Today: “While conditions are favorable, you must seize the moment to act.” – from the I Ching

While conditions are favorable, you must seize the moment to act.  Do not wait for another opportunity.  Do not overreach.

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

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#16, line 3, #62

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.

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.

You wait for a compelling signal, yet ignore the knock at the gate.
Missed opportunity breeds regret.

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.

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

Today: “We don’t remember that the breath has got any importance for us. We do not know that we are attached to the breath.” Yogi Bhajan

“We don’t remember that the breath has got any importance for us. We do not know that we are attached to the breath. We think it is automatic and our great grandfather must have signed a lease for it. We worry for everything in this world, but we do not worry on that which gives us life, that is our breath. Moment you don’t breathe, they throw you out. Breath is your everything and you have no time to meditate on that. You meditate on God, but not on the breath, which is the tender charge of God. I have to tell you one thing very clearly. I can only pass on the truth to you. I cannot sit in you and breathe.” Yogi Bhajan

Sat Nam!
Ram Anand

Meditation:  Breath of Fire

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Meditation:  Breath of Fire

BREATH OF FIRE
by MSS Gurucharan Singh Fowlis
from the Kundalini Meditation Manual for Intermediate Students 
Meditation for : Relaxation Creativity Guidance
from the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan

This is one of the basic breaths used in Kundalini Yoga. It must be practiced and mastered in the initial stages of yogic study. The breathis fairly rapid (2 to 3 breaths per second), continuous, and powerful with no pause between the inhale and exhale.

As you exhale, the air is pushed out by pulling the navel point and abdomen in towards the spine. In this motion, the chest area stays moderately relaxed.  The focus of the energy is at the navel point. You should fee! the pull of the muscles in that area. Asyou inhale, the abdomen relaxes, the diaphragm extends down; and the breath seems to come in as pert of relaxation rather than effort.

The muscles that are used are the abdominals.  Initially you may have a tendency to involve more muscle groups than are needed. As you do the breath of fire, check your body and relax tension and effort that may build up in the legs, face, shoulders, and chest. The rest of the body is relatively still. Even the upper chest is motionless and in a slightly uplifted position. At first, the navel and solar plexus may feel tired or uncoordinated. If you keep practicing, the breath will become rhythmic and very easy. Most people are not used to breathing this way. It is the antithesis of the shallow, irregular breath characteristic of the emotional states that accompany negative thoughts.

The breath of fire cleanses the blood. It is commonly used whenever there is a blood-related disease in the body such as arthritis, bursitis, circulatory problems,etc. It raises the voltage of the nervous system and produces a global alpha rhythm in the brain when practiced correctly. A person with shaky nerves or an athlete that needs extra endurance will benefit greatly from this practice. Since the navel point is stimulated directly, the breath generates constancy in the mental and physical realms.  Breath of fire can help you if you cannot keep a promise, intention, or train of thought without constant distraction.

In physiological studies, we have found that there is no relation between hyperventilation and breath of fire. Once you are practiced, it is possible to do this breath for 20 minutes or more. There is no accompanying dizziness or large imbalance of oxygen in the blood. The outer circulation does increase as does the nervous energy so the breath should be mastered slowly and methodically.   These increases cause an immediate detoxification reaction in the body. Old toxins and deposits from drugs, smoking, and bad nutrition are released from the lungs, mucous lining, blood vessels, and cells. These toxins leave the body through the blood and lymph systems.

If you are very toxic, the breath of fire may stimulate a very temporary self-toxification. To aid the cleansing process, increase the amount of exercise you do each day and simplify the diet to light vegetables, fruits, and nuts for a few weeks.  This will help your body drop the heavy load of toxins it has carried without activating some sickness to do the cleansing you ignored.

Regular practice expands the capacity of the lungs quickly. If you are expanding the lungs and want to increase the amountof time you can comfortably suspend breathing, such as in underwater swimming or in certain meditation exercises, then practicethe breath of fire before trying to hold the breath longer. Just holding the breath for longer periods does not increase yourbasic capacity, and may sometimescause complicationswith blood pressure.

