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Posts tagged ‘choose’

We Choose the Rules

A spirit teacher shares His understanding of timeless wisdom
concealed within the I Ching hexagram 7 – The Army.

The Army necessarily develops out of Contention (6) and then
establishes a foundation for Closeness (8). Earth is above
and water is below.

Why is Water yang when Lake is yin?

Is feminism rising?

Perhaps, but it is curious, since in essence they each are
water.

Lake is usually more submissive and receptive than is the
free-flowing water of rivers. Now, can we return to discussing
The Army?

Please do.

As today follows yesterday into the past, so The Army follows
Contention; and as today reaches toward tomorrow, so does
The Army reach toward Closeness.

I can understand The Army and Contention acting on each other,
but what possible relationship can The Army have with Closeness?

When reason alone fails to solve contention, then power is a
necessary organizing force. It serves a good purpose if it can
bring together contentious groups of people. Then it contributes
to a sense of closeness.

Okay, I can accept that, but how does it relate to me?

Who is contentious?

Perhaps I justifiably am, at times.

Who is The Army?

I don’t know.

Is The Army as a referee in this instance?

That’s possible, but not all referees play by the same rules.

What rules do I play by?

You seem to play by rules of your own choosing.

Yes, and so do you.

Category:

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

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We’re Never Without Intention

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

Fire (yin) is over Thunder (yang) Only the top line of Fire
has a complement within Thunder; not a strong union.

Biting Through develops out of Observing (20) and, with
effort, contributes to the situation called Adornment (22).

Not all food, and not all problems, can be easily digested,
or otherwise dealt with. The more fiber food contains, and
the more dense the structure of problems, the more they
require sharp teeth or determination, for biting through and
reducing the food or problem into ever smaller segments.

Divide and conquer may be used as a military or political
strategy, but it is also a natural process.

Is this reading about nutrition or war?

It’s about Life.

Please explain.

Whatever we choose to do with our life, day by day,
we consciously or otherwise, intentionally or …

Without intention?

We’re never without intention.

How is that possible?

How is it not possible?

Category:

A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, higher education, spirituality without intelligence is not intelligent spirituali5y

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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.

Category:

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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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.

Category:

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

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Until We See More Clearly

Spirit shares His I Ching wisdom.

Today’s I Ching is 24 – Return.
Earth is over Thunder.

There could be an upheaval?

There has been an upheaval.

What now?

The dust settles and we return to
a more settled way to live.

Who is we?

You and I, and everyone else.

Something is not as it was?

Yes, and something is always as it was.

An endless loop?

Not exactly

Then what?

Life situations develop out of
a limited variety of possibilities,
and then we choose what to accept
as acceptable ways to live,
just as different languages
are formed with a limited number
of sounds, chosen or provided
from a larger but also limited
variety of sounds.

No two languages choose, or are
provided with exactly the same
limited selection of sounds.

But no human sound is not from
the buffet of sounds available?

Exactly.

So, what has that to do with
an after the storm situation.

It’s the same situation.

In what way?

There is still an opportunity
and a required necessity
to choose how to live with
whatever options seem to be
available.

But, if we cannot see our options
for the dust …

Then the options we do see
are our available options
until we see more clearly.

The message?

Choose!

What?

How to live.

Category:

applied philosophy to live by, cause and effect, higher education, I Ching as a path to enlightenment, initiation, Spirit shares I Ching wisdom

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Indecision Never Wins

Spirit shares I Ching wisdom.

I Ching 31 – Sensing follows Fire in the sequential
order of situations and events that we each face
as we travel along our physical life journey.

As in cause and effect?

No.

Then what?

As in order or progression. The universe
does not operate on a system of cause
and effect, even if at times it might
appear to do so.

Then, why does Sensing follow Fire?

You might also ask why Sensing leads
to Withdrawal, or why that outcome
might be advisable.

Can we go back to Sensing?

We never left it, at least not those
of us who pay close attention
to whatever situation has developed
or shows signs of doing so.

Then, Sensing is as an instinctual
awareness?

Awareness is not instinctual, but does
or can develop from a natural response
to heat, among other things.

Could instinct be considered as
a prerequisite to sensing or awareness?

No.

Then, where does instinct fit in with sensing?

Instinct follows sensing.

So, when our physical senses send a warning
to our inner awareness, then awareness
triggers an instinctual response to withdraw?

