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Archive for May, 2015

Waiting for an Answer

A spirit teacher shares His understanding of timeless wisdom
contained within the I Ching Hexagram 5 – Waiting.

Water is over Heaven. Both express yang energies; Heaven as
ultimate power, and Water as flowing downward to reach its
own comfort zone; its own level.

What is Heaven?

Heaven is Life.

But, there are many forms of life.

Heaven is beyond form.

Is it potential form?

It is potential.

Then, it can become …

What?

Whatever it might have the power to become?

It has the power of potential itself.

What does that mean?

Are you waiting?

Yes.

For what?

For an answer.

Yes.

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A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, applied philosophy to live by, higher education

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Immaturity Gets Bad Press

A spirit teacher shares His understanding of timeless wisdom
expressed within the I Ching Hexagram 4- Immaturity.

Mountain is over Water. Both express Yang energy; Mountain
with firmness; Water with restless seeking.

Immaturity develops out of Difficulty (3) and develops into
Waiting (5).

A seed contains the essence of restless life, and protects
that essence by restricting its development until it is
mature enough to safely emerge from within its shell.
Parents and teachers also serve that purpose for children.

Immaturity in thought is expressed with feelings of
Uncertainty. To be uncertain as to how to proceed in any
particular situation expresses developing maturity. To be
aware that we don’t know absolutely requires intelligence,
for we can never know, absolutely. Uncertainty enjoys a
valued place in Universal Law.

Then, why do I seem to need to develop maturity?

Maturity of what?

I seem to need to understand my life, in particular, and
all life in general, and to know why it is as it seems to be.

How does it all seem to be?

Immature.

How immature?

How can I know?

Exactly.

What does that mean?

It means that immaturity is a necessary and never-ending
reality of life, and is a blessing to us all in that it
provides for and expects future development, and there will
always be future development.

Then, immaturity gets bad press?

Yes.

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A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, applied philosophy to live by, higher education, Power comes from within

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The Greatest Pleasure

Spirit shares His understanding of timeless wisdom
expressed within the I Ching Hexagram 16 – Pleasure.

The call to “do what you love and love what you do”
has been used as an advertisement to enroll young
people in classes that claim to lead to a successful
career earning a rewarding income working at something
that brings them pleasure.

A call to pleasurable work also expresses the thought
that we’ll do best what we choose to do for self-
satisfaction and not for its dollar value, alone, nor
for social status.

That sounds great, but …

You do not agree?

I do agree.

And yet?

It isn’t always possible.

Why?

We must choose.

That’s what it’s all about.

What’s all about choosing?

Life.

Life may be about choosing …

Not may be. It is.

But, sometimes we choose whatever, not for
the most pleasure, but for the least pain.

Is there a difference?

Perhaps not in the final choice, but …

So, we sometimes sacrifice pleasure?

At least short term.

For delayed or postponed satisfaction?

Yes.

Why?

You’re testing me.

Yes.

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A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, applied philosophy to live by, I Ching as a path to enlightenment, initiation

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Withdrawal Isn’t Retreat

Spirit shares His understanding of the timeless wisdom
expressed within the I Ching Hexagram 33 – Withdrawal.

Heaven is above and Mountain is below. Both express
yang energy.

Withdrawal develops out of Constancy (32) in the order
of the hexagrams, and forms the foundation for
Great Power (34).

Withdrawal from battle is not necessarily to retreat.
A proven and respected martial arts strategy requires
knowing when to resist the temptation to advance when
such advance seems unwise, at this time. To withdraw,
re-group, and prepare to move forward when opportunity
presents itself, requires wisdom.

A need for time out?

Who is teaching whom?

You are, I hope.

And who seems to need time out?

You?

No.

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A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, applied philosophy to live by, enlightenment, higher education

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Awareness Inspires Us

Spirit shares His understanding of the timeless wisdom
expressed within the I Ching Hexagram 21 – Biting Through.

Fire is above and Thunder is below, suggesting a problematic
situation requiring intention to respond to whatever
challenge presents itself.

Biting Through develops out of Observing (20) and becomes
the foundation of Adornment (22).

Wow! Each of these three situations or conditions seems
totally unrelated to the other two. How can there be any
sense of progression?

There isn’t any.

Then, how are they connected to each other?

When we observe whatever, we focus our attention, and that
in itself is a necessary step in learning anything. But, as
important as it is, it is never enough. We must then attempt
to understand what it is that we observe, and why it has
attracted our attention. This requires a mental form of
biting through.

Where does Adornment fit into this interpretation?

It’s more than an interpretation. It’s as it is.

Then, please explain where or how Adornment fits.

We adorn ourselves with what appeals to us and the sense
of satisfaction that comes from this awareness is
appealing.

Unless we’re aware of something that suggests danger.

Even then.

How?

Then our awareness of impending danger inspires us.

To respond to the danger?

Yes.

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A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, applied philosophy to live by, higher education, spirituality without intelligence is not intelligent spirituali5y

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We Choose to Share, or Do We?

Spirit shares His understanding of the timeless wisdom
expressed within the I Ching Hexagram 18 – Degeneration.

Degeneration follows Following (17) and develops into
Overseeing (19).

Mountain (yang) is over Wind (yin).

Isn’t that curious?

That yang is above yin? or that Wind is below Mountain?

Neither.

Then, what is curious.

The construction of the hexagram.

What about the construction of the hexagram?

Mountain contains one yang holding down two yin
while Wind contains one yin holding up two yang.

