Hexagram Twenty Four Part II

If we look at the commentary on hexagram twenty four in the third section of Wilhelm/Baynes book, we have the following:

“The hexagram of return, applied to character formation, contains various suggestions. The light principle returns, thus the hexagram counsels turning away from the confusion of external things, turning back to one’s inner light. There, in the depths of the soul, one sees the Divine, the One.”

This is what we have been talking about all along. The science of “Oneness.” By turning our attention inward, looking within, we find that light, so dim at first, but it gradually gets stronger as we spend time in prayer and meditation. The light is within, the Christ child is within. All we need to do is open up to it, to recognize it and realize it within ourselves. By turning inward, we come to realize that everything outside of us is simply a reflection of that which is within us. As above, so below, means as well, as within, so without. “For as a man thinketh within his heart, so is he.” (The book of Proverbs.)

Hexagram Twenty Four

Hexagram twenty four corresponds to the same time period as is traditionally prescribed to the birth of Christ. There is a reason for this, it is at the beginning of the Sun’s transiting into the sign of Capricorn that the Sun (Son) begins to rise again. The days get longer. The sign rises in the sky, in the sense of coming higher in the Northern Hemisphere. The significance of this is that in hexagram twenty four things start to change for the better, and with the birth of Christ, light is given to the nations. The Wilhelm/Baynes commentary says “The movement is natural, arising spontaneously.” In other words, it is not forced, it is a condition due to the times. As the sun rises up over the northern hemisphere, the earth is devoted and receptive to the movement.

As a rule, it is at the beginning of the new year that we make resolutions, resolving to do better and make amends in the new year. The judgment text says, “going out and coming in without error.” The old is over, it is time to start again, to start again on a higher level, This time comes after a time of decay as described in hexagram twenty three.

The time of return applies on both a physical and a spiritual level. For, in fact, the physical level is just a mirror image of the spiritual. Thus the saying, “as above, so below.” Supposedly, the birth of the Christ Child predawns a time of spiritual awakening. He brings us light, in a time of spiritual darkness. The world is immersed deeply into the belief in materialism, that consciousness is merely a phenomenon of material interaction. The Christ child, and the time of Return brings back the light and gives men new hope.

The text of hexagram twenty four says, “Friends come without blame.” When we return to the spiritual way, to the way that brings us light, we allow the entering of “meaningful guests,” in other words, spiritual and cosmic helpers that open our eyes to greater spiritual depths. These guests may be friends we are consciously aware of, or not consciously aware of. When we follow the spiritual path, there is a collapsing of the quantum wave that ultimately is for our good, though for a time it may not seem so. This does not necessarily happen quickly or exactly when we want, but sooner or later it will happen. (Confer with hexagram fifty line four, “But if he will only see to it that he is possessed of something truly spiritual, the time is bound to come, sooner or later, when the difficulties will be resolved, and all will be well.”) “For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.:” St Paul. There is a big emphasis these days on books that teach that we can follow the heart and all will be provided for us. In a way this is true, but often people try to do this and end up broke and penniless, and totally discouraged. There is one factor that is often left out. We have to be doing the will of God, otherwise it doesn’t work, except in the sense that one may be doing jobs that we love. The universe will normally take care of us, providing we are doing what we are supposed to be doing. One cannot follow their every whim and expect to get rich, normally at least. One must be doing everything possible to know and understand the will of God.

We will get back to this later.

The Illusion

You have to understand, it matters not, whether a hard nosed scientist, or a religious fanatic, or a delusional fool, they are all under a hypnotic trance created by the illusion of a created universe. I will say this, that though it is an illusion, it is a very real illusion, and if you jump off a building, that illusion will kill you, (which actually is an illusion in itself.) The illusion is created by God, (for want of a better word,) in his/her state of rest, creating movement. Movement imposes two limits, the limit of space, and the limit of time, for without space there can be no movement, where would the movement go? Likewise, without time, there can be no movement, it takes time to go from one place to another. So immediately a duality is imposed, the duality of rest versus movement, and the duality of space versus time. Within movement, there is a vibration. Movement is, in effect, a vibration. Once something is no longer at rest, it is vibrating. Things can vibrate at different rates, they can vibrate at different amplitudes, or different frequencies, or a combination of the two, and in so doing, various vibrations create various wave forms, which, in the process of coming together, create a material world. The thought that creates the vibration also creates the impetus for a collapse of the wave function into a material reality. In that sense, the world is real, but in another sense, it is only an illusion because all parts of that material reality are made of the same mind stuff. Therefore, all of us, droplets though we may be, in an infinite ocean, are ultimately that ocean, and it is all one. It is all from the same source, the source being God, or the one creator, or the one whom it is said, “And the word because flesh, (physical) and dwelt among us.” It is also said, “He was in the world, (had sacrificed himself to the material plane, the symbolic meaning of Jesus on the cross) and the world knew him not.” The world does not recognize the source behind material substance. It blindly and foolishly thinks that any consciousness is a result of the play of physical forces, putting the cart before the horse, rather than realizing and accepting that the material world is the result of consciousness. “I am in the Father, and the Father in me.” The Father is in the world, the thought that creates the world, and the world is in the Father, the cosmic Son of the Father, having been created by him. This concept is crucial to a deeper understanding of the I Ching, and indeed, all Eastern religion, or cosmology, as well as crucial to a metaphysical interpretation of Western religious documents.

The Birth of Jesus Part IV

There is much, much more to be said about the birth of Jesus, and I do admit, some of the symbology I still do not understand. A reckoning of all the accounts is somewhat in order here though, and for those who are strictly I Ching lovers, I will finish it off with a short discussion of hexagram twenty four, later that is.

Who knows why there were four specific gospels picked out of all the extant material? There is method in the madness, however. While there is no doubt the church edited the texts to make sure no one found the true deeper doctrine in it, nevertheless, planned or not planned, and I do think someone was watching out for us, there is a wealth of information in the gospels that survived the purges of the Church.

As it is we can look at the four gospels and get four viewpoints, or snapshots of Jesus as the Christ. In the gospel of Matthew Jesus is presented as royalty. As such the birth of a future or present king must be recorded with his royal lineage. In Matthew the royal lineage is recorded, and the birth of Jesus is delineated as that of a king. Notice in this gospel the ones who come are termed as Wise Men, or Magi, for it is only fitting that a king be visited by the Magi, rather than mere (the term mere here being used only for the sake of the argument, it is not intended to take anyone or any group of people lightly, only to make the point) shepherds. Notice also in Matthew there is an emphasis on the rule of Herod, the contemporary king of the Jews. More could be said on this, but lets move on. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus the Christ is portrayed as a servant. It was considered that a servant’s birth is of no accord, so there is no record in Mark of the birth of Jesus. The gospel of Luke portrays the manhood of Jesus. Jesus here is the Son of Man. A man has a birth and a birth is recorded here. In this gospel is recorded a lineage reflecting that of a mere man, not a king. In Luke’s gospel there is a great emphasis on the wonderfulness of the coming of the savior and there is an emphasis on the joy that his birth brings to man. “…To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of oru God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace…” Little if anything is mentioned of Herod. Once again, more could be said of this, but let’s move on. John emphasizes the Godhood of Jesus. Not that he wasn’t man, not that he was the only true God, but “I and my Father are one,” and, “The Father is in me, and I am in the Father.” Since John is describing the Godhood of Jesus, there is no record of a physical birth, for God does not have a beginning. John does however describe a beginning. Not the beginning of a physical birth, but the beginning of the cosmos. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” We can think of this beginning as the beginning of the cosmos, the word being spoken, in other words a thought that creates a vibration that brings materiality into existence. The ultimate element of matter is not an atom, or an electron, or even a photon, not a quark, nor any other fundamental element, but is simply, a thought in the mind of God. Read up on the latest in quantum physics. Einstein had real problems with what quantum physics was relating. Regardless, though I am not a physicist, I can tell you from the testimony of those that are, that a wave does not become a physical element until someone or something observes it. At that point it is said that the wave collapse into reality. (See the recent book called, “The Visionary Window,” By Amit Goswami, PHD, for an excellent discussion on this.) John, in describing that original cosmic birth, goes on to say, “That was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” That light is the effect of the original thought of the original cosmic vibration through which everything and every human was created. (For a deep and very interesting discussion on this, see the two volume, sixty dollar set by Paramahansa Yogananda called, “The second coming of Christ.”)

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become Sons of God, even to them that believeth on his name.” (John, 1:16) He does not say “Sons of Men,” as we might see in other gospels, but Sons of God. In the gospel of John we see Jesus as having the ability and the power to enrich people by making them “Sons of God” This is “putting on the mind of Christ,” and has much in common as that which is in the Eastern doctrines of “developing the spiritual embryo.” The entire Gospel structure is created specifically to let people know how they may become “Christs,” and Joint heirs with Christ, not in the way the church teaches, but in reality, creating the “cosmic marriage between Jesus (as Christ) and Mary, (the term Mary comes from the same root as the English word, marine, or cosmic sea, ocean; in other words the “universal subconscious mind,) or between conscious and subconscious so that one becomes truly creator and co-creator with God. A fully aware and fully integrated human being, as described in the I Ching as the “Chuang Tzu.” Let’s finish this discussion for now. I hope in the future to put much more thought into my dialogues before I blog them so that they may be useful for more than just intellectual knowledge for the reader.

Happy Holidays

A belated happy holidays to all. I have once again been dragged down by lack of sleep and have not kept up with what I want to do. May you all have a joyous new year.

