Will You Draw the Water?

At this stage in our journey, we can all be classified as the youthful person full of folly. The question is, do we do anything about it? Do we seek the master as in hexagram four? The master will not seek us, for it is not appropriate for him or her to do so. (The reason for this is explain in the text.) Then hexagram forty eight line five in effect asks us, Are we willing to seek the higher level wisdom?

The reason people look for texts such as the I Ching, or the Bible, or any number of sacred literatures is not because they decide one day they want to be more spiritual. It is not because they want to explore and learn, it is because their lives are not working. When our lives do not work, when all around us things are going wrong, we start to think that maybe, just maybe, there is something more to life than what we have been taught. At that point we start looking for answers. But where can we find the answers. When we don't know where to look we can succumb to many false teachings, and teachers who claim to be, and think they are masters but they are not. We must be wary, "like an old fox, who listens carefully to the possible cracking of the ice, and cautiously traverses the great waters." We must find a source that is right for us, and will give us the truth about ourselves. No matter what we do we are going to spend a lot of time misunderstanding and misinterpreting the words of the master. That is why there are so many religious points of view, and so many teachings that seem often to contradict one another. The words of the master are misinterpreted. But they are often misinterpreted because we ourselves are not ready for "prime time." That is, we can only absorb what our present maturity level allows us to absorb. Our understanding is limited. Therefore, it is not so much what you believe, but how you believe it. The words of a master can be taken on many different levels. We need to understand that, and not think that we have found the ultimate truth.

The book of Proverbs in the Bible says something to the effect, "In all thy ways, get understanding." Understanding is the principle thing. It is of more value than gold and silver, and more to be desired than material wealth and prosperity. Yet in so many ways we cannot understand. We can only absorb so much. Even the best teacher can only give a student tidbits that are in many ways wrong, and yet necessary as a first step.

Yet, even with this. It is essential that we be willing to reach down for "the water of the well." For if it is not drawn up, it is only a potentiality, and is of no use unless we partake of it. We understand though "As through a glass darkly," (St Paul) and only accept so much as seems to help us somewhat in the material world, never realizing there is a deeper message. We do not realize there is a deeper message because we have never been willing to as hexagram fifty seven line two says, "Penetrate under the bed." In other words, we have never really truly examined what we believe or why we believe it. We have never employed the "Priests and magicians" to find out what is within our deeper psyche and how that is affecting us.

We must draw up the water from our deeper psyche. We must pay attention to the signs around us, we must pay attention to ourselves and our own inner attitudes. Do our attitudes come from a perspective of separation? Or do they come from a perspective of oneness of all things? When we come from a perspective of separation, it is our ego that is controlling us. When we come from a perspective of unity we come from a moral standpoint of "loving our neighbor as ourselves," and when we have that moral compass, we very naturally seek out a deeper understanding of the I Ching.

Until we have had at least an initial spiritual crisis in our lives, we do not seek out spiritual material such as the I Ching, but when we have we utilize tools such as the I Ching to get answers to our daily struggles, and there is nothing wrong with that, But with the passage of time we begin to see a bigger picture, at least we do if we are growing spiritually. When we begin to see that bigger picture, we find the I Ching taking on a life of its own, and begin to realize that the divinations for daily live are only a small part of the picture. We begin to realize it as a "personal study guide," that by using the divinations we find a personal wisdom meant only for us, that the I Ching is giving the individual exactly what the individual needs, and is slowly progressing us into deeper and deeper understanding. We find that it is personalized and that it is giving us direction not just for a given situation but for daily life, and for all time.

The I Ching tells us in hexagram fifty nine line one, that it will bring to us, "help with the strength of a horse." The commentary says "It is important that disunion should be overcome at the outset. In other words, we have to be approaching life from the standpoint that all is one, not from the ego standpoint that we are separate from others. If we come from the standpoint that we are separate from others, there is also the subconscious illusion that we are separate from the universal subconscious mind as well. The ego wants to be king. It will not tolerate any usurper to its throne. Therefore, the King Herod of the times of the birth of Jesus seeks to kill the young child because it is claimed he will be "King of the Jews." The reigning patriarch will tolerate no challenges to its claim to the throne. When we come from the ego we in a sense, kill all the others, including the "baby Jesus," the Christ consciousness that can be born within us, or as the easterners might say, the Buddha consciousness. The ego kills the growth of the awareness of oneness.

The commentary goes on to say, "At such times when hidden divergences in temper make themselves felt and lead to mutual misunderstandings, we must take quick and vigorous action to dissolve the misunderstandings and mutual distrust." We cannot dissolve every misunderstanding. But often we can, and we must try when there is the possibility of bringing about union. In order to do so, we must "Draw the water," or the wisdom of the divine and make it our own. Ego cannot overcome ego, and it wouldn't if it could, for it always wants to be on top. It always wants to be in control. Therefore it is likely to reject the "help that comes with the strength of the horse." It is unwilling to "look into the secret recesses of the mind," for it is unwilling to recognize any power but its own.

We must learn to look to the I Ching for more than just help with our daily problems. We must recognize the living spirit which is the true I Ching. We must draw from its depths, and not maintain just a superficial overview of its depths. We must not be as the person in line two of hexagram twenty who "has only a limited outlook." We must see the bigger picture, and look for the bigger picture, that will allow us to see more as the Sage sees, and not from our own egoistic and limited perspective. The ego sees only "through the crack of the door," and is a frightened king, frightened because it sees itself as separate, and therefore subject to uncontrollable outer circumstances that could be a danger to it. As a frightened king, it seeks out to destroy anyone or anything that could be a threat to it. As Herod, the symbol of the ego, it seeks out to destroy all the"babies under two years old," because one might grow up to be a threat to him. This comes from fear and fear alone. It is only someone who feels very small that must make himself or herself very big. They make themselves a king because it is too fearful being one of the crowd, without any power, except in the collective sense. The ego cannot know God. Therefore it cries out, "There is no God." Having a God would indicate a higher power than itself, and this is not acceptable.

Let us draw up the water of the well, from ever more deep sources. Let us accept that help from the sage that "comes with the strength of the horse." Let us "Hurry to that which supports us," (hexagram fifty nine line two) When we 'hurry to that which supports us," which brings help with the strength of a horse, then as in line three we "dissolve our self." In other words we dissolve the ego that so wants to maintain control because it is fearful due to a belief in separation and lack. The Tao Teh Ching says of the superior man, that every day he invests in loss. He invests in the loss of the little self that is fearful of losing control, and lets the true, the higher self become more prevalent in his life. In that way, he "draws the water from the well."

The Mystical Marriage

The I Ching has much to say about the nature of marriage, of how to create the conditions of attraction, and how to maintain permanence in relationships. Right now we are concerned about the allegorical implications of the concept of marriage; for hexagram eleven has a close relationship with the Biblical story of the wedding at Cana.

In hexagram eleven, the yin power, although higher in rank, subordinates itself to the yang power, while the yang power, though stronger, supports and enhances the yin power.

There is much speculation that the marriage at Cana was actually Jesus' own wedding. The church, later, of course, didn't want females to be seen as having been allowed that much power in society, and they did not want to allow any speculation that Jesus may not have actually been "God in the flesh," as that would tend to diminish the religious aspect of their chosen dogmas, and make the story more human, that of a master teaching disciples how to pray, how to meditate, and how to become one with God. They were far more concerned with Religion and control than they were about the deeper allegorical, and very human teachings of the man called Jesus. Nevertheless, there is a very real chance that at the marriage in Cana, Jesus married Mary Magdalene. Whether or not, the real concern is whether this is truly a mystical marriage, or signifies one, and what is involved in that mysticism. It is interesting that during the marriage they ran out of wine, and Jesus did the miracle of turning the water into wine. Water here is a symbol of the ordinary, day to day experiences when we are not in touch with that higher or inner being. The wine can be a symbol of a more mystical state of being, and the drinking of wine can be a symbol for moving into a higher spiritual state where indeed miracles are possible, though perhaps not with immediate activation, but over time. The drinking of wine can in time put us into a semi drunken state that is symbolic of a spiritual state of being in which the hard physical world is seen for the illusion that it is, and the mind can open to truly spiritual influences. The marriage at Cana is a symbol, on one level of the story, for the union of high and low, inner and outer, and man with universal consciousness, which could be termed as God.

"The sovereign I gives his daughter in marriage." The universal subconscious mind gives its daughter, the physical world, to whomsoever he will as that person has drunk of the spiritual wine which allows one to go past the illusionary material world. When we unite yin and yang, "the sovereign is giving his daughter in marriage." In the same way, when a marriage is performed, and the vows are taken, a union is created that is meant to be a merging that creates one person, the union creating an individual in which the parts are greater than the whole. If we understand the concept of union, or of marriage, in its deeper state, we create a harmony that cannot be broken easily.

The idea of a mystical marriage here is further confirmed by the fact that the nuclear trigrams make up the hexagram called "The Marrying Maiden." The "Marrying Maiden" is hexagram fifty four which also happens to be the eleventh hexagram from the final hexagram. When lines two and five change, which are the central lines, the new hexagram becomes sixty three, in which all things are completed, we have only to maintain the connection that it be not lost. When we truly have a mystical marriage, then we experience "After completion," when all things are in harmony, and as the Psalmist said, "He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him."

