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Archive for the ‘enlightenment’ Category

Closeness and Triangles

A spirit teacher shares His understanding of the timeless wisdom contained within the I Ching Hexagram 8 – Closeness.

Water, a yang energy, is over Earth, a yin energy.

The vision of water spread over earth suggests flooding.

Yes, and in this context it expresses emotional flooding

My patio Hosta is now sitting in such a wet condition, but his planter pot is too heavy for me to tip over to remove the excess water.

Why did you over-water a plant you claim to care for?

I meant no harm but I generously watered hanging baskets of flowers, after having provided for the plants below, in the same manner

So, unintentional abuse?

I guess.

Now what?

I need help to undo the harm I’ve done.

Yes.

What does that mean?

It means that the plants were too close to each other for you to serve one without offence to the other.

A lovers’ triangle?

Yes.

How does that relate to real life?

It is real life.

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A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, applied philosophy to live by, cause and effect, enlightenment, Understanding life's struggles

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Time Out From Struggle

A spirit teacher shares His understanding of timeless wisdom

contained within the I Ching Hexagram 34 – Great Power.

The yang trigram Thunder is above Heaven, also yang.

Only the top two yin lines provide instability and flexibility.

Great Power follows Withdrawal (33) and leads to Advance (35).

How can any power, let alone great power, come out of

withdrawing from whatever?

Withdrawal is not necessarily acceptance of defeat. There are

times when it’s wise to step back. This can provide us with

a greater perspective and a clearer vision on how to move

forward.

A battle is only a battle if we see it as such. For some it is

no more than a challenge to our commitment to move

forward.

There is nothing personal in struggles, conflicts, or obstacles

in our path unless we believe there is.

A personal message?

Yes. What’s your greatest challenge?

To what?

Moving forward.

Resistance.

Resistance is not necessarily rejection.

The difference?

Acceptance.

Of what?

Me.

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

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Rainbows are for Dreamers

A spirit teacher shares His understanding
of timeless wisdom contained within
I Ching 12 – Obstruction.

The trigram Heaven (complete yang) is above
Earth (complete yin), providing each line
with a complement; perfect harmony.

The I Ching path through life experiences
moves from Tranquility (11) to Obstruction
and then to Association with Others (13)

Yesterday becomes today, and then tomorrow.
Past becomes present and then future.

Or, does the future become the present and
then the past?

Yes.

Looking forward we could liken that thought
to planning, creating, and then enjoying.

You seem to envision enjoyment.

The other end of the rainbow.

Rainbows are for dreamers.

Perhaps we’re all dreamers.

Yes, but not all dreamers with a vision
also possess intention, purpose, and a goal.

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

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Coming Together

A spirit teacher shares His understanding of timeless wisdom
encoded within I Ching hexagrams. These sixty-four interconnected
symbolic forms represent a continuous development of awakening
within each of us. Our lives have meaning, both individual and
collective. Events and situations are never without meaning, and
none stands alone. They develop from previous causes and, in turn,
contribute to the development of whatever is to come.

I Ching 44 – Meeting, presents with the trigram Heaven above Wind.
Heaven represents Life and Life is all that there is, and yet,
Wind – the winds of change – moves within (since even under is
within, in this instance) Life, both our individual and more or less
collective life.

Meeting follows Removal (43) and develops into Gathering (45).

Meeting suggests coming together with someone or something, or
facing an event or situation that requires a response.

Removal expresses separation from; perhaps not willingly. To stay
or go, when we know we must go; We must move on. However, wherever
we go, we bring our past experience with us, through lessons learned,
among other things.

Meeting suggests a new beginning. There will always be situations and
challenges that must be faced, sooner or later, These will serve us
in developing our self-confidence and expanding our awareness of Life.

Is there a personal meaning for me?

Yes, and for everyone else.

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A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, applied philosophy to live by, cause and effect, enlightenment, Power comes from within, Understanding life's struggles

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Manufactured Need

A spirit teacher shares His understanding of timeless wisdom
contained within I Ching 43 – Removal.

Lake is over Heaven. Lake is Yin and Heaven is Yang.

