About the Future

I am embarking on a mission to find out the truth about the new changes that are coming to google on March 1st. The situation is serious, very serious. I have heard rumors that it marks the end of free speech on the internet. I heard that it comes on March 1st. Then today I got info from google speaking of a change in terms and contracts starting March 1st. I am reading this to find out what I can about it. I have heard that after March 1st, and information that does not agree with official governmental policy, or what they want us to believe, will be removed from the internet. The situation is very serious here in the United States, and indeed, in the netire world. For if freedom dies here it dies everywhere. It is questionable whether I can continue to post after March 1st.

People argued with me when I said freedom was dying. They laughed when I mentioned the danger. Well, here it is. I saw an article in the Albuquerque newspaper the other day written by someone who is either a complete idiot or is posting on behalf of the global elite. He was discussing how dangerous it is to argue against scientific data. In essence he was saying it is dangerous not to believe whatever science tells us. The trouble is scientific research cannot be published unless it agrees with the official policy. The article went on to say it was dangerous to not believe humans are causing global warming, in spite of the fact that many serious scientists say that is only a small part of it. He also said it is dangerous not to believe in the Darwinian form of evolution, although many scientists have concluded Darwinian evolution cannot be possible. We are to believe whatever they say is true. We are not to believe or even know about any discussion of other possibilites. Two hundred years ago science knew nothing about quantum physics. Does that mean that it didn't exist until they found out about it? Of course not. Our science is still in its infancy, and to quell discussion is the real danger, but that is exactly what they want. They want us to believe the official story without question, even if it is a lie, if they say it, it is to be believed. People refused to see what was happening, and now we pay the price, worldwide totalitarian government, believing only what we are told to believe, and absolutely no freedom whatsoever. The light is going out.

Drinking Cheap Wine

All the true masters of the world and the great mystics have told us that we are "like drunken sailors" adrift in the world. When true spiritual teaching is available, nobody wants it. Every master has had to struggle with this phenomenon, that the world wants only the exoteric message, and is only concerned about the physical. We want immediate answers to our life's problems, not mystical mumbo jumbo. But immediate answers will not work. When we try to come up with a quick fix from outside ourselves, we find we cannot change the situation. The reason is simple. We have not changed ourselves. Nothing in our world will change until we change ourselves on the inside. We will confront the same old problem over and over again, and nothing will change it.

Hexagram twenty two line three addresses this problem to a certain extent. The commentary says, "This represents a charming situation." One is under the spell of grace and the mellow mood induced by wine." This grace can adorn, but it can also swamp us. Hence the warning not to sink into convivial indolence but to remain constant in perseverance."

We remain constant in perseverance when we keep our mind fixed upon the spiritual world which is the real source of the material world anyway. The material world is but an illusion created by the mind which is under constant attack from the seeming reality of the physical world. As long as we are focused on the material world, and do not keep it in its place, we are "under the mellow mood induced by wine." We must remain constant in our meditation, we must "practice chariot driving daily, and we must persevere in the truth, remembering that the physical world is but a shadow of the real.

The "Gospel of Thomas" addresses this issue as well. In it Jesus says, "I took my place in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in flesh. I found all of them intoxicated..." The world was either of those who were looking for a physical Messiah as many Jewish groups were, or of those who like the Roman soldiers, played lots for Jesus garments, and mocked him, not having any concept of the seriousness of the situation. They were all drunk. They were foolish in their orientation and in their perception. They all were interested only in something physical. The church carried this on, not after the teachings of Jesus, but after the mental constructs that insist that there is only the physical saving that of a heaven in the far off, or a hell. They did not wake from their stupor. They did not understand the teachings of Jesus at all. It became a religion, not a way of life.

All teachers face this. They come to the world with a message, and find that they face only rejection and sorrow. It may be called sad that it is that way, but it is not sad, it is just the way it is. Only the most serious shakings, (hexagram fifty one) can break us from our stupor. When we look to the I Ching for guidance, we must allow the sage to offer to us the "secrets of the kingdom," (hexagram twenty line four) and not be satisfied with merely "a view through the crack of a door." We must allow the deeper truths in, or our lives will never truly be satisfactory, for we will be "oppressed by stone, (the physical) and "lean on thistles," (the material world cannot hold us up.) We must look for the "inner guidance," else we will stumble and fall, and not overcome the oppression of hexagrams thirty nine or forty seven. We must look deeper.

Genetically Modified Crops

Monsanto is a major food distributor and producer throughout the world. They are very instrumental in distributing genetically modified foods, and intend to keep on doing so. There have been tests done in China which show genetically modified foods to be dangerous to health over a long period of time. Monsanto refuses to do any testing of its own however, saying that it is a waste of time because all food has DNA in it and it doesn't matter if they put foreign DNA in the crops.

Let's be clear about this. It is the DNA that makes the crop what it is. It is the DNA of the crop that makes it useful for fruit or other medicinal purposes. When you change the DNA of the crop you change what the crop is meant to do in the body.

It doesn't matter whether you believe in evolution or creationism, or something in between. We are a product of the earth. If you believe in evolution you know that we are the product of what came before us, all life evolved from a single cell, and we all have DNA characteristics in common. Some more than others. If you believe in creationism you know that we were created "from the dust of the ground." Once again we have the same characteristics (DNA) as the crops around us. They were created to supply us with supplements the body needs. This cannot be denied. Mankind eats because mankind has to in order to stay alive and receive nutrients. The plants that are here by nature are plants meant to sustain the higher levels of life. It is the DNA that gives them the characteristics and makes a pear a pear, a peach a peach, and a banana a banana. Each of these fruits, and all other crops have nutrients in them that help the body. Each of them have something the others don't have, and we were meant to eat them all. When you add DNA you add something that changes the nutritional value of the plants. This is by definition.

The higher ups at Monsanto cannot help but know this. Many of the rank and file I am sure do not. Who knows what - who knows? But at the top they must know. To genetically modify our crops is murder on a massive scale. Just because people don't die immediately, even if it takes forty years, it is still murder. And that is what they are doing, whether they know about it or not. Unfortunately, the big boys, and girls, who have mega money and mega power, are not brought to justice. And so many people just go along with the program thinking everything is fine, but it is not. The super elite of the world think that the planet is overpopulated, so they try to do something about it. It is not their place to do this. They think we can't understand how what they are doing is moral because it will save the planet. Well, we do understand. And we understand it is not their place to decide who lives and who dies. The planet is alive, whether anyone believes it or not. And if the planet feels there are too many people, it will react in such a way as will reduce the population. It will do this through earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, what have you. But it is the one that has the right to decide. Not the super elite. Not the one's who wish to play God and create live, modify it, (through genetics, DNA, or however), and they will reap a horrible karma for their actions. But tomorrow back to the I Ching.