In most exercises, the breath of fire is done for three minutes orless. Occasionally it is done for seven and a half minutes. Asan exercise byitself, you can start with three minute durations, then slowly build up to 20 minutes. Start by doing breath of fire for three minutes alternating with two minutes of rest for a total of 15 minutes of breath of fire and ten minutes rest.

To focus the mind more efficiently and to channelize the energy this breath creates, mentally vibrate“SAT NAM“with each breath. Hearing this sound in the breath tells your mind what to do with all the energy you generate. Use this energy to explore your sense of the infinite self.

When you practice the breath of fire to perfect it, keep the spine straight and your mind centered. Here are a couple exercises you might try:

1. When you are exceptionally tired and need a lift, sit straight and block the left nostril with the thumb of the left hand. The fingers of the left hand point straight up. Begin breath of fire through the right nostril only, for 3 to 5 minutes. Then inhale and mentally circulate the energy throughout the body and aura.  6 minutes.  Then inhale, hold briefly, exhale applying Mulabhanda, and relax.

2. Sit in easy pose. Put the palms together slightly in front of the chest. Concentrate at the brow point and begin breath cf fire. As you continue, let all thoughts of who or what you may be fall away. If you think you are sitting, let that thought be blown away by the breath. Hear the sound of the breath.

It is infinite. It gives life. As all the different labels.

 

Today: “Engage people with youthful innocence, without preconception. This will form new bonds and keep you safe from their darker tendencies.” – from the I Ching

Engage people with youthful innocence, without preconception. This will form new bonds and keep you safe from their darker tendencies.

Meditation: LA010 – 19780210- Gobinda – Project to the Infinite

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#4, line 5, #29

IN THE TIME OF youth, folly is not an evil. One may succeed in spite of it, provided one finds an experienced teacher and has the right attitude toward him. This means, first of all, that the youth himself must be conscious of his lack of experience and must seek out the teacher. Without this modesty and this interest there is no guarantee that he has the necessary receptivity, which should express itself in respectful acceptance of the teacher. This is the reason why the teacher must wait to be sought out instead of offering himself. Only thus can the instruction take place at the right time and in the right way.
A teacher’s answer to the question of a pupil ought to be clear and definite like that expected from an oracle; thereupon it ought to be accepted as a key for resolution of doubts and a basis for decision. If mistrustful or unintelligent questioning is kept up, it serves only to annoy the teacher. He does well to ignore it in silence, just as the oracle gives one answer only and refuses to be tempted by questions implying doubt. Given in addition a perseverance that never slackens until the points are mastered one by one, real success is sure to follow. Thus the hexagram counsels the teacher as well as the pupil.

A spring wells up at the foot of the mountain:
The image of YOUTH.
Thus the superior man fosters his character
By thoroughness in all that he does.

A SPRING succeeds in flowing on and escapes stagnation by filling up all the hollow places in its path. In the same way character is developed by thoroughness that skips nothing but, like water, gradually and steadily fills up all gaps and so flows onward.

Like a wide-eyed child, you wholly and naively trust the goodness of others.
Such honor brings out their best.

In man’s world K’an represents the heart, the soul locked up within the body, the principle of light inclosed in the dark – that is, reason. The name of the hexagram, because the trigram is doubled, has the additional meaning, “repetition of danger.” Thus the hexagram is intended to designate an objective situation to which one must become accustomed, not a subjective attitude. For danger due to a subjective attitude means either foolhardiness or guile. Hence too a ravine is used to symbolise danger; it is a situation in which a man is in the same pass as the water in a ravine, and, like the water, he can escape if he behaves correctly.

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

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

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

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


1. [“Fool” and “folly” as used in this hexagram should be understood to mean the immaturity of youth and its consequent lack of wisdom, rather than mere stupidity. Parsifal is known as the “pure fool” not because he was dull-witted but because he was inexperienced.]