It doesn’t work that way.

Then, how does it work?

Life works at its finest when we learn to care for
others; even those who seem to oppress us.

Where does Degeneration fit into this concept
of life.

The second line is yang and the fifth line is yin.
The fifth line is the line of leadership and having
a complement on the second line provides for a sharing
of this position of power.

But, if degeneration is the condition that they share …

How could it be otherwise?

I would like to think that any degenerating situation is
a result of masculine abuse of power.

That would be to deny the existence of feminine energy.

How?

How what?

How does masculine responsibility for whatever condition
or situation deny feminine energy?

Abdication or denial of responsibility is, more or less,
acceptance of whatever situation or condition results
from such behaviour.

Are you trying to tell me that …

I’m telling you that dynamic interaction requires
inequality; transient or otherwise, of each and all
of the individual energies in the choices we make.

We?

We share the choice.

And the outcome?

Yes.

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A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, applied philosophy to live by, cause and effect, enlightenment, male domination

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Many Ways Become One

Spirit shares His understanding of the timeless wisdom
expressed within the I Ching Hexagram 13 – Association.

Heaven is above and Fire is below. Heaven represents
powerful yang. Fire is yin, but by no means weak.

Association follows Obstruction (12) in the order of
the hexagrams that unfold the stories of our life, both
individually and collectively.

Fire has power to consume, but Heaven, representing
cosmic energy, or cosmic consciousness, has the power,
and uses it wisely, to subsume all inferior powers
within itself.

And, all other powers are inferior?

Yes.

I sense that you have chosen number 13 knowing that it
also represents the Death card in Tarot.

Yes, and yet the so-called Death card in Tarot
expresses change.

Death to an old way of thinking?

Death to an old way of being, or, rather, death to
a non-way of being.

How can there be such a thing?

Not a thing; a way.

As in going down the wrong road?

Yes, but there are detour signs all along the way.

How does this relate to me, personally, when I try
to understand Your way.

Not my way, alone.

Then, whose?

Not whose.

Then, what?

The only way.

How can there be many ways and also an only way?

Not possible, and yet necessarily so.

Please explain.

All ways are subsumed within the only way.

Then, why would detour signs be necessary?

They allow for different ways to merge
with others, along the way.

So, saying that all roads lead to wherever does
not necessarily mean they remain separate,
all the way?

Yes.

Category:

A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, applied philosophy to live by, destiny, enlightenment, The Way of I Ching

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Difficulty Now or Disaster Later

Spirit shares His understanding of the timeless wisdom
expressed within the I Ching hexagram 3 – Difficulty.

Difficulty follows The Receptive (2) in the order of the
hexagrams and merges with Immaturity (4).

Water is over Thunder. Both are active yang energies.
Together, in this situation, they act as a thunder storm
where water pours and thunder roars.

It would be a difficulty for anyone outdoors in such
weather.

Yes, unless they are prepared.

How can we prepare for difficulties before we are aware …

Awareness is a prerequisite to preparedness.

But, a thunderstorm is only one of possibly
countless difficult situations we may have to
suddenly face. We surely can’t be aware of
them all before they appear.

Where do they appear from?

Sometimes, they seem to come from nowhere.

Nothing comes from nowhere.

That sounds like the words of a song,
“Nothing comes from nothing…”

Words of truth.

So, difficuties all come from somewhere?

Not somewhere, alone.

Then, from previously existing situations?

Yes.

Then, how to respond?

To what?

Difficulties.

Preparation.

How to prepare for unexpected situations?

Why are they unexpected?

How can they be expected?

Awareness.

Awareness of what?

Awareness of the present situation and how
it developed, and the path it has taken
to where it now is.

And visualize that same path moving forward
toward the horizon?

Yes.

That sounds like work.

A little difficulty now may prevent disaster
later, or at least prepare for it.

Is there an easier option?

No, at least not for you.

Category:

A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, I Ching as a path to enlightenment, spirituality without intelligence is not intelligent spirituali5y, Understanding life's struggles

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Here and Now do not Exist

Spirit shares His understanding of the timeless wisdom
expressed in the I Ching hexagram 51 – Thunder.

Thunder above and Thunder below. Thunder is a powerful
yang energy alone, and in this instance expresses double
the power it would have, alone.

But, even with all the power that Thunder possesses,
it doesn’t create itself.

Nothing ever does.

Couldn’t the situation create thunder?

What situation?

The situation created by lightning.

Lightning creates nothing.

Then, the situation caused by lightning.

Thunder is part of the situation caused by lightning.

But, not a direct effect?

Which comes first?

Thunder follows lightning.

What does lightning follow?

I don’t know.

Yes.

If there is a personal message …

And, there is.

Then, what can it be?

Everything and every situation is intimately
interconnected to a wider reality.

How can knowing that help me here and now?

There is no here and now. That is the message.

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A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, applied philosophy to live by, cause and effect, I Ching as a path to enlightenment

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The Importance of Discipline

Spirit shares His understanding of the timeless
wisdom of the I Ching hexagram 60 – Discipline.

Water is over Lake.
Water is Yang and Lake is Yin.

Discipline follows Dispersal (59) and develops
into Sincerity (61).

Dispersal describes scattering; a disorganized
movement of whatever.

Water over Lake strongly suggests flooding;
a disorganized movement of water, or emotion.

Where is discipline?

Obviously, it is missing.

Is that a personal comment?

Yes.

Category:

A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, applied philosophy to live by, cause and effect, higher education

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