Fortifies Their Thinking

The image in hexagram ten tells us that the superior man "discriminates between high and low, and fortifies the thinking of the people. When we have that connection, (hexagram eleven) between heaven and earth, the conscious and the universal subconsciousness, between ruler and subject, and between male and female, or to the others in our society, then our thinking can be fortified. For we never fully connect (their is always at least a limited connection, it is just a matter of how much we realize it) until we have learned to meditate so deeply that we come to be in touch with that inner primal being, that universal "I". That universal I is always there but it cannot contact us in any meaningful way until we are willing to recognize that there is something higher than us, (hexagram ten) and do meditate deeply enough that we come to be in touch with it. The more our inner and outer beings are connected, the more the world acquiesces to us, and the safer we are. When we are in this position, then as it says in the Tao Teh Ching, "I have heard that those who celebrate life walk safely among the wild animals. When they go into battle, they remain unharmed. The animals find no place to attack them and the weapons are unable to harm them. Why? Because they can find no place for death in them." The same concept is presented in the Biblical ninty first Psalm, which begins, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." and goes on to say, "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day. Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee." (East and West are not so far apart as we might first think."

It is through meditation that our connection is made, and we "abide under the shadow of the Almighty." We must be as the superior man in hexagram fifty one who "does not let the sacrificial spoon fall." When we allow for a superior power in our lives, one who is not outside of us, but nevertheless not ego, we begin slowly, by "practicing chariot driving daily," to connect in deeper ways, until eventually we reach that point where there is no fear within us, and when there is no fear, then "no weapon will find a place to enter."

The "animals" in chapter fifty of the Tao Teh Ching, can be a symbol for negative thoughts, for fears, for emotions that are not laid to rest, not superceded, and are creating internal damage in our psyche. Their destructive vibrations create disharmony within which, in time, in the outer world, (what appears to be the outer world) open space for the "weapon to enter." The weapon too, can be a symbol of the creation within of an outer act that harms us, maybe not even physically, but emotionally, or spiritually. When we are not at peace, when we are not at harmony as in hexagram eleven, we create external conditions that eventually come back to bite us. (See hexagram twenty one).

In our relationships too, fear can disable us, can create disharmony in the relationship. It may even create a mental block of thinking which "discriminates between high and low, (image hexagram ten) in a negative way, creating tension in the relationship. We discriminate between high and low when we look down upon our partner, consider them lesser, or do not open ourselves up to true communication within. We allow "poisonous arrows" (hexagram twenty one) to enter our emotional state. We cut off communications. We "fortify our own thinking" at the expense of the other, and we "distance ourselves from our partners," not giving them the support that they so desperately need from us. We do not honor them rather than subordinating ourselves to the needs of the relationship as a whole, as taught us in hexagram eleven line five. And communication is effectively cut off. Then as in hexagram eleven line six, "The wall falls back into the moat," and yin and yang do not complement each other but instead combat each other. We must acquiesce to that connection, and let the universal Spirit take over our lives, and say as with Jesus, "Not my will, but thine be done."

More on Eleven to Thirty Nine

When the first, second and fifth line change in hexagram thirty nine, the relating hexagram is hexagram thirty nine. Some of the qualities of hexagram thirty nine have already been discussed. We all have, however, times when it just does not seem that are goals are reachable, and it is futile to go on. If those goals do not accord with our inner "Tao," then it is true those goals must be abandoned. But if we know, assuredly, that that goal does pertain to our inner "Tao," and we are doing what we are destined to do, then those goals should never be abandoned. We must understand however, that to reach our goals, we must have unity within, between our conscious and subconscious minds. The second and fifth line give us some hint as to how to accomplish that. Each must be aware of the value of the other, and acquiesce to that value. In other words, there must be no hint of feelings of superiority or disdain toward our partner, (whether internal or in relationships). We must recognize at one at the same time the equality and yet the differences between our partner, both inner and outer. In the same way the conscious mind must "not neglect what is distant," (the subconscious mind with its vast repository of information). The subconscious too must recognize the logical nature of the conscious mind and respect it. When we come to agreement between conscious and subconscious vast projects are possible, defined by "crossing the great water." But the yin force must submit itself to the guidance of the yang force, and the yang force must underlie and support the yin force. In this way the great forces unite, and in union achieve such power that "one may manage to walk in the middle." When yin submits to yang and yang underlies and supports yin, as line five says, "This brings blessing and supreme good fortune." If there were ever a good "New Years resolution to make this year, it is that we will meditate to unite conscious and subconscious mind, and watch how our lives change enormously for the positive.

Turns His Attention Within

When lines one, two, and five of hexagram eleven change, the result is hexagram thirty nine. The I Ching tells us, as well as all sacred literature, that our problems are of our own making. Since we are almost all of us out of touch with our deeper subconscious minds, we do not know this. We do not know how we can be responsible for it ourselves. And yet that is exactly the message born in all sacred literature, as well as the latest self help books, and psychology books on the market. We ourselves are responsible. Of course, once we realize that it is still important that we do not judge ourselves, and be too critical of ourselves because we did not consciously choose this reality. It was created within the collective unconscious. Nevertheless, we can learn to go within and find the way out. So... the the image in hexagram thirty nine says, "Thus the superior man turns his attention to himself and molds his character." The only way we can fix a problem is within. We must find the solution within ourselves. For, as is written in spiritual books, "There is nothing outside of us that can hurt us." It is only what is within. This becomes clear when we truly believe that "we are all one." Not only must we believe it, but we must experience that reality in our day to day experience, and realize that the entire universe is just an illusion created by the "one and only mind." The mind of God. We realize that we are simply a part of that overall mind, no more and no less than anyone else is, and that when we have conflict, when we have turmoil, when we are hurt by others, it is really simply ourselves doing it to ourselves. Then we progress to hexagram forty where the image says, "Thus the superior man pardons mistakes, and forgives misdeeds." He realizes that by forgiving others he is in reality forgiving himself for we are all one, and it is within ourselves that we create the problem.

Therefore, when we read line one of hexagram eleven, we find that all things are interconnected. The line says, "When ribbon grass is pulled up the sod comes with it." The sod comes with it because it is all interconnected. When we understand oneness, then we understand that the "sod and the ribbon grass are connected." In other words, everything clings to everything else in unification. (See hexagram thirty.)

We cannot think a thought without that same thought being available to everyone. We speak of the Akashic records because all thought and all activity is forever recorded in this "universal subconscious mind" and it is accessible. Those who think they can get away with something are assuming there is an "ULTIMATE" me and you, and separation between us. There is no such thing. Because we are all connected we are karmically connected and cannot hurt another without hurting ourselves. Therefore, we, as in hexagram forty, "Forgive misdeeds and pardon transgressions. Once again we can calm our minds as in hexagram fifty two, so much so that the "sacrificial spoon does not fall" as in hexagram fifty one, and not worry in the least about transgressions against us, for it is all in the plan of the one universal subconscious mind that such happen, and ultimately it is for our good alone, for their is no evil except as we make it such. "He turns his attention to himself, and molds his character."

Bearing with the Uncultured

The world's elite tends to look down on the common man because he or she has not been able to generate the wealth that the elite have, and because they think of them as an inferior species. Truth be known, they do have a SLIGHTLY different genetic makeup than most of us have. And the wealth they have accumulated often was not by them themselves but an accumulation of accomplishments by their ancestors that they were simply born into. Being born into wealth and privilege, they look down on those who are "lesser beings." Now, to make this clear, this is not true of all of the elite. Some of them are highly moral beings with a great deal of passion. This is not an assault on people of wealth. It is only the recognition that some of the world's wealthiest people have a great disdain for the rest of the population. In the past this has been much more apparent than it is today, but in those days the elite did not have as much technology as they do today, and they truly had a use for the common man. He or she was good for labor, usually with pay but not always, and for other such things. We can see the actuality of this in many cultures. For example in ancient India there was a cast system where some were untouchables, and could be easily done away with at the slightest whim of those born into higher status. In Japan we had the Samurai, which for the most part were very highly moral people in many ways, but still looked upon the common people, the "eta" as inferior beings and could kill them instantly if there was any reason to believe they were not adequately subservient. In Europe you had the knights and the noblemen as well as the serfs, on peons, often little more than slaves. Ironically, it seems there is a natural born tendency within the human race to divide ourselves into classes, and the lower class as well as the higher class wish it to be so. The lower class tends to look upon the higher class with admiration, wishing to attain such status itself, while the upper classes wish to alienate any such intruders into the upper class, derisively calling it, "new money." We all seem to be comfortable with this system even if it means being stuck in a class that is looked down upon and has no real opportunity.

But hexagram eleven in a sense disparages this arrogance against the lower classes, (in some ways - the I Ching definitely discriminates between high and low) speaking of how to attain "peace on earth." The second line says, "bearing with the uncultured in gentleness." As such, the proper attitude toward the lower classes is not one of disdain, but one of understanding, and being willing to teach the lower classes a better way to live. As such the nation prospers and peace is attained upon earth.

