Today: “We are not fools when we tell you, “Get up in the morning and have a cold shower.” – Yogi Bhajan

“We are not fools when we tell you, “Get up in the morning and have a cold shower.” All we want is the blood to circulate through the capillaries, and there’s no way to open the capillaries but to take a cold shower. There’s no other way. In the West it is called “hydrotherapy.” In the East it’s called “ishnaan.” It’s a most beautiful thing. When you take a cold shower, the blood from inside hits the outside to cover the attack. In that fast movement, it opens the capillaries. When the capillaries are open, they feed your glands, and when a glandular system is well-fed, it secretes. The chemistry of your blood becomes perfect. That gives you a capacity to act, think, know; and it gives you grit, stamina. What is so bad about that?” Yogi Bhajan

See lecture on cold showers

Meditation: M136-970930 – Reality and discipline

See related posts

What else Yogi Bhajan said

Today: “Be radiant as the midday sun.  Gratitude and kindness dissolve all conflict.” – from the I Ching

Be radiant as the midday sun.  Gratitude and kindness dissolve all conflict.  Let go and leave your karma behind.

Meditation: NM0415 – 20010910 – Karma & Dharma

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

See Previous reading

See Previous previous reading

See related posts

Tao Te Ching – Verse 73 – The Tao is always at ease.

Tell The Magical Story of Mushkil Gusha over a meal with friends today.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
30 – Thirty  Li / Igniting

Fire sparks more Flames:
The Superior Person holds an inner Fire that ignites passion in every heart it touches, until all the world is enlightened and aflame.

With so searing a flame, success will not be denied you.
Take care to be as peaceful and nurturing as the cow in the meadow; you are strong enough to be gentle.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

A Promethean flame is delivering light and heat to the situation at hand.
This radiance will cause such an alchemical transformation of circumstances that the changes will seem magical, miraculous.
Yet they are only shifts of perspective and attitude that bring clarity.
The passions kindled by this fire must be harnessed and used judiciously, or they threaten to consume your hopes and dreams.

Six in the second place means:

Glowing yellow warmth as if from the sun.
Supreme good fortune.

Yellow light. Supreme good fortune.

Sun

Midday has come; the sun shines with a yellow light. Yellow is the color of measure and mean. Yellow light is therefore a symbol of the highest culture and art, whose consummate harmony consists in holding to the mean.
38 – Thirty-Eight  K’uei / Estrangement

Fire distances itself from its nemesis, the Lake:
No matter how large or diverse the group, the Superior Person remains uniquely himself.

Small accomplishments are possible.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are working at cross-purposes with another.
The distance between you is very wide.
The gap can be closed, however, with no compromise of your integrity.
You are not adversaries in this case — just two persons addressing individual needs.
Ask yourself: are these needs mutually exclusive?
Is there common ground here?
Must there be one winner and one loser?
Could you become partners in seeking a soluti

Today: “Once you surrender, the karma surrenders with it; and once the karma surrenders with it, you are free.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Once you surrender, the karma surrenders with it; and once the karma surrenders with it, you are free. Then you can adopt Dharma. The moment you are in Dharma, and Dharma is your priority, you will never be subject to karma—you are free, you are liberated, you are fine. You are yourself. And then you enjoy yourself. You say what you feel, you do what you feel, you are an elevated self. It’s very fine, it’s very neat.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: NM0415 – 20010910 – Karma & Dharma

See related posts

What else Yogi Bhajan said

Today: “Show your resolve and strength.  Receive hostile affronts without reaction.” – from the I Ching

Show your resolve and strength.  Receive hostile affronts without reaction.

Meditation: NM0336 – For Inner Strength

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

See Previous reading

See Previous previous reading

See related posts

Tao Te Ching – Verse 73 – The Tao is always at ease.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
33 – Thirty-Three  Tun / Retreat

The tranquil Mountain towers overhead, yet remains this side of Heaven:
The Superior Person avoids the petty and superficial by keeping shallow men at a distance, not in anger but with dignity.

Such a retreat sweeps the path clear to Success.
Occupy yourself with minute detail.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Retreat in this instance is not a desperate flight in disarray, but a conscious choice to distance yourself from forces that would rob you of your peace.
It is not a surrender, but a regrouping.
Retreat from this conflict is actually an advance toward your own center.
You move toward balance, and thus a much stronger position.

The power of the dark is ascending. The light retreats to security, so that the dark cannot encroach upon it. This retreat is a matter not of man’s will but of natural law. Therefore in this case withdrawal is proper; it is the correct way to behave in order not to exhaust one’s forces.1
In the calendar this hexagram is linked with the sixth month (July-August), in which the forces of winter are already showing their influence.THE JUDGEMENT

RETREAT. Success.
In what is small, perseverance furthers.

