“You have lots of power.  Be careful not to bluster or abuse all that power.” – Today’s Reading

You have lots of power.  Be careful not to bluster or abuse all that power.

Today: “Life is a lie if you do not find the internal truth. Life is a tragedy if you only find the external truth.” Yogi Bhajan

Tao Te Ching – Verse 79 – Failure is an opportunity

Try these meditations:

Meditation: TCH20 02 960722 – Increase the Power of the Infinite Within

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

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Bad actors have been hindering all progress. That will change and your aspirations will bring success.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Be mindful of the current situation. Now. This moment. Free yourself from thoughts arising from the subconscious that conjure scenarios centered on the ego. Be divine, as is your nature.”

See related posts.

A letter to a friend

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading
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.

Nine at the beginning [yang at bottom] means:

He uses all his remaining strength to stamp his hoof and paw the ground.
If his bluff is called, it will bring misfortune.

Power in the toes.
Continuing brings misfortune.
This is certainly true.

Le Modèle Rouge III - Magritte

‘Le Modèle Rouge III’, 1937 – René Magritte

The toes are in the lowest place and are ready to advance. So likewise great power in lowly station is inclined to effect advance by force. This, if carried further, would certainly lead to misfortune, and therefore by way of advice a warning is added.
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.

“Division and unity both appear.  You must choose.  To regain the connections, return to the traditional forms so they can once again become more than just empty ritual.  ” – Today’s Reading

Division and unity both appear.  You must choose.  To regain the connections, return to the traditional forms so they can once again become more than just empty ritual.

Try these meditations:

Meditation: NM0336 – For Inner Strength

Read the transcript of Yogi Bhajan's lecture on Reflecting Identities.

Lecture: Reflecting Identities

There is a human need to reflect your identity. You will reflect your identity so you can affect the identity. This is how we mutually talk to each other. We are social. Sometimes in this reflection the psyche gets entangled and we are deeply in love. When we cannot follow the rhythm of our own psyche, we deflect ourselves and we lose the relationship.

The relationship between two individual identities has to be decided on values. If a woman wants what she wants but has minus values, she is self-destructive. If a man wants something with no positive values, he is not going to work it out. If commotions could make emotion, and our feelings are all healing, we would be living in the heavens. If you are dealing with somebody who is insane and has emotions and commotion, who is neurotic, useless, hopeless—still that person has an identity. You have to reflect that identity when you make a decision.

Life has a simple challenge. Act, do not react. Calm yourself and claim yourself. When you reflect like a torch, it takes away the darkness for a long distance. When you reflect, your psyche takes away indifference for a long distance. When you speak for yourself, or somebody speaks for you, there is somebody else who speaks for you—your character and projection. That is yourself. Your self is the strongest thing you have. If you doubt within your self, act and react, if you answer the call of dharma and have no heart in it—you will never make sense. You need higher energy, your higher psyche, which should purify you so you can enjoy life.

An unstable man was advised to practice the one minute breath meditation for 31 minutes a day. Today he is grateful to have become successful and compassionate. He has realized himself. Why? You live by breath and die by breath. If you meditate on your breath, then through Pavan Guru, the Pranic Vidya—the knowledge of prana, of creation and creativity and of all incarnations, will dawn on you. You will start winning your self, start valuing your breath, valuing your environments, valuing your projection. And in this way everyone will in turn value you.

In the company of the holy congregation, sharing our psyche, our flow of the identity for each other, our understanding, we go across all difficulties. In doing so, we change our psyche. That enrichment which happens, those 30 trillion cells and a most booming power in the universe, creates a sense of purity and piety. The purpose of this congregation is to elevate ourselves. When you elevate, it is like the person who climbs high up a tree to escape a lion, rather than running from the lion. When calamity hits you—elevate yourself!

We must learn to meditate on our breath. Breath is God in us. Breath is life in us. Breath is us.

Review of Meditation and Sat Nam Rasayan® Healing Workshop with Hari Nam Singh 11/27/2016 – “Division and Unity”

See today’s quote from Yogi Bhajan:

Today: “It’s great to have and not to have—that’s the principle. ” Yogi Bhajan

The Tao Te Ching:

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.”

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Bad actors have been hindering all progress. That will change and your aspirations will bring success.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Be mindful of the current situation. Now. This moment. Free yourself from thoughts arising from the subconscious that conjure scenarios centered on the ego. Be divine, as is your nature.”

See related posts.

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.”

A letter to a friend

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading
54 – Fifty-Four.  Kuei Mei / A Loveless Marriage

The Thunderstorm inseminates the swelling Lake, then moves on where the Lake cannot follow:
The Superior Person views passing trials in the light of Eternal Truths.
Any action will prove unfortunate.
Nothing furthers.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is at best a Marriage of Convenience.
You have found yourself in desperate straits, a position of weakness, and you are tempted to pay dearly for a remedy.
A drowning man isn’t picky about who throws him a rope.
The rescue offered to you now is undesirable.
It may pull you out of this sticky situation, but it will cause even greater predicaments down the road.
Don’t obligate yourself in this way.

Six at the top means:

he groom draws no blood from the sacrifice.
The bride’s basket remains empty.
A barren marriage.

The woman holds the basket, but there are no fruits in it.
The man stabs the sheep, but no blood flows.
Nothing that acts to further.

Sheep basket

At the sacrifice to the ancestors, the woman had to present harvest offerings in a basket, while the man slaughtered the sacrificial animal with his own hand. Here the ritual is only superficially fulfilled; the woman takes an empty basket and the man stabs a sheep slaughtered beforehand – solely to preserve the forms. This impious, irreverent attitude bodes no good for a marriage.

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 solution that would allow for two winners?

“Bad actors have been hindering all progress.  That will change and your aspirations will bring success.” – Today’s Reading

Bad actors have been hindering all progress.  That will change and your aspirations will bring success.

See what Yogi Bhajan says.

