Month: August 2017

Today: “What does yoga mean?” Yogi Bhajan

“What does yoga mean? Yoga means to be united. When you unite with your soul and unite with the One who gave you the soul, that’s what yoga is.” Yogi Bhajan
(via Ram Anand)

 

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Today: Recognize your abundance and be grateful – from the I Ching

 

Recognize your abundance, enjoy it and be grateful.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching
“
It is not given to every mortal to bring about a time of outstanding greatness and abundance. Only a born ruler of men is able to do it, because his will is directed to what is great. Such a time of abundance is usually brief. Therefore a sage might well feel sad in view of the decline that must follow. But such sadness does not befit him. Only a man who is inwardly free of sorrow and care can lead in a time of abundance. He must be like the sun at midday, illuminating and gladdening everything under heaven.


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Today: I Ching

Today: “If you become your own teacher” Yogi Bhajan

“If you become your own teacher, prosperity will be there. Good things and good ideas will come to you.” Yogi Bhajan
(via Ram Anand)

 

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Today: Hold together in devotion – from the I Ching

 

Hold together in devotion with your family and community.  Lead or follow but do not be subservient.  With patience, rewards follow for all.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching
“
WHAT IS required is that we unite with others, in order that all may complement and aid one another through holding together. But such holding together calls for a central figure around whom other persons may unite. To become a centre of influence holding people together is a grave matter and fraught with great responsibility. It requires greatness of spirit, consistency, and strength. Therefore let him who wishes to gather others about him ask himself whether he is equal to the undertaking, for anyone attempting the task without a real calling for it only makes confusion worse than if no union at all had taken place.
If a man has recognised the necessity for union and does not feel strong enough to function as the centre, it is his duty to become a member of some other organic fellowship.
If a person responds perseveringly and in the right way to the behests from above that summon him to action, his relations with others are intrinsic and he does not lose himself. But if a man seeks association with others as if he were an obsequious office hunter, he throws himself away. He does not follow the path of the superior man, who never loses his dignity.
WHEN CLOUDS rise in the sky, it is a sign that it will rain. There is nothing to do but to wait till after the rain falls. It is the same in life when destiny is at work. We should not worry and seek to shape the future by interfering in things before the time is ripe. We should quietly fortify the body with food and drink and the mind with gladness and good cheer. Fate comes when it will, and thus we’re ready.


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Today: I Ching

Today: “You cannot hep but change” Yogi Bhajan

“You cannot hep but change. So change towards righteousness. It is possible and it is human.” Yogi Bhajan
(via Ram Anand)

 

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Today: Stay cool, engage your intuition – from the I Ching

There is a strong tendency to be goaded into unwise actions by one’s compulsions.  Fortunately, circumstances can prevent such action.  Urges remain unsatisfied, but one can learn from contemplating the near catastrophe in order to prevent a repetition of the crisis.

Opposition remains,  but graceful interaction and compromise can produce small gradual effects that mitigate the conflict and lead to resolution.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching
“
The inferior man rises only because the superior man does not regard him as dangerous and so lends him power. If he were resisted from the first, he could never gain influence.
The time of COMING TO MEET is important in still another way. Although as a general rule the weak should not come to meet the strong, there are times when this has great significance. When heaven and earth come to meet each other, all creatures prosper; when a prince and his official come to meet each other, the world is put in order. It is necessary for elements predestined to be joined and mutually dependent to come to meet one another halfway. But the coming together must be free of dishonest ulterior motives, otherwise harm will result.
There is a temptation to fall in with the evil element offering itself-a very dangerous situation. Fortunately circumstances prevent this; one would like to do it, but cannot. This leads to painful indecision in behaviour. But if we gain clear insight into the danger of the situation, we shall at least avoid more serious mistakes.
When people live in opposition and estrangement they cannot carry out a great undertaking in common; their points of view diverge too widely. In such circumstances one should above all not proceed brusquely, for that would only increase the existing opposition; instead, one should limit oneself to producing gradual effects in small matters. Here success can still be expected, because the situation is such that the opposition does not preclude all agreement.
In general, opposition appears as an obstruction, but when it represents polarity within a comprehensive whole, it has also its useful and important functions. The oppositions of heaven and earth, spirit and nature, man and woman, when reconciled, bring about the creation and reproduction of life. In the world of visible things, the principle of opposites makes possible the differentiation by categories through which order is brought into the world.