Though it is late, there are still a few things I want to discuss regarding the Christmas story, but I have a pre new years and a new years resolution to make. I never make them, if I did I wouldn't follow them, but these I think I can. First off, I am going to take a little more time on my articles before I put them on the web, so that when I write, it will be in good English and have good sentence structure, and a more coherent message. Second, I hope tomorrow to put a small, regular web page out there that will give me a lot more options, but mainly it will give pointers to different blogger websites that I hope to maintain. Third, I am going to try harder to set aside a specific time to do my tasks, rather than willy nilly whenever, and along with that, focus more on a couple things, to do them well, and not be off on every tangent. I can only do so much, and I need more sleep. Anything else I plan right now is a secret, even from myself. I don't know what my subconscious plans for next year.

Once again, happy holidays, and remember, God is love, or, if you prefer, the cosmos, the Sage, the Universal Subconscious mind is love. So love to all, It is by being equal to love that we become equal to God.

The birth of Jesus Part III

“Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof…” Matthew 2:16.

Herod had intended to deceive the wise men. He told them to return to him to bring him to the child that he may worship, while all the while secretly planning the demise of the child. Now, it turns out, the trickster has been tricked, and he became exceedingly angry. This, you can be sure, is how the ego works. It is always ready to deceive another, but cannot tolerate being deceived itself. It is not only the matter that the plot failed, although that was painful enough, but the ego had been outeggoed, outsmarted, that is. That is worse than having the plan fail, for it informs the ego that it is not master of its own destiny, it cannot control everything and everyone. That is what really stokes the raging fires of the egos anger, someone played the game better than he did. This is the basic nature of humanity. The ego cannot fail to be at war because it is at war with itself. As long as mankind is at war with himself, there will always be wars, rumors of wars, trickery, and deceit. The game of one-upmanship is more powerful, and more important to the ego than life itself. The ego cares not. It’s soul desire is to be top dog, king of the hill, to be, in other words, Herod, or Caesar. Even when a person reaches the top, they cannot stay there, and all most certainly know this, yet no one will give up the game. So we go to war, with our friends we play minor little psychological games, with those further away we play other types of games, all the way up to the level of nations, in which our games involve assault rifles, tanks, bombs and bombers, and even nuclear weapons. We never quit, we never give up, we always have to be top dog, and where does it get us?

The Birth of Jesus Part II

Back to the story of Herod, in Matthew chapter two verse eight… “Go, and search diligently for the young child, and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also” The surface level of this story is that Herod was not familiar enough with the ancient prophecies to find the child himself, but he knew the wise men, or Magi, could do it. So he uses the ploy of wanting to worship him in order to find him and end the threat to his rulership. The ego within us never wants to relinquish control, and it will use whatever ploy or deception to accomplish its purposes. But there is another story here that closely parallels that. It is also true that the ego will gladly worship anything outside of itself if that will help it maintain its power base. There is always a religion of choice that men can follow. And don’t think atheism isn’t a religion, it has its patron saints, etc. etc, so do political doctrines, like communism and capitalism, all based on the concept that man can do it all, with no help from any God or outside force. The same is true of science. It is just as much a religion as any church could ever be, with its doctrines of uniformitarianism, evolution, that consciousness evolves out of matter. And it has its patron saints, Darwin, Newton, Einstein, etc. It takes an act of congress to get any ideas through to a scientist that do not conform to what they have already, often mistakenly, established. The ego will always worship these things, because they are not only not a threat, but also give the ego a cover for its power base. In worshipping a god outside of ourselves, we give ourselves free reign to the ego to rule over us, and reject the God self or the Christ within.

The Birth of Jesus

“Now the birth of Jesus was on this wise…” says the gospel of Matthew verse 18. But was it? The gospel of Luke gives a slightly different, but not totally incompatible account. And there is a great deal of scholarship these days which brings to question whether Jesus, as depicted in the gospels ever existed. Others say, ridiculous, there is too much evidence. Well, it depends on how much of the evidence one considers valid. It’s like that old argument, “what you say isn’t true. What is your source for that? My sources are better than your sources. Mine have college degrees. Yours do too? But not from Yale or Harvard! Well, this source says this, that one says that, did Jesus ever exist? And another thing. The story of the birth of Jesus, and indeed almost all of Jesus life can be found in Egyptian, Greek, and other mythologies. What is going on here? (One argument I personally like is that the Buddhists, some groups anyway, from places as far away as India claim to have records of having been visited by Jesus.) But ultimately, for the purposes of our discussions, it doesn’t matter, because it is the message, and I mean the spiritual message, not the letter, that is of consequence. The birth of Jesus is the birth of spiritual wisdom and understanding in our heart. If we believe that Jesus died for our sins, and he might have, but not in the traditional literal sort of way, then we are saying that there is a God, not only separate from us, but separate from his entire creation. My friends this cannot be true, for there is no separation, there is no God out there as opposed to us in here. The first and foremost metaphysical principle is that all is one. Therefore, God is not something outside of us, but something within us, and without too, but only as much as within. There is nothing out there as opposed to what is in here.

So the story must be symbolic. The birth of Jesus can be the birth of the immortal spirit within us. This is something that Taoists, and some Buddhists, and other spiritual groups have been practicing for years, the means of birthing the immortal spirit within. But that is for a later discussion. Here we will speak only of the birth of Christ as the Birth of Christ within ourselves. Without this second birth, we cannot understand, as Nicodemus did not understand, when Jesus spoke to him of heavenly things. We understand only physically. It is the phenomenal world that is of importance to us, because we recognize no other, except as some plausible heaven or hell that we go to after we die, a place outside the realm of science, and the realm of the known universe, but something created by some being outside of ourselves so that he could transfer us there according to either his whim, or his perception of our sainthood. I am sorry people, but it is a lie. As Paul said, spiritual things must be spiritually discerned. Also, as Jesus said, “That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit.

But enough of this, you get the idea, an idea to be carried forward later.

“When Herod heard these things he was troubled.” Herod being a king is a symbol for the ego that rules us. When he hears that the Christ is due to be born, he immediately sets out to kill the Child. For his rulership is now in danger. The ego never willingly gives up its throne. Then Herod says, “…bring him to me, that I may come and worship.” The ego never can be truly honest, even with itself. It doesn’t stop at anything to maintain the kingdom it has inherited. In this case, the ego is even ordering the mass destruction of children, whatever it takes to terminate the one life of the one ruler that can terminate his rulership.

“Out of Egypt I have called my Son” The land of Egypt can have various metaphorical meanings in the Bible, but here one meaning is that Egypt represents the material, and/or, the dualistic world. The Son is called out of the world, into the “kingdom of heaven.” Into the spiritual realm where the understanding is there that the physical world is a mere illusion, and we can make of it what we will. The kingdom is where the spiritual realm takes us out of the realm of ego, and into the dimension of oneness, and the surrender to the will of God. (The one time positive thinking is at its most powerful is when we are positively thinking about the surrender to the will of God. “Not my will, but Thine.”) We are called out of bondage to the material, (The Israelites were slaves in Egypt) and into the freedom of the kingdom. Rulers and joint rulers with Christ.

“But when Herod was dead, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream…” When the ego dies, then and only then can we truly hear the call of the spirit. Only when the ego is dead can we understand and follow the will of the Lord. Our left and right brains unite and work together. Our male and female sides unite into one awesomely powerful individual. “Dividing the middle wall of partition between us”

One final point here, I wish to make today, this time from the Gospel of Luke. Luke Chapter two verse seven says, “And they laid him in a manger, for there was no room for them in the inn.” The inn is a symbol for our hearts. There is never room for Jesus in our hearts, because it is ruled by the ego. The ego has no wish to see the baby Jesus alive, unless, or course, the story is relegated to the material world, is a story that we follow at Christmas, and no other time of the year. As long as we see it as an event outside ourselves, in the manger, and thereby give it no power by which it can overthrow the ego’s control, then it is of minor import to the ego.

Can you see here how the real story corresponds, and compares to the stories we find in eastern religion, or philosophy, for the religion of the east is not really religion, it is practical and experiential.

Nicodemus

We spoke for a moment a while back about the woman at the well, in regards to our discussion about the well, we did not discuss the story immediately previous to this in the book of John, the story of Nicodemus's secret meeting with Jesus. These two stories have some striking similarities, and some outright opposites. Nicodemus was male, The woman, obviously was female. Jesus approached the woman, Nicodemus approached Jesus. The meeting with the woman happened at about noon, the meeting with Nicodemus happened late at night. The woman was of the middle or lower class, Nicodemus was of the upper class. The woman became an open follower, Nicodemus followed Jesus only partially, and in secret.

The meeting with the woman happened in the day time, because the woman was ready to see the light, the meeting with Nicodemus happened at night because Nicodemus was not ready. Both individuals could see there was something special about Jesus. The woman responded. Nicodemus went back to the Pharisees. The story of the woman is the story of those that have been initiated into the mysteries of life, or the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but do not yet understand it. She was at the well because she was already drawing up the water of spiritual life, however, she was doing it in a rote and automatic, unthinking kind of way. Being a member of the middle or lower classes, she was following the dictates of her society, and was simply going along with the crowd. "Our people say worship here." No thought about the real meaning of it all, this is what our society believes, so I believe it too. "Our people have the true way, your people follow false doctrine." How do you know its true or false? "Our leaders tell us it is so." Well, our teachers tell us it is not." You see, the woman at the well recognized the "inner truth." She still may not have understood it all, but she took a step forward. This is like the I Ching people that think that the I Ching is nothing but an automatic response system that has no independent mind of its own. They use it for divination but do not realize the power that is involved to change lives. Jesus said to her, "in fact, you have had five husbands, and the one thou hast now is not thy husband." On one level this is merely an indicator of moral development based on the morality of the society at that place and time. But on a deeper level, the five husbands were five incarnations in which she had a spiritual teacher. The husband that she now had was not truly and rightly her teacher, her guru, her Christ, her Buddha. In running across Jesus, she is reunited with her true spiritual teacher.