Here the context is that in the lower trigram, all the yang lines are below, and the yin lines are above. Therefore, the stronger and "superior" people support those that are less dignified and not as highly cultured. Hierarchy is still taken into account, (see hexagram ten) and as hexagram ten teaches, there are appropriate ways to approach those above. The same is true to a certain extent in hexagrams nineteen and twenty where the inferior in nineteen approach the superior, and in twenty where the superior approach the inferior. The superior allow the approach in nineteen for the purpose of teaching them and giving them instructions, and in nineteen, the inferior readily and willingly receive those instructions, such that the superior and inferior meet in the proper manner without breaking any form of protocol. In doing so the inferior improve their lot and eventually become part of the superior, then as in hexagram fifty one, they are so enraptured by the superior beings who are willing to teach them and give them instruction, that they are in total concentration when the superior man speaks, so much so that "They do not let the sacrificial spoon fall," and are not fazed when the thunder sounds and the lightning strikes. There is a difference between high and low, that is inevitable, but the proper means of interacting is through a teacher who is wiling to teach, and a student who has the proper receptivity. (See hexagram four.) To look down disparagingly on the lower classes is a breach of propriety as much as the lower classes thinking of themselves more highly than they are.

The second line in hexagram eleven has a relationship, according to the law of correspondences, with the fifth line. The fifth line however, is yin, and therefore "weaker" than the lower second line. Although they relate, neither one is in its proper place. Nevertheless, the lower yang line, being below the upper yin, does support it. While the upper yin is higher in rank, it still subordinates itself to the stronger yang line. And since the yang line is receptive, there is "peace on earth." This hexagram, along with many others, well teaches the proper relationship between high and low. The lower classes, although being lower, and not as educated or cultured, are far more numerous than the upper classes. Therefore, if they are willing to work together, they are well able to overthrow the existing upper echelon. But if there is a proper union between high and low, if they support one another, there is peace on earth.

The taoists knew the secret of interpreting yin and yang within the body and how yin and yang interacted to create health within the body. Here to, yang must support yin and yin must defer and be receptive to yang. Yet the actual mechanics of this are known only to the most proficient and most knowledgeable of the Taoist monks, and therefore we cannot deal with it directly, or know the secrets the Taoists are unwilling to give us. However, everything that is true in the confucian model has a corresponding relationship in the taoist model, and the more we know about the confucian model, the more we can surmise about the taoist model. Nevertheless, it is not an easy task, but I challenge all who read this to contemplate and meditate upon the confucian meanings to see if the subconscious will in time give up the secrets of the taoist model. We must be like the receptive ones who approach in hexagram nineteen, and so inspired we become like the leader in hexagram fifty one who "does not let the ceremonial spoon fall."

Peace on Earth

Right now it is Christmas time, at least for much of the world, and supposedly a time for peace on earth. But do we really have peace, and what is required to accomplish peace on this planet? We cannot have peace while there are those who insist on instituting absolute, complete, and total control on all peoples of the planet. These people stop at nothing to attain their goals. Why? There are run by ego. It is their own egos that control them, while they themselves think they are in control. They appear to fear nothing, yet in reality they fear everything, for they fear losing control, and loss of control would mean loss of everything that they hold dear. So they hold the reigns even tighter, they take away free speech. They destroy human rights. And why? Well, they say it is for our own good because we are a subspecies and cannot control ourselves, therefore they must do it for us. And in attempting to accomplish this they are willing to kill off billions of people if necessary to attain their goals. They think, once they are in control we (or they, not many of us left) will have peace. But they do not understand a basic principle. First, those who feel the need for control and to control, will always feel the need even more. So there is no peace because control freaks must find somebody or something to control. There is no end to their quest until they are the last person on earth. And there is still no peace because they are not in control of themselves, though they think they are. There is a passage in the I Ching, I will try to find it soon, that says something to the effect, "for when evil has fully subjugated the good, having nothing left to feed on, feeds on itself, and therefore destroys itself." It cannot endure. Even if the elite, those who wish to totally control the planet, succeed, they will begin to fight amongst themselves for control, and totally destroy themselves so that the good may once again prosper. Their case is hopeless, even if they destroy all freedom loving humans and attain their goal of total control. As the commentary on hexagram twenty three line six says, "When misfortune has spent its course, better times return. The seed of the good remains, and it is just when the fruit FALLS TO THE GROUND that good sprouts anew from its seed. The evil men may devour us. They may crush us like powder, but their own time will come. It is inevitable.

As such hexagrams twenty three and twenty four are in a sense the eastern version of Christmas. For the real Christmas story is never told. Most people think it is the day of the birth of Jesus. That is highly unlikely. At the very least we do not know that. The Christmas story was in effect borrowed from pagan sources. Those pagans, or druids, and many other groups, worshiped December twenty fifth as "the day the light returns." For just as the sun reaches its lowest point and the northern hemisphere experiences the shortest day on December 21st or 22nd, so the sun returns its upward movement into the northern hemisphere again on December twenty fifth. Thus the Christmas carol goes, "He will bring us goodness and LIGHT." The Roman Catholic church made a religion out of it and a literal story of a Son (sun) being born on this day. No matter how dark the night gets, the day returns. This happens in many ways, as a cyclic event. It happens yearly with our sun, it happens during the astrological ages when the sun goes into aquarius, where it is at its darkest, and goes back to Leo, which the sun rules. Right now we are headed for aquarius, but the sign aquarius appears monthly right after Capricorn when the sun begins its upward climb. (The symbol for Capricorn is the goat which climbs the mountain as the sun climbs in the sky, and step by step arises from lowliness into the heights of the mountain. In the same way, though Aquarius is winter time, the sun does begin to move back upward, and the light approaches. The attempts of world governments right now to really clamp down on their populations, under the context of fighting terrorism) will work for a while, and many will die in the "wars and rumours of war" and the plagues that are coming, (many man made) but their time is coming as well. We must all accept and fulfill our karma, which may not be a delightful task, but then ultimately mankind becomes the victor, and the elitists who fear lack of control will pay the price for their "rebellion." This is the true meaning of Christmas, it means the light is returning. And when the "light of the superior man is true," (hexagram sixty four line five) then we have peace on earth. This brings us back to hexagram eleven...

Changes Ocurring

Right now, I will not talk about the I Ching so much, just for today, as there are so many things going on on planet earth right now that I have not had time to really come up with a plan for what I want to speak about. But I do hope to intensify my efforts as the time is drawing short. Changes of major proportions are occurring in today's world. The major news sources are still not covering a lot of it but some of it they have to cover, because it is becoming so obvious. At this point still, though, I do not recommend trusting any of the major news sources in the United States as they all cover only what they get from their sources which are closely allied with government institutions. Freedom of the press still exists in principle in the U.S. but it is being eroded more every day. With the legislation planned for an internet kill switch, freedom of speech will be a thing of the past and no one will be able to get an alternative news source.

The Bible and other ancient texts speak of things happening in the last days, and they do seem to be happening. Now I have heard all of the arguments about they have been saying that for centuries, I am well aware of that. There are things happening now though that are unprecedented. The ancient texts tell us that before that "great and terrible day" there will be signs in the sun and moon, etc. I noticed the other day that the moon seems to be shifted a little bit. But thought it couldn't be really true. Well, now I am getting reports, hearing things that say that maybe the moon and the sun have shifted on its axis. It is of a certainty, that the earth itself is experiencing a magnetic polar shift as that has been reported in mainstream newspapers, and airports have even made some shifts in the numbering of the runways due to a changing magnetic north. I have not heard if that is continuing to happen or now. As soon as we have a clear night, I am going to go out and see if I can spot the moon and see if the "man in the moon" has shifted position. You can tell because of the location of crater marks on the moon. I don't know if there is any truth to this, but I will be trying to find out all the information I can get. If the craters on the moon appear in a different spot, then one of two things must be true. Either the moon, and possibly the sun, or the earth, have experienced a polar shift that has changed the direction of north at least somewhat. I will try to get all the information as I can. There is a lot of misinformation on the web, and sources must be checked out thoroughly. I do have good sources that I trust though if they will take the time to respond to me. I think this is such a fascinating discussion that it has truly captured my attention.

On another note. There is activity in the U.S. congress, and among the global elite, attempting to make it illegal to sell vitamins, or basically anything that is truly healthy, and to force all food distributors to sell only irradiated food. If this comes about, much of humanity will die over the ensuing short years. It is a blatant attack on the lower classes of people, who are deemed unnecessary, and a blight on the health of the planet overall. According to the elite, these people must be eliminated. It will also be illegal to inform people of these situations as well. There is no more democracy on this planet. It is gone. Therefore, we are truly in the last days.

More on this later.

Various thoughts for the day

Well, I had something in mind for today, the thought came to me earlier as I was out and about, but I didn't get it written down, so I am just going to have to wing it for right now, until I can compose my thoughts once again.

As far as hexagram eleven goes, we have been discussing how that hexagram teaches us various aspects of unity, and what it means when unity prevails, it leads to "peace on earth" which happens to be the theme of the holidays. Peace is not broken though, simply because people are at war with each other, and there is plenty of war to go around during this holiday season, but even wars among men are symptomatic of war within man. We as individuals are at war with ourselves. Our conscious minds are at war with our subconscious, and as a result life does not always deliver us our hopes and dreams. But we as individuals are also simply a holographic image of the overall cosmos. This is to say that each of us, as a holographic image, is a mirror image of the cosmos. Therefore everything that exists is within each of us. We are all a complete package of the whole. AS above, so below. Therefore, the heavens as well mirror image each individual and tells us our individual stories, and the stories of mankind as a whole because it is all part of one package. We and it are all one.

