Today: “Giving is a principal and it is an everlasting principle” – Yogi Bhajan

“Giving is a principal and it is an everlasting principle. Your Creator gave you life and that is why he is the great giver.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: NM0390-20010320 – Provoke Your Higher Self

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Today: Avoid imposing too many restrictions on yourself or others.  Allow the creative to expand. – from the I Ching

Avoid imposing too many restrictions on yourself or others.  Allow the creative to expand.

Meditation: LA869 960410 – Expand the Arcline

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Today: I Ching – Previous Reading

Today: I Ching – Previous Previous Reading

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 37 – The Tao never does anything, yet through it all things are done

60 – Sixty  Chieh / Limitations

Waters difficult to keep within the Lake’s banks:
The Superior Person examines the nature of virtue and makes himself a standard that can be followed.

Self-discipline brings success; but restraints too binding bring self-defeat.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

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

Six at the top means:

Self-discipline teetering toward self-destruction.
An empty martyrdom.
Turn back.

Galling limitation.
Perseverance brings misfortune.
Remorse disappears.

L'Ascète

“L’Ascète”, 1903 – Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

If one is too severe in setting up restrictions, people will not endure them. The more consistent such severity, the worse it is, for in the long run a reaction is unavoidable. In the same way, the tormented body will rebel against excessive asceticism. On the other hand, although ruthless severity is not to be applied persistently and systematically, there may be times when it is the only means of safeguarding against guilt and remorse. In such situations ruthlessness toward oneself is the only means of saving one’s soul, which otherwise would succumb to irresolution and temptation.
42 – Forty-Two  I / Expansion

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

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

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

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

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Today: “What is prayer? You create a vibratory effect which goes into the Infinite Creative around the psyche of you.” Yogi Bhajan

What is prayer? You create a vibratory effect which goes into the Infinite Creative around the psyche of you. The answer and energy come and then your job is done and your prayer has worked.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA869 960410 – Expand the Arcline

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Today: Accept the impasse that has been reached.  Wait for a favorable time to move. – from the I Ching

Accept the impasse that has been reached.  Wait for a favorable time to move.

Meditation: KWTC-870710-No One Complains About the Lord

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Today: I Ching – Previous Reading

Today: I Ching – Previous Previous Reading

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 36 – If you want to shrink something, you must first allow it to expand

39 – Thirty-Nine  Chien / Obstacle

Ominous roiling in the Crater Lake atop the Volcano:
When meeting an impasse, the Superior Person turns his gaze within, and views the obstacle from a new perspective.

Offer your opponent nothing to resist.
Let a sage guide you in this.
Good fortune lies along this course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The Obstacle lies in obstinance.
An insistence on only one way of proceeding has brought things to an impasse.
You may either continue banging your head with irresistible force against this immovable object, or you might step back and survey this situation from a fresh perspective.
Which is immobile here — the obstruction or your attitude?

Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:

Advance will meet with opposition; Remaining in place will meet with praise.

Going leads to obstructions,
Coming meets with praise.

Bike-lane

When one encounters an obstruction, the important thing is to reflect on how best to deal with it. When threatened with danger, one should not strive blindly to go ahead, for this only leads to complications. The correct thing is, on the contrary, to retreat for the time being, not in order to give up the struggle but to await the right moment for action.
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.

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Today: “Have faith in your own self because you are a self” – Yogi Bhajan

“Have faith in your own self because you are a self. Nothing is beyond self, nothing was beyond the self, nothing shall be beyond the self, because you are a self in the beginning and a self in the end; therefore, once you realize the self you will be a realized self, then everything will realize you.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA877-19960604 – Self Realization

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Today: Purify your intentions.  Your charisma will carry your them far.  Use your influence well.  Use what you receive to serve. – from the I Ching

Purify your intentions.  Your charisma will carry your them far.  Use your influence well.  Use what you receive to serve.

Meditation: LA719 930303 – Magnetic Field – Sacred Space

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Today: I Ching – Previous Reading

Today: I Ching – Previous Previous Reading

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 35 – She who is centered in the Tao can go where she wishes, without danger.