Enter Nicodemus. Nicodemus comes at night because his mind is in darkness. In his case he is not just blindly following the dictates of his society, but is himself a ruler. He also comes because he is in fear of being seen by his peers, another story for another time. He comes at night because he is not ready to break away from his ruling class, and the power he maintains. He is willing to give Jesus an audience, but not willing to take everything to heart and make a change in his life. Jesus addresses him in a totally way. Where he challenged the woman to look beyond the facade of her societal teachings, he challenges Nicodemus to recognize the mistake he is making by putting to much import on his power and position. Nicodemus is a leader of the Jews, but Jesus queried, "You are a ruler of the jews and do not understand these things?" These things cannot be realized logically and intellectually, and all your pride in position and power will not help. Nicodemus was at a loss to understand these things, because, in contrast to the woman, he hadn't even had any prior incarnations with a true teacher. He understood only what was preached from the pulpit, not the spiritual things that are discerned through intuition and spiritual development, meditation, etc. He is like the person who takes everything in the I Ching in an all too literal way, and cannot see beyond to the spirit of the words of the text. Nicodemus was blinded to the truth by his power and his position, and remained in his post even after speaking with Jesus.

A bit more on hexagram nineteen line one

Note the text says "greathearted approach." Here the teachings of the Sage are given in an atmosphere of love. For the Sage is not receiving from us as much as we receive from him. It is that the Sage is to a certain extent being imposed upon, but rather than rebel, or show resentment, the Sage goodheartedly and willingly imparts of his knowledge that the world may prosper. The most we can do for the Sage in this context is show our respect and gratitude, which is not a real consolation. This is why hexagram four is given to show us our relationship to the Sage. It is one of earnestly seeking out, and imposing on him in a matter of utmost respect, for it is he that is giving to us. And in line two of hexagram four it is said that the Sage, "bears with the unprocessed in kindliness." It is the burden of the Sage that his children be taught the "kingd21om of heaven." But a burden that he gladly bears as long as he knows that it is going to produce fruit. And the commentary in hexagram four line five says, "... devoid of arrogance, who subordinates himself to his teacher will certainly be helped." In hexagram twenty, line four, the commenary says, "This describes a man who understands the secrets by which the kingdom is to flourish...should be honored, and allowed to act independently, and should not be used as a tool." It is the Sage, the I Ching, the Christ, the Buddha, who gives us the keys to "the kingdom of heaven." How much honor and adoration should we give him? Or better yet, accept his teachings gladly, mastical upon them, (hexagram 27) Bite through to them, (hexagram 21), and contemplate them, (hexagram 20) and I could go on, but time is short.

I have kind of gotten away from what I think was my original thesis in all my writings, that in every page, every text, the I Ching is talking about itself, but there will be much more written about this in time.

Something from a friend

Here is something sent to a friend that this friend thougnt was good and recommended I put it on my website. Then later on I will add a little bit to it.

There could be a number of reason for this, depending on the context. I suspect you got this in a reading for a specific question, if it was specifically for personal growth, the answer might be a little different.

Often, when only one line is changing, it isn't too difficult to see how the primary flows into the relational hexagram. Other times, however, it is not so easy, and I suspect that this is because in the original Chinese, the words conveyed multiple meanings. These multiple meanings cannot be so easily translated into English. Nevertheless, let us look into the context a little here and see.

One thing that is important to remember too, though, is that while the primary meanings of hexagrams may seem more positive or more negative, in their secondary meanings they may not be that way so much.

The Text says:

Goodhearted approach.
Good fortune. No blame.

This looks pretty positive, and in terms of the lines alone, it is. Let's look at the commentary though.

In W/B the commentary states, "...may, under certain circumstances, decide to turn once more to the here and now. The sixth line normally refers to someone who has developed so much that they no longer need to partake in wordly affairs, but look, here the Sage is brought back. In other words he has to leave, so to speak, his heavenly abode. This is great good fortune for the world that he comes back to, and the individuals that would benefit from his teaching, but not necessarily so comfortable for him/her. He is, nevertheless, blameless for doing so.

And the meaning of the sixth line in general, the individual has gone too far, outside the context of the hexagram. Here, going outside the context of the hexagram, the Sage has gone too far away from the world. Hence, he/she cannot be of help unless he/she returns to help mankind. This is beneficial for mankind, but for him/her, it is merely without blame. This is a yin sixth line, so we can get an overall view of how to interpret it by looking at primarily hexagram two line six, because it is yin, and hexagram one line six for a secondary meaning. In line six of hexagram two it says, "Dragons fight in the meadow. " When the sixth line goes too far, it surpasses the ruler of the hexagram, which means conflict is inevitable. In ninteen line six, the conflict is between men who want his teaching, and he/she who wants to remain in the heavenly abode.

Do you see where I am going with this in terms of reduction? Let me know if it makes sense. In a nutshell, the sage reduces himself from his/her heavenly abode and returns to the lower, reducted world.

And a little bit of the response:

This was not about personal development, it was a bout a person I
know, who is, a sage. And I just found out last night that he
sustains himself by receiving alms. So the Yi may indeed just be
referring to that!

It is a connection so mundane I would not have thought of, that the
sage must ask for alms.


I went to Clarity and looked up archives of this, and saw Sunpuerh's
reply, that this referred to a matter that comes quickly and leaves.

I also saw your comments, which are very good.

I really like what you say here, from this email:

One thing that is important to remember too, though, is that while the
> primary meanings of hexagrams may seem more positive or more negative, in
> their secondary meanings they may not be that way so much.

this is something i think about quite a bit lately. it seems hexagram
meanings come with densities, or tones, or aspects. some times it is
very saturated, sometimes very transparent. sometimes a flash,
sometimes a light turned on in a room and left on all day and night.
this has been the art of it, lately, to me, to determine the density
of the meaning.

I wonder that the 19 line 6 about my friend, simply refereed quite
plainly to his situation.

In other words he
> has to leave, so to speak, his heavenly abode. This is great good fortune
> for the world that he comes back to, and the individuals that would benefit
> from his teaching, but not necessarily so comfortable for him/her. He is,
> nevertheless, blameless for doing so.

New Website Under Construction

I am working on a new website that will be in conjunction with this one, but it will have info on the hexagrams in sequential order. There is nothing really out there yet, but the address will be: http://genessequentialiching.blogspot.com/

Second Response to Michelle

Hi Michelle, and everyone.

In hexagram sixty one we have an open heart. In hexagram 27 we have an open mind. We have to be careful what we fill it with, though. We fill the open heart only with the love and nurturance of those who's hearts correspond with, and have an affinity to our own. We fill our mind with more positive thoughts, joyful thoughts, and wonderous thoughts. If our hearts and minds are already filled, then there is no room for other hearts and minds that correspond to us to come in. We must open our hearts to love and our minds to the truth.

There are a few hexagrams that deal with different aspects of inner truth, not limited to the following"

1. Hexagram 48, the well, informs us of how we draw up inner truth.

2. Hexagram 5, Waiting. tells us how to prepare to receive inner truth.

3. Hexagram 50, The Cauldron, tells us how to apply inner truth, and foster able men in inner truth.

4. Hexagram 27, Noursihment, tells us to take in inner truth, and chew it, reflecting on it, and be aware of the real versus the false.

5. Hexagram 21 tells us how to bite through to inner truth, cutting to the bone, the kernel, of truth.

6. Hexagram 22 tells us of the beauty of inner truth.

7. Hexagram 61 tells us how inner truth spreads from one heart to another.

In a way, the entire I Ching is concerned with inner truth, and the disseminating of it from Sage to student.

Part two

We cannot expect someone to follow us, or to help us in any meaningful way, without first establishing some kind of communication with them. But in order to establish communication, we must have something to offer. We must be in a place that offers us the means to associate with those we are meant to associate with. This is accomplished, once again, not by a conscious act, but by allowing the mind of the Sage, the superior man, or the Christ within to act within us and influence us, Then it can be said, again quoting from hexagram forty five line two, “There are secret forces at work, leading together those who belong together.” When we come into contact with those with whom we have an inner affinity, there is an inner communication established that goes beyond the rational ability to explain. When this happens, and if we are attuned to our natural character, it will happen, we come together for mutual goals, and we achieve mutual experiences, which is the basis for hexagram eight. Hexagram sixty one gives us the internal motivation for the “holding together” in hexagram eight. In hexagram eight, the basis for unity is mutual experiences. By going through mutual experiences people bond together. For some these may be emotional experiences, for others they may be going through trials and difficulties together, or mutually working on difficult tasks. These things apply in hexagram sixty one too, but it goes a little further, for when unity is based on mutual experiences once there is a breakup or a diffusion of the circumstances that brought them together the unity slowly begins to disintegrate, and new groups are formed. In hexagram sixty one the unity requires a little deeper basis. In hexagram sixty one the unity is more involved with a karmic or fateful attraction based on an inner recognition of belonging together. If this is the case, the holding together is likely to be much stronger. External circumstances will not be so likely to break the group apart. In the commentary on hexagram sixty one, the analogy is used of a pack of thieves who hold together for a common purpose. But the purpose is the only thing that holds them together. Once the job is done the group falls apart, they have come together for selfish purposes. This is true any time there are secret designs, for the motives are not pure. Often we might hold together with others for the ;purpose of accomplishing a certain task, but we don’t necessarily tell the others what the real purpose is. In this way we are just using each other. This is inimical to the concept of “inner truth.” When natural law brings people together it is because of a deep inner bond that does not require a personal motive.