It goes back to what the Chinese called the Wu Chi, or the Wu Wei, I have forgotten the exact term. But in essence it means the wholeness that precedes division, and is the ultimate reality behind division. In other words, duality is just an illusion. The original unity, being consciousnes, decided that it would give itself experience by dividing into two and by that division create the "ten thousand things" as the "Tao Teh Ching" calls it. In other words, the manifestation. And just as Jesus gives us the parable of the prodigal son of the the universe itself is this prodigal son who goes out into duality in order to gain experience. When he returns, his brother is angry because the Father kills the "fatted Calf" for him in joy of his return. But the brother is really only jealous of the experience his brother has gained in his journey to the outer land. Hexagram fifty six is in some ways an eastern version of the story of the "Prodigal Son."

When the Wu Wei divides, it creates the illusion of time and space. It also creates the illusion of yin and yang with its various attributes which have no meaning without the benefit of their opposite values. When these two great forces properly interact, the universe goes back into a state of acquiescence in which the forces of light and darkness, time and space, yin and yang are no longer opposed to each other but harmonize to the point where they are no longer separate concepts part are simply one universal whole. Gary Renard, the author of "The Disappearance of the Universe," has written a masterful treatise on this subject from a westerners point of view. Another great book, which comes from a completely different perspective, but still is very useful and insightful, is a book called "Oneness" by Rasha. I highly recommend these two books, although they have no discussion of the I Ching, but come from a different perspective to the same ultimate outlook.

In other news, while the President had promised to veto senate bill 1867, it now looks like he won't. Senate bill 1867 is very likely to come into law this week if it hasn't already. There is already an executive order that does the same thing so it is not all that meaningful, but we must understand that the United States is now under martial law. It is also my understanding that the government is now posting job offers for prison guards in concentration camps. I doubt that much will happen early on, but the elite want one world government by the end of 2012, and I suspect at that point we will see the concentration camps start to fill up, but we will see.

I don't know how far along the bill is in the senate or house for an internet "kill switch," but I am sure it is coming. At that point free speech will be largely a thing of the past, but we will see. Anyway, more later.

Connection

In keeping with the info in hexagram eleven, we must argue that the ultimate goal of the I Ching, or all spiritual readings and teachings, is that of ultimate connection and oneness among all things. Scientifically, we can explain this with the concept of the "big bang." Whether the big bang is actually a fact or not as to the original creation story, there is an element of truth in the concept. For at one time all was one - nothing more than an infinitely small point. There was no space, no time, and no object, only consciousness. This consciousness decided to create the illusion of separation in order to experience diversity. Nevertheless, this is just an illusion. There is no space nor time, no diversity, but consciousness nevertheless has created this illusion. The Chinese, if I remember right, called this original oneness, "wu chi." This "wu chi divided into yin and yang and the ten thousand things were created.

Therefore, hexagram eleven line one tells us that "when ribbon grass is pulled up, the sod comes with it. Each according to its kind." In other words, on the more esoteric level, the line is telling us that everything is connected, and when we study and analyze one thing, we are studying and analyzing all things, and that we should understand there is unity among all things. Nevertheless, due to the created illusion, there is diversity within unity. So the text also says, "each according to its kind.

On a more mundane level, getting this line can indicate that when we uncover something, we may find that there are many roots to the problem, and end up discovering more than what we were first looking for. It indicates that "birds of a feather flock together." Another way of looking at it is when we attempt to accomplish something we will attract those who are of like mind, although they are still diverse beings. When we look for problems in relationships, or within ourselves, we may find a complex of interlocking problems that all interact to create the issue we are facing.

Back to the more esoteric, we can look at hexagram thirty to discover how everything is connected together. The hexagram is called in the Wilhelm Baynes version, "The Clinging." In it we discover that everything "clings" to everything else. It is like "The web that has no weaver," (except that weaver is simply consciousness, the "wu chi").

It is important to remember this in our spiritual journey. For the conscious mind, relating to the ego, does not recognize the oneness of all things, the interconnectedness. Therefore its natural tendency is to try to control. The subconscious is aware of its interconnectedness. In fact, the deeper level of the subconscious is not specific to the individual alone, but is a part of the greater whole. In other words, it does not belong to just one person, but is interconnected with all persons and things. Therefore, the small I is just an illusion, the bigger I is the reality, and it is everything, not just the individual we think we are. When we go deeply within ourselves, we find that "the ribbon grass is connected to the sod." The sod is earth, the yin element. The earth is the protector and nurturer of all that exists, and it is "all connected." True spiritual discipline is related ultimately to this one concept, that we are all connected. That is the ultimate, and the only reality.

The Key

The Key to the I Ching, and the key to life itself, is in understanding how to promote union and cooperation. In terms of the I Ching itself and yin and yang, is that yin and yang must be found in their proper places. The basic rule is that a yang line is to be found in the first, third, and fifth line, and a yin line in the second, fourth and sixth line. Thus yang is in all cases beneath yin. In that way it supports yin and they properly relate with one another. In the first two hexagrams the concepts of yang and yin are described and there is much between the lines in the commentary that is not on the surface. In studying the I Ching, we could learn more about our world than we can through scientific experimentation alone. For example, as has been mentioned many times, the concept of entropy, and evolution and devolution are built right into hexagrams sixty three and sixty four, and to a lesser extent, all the way through the book of changes. But there are various ways we can look at this interrelationship.

For example, in hexagram eleven there is an equal distribution between yin and yang lines, yet the yang are all below the yin. This means that some of them are not in their proper place, but in looking at the hexagram as a whole, and as two trigrams, we find here an even sweeter complementary relationship between yin and yang that in hexagram sixty three. It is the second and fifth line which are not in their individually proper spots, and yet, in spite of this, they work quite well together because in terms of the trigrams as a whole, yin is above yang, and therefore supported by yang. The commentary in book three on hexagram eleven says, "In terms of the human world, with special reference to two lines - the six in the fifth place representing the prince, and the nine in the second place representing the official - the result is unity between high and low, their wills being directed to a common goal." In this case, when the official is stronger than the prince it is conceivable that the stronger official could conspire to overthrow the prince in the fifth place, to gain power for himself. And that is what happens when men and women are striving for control rather than union. When people want control they do whatever they can to get it. There are those who want power, and when they get it they want more power, then they want more yet. Remember in Star Wars where Chancellor Palpetine says to Anakim Skywalker. "Go back to your early Jedi training. All who have power are afraid of losing it, and want more power, even the Jedi." The "evil" Chancellor Palpetine himself had some uncommon wisdom. It is only when we give up the mental mindset that says, "I must have control. I must control my own destiny even if that means hurting others" that we learn to cooperate, and find those who are willing to cooperate with us.

So hexagram eleven has an element within it that shows the way to union, to cooperation, to a willingness to share power and to work together for a common goal. In the same way in our relationships, if we attempt to control our partner, if we use cooercion, or manipulation, or emotional blackmail, or force, or rage, to control one another, the system may work for a while, but ultimately it will create a bitterness that sooner or later must come to a force that must be dealt with, and there will be a backlash. Cooperation does not mean just giving in, line five in hexagram eleven is greater in rank that line two, yet submits itself because it knows that the second line is supportive, not combative. It understands that the situation calls for union, and that a peaceful union and cooperation is possible, and that in submitting, not out of weakness but out of strength, it gains the support and strength of its partner. Together they can do more than each can do alone, and they submit their wills to each other to form a combined will. They same must be done in our relationships. A relationship cannot work if each partner is running on a different train track. The tracks will eventually take them away from each other. There must be a "meeting of the minds," so to speak. So that the power of each mind magnifies and intensifies the power of the other, and the whole is greater than the parts. The various lines of the hexagram show various problems and solutions to the completion of a union. This union is necessary between the conscious and the subconscious mind of man as well.

Unswerving Inner Purpose

Hexagram thirty nine tells the reader about the proper method for dealing with a dangerous situation, and how to overcome it. But one thing is often missed in dealing with this hexagram. The danger comes from within. It only appears to be outside of us.

The image for the hexagram says, "Thus the superior man turns his attention to himself And molds his character." The commentary says, "While the inferior person seeks to put the blame on other persons, bewailing his or her fate, the superior man seeks the error within himself, and through this introspection the external obstacle becomes for him an occasion for inner enrichment and education." We must come to understand from this that things do not just happen to us. It is not a matter of us having to "control" all outside forces in order to get our way in life, but rather when things go wrong, find the "inner" attitude that has brought about these "dangerous" situations. The commentary in book three points out this principle to an even greater extent. The commentary on the image says, " The way of overcoming obstacles lies in turning inward and raising one's own being to a higher level."

This is true in our relationships as well. When things do not go the way we want them to we often resort to forms of manipulation to get our partner to act in a way that pleases us. We fuss and fume over slights and hurts and things gone awry in a relationship. We try to "change" our partner. We become frustrated when things do not change. But the problem really does not lie in our partner, but in our perception of our partner. In otherwords, the problem lies within our "own being."

The real key to success is to have an "unswerving inner purpose" while outwardly we are tractable and yielding. The key is what lies within ourselves. The key is the inner directive that never yields, though it appears to on the outside. Because it is only what we focus our attention on continuously that comes to bear. Hexagram thirty one line four says, "If a man is agitated in mind, his thoughts go hither and thither, and only those thoughts that are fixed will produce results." It is said, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." We cannot escape the fact that any problem is ultimately "our" responsibility. We cannot control or manipulate anyone else, and even if we can, the other will ultimately develop resentment and anger toward us. When there is a problem, we must "seek the solution within ourselves."