Today: “It is your breath of life. You have to care for it.” Yogi Bhajan

“It is your breath of life. You have to care for it.” Yogi Bhajan

Sat Nam!
Ram Anand

Meditation: NM132-940504-Pratyahar

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Today: “Engagement with others should be in the open, with nothing hidden between you.  Then together you can weather the onslaught of adversity by those who consider themselves separate.” – from the I Ching

Engagement with others should be in the open, with nothing hidden between you.  Then together you can weather the onslaught of adversity by those who consider themselves separate.

Meditation: LA0967-Division and Oneness

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#13, line 1, #33

FELLOWSHIP WITH MEN in the open.
Success.
It furthers one to cross the great water.
The perseverance of the superior man furthers.

True fellowship among men must be based on a concern that is universal. It is not the private interests of the individual that create lasting fellowship among men, but rather the goals of humanity. That is why it is said that fellowship with men in the open succeeds. If unity of this kind prevails, even difficult and dangerous tasks, such as crossing the great water, can be accomplished. But in order to bring about this sort of fellowship, a persevering and enlightened leader is needed – a man with clear, convincing, and inspiring aims and the strength to carry them out. (The inner trigram means clarity; the outer, strength.)

Heaven together with fire:
The image of FELLOWSHIP WITH MEN.
Thus the superior man organises the clans
And makes distinctions between things.

Heaven has the same direction of movement as fire, yet it is different from fire. Just as the luminaries in the sky serve for the systematic division and arrangement of time, so human society and all things that really belong together must be organically arranged. Fellowship should not be a mere mingling of individuals or of things – that would be chaos, not fellowship. If fellowship is to lead to order, there must be organisation within diversity.

Nine at the beginning [yang at bottom] means:
Fellowship with men at the gate.
No blame.

The beginning of union among people should take place before the door. All are equally close to one another. No divergent aims have yet arisen, and one makes no mistakes. The basic principles of any kind of union must be equally accessible to all concerned. Secret agreements bring misfortune.

The power of the dark is ascending. The light retreats to security, so that the dark cannot encroach upon it. This retreat is a matter not of man’s will but of natural law. Therefore in this case withdrawal is proper; it is the correct way to behave in order not to exhaust one’s forces.1
In the calendar this hexagram is linked with the sixth month (July-August), in which the forces of winter are already showing their influence.

RETREAT. Success.
In what is small, perseverance furthers.

Conditions are such that the hostile forces favored by the time are advancing. In this case retreat is the right course, and it is through retreat that success is achieved. But success consists in being able to carry out retreat correctly. Retreat is not to be confused with flight. Flight means saving oneself under any circumstances, whereas retreat is a sign of strength. We must be careful not to miss the right moment while we’re in full possession of power and position. Then we shall be able to interpret the signs of the time before it is too late and to prepare for provisional retreat instead of being drawn into a desperate life-and-death struggle. Thus we do not simply abandon the field to the opponent; we make it difficult for him to advance by showing perseverance in single acts of resistance. In this way we prepare, while retreating, for the counter- movement. Understanding the laws of a constructive retreat of this sort is not easy. The meaning that lies hidden in such a time is important.

Mountain under heaven: the image of RETREAT.
Thus the superior man keeps the inferior man at a distance,
Not angrily but with reserve.

The mountain rises up under heaven, but owing to its nature it finally comes to a stop. Heaven on the other hand retreats upward before it into the distance and remains out of reach. This symbolises the behavior of the superior man toward a climbing inferior; he retreats into his own thoughts as the inferior man comes forward. He does not hate him, for hatred is a form of subjective involvement by which we are bound to the hated object. The superior man shows strength (heaven) in that he brings the inferior man to a standstill (mountain) by his dignified reserve.