The first line discusses this even further. It says, “If there are secret designs, it is disquieting.” The commentary tells us that this would deprive this person of their inner independence. The nature of “inner truth” is that we come together as a group, but only because those who come together belong together. We still maintain inner independence. Nor do we rely on this support of others. We must rely ultimately upon ourselves and our inner wisdom. That does not mean we do not accept the support and help of others. The acceptance of support and help comes naturally and is not tied in with a desperate need for their compliance with us.

We will get to the third point next.

Trying to find out what happened to my blog

Trying to find out what happened. It disapeared. Okay, looks like it is back again now.

Response to Michelle

Hi Michelle, and everyone else. I haven't delved into the nuclear hexagrams too much, I just haven't had the time, but I will digress here to make a couple of points, or at least throw something out there for discussion. Before I comment too much on that though, I would like to say that there are a number of hexagrams that give us specific information about unity, and about relationships. The following list is not all inclusive but will give some examples. Before I give examples though, understand that these hexagrams are not exclusively about unity or relationships, it is just a primary subject within them. Hexagram eight tells us that men find unity on the basis of common experiences. Hexagram thirteen tells us that in order to have true fellowship, in must get rid of distrust. Hexagram forty five tells us that in order to unite, the leader must be collected within himself. On another level this means that there has to be a central point around which the group unites. In terms of male female relationships, hexagram thirty one counsels us that good relationships are not based on lust or ulterior motives. Hexagram thirty two teaches us that to be able to continue a relationship, we must make sure that we are stable within ourselves, and that we "do not change direction." Hexagram fifty three advises us to not try to rush into a relationship as that would just scare the other person away, a relationship must be based on a coming together that each day takes another step in familiarizing ourselves with one another, getting to know one another. And hexagram fifty four counsels us that "we must remain constantly mindful of the end." In doing so ones relationships do not get shipwrecked by the inevitable forces of life that tend to tear people apart.

Hexagram sixty one also involves unity, but here the emphasis in not on male female relationsips, although that applies here too, but on the natural law of inner attraction that brings together those of like kind. Now this applies to male female relationships as well, but the idea here is the bringing together of those that belong together for any given purpose. One can look at hexagram fifty nine for further example of this. In hexagram fifty nine, disparate elements are dissolved to make way for elements that belong together. This is natural law, and is beyond the pale of conscious control.

All of that being said, back to the nuclear hexagram, twenty seven, we have the concept of nourishment. Now there are a number of hexagrams that counsel specifically on nourishment as well, the ones first coming to mind are hexagram five, which in essence counsels us to wait for the nourishment of heaven, (that which naturally befalls us), hexagram twenty seven, which counsels us to pay attention to where we receive our nourishment, and what kind of nourishment we are wanting to receive, hexagram forty eight, which counsels us to draw from the deep well, of our inner self, and hexagram fifty, which counsels us to nourish those who help us with the fostering of growth. An oversimplification, and perhaps I have not used the best wording, but you get the idea. Anyway, back to the nuclear hexagram, in the process of bringing those together who belong together, there is perforce an element of nourishment in the sense that those who are mutually and naturally attracted to each other, will be mutually responsive to the needs of each other. But in order to be responsive naturally to the needs of each other, there must be an emptiness of heart, open to the other person. Unless there is an emptiness, or openness ofr heart, we become somewhat like the person in hexagram thirteen, line three, where the fellowship has changed to mistrust. And in the latter line, it can be readily seen that the one who mistrusts, becomes untrustworthy. The nuclear of hexagram twenty seven is hexagram two. In hexagram two the Sage, spirit, the I Ching counsels us to be receptive. Receptivity and devotion are two big keywords for hexagram two. The more we have "like kind" coming together, the more natural it is to trust and be trusted. When like kind comes together, there is mutual trust and mutual receptivity. Back to the initial nuclear, hexagram twenty seven, we look at the two trigrams, (which is more the way I look at nuclears, when I do) we have below movement, and above rest. Therefore we have the whole cycle, and Wilhelm Baynes, in the commentary in book three says about the hexagram as a whole, and then a word about the nuclear, "The eldest and the youngest daughter are together here in their proper positions, (like attracting like) hence mutual trust is not disturbed. The attributes of the trigrams are well harmonized. Gentleness is above, joyousness below, and the nuclear trigrams are rest and movement. Moreover, the entire structure of the hexagram is very harmonious and symetrical, the yielding lines are within, and the firm without." With the eldest daughter with the youngest daughter, we have like attracting like, and in the nuclear, with the eldest son and the youngest son, we have like attracting like, and in the nuclear nuclear hexagram, we have yin and yin, like attracting like. The emptiness of the central two lines shows the emptiness and receptivity of a heart free of prejudices. Hexagram twenty seven has a similar structure with yielding within, and firmness without.

Inner Truth – The Judgment

Upon reading the judgment, we also find there are at least three point regarding this hexagram which we need to pay attention to.

The Judgment itself is as follows:

Inner Truth. Pigs and fishes.
Good fortune
It furthers one to cross the great water.
Perseverance furthers.

And in the commentary we find at least these three points.

1. It is necessary to find the right way to approach
2. It is necessary to establish communication.
3. In developing mutual confidence we can undertake extreme difficulties.

We cannot influence others, nor even approach them, if our method is not agreeable to them. The text here once again speaks of ridding oneself of prejudice. It can be said again and further that a prejudice keeps us from seeing the truth. Prejudices can be preconceived ideas that we have formulated that are probably operating beneath the level of full consciousness. We have prejudices against another if we do not see them as a fully functioning child of the universe no different and not separate from ourselves. We are functioning with prejudices when we look upon another as lesser, weaker, or less spiritual than ourselves. We have prejudices against another when we judge them, when we focus upon their wrongdoings, upon their idiosyncrasies, All these things, while not consciously known by the person we are focusing upon, will nevertheless, play havoc unconsciously, with the person we are trying to influence. And here is a very special, a very pertinent, and a very important point. What we are consciously aware of is only a small portion of what actually exists. Influence works silently, works secretively, and is not subject, normally, to conscious control. I want to emphasize this point, because it is pertinent to most, if not all, of our discussion of the I Ching, or any sacred scripture. There are things going on beyond the level of conscious control. But the Chuang Tzu, or superior man, in the I Ching, or the man who has put on Christ, in the New Testament, or the Atman, or the Buddha, is one who has integrated consciousness with subconsciousness, and is a fully aware, fully awakened individual.

In finding the right way of approach, we must accept others on their own terms. We must accept them as they are. We must recognize their right of independence, and, as hexagram forty says, we must “pardon mistakes, and forgive misdeeds.” When we are required to judge, it should be only a discernment, without the emotional content, otherwise we unwittingly injure on an unconscious level. These judgments and discernments, however, should be a quickly passing matter. Hexagram fifty six tells us that “penalties (judgments) should be a quickly passing matter, and must not be dragged out indefinitely.” Hexagram six tells us that inner conflicts, (negative thoughts about another) inevitably bring about conflict, in one form or another. It also says here that “to avoid it, therefore, everything must be taken carefully into consideration in the beginning. It is therefore wise for the superior man to have an understanding of the nature of human follies, (hexagram four) and take them into consideration, as hexagram four line two tells us, “To bear with fools (the immature) in kindliness brings good fortune.” And in hexagram eleven, line two, “Bearing with the uncultured in gentleness.” We cannot have a good influence on others unless we have an equitable understanding of their nature. And finally, the image in hexagram sixty one tells us that the superior person “delays executions.” When we feel attacked, our nature, our tendency is to attack back. We find ourselves wanting to retaliate, to justify and vindicate ourselves. This is tantamount to creating an “execution.” We execute the person for their behavior. We vilify them and reproach them for their behavior. Instead, the superior man is “slow to wrath,” Much more could be said about this, but this is a dialogue, a discussion, within itself and will be saved for a later time, how much later, I do not know. The discussions of the I Ching are infinite in possibilities.

The text goes on to tell us that after having rid ourselves of prejudices, judgments, and condemnations of another, one must let the psyche of another act on oneself without restraint. This means one must be open to and uncritical of the psyche of another. It is only by being open ourselves that we can expect others to be open to us. We cannot receive unless we are receptive. We cannot expect another to be open if we are closed.

As this is starting to get long, I will follow up with the second two points shortly.

Inner affinity

In hexagram sixty one there are three paragraphs in the commentary before the judgment is reached. From these paragraphs we can deduce at least three discussion points. They are as follows:

1. The hexagram counsels us to be “open to the truth.”
2. The hexagram concerns itself with establishing a mutual confidence.
3. The hexagram counsels that what is hidden within can be activated by that which is without, and vice versa.

In order to be open to the truth the heart must be free of prejudice. Our biases and our prejudices are often not consciously noticed by ourselves however. Often our thinking, our attitudes, and our belief systems are biased by the things we learned growing up. We learned something in school. Our parents, our teachers, our schools taught us something, and later in life, when things come along that question those beliefs, we discount it because we are supposedly educated beings, smarter than our more naturalistic ancient forebearers and smarter than those with less education in the world. It certainly behooves us to look more deeply into our belief system, and to eliminate prejudices that prevent us from opening up to a greater and deeper truth within ourselves.

