Everything IFS Blog

Internal Family Systems

A symbolic still life on a stone surface featuring a small cloth pouch, scattered gold coins, wooden prayer beads with a tassel, a dagger resting on stacked old books, and a decorative vessel. The scene is softly lit and conveys wealth, temptation, and restrained power.

Chapter 53 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 53, exploring why the Great Way is simple, how ego-driven side paths form, and how Self-led simplicity restores balance.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

A serene still life featuring a small bonsai tree growing in a shallow stone bowl, set on a stone slab beside an old book, a rolled parchment, a smooth stone, and wooden prayer beads with a tassel. The scene is softly lit and conveys patience, balance, and quiet growth.

Chapter 54 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reflection on Tao Te Ching Chapter 54, showing how Self-led inner alignment becomes stable virtue that naturally radiates outward into family, community, and the world.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

A contemplative still life on a stone surface featuring a vintage globe on a stand, an old book with a rolled parchment on top, a smooth stone, wooden prayer beads with a tassel, and a small sprig of dried leaves. The scene is softly lit and conveys reflection, humility, and a sense of the greater whole.

Chapter 47 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 47, revealing how true knowing arises from inner stillness, Self-led awareness, and non-striving rather than outward searching.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

A contemplative still life on a stone surface featuring a small ornate incense burner releasing wisps of smoke, stacked smooth stones, a rolled parchment resting on an old book, dried herbs, and a few scattered stones. The scene is softly lit and evokes stillness, ritual, and quiet presence.

Chapter 50 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 50, exploring how force, grasping, and overstriving create inner “death,” while Self-led softness, non-clinging, and alignment with the Tao cultivate safety and vitality.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

Still-life scene with an ancient book and rolled parchment resting on stacked wooden boards, a smooth stone, a small steaming bowl, a wooden brush, and dried herbs arranged on soft linen in warm, earthy light.

Chapter 48 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 48, revealing why learning accumulates while the Tao liberates, and how Self-led non-action allows life to complete itself without force.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

Balanced still life featuring a stack of smooth stones on layered wooden slabs, two small lit candles in rustic holders, yin-yang stones, and dried grasses arranged on soft fabric in warm, earthy light.

Chapter 42 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 42, exploring how all inner experience arises from one Source, how opposites find harmony, and why humility and non-violence preserve life.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

Serene still life with a stone bowl of water holding a white lotus flower and rising steam, stacked smooth stones, a rolled parchment, incense on a wooden holder, dried herbs, and clear stones arranged on a textured surface in warm, soft light.

Chapter 45 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 45, revealing why true mastery looks subtle, fullness feels spacious, and calm clarity quietly restores inner order.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

Rustic still life with a stone bowl filled with grain, a bundle of wheat stalks, scattered seeds, a coiled rope, an earthenware jar, and a metal pitchfork resting on a stone slab in warm, earthy light.

Chapter 46 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 46, exploring how desire, discontent, and greed fuel inner war, and why deep contentment is the most stabilizing force of all.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

Minimalist still life with a small bonsai tree in a shallow stone bowl on a stone slab, smooth river stones, dried herbs, and a single lit lotus-shaped candle, set against soft fabric in warm, tranquil light.

Chapter 51 – Tao Te Ching

1. The Verse (Original) The Tao gives birth to all things.Virtue nourishes them.Matter shapes them.Environment completes them. Therefore all things honor the Taoand respect virtue—not by command,but by their own nature. The Tao gives life,and virtue raises them,nurtures them,cares for them,comforts them,protects them,and shelters them. To give life without possessing,to act without expecting,to guide without controlling—this is the deepest virtue. 2. The Essence — What Laozi

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

Still life with two heart-shaped stones, one light and one dark, resting on a stone slab beside a small lit bowl candle, with an old book and rolled parchment in soft, warm light.

Chapter 49 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 49, revealing how the sage’s unfixed mind mirrors Self-energy, offering unconditional goodness and sincerity that naturally creates trust and harmony.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

Still life with a rough stone block topped by a simple crown, surrounded by stacked stones, a bonsai tree, a lit candle, a bowl, and old books, arranged in warm, earthy light to evoke humility, balance, and quiet authority.

Chapter 39 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed exploration of Tao Te Ching Chapter 39, revealing how inner unity, humility, and Self-energy create true stability, leadership, and quiet strength without the need for glory.

Tao Te Ching

7 min read

Still life with a shallow stream flowing over stones, a stone bowl holding a white lotus flower, a small crown resting nearby, a lit candle, old books, and rolled parchment, arranged in soft, earthy light to suggest natural order and quiet restraint.

