Today: – “Be content to allow things to be according to their nature.  Trying to fix too much requires too much energy and unnecessary diligence.” – a reading from the I Ching

Be content to allow things to be according to their nature.  Trying to fix too much requires too much energy and unnecessary diligence.

Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today.

Meditation: NM0393-20010402 – Sarab Gyan Kriya

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 79 – Failure is an opportunity

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
60 – Sixty  Chieh / Limitations
SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Cultivating the proper disciplines and the proper degree of discipline are the concerns of this hexagram.
By limiting options, you may give more attention to priorities.
One who is all over the map is no less lost than one without a map.
Avoid asceticism, however.
Deprivation is not wise discipline.
The key here is regulation, not restriction.

Six in the fourth place means:

He is most content in frugality and simplicity: the highest success.

Contented limitation. Success.

Waterfall

‘Waterfall’ – Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972)

Every limitation has its value, but a limitation that requires persistent effort entails a cost of too much energy. When, however, the limitation is a natural one (as for example, the limitation by which water flows only downhill), it necessarily leads to success, for then it means a saving of energy. The energy that otherwise would be consumed in a vain struggle with the object, is applied wholly to the benefit of the matter in hand, and success is assured.

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.

Today: “Be creative, be loving, be giving, be great” – Yogi Bhajan

SSSYWa“Be creative, be loving, be giving, be great, and God will give you bounty. There will be no limit. Whatever you plant in the spring, it will grow. So, if in your own ecology you will sprout positivity, service, smiles, charm, happiness, good faith, you will grow and you will be unlimited.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: Milarepa’s Song to Lady Palderboom

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Today: – “Your alignment with the flow allows you to bless and share with all that you touch.” – a reading from the I Ching

Your alignment with the flow allows you to bless and share with all that you touch.

Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today.

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

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 78 – “Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.”

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
50 – Fifty  Ting / The Caldron

Fire rises hot and bright from the Wood beneath the sacrificial caldron:
The Superior Person positions himself correctly within the flow of Cosmic forces.

Supreme Accomplishment.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Your needs are coming into harmony with the requirements of the Cosmos.
Blending brilliantly with the Dance of Life, you are becoming an actual element of Cosmic Law.
Your goals will now be realized because you no longer cut against the Cosmic grain; you are no longer swimming against the flow of the Tao.
You are acquiring an intuitive sense of what can and cannot be, and aligning your efforts accordingly.

Nine in the second place means:

Your caldron contains a hearty meal with plenty to go around.
Your rivals are jealous of your ability to provide, but they can’t harm you.
Good fortune.

There is food in the ting.
My comrades are envious,
But they cannot harm me.
Good fortune.

Chicken Pot Rice

Chicken Pot Rice


In a period of advanced culture, it is of the greatest importance that one should achieve something significant. If a man concentrates on such real undertakings, he may indeed experience envy and disfavor, but that is not dangerous. The more he limits himself to his actual achievements, the less harm can the envious inflict on him.

56 – Fifty-Six  Lu / The Wanderer

Fire on the Mountain, catastrophic to man, a passing annoyance to the Mountain:
The Superior Person waits for wisdom and clarity before exacting Justice, then lets no protest sway him.

Find satisfaction in small gains.
To move constantly forward is good fortune to a Wanderer.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are a stranger to this situation.
It is your attraction to the exotic that has led you here, but you will move on to a new vista when this one has lost its mystique.
Because much of this environment is foreign to you, you must exercise only the best judgement.
You don’t know the custom here, and it’s too easy to cross a line you don’t know is there.
Because you are the foreigner in this setting, you have no history to acquit you.
Watch, listen, study, contemplate, then step lightly but decisively on.

Today: “The whole world is to realize yourself what you are and to be what you are. ” Yogi Bhajan

“The whole world is to realize yourself what you are and to be what you are. Do not inflate and do not deflate. Find the median point. The problem with man is that he is asked, “Are you this or are you that?” But you are not this nor that, you are as you are.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation:  TCH36-8I-2000724-You and Thou

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Today: – “The way through conflict is compromise.” – a reading from the I Ching

The way through conflict is compromise.

Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today.

