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Posts tagged ‘enlightenment’

How High is High Enough?

Spirit’s lesson for today relates to I Ching Hexagram 47 – Exhaustion.

The yin trigram Lake is above yang Water.

 

“They say the road of love is rocky and it’s rough, but if this road

don’t start to get smooth, then I’ve traveled it long enough”

is part of an old song that I can relate to regarding my ongoing

struggle with my spirit teacher as he guides me along the way

to enlightenment. But, what if He’s just luring me down

a garden path that never ends?

 

That’s exactly what my intentions are.

 

But, why?

 

You were ready.

As in “when the student …”

 

Yes.

 

Why didn’t I know there would be so much painful,

experiential content to the lessons?

 

Struggle is necessary.

 

But, I’m exhausted. Can’t we rest a little.

 

No. To rest is to lose ground.

 

I’m losing touch with ground moving.

 

That’s not possible.

 

Why?

 

The ground beneath us will always be there.

 

Where?

 

Within you, in one form or another.

 

Please explain.

 

Matter is an expression of energy …

 

And where I’m at in my mind determines the density?

 

Yes. It’s as simple as that.

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.

Moving Forward

A spirit teacher shares His understanding of timeless wisdom
concealed within the I Ching Hexagram 35 – Advance.

Hexagram 35 is composed of two trigrams; Fire and Earth.
Fire is over Earth. Fire and Earth each possess yin energy.

Advance develops from Great Power (34) and contributes to
the emergence of Damage to Illumination (36).

We create greater power by exercising lesser power.

The power to do what?

Yes. Without purpose, even great power is vulnerable.

To what?

To inspire others with power and purpose to use their power
to reduce our own.

The message?

Hold on to the power of thought that you have as long as
it makes sense to you.

But, there are times when your ideas seem to make at least
as much sense to me as my own do. What then?

Let them work it out.

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.

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.

Case Closed

A spirit teacher shares His understanding of timeless wisdom
contained within the I Ching Hexagram 61 – Settled.

Water is over Fire.

It’s curious to me that Water is Yang and Fire is Yin.

Why?

I would consider Fire to be more powerful than Water.

How so?

Fire can rage out of control.

Water seems to be able to control Fire more easily
than can Fire control Water.

Fire can heat Water.

Not without human help to control it.

I’ve distracted you from the reading.

No. You’ve distracted yourself, alone.

So, Water over Fire settles or calms Fire?

Settled refers to closed, as in, this issue has been …

What issue?

Whatever issue.

Our discussion?

Yes.

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.

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?

Rainbows Appear After Storms

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

Heaven is the most powerful yang trigram and is above Earth,
which is the most powerful yin trigram.

Obstruction usually suggests something blocking the way, and
yet the way is usually forward; not up or down.

The way up or down also makes sense.

But, in speaking of enlightenment, surely up and ahead sounds
more like progress than would down or back.

That would depend upon how one defined progress.

I’ve distracted you from the reading.

No; only yourself.

Then, please explain what situation or experience Obstruction refers to.

It can refer to someone interrupting me.

Other than that, and in the context of I Ching.

Obstruction emerges out of the peaceful relationship expressed
by Tranquility (11) and necessarily contributes to Association
with Others (13).

There can be no obstruction unless there is someone or something blocking our way?

Yes.

So, where does a rainbow come into the picture?

What picture?

The scenario that you seem to be presenting about a calm before
a storm, and then a gathering, or celebration.

When do rainbows appear?

After a storm, if they appear at all.

Yes.

What does that mean?

It means we can sit around and do nothing or we can struggle
toward a desired future that may never come.

But, our desired future is much less likely to come without
struggle?

Yes.

Tomorrow Will Come

A spirit teacher shares His understanding of timeless wisdom
expressed within the I Ching hexagram 51 – Thunder. Thunder
is over Thunder, expressing a form of yang that has double
its normal potential of active energy.

Thunder develops out of the situation expressed by The Cauldron
(50) and, in turn prepares the foundation for the experience
referred to as Mountain (52).

Every situation we experience today can help to prepare us for
whatever tomorrow will bring to us. We develop skills and
increased awareness of what skills will best serve us in
whatever particular situation.

Tomorrow will come, whether or not we prepare for it.
Yesterday helped us, more or less, to prepare for today’s
challenges and, as life is an endless series of situations
and experiences, how we live today will determine, at least
to some extent, how well we’ll cope with whatever tomorrow
brings our way.

Life is a Master Teacher, and provides us with experiences
that offer incentives to master personal skills and coping
strategies. How we cope with whatever challenges that
tomorrow brings will depend very much on how we live today.

Wow! I’m glad that message applies to people younger than me.

It applies to everyone, always.

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