Tao Te Ching – Verse 32 – The Tao can’t be perceived. Smaller than an electron, it contains uncountable galaxies.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 32

The Tao can’t be perceived.
Smaller than an electron,
it contains uncountable galaxies.

If powerful men and women
could remain centered in the Tao,
all things would be in harmony.
The world would become a paradise.
All people would be at peace,
and the law would be written in their hearts.

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 32 – The Tao can’t be perceived. Smaller than an electron, it contains uncountable galaxies.”

Today: “We are at the crossroads of a real revolution.  Its imminent outcome will depend on the  integrity and motives of those in charge.” – From the I Ching

We are at the crossroads of a real revolution.  Its imminent outcome will depend on the  integrity and motives of those in charge.

Radical changes require adequate authority. A man must have inner strength as well as influential position. What he does must correspond with a higher truth and must not spring from arbitrary or petty motives; then it brings great good fortune. If a revolution is not founded on such inner truth, the results are bad, and it has no success. For in the end men will support only those undertakings which they feel instinctively to be just.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 31 – Weapons are the tools of violence; all decent men detest them.

Today: “There is a difference between a carefree man and a careless man. ” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “There is a difference between a carefree man and a careless man. ” Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Meditation: M136-970930 – Work on Shashara, Balance Earth and Heavens

Meditation: NM038 – “To Have a Happy Body Increase Vitality, Release Pressure in Body, Balance Endocrines”

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Today: – Today’s Reading “Merge with the consciousness of others. Feel it as your own. Know it as your own. It includes awareness beyond your own personal view, colored by ego. If you can do this, then what it sees, you see. What it knows, you know.”

Previous previous reading: “When you share your wisdom jewels, they don’t get it. Don’t push it. Once temerity subsides and trust develops they will follow your example.”

Related Posts

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
49 – Forty-Nine.  Ko / Revolution

Fire ignites within the Lake, defying conditions that would deny it birth or survival:
The Superior Person reads the Signs of the Times and makes the Season apparent to all.

The support you need will come only after the deed is done.
Renewed forces, however, will provide fresh energy for exceptional progress.
Persevere.
All differences vanish.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

A revolutionary Change must be made forcibly.
There is no negotiating with the Established Order.
Perfect timing is essential.
Let the abuse of power become apparent and oppressive to those around you before making your move.
Lay the groundwork, sow the seeds for Revolution without tipping your hand prematurely.
You will need a strong foundation, because you will have to bring about this necessary change alone.
You cannot count on popular support, so you must wait until there is massive dissent.
Then the avenue for your assault will be cleared.

Nine in the fourth place means:

Your honor is redeemed.
All impediments fall away and the path ahead is clear.

Remorse disappears. Men believe him.
Changing the form of government brings good fortune.

Bastille

Storming the Bastille 14 July 1789

Radical changes require adequate authority. A man must have inner strength as well as influential position. What he does must correspond with a higher truth and must not spring from arbitrary or petty motives; then it brings great good fortune. If a revolution is not founded on such inner truth, the results are bad, and it has no success. For in the end men will support only those undertakings which they feel instinctively to be just.

63 – Sixty-Three.  Chi Chi / Aftermath

Boiling Water over open Flame, one might extinguish The other:
The Superior Person takes a 360 degree view of the situation and prepares for any contingency.

Success in small matters if you stay on course.
Early good fortune can end in disorder.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Victory at the expense of another is a merciless taskmaster.
The precarious balance here is reflected in the lines of the hexagram: each of the yin lines rests upon a strong yang line — a seemingly perfect arrangement.
But the scales will be tipped with the change of any one line.
And there WILL be change.
Tireless vigilance and an answer to every challenge — that is the uneasy Seat of Power occupied by the conqueror.

 

Tao Te Ching – Verse 31 – Weapons are the tools of violence; all decent men detest them.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 31

Weapons are the tools of violence;
all decent men detest them.

Weapons are the tools of fear;
a decent man will avoid them
except in the direst necessity
and, if compelled, will use them
only with the utmost restraint.

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 31 – Weapons are the tools of violence; all decent men detest them.”

Today: “Merge with the consciousness of others.  Feel it as your own.  Know it as your own. It includes awareness beyond your own personal view, colored by ego.  If you can do this, then what it sees, you see.  What it knows, you know.” – Today’s Reading

Where words fail, you can teach and lead by your example. Just keep up.