In order to make perfect any undertaking, there has to be a mutual trust and confidence among members of the team. This mutual confidence grows out of a respect and an honoring of each member of the team, and through mutual effort one comes to trust more greatly. The upper trigram in hexagram sixty one is Sun which normally involves a mandate from a superior. It has to do with commands and orders. The upper trigram gives orders, and the lower trigram, tui, receives the orders in a spirit of joyousness. In the same way, in maintain, and accessing inner truth, we joyously receive the commands of the “higher self.” Commands here could be just as well equated with “inner truth”

The third point depicted in the commentary on this hexagram is that something within is “quickened” by something from without. In essence, yang is without, and yin is within. Here, the yin energy, is quickened, and made alive by the outer yang essence. But the key here is that this energy responds to its opposite form of energy only when there is an inner relationship. A better way of stating this can be found in hexagram forty five line two, where it is stated, “There are secret forces at work, leading together those who belong together. Line two of hexagram sixty one gives greater detail on this theme, and we will get into that later. Suffice it to say for now, that the old saying really is true, that “birds of a feather flock together.” For, as a mother crane calls in the shade, its young, and only its young, here her call, and respond to it.

There are inner forces at work, and we deny this reality only at our own greatest peril. To work with it is blessed, to scoff at such a concept is a form of arrogance that can bring us our downfall. Hexagram sixty one tells us that people and situations that belong together, will come together based on an inner, and a spiritual law of mutual attraction, and we will be getting into that in greater depth, later on.

Inner truth

At one time I had a very significant write up on hexagram sixty one which I intended to submit to the group at onlineclarity.co.uk, and excellent website for material by the way, but I never submitted it. And could I ever find it again or reproduce it? Probably not. Often ideas come to intuitively, but I ever do something with them, or eventually they will be lost. I hope, however, to produce something approaching the depth of what I had written then, although it will certainly come up somewhat short. At the same time, some of my work, although not what I had originally intended for onlineclarity on hexagram sixty one, is stimulated or edged upon, influenced by, the work of Carol Anthony. It is only the impetus though, and not the totality of her work that has influenced me. Often her meanings of the lines leaves me somewhat cold, not that they aren’t correct, they are simply correct for her and not for me. Also, since this is my website, and not hers, I must be careful to no more than quote her when appropriate, so as not to plagiarize her work. She does have a few things to say about hexagram sixty one that I like, so I quote, “Pigs and fishes is a metaphor for the totally of our physical senses.” We must make something clear here. The I Ching is concerned about that which goes beyond mere physical senses, into the realm of the unseen. It is this unseen where inner truth lies, And in the final analysis, this inner truth is concerned with the reality that the physical is only an illusion created on the spiritual plane.

Here is something that just now dawned on me, and I am not proud that it took so long to realize this deep truth, and it is a sudden and intuitive aha. This is not Carol Anthony’s work, unless it exists somewhere in her work that I haven’t read yet, but the sudden revelation is this, one possible meaning of “crossing the great water,” is going from the physical to the spiritual. We must take a leap, one could call it a leap of faith, but it is an intuitive yet rational leap of faith that takes us to the other shore. We must, so to speak, enter into the “kingdom of heaven.” The kingdom of heaven is a metaphor for taking that quantum leap into an understanding that life is what we make it. It is what we make it in the sense that our beliefs about the nature of reality actually create the reality we experience. Don’t think so? Take another look at quantum physics, and what the physicists are coming to realize about the nature of reality. So we take a quantum leap from “pigs and fishes” to “inner truth.” Quoting again from Carol Anthony, because I think this is very appropriate, “…decisions made on the external appearance of a situation create a long chain of negative consequences that include continuing conflict, entanglements, injustices, and a litany of further misunderstandings.” When we judge merely from the external appearance of a matter, we are not judging from a standpoint of “inner truth.” Nor are we seeing the whole picture because the “spiritual” side of it, in other words, the nonphysical plane, is ruled out. In regards to this matter, in one sense, the conscious mind can be compared to pigs and fishes because it sees only the rational side of occurrences. Inner truth comes from the unconscious, from the deeper strata of our being that we do not see, recognize normally, or feel. It is there but we lack conscious awareness of it.

The very first line of the Wilhelm Baynes commentary on hexagram sixty one carries on this theme. “The wind blows over the lake and stirs the surface of the water. Thus visible effects of the invisible manifest themselves.” It is, or should be, a truism that the physical world is simply, nothing less, nothing more, than a mirror image of the spiritual world. By spiritual, I mean in essence, a higher dimensional, or as Richard Hoagland says, hyperdimensional, aspect of the physical. See www.enterprisemission.com. And you do have to put the www in there. But I call attention to this website because Richard Hoagland has a very interesting, and impressive, theory of hyperdimensional physics. Anyway, moving along, we see how the water, visible, is stirred by the wind, invisible. The same can be said for the superior man in understanding, and contemplating, the minds of men, for there is a dimension of mind there, beyond the conscious that exerts influence on others. We will get into that more upon discussing the lines. More on this later.

Hard to understand

Line two in hexagram two has a very deep meaning, I believe, and I am going to have to give this a lot of thought, I am not sure that I have a very deep understanding of it yet. What I do understand, I will add to my comments as time goes on. The thing that I feel I don't have a deep enough understanding of yet in particular is the part of the commentary that says, "The receptive accommodates itself to the qualities of the Creative and makes them its own." How does it do this? I am not quite sure.

I might say, however, that hexagram one. being yang, is the incentive, the spiritual, and the creative. Hexagram two, being yin, is the manifestation, the physical, (which has its own kind of spirituality, don't get me wrong) and the receptive. It is also very devoted. It is this receptive quality that allows for the manifestation. Yang is thought, and it is the reception of the thought, that makes the physical possible. If yang is the energy, then yin is the manifestation of the work that that energy does.

Since yin is only receptive, then it needs no purpose of its own, By being receptive to the thought of the creative, or that creative yang energy called the dragon, it creates what is needed and necessary without taking any special thought of its own. The commentary says, "Therefore, the Receptive has no need of a special purpose of its own, nor any effort; yet everything turns out as it should.

The yang is incentive, the yin is manifestation. Since this is true, it might be a good time to take a look at Stephen Karcher's work where he shows that each odd numbered hexagram shows the incentive, and each even numbered hexagram shows the manifestation. He goes even further to say that the first line of the odd hexagram is the incentive for the last line of the next even nred hexagram, the second is the incentive for the fifth, the third for the fourth, and so on up the ladder. There seems to be a great deal of evidence that Mr. Karcher has a valid point here. Since time is lacking, just a very short simple example of this. In hexagram nine line six, the incentive, it says, "The rain comes, and there is rest." Line one of hexagram ten says, "Simple progress without blame." In hexagram nine it says, "...cumulation of small effects..." It is through the accumulation of small things that we make progress.(See hexagram 46) This is a superficial example, but I am sure you can find many examples of this yourself as you look at it.

Line Two

Line 2

We began a discussion earlier about how the lines in hexagram one and two are the prototype for all the lines that follow. In the first line of hexagram one, being a time hexagram, and a time line, we saw that any action was premature, and there were possibly unseen circumstances that could come back and bite one. In hexagram two line one we saw that in the early stages, one would need to watch for and prevent decay. We also saw the existence of space with the hoarfrost on the ground.

Now, in line two, hexagram onewe see that “the dragon appears in the field.” Here, in hexagram one, we have a time element where the dragon appears, and as line two is properly a yin line, we see space in the sense that the dragon appears, “in the field.” In each trigram there is a central line. As the Chinese revered the “middle way,” the second and fifth lines are usually considered to be the trigram ruler. Line five being in the upper trigram is the hexagram ruler. There are exceptions to this, and in fact, line two in hexagram two is considered the ruler. More on this a little later. Therefore, line two is generally considered somewhat favorable, and line five even more favorable. Since line two, however, is in the lower trigram here, the line is still not the high point of the hexagram.

The important factor is that the dragon appears in the field. The movement has not reached its high point, but it is at its beginning stages. Nevertheless, the action is no longer hidden. The text says, “as yet he has no commanding position, but is still with his peers.” The second line, when yang, can often refer to the “general” in the field. He has not yet established himself politically, but has the option to prove himself militarily. When we get this line there is often an element of opportunity. The line tells us however, that if we wish to be “the superior man,” we are going to have to distinguish ourselves with our “seriousness of purpose.:”

In hexagram forty eight line two we can see some of these same themes. Whereas in line one, no one drinks from the mud of the well, for the well is not yet ready, in line two, the water is ready to be drawn up, (the dragon appears in the field,) but it is not being used for the proper purposes. As yet, the well “has no commanding position.” It appears in the field, but it is not yet being properly used. We must have “seriousness of purpose” to find out how to use the well properly. In hexagrams with a yang line two, as a rule, look for this “preparation theme.”

I Ching for Personal Development

At this point I think I will temporarily go back to how the lines in hexagram one and two control in a way, the lines in the rest of the hexagrams, since in hexagram forty eight we are dealing with line two. Then I will get back to the reading, because there is a lot of material that I consider important here. And indeed, I am left with no doubt whatsoever, that if I had a million lives to live, I could not more than scratch the surface of what is wonderfully available here.

The well that cannot be changed.

“The town may be changed but the well cannot be changed.”