Chapter 32 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 32, exploring the nameless nature of Self, the danger of rigid identity, and how true leadership arises through humility, presence, and natural flow.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

Still life with a cracked earthen vessel repaired with golden seams, stone bowls of grain and water, a coiled rope, smooth stones, and a single lit candle on a stone surface in warm, muted light.

Chapter 22 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 22, exploring why wholeness arises through bending, how emptiness creates renewal, and how Self-led humility restores inner coherence without force.

Tao Te Ching

6 min read

Still life with a human skull resting on old books, an hourglass, a lit candle, scattered gold coins, a magnifying glass, beads, and incense, arranged on stone slabs in warm, subdued light to evoke reflection on time, wealth, and inner knowing.

Chapter 33 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 33, exploring why knowing yourself is true wisdom, Self-led mastery is real power, and enoughness creates inner wealth and lasting presence.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

Serene still life with a stone bowl of water holding a white lotus flower, stacked smooth stones, a spiral shell, scattered grains, old books, a lit candle, and an incense burner releasing smoke, arranged in warm, gentle light.

Chapter 40 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 40, revealing how returning and yielding restore inner harmony, and how Self emerges from the fertile emptiness beneath all experience.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

Still life with a stone engraved with a yin-yang symbol, a small globe, bowls of rice and fruit, a lit candle, incense, beads, old books, and a rolled scroll, arranged on a textured surface in warm, balanced light.

Chapter 35 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 35, exploring the quiet magnetism of Self-energy and why simplicity, presence, and steadiness nourish more deeply than intensity.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

Still life with a small bonsai tree in a shallow bowl, a sheathed sword resting beside it, bowls of grain, old books, a rolled scroll, incense smoke, and a lit candle, arranged in warm, restrained light.

Chapter 36 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed exploration of Tao Te Ching Chapter 36, revealing why true change happens through allowance, softness, and letting inner patterns complete their natural arc.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

Still life with a flowering bonsai tree, a lotus-shaped ornament on stacked books, bowls of fruit, an apple, smooth stones, and a rolled scroll arranged on stone slabs in warm, balanced light.

Chapter 38 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 38, revealing why true goodness is effortless, why forced morality creates inner disorder, and how Self-energy restores natural virtue.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

Still life with a serene stone Buddha statue resting on stacked books, a glowing lotus-shaped candle, rolled scrolls, prayer beads, an armillary sphere, a smooth stone, and reading glasses arranged on draped fabric in warm, contemplative light.

Chapter 41 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed interpretation of Tao Te Ching Chapter 41, exploring why true wisdom looks ordinary, why Self-energy appears weak to protectors, and how quiet clarity becomes real inner leadership.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

Still life with an overflowing treasure chest of gold coins, a tipped goblet spilling liquid, scattered coins, a ceremonial dagger, and a piece of fruit arranged on draped fabric in warm, dramatic light.

Chapter 9 —Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 9, exploring excess, perfectionism, graceful retreat, and the wisdom of stopping before harm arises.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

A gold Enneagram symbol with nine interconnected points arranged in a circle, labeled Types 1 through 9, set against a warm parchment-textured background representing the nine Enneagram personality types and their dynamic relationships.

Free IFS Enneagram Course

This free course explores the Enneagram as a system for understanding motivation rather than behavior. Thoughtfully informed by Internal Family Systems, it offers a grounded approach to the nine types without simplification or pressure to type.

Everything IFS

Free IFS Ray Course

This free course explores the Seven Rays as fundamental streams of consciousness shaping psychology, spirituality, and human development. Thoughtfully informed by Internal Family Systems, it offers a grounded way to understand these forces without turning them into labels.

Everything IFS

An elderly Sikh man sits cross-legged on a patterned cloth beside the sarovar at Harmandir Sahib in daylight, viewed from behind. He wears a white turban and flowing white robes, his posture calm and contemplative as he faces the Golden Temple across the still water. Soft sunlight illuminates the marble walkway, the reflective pool, and the gold façade of the gurdwara in the distance. A small brass incense burner and a bowl of marigold flowers rest quietly at his side, contributing to a serene, reverent atmosphere rooted in Sikh devotional practice.

Japji Sahib Pauree 17

Japji Sahib Pauree 17 points toward the boundlessness of the Divine, naming countless forms, names, qualities, and expressions that can never be fully captured or contained. Guru Nanak emphasizes humility before the infinite, reminding the seeker that language and intellect fall short. Through an Internal Family Systems (IFS) lens, this pauree softens parts that crave certainty or mastery and invites Self-led presence with mystery rather than control.

Everything IFS