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Today: I Ching

Today: “There are two ways to change things” Yogi Bhajan

“There are two ways to change things: Either you are forced to change or you have the intuition to change.” Yogi Bhajan
(via Ram Anand)

 

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Today: In a time of great opposition, someone will come through – from the I Ching

In a time of great opposition, someone will come through to breach the divide, perhaps in a small way, revealing true character.  It is there for all to see the thinly veiled pretense that has held the separation.  What was the big deal?  What is required to promote and sustain that awakening is a return to innocence.   Simply see what the situation requires, and do the right thing.  Originally, everyone knows what that is, though judgement becomes clouded by  fear, greed, lust for power, rivalry and tribalism.  Those are the things that we have to lose, as opposed to everything.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching
“
When people live in opposition and estrangement they cannot carry out a great undertaking in common; their points of view diverge too widely. In such circumstances one should above all not proceed brusquely, for that would only increase the existing opposition; instead, one should limit oneself to producing gradual effects in small matters. Here success can still be expected, because the situation is such that the opposition does not preclude all agreement.
In general, opposition appears as an obstruction, but when it represents polarity within a comprehensive whole, it has also its useful and important functions. The oppositions of heaven and earth, spirit and nature, man and woman, when reconciled, bring about the creation and reproduction of life. In the world of visible things, the principle of opposites makes possible the differentiation by categories through which order is brought into the world.
Coming upon a sincere man, one fails to recognise him at first because of the general estrangement. However, he bites his way through the wrappings that are causing the separation. When such a companion thus reveals himself in his true character, it is one’s duty to go to meet him and to work with him.
Man has received from heaven a nature innately good, to guide him in all his movements. By devotion to this divine spirit within himself, he attains an unsullied innocence that leads him to do right with instinctive sureness and without any ulterior thought of reward and personal advantage. This instinctive certainty brings about supreme success and “furthers through perseverance”. However, not everything instinctive is nature in this higher sense of the word, but only that which is right and in accord with the will of heaven. Without this quality of rightness, an unreflecting, instinctive way of acting brings only misfortune. Confucius says about this:
“He who departs from innocence, what does he come to? Heaven’s will and blessing do not go with his deeds.”


Meditation
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Today: I Ching

Today: “You determine your worth” Yogi Bhajan

“You determine your worth. Nobody else can do it. Whatever worth you give yourself, that shall be.” Yogi Bhajan
(via Ram Anand)

 

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Today: Give attention to with whom you associate – from the I Ching

Give attention to with whom you associate.  Welcome those with whom a consensus can be formed.  Avoid intractable people who refuse to compromise.  Indulging both doesn’t work.  Avoid being the intractable one who refuses to compromise.  Where disagreements exist, invite discussion on small matters to start.  Ultimately, unity is the goal.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching
“
In order to obtain a following one must first know how to adapt oneself. If a man would rule he must first learn to serve, for only in this way does he secure from those below him the joyous assent that is necessary if they are to follow him. If he has to obtain a following by force or cunning, by conspiracy or by creating factions, he invariably arouses resistance, which obstructs willing adherence. But even joyous movement can lead to evil consequences, hence the added stipulation, “Perseverance furthers” – that is, consistency in doing right – together with “No blame.” Just as we should not ask others to follow us unless this condition is fulfilled, so it is only under this condition that we can in turn follow others without coming to harm.
No situation can become favorable till one is able to adapt to it and does not wear himself out with mistaken resistance.
In friendships and close relationships an individual must make a careful choice. He surrounds himself either with good or with bad company; he cannot have both at once. If he throws himself away on unworthy friends he loses connection with people of intellectual power who could further him in the good.
CONFLICT DEVELOPS when one feels himself to be in the right and runs into opposition. If one is not convinced of being in the right, opposition leads to craftiness or high-handed encroachment but not to open conflict.
If a man is entangled in a conflict, his only salvation lies in being so clear- headed and inwardly strong that he is always ready to come to terms by meeting the opponent halfway. To carry on the conflict to the bitter end has evil effects even when one is the right, because the enmity is then perpetuated. It is important to see the great man, that is, an impartial man whose authority is great enough to terminate the conflict amicably or assure a just decision. In times of strife, crossing the great water is to be avoided, that is, dangerous enterprises are not to be begun, because in order to be successful they require concerted unity of focus. Conflict within weakens the power to conquer danger without.
To avoid it, therefore, everything must be taken carefully into consideration in the very beginning. If rights and duties are exactly defined, or if, in a group, the spiritual trends of the individuals harmonise, the cause of conflict is removed in advance.