The Well is Being Lined

Hexagram forty eight line four tells us that "the well is being lined." Often in our lives when we have studied a little, or even a lot, and have gained some valuable information, and some personal capabilities, we think we are ready to teach others, and maybe we are to a certain extent, at least beginners. But we really have not made efficient use of the total teachings available to us. This often happens because as hexagram four line four teaches us, "we have a blind spot in our thinking." We do not realize the depths of the teaching still available to us, and see only as the subject in hexagram twenty line four "as through a crack in the door." As Luke Skywalker says to Yoda in *The Empire Strikes back," "But I AM ready, Ben tell him I am ready. But I have learned so much." Still he could not see himself as he really was, because as Yoda said, "All your life you have looked away, into the future, wherever, never knowing who you are or paying attention to what you were doing." Luke thought he was ready, but he was not. That did not mean he could not learn, only that he was not as adept as he thought he was.

We see this same attitude prevalent in the martial arts teachings in the west, where students studied for a while from the master, then thought they knew it all and went out and created their own style, never knowing how much they were lacking, and the west is just full of inefficient and incomplete martial arts classes, so much so that a beginning student would never know the difference between a true teacher and one who was less proficient.

When we get the line saying "The well is being lined, we may be being told that we need to practice, or train much more ourselves before we can take the teaching to the outer world. At most, we may be able to train beginners only, while we ourselves are still being trained by the master. The commentary says, "In life also there are times when a man must put himself in order. During such a time he can do nothing for others, but his work is nontheless valuable, because by enhancing his powers and abilities through inner development, he can accomplish all the more later on." If we break off and attempt to be the teacher before we are ready, we become isolated, with no one to teach us as hexagram four line four tells us. Our blind spot remains. Luke Skywalker had a 'blind spot." Luke feels danger within the cave. (In our own darkness.) He takes his weapons. Yoda tells him, "your weapons, you will not need them" Luke takes them anyway, (he has not yet come to fully trust the master) and goes into the cave. He is confronted by a Darth Vader figure, and pulls his weapon. The dark figure does the same. Luke strikes, and finds that the dark figure is himself. He was blind to his own darkness. He did not need his weapon, he only needed to confront himself, and learn about his dark side. He failed in the cave because of a "blind spot" in his thinking.

We all fail in the cave. We all fail in our darkness, because we have not yet allowed the light to shine in all parts of our own cave. We are underlings, and do not recognize it. In our ego we think we are mighty, indispensable, highly educated, smart, and cannot see our own darkness. It is only when we have done the work ourselves that we can teach others. If we think we have "arrived" we haven't. If we think we are ready, we probably aren't. If we think we understand, we probably don't. We must continue carrying on the work on our inner selves, before we can teach others. We must trust our master, if truly he or she is a master (and we must learn the difference). We think we are prepared, but we are not. Finally, the commentary on hexagram forty three line two says, "If a man develops his character, people submit to him of their own accord." You will know you are ready to be a teacher by when the students appear. The old adage is true. When the student is ready the master will appear, but it is also true, when the master is ready, the student will appear.

Expect the Unexpected

We are entering a new year now. For the Western world, it was entered of course on January 1st, but for China and parts of Southeast Asia the new year approached today, or yesterday, depending on what part of the world you are in.

Ironically, the first new moon for westerners, is in Aquarius. The Chinese new year starts off with the new moon in Aquarius. Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, and Uranus is known for eccentricity, and the unexpected happening. This new moon also touches off the Pluto Uranus square that has been in the sky for some time, and will be for some time to come. Expect the unexpected.

This paragraph deals a little more with conjecture, as I do not remember all the astrological rules for stock market timing. However, for the U.S. Market, especially the Dow Jones Average, if I remember right in my astrology training, when Venus has moved as far as it can ahead of the sun, and starts to go retrograde, that can mean a change in direction for the stock market as well. However, as a rule the stock market goes up from Aquarius to Leo, and down from Leo to Capricorn, (but there are several other factors as well, and it is only when they all converge that we see major changes.) Anyway, with things positioned as they are, expect major changes not just in the market, but in all aspects of life. The year 2012 is likely to be an extremely turbulent year. Now I am no prophet, but I do see certain trends, and I expect them to continue.

Sun spot activity is starting to become a major factor again, and last night, as major solar activity blasted through the protective shield of the earth, we had serious tornado activity in Alabama. Expect more. The sun is starting to get really active, and some of it is headed directly for earth.

Pluto in Capricorn, in my estimation, though I have never heard astrologers talk about this very much, is disruption, (corruption from deep within - Pluto) in the government (Capricorn) We have already seen revolutions spring around the world. Do not be surprised if we see major, and I mean major civil unrest in the U.S., especially as people become more and more aware of the true meaning of the National Defense Authorization Act, and as we start seeing people disappearing from society, and as well the civil unrest if the anti piracy laws go into effect on the internet, (which are really not just about antipiracy but also about shutting down information about what governments are really doing. The laws end free speech. We will very likely see civil unrest in the United States. It is likely to become more prevalent in many countries though, even those who are traditionally and presently locked into dictatorships. By the end of the year it is very possible too that there will be major wars, with huge losses of life on all sides.

Furthermore, 2012 if the Chinese year of the Dragon. Traditionally East is considered Dragon, west is Tiger. And the Dragon and the Tiger ultimately fight. It seems that there is all together a fear, a hatred, and a fascination one with the other. We each have our strengths and weaknesses.

But remember - the elite of this world know astrology. They teach us that it is unscientific and nonsense, yet they themselves practice it. They know the right times to create financial havoc, the right times to create wars, and the right places to create wars. Their motto is "Order out of Chaos." They create the chaos, then they submit the solutions, solutions in which they have complete control. The people are starting to wake up, and when they do, the elite will HAVE to find ways to eliminate the masses fast, or they will be destroyed. We will see at least the beginnings of this in 2012, if not more.

Rests on Something

Hexagram thirty is key in our understanding of the nature of the cosmos, the nature of our inner self, and the nature of our relationships; for the commentary states, "By cultivating in himself an attitude of compliance and voluntary dependence, man acquires clarity and finds his place in the world." The key here is that everything "depends or rests upon something else." If there is no darkness the light does not appear. If there is no man it will not be long til there is no woman, and vice versa. If there is no high then there can be no low. If there is no "receptive," then there can be no "creative." The conscious mind cannot fully function correctly without the subconscious, nor can the subconscious make its mark on the world without the conscious. Just as fire clings to the wood, so life must cling to that which supports it or it will be quickly extinguished.

But humankind must decide upon what it is to cling. It can cling to the higher powers or it can cling to the lower. It can cling to the rulers (line five) or to the masses (line one). If we cling to the wrong thing, if we cling to that with which there is no or limited mutual support, (or the thorns and thistles in hexagram forty seven), just as in line four of thirty, we flare up, or rise to prominence quickly, but we cannot sustain our upward momentum. In the same way in our relationships, if we do not base them on that which endures, they soon die away and we will find our partner with another. Or in our spiritual life, if we do not cling to our higher spiritual awareness, we will soon find ourselves as equal to the "one eyed man" in hexagram fifty four, who is able to see, but not that far. We will be like the subject of hexagram four line four, who has a blind spot in his thinking. Without our proper partner, our proper correlate, (line one with four, line two with five, line three with six) we cannot function fully and with the greatest success. Our relationships become sterile, as does our businesses, our careers, or our forms of government. On any level of life this holds true.