Try these meditations:

Meditation: Release obstacles in your path

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

Read the transcript of Yogi Bhajan's lecture on this.

Yogi Bhajan on this mantra:
One day Yogi Bhajan told his students, “Now suppose something happens (in) your life which you want to move and it’s not moving. There is a block, which you want to move, and it’s not moveable.”then chant ‘Aad Sach, Jugaad Sach, Hai Bhae Sach, Naanak Hosee Bhae Sach.’ It’s a lever. It is the biggest lever available to you among mantras.” (8/14/91)Baba Siri Chand was the eldest son of Guru Nanak (the first Guru of the Sikhs). He was a very detached yogi and lived for 150 years. He did nothing but good; his strength is not only miracles, but spontaneous. We have this mantra of his, and if you do that, anything which is stopped in your life it shall flow. There is no power like it on earth. In some circumstances I have seen it make the impossible to become possible very fast. (7/28/94)Guru Arjun Dev (the fifth Guru of the Sikhs) went to Baba Siri Chand and said, ‘Sahibo, I am writing Sukhmani. I am writing the great situation and combination of words that will give people comfort. I want to produce on this earth everlasting comfort. I have finished the 16th pauri of Sukhmani and now it doesn’t proceed further. I am stuck. Seventeenth (pauri) I am to write, please say something.’ And then Baba Siri Chand said, ‘Well, wait a minute. Guru Nanak gave the Guruship to you folks, and it is your problem to write Gurbani, not mine. I just came to bless you. It doesn’t mean I have to say Gurbani for you. Guru Arjun Dev replied, ‘No, sir, this writing isn’t working for me.’ And there Baba Siri Chand wrote: Aad Sach, Jugaad Sach, Hai Bhae Sach, Naanak Hosee Bhae Sach.” This mantra became the slok of the 17th pauri of Sukhmani Sahib.

 

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Be mindful of the current situation. Now. This moment. Free yourself from thoughts arising from the subconscious that conjure scenarios centered on the ego. Be divine, as is your nature.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Be reserved in your actions, not calling attention to yourself. Enjoy small successes. Do not fly too high.”

See related posts.

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

A letter to a friend

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
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.

Nine in the fifth place means:

The wild goose gradually draws near the summit.
For three years the woman has no child.
In the end nothing can hinder her.
Good fortune.

Geese

The summit is a high place. In a high position one easily becomes isolated. One is misjudged by the very person on whom one is dependent – the woman by her husband, the official by his superior. This is the work of deceitful persons who have wormed their way in. The result is that relationships remain sterile, and nothing is accomplished. But in the course of further development, such misunderstandings are cleared away, and reconciliation is achieved after all.

17 – Seventeen.  Sui / Following

Thunder beneath the Lake’s surface.
The Superior Person allows himself plenty of sheltered rest and recuperation while awaiting a clear sign to follow.

Supreme success.
No mistakes if you keep to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Thunder from the Lake — the lulling, rhythmic roar of the faithful tide, eternally wearing away the stone of the shoreline, forever obedient to the phases of the moon.
The pull of the moon on the tide is the Following called for now.
As mighty as the tide is in its own right, it is ever the puppet of the invisible, irresistible gravity of the moon.
What cyclical forces pull you along?
Are you futilely attempting to resist a natural attraction?

“Be mindful of the current situation.  Now.  This moment.  Free yourself from thoughts arising from the subconscious that conjure scenarios centered on the ego.  Be divine, as is your nature.” – Today’s Reading

Be mindful of the current situation.  Now.  This moment.  Free yourself from thoughts arising from the subconscious that conjure scenarios centered on the ego.  Be divine, as is your nature.

See what Yogi Bhajan says about this.

Try this meditation:

Meditation: KYB117-19860822 – Achieve an Experience of God

Read the transcript of Yogi Bhajan's lecture on this.

There is no God outside you. Neither was, nor is, nor shall be. It is all in you. The very breath of life is Divine. – YB