More on SB 1867

Well, senate bill 1867 has passed, and with it the constitutional protections of the people of the U.S. President Obama says he will veto it, but only because he has already signed an executive order that does the same thing. In essence congress has now become non functional and is only a showcase. Most laws now are passed by executive order and the congress has little to say about it. But that is minor compared to what is happening. The bill allows the military to act as police agents within the U.S. and arrest and detain any citizen they chose to without any evidence of wrong doing on the part of the citizen, and the citizen is given no rights to counsel, an attorney, and is detained for as long as the military cares to detain them. They do not have to tell anyone anywhere that they have detained said citizen. This applies to Americans on American soil, but technical the bill applies to any citizen of any country, anywhere in the world. This is a dark day in America, but it happened because people refused to believe there was anything going on inside the U.S. that would detract from our liberties. Nevertheless, here are the fact laid bare.

Computer Crash

I have apparently had an attack on my computer and there is no longer an operating system on it. I will have to post from libraries etc, for the next two to six months, which should not stop me but should slow me down temporarily. I expect to post something tomorrow if all goes well. Anyway, this is an update on the situation.

An Ancient Space War

Most of us, when we go to the movies, just want to be entertained, and that is what we usually end up being. There isn't for the most part a thought out analysis on the story line, and no thought is given as to how that particular story line came about. Much of the stories seem very fictional to us and are just a way to escape reality and put ourselves in a fictitious setting where we can play the hero, etc.

But might there be more to some movies than just the story line and a means of escaping into a more exciting reality? For example, the Star Wars movies? Are they really fictional or are they a means of subtly telling society there is a deeper message that will help us, if we comprehend, in a matter of spiritual growth? Or is there even more to the story that the storywriters are compelled to tell us, but only those that have ears to hear? The Bible and many other sacred scriptures tell us of a cosmic war that took place millenia ago. Now days we either pass it off as the fantasy of a not so highly evolved race, or we spiritualize it to the point that it makes no sense except in some far off place of angels and demons. Perhaps neither scenario is correct, and perhaps there really was a cosmic war, millenia ago, that was not fought by angels and demons, but by us, or at least our ancestors, maybe not exactly genetically our ancestors, but close. There has been much work done lately that reveals evidence of a cosmic war. One such piece of evidence has been around for a long time, but mainstream science has denied any claims that it could have been the results of a cosmic war. (If you go deeply into the study of this you will come to understand that what is officially told the public is almost always a lie.) That one most obvious piece of evidence is the asteroid belt. But there is more, there are gaping holes on the planet Mars, elongated scars that appear to have been created by a weapon of scalar proportions. And here is the kicker that has come up lately. The space program of this country and others seems to be constantly creating diversionary tactics to keep people from knowing what is really going on, and doing something totally different than their stated purpose. (Just so people will know, some of this most recent evidence comes from Richard C. Hoagland who wrote the book, "Monuments on Mars." I listened to him for about three hours, and relistened today, on a radion program. I know there is much controversy about him, but I have found that those who "debunk" him use very superficial arguments, and are not truly serious in their claims. There is a contingency here on planet earth that knows about this cosmic war, and is doing everything in its power to make sure the common man does not know.

The argument may come up, but why would they care who knows? The answer is, if you know, you also know there is something to the ancient texts that speak of these wars, the texts that speak of ancient flying machines, etc., and may find out the world is really a hologram, and you are not trapped in it except through your mind, your beliefs. They want mankind as slaves. It appears, and I know this is going to sound really hokie to some, but it does appear, that some of these so called asteroids, or comets, or what have you are not natural objects at all, but unmanned space ships flying around in a pattern not natural to gravitatonal pull, and just keep traveling around because there is no one left to man them, or to make them work, just war machines no different than ships and airplanes that come to rest in the bottom of the sea, or wherever but haven't yet disintegrated.

I find this whole subject fascinating. I find it fascinating because it makes sense as to why the powers that be would insist on lying to us constantly as to what is really going on on planet earth. In a way that we would never expect, this earth really is ruled by a "luciferian principle," and explains why so many really refuse to wake up, but prefer mind numbing techniques as somewhat described in the movie, "The Matrix," another movie that is meant to be more than just entertainment. The year 2012 is fascinating not because of many earth changes, and the world is not going to end, but it is fascinating because it is the time when the world wakes up out of its sleep, at least many people, who will survive, will wake up. We will find out we have been lied to. We will find out we can have free, and unlimited energy at our disposal, and that we can dream big dreams and make them real, make them come true, that we are not bound by the material plane. For the material plane is only half the equation. The other half is spirit, or quantum mechanics, or Ch'i, or universal energy, whatever we want to call it.

The war is not over, it is only in a state of temporary lull. The war was so devastating that both sides lost their technology and had to start all over again. That is more true, however, of the dark side, which is just now beginning to learn to develop the overwhelming power of scalar technology, of quantum mechanics, of electro magnetic propulsion, and of tesla energy technology. And they are not going to allow any of us to be enlightened without a fight. This fight is coming to earth, and it is coming soon. The war is returning. The dark side wanted mankind for slavery, they did not want to have us enlightened because then they could not control us. These are men, not some etherial type of angelic being, and they are here, and soon they will be in a desperate struggle to destroy as many of us as they can, before they themselves are destroyed. This may seem highly fictional, I can assure you it is not, and the war is returning soon. I find this just mind blowing, fascinating work, and am looking forward to learning a lot more.

A Fortified Heart

The commentary on hexagram fifty eight one speaks of the "quiet security of a heart fortified within itself." But make no mistake about it, a heart cannot be secure unless it believes in something bigger than the little ego. As much as the ego likes to maintain control, maintain control over the environment, maintain control of others, and all things, the more it tries, the more it finds it cannot. The ego does this for one reason and one reason only. It is full of fear. It fears if it does not control everything and everybody it will not be able to get what it wants, and may lose everything. The ego can never, ever, create a "quiet heart." And for this reason, no matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, as long as we are coming from ego, we can never have a "contented joyousness." The commentary says, "A quiet, self contained joy, DESIRING NOTHING FROM WITHOUT and resting content with everything, remains free of all egoistic likes and dislikes." It is only when we recognize a power greater than our little I, a power from the "greater I, that we can have any freedom or peace of mind. The big question that Einstein asked and attempted to answer was, "is the universe benevolent, or malevolent?" As long as we believe the universe is anything but benevolent, we find it to be anything but benevolent. When we understand that the consciousness of the universe, (and realize it is conscious) is love and only love, we come to realize that the universe truly is benevolent, and we can give up our egoistic fear, and just let go and let God. (See hexagram twenty five.) It is only when we recognize that greater power that we can have a heart fortified within itself.

The same is true in our relationships or any aspect of life. When we gjve up trying to control our partner, control the relationship, control how it goes, quit trying to change our partner, quit trying to manipulate the situation, that we find true peace and contentment within that relationship. We must, as the Beetles sang in the sixties and seventies, "Let it be, let it be, there will be an answer, let it be." But we cannot find that answer unless our hearts, our minds, are at peace, calm, quietly fortified within.

When we come to the place in our lives where it seems nothing is working for us, when it seems no one knows us or respects our work, when we seem to be laboring in vain, we can take comfort in the words of hexagram fifty line three. The commentary says, "If only he will 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." But we must recognize this principle, and let life be. There will be an answer.

Thanksgiving Over

Well, I have been a little remiss over the thanksgiving holidays; not just because of the holidays and the hyped up college football games, but also because of a lot of distractions. Right now I am watching for the vote on senate bill 1867 which will if passed, effectively end "habeas corpus in the United States. In other words, our constitutional rights will be gone. The military will have the right to arrest anyone as a potential terrorist, (yes, military, not police) and you will have no right to a lawyer, to a trial, or to be released at any time from prison. This marks the end of freedom in America. Also, many websites will be shut down, any which the Federal Government does not like or is critical of the government. There will be a vote on this bill this week. The following website will give a very brief description of the situation:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/56087

You can also do a search on sb1867 and get more information.

As such, with all that is going on in the world, I have not had time, or at least taken time to prepare another article, but I will get started again right away.

By the way, new documents by the Mayans have been found in the last few days that discuss the 2012 scenario. The future will prove to be very interesting. I am also studying the astrological effects of the Uranus - Pluto square on the U.S. and the world. The exact square is not yet, not for a while, but it is coming, and the first exact square I think will be in around six months, although I am going to have to check that out for sure. But the demonstrations, and civil disobedience the world over is very much related to the energies of these two planets. Watch for things to get much deeper into civil disobedience both in the U.S. and elsewhere as we start to see the culmination of these squares, and similar astrological scenarios. We also have a full moon eclipse on about Dec 3rd, I think, and I think this will be significant as well.

One thing I wish to make very clear here, as we study the I Ching, is that the I Ching is a living entity and not just words on a page. As such, it has an intelligence, it has a personality, and it is associated with each of you. Why? Because, the thing that comes most clear in the study of the I Ching is that there is a conscious mind, then there is a subconscious mind that is universal. On the deepest level our subconscious mind is universal, it does not belong to just one individual. Therefore, on the deepest strata or level of intelligence everyone, everywhere, knows everything, absolutely everything about every one else, and this is no possibility of in any way hiding our actions, or disguising ourselves. We can only do this consciously. The subconscious, on the deepest level is not fooled and is never fooled by anyone else's actions. If we understood this, and understood the relationship this reality has with karma, we would never knowingly hurt anyone else, or try to deceive anyone, because we are doing it to ourselves, and our actions are recorded. And they are known.