If we wish to operate from the ego alone. If we think that is all there is, if we attempt to dominate and control, either by force or by manipulation, the end result will be the equivalent of line five in hexagram thirty that says, "Tears in floods, sighing and lamenting." We cannot control the world. We can only control ourselves. And when we learn that we become like the second part of line five, which says, "Good Fortune." It is only when we learn from our mistakes that we find good fortune. As the prodigal son who leaves his father's house, and goes out into the world of experience, so too, we must leave our mental house, go out into the world of experience, make our mistakes, until we learn the true meaning and value of what we had before, and return (hexagram twenty four) to our true spiritual home and heritage, being wiser and more self sufficient than we were before.

The commentary on hexagram thirty nine speaks of this as well, stating, "one must join forces with friends and...put himself under the leadership of a man equal to the situation." The man equal to the situation is our higher self. Without the higher self, we are like the "one eyed man," who can see only so far. We are like the subject of hexagram twenty line two, who can only see through the crack of the door. (A very limited form of awareness or understanding.) If we use just the ego, just the conscious mind, we are again like the "one eyed man." We do not have full use of our faculties, and are not taking advantage of the person in hexagram twenty line four who "understands the secrets to which a kingdom can be made to flourish." Our own personal kingdom will not flourish unless we use all of our faculties of mind, including intuition and deeper understanding, and can harmonize the two parts of ourselves. In the same way the king will not prosper, and the realm will not prosper, unless the ruler can put together the yin and the yang in harmony in all situations. In our relationships two, if we think only on the basis of how our same sex thinks, we are like the "one eyed man," who is half blind. We must think in terms of both yin and yang. We must understand the male form of mind as well as the female, or we will be crushed, (oppressed by stone, hexagram forty seven) upon the rocks that appear in our world from time to time.

more later

Inner Pressure Part II

When we let go and allow the other person to come or go as they choose, we release that "inner pressure." Often, however, we are not aware of our own psychological makeup or our hangups. We travel through life always seeking for something that is never found, because by seeking it, we create this "inner pressure" not just in other people, but in the actual thing that we seek. There is a psychological pressure created within ourselves that manifests in the material world.

We are not aware of doing this however, because we all have a "blind spot" within; a blind spot in our way of thinking. We filter out the data that would tell us of our own psychological makeup. As such, hexagram ten line six tells us that "no one knows himself. It is only by the consequences of his actions...that a man can judge what he is to expect." When we receive hexagram four line four in our personal readings for wisdom, it may very well be telling you that you have a "blind spot" in your thinking. You may have a blind spot in receiving the transmitted wisdom from the I Ching, or you may have a blind spot in your way of looking at yourself and/or the world. The commentary on the line speaks of "clinging to unreal fantasies." We cling to unreal fantasies when we have a distorted image of ourselves; and almost always we see ourselves differently than others see us. (That is not to say others usually do not have a distorted image of us as well.) We all see things based on our own inner psychology, and we believe what we believe about the world due to inner road maps of the territory that distort our conclusions when new facts become available to us. We all wear rose colored glasses, it is just different parts of our environment that are colored, according to a person's own psychological makeup. As such we "cannot know ourselves, but only can weigh the results of our actions to get to know ourselves better."

The wise man knows that he is clinging to fantasies. He does all he can to attach himself to the real, but as he uncovers more and more of himself, he recognizes more and more that he is living in an "unreal" world of his own making. When we live in an unreal world, we "are oppressed by stone, and lean on thorns and thistles." (Hexagram forty seven line two.) But the wise man, in order to secure for himself a more favorable journey through life, "Treads a smooth level course." Hexagram ten line two tells us that the wise man "seeks nothing, and asks nothing of anyone else, and is not dazzled by enticing goals. He is true to himself and travels through life unassailed..." When we simply stick to our business, simply keep ourselves to the business at hand, and do not interfere with others, we find that others respond to us more easily and more relaxed, and the things that we need for our life come to us of their own accord, without "forcing the issue," (hexagram thirty four) and without an inner dependency on our part or theirs. Simply said, as in hexagram sixty one, those who have an inner accord will find each other without "forcing the issue." It simply happens.

Freed From Inner Pressure

Hexagram forty one teaches us "to control our anger and restrain our instincts." But it goes much deeper than that. A major message of the I Ching is that we must give up personal will and allow things to happen. The problem is we are often not even aware of personal will and do not know that as such we are putting a lot of pressure on our friends and in our relationships. The other person may not even consciously feel it, but it is there, under the surface. Often we are "angry" at our partner because he or she does not act the way we think they should. When we have preconceived notions about how another should act we are acting from an inner anger and raging instincts that we are not totally consciously aware of. The commentary on hexagram forty one line one says in effect that we must not give with the expectation of return. Often we give and give and give, and we think that something should be returned, but when we give with the expectation of return we are creating an inner pressure in our partners. It is only when there is "delicacy of feeling that we can give ourselves freely and without hesitation."

Line four is the proper correlate of line one. And line four carries this theme even further. The commentary says, "A man's faults often prevent even well-disposed people from coming closer to him. His faults are sometimes reinforced by the environment in which he lives. But if in humlity he can bring himself to the point of giving them up, he frees his well-disposed friends from an 'inner pressure' and causes them to approach more quickly, and there is mutual joy." Our faults can be construed as a symbol for our inner "wanting" for things to be a certain way. Often men chase women who are backing away from them because they think that to be successful they must pursue their desires. But this desire leaves an inner pressure on the woman who even if well-disposed, cannot tolerate the appearance of desperation. (Women can do this too, once they have fully accepted a man and feel chemistry.) It is only when it no longer matters how a person responds, and we feel an inner letting go, and acceptance of the other person regardless, without the inner rancor or frustration at their behavior, that we free them from this "inner pressure." When we let go and no longer care, in a possessive sense, that we allow people to choose to come to us.

Hexagram eight line five teaches this same message somewhat, albeit in a different way. The analogy is the king who hunts the animals, but only the ones who have chosen, so to speak, to come into his domain, and in essence are "offering themselves" as a sacrifice to the hunter. In the same way, we can only choose those who willingly come to us of their own free accord, those who willingly sacrifice of themselves to be our friend, mentor, and/or lover. When we do this, when we allow this "acceptance" to happen, we in effect, brace the ridgepole in hexagram twenty eight, so that it no longer sags, and our relationship returns to one of harmony and love. And as the commentary on line four says, "A responsible man becomes master of the situation." "But if he uses his connections for personal power...it would lead to humiliation." We must let the relationship have its own life, and demand nothing from it for personal aggrandizement at the sake of the relationship itself. We must allow people to be who they are, without any personal motivations, but only motivations of love and harmony.