Today: “Breath is life and life is breath. There is no difference between the two.” Yogi Bhajan

“Breath is life and life is breath. There is no difference between the two.” Yogi Bhajan

Sat Nam!
Ram Anand

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

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Today: “Do not depend on sketchy people.  Saving the situation will take devotion and determination.  Where devotion is lacking, it is better to go it alone.” – from the I Ching

Do not depend on sketchy people.  Saving the situation will take devotion and determination.  Where devotion is lacking, it is better to go it alone.

Meditation: LA950 A00214 20000214 Develop Self-Reliance

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#54

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.

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.
You are selling your future for a quick fix today.

Today: “The first teacher is the mother; then the next teacher is the father; then the environment; and then God.” Yogi Bhajan

“The first teacher is the mother; then the next teacher is the father; then the environment; and then God. When a person has devotion, his vibratory effect is totally exact. When the truth is totally exact or the vibratory effect is totally resolved into a complete surrender of receptivity, individuality becomes totality because everything is nothing but a consciousness, and consciousness cannot exist without vibration. Therefore, there is not consciousness without vibration.” Yogi Bhajan

Sat Nam!
Ram Anand

Meditation: NM0393-20010402 – Sarab Gyan Kriya

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Today: “Disintegration and disharmony will be healed when proper leadership is restored.  Unity will emerge from chaos.” – from the I Ching

Disintegration and disharmony will be healed when proper leadership is restored.  Unity will emerge from chaos.

Meditation: LA019 780315 – Shuni Mudra Kriya

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#12 line 6, #8

Heaven and Earth move away from each other.
In the ensuing void, the small invade where the great have departed.
There is no common meeting ground, so the Superior Person must fall back on his inner worth and decline the rewards offered by the inferior invaders.

Difficult trials as you hold to your course.

It is natural to assume that, if Earth above Heaven forms the hexagram for Peace and Paradise, then the opposite configuration, with Heaven over Earth would represent the antithesis of Paradise, Hell.
Not so.
This hexagram is actually the Dark side of Peace, its unsavory byproduct, Stagnation.
In a time when most of our wants are provided, there is little need for the heroes, the artists, the great thinkers and innovators.
As they recede into the shadows, Idleness, Apathy, and Lassitude come to the forefront.
Peace has become boring, bland, unchallenging — Stagnant.
Now our attention turns to the quick fix, the instant celebrity, the fad, the one-nighter, the current buzz.
There is no room for depth.
If you are a passionate soul, you must wait for a better time to find kindred spirits.

The standstill does not last forever. However, it does not cease of its own accord; the right man is needed to end it. This is the difference between a state of peace and a state of stagnation. Continuous effort is necessary to maintain peace: left to itself it would change into stagnation and disintegration. The time of disintegration, however, does not change back automatically to a condition of peace and prosperity; effort must be put forth in order to end it. This shows the creative attitude that man must take if the world is to be put in order.

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.

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.

Today: “There is a seen personality. This me is the seen personality; behind this personality there is a most important personality that is an unseen personality.” Yogi Bhajan

“There is a seen personality. This me is the seen personality; behind this personality there is a most important personality that is an unseen personality. Every seen must have an unseen, every known must have its unknown. Unknown is a God. Whenever I use the word God, I always use it in the concept of a master computer. So, very scientifically, a known must have its Unknown, a seen must have its Unseen.” Yogi Bhajan

Sat Nam!
Ram Anand

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

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Today: “The great drama is playing itself out.  The arduous struggle remains.  Keep up and be successful.” – from the I Ching

The great drama is playing itself out.  The arduous struggle remains.  Keep up and be successful.

See previous reading

Meditation:  LA015 780227 – To Bring Swift and Powerful Change

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#64 line 4, #44

Fire ascends above the Water:
The Superior Person examines the nature of things and keeps each in its proper place.

Too anxious the young fox gets his tail wet, just as he completes his crossing.
To attain success, be like the man and not like the fox.