LECTURE:
At that moment that person through the crises became Christ because he could forgive unforgivable done to  him  and  that’s  the  reality.    When  you  can  do  which  is  impossible  to  do  you  have made the impossible possible  that is called divine rest is all nonsense. When you can take a cup of poison drink it and make it turn into a nectar what is the medicine, all poisons given to body to kill the disease and bring the health and when you take a social poison and turn into a divine excellence, that is what spirituality is about. Your concept of spirituality may be different than mine and I am not here to impose mine on you, neither I am going to accept yours for me. I am not asking you to follow me, I am not asking you to walk with me, I am
not asking you to respect me, I am not asking you have any reverence you can live in your nuisance rest of your life it will never make a sense. The sense is only in one virtue where impossible hits you with possible
you can deal with it. Am I clear? Then impossible hit you and you turn out with possible of you possible of you  and  deal  with  it  and  don’t  become  a  monkey  all  crack  down  or  fall  apart  then  you  show  the  strength  of
God, the infinity. When the finite gets to you and you show the infinity that is what divinity is. The difference between duality and divinity is very simple in duality when time hits you, you fall apart you split and if you have any divinity I am not talking A divinity B divinity C divinity I am not branding it any divinity then when impossible hits you, time hits you, space hits you, you are just divine, you are not divided.
Duality and divinity are the two sides of the same coin called God and you want to achieve that, take the sun finger take the Surya Mudra and just like this as I am sitting straight and simple calm and quite straight up.
Hey  Rakhe  Rakhan  Har…
Calm down yourself put your eyes close them down and go through your oneness consider you are a figure one.
(The Rakhe Rakhan Har tape is played).
YB (Over the tape): Beauty is to keep those three fingers straight and let the sun energy circulate which will make it little difficult, but if you just consolidate your energy it will work out perfect.
Enough now this exercise which you have done this mudra can make the dead to rise and walk, if you perfect this mudra it is call surya mudra and that is the surya shabad. When that word and the body put it together   that’s   what   power   it   will   give   you   put   your   hand   and   say   rise   the   dead   man   will   rise,   it’s   not impossible,  it’s  conquering  the  life  breath  of  life  the  sun  energy.    And  last  of  all  which  I  like  to  deal  right
now some people have communication problem and many of you do have and we need to deal with it. You see   this   mudra   you   won’t   find   it   in   any   book   that’s   why   I   am   trying   to   relate   to   you.     The   sun   finger   is together  mercury  here  but  they  don’t  meet  normally  they  get  to  like  that  but  this  is  the  right  way  to  do  it, bent them keep them separate two fingers and  the  hand  meet  straight  just  like  that  is  the  mudra  and  that’s how the heart is. Correct?
And put that that peace lagoon of some Kaur.
Student: (—)
YB: No that peace first song of her, first song from Peace lagoon. You have that version?
Student: (—)
Okay  that’s  all  right  they  can  do  that.
Kindly concentrate get into posture calm down yourself let yourself go, neither the sun fingers meet not the index and the Saturn finger meet they are separate only the pinky that meet. is the first tape, first tape is
peace lagoon.
(The tape is played).
YB: It is all right this is to involve in us the mercury power the communication which, which if penetratingly is used and exercised give you lot of headway and that wake up Har Har Mukunde you have that? . Okay now when you are not in a position to work it out and you do not know what to do it is called zero point of self-confidence   to   get   it   back   to   normal   first   don’t   do   this   do   it   as   wide   as   you   can,   it’s   very
comfortable put your head on your hands and just go like this, correct. Close down your eyes concentrate on your navel and go for it.
(The tape is played).
(Over the tape)
YB:    (Over  the  tape)  Pump  the  navel  at  the  sound  of  Har,  when  you  hear  it.    That’s  enough.
(End of the tape)
So we are trying to give you different mudras to let the energy be regenerated in a different state of stress
and strife  in  life,  trial  triumph  to  avoid  the  tragedies,  that’s  the  purpose  of  the  Kundalini  yoga  not  to  live very long, not to live very healthy, not to be very excellent, not to be very down up, just be ready whatever it  takes.    It’s  a  very  great  concept  very  misunderstood  by  students  and  the  practitioners  of  yoga  they  don’t know what a Kundalini is. Kundalini is very simple when the time wants it the energy spins up and make you to face it and you face it good. So that excellence human excellence in performance, in achievement is called Kundalini awareness, consciousness, divinity, Godliness, whatever you want to call it, but that is the basic reality, it cannot be  changed.    And  that’s  what  all  this  about  is,  this is the science  in  which  shortest possible  time  you  can  balance  yourself  to  get  going,  get  going,  keeping  up.    Keeping  up  doesn’t  mean  to  pull yourself up. No, keeping up is absolutely balance in confrontation,  that’s called  keeping  up.    Keeping  up  not, when  you  don’t  give  in.    Now  if  something  is  wrong  and  you  have  to  give  in  you  give  in  but  you  don’t  give  in to   any   stupid   pressure.     You   don’t   give   in   to   wrong,   you don’t give in to betrayal, you   don’t   give in to tragedy.    If  you  don’t  give  in  to  exploitation  don’t  give  into  anything  you  are  you.    You  want  give  you  want to  give.    You  gave  you  gave.    It’s  a  conscious  living.    So  what  I  have  to  tried  to  cover  with  you  these,  these tapes are about thirty-one minutes, twenty-seven to thirty-one minutes something like that and with that music going with that mudra with that stimulation with that balance try it sometime by your own self. If it work for you share with others, it work for others tell them to share for everybody there is no secret there is no possibility of any reaction and then no possibility of any danger or damage, all good will come out of it.
I hope within the shortest possible time I have covered the maximum this are the things which you need in life if God willing and time permitting space granting the humanity to live we will see you again.

The  class  sings:    May  the  long  tine  sunshine  upon  you….

 

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Be reserved in your actions, not calling attention to yourself. Enjoy small successes. Do not fly too high.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Behave as a guest visiting, not knowing, witnessing, acting politely with caution. In experience, all things come together and again separate. Relate appropriately in the moment.”

See related posts.

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.

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

A letter to a friend

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
52 – Fifty-Two.  Kên / The Mountain

Above this Mountain’s summit another more majestic rises:
The Superior Person is mindful to keep his thoughts in the here and now.

Stilling the sensations of the Ego, he roams his courtyard without moving a muscle, unencumbered by the fears and desires of his fellows.
This is no mistake.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is a higher vantage point available to you, but it is obscured by the visible peak of personal ambition.
To climb to this higher plane, you must shake off the desires and fears of the conscious, visible world around you.
To make this journey you must quiet the Ego, empty your mind of past and future, and dwell totally in the moment at hand.
Thorough mindfulness of what is before you is the only tranquility.
Be. Here. Now.

yang
yin above: Kên / Keeping Still, Mountain
yin
yang
yin below: Kên / Keeping Still, Mountain
yin

 

The image of this hexagram is the mountain, the youngest son of heaven and earth. The male principle is at the top, because it strives upward by nature; the female principle is below, since the direction of its movement is downward. Thus there is rest because the movement has come to its normal end.
In its application to man, the hexagram turns upon the problem of achieving a quiet heart. It is very difficult to bring quiet to the heart. While Buddhism strives for rest through an ebbing away of all movement in nirvana, the Yi Jing holds that rest is merely a state of polarity that always posits movement as its complement. Possibly the words of the text embody directions for the practice of yoga.

THE JUDGEMENT

KEEPING STILL. Keeping his back still
So that he no longer feels his body.
He goes into his courtyard
And does not see his people.
No blame.

True quiet means keeping still when the time has come to keep still, and going forward when the time has come to go forward. In this way rest and movement are in agreement with the demands of the time, and thus there is light in life.
The hexagram signifies the end and the beginning of all movement. The back is named because in the back are located all the nerve fibres that mediate movement. If the movement of these spinal nerves is brought to a standstill, the ego, with its restlessness, disappears as it were. When a man has thus become calm, he may turn to the outside world. He no longer sees in it the struggle and tumult of individual beings, and therefore he has that true peace of mind which is needed for understanding the great laws of the universe and for acting in harmony with them. Whoever acts from these deep levels makes no mistakes.