More on this later

A Strong and Good Friend

Hexagram twenty four line four speaks of a person who finds themselves in an "inferior society." They do however, have a strong and good friend. In society many times we find ourselves surrounded by people who do not harmonize with us for whatever reason. As hexagram eleven line two says, we "bear with the uncultured." Not everyone was meant to be our friends. There are times in life when we have to choose who we are naturally drawn to and who we are not. Hexagram sixty one speaks of the natural tendency for those who belong together to find each other. Hexagram forty five has an element of this also. When we do not seem to fit in with our surroundings, it can be a lonely situation. We feel like the wanderer in hexagram fifty six who has no close circle of friends. We must be very accommodating and humble. Sometimes this can be a delicate situation.

But if we can only remember that we do truly have a strong and good friend, that being our own higher selves. When we recognize this, as the commentary on hexagram twenty four line four says, "We turn back alone." The world and all its comforts are not quite so meaningful to us. We realize that while we are a "wanderer" we are not truly alone. We go to that which supports us. We go to our own higher self. Therefore, though we are alone in the world, we are not concerned. While still in the world, we are no longer of it. We no longer enjoy the "lower pleasures" of hexagram fifty eight line four, but find pleasure in the higher forms of "joyousness." We no longer find ourselves "associating with inferior people in whose company we are tempted by pleasures that are inappropriate for the superior man" (hexagram fifty eight line two). But we find pleasure in the true company of our own higher self, who teaches us the way, the tao, of true life and happiness. There is no greater happiness than to know we have "unity" with the source of all wisdom and knowledge, oneness with the creator of all, our own higher selves.

Leaning on Thorns and Thistles

Hexagram forty seven line three tells us that we are "leaning on thorns and thistles." We lean on thorns and thistles when we depend on things that cannot truly support us. We lean on thorns and thistles in our relationships when we are not truly in touch with what is real in the relationship. We lean on thorns and thistles when we depend on superficial matters to prop up our relationships, and do not for whatever reason get to the real root of the problem. We also lean on thorns and thistles when we are not clear on what is pertinent or not pertinent in our relationships, or our businesses, or our personal lives. We count on an illusion.

But we also lean on thorns and thistles when we depend entirely upon the material world. The material world is an illusion, and if we trust solely on it, it cannot continue to prop us up. The man "permits himself to be oppressed by stone" when he adamantly refuses to give up on the premise that there is nothing beyond the physical world. The stone is a symbol of the physical with nothing behind it. When we trust in the physical world, of necessity our ego takes over and tries to control that physical world. For if there is only a physical world, then everything exists outside of ourselves, and there is no "unity" at all within the cosmos, because everything is an independent object.

But we know that is not true. We know it is the consciousness that unites all things that is the ultimate reality. And when we recognize this unity, when we recognize the interconnectedness of all things, (hexagram thirty) then we no longer are "oppressed by stone." We have a guide in the spiritual realm that can help us, and guide us. This helper in the spiritual realm is the "forester" in hexagram three line three, without which "we lose our way in the forest." The forest is a metaphor for a land we are not familiar with, where everything looks the same and as such we cannot find our way home. Without the "spiritual" knowledge given to us by the I Ching, we can never truly find our way home. We are wanderers, as in hexagram fifty six. When we wander through the physical world we have no guideline, no teacher, no forester, who can show us the way. Without knowledge of the true spiritual teacher, our higher self, we go nowhere, and find ourselves "oppressed by stone." The way of the world invariably leads to oppression, suppression, and depression, because devoid of spirit it is cold and lifeless.

When we are oppressed by the mundanity of our physical world, it is as if we "enter our house and do not see our wife." Our wife here can be on one level a metaphor for our spiritual guide in the unseen realms. Since it is an unseen realm, naturally, we do not see our wife, unless we can comprehend and experience the unseen realm.

Entering our house can also be a metaphor for going within, to a place deep within. But if we do not understand the nature of the cosmos, if we are still beset by the commonplaces of life, we do not meet our higher self. We "do not see our wife." Our wife is a metaphor for something that we should be in a sense "married to." In other words, it is a metaphor for that which is our highest purpose. If we are caught up in the material world, we are not following our "highest purpose," and in that sense cannot be truly "married" to that which is our destiny, our purpose. We are "oppressed by stone and lean on thorns and thistles."

The Superior Man Receives a Chariot

Hexagram twenty three line six shows the final hours of decay when the structure collapses upon itself. There are times in our relationships, in our businesses, in our personal lives, where, no matter how hard we have tried, we just can not shore up the structure of our lives, and things will not stand, but fall apart.

This is a law of nature. We find in hexagram eighteen that it is not simply a law of nature but the price we pay for negligence. But it is also the law of nature that everything in the universe ultimately breaks down. It does not maintain stability. Our relationships may indeed last a lifetime, and happily so, but given enough time, if we lived long enough, those too would eventually break down, unless an awful lot of care was placed in them, enough care that it would almost be a superhuman task.

But hexagrams twenty three and twenty four, as well as hexagrams sixty three and sixty four, and many other pairs, show the natural law of degeneration, regeneration, back to degeneration, then back to regeneration. The line teaches us that at the time of the greatest collapse, at the time when everything has failed, and there is nothing else we can do, we must simply trust and allow. As in hexagram forty seven line two we "overcome a disagreeable situation by patience of spirit." We understand that while when good times end they are met with bad times, so, when bad times end they are met with good times.

But it all depends ultimately on our poise and patience, our commitment, and our confidence in the higher self to work for our ultimate good. Only the superior man can do this. For this reason the superior man "receives a chariot." We is given a way out, and when the collapse is complete, he finds the good, the "fruit uneaten" in it all.

There is another reason and way the superior man receives a chariot as well. The superior man realizes through the circumstances of life that there is a deeper meaning, and is willing to work to discover that meaning, and find "purpose" out of misfortune. The chariot is a means by which the superior person finds a deeper meaning in the I Ching. The chariot is a tool whereby we can go from one place (intellectually) to another. We are given a tool whereby we can unlock deeper secrets of the I Ching. Fortune is found in misfortune, and misfortune in fortune. As well, there is no blessing without a curse, and no curse without a blessing. Have we found the chariot whereby we can unlock the secrets of the I Ching? Have we received the chariot whereby we can have a deeper understanding of our true selves, of how to make our lives work, to have more harmony in our relationships, and more power to mobilize ourselves and enrich our lives in every way?

A Few Quick Notes

Primarily, it appears that the SOPA laws, the "internet kill switch" has been put on hold due to much resistance by "major web behemoths," (a quote from an article for today by Alex Jones), and free speech remains alive just a while longer, at least for the most part, (many videos have been removed from youtube by government request, despite the first amendment). There also seems to be some forward and backstepping on the possibility of war with Iran. This could be world war III, or it could be more minor for the time being. I do think something big is brewing here, it is just a matter of when the sidestepping will stop and action will begin. It may be some time down the road however.