As such we see in each line, in each hexagram of the I Ching a message about the way the I Ching relates to us, and a reflection of ourselves in every page. There is no escape from this. In order to know the I Ching, we must come to know ourselves. And in order to help ourselves understand ourselves, we must come to understand the I Ching. This is a hard and fast rule, and will remain so eternally. The universe is alive. Yang is spirit and yin is matter, and they are one and the same thing. They are just a mirror reflection of each other. Matter is infused with spirit, and spirit is the essence behind the form. Spirit is the real form, the form is just the illusion.

Therefore, we see certain principles in the I Ching that are always true, not just true when we receive the line for a particular reading. As an example - in hexagram fifty one line three it is stated, "A hundred thousand times you lose your treasures and must climb the nine hills. Do not go in pursuit of them. After seven days you will get them back." When we do a reading, this would indicate that in this instance we do not have to worry, we will receive what is due us. However, in a spiritual pursuit of the true meaning of the I Ching we find this is a principle that is always true, providing we have the mind set that is taught us in the I Ching. The commentary says, "He must accept his loss of property without worrying too much about it." So we see that as the commentary on line four of hexagram twenty five says, "We cannot lose what really belongs to us, even if we throw it away. Therefore we need have no anxiety." Well, we have all lost things that were never returned to us, so it might be said, this is not true. But there is a key here, which if we follow makes it true. In hexagram fifty one it says, "He must accept... WITHOUT WORRYING too much about it." And in hexagram twenty five it says, "Therefore...NO ANXIETY." The key is we have to trust the universe. We must be perfectly calm and relaxed for it to work. If we are not, we interfere with and block the energy. There is one more key too, though, in twenty five it says, "WHAT REALLY BELONGS TO US." If it does not belong to us we don't need it anyway. And we should allow that property to go to its rightful owner. But the key is TRUST. Without trust, all is lost. If we try to force the issue, (hexagram thirty four) we are coming from a place of lack of trust...

A slight diversion here, but it is very much related. In the Book of Enoch, which for some mysterious reason, (actually not so mysterious if you know the truth about the orthodox church) was left out of the official canon, and never became a biblical book, a story is related about the judgment of the fallen angels. (The fallen angels are the fathers of the elite which exist on earth today, and are attempting to create a world wide government of complete control) Anyway, the story says the the Lord God, or the highest God, told the angels that as judgment they would reincarnate as men and would not remember who they are. The fallen angels said, "The judgment is not fair." But from God's perspective it is fair. Now, since we are all, as a corrupted race, at least partially related to the fallen angels, as offspring, we are all somewhere, on some level of our being, saying, the judgment isn't fair. When we lose something or someone, when things don't work out the way we want them too, when we hurt, our relationships are tearing apart, we lose our money, whatever it is, we are saying to God, "the judgment is not fair." It is only when we completely surrender, give up conscious control. It is only we give up, and allow the universe, the tao, to flow through us, and admit that the "judgment is fair," that we have any success in life. We must give up conscious control. We must allow, and trust. When we trust, we submit to fate, and only by submitting to fate do we have any ultimate success. When we submit to fate, we are accepting the judgment, and realizing that it is really a good thing, not a bad, though it appears very bad. In such a way our true treasures, those that belong to us, are restored. And this is a universal principle, not one that only works when we get these lines. Things that seem unfair really have a positive side to them, and all things are to our benefit, though it doesn't seem so to our conscious minds. "All things work together for good for those that...." We must be like hexagram two and yield, being receptive to the flow of spirit. Then we find that "Behold, fate is favorable."

The Court Ladies

Hexagram twenty three line five says, "A shoal of fishes. Favor comes through the court ladies." I am sure there is far more to this than meets the eye, and someone very familiar with the Chinese would see a lot more into this. One thing I might point out here as a diversion, though I don't know the Chinese language, is that most ancient languages, especially ones in which sacred scriptures were written, are highly metaphorical langauges, and that being the case, many scholars are cast upon the rocks of doubt as to the most proper use of a word. In ancient languages, often the word has multiple meanings, all of which are meant to convey something in the meaning of the line. Therefore, many interpretations are possible. All of them being valid. Therefore, languages used in the art of interpreting oracles have a multidimensionality that allows for interpretation in a huge number of possible situations. But there is an even bigger issue, that of symbolism or allegory. And there we end the digression and get back to the point.

What is the real meaning of the court ladies? I at present am not sure of the symbolic meaning of this text. But the commentary itself does give a hint as to the meaning of the line as a whole. By the law of correspondence, the third and the fifth line both have a relationship with the yang sixth line. Therefore, the interpretation of these two lines is not in general as negative as the interpretation of the other yin lines. (Negative being a relative term.) The commentary on hexagram two gives us a hint as to the meaning of this. The commentary says of yin, "It is the perfect complement of THE CREATIVE - the complement, not its opposite, for the receptive does not combat the Creative, but completes it." It is only when yin is in improper relationship with yang that it becomes evil so to speak. None of the yin lines of hexagram twenty three are in proper relationship with the yang line in the sixth, except the third and the fifth. The fifth line especially, being close to yang, and supported by it, as the commetary says, "Inasmuch as the lower element thus voluntarily places itself under the higher, it attains happiness and the higher also receives its due. Therefore all goes well."

There is a certain relationship here with hexagram sixty four in which all the yin lines and all the yang lines are not in relationship to each other. However, the nuclear hexagram which equals hexagram sixty three, shows all the lines in their proper places, which indicates there is a possibility of perfection. There is an eternal principle here that shows that whatever is not perfect can become so, and whatever is perfect is in danger of degenerating into imperfection. This happens when yin and yang lose their proper relationship with each other. Therefore, hexagram sixty four indicates a time in which things are "unsettled." (See the "Taoist I Ching" book for more explanation) It is incumbent upon mankind to find a way to settle things back down when they have been stirred up, to calm the mind when it is unsettled (hexagram fifty two) and thereby allow the universe, the Tao, to complete its mission through us in which case "fate is favorable." Hexagram fifty one line two's commentary says, "He must accept his loss of property without worrying too much about it. When the time of shock and upheaval that have robbed him of his possessions, he will get them back again without going in pursuit of them. By not worrying, we follow the mind of "Tao," and we find that by doing so, "fate is favorable." In the same way "Favor comes through the court ladies." When yin lines up in proper relationship with yang, when stillness and calmness compliment activity and shock, all goes well. When negative things happen we must not resist, but simply look for the good in the negative occurrence. When we do, we find that the "time of shock and upheaval" comes to an end, and our possessions are returned to us. (Confer the story of Job) the Biblical literature. All "unsettled" conditions hold within them the possibility of returning to settled conditions.

A Little Bit Slow

I have been a little bit slow about posting lately, please bear with me, I have had a number of shocking events occurring in my life lately that must be dealt with. I am into my new place now and enjoying it but there are still a lot of start up costs, and other unexpected events to be dealt with.

No matter how well we know the I Ching, and none of us know it well enough, nobody does, there are things that happen that are unexpected and unprepared for. We have to deal with those things as it is our karma. It is not that we have not brought them on ourselves. It is our karma. All of us, at some place in our lives play the part of the victim, not consciously, but by projection outside, we place the blame on other people or events, and think life is unfair, when in reality we orchestrate our own fate and our own karma on the inside. The I Ching is not a cure all, and it works only for the "superior person," and the more we refine ourselves and become more spiritually mature, the more it works for us, be we are all underlings, (remember the Shakespearean play where it is said, "It is not in the stars dear Brutus, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."? We do not see all or know all, actually very little, that is why we must allow the universe, the Tao to flow through us. Nevertheless, while we have a karma to fulfill, we must bear it calmly, and not allow ourselves to play the role of victim, but to accept that karma that comes to us, then "fate is favorable."

The King Approaches his Temple

The judgment on hexagram forty five says, "The king approaches his temple. It furthers one to see the great man. This brings success." On a spiritual level the "king who approaches his temple" is the superior person who goes within to that deepest part of himself in order to seek answers from that divine part of us, or from the I Ching, or from the Tao. It is only when we correctly approach, with the proper decorum delineated in hexagram four and elsewhere, and reach the deepest strata within, that we find the true answers to life's questions. And only when we have reached that deepest strata, and found the true answers do we bring success.

We also approach the temple when we find that which matters to us most, and act in propriety and dignity to maintain the relationship supposed in a given situation. We approach the temple when we seek for answers about our relationships, and are willing to do whatever work is required to maintain them, and please our partners. We approach the temple when we go to a supervisor at work to get honest feedback, or information not readily available, or do whatever is necessary to maintain good communications within the company. We may also have a complaint, which needs a hearing, or a need to communicate some information of value to the company.

The judgment continues in saying, "To bring great offerings creates good fortune." When we present ourselves to our higher selves for review, and for wisdom, we must in most cases to be willing to give up something of our lower natures. We must be willing to sacrifice things that we are accustomed to and crave but are not part of our overall plan for spiritual unfoldment. We must "set aside every weight, and the sin that so easily besets us," because attachment to these things only brings suffering, and they interfere with our purpose and function on the higher levels.