 

Still Life with Chinese Lantern flowers

 

Still Life with Chinese Lantern flowers.
Colored lithograph, H.A. Dievenbach 1

THE IMAGE

Mountains standing close together:
The image of KEEPING STILL.
Thus the superior man
Does not permit his thoughts
To go beyond his situation.

Huang Shan

The heart thinks constantly. This cannot be changed, but the movements of the heart – that is, a man’s thoughts – should restrict themselves to the immediate situation. All thinking that goes beyond this only makes the heart sore.


1. Hendrikus Anthonius Dievenbach (1872 – 1946), was a Dutch artist.
In 1910 he settled in the village of Laren, North-Holland.
Henri Dievenbach was a traditional painter who was particularly inspired by his direct environment.
Apart from farmer’s interiors he made portaits of fellow-villagers. In his later life he painted especially beautiful still lifes and flower pieces, like this colored lithograph with Chinese Lanterns.

“Be reserved in your actions, not calling attention to yourself.  Enjoy small successes.  Do not fly too high.” – Today’s Reading

Be reserved in your actions, not calling attention to yourself.  Enjoy small successes.  Do not fly too high.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

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

Try these meditations:

Meditation: LA046 – 780614 – Hari Shabad Meditation – Use the Wind to Produce Trance and Dissolve Negativity

Meditation:  LA015 780227 – To Bring Swift and Powerful Change

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Behave as a guest visiting, not knowing, witnessing, acting politely with caution. In experience, all things come together and again separate. Relate appropriately in the moment.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Keep the relations that have sustained rather than pursuing new ones that promise favor.”

See related posts.

Meditation: NM374 – 20001128 – Patience and Intuition

Meditation:  LA588 890411 Silver Grain Meditation 

A letter to a friend

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
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.

yin
yin above: Chên / The Arousing, Thunder
yang
yang
yin below: Kên / Keeping Still, Mountain
yin

 

While in the hexagram Ta Kuo, PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT (28), the strong lines preponderate and are within, inclosed between weak lines at the top and bottom, the present hexagram has weak lines preponderating, though here again they are on the outside, the strong lines being within. This indeed is the basis of the exceptional situation indicated by the hexagram. When strong lines are outside, we have the hexagram I, PROVIDING NOURISHMENT (27), or Chung Fu, INNER TRUTH, (61); neither represents an exceptional state. When strong elements within preponderate, they necessarily enforce their will. This creates struggle and exceptional conditions in general. But in the present hexagram it is the weak element that perforce must mediate with the outside world. If a man occupies a position of authority for which he is by nature really inadequate, extraordinary prudence is necessary.

THE JUDGEMENT

PREPONDERANCE OF THE SMALL. Success.
Perseverance furthers.
Small things may be done; great things should not be done.
The flying bird brings the message:
It is not well to strive upward,
It is well to remain below.
Great good fortune.

Icarus

Exceptional modesty and conscientiousness are sure to be rewarded with success; however, if a man is not to throw himself away, it is important that they should not become empty form and subservience but be combined always with a correct dignity in personal behavior. We must understand the demands of the time in order to find the necessary offset for its deficiencies and damages. In any event we must not count on great success, since the requisite strength is lacking. In this lies the importance of the message that one should not strive after lofty things but hold to lowly things.
The structure of the hexagram gives rise to the idea that this message is brought by a bird. In Ta Kuo, PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT (28), the four strong, heavy lines within, supported only by two weak lines without, give the image of a sagging ridgepole. Here the supporting weak lines are both outside and preponderant; this gives the image of a soaring bird. But a bird should not try to surpass itself and fly into the sun; it should descend to the earth, where its nest is. In this way it gives the message conveyed by the hexagram.
 

I Ching Online

Thunder on mountain

THE IMAGE

Thunder on the mountain:
The image of PREPONDERANCE OF THE SMALL.
Thus in his conduct the superior man gives preponderance to reverence.
In bereavement he gives preponderance to grief.
In his expenditures he gives preponderance to thrift.

Thunder on the mountain is different from thunder on the plain. In the mountains, thunder seems much nearer; outside the mountains, it is less audible than the thunder of an ordinary storm. Thus the superior man derives an imperative from this image: he must always fix his eyes more closely and more directly on duty than does the ordinary man, even though this might make his behavior seem petty to the outside world. He is exceptionally conscientious in his actions. In bereavement emotion means more to him than ceremoniousness. In all his personal expenditures he is extremely simple and unpretentious. In comparison with the man of the masses, all this makes him stand out as exceptional. But the essential significance of his attitude lies in the fact that in external matters he is on the side of the lowly.

“Behave as a guest visiting, not knowing, witnessing, acting politely with caution.  In experience, all things come together and again separate.  Relate appropriately in the moment.” – Today’s Reading

Behave as a guest visiting, not knowing, witnessing, acting politely with caution.  In experience, all things come together and again separate.  Relate appropriately in the moment.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

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

Try these meditations:

Meditation: LA046 – 780614 – Hari Shabad Meditation – Use the Wind to Produce Trance and Dissolve Negativity

Meditation:  LA015 780227 – To Bring Swift and Powerful Change

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Keep the relations that have sustained rather than pursuing new ones that promise favor.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – The main thing is to remain safe from the danger around us without panic. Follow the path of least resistance toward safety in your affairs and you will be OK.”

See related posts.

Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

M0512-890312-ForMasteryOfTimeAndSpace

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Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
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.

yang
yin above: Li / The Clinging, Fire
yang
yang
yin below: Kên / Keeping Still, Mountain
yin

 

THE MOUNTAIN, Kên, stands still; above it fire, Li, flames up and does not tarry. Therefore the two trigrams do not stay together. Strange lands and separation are the wanderer’s lot.