We must take into consideration whether these events are just happening at this time in history, or whether they are really contrived. There may be those in power who wish to bring about the end times scenario predicted in the Bible. But why? Why bring about such death and destruction? The destruction caused by world war III in itself would be unimaginable. But suppose, and I submit to you there is, a group of people, who have a very slightly different genetic makeup that the common person, who for reasons we won't go into right now, absolutely hate the common man and are looking for ways to destroy mankind, making it look like it was the natural byproduct of war. If there is a war that destroys a large part of mankind in the works, in the process of that war, could not the genetically different elite on this planet use that same time to create extremely powerful superbugs to destroy our health? Destroy our crops? Use technologies such as HAARP to change our weather patterns, and wherever possible create mayhem?

There is a verse in the book of Revelations, (the most commonly used book of prophecy in the Christian Worlds Bible) that says, "hid themselves in the dens and the rocks of the mountains, And said to the rocks and mountains, fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne...." Do these people plan to use the underground bunkers as shelters during this time so that they can survive while the rest of mankind suffers? It is not as far fetched as some may think, for it is well known that the governments of the world have been rapidly creating underground shelters everywhere. I will leave it to the readers to decide what they think of this.

Many Variances

One of the beautiful and key things about the I Ching and the concept of yin and yang is that it can be taken on so many levels. Hence an affirmaton of the old principle, as above so below. Albeit, in many cases, on different levels the principles seem to reverse themselves. As such, while on many occasions yin would appear to be "evil" while yang is "good," this is not really the case, except as the outside observer would emotionally attach those qualities to it. For whatever is cannot exist without its opposite. And this is key to the I Ching and the Tao Teh Ching. Therefore, while it often appears in the I Ching that yang is being given positive press, in the Tao Teh Ching it would appear yin is being given positive press. Nevertheless, when we understand that nothing can exist without its opposite, we understand that neither one pole nor the other can be evil or good in and of itself. It is only when yin and yang express themselves in opposition to each other rather than in complement to one another that "evil" appears (to the observer).

Therefore the permutations between the powers of yin and yang cannot be exhausted. And on one level yin and yang can refer to space and time, on another it can refer to the interaction of the sexes, hence we get information on relationships. On yet another level it can refer to the rulers in relationship to the masses, or it can refer to conscious in relationship to subconscious, or it can relate to the higher self in relationship to the lower self, ego to spirit, spirit to matter, and on and on and on.

In many societies matter is considered to be evil, being devoid of its spiritual nature. But matter is merely the manifestation of the interactions of interference waves which are in essence spirit. So if we call matter bad in essence we are calling spirit bad as well. (This does not negate or belittle the argument that matter is bad, it is all a matter of context and understanding the real intent behind the metaphor.)

Again, yin and yang can refer to the soul of man as in contrast to the spirit of man. Unfortunately a certain website no longer exists that discussed this concept in depth. The creator of the website, Peter Novak, has decided to invest his time elsewhere. His books however, are I believe still available. They speak of the division of soul and spirit after death, the spirit being consciousness and the soul being subconsciousness, and all that these concepts intail. After death, if a person has not properly integrated these two forces, then soul and spirit separate, and the conscious mind no longer has any memory of itself, and just goes back to the universal force from which it came. In Japanese understanding, the spirit goes back to its Kami, or God. The soul, losing its conscious reason and logic, goes into a tailspin of memory and emotion, replaying its life experiences over and over again, with no rational thought on how to interpret these experiences.

We have not discussed this concept of the i Ching much, I hope to do much better in the future about daily getting out material that covers different aspects, including relationship analysis, spiritual analysis, and cosmic analysis with also some interpretation relating to the death experiences. The multidimensionality of the I Ching is for all practical purposes without end, and it becomes impractical to try to cover or discuss them all, but as much as possible I hope to do it.

Not Striving for Advantage

The I Ching informs us in many different ways of the same subject, over and over again, so that if we are persistent we get it. One of those very important subjects, we have been contemplating consistently is that of unity. Hexagram forty five continues the subject of unity. The commentary in line four says, "Since he is not striving for any special advantages for himself but is working unselfishly to bring about general unity, his work is crowned with success, and everything becomes as it should be." Selfishness obstructs unity, selflessness embellishes it. The key here is that the subject is not working for himself alone, but is working for a higher power, in this case the king in line five; but the king so often is a symbol for the "higher self" or that part of us that is bigger than the individual self. It is only when we give up self aggrandizement, only when we give up seeking control and taking for ourselves only out of fear that there is only so much and we need to control everything to survive, that we have any real chance at self improvement. In striving for others we ultimately help ourselves as well as others because we bring about unity.

There was a time when the absolute one consciousness of the universe decided that in order to experience itself fully, it would have to splinter itself into many different parts, then forget that all those parts were all its own consciousness. So the big bang began, and each part of the universe that came to be came to believe it was separate from every other part. In order to experience itself in this way, it had to forget that all was one. But for us that leaves disaster, for in thinking we are separate, we tend to be fearful of that which is outside of us and therefore, feel the need to control everything and every one. But there was still deep within the unconscious the memory that all was one, and wise men of the ages discovered this by one means or another, and as they did, in that sense they became like the prodigal son and began their journey home. There were many pitfalls along the way, for the sense of separation does not die easily, and even when we know intellectually that we are all one, we still operate in many ways from the deeply seated belief that we are separate from everyone and everything else, so our journey is a tenuous one where, every day we must "invest in loss," in order to gain the truly deep wisdom that all is one. There is no end to this journey back home, but ironically, in many ways "The road is better than the inn," and eventually we do for all practical purposes, find our way back home.

The key though, is the unselfish aspect of the line, for unselfishness is very selfish ultimately, but only in the good sense of the word, for the key to truly helping ourselves is to help others. And we especially must help others when we can to find their way out of the darkness into the light of "unity." For there is ultimately only one sin, the sin of ignorance." Even then the sin is somewhat meaningless in terms of punishment except as we, when given the light, refuse to come to that light. Oh, that we might have that light, and have it more abundantly.

Counting the Cost Part II

Part two is added here in a short paragraph because "counting the cost," is also part of the message Lao T'zu gave out when he said that 'every day he invests in loss." Every day he loses a little bit more. What is it that he loses? He loses himself. He loses his pride, his ego, and becomes more modest, knowing that there is an even bigger power than that of his little, limited selfish ego. With that knowledge he gains immeasurably in the more spiritual aspects of his nature, and as he becomes more aligned with a higher power, while at the same time remaining modest, his powerful intention (which comes from deeper within) manifests itself in the material world. Therefore Lao T'zu says, "Ever desireless, one sees the mystery, ever desiring, one sees the manifestation." The words have multiple meanings here and operate on many different levels, but on one level he appears to be saying that by eliminating the desires (of the little self) daily, (practicing chariot driving) he becomes freer and freer to behold the mystery. Through desire, (of the higher self) one manifests one's desires on the material plane. (This is just one meaning, there is a contrary meaning here as well.)