Meditation: LA135-19791029 Resolve Inner Conflict

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 77 – As it acts in the world, the Tao is like the bending of a bow.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
26 – Twenty-Six  Ta Ch’u / Recharging Power

Heaven’s motherlode waits within the Mountain:
The Superior Person mines deep into history’s wealth of wisdom and deeds, charging his character with timeless strength.

Persevere.
Drawing sustenance from these sources creates good fortune.
Then you may cross to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There are important precedents in this situation.
Others have trodden this Path before you, overcoming the same obstacles facing you now, and making crucial decisions at the same crossroads.
Study their journals, watch for their trail markings.
Gain inspiration and wisdom from the heroes and learn from the mistakes of those who chose a sidepath.
All were Seekers, explorers whose daring mapped a course you can follow.
The words and deeds of the finest can imbue you with the courage necessary to face what lies before you.

yang
yin above: Kên / Keeping Still, Mountain
yin
yang
yang below: Ch’ien / The Creative, Heaven
yang
The Creative is tamed by Kên, Keeping Still. This produces great power, a situation in contrast to that of the ninth hexagram, Hsiao Ch’u, THE TAMING POWER OF THE SMALL, in which the Creative is tamed by the Gentle alone. There one weak line must tame five strong lines, but here four strong lines are restrained by two weak lines; in addition to a minister, there is a prince, and the restraining power therefore is far stronger.
The hexagram has a threefold meaning, expressing different aspects of the concept “holding firm.” Heaven within the mountain gives the idea of holding firm in the sense of holding together; the trigram Kên which holds the trigram Ch’ien still, gives the idea of holding firm in the sense of holding back; the third idea is that of holding firm in the sense of caring for and nourishing. This last is suggested by the fact that a strong line at the top, which is the ruler of the hexagram, is honored and tended as a sage. The third of these meanings also attaches specifically to this strong line at the top, which represents the sage.

THE JUDGEMENT

THE TAMING POWER OF THE GREAT.
Perseverance furthers.
Not eating at home brings good fortune.
It furthers one to cross the great water.

To hold firmly to great creative powers and store them up, as set forth in this hexagram, there is need of a strong, clear-headed man who is honored by the ruler. The trigram Ch’ien points to strong creative power; Kên indicates firmness and truth. Both point to light and clarity and to the daily renewal of character. Only through such daily self-renewal can a man continue at the height of his powers. Force of habit helps to keep order in quiet times; but in periods when there is a great storing up of energy, everything depends on the power of the personality. However, since the worthy are honored, as in the case of the strong personality entrusted with leadership by the ruler, it is an advantage not to eat at home but rather to earn one’s bread by entering upon public office. Such a man is in harmony with heaven; therefore even great and difficult undertakings, such as crossing the great water, succeed.

Today: “When your doubts are gone, then your fears will be gone.” Yogi Bhajan

“When your doubts are gone, then your fears will be gone. Your feelings and experiences will be of happiness.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA950 A00214 20000214 Develop Self-Reliance

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Here is an interesting treatment of doubt in spiritual life:
“Silence” the Movie by Martin Scorsese

What else Yogi Bhajan said

Today: – “It is tempting to compromise your identity in order to achieve the objects of your desire.  Do not throw yourself away in order to acquire wealth, status, political advantage or other gratification.  They are fantasies.” – a reading from the I Ching

It is tempting to compromise your identity in order to achieve the objects of your desire.  Do not throw yourself away in order to acquire wealth, status, political advantage or other gratification.  They are fantasies.

Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today.

Meditation: LA101 790419-Faith In Our Self And Our Own Discipline

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 76 – Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry.

The Magical Story of Mushkil Gusha

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
4 – Four  Mêng / Inexperience

A fresh Spring at the foot of the Mountain:
The Superior Person refines his character by being thorough in every activity.
The Sage does not recruit students; the students seek him.
He asks nothing but a sincere desire to learn.
If the student doubts or challenges his authority, the Sage regretfully cuts his losses.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a time of interchange between a mentor and pupil.
Whether you are the teacher or the student, it is a time of companionship along a mutual path.
This hexagram also emphasizes the eternal, cyclical nature of the mentor/student relationship — a mentor is merely a more seasoned pupil, further along on the journey.
A pupil holds within himself the seed of a future Master.