An individual is in a position in which he cannot so express his good intentions that they will actually take shape and be understood. Other people interpose and distort everything he does. He should then be cautious and proceed step by step. He must not try to force the consummation of a great undertaking, because success is possible only when general confidence already prevails. It is only through faithful and conscientious work, unobtrusively carried on, that the situation gradually clears up and the hindrance disappears.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 30 – Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men doesn’t try to force issues or defeat enemies by force of arms

Today: “Saints and sages have more trouble than a normal person, because a normal person can sneak his way through; the saintly man gets stuck.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “Saints and sages have more trouble than a normal person, because a normal person can sneak his way through; the saintly man gets stuck.” Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Meditation: LA007-780117-Sadhana Yojina-To Infinity Upon Death

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Today: “When you share your wisdom jewels, they don’t get it.  Don’t push it.  Once temerity subsides and trust develops they will follow your example.” – Today’s Reading

Previous previous reading: Merge with the consciousness of others. Feel it as your own. Know it as your own. It includes awareness beyond your own personal view, colored by ego. If you can do this, then what it sees, you see. What it knows, you know.”

Related Posts

If you are a healer (or not), listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes:

Recap: Healing Intensive with Hari Nam Singh at Park Slope Brooklyn March 29-30, 2019

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
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.

Nine in the fifth place means:

He could rescue them, if only they would trust.
For now, he must provide protection and small comfort from the shadows.

Difficulties in blessing.
A little perseverance brings good fortune.
Great perseverance brings misfortune.

Persevere

An individual is in a position in which he cannot so express his good intentions that they will actually take shape and be understood. Other people interpose and distort everything he does. He should then be cautious and proceed step by step. He must not try to force the consummation of a great undertaking, because success is possible only when general confidence already prevails. It is only through faithful and conscientious work, unobtrusively carried on, that the situation gradually clears up and the hindrance disappears.
15 – Fifteen.  Ch’ien / Modesty

The Mountain does not overshadow the Plain surrounding it:
Such modest consideration in a Superior Person creates a channel through which excess flows to the needy.

Success if you carry things through.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The Cosmos is moving toward equilibrium.
Extremes are being tempered, excess is beginning to shift toward the empty.
You can use these moderating influences to strike a balance in the world around you.
Remember, though, that this Leveling will not come about through an arrogant confiscation of excess, but through subtler persuasions.
Modesty and moderation are the keys.

Six in the second place means:

Modesty that radiates.
This course brings good fortune.

Modesty that comes to expression.
Perseverance brings good fortune.

“Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh.” When a man’s attitude of mind is so modest that this expresses itself in his outward behavior, it is a source of good fortune to him. For the possibility of exerting a lasting influence arises of itself, and no one can interfere.

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.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 30 – Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men doesn’t try to force issues or defeat enemies by force of arms

Tao Te Ching – Verse 30

Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men
doesn’t try to force issues
or defeat enemies by force of arms.
For every force there is a counterforce.
Violence, even well intentioned,
always rebounds upon oneself.

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 30 – Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men doesn’t try to force issues or defeat enemies by force of arms”

Today: “When you share your wisdom jewels, they don’t get it.  Don’t push it.  Once temerity subsides and trust develops they will follow your example.” – Today’s Reading

When you share your wisdom jewels, they don’t get it.  Don’t push it.  Once temerity subsides and trust develops they will follow your example.

An individual is in a position in which he cannot so express his good intentions that they will actually take shape and be understood. Other people interpose and distort everything he does. He should then be cautious and proceed step by step. He must not try to force the consummation of a great undertaking, because success is possible only when general confidence already prevails. It is only through faithful and conscientious work, unobtrusively carried on, that the situation gradually clears up and the hindrance disappears.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 29 – Do you want to improve the world? I don’t think it can be done.

Today: “Spirituality and Godhead does not mean that if I meditate all the time I am very spiritual.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “Spirituality and Godhead does not mean that if I meditate all the time I am very spiritual.” Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Meditation: Know the Psyche of the Other

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

Meditation: NM327-990930 Know Your Heart

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

Meditation: LA544 – 870610 – Know and Experience the Unknown

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Previous reading: “Merge with the consciousness of others. Feel it as your own. Know it as your own. It includes awareness beyond your own personal view, colored by ego. If you can do this, then what it sees, you see. What it knows, you know.”

Previous previous reading: “Your duty is to live the truth. Not merely follow the leader. Keep your dignity.”

Related Posts

If you are a healer (or not), listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes:

Recap: Healing Intensive with Hari Nam Singh at Park Slope Brooklyn March 29-30, 2019

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
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.

Nine in the fifth place means:

He could rescue them, if only they would trust.
For now, he must provide protection and small comfort from the shadows.

Difficulties in blessing.
A little perseverance brings good fortune.
Great perseverance brings misfortune.