When we let go and allow the universe to flow through us, then we find that the universe accomplishes our deeper (more spiritual) desires through us, but if we focus only on the materialization of those desires, we cannot see the true mystery from which all things emanate. And that emanation is from the "Universal Subconscious Mind," or, in other words, from the Tao. Jesus said, "you cannot serve God and Mammon." in other words you cannot serve both the belief system of a material world only and at the same time, the belief system that there is spirit as well. You must recognize the two as one; that there is no difference and yet the first cause is spirit, the material is only a manifestation of the mind of the "Divine," The Tao. And it will melt away from you if you put your faith totally in it not recognizing the reality behind it.

The "pearl of great price" is the mystery of what we seek. The "pearl" is that first cause, of which the material world is only a reflection, and the "pearl of great price" is that ability to be so connected that we truly create our own reality. Our desire should only be to spirit, if our desire is to the material world, our desire is based on an illusion, and it is foolish to serve an illusion.

Counting the Cost

In any study of any spiritual discipline, one must count the cost for seeking the "pearl of great price" that is to be found at the heart of all great spiritual scripture. St. Paul said, "The letter killeth, it is the spirit that giveth life." This is true in all sacred literature. If we look just at the surface meaning of a line or hexagram, we are looking as did the young person in line two of hexagram twenty. We see only from our own limited capacity, and do not realize anything more is possible.

But if we want the "large fruit still uneaten," we are going to have to pay a price for it. In western religious tradition, when Jesus said something to the effect of "if you want to be my disciple you must count the cost," the later church took this to mean that you would have to realize that you are going to be persecuted. But there is a deeper message here (there always is) It is not simply a matter of being persecuted for believing the truth, it is a matter of having to give up time, to give up energy, and to give up things that are important to us. There is no other way. To truly know the I Ching, to truly know the message of Christ, there is going to have to be a time away from the mundane things that we love in order to spend time in meditation and study. We study the words of the text then we meditate upon them to find the more esoteric meaning, and the meaning that applies to each of us in this place and time that the lesson be personalized, and becomes part of our inner being. There is no other way but through sacrifice. It does not matter which spiritual tradition you accept, the only way to find the "pearl of great price" is to do the work, "practice chariot driving daily." The real goal for each person is to "know him or herself," not just superficially, but to really know the deeper aspects of the subconscious, and to know, not just believe, not just know intellectually, but to experientially know that we are one with the cosmos, with the universe. When we know that we have taken significant steps toward knowing ourselves, experientially, and knowing that we are "one with God." Full atonement, at-one-ment. But if we choose this step, if we choose to be a discipline of the Tao, of the I Ching, of the Christ or of the Buddha, we are going to have to count the cost, and see if we are capable of paying that price, the price of the "pearl of great price," which is to know our own place in the universe, and with the Cosmic Christ.

A Large Fruit Still Uneaten

Hexagram twenty three line six speaks of "a large fruit still uneaten." This line can have many meanings depending on the context. Here. let's look at this from the perspective of the speaker being the Sage, or the I Ching itself, and consider this. One way of looking at this line is that the "large fruit," represents an aspect of the line that has to do with the teaching of the Sage. When we are told that we still haven't eaten a large fruit, we may be being told that there is still a large amount of material in the I Ching that we haven't absorbed. Of course, this is always true, but here it may be saying that we are not getting the really good and nutritious teaching that is being presented us. Perhaps we have just had an "aha" breakthrough in studying the I Ching, and think we have gotten a great deal out of it. When we get this line the I Ching can be saying, that is only a fraction of the material that is meant for you to comprehend, keep digging.

All of us throughout our life are contemplating life and the meaning of it just as the young yin line in line two of hexagram twenty does; through the crack of the door. Our quest in life is to mature and become more deeply spiritual and moral beings. Each day we open the door a little farther, and we see a little bit greater view. We may think the door is now fully open, but that would be wrong. We all see, as St. Paul said, "through a glass darkly." We see as a child. Hexagram twenty three line six is simply another way of presenting this message to us that we are not finished yet. It is only when the seed falls to the ground, (is taken within the soul and nurtured) that new seed sprouts from old. We must always replenish the "water from the well," that we ever learn newer and deeper lessons. There is a depth beyond anything imaginable when we consult the I Ching and look on its pages for messages. There is always a metaphor, a meaning that points to another meaning. There are always symbols and allegories, and we must be diligent in searching them out, like the subject in hexagram fifty seven line two that employs priests and magicians in great numbers in order to seek the inner and deeper wisdom, the water of the well. We can never assumed we are finished. We can never assume we have graduated because there is always a deeper level.

Enriched Through Unfortunate Events

Hexagram forty two line three tells us that "we are enriched througb unfortunate events." When we are asking a specific question and receive this message, it applies to the circumstances under which we did the reading. But there is a positive aspect to the universe, and as such, in ways that don't seem apparent, we are always "enriched through unfortunate events." The problem is we don't expect this enrichment, and therefore don't seek it out. We focus solely on our misfortune, not realizing that we are part of a "spiritual world." Of course this applies to the person who is actively seeking a relationship with the divine, or with the higher self, than the one who is not. For the one who is not perceives merely of a physical world in which things happen by accident and we must do our very best to control the world, to make sure no accidents happen to us. If we take this approach, and attempt to control everything, we find in the end that we are "mistaken in our calculations." (I will have to look up the hexagram and line where that quote is taken.) As The Emperor said in "Return of the Jedi," "Young fool, only now, at the end do you see the truth." (Actually it was the Empire who in the end found out "he was mistaken about a great many things.") The Empire controlled things up until the end, but still was "mistaken in his calculations," because one cannot ultimately maintain control over a universe that is not his or hers.

There is a key here though, that ensures whether or not we truly are enriched, though we might be anyway, but not to the same degree. The commentary says, "These persons become free of error, and by acting in harmony with truth, they gain such inner authority that they exert influence as if sanctioned by letter and seal." The key is in acting in harmony with the truth. This is what made young Jedi Luke Skywalker able to overcome his father and the Emperor, and be eventually reconciled to his father, that he remained in harmony with the truth, and was not led aside by distractions such as the promise of power and lust. Once one has turned to the dark side, (and in limited ways, we all have) they are no longer "in harmony with the truth," but have given themselves over to anger, lust and the pursuit of power. But real power only comes when one gives up his ego, gives up his quest for power, wealth, and other things, but allows himself to be influenced only by the will of heaven. Luke hinted about this to his father in "Return of the Jedi." His father said to him, "so now you have accepted the truth that I am your father." Luke said in effect that he had accepted the truth that his father was once Anakim Skywalker, a great Jedi, and had turned and become "Darth Vader." Darth says, "That name no longer has any meaning to me." Luke says, "It is your true self, you have simply forgotten who you are." We have all forgotten who we truly are. We all have been deceived by a lie. We all have forgotten our true heritage as did the prodigal son, and have been caught up in the materialism of the world, thinking that it is just dead matter. We have forgotten our true spiritual heritage, and forgotten that we are truly "sons of the creator," and are part and parcel of all there is, which is all the creator, and which all has consciousness, (spirit) Sometimes it takes a shocking event, (the Emperor shocked Luke several times intending to kill him before Luke's father sees the truth and comes to his rescue) in order to reveal to us who we truly are, and that the universe is a beneficial place, full of the riches of the "cosmic Christ," our true son and our true Father.

