey, 365 Tao: Daily Meditations, page 333, Deng, Ming-Dao (author), 1992, HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

* Tao Te Ching: The Taoism of Lao Tzu Explained, Lao Tzu (author) Stefan Stenudd (author), Arriba (February 6, 2011)

* “Compound Fracture” Wonder Woman, #32, DC Comics, July 2009

* “Uprising” Wonder Woman, #31, DC Comics, June 2009

* Tao Te Ching: The Taoism of Lao Tzu Explained, Lao Tzu (author) Stefan Stenudd (author), Arriba (February 6, 2011)

* “Wonder Woman Can Save the World” Introduction by Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman, #600, DC Comics, August 2010

Chapter Twenty-One, The Great Heart

“All the many forms of virtue flow from the Tao, but the nature of the Tao is infinitely abstract and illusive. Abstract and Illusive, indeed, but at its heart is all being. Unfathomable and obscure, indeed, but at its heart is all spirit, and spirit is reality. At its heart is truth. The Tao is eternal and unceasing – it is present at all beginnings. How do I know this? By the same Tao.” *

Where is the Tao truly known and felt? The Tao and all spiritual practices are felt and known in the heart. Therefore, the spiritual is often referred to as evasive, elusive, abstract, or mysterious. It is in the heart that we feel the truth and we will radiate with that knowledge and faith. The opened mind of the opened heart allows the spiritual seeker to understand and slowly grasp that which is mysterious or elusive. With the Tao there is loss and acceptance so with these ideas there is only the open-heart that can understand. The truly devote will seek other messages other ideas that help them reach the goal. When asked, “How do you know?” the truly devote will say, “I can see into my heart.”

“Your vision becomes clear when you look inside your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.” – Carl Jung

The spiritual person is always questioning themselves. They wonder and doubt. They have opened-minds and opened-hearts. They continually question who they are, and they will look deep inside the people around them. Seeing the true spirit within their family and friends. Diana seeks within to know her true self. She is lucky because she has the Golden Lasso to help get to the truth. She will look inside to seek the counsel of goddesses.

“She, Athena, who loves me and knows me best of all goddesses…she said the one thing that would clear my eyes and calm my mind. She said I knew my duty. I know my duty. I have always known it.” *

Because Diana is continually looking inside herself for the truth, she can look inside others as well. With or without the use of the lasso. Wonder Woman and Power Girl were facing the Children of Ares as these children were terrorizing Washington, DC. Wonder Woman were going to face the godly children while Power Girl was facing a mind-controlled mob. Power girl being a one trick pony of pushing was not too sure of herself. Diana considered Power Girl’s heart and knew she had the ability to calm a mob. During the mob’s movement Power girl looked at herself and instead of punching channeled a different idea. “UH. Pretend I’m Diana, then. Think the power of love and all that crap, okay? Hope and brotherhood or whatever!”

“You’re alone, you all feel like the only ones who feel like you do. You don’t understand the people around you. And you get mad. But…Dammit, people. Look around you. Look at these people you want to hurt. Because you hurt. But come on are these people REALLY your enemies? They’re your neighbors, guys. That may not sound like much, but take it from someone who...who never thought she’d have neighbors again, you know? I’m not saying you have to love everyone, that’s not...that’s not how I live. But don’t be alone guys. Be part of something bigger. That’s all. That’s all,” *

“Is this actually working? Holy crap, I think it’s working. Maybe there is a little Diana in me after all!” *

Looking inside her heart to see her own truth gives Diana the ability to look inside others to see their truth as well. There is an old colloquialism, “it takes one to know one.” If we are seriously looking inside, then we will be able to see the truth in others as well. Here is the virtue. What we see in ourselves we see in others. If we are continually looking at the negative, then all we will see is the negative. The spiritual will become more of a mystery and obscure. But when we focus on the positive looking inside our hearts for the positive – Hope, Peace, Joy and LOVE. Then we will begin to see those in others as well.

*Tao Teh Ching, The Book of the Way, by Lao Tzu, translated by Dwight Goddard (1919), revised and edited by Sam Torode, Ancient Renewal, Middleton Delaware, 2015

* “Rise of the Olympian: Uprising” Part Six, Wonder Woman, #31, DC Comics, June 2009

* “Murder of Crows: Throwdown” Part two, Wonder Woman, #41, DC Comics, April 2010