Six in the third place means:

No one respects a lovestruck woman who throws herself at the object of her desire.
Do not idolize.

Take not a maiden who, when she sees a man of bronze,
Loses possession of herself.
Nothing furthers.

Chinese strong man

Chinese strong man

A weak, inexperienced man, struggling to rise, easily loses his own individuality when he slavishly imitates a strong personality of higher station. He is like a girl throwing herself away when she meets a strong man. Such a servile approach should not be encouraged, because it is bad both for the youth and the teacher. A girl owes it to her dignity to wait till she is wooed. In both cases it is undignified to offer oneself, and no good comes of accepting such an offer.

26 – Twenty-Six  Ta Ch’u / Recharging Power

Heaven’s motherlode waits within the Mountain:
The Superior Person mines deep into history’s wealth of wisdom and deeds, charging his character with timeless strength.

Persevere.
Drawing sustenance from these sources creates good fortune.
Then you may cross to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There are important precedents in this situation.
Others have trodden this Path before you, overcoming the same obstacles facing you now, and making crucial decisions at the same crossroads.
Study their journals, watch for their trail markings.
Gain inspiration and wisdom from the heroes and learn from the mistakes of those who chose a sidepath.
All were Seekers, explorers whose daring mapped a course you can follow.
The words and deeds of the finest can imbue you with the courage necessary to face what lies before you.

Today: “If you want to be great, then you will have to feel great and act great” – Yogi Bhajan

If you are not aware for you and aware of you, then your existence will be damaged. If you want to be great, then you will have to feel great and act great. Many people think they have to seek approval. All you have to do is approve of yourself.” Yogi Bhajan

 

Meditation: The Positive Mind

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Today: – “You have enough support to carry out your work for the good of all whom you serve.  You may keep a low profile.” – a reading from the I Ching

You have enough support to carry out your work for the good of all whom you serve.  You may keep a low profile.

Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today.

Meditation: NM132-940504-Pratyahar

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 75 – When taxes are too high, people go hungry. When the government is too intrusive, people lose their spirit

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
35 – Thirty-Five  Chin / Aspiration

The Sun shines down upon the Earth:
Constantly honing and refining his brilliance, the Superior Person is a Godsend to his people.
They repay his benevolence with a herd of horses, and he is granted audience three times in a single day.

Promotion.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a time of reward for good works.
Those you have helped want to show their gratitude.
Benefits come both from on high and from the humble you uplifted.
Accept all gifts graciously, though the reward may not be what you truly need or hoped for.
Some may bestow more than they can afford to give, but you must realize that they need to feel that they have repaid you.

Six in the third place means:

He is chosen unanimously to carry out the will of the people.
All self-doubt vanishes.

All are in accord. Remorse disappears.

Blackbeard battle

Blackbeard battle

A man strives onward, in association with others whose backing encourages him. This dispels any cause for regret over the fact that he does not have enough independence to triumph unaided over every hostile turn of fate.
62 – Sixty-Two  Hsiao Kuo / Lying Low

Thunder high on the Mountain, active passivity:
The Superior Person is unsurpassed in his ability to remain small.
In a time for humility, he is supremely modest.
In a time of mourning, he uplifts with somber reverence.
In a time of want, he is resourcefully frugal.

When a bird flies too high, its song is lost.
Rather than push upward now, it is best to remain below.
This will bring surprising good fortune, if you keep to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is no profit to striving here.
To be content with oneself is the greatest success imaginable.
The enlightened person has nothing to prove to himself or others, and thus may always operate from a position of sincerity, with no pretense or posturing.
His humility is guileless simplicity.
His mourning is selfless compassion.
His frugality is an unshakeable faith that he is but a conduit, letting what is needed flow through him to others, with no loss to himself.

Today: “You cannot love me if you will not love your first teacher, who is woman.” Yogi Bhajan

“You cannot love me if you will not love your first teacher, who is woman. You are born of a woman. If you do not learn to respect woman, the Supreme Consciousness will not talk to you. You will end up with broken homes and broken hearts.” Yogi Bhajan

Lecture: The meaning of love

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Today: – “Release your clinging to concepts and fantasies that are not you.  Only be yourself.  Do not allow party or tribe to define you.  Avoid that slippery path to future conflict.” – a reading from the I Ching

Release your clinging to concepts and fantasies that are not you.  Only be yourself.  Do not allow party or tribe to define you.  Avoid that slippery path to future conflict.

Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today.

Meditation: NM0394 – Live Above Denial

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 74 – If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
59 – Fifty-Nine  Huan / Dissolution

Wind carries the Mists aloft:
Sage rulers dedicated their lives to serving a Higher Power and built temples that still endure.

The King approaches his temple.
Success if you stay on course.
You may cross to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Walls meant to protect have instead separated and isolated.
Your defenses have kept you apart from those whom you most need to touch.
Whatever the reason for discord between you, it is time to lay down your arms.
Dispel the inflexible demands and fears of the Mind so that you may reunite in the Heart.
If you have begrudged, forgive.
If you have torn down, repair.
If you have injured, heal.
If you have judged, pardon.
If you have grasped, let go.

Six in the fourth place means:

He scatters his group far and wide.
Those who return will be of firmer resolve and leaner, stronger fibre.
An ingenious move.

He dissolves his bond with his group.1
Supreme good fortune.
Dispersion leads in turn to accumulation.
This is something that ordinary men do not think of.

When we are working at a task that affects the general welfare, we must leave all private friendships out of account. Only by rising above party interests can we achieve something decisive. He who has the courage thus to forego what is near wins what is afar. But in order to comprehend this standpoint, one must have a wide view of the interrelationships of life, such as only unusual men attain.

6 – Six  Sung / Conflict

The high Heavens over a yawning Deep chasm:
An expansive void where nothing can dwell.
Even though he sincerely knows he is right, the Superior Person anticipates opposition and carefully prepares for any incident.

Good fortune if your conflict results in compromise.
Misfortune if your conflict escalates to confrontation.
Seek advice.
Postpone your crossing to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Conflict is a necessary part of life.
Tension upon the strings of a violin can make majestic music.
The critical mass of two hydrogen atoms trying to occupy the same space fuel the sun that nourishes our solar system.
Most conflicts you face in life are the result of your Path converging with another’s.
Your Path is not his, and one Path is not necessarily more right than the other.
Can you work together to remove the blockage?

Today: “The purpose of the being is to receive love from the Unknown.” Yogi Bhajan

“The purpose of the being is to receive love from the Unknown.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA544 – 870610 – Know and Experience the Unknown

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Today: – “It is not wise to engage and fight every controversy or conflict, which can  to lead to constant opposition from bellicose parties.” – a reading from the I Ching

It is not wise to engage and fight every controversy or conflict, which can  to lead to constant opposition from bellicose parties.

Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today.

Meditation: NM0337-Bujung Kriya – For Wisdom and Understanding

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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
6 – Six  Sung / Conflict

The high Heavens over a yawning Deep chasm:
An expansive void where nothing can dwell.
Even though he sincerely knows he is right, the Superior Person anticipates opposition and carefully prepares for any incident.

Good fortune if your conflict results in compromise.
Misfortune if your conflict escalates to confrontation.
Seek advice.
Postpone your crossing to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Conflict is a necessary part of life.
Tension upon the strings of a violin can make majestic music.
The critical mass of two hydrogen atoms trying to occupy the same space fuel the sun that nourishes our solar system.
Most conflicts you face in life are the result of your Path converging with another’s.
Your Path is not his, and one Path is not necessarily more right than the other.
Can you work together to remove the blockage?

Nine at the top means:

Even if by chance a leather belt is bestowed on one,
By the end of a morning
It will have been snatched away three times.

Leather belt

Here we have someone who has carried a conflict to the bitter end and has triumphed. He is granted a decoration, but his happiness does not last. He is attacked again and again, and the result is conflict without end.

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.

Today: “If your words have the strength of the infinite in them and you value them and they are virtuous, you are the greatest of the great. ” Yogi Bhajan

“If your words have the strength of the infinite in them and you value them and they are virtuous, you are the greatest of the great. If you do not value your words, you have no value. Your own word is your value as a human being. Your word is your value. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: NM0365-20001024-On Communication II

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Today: – “You are on the right track.  Stay in the flow of your existence. Do not resist. No complaints.” – a reading from the I Ching

You are on the right track.  Stay in the flow of your existence. Do not resist. No complaints.

Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today.

Meditation: LA860-960131-Increase the Flow of Earth Within You

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 72 – When they lose their sense of awe, people turn to religion. When they no longer trust themselves, they begin to depend upon authority.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
50 – Fifty  Ting / The Caldron

Fire rises hot and bright from the Wood beneath the sacrificial caldron:
The Superior Person positions himself correctly within the flow of Cosmic forces.

Supreme Accomplishment.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Your needs are coming into harmony with the requirements of the Cosmos.
Blending brilliantly with the Dance of Life, you are becoming an actual element of Cosmic Law.
Your goals will now be realized because you no longer cut against the Cosmic grain; you are no longer swimming against the flow of the Tao.
You are acquiring an intuitive sense of what can and cannot be, and aligning your efforts accordingly.

yang
yin above: Li / The Clinging, Fire
yang
yang
yang below: Sun / The Gentle, Wind, Wood
yin

Caldron

The six lines construct the image of Ting, THE CAULDRON; at the bottom are the legs, over them the belly, then come the ears (handles), and at the top the carrying rings. At the same time, the image suggests the idea of nourishment. The ting, cast of bronze, was the vessel that held the cooked viands in the temple of the ancestors and at banquets. The head of the family served the food from the ting into the bowls of the guests.1
THE WELL (48) likewise has the secondary meaning of giving nourishment, but rather more in relation to the people. The ting, as a utensil pertaining to a refined civilisation, suggests the fostering and nourishing of able men, which redounded to the benefit of the state.2
This hexagram and THE WELL are the only two in the Yi Jing that represent concrete, man-made objects. Yet here too the thought has its abstract connotation.
Sun, below, is wood and wind; Li, above, is flame. Thus together they stand for the flame kindled by wood and wind, which likewise suggests the idea of preparing food.

THE JUDGEMENT

THE CALDRON. Supreme good fortune.
Success.

While THE WELL relates to the social foundation of our life, and this foundation is likened to the water that serves to nourish growing wood, the present hexagram refers to the cultural superstructure of society. Here it is the wood that serves as nourishment for the flame, the spirit. All that is visible must grow beyond itself, extend into the realm of the invisible. Thereby it receives its true consecration and clarity and takes firm root in the cosmic order.
Here we see civilisation as it reaches its culmination in religion. The ting serves in offering sacrifice to God. The highest earthly values must be sacrificed to the divine. But the truly divine does not manifest itself apart from man. The supreme revelation of God appears in prophets and holy men. To venerate them is true veneration of God. The will of God, as revealed through them, should be accepted in humility; this brings inner enlightenment and true understanding of the world, and this leads to great good fortune and success.

THE IMAGE

Fire over wood:
The image of THE CALDRON.
Thus the superior man consolidates his fate
By making his position correct.

The fate of fire depends on wood; as long as there is wood below, the fire burns above. It is the same in human life; there is in man likewise a fate that lends power to his life. And if he succeeds in assigning the right place to life and to fate, thus bringing the two into harmony, he puts his fate on a firm footing. These words contain hints about fostering of life as handed on by oral tradition in the secret teachings of Chinese yoga.

 

Melting Pot

‘Melting Pot’ – Laura Barbosa


1. [There are beautiful examples of the ting in most of our museums, where they are classified as ritual vessels. The German word used by Wilhelm for ting is Tiegel, meaning literally “caldron” and, in another sense, “crucible.” Since this characteristic Chinese vessel is unique in form, so different from either a caldron or a crucible in the usual sense, the word ting has been retained wherever feasible here.]

Today: “The blend of your soul, mind, and body makes you talk.” Yogi Bhajan

“The blend of your soul, mind, and body makes you talk. This is the art of vibration. If your mind is off you cannot talk sensibly. If your soul is off you don’t exist. Hence, it is a blending of the three that makes you vibrate. You vibrate anyway, but vibration in the form of communication is effectively recognized when you talk. Word was with God and communicated with maya to create this universe and its beauty. Word is with you. Communicate to create your own world.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA719 930303 – Magnetic Field – Sacred Space

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