Yes.

Then, fight or flight determine outcome?

No.

Then what?

We choose whether to withdraw or not to.

Then why does withdrawal follow sensing?

It is the usual recommended course of action
in extreme situations.

Then, whatever follows or leads into
any developing situation is contingent
upon …

Contingent upon what?

I’m not sure.

Yes.

What does that mean?

Indecision is also an option.

But, if instinct only offers two?

Then indecision would be over-ruled
by the most dominant instinct.

Or the less controlled one?

Yes.

Category:

cause and effect, I Ching as a path to enlightenment, Spirit shares I Ching wisdom, Universal laws apply even today

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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.”

………………..

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

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Receptivity to Inspiration Provides Opportunities

Spirit explains I Ching Hexagram 4 – Immaturity.

The journey of our life begins with creation;
individual and collective.

Creativity (hexagram 1) is an essential attribute
of our unique essence.

Receptivity (hexagram 2) to inspiration, both from
without and within, provides us with opportunities
to express our individual uniqueness.

Difficulty (hexagram 3) in the early stages of
our development is to be expected.

Immaturity (hexagram 4) never lasts forever.
Sooner or later we each progress in our
chosen direction.

Who chooses our direction, and to where?

Our chosen direction chooses itself.

How is that possible?

It is the only way possible.

Please explain.

Why did you not ask about the role of
so-called free will?

I have learned enough from you to accept
that free will is limited to available
options and that even then we my not be
aware of future choices each option
may require of us.

Yes.

So, please explain how our chosen direction
chooses itself.

The future is as the past in that it develops
from how we live here and now.

There always was a here and now?

Yes.

Then, the direction we think we are choosing,
if we do consider the choices we make, are
a direct result of how we got to where
we now are?

Yes.

Then, how can we begin to intentionally choose
where we want to go?

First, by intentionally choosing to be where
you now are.

What choice is there to make?

Accepting responsibility for how you arrived
where you are.

Then, what?

Determine to develop a more mature outlook
on life in general, and your own life,
in particular.

And, to let go of all that we know
holds us back?

Yes.

And those who seem to hold us back?

No, never.

Why?

Unhealthy relationships hold us back,
not unhealthy people. They need us
to accept them as they seem to be,
without pretending that we are where
they are or that they are where
we are, or need and intend to go.

How does one do that?

Release your hold on the past;
not the people in your past.

Then, we move on without necessarily
rejecting them?

Yes.

It doesn’t sound too easy.

Life isn’t meant to be too easy.

Category:

applied philosophy to live by, I Ching as a path to enlightenment, Spirit shares I Ching wisdom, Understanding life's struggles

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The greatest pleasure or the least pain?

Spirit shares I Ching wisdom.

16 – Pleasure

“Do what you love and love what you do” has been used
as an advertisement to enroll in classes that will lead
to a successful career earning an income working at
something that brings you pleasure.

It also expresses the thought that we will do best
what we choose to do for self-satisfaction and not
for its dollar value, alone, or 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 aobut.

What is all about choosing.

Life.

Life may be about choosing ..

Not may be. It is.

But, sometimes we choose, 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.

Category:

A wide (33%) middle way., applied philosophy to live by, I Ching as a path to enlightenment, Spirit shares I Ching wisdom

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How Many Times?

Spirit shares His understanding of the life situation expressed by I Ching Hexagram 14 – Great Possession. Fire is over Heaven. Both are yang.  Great Possession follows Association with Others (13) and leads to Humility (15).

“Fire, in this instance, expresses emotion out of control, or with great potential
to move in that direction. Heaven represents self-controlled
power and stability.”

“We’re into Yin and Yang again?”

“We can never leave the concepts of extremes of emotion
and control.”

“Why?”

“These are as boundaries within which we live.”

“Are they the same for everyone?”

“Yes and no.”

“Why yes?”

“We each choose the boundaries of our comfort or
safety zone, within which we live our life
our way.”

“And no?”

“Some dare to accept that self-imposed boundaries
can be expanded, without necessarily leaving
the situation or relationship the boundaries
enclose.”

“Why not just leave and start again?”

“How many times?”

………………

Category:

A wide (33%) middle way., applied philosophy to live by, I Ching as a path to enlightenment, Spirit shares I Ching wisdom

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