Today: “Find happiness by giving attention to and promoting your contentment while shedding your desires that are sources of discontent.” – from the I Ching

Find happiness by giving attention to and promoting your contentment while shedding your desires that are sources of discontent.

Flow is the basic vehicle for life.  Allowing flow where there is constriction promotes a balanced, happy existence.  Complaints serve only to disrupt the flow of existence, bringing more misery.

Meditation: NM0414-20010905 – Correcting the Sensory System

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41 – Forty-one  Sun / Decrease

The stoic Mountain drains its excess waters to the Lake below:
The Superior Person curbs his anger and sheds his desires.

To be frugal and content is to possess immeasurable wealth within.
Nothing of value could be refused such a person.
Make a portion of each meal a share of your offering.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is an occasion for downsizing to fighting trim.
Simplicity and economy are strong defenses against the slings and arrows of Outrageous Fortune.
Whether this is a time of want or a time of plenty, it is an auspicious time to shed a dependency.

This hexagram represents a decrease of the lower trigram in favor of the upper, because the third line, originally strong, has moved up to the top, and the top line, originally weak, has replaced it.1What is below is decreased to the benefit of what is above. This is out-and-out decrease. If the foundations of a building are decreased in strength and the upper walls are strengthened, the whole structure loses its stability. Likewise, a decrease in the prosperity of the people in favor of the government is out-and-out decrease. And the entire theme of the hexagram is directed to showing how this shift of wealth can take place without causing the sources of wealth in the nation and its lower classes to fail.

THE JUDGEMENT

 

DECREASE combined with sincerity
Brings about supreme good fortune
Without blame.
One may be persevering in this.
It furthers one to undertake something.
How is this to be carried out?
One may use two small bowls for the sacrifice.

Decrease does not under all circumstances mean something bad. Increase and decrease come in their own time. What matters here is to understand the time and not to try to cover up poverty with empty pretence. If a time of scanty resources brings out an inner truth, one must not feel ashamed of simplicity. For simplicity is then the very thing needed to provide inner strength for further undertakings. Indeed, there need be no concern if the outward beauty of the civilisation, even the elaboration of religious forms, should have to suffer because of simplicity. One must draw on the strength of the inner attitude to compensate for what is lacking in externals; then the power of the content makes up for the simplicity of form. There is no need of presenting false appearances to God. Even with slender means, the sentiment of the heart can be expressed.2 

THE IMAGE

At the foot of the mountain, the lake:
The image of DECREASE.
Thus the superior man controls his anger
And restrains his instincts.

The lake at the foot of the mountain evaporates. In this way it decreases to the benefit of the mountain, which is enriched by its moisture. The mountain stands as the symbol of a stubborn strength that can harden into anger. The lake is the symbol of unchecked gaiety that can develop into passionate drives at the expense of the life forces. Therefore decrease is necessary; anger must be decreased by keeping still, the instincts must be curbed by restriction. By this decrease of the lower powers of the psyche, the higher aspects of the soul are enriched.

1. [The present hexagram and the following one, INCREASE, are regarded as formed by changes in T’ai, PEACE (11), and P’i, STANDSTILL (12), respectively.]
2. Cf. the story of the widow’s mite in the Gospel of Luke.

Today: “In meditation you begin to realize that there is a world of you.” – Yogi Bhajan

“In meditation you begin to realize that there is a world of you. There is a world of your mind, and a world of you. In the world of you, in your basic elementary situation, in your identity, your mind is your servant not your master. That is why we do Kundalini Yoga. That is why we do sadhana.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA041-780525- Control the Mind

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Today: “More caution.  Protect yourself against attacks from without and against turmoil within. ” – from the I Ching

More caution.  Protect yourself against attacks from without and against turmoil within. 

The reading is similar to the November 18 reading.  This one is more urgent. The danger is clear and present.