The town on one level can be a symbol for our outer self. It is where we normally maintain our consciousness, and where we function during waking hours. The town also refers to our outer conditions, where we live, where we work, the school we or our kids go to, the grocery store, and on a deeper level, the outward conditions of our life. Our spouse, our kids, our neighbors; all of these things can be changed. We can even change our name, but we cannot change who we really our on the inner level. We cannot change that deeper strata of our being, no matter how many times we change the circumstances of our life, we are still who we are.

“If the rope does not go all of the way…”

The rope is our connection with our inner self. If we cannot reach deep down into the inner core of our being, we cannot bring up the wisdom that our inner being has to offer. We are also not functioning as a fully integrated human being, but our inner core and our outer personality are at odds. Hexagram fifteen tells us that we ought to cooperate, as a pair of eyes. One eye is controlled by the left brain, the other by the right brain. The two ought to correspond and work together, but if the rope is too short, the connection is not there, and we are still functioning through the ego, or the false self, the self that sees itself as separate.

“Or the jug breaks.”

The jug will break if the ego superimposes its concept of understanding over the wisdom from the I Ching, or may I say, the Sage. The false self does not recognize itself as false. It insists that its view of reality is the true one. It sees objectivity, things out there, things that must be controlled, lest they become threatening. Often the wisdom of the Sage is disregarded because the lower self is just “too aware” of the outside world, and this supposed reality, (illusion) outside of ourselves.

”It neither increases nor decreases.”

When we see illusion, the manifestation of our desires, we use the illusionary objects that we have unwittingly created with our mind and therefore eventually consume them, but the true reality, that of unity, of wholeness, and oneness, has implicit within it the strange property of continual fulfillment. In other words, the more we use the tao, the more available it is to us. Even in the physical world, the irony is that the more we give, the more we eventually have. Use the water, use it, use it, use it, many thousands, millions of people use it, and it is still there. It neither increases nor decreases. As hexagram twenty five line four says, “We cannot lose what really belongs to us.” It is our inner being that decides what we have and what we do not have, and that is based on the nature of our being, and the seeds planted in the mind through the right or wrong use of thought. It is our inner being that controls the outer world, which is just an illusion anyway, not the other way around. As is said in a wonderful book called, “Mystic Path to Cosmic Power,” by Howard Vernon, an approximate quote here, “Humanity thinks that by having a wonderful world, one will have joy. The mystic knows that when one has joy, the world is perfect.”

Meditate upon my words.

Hexagram 48 line 2

The following is some sample meanings for hexagram forty eight line two.

Hexagram 48

Line 2.

a. The water is clear, but it is not being used.

We are not making full use of the I Ching. That which is given us isn’t garnered into our spiritual sheds so to speak, so that we get the use full use out of it. Here it is not truly a case of our misunderstanding, it is more a case of neglect. The proper technique is not being employed. We see it but we neglect it, and as such, talents go to waste.

b. The well is a place where only fish will stay, and whoever comes to it comes only to catch fish.

We are using the well for the wrong reasons. We have a tremendous source available to us but we do not use it for the purpose it was meant for. This is often true when we use the I Ching only for divination purposes, and look only so far as is necessary to accomplish our immediate purpose.

c. But the jug is broken, so that the fish cannot be kept in it.

This describes someone who, in practicing only divination, does not have the capacity for deeper thought, hence his use is suspect, because the broken jug indicates an incapacity to bring up true understanding from the I Ching.

d. This describes a situation where a person has good qualities but neglects them.

When we gain understanding, do we truly use it? Do we have good intentions of taking the wisdom and the knowledge that we have gained and pass it on to the world? At least to those who are receptive? Do we take the knowledge to heart and apply it in our daily lives, in the times when we are perforce dealing with the outer world? What we don’t use, we eventually lose. It is important to keep working, to improve ourselves and our skills day by day. In this way we “complete our work in such a way that it bears fruit for the future. (hexagram two line three.)

e. No one bothers about him. As a result he deteriorates in mind. He associates with inferior men and can no longer accomplish anything worth while.

If we neglect our duties, if we do not improve ourselves daily, work on that which has been spoiled, practice chariot driving daily, there comes a time when our lack of effort will leave us of no use to others, and our skills go to waste. If it is serious enough, so to can our ability to earn a living and be a part of the greater whole be affected.

In a reading for information on a given subject, these commentaries can have a more direct meaning. In a question about a job for example, it may be that the person is not applying him or herself. As such there are difficulties on the job, and one’s performance evaluation becomes a problem. But one can also turn this around. One may be working in a situation in which there is little or no support. If the jug cannot hold the fishes, the financial wellbeing of the company may be at stake. There may be a leakage of funds in a given area.

It may be too, that an employer has on hand the potential for a good employee, but does not recognize the usefulness of the employee. He neglects hiring this employee. Any number of situations can arise from this, and the speculations are far reaching. One can come to a proper understanding only by a good intuitive grasp of the situation. Often the I Ching throws the question back at us, giving us only a description of the case, in such a way that an answer can be intuited.

continuing with reading

In hexagram thirty six we see this theme continued. Here, in a matter of speaking, the light is injured. In other words, we are hiding something of our darker nature from ourselves. Our “wise man,” The Sage within us, is kept under wraps, and the darkness clouds the issue. Our ego, our lower selves, has wrestled control, and our light is hidden within. As it says in the W/B commentary on hexagram thirty five, “The real nature of man is likewise originally good, but it becomes clouded by contact with earthly things and therefore needs purification before it can shine forth in its native clarity.: We have a nature that is essentially good. Often though, our good intentions are covered over by an attitude that “the end justifies the means.” Therefore we hurt others whom we think are causing us our pain, or we see in those we hurt the evil which we desire to hunt down and destroy. Yet the masters say, “Cast out the beam that is in thine own eye, then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the splinter that is in thy neighbor’s eye. As mentioned before, we need to observe ourselves to truly understand our motives, and realize that the highest good is doing right, and let the crumbs fall where they may. “What, shall we do evil that the good may prevail?” Asks one in the Old Testament scriptures.

Persistently Ill

When we read for personal development, and we receive hexagram sixteen line five, we might take a look at which attitudes we are clinging to that are causing us emotional illness in our daily life. The following lines and/or hexagrams that we receive should give us further insight into the negative attitudes we are clinging to. Sometimes, in spite of all we learn from the I Ching there are unconscious habits and attitudes that we unwittingly carry on with in the inner mind. When this hexagram changes we have hexagram forty five which tells us that we are gathering together things or people into our daily lives. Sometimes we understand our readings on one level not realizing there is a much needed deeper layer of meaning that we must take hold of. If we don't we can end up like the youthful person of limited awareness in hexagram four of whom it is said, "Often the teacher, when confronted wkith such entngled folly, has no other course but to leave the fool to himself for a time, not sparing him the humiliation that results. This is frequently the only means of rescue." Ultimately it is experience that counts. That is what really teaches us. Head knowledge is extremely limited. It is also a matter of consistently applying. Hexagram twenty nine counsels us that "in teaching everything depends on consistency. for it is only through repetition that the pupil makes the material his own." And the promise of working in this way, working on what has been spoiled, can be found in hexagram fifty, line three, where the Wilhelm/Baynescommentary says, "But if he will only see to it that he is possessed of something truly spiritual, the time is bound to come, sooner or later, when the difficulties will be resolved and all will go well."

We must, however, take a deep and honest look at ourselves. Hexagram twenty line five says, "Contemplation of my life, the superior man is without blame." It is only when we are willing to look at ourselves, as hexagram sixty one says, "a heart free of prejudice, and therefore open to the truth," that we are able to see ourselves as we truly are without bias or prejudice, with objectivity rather than subjectivity. We must learn to observe ourselves, as if we were outside of ourselves...

At this point

At this point, I have, since starting on hexagram thirty, actually talking about a hexagram
to Carol Anthony’s. She feels that six hexagrams seem most often to give a full story for a self development type reading. Hexagram thirty was not the first hexagram. Hexagram sixteen line five was the first one. Here is the sequence as I received it. I hope to discuss this sequence of hexagrams as we go along.

1. Hexagram 16 line 5 changing to hexagram 45.
2. Hexagram 30 line 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 changing to 8.
3. Hexagram 36.
4. Hexagram 48 line 2 and 6 changing to 53.
5. Hexagram 61 line 1, 2, 5, 6 changing to 2.
6. Hexagram 24 line 1, 2, 4 changing to 40.

Hexagram sixteen line five describes a person who seems to be under pressure, but his central position keeps him from becoming desperate. This person keeps on going in spite of the pressures incumbent upon him. We can often get this line when it seems things are not going our way. We work and work and work, and there seems to be no good results. Since this line changes to hexagram forty five, we can conclude, though not necessarily, that the pressure that we feel relates to our desires and needs to congregate with others. We care about assimilating, and creating a group, or a circle of friends for a common goal. Since hexagram thirty, with the changing lines enumerated, changes to hexagram eight, we get a confirmation of this particular subject. Hexagram thirty also relates to clinging. Once again, the particular them of this hexagram that we must pay the closest attention would be that of clinging to a group,

We have already discussed to some extent esoteric ideas implicit in the lines in hexagram thirty. One thing we should reiterate at this time is that the lines in this hexagram refer to the way of the superior man where,” he cultivates himself, and awaits the allotted time.” He is not concerned, nor fearful of the future. He is at peace and content with himself. This can only happen, however, when there has been a “real change of heart.” A man must be born again, so to speak, not necessarily in the fundamentalist Christian sense, but must gain full understanding of his place, purpose, and function in the cosmos.

