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Posts tagged ‘danger’

Awareness of Potential Danger

A spirit teacher shares His understanding of timeless wisdom
expressed within the I Ching hexagram 41 – Reduction.

Reduction emerges from Solution (40) and develops into
Increase (42).

Mountain is above Lake. Mountain is Yang and Lake is Yin.

Mountains have height while lakes have depth, and yet
we measure deep and high from our own unique perspectives.
That’s curious.

Why?

One mile or kilometer up or down is still the same distance.

It can make all the difference if you applied the same
measure to progress along the way; any way.

Our life as a way?

Yes, a chosen, more or less, way to live. And as mountains
and lakes, the ground beneath is rarely even. It dips and
climbs in irregular intervals and to irregular degrees.

But, in a boat on top of the lake?

I think you know from personal experience how an ocean
surface can become dangerously unpredictable.

Yes, terrifying so.

So it is with mountains. There is always a risk of uncertainty.
Landslides, mudslides, rock slides, and avalanches, to name
a few possible dangers that may present themselves with little
or no warning.

You’re going to relate all of this talk to Reduction. How?

Knowing possible risks and still choosing to follow a path,
any path through life, is only foolish if you do not first
prepare for whatever you might have to face along the way.

How can I know?

What?

How to possibly prepare for what hasn’t yet happened?

Awareness.

Of what?

Awareness of your own strengths and weaknesses, based on …

study and experience?

Yes, and that awareness will reduce the potential danger
along the Way of Life..

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

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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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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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Ever-Present Dangers

Spirit shares His understanding of I Ching.

Hexagram 29 – Double Pitfall – presents with
two Water trigrams stacked, one on the other.
This symbolic representation of flooding
warns us of a hidden and unexpected danger;
a trap or ambush.

As in the deck being stacked against me
in a game of cards?

Something like that.

How could I ever know in advance?

It would be too late to know if you did not
know then.

How to develop the skill to avoid walking
into a trap?

It doesn’t require a specialized skill.

What does it require?

It requires right, or appropriate, thinking
and action.

That advice sounds like the eight-fold path.

It is the eight-fold path.

Including right or appropriate livelihood?

Yes.

To avoid associating with those who might
be tempted to take advantage of my simplicity?

Yes.

That might require me to become less simple.

Yes.

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A spirit teacher shares His I Ching Wisdom, applied philosophy to live by, cause and effect, 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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Understanding Inspires Us

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

Fire is over Thunder. Fire represents a type of flexible yin energy.
Thunder is forceful yang.

Biting Through emerges from Observing (20) and prepares
the foundation for Adornment (22).

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

There isn’t.

Then, how are they each connected to the others?

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 is more than an interpretation. It is 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
understanding is appealing.

Unless we understand something that suggests danger.

Even then.

How?

Then our understanding of impending danger inspires us.

To respond to the danger?

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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Within and without together

Spirit’s I Ching as a way to enlightenment

56 – Travel
Fire over Mountain

Fire moves, or at least has the potential to do so, while mountains are
generally known for their stability. If we travel from and return to a mountain, we can be confident that it will be where it was when we left it.
But, a fire may have moved on and created destruction as it moved.

Travel develops out of Abundance and transforms itself into Wind. or has the potential to do so if we only travel because of restlessness, without a purpose or goal.

Abundance suggests possessing much more than is necessary to satisfy survival needs. Without struggle there is a danger of life becoming meaningless.

Abundance can also provide us with an opportunity to travel, both within and without.

Not either, or?

We necessarily travel both ways at one time.

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applied philosophy to live by, I Ching as a path to enlightenment, Inspirational reading, Understanding life's struggles

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Spirit’s I Ching 6 – Contention

Spirit explains:

 

Contention follows Waiting in the order of the hexagrams.

Creative energy is above. Unstable emotion is below.

 

Contention expresses dissatisfaction with waiting. Change is

Wanted now, and unstable emotion could create unstable action.

 

Without change there is danger of stagnation.

 

What change? What action? By whom?, and for what, or whom?

 

By each of us, for all concerned, to be whom we are and not

Pretend to be otherwise.

 

What is it all about?

 

Living a good life.

 

I don’t understand.

 

Yes.

 

 

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enlightenment, I Ching as a path to enlightenment, Inspirational reading, Understanding life's struggles

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I Ching 30 – Clinging

Today’s I Ching – 30 – Clinging

Fire above. Fire below.

Clinging follows Double Pitfall.

 

Spirit explains:

 

Double Pitfall expresses extreme danger. Be aware, but,

Have faith in yourself, if in no other. And, in essence,

Each of us contains and is contained within all others.

 

Clinging is double fire, as is the passion of faith and purpose.

 

Does the message suggest confrontation?

 

Yes and no.

 

Please explain.

 

Confrontation can only be possible if we see it.

 

Close my eyes?

 

No. Open them.

 

Category:

A wide (33%) middle way., enlightenment, I Ching as a path to enlightenment, 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:

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Inspirational reading, Understanding life's struggles

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