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.

Nine in the fifth place means:

Finding himself, his serene inner flame radiates warmth that draws others near.
He does not Do; he just Is.

He possesses truth, which links together.
No blame.

Napoleon

Napoleon

This describes the ruler who holds all elements together by the power of his personality. Only when the strength of his character is so ample that he can influence all who are subject to him, is he as he needs to be. The power of suggestion must emanate from the ruler. It will firmly knit together and unite all his adherents. Without this central force, all external unity is only deception and breaks down at the decisive moment.
41 – Forty-one  Sun / Decrease

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

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

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

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

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

Today: “I see you all in only one way. I see divine everywhere. ” – Yogi Bhajan

“I see you all in only one way. I see divine everywhere. Now I have seen it, I cannot see anything else. If I am blind to the man-made rules and regulations, that is not my fault. I have lived under those rules and it was the grace and the glory of the Master who gave me sight; now I have that sight and I don’t want to lose it at any cost; I am more willing to lose this body, this vehicle, and leave it here, then to lose that sight which has taken me beyond time, beyond karmas.’” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: Drib Dhristi Lochina Karma

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Today: Wait for the right time to act.  Look for a clear signal to proceed.  Then all will go well.. – from the I Ching

Wait for the right time to act.  Look for a clear signal to proceed.  Then all will go well.

Meditation: NM374 – 20001128 – Patience and Intuition

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Today: I Ching – Previous Reading

Today: I Ching – Previous Previous Reading

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 34 – The great Tao flows everywhere

60 – Sixty  Chieh / Limitations

Waters difficult to keep within the Lake’s banks:
The Superior Person examines the nature of virtue and makes himself a standard that can be followed.

Self-discipline brings success; but restraints too binding bring self-defeat.  

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

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

Nine at the beginning [yang at bottom] means:
Not going out of the door and the courtyard
Is without blame.

Chinese courtyard

Chinese courtyard

Often a man who would like to undertake something finds himself confronted by insurmountable limitations. Then he must know where to stop. If he rightly understands this and does not go beyond the limits set for him, he accumulates an energy that enables him, when the proper time comes, to act with great force. Discretion is of prime importance in preparing the way for momentous things. Concerning this, Kongfu (Confucius) says:

Where disorder develops, words are the first steps. If the prince is not discreet, he loses his servant. If the servant is not discreet he loses his life. If germinating things are not handled with discretion, the perfecting of them is impeded. Therefore the superior man is careful to maintain silence and does not go forth.

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.

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

Today: “In the house of the Lord, progress is slow, but there is no ultimate darkness” – Yogi Bhajan

“In the house of the Lord, progress is slow, but there is no ultimate darkness. You shall be answered if you will call Him.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: The Positive Mind

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Today:You know what you have to do.  Do not allow doubts or frivolous fancies to dilute your wisdom and disciipline. – from the I Ching

You know what you have to do.  Do not allow doubts or frivolous fancies to dilute your wisdom and disciipline.

Meditation: NM0383-20010213 – Culturing the Self

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading

Today: I Ching – Previous Previous Reading

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

44 – Forty-Four  Kou / Compulsion

A playful Zephyr dances and delights beneath indulgent Heaven:
A Prince who shouts orders but will not walk among his people may as well try to command the four winds.

A strong, addictive temptation, much more dangerous than it seems.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are ignoring a clear and present danger to your well-being.
If this threat emanated from a heavy-handed oppressor, you would see it coming.
But this danger comes to you in the form of a seduction, an amusement, a diversion, an indulgence that is eating away at the fiber of your secure little world.
You are too cocksure.
You underestimate the tribute this dalliance will demand.

This hexagram indicates a situation in which the principle of darkness, after having been eliminated, furtively and unexpectedly obtrudes again from within and below. Of its own accord the female principle comes to meet the male. It is an unfavorable and dangerous situation, and we must understand and promptly prevent the possible consequences.
The hexagram is linked with the fifth month [June-July], because at the summer solstice the principle of darkness gradually becomes ascendant again.