Conditions are such that the hostile forces favored by the time are advancing. In this case retreat is the right course, and it is through retreat that success is achieved. But success consists in being able to carry out retreat correctly. Retreat is not to be confused with flight. Flight means saving oneself under any circumstances, whereas retreat is a sign of strength. We must be careful not to miss the right moment while we’re in full possession of power and position. Then we shall be able to interpret the signs of the time before it is too late and to prepare for provisional retreat instead of being drawn into a desperate life-and-death struggle. Thus we do not simply abandon the field to the opponent; we make it difficult for him to advance by showing perseverance in single acts of resistance. In this way we prepare, while retreating, for the counter- movement. Understanding the laws of a constructive retreat of this sort is not easy. The meaning that lies hidden in such a time is important.

 

A Peaceful Retreat - Thomas Kinkade

 

‘A Peaceful Retreat’ by Thomas Kinkade

THE IMAGE

Mountain under heaven: the image of RETREAT.
Thus the superior man keeps the inferior man at a distance,
Not angrily but with reserve.

The mountain rises up under heaven, but owing to its nature it finally comes to a stop. Heaven on the other hand retreats upward before it into the distance and remains out of reach. This symbolises the behavior of the superior man toward a climbing inferior; he retreats into his own thoughts as the inferior man comes forward. He does not hate him, for hatred is a form of subjective involvement by which we are bound to the hated object. The superior man shows strength (heaven) in that he brings the inferior man to a standstill (mountain) by his dignified reserve.


1. The idea expressed by this hexagram is similar to that in the saying of Jesus: “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil” (Matt.  5:39).

Today:”One breath per minute optimizes the cooperation between the left and right brain hemispheres.” Yogi Bhajan

“One breath per minute optimizes the cooperation between the left and right brain hemispheres. There is an experience of great calmness and openness to spiritual experience. Intuition is developed. The whole brain works, especially the brain stem and frontal lobes.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Related Posts

What else Yogi Bhajan said

Today: “Hold an attitude of gratitude.  No expectations, envy or regrets.  It will catch on with others.” – from the I Ching

Hold an attitude of gratitude.  No expectations, envy or regrets.  It will catch on with others.

Musings on Grace and Gratitude

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

See Previous reading

See Previous previous reading

See related posts

Tao Te Ching – Verse 71 – Not-knowing is true knowledge. Presuming to know is a disease.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
25 – Twenty-Five  Wu Wang / Remaining Blameless

Thunder rolls beneath Heaven, as is its nature and place:
Sage rulers aligned themselves with the changing seasons, nurturing and guiding their subjects to do the same.

Exceptional Progress if you are mindful to keep out of the way of the natural Flow.
It would be a fatal error to try to alter its course.
This is a time of Being, not Doing.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is thoroughly a matter of the heart.
If everything you attempt, no matter how carefully planned, ends in disarray, then examine your motives.
They are the cause of your predicament.
It isn’t that your motives aren’t pure — even the best intentions will fail under these circumstances.
What stymies you in this situation is that you have a motive at all.
Free yourself of all expectations, release any tenuous grip you may have, and roll with it.
This is totally out of your control.
There are higher powers and more elements affecting the outcome of this situation than you can imagine.
Get out of their way.

Six in the third place means:

An innocent man is unjustly accused of the theft of an ox taken by a drifter.
His very simplicity will acquit him.
Undeserved misfortune.
The cow that was tethered by someone
Is the wanderer’s gain, the citizen’s loss.

Tethered cow

Sometimes undeserved misfortune befalls a man at the hands of another, as for instance when someone passes by and takes a tethered cow along with him. His gain is the owner’s loss. In all transactions, no matter how innocent, we must accommodate ourselves to the demands of the time, otherwise unexpected misfortune overtakes us.

30 – Thirty  Li / Igniting

Fire sparks more Flames:
The Superior Person holds an inner Fire that ignites passion in every heart it touches, until all the world is enlightened and aflame.

With so searing a flame, success will not be denied you.
Take care to be as peaceful and nurturing as the cow in the meadow; you are strong enough to be gentle.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

A Promethean flame is delivering light and heat to the situation at hand.
This radiance will cause such an alchemical transformation of circumstances that the changes will seem magical, miraculous.
Yet they are only shifts of perspective and attitude that bring clarity.
The passions kindled by this fire must be harnessed and used judiciously, or they threaten to consume your hopes and dreams.