Clings to What is Right

The commentary on the image of hexagram thirty says, "...So too the twofold clarity of the dedicated man clings to what is right and thereby shape the world. Human life on earth is conditioned and unfree, and when man recognizes this limitation and makes himself dependent upon the harmonious and beneficial forces of the cosmos, he achieves success." For the less experienced person, when he or she inquires of the I Ching, they would not be impressed by the wisdom of these words. If they think there is an exterior world, independent of the higher self, they would pass by these words and look for a more innocent, more naive, and more concrete meaning to the hexagram received. We can only receive what we are ready for. And the purpose for this site and others like it is to prepare the ground more each day, as we "die daily to self," (the ego) as we "take up our cross and follow the Christ force", or Buddha force, or the tao, as we "invest in loss," we find more and more within the pages, that earlier on we skipped over without having any clue as to the significance of the commentary.

We have to understand first of all that the physical world is a mirror image of the spiritual, that there really is a spiritual world, else, how could it be that one could make oneself dependent on "the harmonious and beneficient forces of the cosmos? Obviously, science does not recognize any "beneficient" or malignant forces of the cosmos, they only recognize physical laws, such as gravity and electromagnetism, etc.. But we wish to hold ourselves to a higher understanding. We recognize that there is a world, and there are forces beyond that which we see, even with scientific instruments, for it is foolish to think that we have discovered all there is to discover. But in the sacred texts of the world, including the I Ching, we can find a coded message about the nature of the cosmos, and its true scientific meaning. And we do find it has life. It is conscious, and it is beneficient providing we acquiesce to it as described in hexagram two. Hexagram one tells us something about the nature of the universe as a whole, and hexagram two, on one level (of many) tells us something about our relationship to that universe. (Hexagram fifteen also describes our proper attitude toward it and our relationship to it.) Hexagram thirty tells us that we must cling to the principles upon which this universe is built, and follow what is right. By our selves we are very limited in our capabilities, but if we trust, and submit ourselves, making ourselves dependent upon the harmonious and beneficient forces of the universe, we find that "behold, fate is favorable." St Paul said much the same thing when he said that "all things work together for good for them that love God (submit to the harmonious forces), that are called according to his purpose" (those that have found their true calling in life and are working not just for themselves but for the greater good. They "work for the greater good, and dependent on the benevolence of heaven."

It is only when we are "willing to follow, that we find guidance." (hexagram two). But if there is no conscious in the universe itself, what would we be following? We would be following a pipe dream. But this is not the case. We find there is a higher intelligence than that of our limited conscious minds, the ego, and this higher intelligence is what we follow. Doing what is right is doing what we were placed on earth to do. It is doing that which is natural (hexagram twenty five) to us. When we do what is right we cling to that spiritual power that guides our life, that unswerving inner purpose, (hexagram thirty two) which corresponds with our fate and destiny. When we follow the ego we follow that which is limited and illusory, for there is in reality no ego, only the appearance of such, which if we follow we fail, for it is not a part of us.

We must learn to recognize the real from the illusory, the superficial from the depths of understanding, and our true purpose from that which is artificial and egotistically inclined. It is only when we come into alignment with our true purpose that we can accomplish great things. But first,of course, to know ourselves, we must "draw up the water from the well." We must look to our true source, the spiritual world, which is the only real world. The physical is an illusion. May we ever drink more deeply from the true water which springs up to life everlasting.

A Place of Transition

As we learned in studying hexagrams one and two, the third line has elements of "a place of transition." The subject discussed in the reading has reached the top of the lower trigram, and is ready to climb higher to the upper, or heavenly, trigram. This introduces the concept of "danger" in the third line because to enter the heavenly realm before the time is right can be disastrous. To properly analyze the situation, often it is necessary to recognize whether the line is "correct," a yang line in the third is normally correct, or if not correct, is it a situation where the softness of the line tempers an undue hardness of a yang place. It is also necessary to notice the neighbors and the corresponding sixth line to come to a correct determination. Finally, it is necessary to examine the overall intent of the hexagram.

In hexagram twenty line three the commentary says plainly, "The point of transition has been reached." (Here a yin line tempers the hardness of the position, so that there is some safety for the line. It also has a proper correspondence with the nine in the sixth place.) The commentary goes on to say, "We no longer look outward to receive pictures that are more or less limited and confused, but direct our contemplation upon ourselves in order to find a guideline for our decision." When a person reaches the stage where he or she is ready to take a larger view of life, (not the limited view of line two) they take a look within because it is there that they can find the truth out about at one and the same time, themselves and how they themselves are creating their own reality. The commentary goes on to say, "This self-contemplation means the overcoming of naive egotism in the person who sees everything solely from his own standpoint. He begins to reflect and in this way acquire objectivity." Almost always, people look to spiritual sources for answers only when their life is truly not working, and they are looking for answers. At first they look outside of themselves, but find only more troubles. Eventually, as they "reach the place of transition," they begin to go inside. This is because it is not until we truly understand that our problems come from within, that we have any sort of basis for making sense of life. As such, Lao Tzu spoke of "daily investing in loss." The loss that he speaks of refers to loss of ego, so that spirit may take hold. Jesus was effectively saying the same thing when he said, "If any man would be my disciple, he must take up his cross daily, and follow me." By taking up the cross, we die daily to the outside life and learn to "follow" the heart, or the messages of spirit. It is only when we let go of ego that we "begin to see things objectively, because before that everything is connected back to ourselves and how we need to "control" others and our own circumstances."

Much of eastern spirituality relates to the ability of the true masters to look at themselves from outside themselves. In other words, observe themselves as if they were not related to themselves, while at the same time observing everything else. Each day through practice, (practicing chariot driving,) we learn to do this more. In that way we are "investing in loss," and "taking up our cross daily." By observing from outside ourselves does not contradict going within. It is only by going within that we find that deeper part of ourselves that can see ourselves more objectively. But none of this can be done until "The place of transition has been reached."

Hopes for the future

Even though we are living in very precarious times, and things are very much in the air, and I have been delayed a few times, I still plan to have a new computer within at least two months, and then set up a full webpage at the time. It will include "readings" options, a link to the blogspot, an interactivity board, and several other features.

Things are precarious though because of planned legislation by the federal government for an "internet kill switch" which will effectively ban free speech. How soon that will happen though I don't know because the more the government shows its hand, the more people wake up and say, "hey, something is wrong here." That is the one and only thing they fear, and that is why they are pushing hard to complete their plans by the end of 2012. Many of their plans have been slowed down or delayed because people find out about them and put up a fight. Senate Bill 1867 has passed though, which effectively ends all rights of all citizens. No more will you be allowed a lawyer if the highest levels of government suspects you of something. This will not happen right away because the more it happens, the more people wake up. But when they are ready, they will act.