THE JUDGEMENT

The Wanderer. Success through smallness.
Perseverance brings good fortune
To the wanderer.

WHEN A man is a wanderer and stranger, he should not be gruff nor overbearing. He has no large circle of acquaintances, therefore he should not give himself airs. He must be cautious and reserved; in this way he protects himself from evil. If he is obliging toward others, he wins success.
A wanderer has no fixed abode; his home is the road. Therefore he must take care to remain upright and steadfast, so that he sojourns only in the proper places, associating only with good people. Then he has good fortune and can go his way unmolested.

I Ching Online

THE IMAGE

Fire on the mountain:
The image of THE WANDERER.
Thus the superior man
Is clear-minded and cautious
In imposing penalties,
And protracts no lawsuits.

 

Fire on Sugarloaf mountain

 

Fire on Sugarloaf mountain, in Chiricahua National Monument, 2011

When grass on a mountain takes fire, there is bright light. However, the fire does not linger in one place, but travels on to new fuel. It is a phenomenon of short duration. This is what penalties and lawsuits should be like. They should be a quickly passing matter, and must not be dragged out indefinitely. Prisons ought to be places where people are lodged only temporarily, as guests are. They must not become dwelling places.

“Keep the relations that have sustained rather than pursuing new ones that promise favor.” – Today’s Reading

Keep the relations that have sustained rather than pursuing new ones that promise favor.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

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

Try these meditations:

LA097 790327 Yoni Kriya The Unknown Fear Complex Of The Unknown

Meditation: NM0380 – Ecstasy and Joy

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “The main thing is to remain safe from the danger around us without panic. Follow the path of least resistance toward safety in your affairs and you will be OK.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Stay true to your path regardless of the folly, chaos and insanity presented by those around you.”

See related posts.

Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

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Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
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:

The withered willow blossoms.
An older woman takes a young husband.
No blame, no praise.

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

Poplar forest

Poplar forest

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.

“The main thing is to remain safe from the danger around us without panic.  Follow the path of least resistance toward safety in your affairs and you will be OK.” – Today’s Reading

The main thing is to remain safe from the danger around us without panic.  Follow the path of least resistance toward safety in your affairs and you will be OK.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

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.

Try these meditations:

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

Meditation: LA741 – 921125 – Dance of Shiva

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Stay true to your path regardless of the folly, chaos and insanity presented by those around you.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Beware of cult like behavior. The leader disdains the follower and the follower seeks favors. Both will fail.”

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Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

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Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
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.

Nine in the fifth place means:

The dark waters of this pit will rise no higher.
Your greatest danger now lies in panic.
Keep your wits and you will escape.

The abyss is not filled to overflowing,
It is filled only to the rim.
No blame.

Abyss Pool

Danger comes because one is too ambitious. In order to flow out of a ravine, water does not rise higher than the lowest point of the rim. So likewise a man when in danger has only to proceed along the line of least resistance; thus he reaches the goal. Great labors cannot be accomplished in such times; it is enough to get out of the danger.

Abyss Pool

Abyss Pool is the deepest hot spring in Yellowstone, at 53 feet.
It was named because this great depth makes it seem like the pool has no bottom… like an abyss…

2 – Two   K’un / Receptive Force

Earth above and Earth below:
The Earth contains and sustains.
In this situation, the Superior Person should not take the initiative; he should follow the initiative of another.
He should seek receptive allies in the southwest; he should break ties with immovable allies in the northeast.

Responsive devotion.
Receptive influence.
Sublime Success if you keep to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a time for dealing with reality as it is, not as you would have it be.
If you realize that in this situation you are the receptor, not the transmitter of the stimulus, you will find yourself reaching goals that seemed unattainable under your own steam.
If you persist in futile efforts to be the Shaper rather than the Shaped, you will completely miss this unique opportunity.

“Stay true to your path regardless of the folly, chaos and insanity  presented by those around you.” – Today’s Reading

Stay true to your path regardless of the folly, chaos and insanity  presented by those around you.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

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

Try these meditations:

https://www.harinam.com/la907/

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Beware of cult like behavior. The leader disdains the follower and the follower seeks favors. Both will fail.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “This is a momentous time where you must make a choice to do something. Doing nothing is a perilous option. ”

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Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

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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.

Six in the fifth place means:

The caldron you cook in has yellow handles and golden carrying rings.
Good fortune if you keep to this course.

The ting has yellow handles, golden carrying rings.
Perseverance furthers.

Bronze cauldron

Bronze cauldron

Here we have, in a ruling position, a man who is approachable and modest in nature. As a result of this attitude he succeeds in finding strong and able helpers who complement and aid him in his work. Having achieved this attitude, which requires constant self-abnegation, it is important for him to hold to it and not to let himself be led astray.
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.

“Beware of cult like behavior.  The leader disdains the follower and the follower seeks favors.  Both will fail.” – Today’s Reading

Beware of cult like behavior.  The leader disdains the follower and the follower seeks favors.  Both will fail.

It often happens, when a man exerts a certain amount of influence, that he obtains a following by condescension toward inferiors. But the people who attach themselves to him are not honest in their intentions. They seek personal advantage and try to make themselves indispensable through flattery and subservience. If one becomes accustomed to such satellites and cannot do without them, it brings misfortune. Only when a man is completely free from his ego, and intent, by conviction, upon what is right and essential, does he acquire the clarity that enables him to see through such people, and become free of blame.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

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

Meditation: NM0413 – Intuition and the Strength of Excellence

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “This is a momentous time where you must make a choice to do something. Doing nothing is a perilous option. ”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Transcend the tribal formations that separate you. Grow together with the connections and aspirations you share.”

See related posts.

Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

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

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Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
17 – Seventeen.  Sui / Following

Thunder beneath the Lake’s surface.
The Superior Person allows himself plenty of sheltered rest and recuperation while awaiting a clear sign to follow.