Persevere

An individual is in a position in which he cannot so express his good intentions that they will actually take shape and be understood. Other people interpose and distort everything he does. He should then be cautious and proceed step by step. He must not try to force the consummation of a great undertaking, because success is possible only when general confidence already prevails. It is only through faithful and conscientious work, unobtrusively carried on, that the situation gradually clears up and the hindrance disappears.
33 – Thirty-Three.  Tun / Retreat

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

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

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

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

Related Posts

If you are a healer (or not), listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes:

Recap: Healing Intensive with Hari Nam Singh at Park Slope Brooklyn March 29-30, 2019

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
20 - Twenty.  Kuan / Contemplation

The gentle Wind roams the Earth:
The Superior Person expands his sphere of influence as he expands his awareness.
Deeply devoted to his pursuit of clarity and wisdom, he is unconscious of the inspiring, positive example he is setting for others to emulate.

You have cleansed yourself; now stand ready to make your humble, devout offering.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The situation marks a rising to new heights.
As you climb for a better view of the panorama, you make yourself more conspicuous to those below.
This hexagram is also known as the Watchtower, because the shape formed by its lines resembles the ancient guardposts manned by Chinese soldiers.
These towers were placed on mountainsides to give a better vantage point.
To those below, the watchtowers served as landmarks to help them find their way.
The quality of your search for clarity in this situation serves as such a guidepost for others along the Way.

Six in the second place means:

Peeking from behind a screen may ensure your privacy, but it offers you only a partial view.

Contemplation through the crack of the door.
Furthering for the perseverance of a woman.

Curtains

Through the crack of the door one has a limited outlook; one looks outward from within. Contemplation is subjectively limited. One tends to relate everything to oneself and cannot put oneself in another's place and understand his motives. This is appropriate for a good housewife. It is not necessary for her to be conversant with the affairs of the world. But for a man who must take active part in public life, such a narrow, egotistic way of contemplating things is of course harmful.

61 - Sixty-One.  Chung Fu / Inner Truth

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

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

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

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

Tao Te Ching – Verse 29 – Do you want to improve the world? I don’t think it can be done.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 29

Do you want to improve the world?
I don’t think it can be done.

The world is sacred.
It can’t be improved.
If you tamper with it, you’ll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object, you’ll lose it. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 29 – Do you want to improve the world? I don’t think it can be done.”

Today: “Merge with the consciousness of others.  Feel it as your own.  Know it as your own. It includes awareness beyond your own personal view, colored by ego.  If you can do this, then what it sees, you see.  What it knows, you know.” – Today’s Reading

Merge with the consciousness of others.  Feel it as your own.  Know it as your own. It includes awareness beyond your own personal view, colored by ego.  If you can do this, then what it sees, you see.  What it knows, you know.

Through the crack of the door one has a limited outlook; one looks outward from within. Contemplation is subjectively limited. One tends to relate everything to oneself and cannot put oneself in another’s place and understand his motives. This is appropriate for a good housewife. It is not necessary for her to be conversant with the affairs of the world. But for a man who must take active part in public life, such a narrow, egotistic way of contemplating things is of course harmful.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 28 – Know the male, yet keep to the female

Today: “What is a habit? When the mind is tuned after an activity, it is known as a habit.” – Yogi Bhajan

Today: “What is a habit? When the mind is tuned after an activity, it is known as a habit.” – Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Meditation: Know the Psyche of the Other

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

Meditation: NM327-990930 Know Your Heart

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

Meditation: LA544 – 870610 – Know and Experience the Unknown

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Previous reading: “Your duty is to live the truth. Not merely follow the leader. Keep your dignity.”

Previous previous reading: “Retreat merely means adjusting your course. Defeat is when your spirit is crushed.”

Related Posts

If you are a healer (or not), listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes:

Recap: Healing Intensive with Hari Nam Singh at Park Slope Brooklyn March 29-30, 2019

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
20 – Twenty.  Kuan / Contemplation

The gentle Wind roams the Earth:
The Superior Person expands his sphere of influence as he expands his awareness.
Deeply devoted to his pursuit of clarity and wisdom, he is unconscious of the inspiring, positive example he is setting for others to emulate.

You have cleansed yourself; now stand ready to make your humble, devout offering.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The situation marks a rising to new heights.
As you climb for a better view of the panorama, you make yourself more conspicuous to those below.
This hexagram is also known as the Watchtower, because the shape formed by its lines resembles the ancient guardposts manned by Chinese soldiers.
These towers were placed on mountainsides to give a better vantage point.
To those below, the watchtowers served as landmarks to help them find their way.
The quality of your search for clarity in this situation serves as such a guidepost for others along the Way.