Nevertheless, the I Ching as a subject is probably not too threatening to those committed to tyranny. Therefore I will go ahead with plans.

A minimal account of relationships in hexagram #33

Well, I have been sidetracked about talking about relationships per se in terms of the hexagrams with line two and five and yin and yang respectively, partly because hexagram thirty three is so difficult to interpret relationship wise in the English version. That does not mean that wisdom cannot be gleaned from its pages in this manner, but it is more difficult for those who do not know the original Chinese.

There are, however, some lessons to be learned, depending on one's level of comprehension. The second and fifth lines show the attitude that one must have toward the other in a relationship. The second line is yin, and as such it must cling to the yang line as much as possible. In contemporary parlance, this can mean that we must do everything possible in a relationship to make it work, and we must cling together, hold together in order for the relationship to work.

On the other hand, line five appears to be about doing the opposite, but this is just the flip side of the same coin. Our attitude on the one hand must be that we make the relationship work, but on the other hand that must be done without becoming what some might call a clinging vine. There must at one and the same time be an attitude of doing whatever it takes to make the relationship work, while at the same time being totally detached from it. This on the surface does not make any sense, but lets look at it this way. If we are constantly doing things out of fear, with a view of making the relationship work, the more it slips away from us. If we work, however, to maintain it, while being at the same time totally detached from it, we are in effect showing a lack of fear, and we do not have to say the words, "The thing that I most greatly feared has come upon me." (Words of Job in the old testament.) The fifth line retreats, but it is a friendly retreat. In other words, the fifth line has no animosity nor hatred of the second line, and even considers the line a friend, but at the same time, it asks nothing of the relationship out of a lack of self confidence but simply does what it does to maintain it.

This gives us men some hint as to what women actually mean when they say they are attracted to confidence. For what women consider confidence often comes across as arrogance to men. This difference in perception makes life often difficult between men and women. From a man's point of view, excessive confidence in a woman comes across as total disinterest, and is not necessarily appealing, and yet studies show that women in general are very confident in relationships. That comes across as extreme coldness to men. The key here is to do what is right for the sake of doing only what is right, as hexagram twenty five says, "not counting on the harvest while plowing." We do what is right in our relationships only because it is right, while at the same time being totally detached in our minds as to the outcome.

In a way, this is right for women, and men too to a certain extent, for clinging vine, and acting out of fear, even if it is not totally perceived that way by the partner, will have elements within it that come across as victim thinking. It has been said that the person who cares the least in a relationship has complete control over the other person. This is true, while yet ironic. It does not seem fair, yet in a way it is. We must give the other person the right to be themselves. We must give them the right to come and go as they please. It is also somewhat ironic that showing an interest in someone too early only chases them away. The second line attaches itself and will not let go, but the fifth line is only repelled and leaves the scene. It is like line one of hexagram thirty eight that says, "If you lose your horse do not run after it, it will come back of its own accord." In this way we can have complete confidence in our relationships.

Remember the discussion about how a man is simply looking for a woman, but a woman is looking for the "right" man. It would appear that men are at a complete disadvantage when they are dating a beautiful woman because the least little slip up by the man means she can simply dump him and go out with any of the three billion other men in the world who would jump at the chance to be with her. But when she does this, she finds that the other men are not the "right" man, with whom she feels the "right" chemistry, and returns. Relationships are bizarre, and men and women think very differently about them.

A Main Principle is Unity

I am struck how that in all my readings of late for personal development, the subject of unity, and gathering together keeps coming up over and over again with little in between. And that is why I keep harping on this subject in these posts. It is not that there are not other principles, but this one is important, and it affects so many levels. It affects us within ourselves and our own personality because for the most part we are all subject to moods, and have various little "I"s popping up within us, each with its own personal agenda, and it keeps us from staying on track with one united purpose, so that while we accomplish things, we do not achieve the great success we wish for. In the same way our relationships falter because our moods keep us from interacting with our partner in a consistent way and our partner does not know how to interact with us. We also must come to understand moods in our partner, and accept that in our partner, come to terms with it, and allow it. The same is true in our interactions with society as a whole. How do we interact with them. Also, unity or the lack thereof determines our success in connecting with the higher self within us.

Therefore, when I receive hexagrams such as fifty nine, though the topic is on disbursement, it really means dispersion of disparate elements which keep us from harmony and union. Often times there is nothing to be done but get out of the situation if we can. If we can't though, we are going to have to "bear with the uncultured in gentleness," (hexagram eleven line two). This often is an affront to our feelings of dignity and hurts us and we find ourselves wanting to strike back. This is not, however, the most advantageous position in the long run. If we strike back we perpetuate the situation and this leads to even greater warfare. The commentary on hexagram fifty nine line two says, "He must arouse himself inwardly, hasten to that which supports him. Such support is never found in hatred, but always in a moderate and just judgment of men, linked with good will." It is our ego which wishes to strike back. It is our ego which feels the hurt, and the immoderate judgment of us as individuals, for we know we meant well, regardless of the misperception or ill will of the person who has hurt us. We must always strive for union, whether it be union within our own personality, union with society in general, union with our partners, or union with our own higher self. Now that does not mean we have to be buddy buddy with everyone who comes down the pike, it means rather that we do not judge them harshly. It does not mean we have to make friends with everyone we meet. Some people were not meant to be together. That does not at the same time, mean they have to be enemies.

All too often we take an attitude of defense in regard to others. Hexagram thirty eight line six says, "One sees one's companion as a pig covered with dirt, As a wagon full of devils. First one draws a bow against him." So often our perception of others creates the manner in which they interact with us. When we truly see our companions as devils, they become that way for us. The old saying is, "I'll believe it when I see it." But more truly is it said, "I'll see it when I believe it." When we change our perception, when we change the way we see the world and others, in the same way, our world changes. The only way to change the world is to change ourselves, and the way we perceive the world. When we change our perception we realize that our companions are not "wagons full of devils, but are coming to us for the purpose of union. Unity is one major key in the I Ching. When we study the I Ching or the purpose of learning how to create unity, we understand ourselves in relationship to the cosmos much better. The cosmos is no longer a dangerous place, but is entirely beneficial.

In our relationships too. How often is it that we view our partner as "the enemy?" We tell ourselves that we are in love with them, and yet treat them as an enemy that is to be changed, that is not lovable "as is," but must be modified somehow, must have the rough edges knocked off, and learn how to act as we want them to act. When we create our partner as such we are "drawing the bow against them." And opposition only leads to more opposition. We are not "bearing with the uncultured in gentleness." Which really our attitude should be for we are all uncultured in relationship to the sage. We must at one and the same recognize our own weakness more so than that of others, and yet, just as we must maintain a moderate and just judgment of others, we must maintain a modest and just judgment of ourselves. For unity with others begins with unity with ourselves.