Today: “Some people waste their entire life showing off that they are somebody.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Some people waste their entire life showing off that they are somebody. Some people waste their entire life rebelling. Some people are egomaniac neurotics; they will build themselves into a millionaire, and then destroy it. What a drama! What is this? Have you seen some people? With all that God has given to them, they are very ungrateful. They will plead poor, they will plead miserable.” Yogi Bhajan

Yogi Bhajan’s Seven Steps to Happiness

See related posts

Today: “Spread your good fortune far and wide.” – from the I Ching

Spread your good fortune far and wide.

Meditation: NM0406 – Know the Best of You – Share the Best with Others

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

See Previous reading

See Previous

See Previous previous reading

See related posts

Tao Te Ching – Verse 71 – Not-knowing is true knowledge. Presuming to know is a disease.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
19 – Nineteen  Lin / Noble Calling

The rich, loamy Earth on the banks of the Marsh provides fertile soil for exceptional progress.
The Superior Person is inexhaustible in his willingness to teach, and without limit in his tolerance and support of others.

Supreme Success if you keep to your course.
But be aware that your time is limited; your power will wane, as Summer changes to Fall.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are in a position to help another.
This is a temporary situation, because your power is cyclical, seasonal.
Knowing this, you must perform your good deed without hope of reward.
You are not furthering your own process, but another’s.
Though you may cherish this other, you will never possess.
Touch without grasping.
Take comfort in becoming a fond memory.
Nurture, then let go.

Six in the fourth place means:

Successful or not, a sincere approach is the only course.
Complete approach.
No blame.

Guest from Far Away

‘Dear Guest from Far Away’, 1888 – Freiwirth-Lutzow Oscar
Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

While the three lower lines indicate rise to power and influence, the three upper lines show the attitude of persons in higher position toward those of lower rank for whom they procure influence. Here is shown the open-minded approach of a person of high rank to a man of ability whom he draws into his own circle, regardless of class prejudice. This is very favorable.

57 – Fifty-Seven  Sun / The Penetrating Wind

Wind follows upon wind, wandering the earth, penetrating gently but persistently:
The Superior Person expands his influence by reaffirming his decisions and carrying out his promises.

Small, persistent, focused effort brings success.
Seek advice from someone you respect.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Gentle persuasion is the key in this instance.
Though the words are soft, their speaker must be firm, calm and confident.
Gentle words are worthless if spoken with trepidation.
Wordless influence by example is also effective in this situation.
All persuasion should be almost unfelt, yet consistent and persistent.
Ask for feedback from someone you know to be an effective persuader.

Today: “If you do not have the purpose of your life, all purposes of life will not fit in.” – Yogi Bhajan

“If you do not have the purpose of your life, all purposes of life will not fit in. You don’t understand that there is a problem in us. We are not born to suffer. We suffer because we don’t have motivation, we don’t have purpose. We think if we are making “x” amount of money, we are fine, if we have “x” amount of sex, we are fine, if we have “x” amount of security, we are fine. We have a judgment on everything. That’s what our measurement is, but this measurement is ridiculous.” Yogi Bhajan

Yogi Bhajan’s Seven Steps to Happiness

See related psots

Today: It cannot be helped that we are affected by those with whom we relate.  We must contain the experience, not reacting.” – from the I Ching

It cannot be helped that we are affected by those with whom we relate.  We must contain the experience, not reacting.

Meditation: LA907 – Kriya for Non-Reaction

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

See Previous reading

See Previous previous reading

See related posts

Tao Te Ching – Verse 69 – Rather than make the first move it is better to wait and see.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
61 – Sixty-One  Chung Fu / Inner Truth

The gentle Wind ripples the Lake’s surface:
The Superior Person finds common ground between points of contention, wearing away rigid perspectives that would lead to fatal error.

Pigs and fishes.
You may cross to the far shore.
Great fortune if you stay on course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The subject of this hexagram discovers a key to Tranquility by first gaining insight into his own nature, then turning that vision outward.
By resolving inner conflicts and being at peace with himself, he learns to gain insight into others.
In effect, he enters another, sees with the other’s eyes, listens with the other’s ears, feels with the other’s heart.
He then returns to his own center, with new perspective and understanding.

Six in the third place means:

True companions share their fate.
One beats the drum, one grows silent.
One weeps, one sings.

He finds a comrade.
Now he beats the drum, now he stops.
Now he sobs, now he sings.