Meditation: KWTC-930407 Childhood Patterns – Aura

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29 – Twenty-Nine  K’an / Dangerously Deep

Water follows Water, spilling over any cliff, flowing past all obstacles, no matter the depth or distance, to the Sea.
The Superior Person learns flexibility from the mistakes he has made, and grows strong from the obstacles he has overcome, pressing on to show others the Way.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are facing a crucial trial along your Journey.
The danger of this challenge is very real.
It is a test of your mettle.
If you can maintain your integrity and stay true to your convictions, you will overcome.
That’s not as easy as it seems when you are faced with the sacrifice of other things you’ve come to depend upon or hold dear.

This hexagram consists of a doubling of the trigram K’an. It is one of the eight hexagrams in which doubling occurs. The trigram K’an means a plunging in. A yang line has plunged in between two yin lines and is closed in by them like water in a ravine. The trigram K’an is also the middle son. The Receptive (2) has obtained the middle line of the Creative (1), and thus K’an develops. As an image it represents water, the water that comes from above and is in motion on earth in streams and rivers, giving rise to all life on earth.
In man’s world K’an represents the heart, the soul locked up within the body, the principle of light inclosed in the dark – that is, reason. The name of the hexagram, because the trigram is doubled, has the additional meaning, “repetition of danger.” Thus the hexagram is intended to designate an objective situation to which one must become accustomed, not a subjective attitude. For danger due to a subjective attitude means either foolhardiness or guile. Hence too a ravine is used to symbolise danger; it is a situation in which a man is in the same pass as the water in a ravine, and, like the water, he can escape if he behaves correctly.

THE JUDGEMENT

The Abysmal repeated.
If you’re sincere, you have success in your heart,
And whatever you do succeeds.

Through repetition of danger we grow accustomed to it. Water sets the example for the right conduct under such circumstances. It flows on and on, and merely fills up all the places through which it flows; it does not shrink from any dangerous spot nor from any plunge, and nothing can make it lose its own essential nature. It remains true to itself under all conditions. Thus likewise, if one is sincere when confronted with difficulties, the heart can penetrate the meaning of the situation. And once we have gained inner mastery of a problem, it will come about naturally that the action we take will succeed. In danger all that counts is really carrying out all that has to be done- -thoroughness – and going forward, in order not to perish through tarrying in the danger.
Properly used, danger can have an important meaning as a protective measure. Thus heaven has its perilous height protecting it against every attempt at invasion, and earth has its mountains and bodies of water, separating countries by their dangers. Thus also rulers make use of danger to protect themselves against attacks from without and against turmoil within.

THE IMAGE

Water flows on uninterruptedly and reaches its goal:
The image of the Abysmal repeated.
Thus the superior man walks in lasting virtue
And carries on the business of teaching.

Water reaches its goal by flowing continually. It fills up every depression before it flows on. The superior man follows its example; he is concerned that goodness should be an established attribute of character rather than an accidental and isolated occurrence. So likewise in teaching others everything depends on consistency, for it is only through repetition that the pupil makes the material his own.

Today: “Left nostril breathing gives you self-endurance, self effectiveness, and self respect. ” – Yogi Bhajan

“Left nostril breathing gives you self-endurance, self effectiveness, and self respect. Right nostril breathing gives you projection, sacrifice, power to attach, power to penetrate, and power to exert. That is why God gave you both nostrils.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA544 – 870610 – Know and Experience the Unknown

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Today: “Be aware of and protect yourself from all the dangers swirling about.   Do not fall into the abyss.  It may be difficult, but it’s easier to avoid the trouble.” – from the I Ching

Be aware of and protect yourself from all the dangers swirling about.   Do not fall into the abyss.  It may be difficult, but it’s easier to avoid the trouble.

The reading is similar to the November 18 reading.  This one is more urgent. The danger is clear and present.

