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Posts tagged ‘adornment’

Higher Values Create Their Own Expression

Spirit shares His understanding of the life situation expressed within  HexagramI 22 – Adornment. Mountain is above and Fire is below. Yin over yang.

“Society is as a fire that brings people together; first, for survival and then for other mutually beneficial purposes beyond, but never excluding survival. Culture is as a volcanic mountain that can only develop, as an adornment, around a more-or-less stable society.

Culture cannot develop without generally accepted social rules of relating to different people in different ways. A teacher is not a cook or a bus driver.”

“That’s curious that you would choose a cook and a bus driver
to distinguish yourself as other than.”

“Why?”

“A cook prepares food for eating anda bus driver takes one to his or her
chosen destination.”

“Yes.”

“But, you do neither.”

“That is correct.”

“You seem to neither prepare food nor offer transportation. Perhaps
the spiritual teachings you share, after I struggle to digest them
and walk the path they point to, are as adornments of sacred wisdom.”

“Yes.”

“But, I might understand what you say in a way that differs from others.”

“Relate what I share with your lived experience.”

“But, different people have different lived experiences.”

“Yes and no.”

“How so?”

“Our individually lived experiences are as adornments on the form
within which our shared intelligence feels and thinks.”

“Then there is a finite varietyof emotions and thoughts that we each share?”

“Yes, but there is an infinite variety of quality of thought and emotion.”

“Where does spiritual development come into all of this?”

“All of this?”

“Our shared thoughts and emotions of infinite qualities.”

“Spirituality is in the personal development of higher qualities of thought and emotion.”

“What about action?”

“What about it?”

“How do we express higher qualities of thought and emotion?”

“How do we choose the form or focus of our expression of higher values?”

“Values?”

“Higher thoughts are values.”

“Then, how do we choose to express them.”

“They choose their own expression.”

“As do lower levels of thought and emotion?”

“Yes.”

………………..

Category:

applied philosophy to live by, I Ching as a path to enlightenment, Spirit shares I Ching wisdom

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The Value of Signs of Aging

Spirit shares His understanding of the timeless wisdom of I Ching, as expressed in Hexagram 22 – Adornment.  Mountain is over Fire; yin is over yang. Adornment follows Biting Through (21) in the natural order of  progression of the hexagrams and leads to Striping Away (23).

“An adornment is a decoration. It adds value without necessarily serving a practical purpose of its own. It can be as icing on a cake, or gravy on steak, or as precious stones worn around one’s neck, arms, fingers, or pinned to hair or clothes. It might also be something that can be set on a table, to be admired.

Biting Through suggests successfully completing a mission of importance, to oneself, if to no other. Something needed to be done, and now can be celebrated and remembered with an adornment as a reward.”

“That sounds very nice, but what personal message of inspiration can it have for me?”

“Do you possess something that seems to remind you of something else?”

“Such as?”

“Perhaps the many small lines on your face.”

“They only remind me that I’m getting older.”

“Have you earned them?”

“I think so.”

“Yes.”

……………

Category:

A wide (33%) middle way., applied philosophy to live by, enlightenment

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I Ching 23 – Stripping Away

Today’s I Ching – 23 – Stripping Away

Mountain above. Earth below.

Stripping Away follows Adornment.

Spirit Explains: “Adornment suggests excess of what is functionally necessary.  Stripping away reduces some of this excess.”

“It’s time,” He tells me, “for a new beginning; to live a more simple and uncluttered lifestyle. The way we live should express both our inner and outer values, in harmony with each other.”

“How is that possible, without the material means to express oneself as one would? ‘

“Then we do what we can with what we have. And, ” He suggests, “there are always areas of excess in our lives.”

“Such as?”

“Excess of inactivity could be reduced with exercise.”

I give up.

“Yes.”

..……………….

Category:

I Ching as a path to enlightenment

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I Ching 22 – Adornment

Today’s I Ching – 22 – Adornment

Mountain above

Fire below.

Adornment follows Biting Through.

 

Spirit explains:

 

Adornment is a form of and an expression of creativity

At a personal level. We choose how we shape our hair

And what colours and styles of clothing we prefer or

Think present us to ourselves and others in a pleasing

Way, or in such a way that makes a personal statement

About us.

 

That sounds fine enough, except that, what if we

Have never learned the art of doing so, or cannot

Afford to present or adorn ourselves as we would,

If we could?

 

Then we do so as well as we can until we can do

Better, or more.

 

Category:

Inspirational reading, Understanding life's struggles

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I Ching 23 – Stripping Away

Today’s I Ching – 23 – Stripping Away

Mountain above, Earth below

Stripping Away follows Adornment in the order of the Hexagrams.

 

Spirit explains: Adornment is excess and advertises success or, at least a materialistic view of success, and seeks approval, not of the success, itself, but of the adornment. This suggests that it is time to strip away, reduce the excess we have accumulated, for, there is danger in excessive excess.. There are many more people in our world who live in need than there are who live with excess.

How can this possibly relate to me.

Where are you?

In the middle.

A good place to be.

Surely, a little excess wouldn’t offend anyone.

No answer.

 

Spirit explains:

Category:

Inspirational reading, Understanding life's struggles

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