Supreme success.
No mistakes if you keep to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Thunder from the Lake — the lulling, rhythmic roar of the faithful tide, eternally wearing away the stone of the shoreline, forever obedient to the phases of the moon.
The pull of the moon on the tide is the Following called for now.
As mighty as the tide is in its own right, it is ever the puppet of the invisible, irresistible gravity of the moon.
What cyclical forces pull you along?
Are you futilely attempting to resist a natural attraction?

Nine in the fourth place means:

Following for dishonorable reasons.
Pause for clarity and a return to integrity.
Once actions are sincere, you may move forward blamelessly.

Following creates success.
Perseverance brings misfortune.
To go one’s way with sincerity brings clarity.
How could there be blame in this?

Flattery

‘Flattery’ – Juan Gris, 1908 – Pencil, color pencil and watercolor on paper

It often happens, when a man exerts a certain amount of influence, that he obtains a following by condescension toward inferiors. But the people who attach themselves to him are not honest in their intentions. They seek personal advantage and try to make themselves indispensable through flattery and subservience. If one becomes accustomed to such satellites and cannot do without them, it brings misfortune. Only when a man is completely free from his ego, and intent, by conviction, upon what is right and essential, does he acquire the clarity that enables him to see through such people, and become free of blame.
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.

“This is a momentous time where you must make a choice to do something.  Doing nothing is a perilous option. ” – Today’s Reading

This is a momentous time where you must make a choice to do something.  Doing nothing is a perilous option.

This promises success. For although the strong element is in excess, it is in the middle, that is, at the centre of gravity, so that a revolution is not to be feared. Nothing is to be achieved by forcible measures. The problem must be solved by gentle penetration to the meaning of the situation (as is suggested by the attribute of the inner trigram, Sun); then the change-over to other conditions will be successful. It demands real superiority; therefore the time when the great preponderates is a momentous time.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

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.

Meditation: M061b-19901124 – Know the structure of the mind

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Transcend the tribal formations that separate you. Grow together with the connections and aspirations you share.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Always consider carefully your first move. Halt first before you act. Give it space. Keep your grace.”

See related posts.

Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

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Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

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.

yin
yang above: Tui / The Joyous, Lake
yang
yang
yang below: Sun / The Gentle, Wind, Wood
yin

 

This hexagram consists of four strong lines inside and two weak lines outside. When the strong are outside and the weak inside, all is well and there is nothing out of balance, nothing extraordinary in the situation. Here, however, the opposite is the case. The hexagram represents a beam that is thick and heavy in the middle but too weak at the ends. This is a condition that cannot last; it must be changed, must pass, or misfortune will result.

THE JUDGEMENT

PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT.
The ridgepole sags to the breaking point.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
Success.

The weight of the great is excessive. The load is too heavy for the strength of the supports. The ridge-pole on which the whole roof rests, sags to the breaking point, because its supporting ends are too weak for the load they bear. It is an exceptional time and situation; therefore extraordinary measures are demanded. It is necessary to find a way of transition as quickly as possible, and to take action. This promises success. For although the strong element is in excess, it is in the middle, that is, at the centre of gravity, so that a revolution is not to be feared. Nothing is to be achieved by forcible measures. The problem must be solved by gentle penetration to the meaning of the situation (as is suggested by the attribute of the inner trigram, Sun); then the change-over to other conditions will be successful. It demands real superiority; therefore the time when the great preponderates is a momentous time.

 

I Ching Online

Under water trees

‘Under water trees’ – photo Andrew Poison

THE IMAGE

The lake rises above the trees:
The image of PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT.
Thus the superior man, when he stands alone,
Is unconcerned,
And if he has to renounce the world,
He is undaunted.

Extraordinary times when the great preponderates are like floodtimes when the lake rises over the treetops. But such conditions are temporary. The two trigrams indicate the attitude proper to such exceptional times: the symbol of the trigram Sun is the tree, which stands firm even though it stands alone, and the attribute of Tui is joyousness, which remains undaunted even if it must renounce the world.

“Transcend the tribal formations that separate you.  Grow together with the connections and aspirations you share.” – Today’s Reading

Transcend the tribal formations that separate you.  Grow together with the  connections and aspirations you share.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

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

Meditation: LA0967-Division and Oneness

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Always consider carefully your first move. Halt first before you act. Give it space. Keep your grace.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – Accept help as it comes along. Taking the first step leads to success.”

See related posts.

Musings on Grace and Gratitude

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45 – Forty-Five.  Ts’ui / Gathering

The Lake rises by welcoming and receiving Earth’s waters:
The King approaches his temple.
It is wise to seek audience with him there.

Success follows this course.
Making an offering will seal your good fortune.
A goal will be realized now.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is an important Convergence, and you must be part of it.
Look for the Center of this convergence.
Like waters running to the sea, like an astronomical convergence of planets revolving around the sun, you should let the gravity of this Center draw you near.
Others are also drawn to this Center, and among them you will find shared bonds and kindred spirits.
This tribal convergence will give you a clarity of purpose.
You will no longer be alone.

Six in the third place means:
Gathering together amid sighs.
Nothing that would further.
Going is without blame.
Slight humiliation.

At the Moulin Rouge

‘At the Moulin Rouge’ – Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (painted between 1892-1895)

Often a man feels an urge to unite with others, but the individuals around him have already formed themselves into a group, so that he remains isolated. The whole situation proves untenable. Then he ought to choose the way of progress, resolutely allying himself with a man who stands nearer to the centre of the group, and can help him to gain admission to the closed circle. This is not a mistake, even though at first his position as an outsider is somewhat humiliating.

31 – Thirty-One.  Hsien / Attraction

The joyous Lake is cradled by the tranquil Mountain:
The Superior Person takes great satisfaction in encouraging others along their journey.
He draws them to him with his welcoming nature and genuine interest.