Meditation:  M060 901121 Awaken Kundalini

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29 – Twenty-Nine  K’an / Dangerously Deep

Water follows Water, spilling over any cliff, flowing past all obstacles, no matter the depth or distance, to the Sea.
The Superior Person learns flexibility from the mistakes he has made, and grows strong from the obstacles he has overcome, pressing on to show others the Way.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are facing a crucial trial along your Journey.
The danger of this challenge is very real.
It is a test of your mettle.
If you can maintain your integrity and stay true to your convictions, you will overcome.
That’s not as easy as it seems when you are faced with the sacrifice of other things you’ve come to depend upon or hold dear.

Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:

Repetition of the Abysmal.
In the abyss one falls into a pit.
Misfortune.

By growing used to what is dangerous, a man can easily allow it to become part of him. He is familiar with it and grows used to evil. With this he has lost the right way, and misfortune is the natural result.

3 – Three  Chun / Difficulty at the Beginning

Thunder from the Deep:
The Superior Person carefully weaves order out of confusion.

Supreme Success if you keep to your course.
Carefully consider the first move.
Seek help.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

New ventures always pack along their inherent chaos.
Though this is an annoyance at best, and can even imperil or downright doom an endeavor, it is also the friction needed to polish your project to jewel brilliance.
Learn from these early obstacles.

Today: “They say that about five hundred diseases do not come near that person who moves the belly button.” Yogi Bhajan

“They say that about five hundred diseases do not come near that person who moves the belly button. The navel totally controls the vayus, the praanic airs which circulate through your body.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: Subagh Kriya – Summer Solstice 1996

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Today: “Use your passion to create something wonderful, graceful and just.” – from the I Ching

Use your passion to create something wonderful, graceful and just.

Meditation:  LA958 A00413 Grace My Grace Is Me! 20000413

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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:

Yellow light. Supreme good fortune.

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.

14 – Fourteen  Ta Yu / Great Treasures

The Fire of clarity illuminates the Heavens to those below:
The Superior Person possesses great inner treasures — compassion, economy, and modesty.
These treasures allow the benevolent will of Heaven to flow through him outward to curb evil and to further good.

Supreme success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You have become an instrument of Heaven’s will, offering a balance in the world around you.
It is not swashbuckling prowess or uncanny talent that qualifies you for this office, but your simplest gifts — your modesty, your compassion, your economy.
Because you can see clearly who most needs a miracle, Heaven’s bounty is being put at your disposal.

Today: “You have to develop the sensitivity of the brain that lets you know the truth: the Unknown is known to me.” – Yogi Bhajan

You have to develop the sensitivity of the brain that lets you know the truth: the Unknown is known to me. The same sensitivity that is totality and Infinity in every unique human being and can only be achieved through discipline. Discipline of the consciousness is the acknowledgement of the spirit. All human difficulties can be eliminated once you have a harmony between conscious mind and subconscious mind toward the supreme conscious mind.. .Harmony between conscious and subconscious is a gateway to Infinity and that is the spirit we are talking about.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA544 – 870610 – Know and Experience the Unknown

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Today: “Meet danger as it arises as a warrior.  Do not participate in danger by seeking it nor normalizing circumstances that lead to danger.” – from the I Ching

Meet danger as it arises as a warrior.  Do not participate in danger by seeking it nor normalizing circumstances that lead to danger.  Seek a higher calling.

Meditation: TCH2012 960727 – Warrior’s Exercise for Opening the Energy into the Shushmana & Balancing the Hemispheres of the Brain

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29 – Twenty-Nine  K’an / Dangerously Deep

Water follows Water, spilling over any cliff, flowing past all obstacles, no matter the depth or distance, to the Sea.
The Superior Person learns flexibility from the mistakes he has made, and grows strong from the obstacles he has overcome, pressing on to show others the Way.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are facing a crucial trial along your Journey.
The danger of this challenge is very real.
It is a test of your mettle.
If you can maintain your integrity and stay true to your convictions, you will overcome.
That’s not as easy as it seems when you are faced with the sacrifice of other things you’ve come to depend upon or hold dear.

Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:

Repetition of the Abysmal.
In the abyss one falls into a pit.
Misfortune.

By growing used to what is dangerous, a man can easily allow it to become part of him. He is familiar with it and grows used to evil. With this he has lost the right way, and misfortune is the natural result.

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.

Today: “You must understand, what you call living is just the continual vibration of breath coming in and out” – Yogi Bhajan

“You must understand, what you call living is just the continual vibration of breath coming in and out. Just delay it either way and intellect must immediately stop giving thoughts. Moment the link of thought wave will stop, you won’t perceive emotion… so simple. It doesn’t take much for you to work on that. Simply you should be conscious of the breath.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

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Today: “Enquire about the most subtle influences affecting the current situation.  Knowing how everything relates will help you to improve the situation.” – from the I Ching

Enquire about the most subtle influences affecting the current situation.  Knowing how everything relates will help you to improve the situation.

Meditation: LA936 980609 Four Stroke Breath to Build Intuition

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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.

Nine in the second place means:

Penetration under the bed.
Priests and magicians are used in great number.
Good fortune. No blame.

Anubis

At times one has to deal with hidden enemies, intangible influences that slink into dark corners and from this hiding affect people by suggestion. In instances like this, it is necessary to trace these things back to the most secret recesses, in order to determine the nature of the influences to be dealt with. This is the task of the priests; removing the influences is the task of the magicians. The very anonymity of such plotting requires an especially vigorous and indefatigable effort, but this is well worth while. For when such elusive influences are brought into the light and branded, they lose their power over people.

53 – Fifty-Three  Chien / Gradual Progress

The gnarled Pine grows tenaciously off the Cliff face:
The Superior Person clings faithfully to dignity and integrity, thus elevating the Collective Spirit of Man in his own small way.
Development.
The maiden is given in marriage.
Good fortune if you stay on course.

 

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Adaptability mixed with integrity will bring a calm, steady progress.
Move from your center, always faithful to your principles, yet with the flexibility to weather any tempest.
Yours is not a meteoric rise to the top, but the solid, confident footing of one who has a clear vision of what can be, and who is willing to climb the distance to reach it.
The oracle foresees companionship along the way — a Divine comfort on any journey.

Today: “Thirty-one minutes of Breath of Fire every day will regulate the pituitary.” Yogi Bhajan

“Thirty-one minutes of Breath of Fire every day will regulate the pituitary. Pituitary will regulate the entire glandular system. Glandular system will change the nervous system. Nervous system will tell the organic system of the blood to just recapture itself.” Yogi Bhajan

Sat Nam!
Ram Anand

Meditation:  Breath of Fire

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Today: “Abandon your pursuit of pleasure and amusement.  Cultivate your mind and expand your awareness.  You will know happiness.” – from the I Ching

Abandon your pursuit of pleasure and amusement.  Cultivate your mind and expand your awareness.  You will know happiness.

Yogi Bhajan’s Seven Steps to Happiness

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58 – Fifty-Eight  Tui / Empowering

The joyous Lake spans on and on to the horizon:
The Superior Person renews and expands his Spirit through heart-to-heart exchanges with others.

Success if you stay on course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is the sign of true companionship.
The principals in this situation exchange energy, ideas and feelings, constantly invigorating and encouraging each other to new heights of Spiritual achievement and Self-discovery.
This exchange is not for the glory of the Team, but for furthering the process of each individual’s ‘Te’, or pure potentiality.

Nine in the fourth place means:

Joyousness that is weighed is not at peace.
After ridding himself of mistakes a man has joy.

Often a man finds himself weighing the choice between various kinds of pleasures, and so long as he has not decided which kind he will choose, the higher or the lower, he has no inner peace. Only when he clearly recognizes that passion brings suffering, can he make up his mind to turn away from the lower pleasures and to strive for the higher. Once this decision is sealed, he finds true joy and peace, and inner conflict is overcome.