The final line, line six, carries this on further. When a person has recognized his or her own inner thoughts, and has had a real change of heart, the person begins the task of disciplining themselves. Bad habits are rooted out, and the person works on what has been spoiled.

In continuing with the theme of being persistently ill, feeling a lot of pressure, hexagram thirty six suggests that the superior man does not “unresistingly let himself be swept along by unfavorable circumstances.”

Clinging to something

Hexagram thirty, being a doubled hexagram carries with it, as distinct from hexagram 56, the concept of fire that replenishes itself. In hexagram fifty six, the fire is constantly burning up its fuel supply and moving on to new sources. This concept is also born out a little in hexagram thirty line one which changes to hexagram fifty six. But here the fire clings to its original source which in some way is always replenishing itself. In hexagram thirty man replenishes his spirit by being dependent on and clinging to the "harmonious and beneficient forces of the cosmos. Man must realize that he or she is not in this life alone. If we try to control others, and our environment, it may work for a while, but at the critical moment it breaks down. It is only by giving up ocntrol, investing in loss as we discussed much earlier, and that is the "way of the cross," (let a man take up his cross daily, and follow me, as Jesus said), that we find ourselves aligned with a higher power that does have control, and does not burn itself out. (Note that line four burns itself out. There may be a discussion of that later.

Attachment

I'm sure we've all heard the story about the monkey who puts his hand into the cookie jar to pull out one of the cookies. As soon as he grasps the cookie however, his hand enlarges around the cookie, and he cannot pull his hand back out of the cookie jar. The interesting thing is, the monkey does not want to let go of the cookie so he is trapped. Trapped by his own desires.

Mankind too, is trapped by desire. We maintain our illusion of a cosmos in which we are separate from everything we see around us because we are trapped by our desires. When we realize that things do not come at us from without, but from within, we realize there is nothing to fear, for it is our fear that brings us the conditions we fear. The Tao Teh Ching makes an interesting statement here. In chapter one it is said, "Ever desireless, one can see the mystery. Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations. It is true that by desiring, under the right understanding, we can bring that to us that we desire, but in so doing we focus on objects, and not on the mystery that creates the objects. The superior person must see ever more clearly into the mystery of the way of the Tao, or in western terms, the way of the cross, or self sacrifice, giving up our own desires, and surrendering to the desires of the cosmos. In this way we secure our fate,

The commentary on hexagram thirty line five says, "Here the zenith of life has been reached..." It is usually in the zenith of life that we finally attain a true understanding of the nature of reality and the cosmos. It goes on to say, "Instead, understanding the vanity of all things, we may put aside both hope and fear." One puts aside both hope and fear because, understanding the true nature of the cosmos, one understands that one needs nothing, and needs fear nothing. He is secure, (In life and in death - see the commentary on line three) by knowing ones true relationship with the cosmos.

Both hope and fear are attachements. We are attached to a particular outcome. In fear we are attached to a negative outcome, in hope a positive, but it is attachment nevertheless. The superior person recognizes that "now" is the only moment that exists, and the person lives entirely in the moment.

More later

The network

In hexagram thirty we are told of an intermeshing net wish we can rightfully understand on one level as the interconnections of all people and things in the universe. Line one tells us that when our minds are closed in sleep, we are not aware of our interconnectedness. When we begin to awaken we begin to realize the connections but the concept is very fuzzy to us. At first we are simply partially awake, and we don't recognize the means or the why or the wherewithall of the interconnection. It is only through self realization, and inner composure that the outer forms begin to have meaning in our lifes in the sense of recognizing the inner connections. As we study, meditate, and mull over the impressions that we are receiving through life experience we begin to put it all in place. We also recognize that the things that happen to us are not haphazard and accidental, but actually come from deep within for the purpose of teaching us through life experience. Once we fully understand this principle, then all that follows will be seen as a purposeful series of events leading to our own soul growth, and the recognition of who we are and the higher mind within us.

And again

It has been well known in the East for centuries that all things are connected. Now, western science is beginning to catch up. (Why is it the scientific field which we have so venerated in the west is in many ways centuries or even millenia behind the thinking of the East. There is no scientific evidence... Did it ever occur to them that there is no evidence because they don't know every thing yet?) Hexagram 30 tells us that this is an image of a net in which animals are ensnared. The entire universe is an intermeshing net, in which we are trapped. We are all a part of the universal whole, and in that sense we are all one. There is no separation. The atoms, electrons, quarks, whatever that make up matter are all interconnected, and the latest scientific evidence shows that fundamental units of matter are really universal, and even seem to be aware of then nature of other electrons that are at a distance. This is because all matter is maden upn of mind stuff. Matter exists because of the vibrations created inn the mind of, shall we say God? Knowing this is true, and recognizing the reality that there is no separation, how careful should we be that we treat our fellow man with respect, dignity, and fairness, for in hurting another, we hurt ourselves.

Even more hexagram thirty

Perhaps the core of hexagram thirty is teaching us of the trasitoriness of life and how to deal with it. First the sun rises, then it sets, then rises again, then it sets, then we die. It is important both at the beginning and the end to maintain composure and a recognition of the seriousness of life. Line one tells us "not to allow ourselves to be swept along by the bustle of life." We must maintain clarity of mind even among the currents of activity and haste. Line three develops this concept even further. When men see the end approaching they tend to either try to become a child again, and enjoy all the pleasures they can before their approaching death, or they give up in melancholy, as hexagram forty seven line one says, "straying into a gloomy valley." Here too, composure and clarity of mind must be maintained. The superior man "understands the transitory in light of the eternity of the end," the image in hexagram fifty four tells us. Line three of hexagram thirty goes on to tell us, "He cultivates himself, awaits the alloted time, and in this way secures his fate."

Hexagram thirty line five carries this theme even further. The Wilhelm Baynes commentary says, "Instead, understanding the vanity of all things, one may put aside both hope and fear." And this brings us to the subject of attachment, which we will deal with next.

Hexagram thirty continued

While the rain, (of hexagram twenty nine) pours downward into the earth, the light of fire radiates upward into heaven. So to, the soul and the spirit, at death, the soul goes downward into the earth forces while the spirit rises to heaven. In the Wilhelm Baynes commentary in Book three it is stated, "n order that his psychic nature may be transfigured and attain influence on earth, it must cling to the forces of spiritual life."

And in the same way the soul must cling to the spirit and vice versa in order to maintain a union of spirit and soul at death, then it can be said of the person as in the book of Revelations, "and I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go no more out," into further reincarnations that is. But the psychic nature must be transfigured. As the apostle Paul said, "awake thou that sleepest." All of the greater mystics have told us that we are asleep and that we need to wake up. We are in a deep sleep, for we do not know our true nature, that we are gods. When the pharisees accused Jesus of making himself equal with God, he answered, "Does it not say in your own scripture that ye are gods?"

The first line refers to morning. Here we are just waking up, the commentary says, "The mind has been closed to the outside world in sleep," and the footprints run crisscross. This is because we still do not understand the depths of meaning of what has been presented to us. Meanings are still unfamiliar to us, and so is the depths of our spiritual nature, so we do not know which way to go.

More on this later

Hexagram Thirty

There are a lot of things about this hexagram that I just recently learned, that are fairly new to me. If hexagram twenty nine is the soul locked within the body, then hexagram 30 must be the spirit that radiates from the body. The spirit and the soul cling to and depend on the body for a medium to manifest their desires to the outside world. As such, it is said, "care of the cow brings good fortune." In other words, we take care of and in, the physical realm. So into the human form we come, the soul being locked in the body, but the spirit is ever free.

Li, the name of the hexagram, can mean several things but in essence it is fire. The human mind is like fire, it is constantly seeking new sources of fuel. In the same way the mind is constantly jumping from one thought to another. We must learn to control this jumping around of the mind.

More on this momentarily

My laptop came today

My laptop came today. Earlier than expected. However, I have spent about 10 hours trying to get it set up properly, and a few hours on the phone to tech support and customer service. Mercury retro is over, so why am I running into all these problems? Well, hopefully we are ready to go now.

JC left a comment about attachments. Hopefully I can get on that subjet tomorrowl

Not much going on

Not much going on during this mercury retrograde, although I have found that the only time a mercury retrograde is really meaningful is the time that mercury is actually stationary, and that is the stationary at the beginning, not the end of the period. It seems like the few hours maybe a day or two right during that time is the time of significant communication failures, and then only for those who's chart resonates with that particular retrograde. But maybe not. At any rate, my computer will not be fixed til the end of the month, because the computer repair person is on vacation, and my laptop will not arrive til about that time also. So in the meantime, perhaps it is better for the most part anyway, just to meditate on and chew over the lessons...

One of the I Ching hexagram images says, "thus the superior man goes indoors for rest and relaxation." That I think is a good thing to do periodically, all the more refreshed to start the lessons once again at the appropriate time, for this is the way of heaven and earth, everything in its proper measure, and at the appropriate time.

Laptop on order

Well, my laptop is on order, should be here at the end of the month. In the meantime, my desktop may be fixable, possibly only needing a power pack. May find out more today.

So anyway, here I am sitting at the computer at the internet cafe. Don't have any of my books with me because I just got off an interview at the hospital for where I work. The potential job is very high stress as people's lives are at stake. They asked me a bunch of questions that I answered by saying one must maintain composure. Then I realized, that for some reason, I was not truly composed myself. I suspect that came through in the interview, but we will see. It would be a very significant pay increase though. Of course, all that doesn't solve my immediate problem of no computer. At any rate...