Meditation
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Today: I Ching

Today: Be aware of proper conduct in relation with the social structure – from the I Ching

Be aware of proper conduct in relation with the social structure.  Use discipline, but not too much severity.  Allow yourself and others to act freely within accepted norms.  Improve yourself by observing the good in others.  Free yourself of negative tendencies and become the example.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching
“
The family is society in embryo; it is the native soil on which performance of moral duty is made easy through natural affection, so that within a small circle a basis of moral practice is created, and this is later widened to include human relationships in general.
Words have influence only when they are pertinent and clearly related to definite circumstances. General discourses and admonitions have no effect whatsoever. Furthermore, the words must be supported by one’s entire conduct.
In the family the proper mean between severity and indulgence ought to prevail. Too great severity toward one’s own flesh and blood leads to remorse. The wise thing is to build strong dikes within which complete freedom of movement is allowed each individual. But in doubtful instances too great severity, despite occasional mistakes, is preferable, because it preserves discipline in the family, whereas too great weakness leads to disgrace.
While observing how thunder and wind increase and strengthen each other, a man can note the way to self-increase and self-improvement. When he discovers good in others, he should imitate it and thus make everything on earth his own. If he perceives something bad in himself, let him rid himself of it. In this way he becomes free of evil. This ethical change represents the most important increase of personality.

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Today: “Wisdom, character and consciousness conquer everything” Yogi Bhajan

“Wisdom, character and consciousness conquer everything.” Yogi Bhajan
(via Ram Anand)

 

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Today: On the full moon and lunar eclipse – from the I Ching

This is a moment of radical change.  The pressures are enormous.  We are best served by our reliance on our inner character, steady, constant in the face of external upheaval.  This supports today’s reading.  If we are not compromised by the chaos we will be instrumental in producing future change and a return to order.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching
“
Duration is a state whose movement is not worn down by hindrances. It is not a state of rest, for mere standstill is regression. Duration is rather the self- contained and therefore self-renewing movement of an organised, firmly integrated whole, taking place in accordance with immutable laws and beginning anew at every ending. The end is reached by an inward movement, by inhalation, systole, contraction, and this movement turns into a new beginning, in which the movement is directed outward, in exhalation, diastole, expansion.
Heavenly bodies exemplify duration. They move in their fixed orbits, and because of this their light-giving power endures. The seasons of the year follow a fixed law of change and transformation, hence can produce effects that endure.
So likewise the dedicated man embodies an enduring meaning in his way of life, and thereby the world is formed. In that which gives things their duration, we can come to understand the nature of all beings in heaven and on earth.
If a man remains at the mercy of moods of hope or fear aroused by the outer world, he loses his inner consistency of character. Such inconsistency invariably leads to distressing experiences. These humiliations often come from an unforeseen quarter. Such experiences are not merely effects produced by the external world, but logical consequences evoked by his own nature.
The hexagram as a whole points to a time of joyous, hopeful progress. Spring is approaching. Joy and forbearance bring high and low nearer together. Success is certain. But we must work with determination and perseverance to make full use of the propitiousness of the time.  We must take heed of this change in good time. 

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Today: Rely on your inner nature to produce great external changes – from the I Ching

Rely on your inner nature to produce great external changes.  Do not indulge in distraction and diversion from the outside to satisfy inner needs.  Multiplied by everyone, strict adherence to this principle will produce great social transformation.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching
“
The joyous mood is infectious and therefore brings success. But joy must be based on steadfastness if it is not to degenerate into uncontrolled mirth. Truth and strength must dwell in the heart, while gentleness reveals itself in social intercourse. In this way one assumes the right attitude toward God and man and achieves something. Under certain conditions, intimidation without gentleness may achieve something momentarily, but not for all time. When, on the other hand, the hearts of men are won by friendliness, they are led to take all hardships upon themselves willingly, and if need be will not shun death itself, so great is the power of joy over men.
True joy must spring from within. But if one is empty within and wholly given over to the world, idle pleasures come streaming in from without. This is what many people welcome as diversion. Those who lack inner stability and therefore need amusement, will always find opportunity of indulgence. They attract external pleasures by the emptiness of their natures. Thus they lose themselves more and more, which of course has bad results.
Political revolutions are extremely grave matters. They should be undertaken only under stress of direst necessity, when there is no other way out. Not everyone is called to this task, but only the man who has the confidence of the people, and even he only when the time is ripe. He must then proceed in the right way, so that he gladdens the people and, by enlightening them, prevents excesses. Furthermore, he must be quite free of selfish aims and must really relieve the need of the people. Only then does he have nothing to regret.
Times change, and with them their demands. Thus the seasons change in the course of the year. In the world cycle also there are spring and autumn in the life of peoples and nations, and these call for social transformations.

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Today: I Ching

Today: “If a woman sits with folded hands” Yogi Bhajan

“If a woman sits with folded hands in her lap for a few minutes everyday, and feels she is a container so vast that she contains the whole universe, she will never feel weak or have any problems. There is nothing beyond woman except God.” Yogi Bhajan
(via Ram Anand)

 

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