Supreme success.
This course leads to marriage.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is no greater natural law in the Cosmos than Attraction.
From the magnetic pull of an atom’s nucleus to the centrifugal force that spirals a galaxy, the face of the universe is shaped by Attraction.
On a human scale, it is Attraction that fuels procreation and furthers our species.
Yet it is also Attraction that spawns greed and covetousness, threatening our extinction.
Attraction is the underlying force of the situation in question.
You are refined or debased by the objects of your desire.
What gravitational pull are you now under?
Around what sphere of influence do you circle?
Can you use your own ability to attract?

“Always consider carefully your first move.  Halt first before you act.  Give it space.  Keep your grace.” – Today’s Reading

Always consider carefully your first move.  Halt first before you act.  Give it space.  Keep your grace.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

Tao Te Ching – Verse 66 – If you want to govern the people, you must place yourself below them.

Meditation:  One Minute Breath

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Accept help as it comes along. Taking the first step leads to success.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “The choices you make today are coming from the right place. Enjoy the connections.”

See related posts.

Musings on Grace and Gratitude

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Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
52 – Fifty-Two.  Kên / The Mountain

Above this Mountain’s summit another more majestic rises:
The Superior Person is mindful to keep his thoughts in the here and now.

Stilling the sensations of the Ego, he roams his courtyard without moving a muscle, unencumbered by the fears and desires of his fellows.
This is no mistake.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is a higher vantage point available to you, but it is obscured by the visible peak of personal ambition.
To climb to this higher plane, you must shake off the desires and fears of the conscious, visible world around you.
To make this journey you must quiet the Ego, empty your mind of past and future, and dwell totally in the moment at hand.
Thorough mindfulness of what is before you is the only tranquility.
Be. Here. Now.

Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:

Not even moving a toe.
No mistakes.
Hold to this course.

Keeping his toes still.
No blame.
Continued perseverance furthers.

Mule from Kritsa

Typical mule from Kritsa, Crete Greece

Keeping the toes still means halting before one has even begun to move. The beginning is the time of few mistakes. At that time one is still in harmony with primal innocence. Not yet influenced by obscuring interests and desires, one sees things intuitively as they really are. A man who halts at the beginning, so long as he has not yet abandoned the truth, finds the right way. But persisting firmness is needed to keep one from drifting irresolutely.
22 – Twenty-Two.  Pi / Grace

Fire illuminates the base of the Mountain:
The Superior Person realizes he has not the wisdom to move the course of the world, except by attending to each day’s affairs as they come.

Success in small matters.
This is a good time to begin something.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The emphasis now is on form, not function — on the sizzle and not the steak.
The environment around you is not one of depth, and you are appreciated now for your image, not your essence.
You perfectly fill a role, and no one is seeing the genuine you.
Still, you are being listened to and watched.
Use this influence to further your goals as much as possible.
Even if you don’t feel understood, you can perhaps connect with a few isolated hearts.
Relax and enjoy the attention.

“Accept help as it comes along. Taking the first step leads to success.” – Today’s Reading

Accept help as it comes along. Taking the first step leads to success.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

Tao Te Ching – Verse 64 – Prevent trouble before it arises. Put things in order before they exist.

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

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “The choices you make today are coming from the right place. Enjoy the connections.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Accept in gratitude what is given to you. Be in the flow of existence without prejudice. Receive and give in grace.”

See related posts.

Musings on Grace and Gratitude

A letter to a friend

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
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.

Six in the fourth place means:

Her horses break away.
Turning back, she must learn to trust, and accept the escort of her spurned highwayman.
What seemed at first misfortune will lead to marriage.

Horse and wagon part.
Strive for union.
To go brings good fortune.
Everything acts to further.

 

 

‘The Hay Wain’ – John Constable, 1821, The National Gallery, London

We are in a situation in which it is our duty to act, but we lack sufficient power. However, an opportunity to make connections offers itself. It must be seized. Neither false pride nor false reserve should deter us. Bringing oneself to take the first step, even when it involves a certain degree of self-abnegation, is a sign of inner clarity. To accept help in a difficult situation is not a disgrace. If the right helper is found, all goes well.
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.

“The choices you make today are coming from the right place.  Enjoy the connections.” – Today’s Reading

The choices you make today are coming from the right place.  Enjoy the connections.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

Tao Te Ching – Verse 63 – Act without doing; work without effort

Meditation: LA935-980608- Connect the subconscious and intuition

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Accept in gratitude what is given to you. Be in the flow of existence without prejudice. Receive and give in grace.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Just be. Your presence stirs enthusiasm among those who see you and hear your words. They want to join you in your vision and endeavors.”

See related posts.

Musings on Grace and Gratitude

A letter to a friend

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
31 – Thirty-One.  Hsien / Attraction

The joyous Lake is cradled by the tranquil Mountain:
The Superior Person takes great satisfaction in encouraging others along their journey.
He draws them to him with his welcoming nature and genuine interest.

Supreme success.
This course leads to marriage.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is no greater natural law in the Cosmos than Attraction.
From the magnetic pull of an atom’s nucleus to the centrifugal force that spirals a galaxy, the face of the universe is shaped by Attraction.
On a human scale, it is Attraction that fuels procreation and furthers our species.
Yet it is also Attraction that spawns greed and covetousness, threatening our extinction.
Attraction is the underlying force of the situation in question.
You are refined or debased by the objects of your desire.
What gravitational pull are you now under?
Around what sphere of influence do you circle?
Can you use your own ability to attract?

Nine in the fifth place means:

Chills down the spine but no startled movements.
No regrets.

The influence shows itself in the back of the neck.
No remorse.

Superior nuchal line

Superior nuchal line

The back of the neck is the most rigid part of the body. When the influence shows itself there, the will remains firm and the influence does not lead to confusion. Hence remorse does not enter into consideration here. What takes place in the depths of one’s being, in the unconscious, can neither be called forth nor prevented by the conscious mind. It is true that if we cannot be influenced ourselves, we cannot influence the outside world.
16 – Sixteen.  Yü / Enthusiasm

Thunder comes resounding out of the Earth:
Similar thunder roars up from the masses when the Superior Person strikes a chord in their hearts.