Six in the second place means:

Peeking from behind a screen may ensure your privacy, but it offers you only a partial view.

Contemplation through the crack of the door.
Furthering for the perseverance of a woman.

Curtains

Through the crack of the door one has a limited outlook; one looks outward from within. Contemplation is subjectively limited. One tends to relate everything to oneself and cannot put oneself in another’s place and understand his motives. This is appropriate for a good housewife. It is not necessary for her to be conversant with the affairs of the world. But for a man who must take active part in public life, such a narrow, egotistic way of contemplating things is of course harmful.

61 – Sixty-One.  Chung Fu / Inner Truth

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

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

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

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

Tao Te Ching – Verse 28 – Know the male, yet keep to the female

Tao Te Ching – Verse 28

Know the male,
yet keep to the female:
receive the world in your arms.
If you receive the world,
the Tao will never leave you
and you will be like a little child.

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 28 – Know the male, yet keep to the female”

Today: “Your duty is to live the truth.  Not merely follow the leader.  Keep your dignity.” – Today’s Reading

Your duty is to live the truth.  Not merely follow the leader.  Keep your dignity.

If a person responds perseveringly and in the right way to the behests from above that summon him to action, his relations with others are intrinsic and he does not lose himself. But if a man seeks association with others as if he were an obsequious office hunter, he throws himself away. He does not follow the path of the superior man, who never loses his dignity.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 27 – A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving

Today: “You belong to only one thing, and that is Truth; and you have got to be delivered to only one thing, and that is Truth.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “You belong to only one thing, and that is Truth; and you have got to be delivered to only one thing, and that is Truth.” Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Meditation: NM190-19951031-Connect Yourself to the Reality

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Previous reading: “Retreat merely means adjusting your course. Defeat is when your spirit is crushed.”

Previous previous reading: “The situation is stressed to the breaking point due to human folly. Do not engage. Remain safe as you rise above the chaos. Keep your integrity.”

Related Posts

If you are a healer (or not), listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes:

Recap: Healing Intensive with Hari Nam Singh at Park Slope Brooklyn March 29-30, 2019

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
8 – Eight.  Pi / Bonding

Deep Waters on the face of the Earth:
Surface waters flow together.
The Superior Person recognizes the situation calls for joining together.
Thus he cultivates friendly relations with all.

Good fortune is possible.
Cast the coins again to discover if you have the qualities needed to lead such a group.
Then there will be no error.
Those uncertain will gradually join.
Those who join too late will meet with misfortune.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a time of connection with another or others — not just an alliance, but a melding of parts into a new whole.
Such a connection may be too close, too intense for some.
Consult the oracle again to see if you have the qualities needed to strengthen and withstand such an intense synthesis.

Six in the second place means:

Devotion comes from deep inside you.
Good fortune if you keep to your course.

Hold to him inwardly.
Perseverance brings good fortune.

Begging dog

If a person responds perseveringly and in the right way to the behests from above that summon him to action, his relations with others are intrinsic and he does not lose himself. But if a man seeks association with others as if he were an obsequious office hunter, he throws himself away. He does not follow the path of the superior man, who never loses his dignity.
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.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 27 – A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving

Tao Te Ching – Verse 27

A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good artist lets his intuition
lead him wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his mind open to what is.

Thus the Master is available to all people
and doesn’t reject anyone.
He is ready to use all situations
and doesn’t waste anything.
This is called embodying the light. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 27 – A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving”

Today: “Retreat merely means adjusting your course.  Defeat is when your spirit is crushed.” – Today’s Reading

Retreat merely means adjusting your course.  Defeat is when your spirit is crushed.  Sometime you just have to leave the fool to his folly.

In retreating the superior man is intent on taking his departure willingly and in all friendliness. He easily adjusts his mind to retreat, because in retreating he does not have to do violence to his convictions. The only one who suffers is the inferior man from whom he retreats, who will degenerate when deprived of the guidance of the superior man.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 26 – The heavy is the root of the light. The unmoved is the source of all movement.

Today: “They say that he who gives enjoys and he who takes is a beggar.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “They say that he who gives enjoys and he who takes is a beggar.” Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Meditation: LA135-19791029 Resolve Inner Conflict

Meditation: NM0336 – For Inner Strength

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Previous reading: “The situation is stressed to the breaking point due to human folly. Do not engage. Remain safe as you rise above the chaos. Keep your integrity.”

Previous previous reading: “Be true to your intentions and act accordingly. Cultivate resiliency in the face of obstacles. In this moment the universe will begin to flow in the direction of your works and join with your aspirations.”