Resist the rush to completion.
Anticipation of fulfillment may callous you before you have fully absorbed the lessons of the journey.
The endpoint of this Quest will only prove to be the threshold for another.
You are short steps from Mastery on this plane, yet you stride toward Ignorance of the challenges lying beyond.
Savor this accomplishment.
Fully Become.
Take full possession of your world before embarking to discover the next one.
That voyage begins soon enough, and you will reminisce about this one.
These are the Good Old Days.

Now it is the time of struggle. The transition must be completed. We must make ourselves strong in resolution; this brings good fortune. All misgivings that might arise in such grave times of struggle must be silenced. It is a question of a fierce battle to break and to discipline the Devil’s Country, the forces of decadence. But the struggle also has its reward. Now is the time to lay the foundations of power and mastery for the future.

Beneath the Soil, the Seedling pushes upward toward the light:
To preserve his integrity, the Superior Person contents himself with small gains that eventually lead to great accomplishment.

Supreme Success.
Have no doubts.
Seek guidance from someone you respect.
A constant move toward greater clarity will bring reward.

You are progressing, rising inch-by-inch toward certain success.
What makes this assured is your refusal to tilt headlong toward your goal, slamming into obstacles and going mad with frustration.
You have a clear map before you of the steps necessary to reach your objective.
With faithful patience and a careful conservation of personal energy and resources, you will run this long, slow distance.

Today: “These are four states of awareness: awake state, dream state, deep sleep state, and deep sleep aware state. These are the four stages of mental activity.” Yogi Bhajan

“These are four states of awareness: awake state, dream state, deep sleep state, and deep sleep aware state. These are the four stages of mental activity.” Yogi Bhajan

Sat Nam!
Ram Anand

See Yesterday’s quote

Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect

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Today: “Choose carefully whom you take on as a partner or consort with.  Consider the long range consequences.” – from the I Ching

Choose carefully whom you take on as a partner or consort with.  Consider the long range consequences.

Meditation: NM374 – 20001128 – Patience and Intuition

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#54

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.

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.
You are selling your future for a quick fix today.

Thomas Cleary
“Marriage is an important matter for heaven and earth. If heaven and earth do not commune, nothing flourishes. Marriage is an end and a beginning for people. When she acts because of attraction, the one who is married is an immature girl. An expedition bodes ill because it is out of place; nothing is gained, for the weak rides on the strong.
IMAGE
There is thunder over a lake, symbolizing a young woman going to marry. Cultured people know what is wrong by reflecting on lasting results.

Excerpt From: Thomas Cleary. “I Ching.” Apple Books. https://books.apple.com/us/book/i-ching/id1312467526

Today: “One guru will not suit everybody. All minds are different. There are three minds: the gunas—sattwa, rajas, and tamas.” Yogi Bhajan

“One guru will not suit everybody. All minds are different. There are three minds: the gunas—sattwa, rajas, and tamas. A person who by habit is a guru shall cater to all these three gunas at the level of that guna. A guru will come to the level required and still be a guru. A guru is the most flexible man. He must cater at every level because he is a channel through which wisdom flows; therefore, his channel must fit in everywhere.” Yogi Bhajan

Sat Nam!
Ram Anand

Meditation: The Neutral Mind

Meditation: The Positive Mind

Meditation: The Negative Mind

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Today: “Work behind the scenes.  Do not draw too much attention to yourself.” – from the I Ching

Work behind the scenes.  Do not draw too much attention to yourself.  Then you will not experience any interference, and you will be effective in your work.  Make sure that your work is worthy of your path’s lineage.

Meditation: NM0390-20010320 – Provoke Your Higher Self

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#2, line 3, #48

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.

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.

Hide your brilliance.
Feeling no threat, they won’t resist the completion of your goal.
All you lose is credit for the accomplishment.

If a man is free of vanity he is able to conceal his abilities and keep them from attracting attention too soon; thus he can mature undisturbed. If conditions demand it, he can also enter public life, but that too he does with restraint. The wise man gladly leaves fame to others. He does not seek to have credited to himself things that stand accomplished, but hopes to release active forces; that is, he completes his works in such a manner that they may bear fruit for the future.

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.