Whip up enthusiasm, rally your forces, and move boldly forward.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is a rhythmic force, a world music, that lives deep in the Unconscious of each of us.
It’s a primitive drumbeat, a shaking rattle, a tribal chant that invokes the primal self to rise up and join the dance.
This is the enthusiasm that is generated now.
Not rhetorical persuasion, not a play on the emotions, but a charismatic, irresistible Call of the Wild.
Confucius said that the person who could comprehend this could ‘rule the world as though it were spinning in his hand.’
This is a time for instinct, not intellect — the Thunder from the Beneath.

“Accept in gratitude what is given to you.  Be in the flow of existence without prejudice.  Receive and give in grace.” – Today’s Reading

Accept in gratitude what is given to you.  Be in the flow of existence without prejudice.  Receive and give in grace.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

Tao Te Ching – Verse 62 – The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man’s treasure, the bad man’s refuge.

Meditation: NM422 A11020 Coordination of Body Mind by Spirit to Enter the Fall and the Winter Season

Musings on Grace and Gratitude

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Just be. Your presence stirs enthusiasm among those who see you and hear your words. They want to join you in your vision and endeavors.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Be careful to apply your passion and brilliance without consuming yourself. Slow and steady.”

See related posts.

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

A letter to a friend

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
48 – Forty-Eight.  Ching / The Well

Deep Waters Penetrated and drawn to the surface:
The Superior Person refreshes the people with constant encouragement to help one another.

Encampments, settlements, walled cities, whole empires may rise and fall, yet the Well at the center endures, never drying to dust, never overflowing.
It served those before and will serve those after.
Again and again you may draw from the Well, but if the bucket breaks or the rope is too short there will be misfortune.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is a Source common to us all.
Jung named it the Collective Unconscious.
Others hail it as God within.
Inside each of us are dreamlike symbols and archetypes, emotions and instincts that we share with every other human being.
When we feel a lonely separateness from others, it is not because this Well within has dried up, but because we have lost the means to reach its waters.
You need to reclaim the tools necessary to penetrate to the depths of your fellows.
Then the bonds you build will be as timeless and inexhaustible as the Well that nourishes them.

yin
yang above: K’an / The Abysmal, Water
yin
yang
yang below: Sun / The Gentle, Wind, Wood
yin

The Well

Wood is below, water above. The wood goes down into the earth to bring up water. The image derives from the pole-and-bucket well of ancient China. The wood represents not the buckets, which in ancient times were made of clay, but rather the wooden poles by which the water is hauled up from the well. The image also refers to the world of plants, which lift water out of the earth by means of their fibres.
The well from which water is drawn conveys the further idea of an inexhaustible dispensing of nourishment.

Raga Kumbha

Raga Kumbha meets a young woman at a well, and asks for water.1

THE JUDGEMENT

THE WELL. The town may be changed,
But the well cannot be changed.
It neither decreases nor increases.
They come and go and draw from the well.
If one gets down almost to the water
And the rope does not go all the way,
Or the jug breaks, it brings misfortune.

In ancient China the capital cities were sometimes moved, partly for the sake of more favorable location, partly because of a change in dynasties. The style of architecture changed in the course of centuries, but the shape of the well has remained the same from ancient times to this day. Thus the well is the symbol of that social structure which, evolved by mankind in meeting its most primitive needs, is independent of all political forms. Political structures change, as do nations, but the life of man with its needs remains eternally the same-this cannot be changed. Life is also inexhaustible. It grows neither less nor more; it exists for one and for all. The generations come and go, and all enjoy life in its inexhaustible abundance.

However, there are two prerequisites for a satisfactory political or social organisation of mankind. We must go down to the very foundations of life. For any merely superficial ordering of life that leaves its deepest needs unsatisfied is as ineffectual as if no attempt at order had ever been made. Carelessness-by which the jug is broken-is also disastrous. If for instance the military defense of a state is carried to such excess that it provokes wars by which the power of the state is annihilated, this is a breaking of the jug.

This hexagram applies also to the individual. However men may differ in disposition and in education, the foundations of human nature are the same in everyone. And every human being can draw in the course of his education from the inexhaustible wellspring of the divine in man’s nature. But here likewise two dangers threaten: a man may fail in his education to penetrate to the real roots of humanity and remain fixed in convention-a partial education of this sort is as bad as none- or he may suddenly collapse and neglect his self-development.

THE IMAGE

Water over wood: the image of THE WELL.
Thus the superior man encourages the people at their work,
And exhorts them to help one another.

The trigram Sun, wood, is below, and the trigram K’an, water, is above it. Wood sucks water upward. Just as wood as an organism imitates the action of the well, which benefits all parts of the plant, the superior man organises human society, so that, as in a plant organism, its parts co-operate for the benefit of the whole.


1. The painting personifies Raga Kumbha, one of the eight sons of Sri Raga.
Kumbha refers to a pitcher filled with water, which symbolizes an auspicious omen.
A young woman is pulling a pitcher out of the well, while a young thirsty soldier, clad in a yellow choga (garment) and a white apron tied around his head draws her attention.
The painting is based on one of the folk songs of Kangra valley that essays the accidental meeting of a husband and a wife.

The soldier after his marriage to a young girl goes away on service for several long years.
On his return he visits his father in law to fetch his wife.
He meets a young woman at a well and asks for water.
He also pays compliment to her beauty.
At this she rebukes him sternly and rushes home.
On her arrival at home, her mother asks her to put on her best clothes and ornaments as her husband had come.
She attires in best of her finery, and when goes to meet him finds that he is the same person who met her at the well.
Guilty of harsh words she had spoken to him at the well she attempts reconciliation and soon all misunderstandings are dissolved and they live happily afterwards as a loving couple.