Related Posts

If you are a healer (or not), listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes:

Recap: Healing Intensive with Hari Nam Singh at Park Slope Brooklyn March 29-30, 2019

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
33 – Thirty-Three.  Tun / Retreat

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

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

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

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

Nine in the fourth place means:

The Superior Person sees retreat as an opportunity to strengthen his position, and makes it so.
The inferior person sees retreat as a defeat, and makes it so.

Voluntary retreat brings good fortune to the superior man
And downfall to the inferior man.

Retreat at New Bridge

‘Retreat at New Bridge’ – B. Spencer Newman

In retreating the superior man is intent on taking his departure willingly and in all friendliness. He easily adjusts his mind to retreat, because in retreating he does not have to do violence to his convictions. The only one who suffers is the inferior man from whom he retreats, who will degenerate when deprived of the guidance of the superior man.

 

Tao Te Ching – Verse 26 – The heavy is the root of the light. The unmoved is the source of all movement.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 26

The heavy is the root of the light.
The unmoved is the source of all movement.

Thus the Master travels all day
without leaving home.
However splendid the views,
she stays serenely in herself.
Why should the lord of the country
flit about like a fool?
If you let yourself be blown to and fro,
you lose touch with your root.
If you let restlessness move you,
you lose touch with who you are.
(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
-+-+-+-
Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 26 – The heavy is the root of the light. The unmoved is the source of all movement.”

Today: “The situation is stressed to the breaking point due to human folly.  Do not engage.  Remain safe as you rise above the chaos.  Keep your integrity.” – Today’s Reading

The situation is stressed to the breaking point due to human folly.  Do not engage.  Remain safe as you rise above the chaos.  Keep your integrity.

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.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 25 – There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born.

Today: “What you are you are, and destiny is destiny. Make a dog emperor and still he will lick the grinding wheel.” – Yogi Bhajan

Today: “What you are you are, and destiny is destiny. Make a dog emperor and still he will lick the grinding wheel.” – Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

Previous reading: “Be true to your intentions and act accordingly. Cultivate resiliency in the face of obstacles. In this moment the universe will begin to flow in the direction of your works and join with your aspirations.”

Previous previous reading: “Be true to your intentions and act accordingly. Cultivate resiliency in the face of obstacles. In this moment the universe will begin to flow in the direction of your works and join with your aspirations.”

Related Posts

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

If you are a healer (or not), listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes:

Recap: Healing Intensive with Hari Nam Singh at Park Slope Brooklyn March 29-30, 2019

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
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.

6 yin
5 yang above: Tui / The Joyous, Lake
4 yang
3 yang
2 yang below: Sun / The Gentle, Wind, Wood
1 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.

 

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.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 25 – There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 25

There was something formless and perfect
before the universe was born.
It is serene. Empty.
Solitary. Unchanging.
Infinite. Eternally present.
It is the mother of the universe.
For lack of a better name,
I call it the Tao.
It flows through all things,
inside and outside, and returns
to the origin of all things. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 25 – There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born.”

I Ching for the Year of the Snake:”In this Year of the Snake, exercise humility in your choices and actions.  Listen carefully to your intuition when it suggests to you to deviate from a precedent.  ” – Today’s Reading

In this Year of the Snake, exercise humility in your choices and actions.  Listen carefully to your intuition when it suggests to you to deviate from a precedent.

This year, rules will yield to  a contemplation of action based on your witnessing reality.  Merge with reality free of preconceptions and any fixed views.  Include everything in your awareness.  Then act.

Practice this:

Meditation: LA004 780109 Experience the Experience

Meditation: NM190-19951031-Connect Yourself to the Reality

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
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.

Six in the second place means:
She passes by her ancestor
And meets her ancestress.
He does not reach his prince
And meets the official.
No blame.

Two exceptional situations are instanced here. In the temple of ancestors, where alternation of generations prevails, the grandson stands on the same side as the grandfather. Hence his closest relations are with the grandfather. The present line designates the grandson’s wife, who during the sacrifice passes by the ancestor and goes toward the ancestress. This unusual behavior is, however, an expression of her modesty. She ventures rather to approach the ancestress, for she feels related to her by their common sex. Hence here deviation from the rule is not a mistake.

Another image is that of the official who, in compliance with regulation, first seeks an audience with his prince. If he is not successful in this, he does not try to force anything but goes about conscientious fulfilment of his duty, taking his place among the other officials. This extraordinary restraint is likewise not a mistake in exceptional times.
(The rule is that every official should first have an audience with the prince by whom he is appointed. Here the appointment is made by the minister.)
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.