Ever Changing Moods

Ever Changing Moods by Jaybe

Here the source of a man’s strength lies not in himself but in his relation to other people. No matter how close to them he may be, if his centre of gravity depends on them, he is inevitably tossed to and fro between joy and sorrow. Rejoicing to high heaven, then sad to death – this is the fate of those who depend on an inner accord with other persons whom they love. Here we have only the statement of the law that this is so. Whether this condition is felt to be an affliction or the supreme happiness of love, is left to the subjective verdict of the person concerned.
9 – Nine  Hsiao Ch’u / Gentle Restraint

Winds of change high in the Heavens:
Air currents carry the weather.
Dense clouds blow in from the West, but still no rain.
The Superior Person fine tunes the image he presents to the world.

Small successes.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

No matter what you do, the fruit of your labors never seems to ripen.
Your reward remains just out of reach.
Men have gone mad from such anticipation.
Don’t lose your balance lunging for the brass ring.
While the Fates continue to restrain you, go them one better and display a self-generated restraint and grace.
Look for the humor in the situation.

Today: “The human is the light: mental, spiritual, self, and the teacher is the embodiment of it.” – Yogi Bhajan

“The human is the light: mental, spiritual, self, and the teacher is the embodiment of it. It delightfully lights everything, and removes the darkness.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA877-19960604 – Self Realization

See related posts

Today: We cannot control what others think or do.  Unnecessary interference in the complexity of the flow of events can only cause more damage.” – from the I Ching

We cannot control what others think or do.  Unnecessary interference in the complexity of the flow of events can only cause more damage.

Lecture: LA860 – 960131 – Increase the Flow of the Earth Within You

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

See Previous reading

See Previous previous reading

See related posts

Tao Te Ching – Verse 69 – Rather than make the first move it is better to wait and see.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
25 – Twenty-Five  Wu Wang / Remaining Blameless

Thunder rolls beneath Heaven, as is its nature and place:
Sage rulers aligned themselves with the changing seasons, nurturing and guiding their subjects to do the same.

Exceptional Progress if you are mindful to keep out of the way of the natural Flow.
It would be a fatal error to try to alter its course.
This is a time of Being, not Doing.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is thoroughly a matter of the heart.
If everything you attempt, no matter how carefully planned, ends in disarray, then examine your motives.
They are the cause of your predicament.
It isn’t that your motives aren’t pure — even the best intentions will fail under these circumstances.
What stymies you in this situation is that you have a motive at all.
Free yourself of all expectations, release any tenuous grip you may have, and roll with it.
This is totally out of your control.
There are higher powers and more elements affecting the outcome of this situation than you can imagine.
Get out of their way.

Six in the third place means:

An innocent man is unjustly accused of the theft of an ox taken by a drifter.
His very simplicity will acquit him.

Undeserved misfortune.
The cow that was tethered by someone
Is the wanderer’s gain, the citizen’s loss.

Tethered cow

Sometimes undeserved misfortune befalls a man at the hands of another, as for instance when someone passes by and takes a tethered cow along with him. His gain is the owner’s loss. In all transactions, no matter how innocent, we must accommodate ourselves to the demands of the time, otherwise unexpected misfortune overtakes us.

13 – Thirteen  T’ung Jên / Social Mechanism

Heaven reflects the Flame of clarity:
The Superior Person analyzes the various levels and working parts of the social structure, and uses them to advantage.

Success if you keep to your course.
You may cross to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a matter of Positioning — not only yourself, but others as well.
There are niches to be filled, potentials to be realized, right livelihoods to be found.
You are not building a new organization, but shoring up an existing infrastructure.
It’s worth the effort, because it will provide union, community, and an ironclad alliance.

Today: “Never utter a word if it’s not from your navel point, and it doesn’t confirm your regal, highest self.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Never utter a word if it’s not from your navel point, and it doesn’t confirm your regal, highest self. Once you start speaking from your anhad, the navel point, in your royalty, you shall live royally. All riches shall come to you, and everybody will feel you.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation:  LA588 890411 Silver Grain Meditation 

See related posts

Today: Lead by  your radiance.  Others will see you and begin to live by your example.” – from the I Ching

Lead by  your radiance.  Others will see you and begin to live by your example.

Meditation: LA822-950201-Healing the Physical

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

See Previous reading

See Previous previous reading

See related posts

Tao Te Ching – Verse 68 – The best athlete wants his opponent at his best. The best general enters the mind of his enemy. The best businessman serves the communal good. The best leader follows the will of the people.

Recite The Magical Story of Mushkil Gusha over a meal with friends today.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
44 – Forty-Four  Kou / Compulsion

A playful Zephyr dances and delights beneath indulgent Heaven:
A Prince who shouts orders but will not walk among his people may as well try to command the four winds.