In the same way, in order to make a relationship work we may have to give up the time used hanging out with our buddies, having a few drinks after work, or bowling night with our pals. Not necessarily everything, but anything that takes away prime time with the family, and is hurting members of the family. We may have to give up certain habits, spend more time talking and communicating with our spouses. We may have to give our partner more space, or less space, depending on the circumstances. At work we may have to give up a pet project, or get to bed a little earlier to be primed and ready to go the next morning. We may have to give up that late night extra drink, or a late night out. In order to make the primary matters of our life work, we often have to give up something that we like, but does not project us forward on our goal. When the king approaches his temple he realizes that "The place whereupon he standeth is holy ground." On holy ground we have to give up the profane. We have to be willing to follow the Tao, the way, consistently, daily, and permanently. That will almost certainly force us to give up some things. To offer the baser thing up for the finer. As Jesus said, "If any man would follow me, let him take up his cross daily." In other words, day by day we offer things up that are not conducive to our path. We die to the lower person, we renew our fellowship with the higher person. In this way, in approaching the temple, we see the great man.

Finally the judgment says, "It furthers one to undertake something." When we approach the temple, there is a requirement that we do something that leads to deeper spiritual involvement. We "take up our cross," or as the Tao Teh Ching says, we must invest in loss. Everyday, Lao Tzu says, he loses something. He gives us the things that are not useful, and takes up the things that are. "To bring great offerings creates good fortune." Our fortune arises because we give up something, something that is not beneficial to us anyway.

Often we must give up our activities, things we like to do, because they are not conducive to our spiritual growth. Excessive activity can lead to a mind that is very confused, and going ten thousand miles an hour. The lower trigram of hexagram forty five tells us that to have true happiness, we must learn to still the mind, to be calm within. Without that stillness, we cannot approach the temple, we cannot see the great man. When we calm the mind, when we let go of excessive activity, and limit ourselves (Hexagram sixty) to only those things that moves us along on the pathway, then "a light develops out of events that shows us the way." But we have to give up our desire to control. We have to give up our desire to be ceaselessly active in attempting to consciously create our world the way we want it. The key is to imagine the world as we would like it, then let it flow. A constant flow of activity from the conscious mind only will only lead to trouble and disaster in the long run. Stillness, and a willingness to let go of excessive activity is the only key to "seeing the great man, approaching the temple." And finally, it is necessary that as hexagram forty five, line five, the ruler, says, "If we are not yet sincerely in the work, Sublime and enduring perseverance is needed." We cannot accomplish everything all in one day. It is a matter of daily taking up our cross, dying to our lower selfish nature. We must follow the Tao daily as if "Practicing chariot driving," giving up, or bringing offerings to the higher self, in that way we "approach the temple."

Upright in Character

Hexagram forty six line two tells us that "even though we are brusque and pay too little attention to form, (we are unsophisticated and unaware of the true nature of reality, of the spirit) but since we are upright in character, we are accepted." The key here really is the heart. As it is said Biblically, "For man looketh upon the outward appearance but God looketh upon the heart." It is really the heart the matters in all our interactions, for non of us are totally polished, non of us are "highly" sophisticated, and non of us know proper procedure in every instance in life.

It is the same in our relationships. Being highly sophisticated is not necessarily going to attract the person we want because attraction is a matter of the heart, and logic will not change anything. We cannot be attracted to someone because it is logical to be so. If it were, we would all be in trouble because logic without the heart is only half the equation. But the heart accepts the person when they show a certain humility, in the right way, and when they are upright and fair with us, as long as all other aspects are right as well.

It is the same with the Sage, the I Ching, the higher universal subconscious, or what have you. It accepts us when we are upright in character. We are all unpolished, but we become polished when we daily consult the I Ching, and in this way practice chariot driving, and follow its guidance and direction. We become polished by following the Tao daily, by integrating the conscious mind with the subconscious in such a way that we grow spiritually and in maturity. (For spiritual growth and maturity are in essence one and the same thing.) But if we had to wait until we were polished to be accepted, we could never be accepted because we would have no way to learn how to improve ourselves.

It is the same with an employer employee relationship. When we apply for the job we need to be as sophisticated as we can, as able to do the job as possible, but it is only by working the job we gain real sophistication in correctly doing the job. An employer expects us to be capable, but knows that the real experience and sophistication will only come once we do the job.

Once we are accepted we begin the journey. After beginning the journey we may find that things progress with remarkable ease, at least at first. But we cannot count on things always being that way. The lessons we learn intellectually will sooner or later be placed on us in such a way that we will have to learn experientially as well. Line three however, tells us that we must not give into those misgivings but simply do the work now, the test will come when it is time. In the same way, in our relationships, we learn day by day, but when things go well, we still fortify ourselves for upcoming events, for no relationship is without difficulties and we must fortify ourselves for the future. (See hexagram five line five.) Nevertheless, we must not have misgivings about the future, but simply enjoy the day for the day, while at the same time practicing following the Tao daily. (Once again, chariot driving) If we want to be successful in relationships, we must work daily on that relationship. If we want to be successful career wise we must practice our career daily, never ceasing in attempting to improve and get better. If we wish to be successful in our spiritual life we must never forget to "seek what is right." (Hexagram thirty four, the commentary)

Finally, hexagram forty five line five tells us that "there are some who are not yet sincerely in the work." We are not sincerely in the work when we do not "push upward into an empty city, but let things slide. The key to not letting things slide is to be dedicated to set aside time daily for whatever spiritual work you wish to do. Life will throw obstacles in the path, as life goes on our daily tasks impinge on us to the extent that we forget the spiritual work that is to be done, or the work on our relationships or careers, and "fall back into the moat" (hexagram eleven line six) of doing no more than what we need to do in the moment. It is what some Christians call backsliding. We get used to a rut and literally forget to get out of it. That is what hexagram sixty four teaches us. That we are not there yet. If you think you have arrived you haven't. If you think you've finished all the steps you haven't. If you think your classes are completed, you are sadly mistaken, for even if we are "upright in character," we still lack the polish that only life experiences and the teaching of the Sage, of the I Ching can give us. And we would not complete our lessons in ten thousand life times.

That Which Supports Us

Hexagram fifty nine line two says, "He hurries to that which supports him." Everyone is like a ship that needs a home port. We need to find that which gives us refuge in the time of storm, and we need to feel a certain safety and security. As children we found this in our home, as babies, in our mother's arms, and as young people, in our social group. These things can only help so far though. When in times of trouble, we really need a reassurance that goes deeper and is more fathomable than that which a family or friends can give us. Ultimately, that security comes in the form of following the Tao, or the Buddha, or the Christ Child, or whatever you would like to call it. As the gospels story goes, while Jesus was asleep in the boat, the storm came, and the disciples became afraid. So they woke Jesus up to tell them of their predicament. Jesus chastises them a little bit, and then calms the storm. Jesus is a symbol or allegory, in this case, of the higher self, or the Christ Child within each of us that we can go into, become one with, and calm the storm. When we "wake up Jesus" we are entering that place of deep repose within the mind, and our fears are defeated. In this way we are "hurrying to that which supports us." The key is the mind itself. Jesus told his disciples not to look for the kingdom as far away, but it is to be found within, in the here and now. If we find the kingdom, we are in essence, in heaven, in the here and now, not after we die, because within the kingdom the Christ Child calms the storm. We are at peace, no matter what the outward conditions. The predicament we are in somehow miraculously fades away because we have "hurried to that which supports us.

Jesus said, "suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." The little children realize they are protected by their parents, and just act innocently, and as such more readily follow the Tao. They do not worry about their food, or where there clothing comes from, they just trust that those things will be provided. There is innocence in their eyes, and as such they are enjoying the kingdom of heaven right here and now, not in some far off place after they die. The children just naturally "hurry to that which supports them." Their nature isn't fear, but trust. They just trust, and do not try to control their surroundings fearing that they must control in order to take care of themselves. They just trust. This is the key to following the tao, is to just trust, allow, and let that support be there for them. No fear. They are in the kingdom.

Disciplining the Devil's Country

Hexagram sixty four, as every hexagram, and every line, speaks of overcoming our lower self, our ego, and attaining a higher level of consciousness. In hexagram sixty three line three it says, "The Illustrious Ancestor Disciplines the Devil's country. On a personal level this can indicate to us that we need to take control of ourselves in a given situation. It means that though the battle by and large has been won, there are still "sweeping up" operations that need to be done. In relationships we may need to maintain the same efforts that won the other person even after it seems like they belong to us. In business we have to continue with "sweep up" operations even after we have won the contract. It is the same in our spiritual life. After making connections with the Tao, after gaining access to our inner Buddha, Inner Christ, the universal subconscious mind, what have you, we must on a daily basis maintain that connection. The ego always wants control and to control; and time and time again we will catch ourselves reverting back to our old egoistic self, and employing the "inferior people" which should not be employed. The inferior people are our old habits, attitudes, and thought patterns that created the victimization consciousness we have felt consistently in our lives due to limiting beliefs and incorrect observations of the world leaving us to believe the world is a cold materialistic place and we have no control over it, except in personal little ways. We believe the world is outside of us, and therefore works against us unless we control it. The ego will always revert to a control mechanism, and we must be constantly on the lookout for its resurgence, which disconnects us from the Tao. By always being on the lookout for a return to old behaviors, and old attitudes that make us a victim in some way in our lives, we are, once again, this keeps coming up, practicing "chariot driving" as in hexagram twenty six line three.

Hexagram fifty nine speaks of dispersion but we must look at the context in order to see what exactly it is that is being dispersed. Is it something that we need to do without, or is it something that we need to maintain in our lives? When we receive line two we see that the situation is the beginnings of alienation in our lives. Something is being dispersed that should not be dispersed. We must, of course, be careful to discern whether this is something or someone that we should let go, or is it something that truly belongs to us. If it is the latter then we can safely and "quietly go about the removal of resistances." If it is not then we must allow it or them to go its or their own way.

