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.