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.