THE JUDGEMENT

COMING TO MEET. The maiden is powerful.
One should not marry such a maiden.

The rise of the inferior element is pictured here in the image of a bold girl who lightly surrenders herself and thus seizes power. This would not be possible if the strong and light-giving element had not in turn come halfway. The inferior thing seems so harmless and inviting that a man delights in it; it looks so small and weak that he imagines he may dally with it and come to no harm.
The inferior man rises only because the superior man does not regard him as dangerous and so lends him power. If he were resisted from the first, he could never gain influence.
The time of COMING TO MEET is important in still another way. Although as a general rule the weak should not come to meet the strong, there are times when this has great significance. When heaven and earth come to meet each other, all creatures prosper; when a prince and his official come to meet each other, the world is put in order. It is necessary for elements predestined to be joined and mutually dependent to come to meet one another halfway. But the coming together must be free of dishonest ulterior motives, otherwise harm will result.

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

Today: “Humility in action is universal consciousness” – Yogi Bhajan

“Humility in action is universal consciousness.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: NM0390-20010320 – Provoke Your Higher Self

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Today:It’s OK to step back, re-integrate yourself and assess your course of action.  There is no shame, only others’ temporary loss of your guidance. – from the I Ching

It’s OK to step back, re-integrate yourself and assess your course of action.  There is no shame, only others’ temporary loss of your guidance.

Meditation: NM0383-20010213 – Culturing the Self

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading

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

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.
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.

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

Today: “When there is a holy man and you touch his feet” – Yogi Bhajan

“When there is a holy man and you touch his feet, what can he do? What is left for him, except to say, “God bless you.” Right? If he has the habit of speaking the truth and if he says God bless you, then God has to bless you. What option has God?” Yogi Bhajan

 

Meditation:  LA958 A00413 Grace My Grace Is Me! 20000413

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Today: You are aligned with earthly matters and the will of heaven.  Expect good consequences for actions that reflect this. – from the I Ching

You are aligned with earthly matters and the will of heaven.  Expect good consequences for actions that reflect this.

Meditation: LA051-780907 – Tune the Vagus Nerve to Cosmic Consciousness

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Today: I Ching – Previous Reading

Today: I Ching – Previous Previous Reading

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

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

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.

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

THE JUDGEMENT

THE CALDRON. Supreme good fortune.
Success.

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

THE IMAGE

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

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

 

Ting

Melting Pot

‘Melting Pot’ – Laura Barbosa


1. [There are beautiful examples of the ting in most of our museums, where they are classified as ritual vessels. The German word used by Wilhelm for ting is Tiegel, meaning literally “caldron” and, in another sense, “crucible.” Since this characteristic Chinese vessel is unique in form, so different from either a caldron or a crucible in the usual sense, the word ting has been retained wherever feasible here.] 2. Cf. the other three hexagrams dealing with nourishment, viz., hexagrams WAITING (5), PROVIDING NOURISHMENT (27), THE WELL (48).

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

Today: “those who serve with devotion will go across this world ocean” – Yogi Bhajan

“God guarantees that those who serve with devotion will go across this world ocean.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: NM142 19940615 – Bless the Planet Earth and Let the Heavens Descend in You

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Today: 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. – from the I Ching

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.

Meditation: M0512-19890312 – For Mastery of Time and Space

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Today: I Ching – Previous Reading

Today: I Ching – Previous Previous Reading

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

64 – Sixty-Four  Wei Chi / The End In Sight

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.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Resist the rush to completion.
Anticipation of fulfillment may cause you to be careless 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.

Nine in the fourth place means:

Deep in the Devil’s Domain, there is no room for despair.
Persevere for three years, and victory will be yours.

Perseverance brings good fortune.
Remorse disappears.
Shock, thus to discipline the Devil’s Country.
For three years, great realms are awarded.

The Oath of the Horatii

‘The Oath of the Horatii’, 1786 – Jacques Louis David (1748-1825)

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.

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?

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