Yin, in this instance, is as a butterfly on a rock. What
interaction or common ground can the two possibly share;
frail over solid?

A rock is not easily crushed nor moved, but neither can it
move itself; while a butterfly is easily crushed, but it has
power to move itself out of the way of danger – lightness
and mobility over weight and immobility.

Removal follows Increase (42) and develops into Meeting (44).

That’s a curious sequential order.

How so?

I can understand that increase can become clutter and requiring
downsizing, or removal of whatever no longer serves us well, but
how does this lead to Meeting?

Meeting is coming together.

With whom or what?

Awareness.

Of what?

Of whatever is necessary or desirable and useful, and what
is manufactured need.

How can need be manufactured?

Unethical advertising.

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

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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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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.

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

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We Each Need to Learn To Be Self-Directed

Spirit shares I Ching wisdom.

The situation that we now must cope with on our
journey through life is represented by
Hexagram 19 – Overseeing.

Overseeing follows Degeneration and moves into
Observation. This may seem to suggest
a more-or-less orderly sequence of situations
through the sixty-four hexagrams, but life
was never designed to move seamlessly, or
smoothly for long periods of time.
Seasons progress in a predetermined order
but each Spring is in some way unique, as
is each of the yearly seasons.

And so it is with our individual lives.
We may encounter a regular progression of
situations but we must be alert to their
potential for uniqueness.

Since nothing can happen without preconditions
for its happening, nature always provides us with
early warning signs of imminent danger, if we
would listen. But, we grow complacent when life
is moving smoothly, forgetting that nothing
is without limits, or potential limits.

Why does Overseeing follow Degeneration?

If we are aware that a particular situation,
such as crops approaching their ideal stage
of growth for harvesting, then we can move
to harvest them before they degenerate.

It is the same with material possessions
and public utilities, such as roads, power,
and water resources, to name a few. If
our leaders are aware of weaknesses that
require repair or replacement, and act
on that awareness, then degeneration to
the point of collapse, can be prevented.

A stitch in time?

Yes. Some situations develop as a direct or
indirect consequence of human carelessness,
or lack of sufficient foresight. It is
then that overseeing would follow
degeneration. There is not always an
absolute order of events throughout life.

Could degeneration also refer to attitudes
as well as to diminished quality of work
or structural degeneration?

Specific situations do not necessarily
develop from any single cause. Life is
too complex to allow for such a
simplistic explanation.

How could potentially destructive
situations be prevented if specific
causes could not be identified?

History teaches Wise leaders to observe
what is happening and to be aware of what
potential dangers might be prevented.

How does this situation relate to
daily living?

It’s the same.

In what way?

Preparing meals requires paying attention
to what is happening to the food you are
preparing. Overseeing does not necessarily
refer to one person observing what another
is doing. We each need to learn to become
self-directed.

And, that’s the lesson?

Yes.

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applied philosophy to live by, cause and effect, enlightenment, Potential consequences, Spirit shares I Ching wisdom

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Power Comes From Within

Spirit shares I Ching Wisdom.

Today, the situation that we encounter
along our journey through Life is
expressed by Hexagram 33- Withdrawal.

Withdrawal follows Constancy, and
moves toward or into Great Power.

How can withdrawal lead to any power,
let alone great power?

What does it mean to withdraw and,
from what?

Constancy suggests steadiness;
not easily moved.

It can also suggest patience; waiting
until opportunity presents itself.

Then, opportunity comes from without?

Yes.

But, awareness of it comes from within.

Yes. WE can plan and prepare to execute
our plans, even during times unfavorable
to acting on them.

A farmer plans what he will plant before
the season of planting arrives. Then,
weather conditions being favorable,
he puts into action plans that needed
only an opportunity to carry through.

Where does Great Power enter into
the picture?

The power comes from within; self-control,
patience, planning, and the courage
to follow through on our plans when
circumstances are favorable for doing so.

Our plans?

Our plans.

Is this speaking specifically and personally,
or generally?

Yes.

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applied philosophy to live by, enlightenment, higher education, Power comes from within, Spirit shares I Ching wisdom

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