THE VOID
"Thirty spokes are joined together in a wheel, but it is the hole in the center that allows the wheel to function.
We mold clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that makes the vessel useful.
We fashion wood for a house, but it is the inner space that makes it livable.
We work with the substantial, but the emptiness is what we use." Tao Te Ching, chapter 11
When I read these words today, they seemed to jump off the page and swirl around in my head. Lao Tzu used such ordinary things—a wheel, a pot, a house—to convey an extraordinary truth. We spend so much of our lives focusing on what is there. We notice the spokes of the wheel, the clay of the pot and the walls of the house. Yet Lao Tzu invites us to look at what is not there. The empty space. The void.
Without the opening in the center, the wheel cannot perform its purpose. Without the empty space inside the pot, there is nowhere to pour the water. Without the space enclosed by the walls, a house is simply a collection of building materials. The true usefulness comes from what appears to be missing. What a beautiful spiritual lesson this is.
We live in a world that constantly encourages us to fill every empty space. We fill our homes with things, our calendars with appointments, our minds with information, our phones with notifications and sometimes even our silence with noise. We can become so accustomed to filling that we forget the sacredness of emptiness. Yet it is often in the empty spaces that Spirit speaks the loudest.
Think about meditation. We become still and quiet so there is room to hear. Think about prayer. After we speak our desires, concerns and gratitude, there comes a moment when perhaps the most powerful thing we can do is stop talking and listen. Think about releasing something that no longer serves us. At first, its absence can feel uncomfortable. There is suddenly a hole where a relationship, habit, belief, expectation or dream once existed. Our human instinct may be to rush to fill that space.
But what if the empty space is not something to fear? What if it is sacred?
There have been many times in my life when I did not know what came next. I could not see the next road, the next destination or even understand why something had disappeared from my life. Those moments taught me that an empty space does not necessarily mean that something is missing. Sometimes it means something is being prepared.
We cannot receive with closed hands. We cannot pour fresh water into a cup that is already overflowing. And sometimes God asks us to empty ourselves of what we think we know so that divine wisdom has somewhere to land. Perhaps this is why silence can feel so powerful. Silence is not nothingness. It is possibility.
The pause between two notes is part of the music. The space between breaths is part of life. The darkness between stars allows us to see their brilliance. Even the soil must have space for the seed to open and grow. Maybe we do not need to fill every void. Maybe some spaces are meant to remain open long enough for miracles to enter.
Dear Angels, why does emptiness sometimes feel frightening when it can hold so much possibility?
Dear Ones, because you have been taught to measure abundance by what you can see, touch and hold. Yet much of what sustains you cannot be held in your hands. Love has no physical form. Peace cannot be placed upon a shelf. Faith cannot be weighed. Divine guidance cannot always be seen with human eyes.
Do not mistake an empty space for an empty life. When something leaves, bless the space it occupied. When you do not know the answer, bless the question. When the road ahead has not yet revealed itself, bless the mystery. You do not have to rush to fill every opening. Sit quietly within it. Breathe. Listen. Allow.
There are times when the Divine creates space in your life because what is coming requires room to enter. Trust the clearing. Trust the silence. Trust the pause. The vessel is useful because it is open. So are you.
Angels Whisper: Do not fear the empty spaces in your life. They are not always evidence of what you have lost. Sometimes they are sacred invitations to receive what you could not hold before. Empty your hands, quiet your mind and make room. Something beautiful may already be on its way.
Today, I promise to pay more attention to the void.
Teri Angel is a Joy Guide, Happiness Coach, energy healer, best-selling author, spiritual teacher, mentor, and inspirational speaker devoted to awakening peace within the human heart. As an International Peace Ambassador and founder of the nonprofit Angelspeakers Inc., Teri creates transformative workshops, sacred gatherings, and global initiatives that honor environmental stewardship, animal advocacy, peace consciousness, and the integration of ancient wisdom teachings into modern life.
Through her worldwide movement, Peas For Peace, Teri invites humanity to remember our divine interconnectedness—strengthening awareness of our oneness and inspiring unity through compassion, love, joy, and intentional action. During the Peace On Earth Tour, she was honored with the sacred name “She Who Blesses the Sacred Land,” a title she carries with humility and heartfelt grace as she continues blessing lands and waters around the world.
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