Naming the Nameless

One theme which continues to pop up in my studies of Jung, Schopenhauer, Campbell, Tolle, Saint Patrick, et al is this theme of "interconnectedness", "collective unconsciousness", and "oneness." These are not new themes I'm discovering, as they have long played a role in my life; however, what *I am* finding incredibly fascinating is seeing how each of these individuals grappled with the idea and then how they chose to describe it. Talk about synchronicities!

I think one of the interpretations of this idea that I like best comes from the Tao Te Ching, chapter 25, which is entitled "Naming the Nameless." I'm including the whole of it here for your happy perusal! Enjoy! Namaste!

"What preceded life? The earth.
What preceded the earth? The universe.
What preceded the universe?
The soundless and shapeless, origin of origins,
ever transforming and having no beginning nor end.

This Mother of the universe is boundless, and nameless.
But if we wanted to share with you anything
about this remarkable non-executing executor,
we must invent a name for it.

We will call it the Tao because Tao means great.
Incredibly great because it occupies infinite space,
being fully present in the whole universe, and in every infinitesimal particle.

Because this Great Integrity created the universe,
and the universe created the earth,
and the earth created us, we are all incredibly great.

Life derives from the nature of the earth.
The earth derives from the nature of the universe.
The universe derives from the nature of the Great Integrity.
And the Great Integrity is the omnipresent, omnigenous omniform,
the universal material and spiritual abundance,
and the holoversal interlinkage and coition of existence."