The I Ching talks a lot about composure. It isn't the kind of thing though that you read about in a book and just do. One does not become composed by having intellectual knowledge of the need for composure. It happens by life experience, and learning experientially, not just intellectually, but we must become aware of the inner needs and insecurities we harbor just below the level of consciousness. In order to do that, as hexagram twenty six line three says, "practice chariot driving and armed defense daily." Or whatever you need to practice to accomplish the task you wish to accomplish. And having accomplished saying that, I must attend to other things temporarily as I am short on time today... But soon, I will have a computer...

To be remembered

It must be remembered that hard times throw a man back upon himself. It is all too often that we, and all to easy to believe that hard times come solely due to bad luck, to misfortune that comes from outside of ourselves. This is not correct, though it clearly seems that way. Misfortune comes from within, not without. And that which is from within is not inimical to us. It seems that way. "A thousand times you lose your treasures." (Hexagram 51 line 2)

The above was referred to briefly when we talked about loss. Here I am talking about loss in a little different context, that of our inner attitude toward it, and hexagram forty seven discusses this a little bit. Line one tells us that "we stray into a gloomy valley." Stray is an interesting and precise word, for that is what we do. We do not just find ourselves in this gloomy valley. We end up there, because we lose control of our mind. We look at what appears on the outside, not what is on the inside. The Wilhelm Baynes commentary tells us that it is "important above all to be strong and to overcome the trouble inwardly. If he is weak, the trouble overwhelms him." The third and the fourth line are the heart of the matter. When these two lines change we have hexagram forty eight. When troubles overtake us, we must look deep inside ourselves for that "inner nourishment." Hexagram forty eight says, "the town may be changed but the well cannot be changed." The town here can symbolize, the type of place that we hang out. If our troubles are created from within, then we can change to whatever town, or environment we choose, but our inner attitude, our inner selves remain the same, and we take our fate with us.

Even as "The Wanderer" in hexagram fifty six, takes his attitude with him where ever he goes, so to, we do not change by changing the environment. "Through carelessness he loses his (cash) cow." And brings down misfortune upon himself. In this line the "bird's nest burns up." This indicates a loss of his resting place. But a resting place can be more than a bed in a castle or a tent. It can be our belief systems. The beliefs about ourselves and the universe that we fall back on when trouble befalls us. If we see everything as outside ourselves, our belief systems see calamity and misfortune as an indication that we have not been properly in control of our environment, that we need to try harder. But what is really needed, is a "loss of our resting place." We must replace a belief of a need to control with a recognition that we don't and can't control anything. When we come to this belief system, however, we find that by the principle of nonresistance to the things happening around us, we align ourselves with forces of the cosmos, that being higher than we, actually can and do control our situation ultimately for our highest good.

I hope soon

I do hope soon, that I can create a webpage on a regular website, not to get rid of this one, but to link to this one, for a number of reasons, among them, I can keep the links readily available, so that the don't eventually scroll away. Also, maybe eventually I will do an ocassional reading, so that people can get a feel for what my style is like, and maybe even create a reading program right on the site that people can use. But don't expect it soon. It takes me forever to get to anything. I haven't even gotten to some of the books I bought five years ago, so be patient. nevertheless, after Christmas, I hope to get a laptop, and take it with me wherever I go. Then I will get more done.

Christmas. for some reason, has always been a time of year that is the hardest financial burden of the year, and it doesn't involve Christmas gifts. I don't mean I'm hurting in anyway, it just seems to cycle around that way and I have seen it happen year after year. Last Christmas it was a bunch of dental stuff, plus getting ripped off by an ex roommate for a lot of money, and a few other things too. This year a new computer is going to cost me around $1000 I suspect, not to mention all the files that are gone, including a lot of I Ching work that was meant for a book I hope to write. Usually by March/April though, which is birthday time, things lighten up and I am fine. Anyway, enough of that. I suspect there is something in my astrology chart that relates to that. Being an Aries, Capricorn is the toughest time for me... Maybe, just maybe my old computer is still salvageable, but I still want to get that laptop regardless. I have all kinds of dreams, too many for my own good. Do we all dream? I hope so, they say it is good for you.

Computer cafe

Well, here I am at the computer cafe. Don't have any of my books with me though, so let me ad lib here, or think of at least something to say.

When line one of hexagram one changes, we have hexagram fourty four. This hexagram continues the theme of line one in the sense that it is telling us this first yin line has something of an ulterior motive. In this way, yin gets short shrift, let us say. It always has, being considered the dark side, the cold side, the crafty side, the indirect side, and a lot of things that we may think of as unsavory. Hexagram 44 tells us that the yin side is strong, do not interlink with such a situation. In general in divination, we would look at this as a more negative response to our question, and may want to back away. There is an advantage here though, for nothing can be absolute yang or absolute yin. Yang, being dereft of a polar opposite, would itself disappear into nothingness, as would yin. So also, light cannot shine if there is no darkness to receive it. And the Wilhelm Baynes version also, in the commentary, tells us that there is an exceptional time when yin and yang come together, and their union creates all that is. Throughout the book of changes, we see the forces of dissolution combining with the forces of evolution, and through it, we have constant and continual change. The big fish eat the little fish, who in time, die, and are eaten by the little fish. A continual cycle, and we cannot have it without the constant interaction of yin and yang.

When the second hexagram's line changes, it because hexagram twenty four, the hexagram of the yang light. It seems odd at first because the first line of hexagram two says, "When hoarfrost is under foot, solid ice is not far off." So we see here the first signs of decay. Why then would it change to the hexagram of the young light? As a second hexagram, or relating hexagram, the hexagram can take on more the meaning of "A turning point." here the turning point is to the darkness. However, there is a secondary meaning here too, devoid of the words of the line itself. When the first line changes, we have the first yang in a totally yin hexagram. In other words, the darkness is passing, and the light is just beginning. In divination, we might more likely take a look at the meaning of the words in the line itself. In personal work, we might see the more esoteric, secondary meanings, and make use of them.

In the Confucian model, we might more likely take a look at the lines, and the meanings conveyed by the words, in the Taoist model, we might more likely take a closer look at the line placement, and the trigrams involved that make up the primary and the relating hexagrams.

Computer Crash

had a computer crash. What else could I expect during a mercury retrograde. Will be using coffe shop computers for a few weeks.

Sleep

Lack of sleep has finally caught up with me. The last couple days I went to bed really early, tonight, it will be much earlier yet, I can't keep my eyes open. Hopefully, will be ready to write tomorrow.

The woman at the well

The Christian Bible has its own version of the story of the well. A very different setting, but much the same meaning. It is found in the Gospel of John, Chapter 4. jesus, at about the sixth hour, sits on the well of Jacob when a woman comes to draw water from the well. Jesus, it seems is never shy. He says to her, "give me to drink." The woman is a little confused because, customarily, the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans, but she is polite, and asks how it is that he asks her for a drink. Looks like Jesus was setting her up all along, because then he says, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that asketh of thee, give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." Now I think in most cases the woman would have thought, uh oh, here is another nut case, or freaked out, thinking she was getting hit on, but this woman, being puzzled, was also a little intrigued with the situation. She says, "sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep." You see, though she is intrigued, and recognizes this as a special moment, she is not ready to really understand the meaning beyond the physical level. She is representative of the institutionalized church that thinks in terms of doctrine, but only on the physical level. (also, compare this statement with the statement in the I Ching, if the rope doesn't reach the water, or the jug breaks, there is misfortune.) Often our rope does not reach the deeper level. Often we see only in terms of the physical, or if we see more, it is only vaguely, as one "under the spell of wine, in hexagram 22 line 3. In the Bible after one of Jesus's acts of healing a blind man, the blind man says, "I see men as trees walking." In other words, he has gotten an idea that there is a higher level, but he really doesn't understand it yet, further spiritual healing is required. Momentarily after a little discussion, Jesus says, "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again...a well of water springing up into eternal life. It is axiomatic that now he is not talking about worldly affairs, he is talking about something much deeper. The woman being further intrigued, says, give me this water. To her, he is simply talking about some other kind of water, and all she has to do is drink it. Maybe they are both nut cases. She realizes there is something about this man that is different, so she plays along with him to find out. She sees an opportunity here, but still does not realize the depth of the water he is talking about. Then Jesus tells her things about herself he could not have known never having previously met her. Now she is really intrigued. She recognizes he is some sort of prophet. She says, "Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet." But being of the literalist camp, she still does not understand that he is talking about spiritual truths. She is of the first initiation, not the second, (which we will talk about in the future.) Now she gets arguementative with him in a way. "My religion is better than yours. You believe that, we believe this." Her words were, our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye say, that in Jerusalem ye ought to worship." What she is saying, is, I can tell you are a prophet, but do you really have the truth? She is subconsciously digging to see what the truth is, should I worship here? Or there? But Jesus answer is, "The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." This isn't about religion. This isn't a matter of God wanting us this way, or that way, or saved, or martyred, or even doing good works. This is about understanding spiritual truths spiritually discerned, and it has nothing to do with where you go to church. We do not worship God in a mountain. The mountain is a symbol for a lofty overview, a spiritual discernment, but we do not go there to worship. We worship when we have joy in our lives, when we are thankful for all that has spiritually been given us, and, the rain falls on the unjust as well as the just. We all have something to be thankful for. But Jesus is asking her to look deeper, to forget the physical plain, and delve into the spiritual, or in other words, the quantum physics world, where our beliefs and expectations create the world around us. And we see the beauty of God's kingdom, in fact, we exist, here and now, in the kingdom of heaven.