When it comes to our personal lives, we must always be on the lookout for the signs of resurgence of the ego, and the beginnings of disconnection from the tao. If we search diligently, we are like line one of hexagram twenty four which says in effect, in this context, that "we return from a short distance." In other words, if we are always on guard, if we are always aware of the possibility of a breaking away from our true source, or our significant other, or from our interrelationships on the job or wherever, ultimately from the tao, we catch it immediately and immediately begin to "return from a short distance." We do not want to fall asleep, and allow the situation to get so bad that like line six of twenty four, We "miss the return" and the opportunity is gone. Then the possibility of return becomes much more difficult, although with our own higher self, the tao, the connection is never totally lost. We might lose a loved one, a job, a personal connection, but we never totally lose our connection with the tao, it may be difficult to retrieve it, but not impossible.

Finally, line five of hexagram forty five reminds us that "If there are some who are not yet sincerely in the work, Sublime and enduring perseverance is needed." It is only through continual work and conscientious activity that we recognition the path to return to the "Source," the Tao, and redevelop ourselves, bringing our ego once again into check, renewing our basis for a good relationship, for a good connection with employees and employers, and reestablish what once was established, learning to improve that connection with the source, being able to just let go and trust, and watch the source, the tao, do its work for us, and find that fate is favorable.

Excessive Force and Setting Limits

With hexagram sixty and hexagram thirty four in combination we see that we must limit how far we advance until the time is right. The commentary on sixty says, "In relationship to the moral sphere it means the fixed limits that the superior man sets upon his actions. Line one of sixty tells us that "we must know when to stop." It goes on to say, "...he accumulates an energy that enables him, WHEN THE PROPER TIME COMES, to act with great force." And this is key and is enunciated time and time again in the I Ching, that we must act in accordance with the time. And how do we do this? We must attach our conscious minds to the mind of tao, or learn to follow the natural way, which is beyond any conscious control. We do not control, we allow, and in doing so, follow the tao. We follow the natural way as delineated in hexagram twenty five.

Often we are tempted, once we see the first sign of an opportunity, to immediately loosen the reigns, and allow our conscious mind to start to control once again. This is a mistake that is clearly expounded against in hexagram thirty four line two. The commentary says, "Resistance gives way and we forge ahead. This is the point at which, all too easily, we become the prey of exuberant self confidence. We see the first sign and think it is time to move. Then we find out all too quickly that we have misjudged, and the time still is not appropriate. In developing relationships too, when we think the signs are there for a sudden advancement, and to carry the relationship to the next level, we suddenly realize we have fallen victim to exuberant self confidence. The same can be true in a job interview, or any significant thing we do in life.

Hexagram sixty one sheds another light on this theme. The commentary says, "The light - giving power must work to quicken it from outside, but there must be a germ of life within, if life is to be awakened..." We cannot assume that anything is ready before its time, As is said in hexagram forty nine, line three, (the commentary) "Not every demand for change in the existing order should be heeded. On the other hand, repeated and well founded complaints should not fail of a hearing. When talk of change has come to one's ears three times..." In other words, we should not jump at the first sign, but like the wary old fox in hexagram sixty three and sixty four does, we constantly keep our ears open to the sounds of the cracking of the ice. We listen for the well founded complaints, then it comes time to act, but we must be still and go within, for the conscious mind is not well disposed to the recognition of proper timing. We follow the tao, and it works for us. The universe is favorable. As the I Ching says, "He goes out to meet his fate, and his fate is favorable," because he has followed the way of the tao, the natural way, not the way of control.

Excessive Force

There are at least two hexagrams in the I Ching which I have almost never gotten in my personal readings until lately, and lately I have gotten them regularly. The first is hexagram thirty four, about excessive force, and limiting ourselves. The second is hexagram sixty, which is about limiting oneself.

Both hexagrams relate to limits, but the former to limits of force, and the latter to limiting ourselves to doing only those things that are pertinent to our duty, and completing tasks without getting sidetracked.

The key, or at least one key, to hexagram thirty four is that one should not just use force whenever one feels like it because it leads to resistance. Even if one has the power to overcome, there are repercussions to using that power. In one respect, as hexagram six line four would tell us, "in contrast to the situation of the nine in the second place, he is dealing with a weaker opponent and might therefore succeed. But he cannot carry on the fight, because, since right is not on his side, he cannot justify the conflict to his consciousness." In this case the person does not use force because he/she realizes that right is not on his/her side. There are times when we have to look at the consequences of a win, even if we can win. As such hexagram thirty four tells us in the commentary, "For that is truly great power which does not degenerate into mere force, but remains inwardly united the fundamental principles of right and of justice." We must take into account the consequences of our actions, even if we can win.

Once again, the use of mere force automatically and naturally results in the feelings of resentment against those who are controlling. Hence the commentary on line three says, "If a man goes on quietly and perseveringly working on the removal of resistances, success comes in the end." The way to conquer another without creating resistance is to change his or her mind. And by conquer I do not mean in the cruelest way, I mean in a way that shows leadership. One shows leadership when he changes someone's mind in a way that helps the other person as well, not just for manipulation and control, and leads to a better life for everyone concerned. In this way we do not really control, but more show the way. In the age that is coming, control will be a thing of the past, at least for the most part. Control will no longer work. We must learn to "go about quietly working on the removal of resistances. We must find a common goal for which all can strive, and act as a leader showing the way.

We get a form of this as well in hexagram sixty. Line five tells us that "if we seek to impose restrictions on others only, while evading them ourselves, these restrictions will always be resented and will provoke resistance. If, however, a man in a leading position applies the limitations first to himself, demanding little from those associated with him, and with modest means manages to achieve something, good fortune is the result."

In relationships, as well as in supervisory positions, it is important that we do not try to control another, but rather, show him or her the way, not just in words, but in actions as well. If we try to control our partner, we only create resistance, and eventually the breakup of the relationship. Using coercion a boss might get good results from employees for a while, but ultimately employees will rebel in as far as they are able to without losing their jobs, and good employees may even go elsewhere. Control is demeaning to a partner. It gives them no space to breathe, and no allowance for them to express their own personality, and is ultimately doomed to failure.

When the I Ching teaches us, it does so only through example, and does not try to force us to fit into a pattern. It simply offers the waters of wisdom, (hexagram forty eight) but all are free to go to the well or not, as they are disposed to do. In this way too, hexagram four teaches us that the I Ching does not come to us to teach us, but allows us to come or not come as we might see fit. The water (wisdom) simply remains in the ground, it does not come to us. The only way we can partake of it is to draw it out. It will not attempt to force us to accept its wisdom. In the same way, we cannot afford to attempt to force anything on anyone else, for while it may work for a while, eventually there will be a backlash.

False Appearances

Hexagram forty one's commentary says, "There is no need of presenting false appearances to God." After all, if it is truly God, then He/She must see our heart as it is. As the Bible says, "Man looketh upon the outer appearance, but God looketh upon the heart." As such there is no way to fool this "higher being." We attempt to do so at our own peril.

But we don't always perceive ourselves the way we really are, and since that is true, it can be said that we present false appearances of ourselves to ourselves, (and since all is one, and therefore we are all part of the same being, we are in essence, presenting false appearances to God). We need to recognize when we are doing this. We need to learn to see ourselves as God sees us. Once we understand that we are one, and that by loving you neighbor as yourself, since we are all part of the one eternal being, that by loving our neighbor we love God as well as ourselves as well as our neighbor because there is no distinction between any person.

As such it is impossible to truly lie to another person, for though you may trick the other person, on some level, that person knows that it is a lie. They may not recognize it consciously, but somewhere inside, they will recognize it. Often a lie is successful because we want to believe that lie. There is some payoff for doing so, in such a way we cheat ourselves more than having anyone else cheat us. In this way too, we are "presenting false appearances to God."

But we also present false appearances before God when we lie to ourselves. We may rationalize our actions, or we may want something to be a certain way so badly that in our own mind we make it that way whether we recognize it or not. In relationships we lie to ourselves, and make something think it will work when it won't. Or that something will not work when it will. We convince ourselves some one is cheating on us, or we refuse to believe it when they do. In this way we "present false appearances to God."

It is impossible to be honest with others until we are honest with ourselves, and it is impossible to be honest with ourselves until we are honest with others. Often we have a hidden motive, that we are not even aware of. And that hidden motive clouds our judgment, and causes us to lie to ourselves about ourselves, or about our relationships. We often tend to not trust, because of experiences we have had in the past, we become like the person in line three of hexagram thirteen, who "hides weapons in the thicket, who climbs the high hill" to spy on his neighbor. Since he/she cannot trust himself/herself, he/she cannot trust his or neighbor either, thinking they are planning the same tricks as they are.

We must learn first to trust ourselves, then be honest with ourselves, and know our own motives, to know our own inner person, then we can be free to trust even the untrustworthy for we will know their own psychology, and can accept that person as they are, without becoming entangled with their deviousness. We must be like the person in hexagram fifty seven line two who "penetrates under the bed." In otherwords we penetrate to our deepest secrets and desires, our hidden subconscious complexes, our inner beliefs, find those that conflict, and those that are based on a lie, then we employ the "magicians" to sweep them out of our inner closet, to close the gap between our conflicting beliefs, to remove the lies and the cheating from our heart. Then and only then can we no longer "present false appearances before God."