42 – Forty-Two  I / Expansion

Whirlwinds and Thunder:
When the Superior Person encounters saintly behavior, he adopts it; when he encounters a fault within, he transforms it.

Progress in every endeavor.
You may cross to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Get ready to ride a tide of accelerated growth toward self-actualization.
A joyful awareness of the best within you, coupled with an acceptance of your Shadow, will provide a greater repertoire, a much bolder vision, and new depth and clarity that will compel you to expand your horizons.

 

Today: “Inhale deep and hold the breath to your capacity, then exhale and inhale again and hold.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Inhale deep and hold the breath to your capacity, then exhale and inhale again and hold. All that is required to get rid of the urge to smoke is to repeat this breath seven to fifteen times a day for seven to fifteen days. Within that period of time you will make the body’s metabolism go through the change to substitute oxygen in place of nicotine. You can also eliminate the stress that was formerly removed by smoking by putting a few raisins in your mouth and chewing them. The best way to chew raisins is to crush them with your teeth and paste them on your upper palate, and then suck on them.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA135-19791029 Resolve Inner Conflict

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Today: “Use your energy to take care of the needs of others and yourself.  Do not waste your energy on placating more powerful people.” – from the I Ching

Use your energy to take care of the needs of others and yourself.  Do not waste your energy on placating more powerful people.  It’s how you conserve your resources and avoid betrayal.

Meditation: NM0394 – Live Above Denial

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28 – Twenty-Eight  Ta Kuo / Critical Mass

The Flood rises above the tallest Tree:
Amidst a rising tide of human folly, the Superior Person retires to higher ground, renouncing his world without looking back.

Any direction is better than where you now stand.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Several high-priority concerns demand immediate attention.
All are crucial.
None will be denied.
Yet some demand the denial of others.
Like two atoms seeking to occupy the same space, these irresistible forces and immovable objects threaten to ignite a cataclysm that could irreversibly alter your world.
This is no time for fatal heroics.
You are at Ground Point Zero.
Remove yourself from this situation without delay.
Find sanctuary.
Later you may deal with these concerns on your own terms, from a position of strength.

Nine in the fifth place means:

A withered poplar puts forth flowers.
An older woman takes a husband.
No blame. No praise.

A withered poplar that flowers exhausts its energies thereby and only hastens its end. An older woman may marry once more, but no renewal takes place. Everything remains barren. Thus, though all the amenities are observed, the net result is only the anomaly of the situation.
Applied to politics, the metaphor means that if in times of insecurity we give up alliance with those below us and keep up only the relationships we have with people of higher rank, an unstable situation is created.

32 – Thirty-Two  Hêng / Durability

Arousing Thunder and penetrating Wind.
Close companions in any storm:
The Superior Person possesses a resiliency and durability that lets him remain firmly and faithfully on course.

Such constancy deserves success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Endurance is the key to success in this situation.
However, durability is not synonymous with stone-like rigidity.
True resilience requires a flexibility that allows adaptation to any adverse condition, while still remaining true to the core.
Can you maintain your integrity under any circumstance?
Can you influence the situation without giving opposing forces anything to resist?
Then you will endure to reach your goal.

 

Today: “When you feel very weak and you feel like having a bourbon on the rocks or black tea or Coke, whatever, forget about the commercialization. Let’s talk about what you can substitute for it by yourself. Breathe and hold. ” – Yogi Bhajan

“When you feel very weak and you feel like having a bourbon on the rocks or black tea or Coke, whatever, forget about the commercialization. Let’s talk about what you can substitute for it by yourself. Breathe and hold. If you know Breath of Fire you are lucky, but you look odd doing it in the market… so breathe in, hold as long as comfortable, and breathe out. Oxygen will substitute for the drug and you will be out of it. How many breaths does it take? Seven. If you can inhale and hold for seven breaths, your oxygen will be complete in your circulating blood, and you shall not need what you are longing to have.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA135-19791029 Resolve Inner Conflict

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