A strong, addictive temptation, much more dangerous than it seems.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are ignoring a clear and present danger to your well-being.
If this threat emanated from a heavy-handed oppressor, you would see it coming.
But this danger comes to you in the form of a seduction, an amusement, a diversion, an indulgence that is eating away at the fiber of your secure little world.
You are too cocksure.
You underestimate the tribute this dalliance will demand.

Nine in the fifth place means:

Keep this melon growing in the shade.
It is a blessing from heaven.

A melon covered with willow leaves.
Hidden lines.
Then it drops down to one from heaven.

Willow leaves

Willow leaves

The melon, like the fish, is a symbol of the principle of darkness. It is sweet but spoils easily and for this reason is protected with a cover of willow leaves. This is a situation in which a strong, superior, well-poised man tolerates and protects the inferiors in his charge. He has the firm lines of order and beauty within himself but he does not lay stress upon them. He does not bother his subordinates with outward show or tiresome admonitions but leaves them quite free, putting his trust in the transforming power of a strong and upright personality. And behold! Fate is favorable. His inferiors respond to his influence and fall to his disposition like ripe fruit.

18 – Eighteen  Ku / Repairing the Damage

Winds sweep through the Mountain valley:
The Superior Person sweeps away corruption and stagnation by stirring up the people and strengthening their spirit.

Supreme success.
Before crossing to the far shore, consider the move for three days.
After crossing, devote three days of hard labor to damage control.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are blessed with an opportunity to resuscitate that which others have abandoned as beyond repair.
This ruin wasn’t caused by evil intention, but by indifference to decay.
Just by addressing yourself to the problem, you exhibit a new awareness, a fresh perspective.
This is a time of recovery, renewal, regeneration.

Today: “So, you have all come here to become teachers and you must understand the faculty of teacher” – Yogi Bhajan

“So, you have all come here to become teachers and you must understand the faculty of teacher. A Teacher is sharp enough to cut the hardness of the heart, the rudeness of the mind, the falsehood of the head, and the shakiness of the feet. A Teacher challenges you with an absolute definitive graceful power of projection and leaves you no alternative but to submit, surrender, and come in obedience. You are going to become Teachers. Are you going to be that powerful, with that caliber?” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: M136-970930 – Reality and discipline

See related posts

Today: Be the blessings for those less fortunate just as you have received yours from above.  It is the recipe for incalculable success and happiness. ” – from the I Ching

Be the blessings for those less fortunate just as you have received yours from above.  It is the recipe for incalculable success and happiness.

Meditation: NM0420-20011015 – The Power of Memories – Remember the Saint Within

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

See Previous reading

See Previous previous reading

See related posts

Tao Te Ching – Verse 67 – Some say that my teaching is nonsense.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
11 – Eleven  T’ai / Peace

Heaven and Earth embrace, giving birth to Peace.
The Superior Person serves as midwife, presenting the newborn gift to the people.

The small depart; the great approach.
Success.
Good fortune.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

It doesn’t get any better than this.
Everything is in harmony, all obstacles are cleared from your Path, anything you could ask for is right at hand.
This is the Elysian Fields, the Garden of Eden.
The only thing wrong with Peace is that it, too, must change.
Whether you are in this state of harmony now or it is predicted for your future, recognize it as your greatest opportunity to build your resources against less harmonious times.

Six in the fourth place means:

Instead of stretching to grasp the wealth that may rise out of reach, he stoops to help his companions climb to his level.
They expect his resentment but receive only his faith and love; they no longer fear his power.

He flutters down, not boasting of his wealth,
Together with his neighbor,
Guileless and sincere.

Wealth

In times of mutual confidence, people of high rank come in close contact with the lowly quite simply and without boasting of their wealth. This is not due to the force of circumstances but corresponds with their inmost sentiment. The approach is made quite spontaneously, because it is based on inner conviction.
34 – Thirty-Four  Ta Chuang / Awesome Power

Thunder fills the Heavens with its awful roar, not out of pride, but with integrity; if it did less, it would not be Thunder:
Because of his Great Power, the Superior Person takes pains not to overstep his position, so that he will not seem intimidating or threatening to the Established Order.

Opportunity will arise along this course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The Awesome Power available in this hexagram stems from what the Taoists call your Te, a term not perfectly translated into English.
Roughly, it is your Integrity — not in the Western sense of honor — but more in the psychological definition of a full integration of Who You Are.
This Awesome Power is achieved only by fully embracing both the good and the bad, the strong and the weak, the masculine and the feminine — all polarities within you.
Such self-knowledge spawns a Mastery tempered with the humility necessary to rein in and harness this Awesome Power.