Action in Conformity to the Situation

A major key to understanding the commentary on hexagram two is the quote,"Applied to human affairs, therefore, what the hexagram indicates is action in conformity with the situation...It is not his task to lead-that would only make him lose his way-but to be led by the situation. If he knows how to meet fate with an attitude of acceptance, he is sure to find the right guidance...but learns from the situation what is demanded of him and then follows this intimation from fate."

First, let us understand that on a deeper level we see here again the need to create within ourselves a receptive mind open to the guidance of the universe. It is only through this means that we consistently know what the time period demands of us. Everything is a sine wave. A sine wave has frequency and modulation, and sometimes it is at a high point, sometimes low, and sometimes near the middle. The I Ching is a guidance system that tells us where we are in relationship to that sine wave. But to bring this down to the human level it is also necessary to know exactly where we stand in relationship to others. Females are much more attuned to this than men are. The idea that women are from Venus gives us a hint, as Venus rules Libra, the sign of the scales, balance, or social interaction. Women concern themselves with where they relate with others, and fit into the whole. Men do not do this so much. They do create a hierarchy though, of high to low. Their relationship to society is more of a vertical one, where for women, generally speaking, it is more of a lateral one. There is a bit of irony here though, that while women are not so inclined to create hierarchies, they tend to chose men who are higher on the hierarchial level. While men create hierarchies, the social status of women, especially financial, (their hierarchial level) is generally of less concern to them.

But enough said of male female relationships for the moment. There are bigger issues here. The hexagram reminds us that we must not try to go it alone. We need both the yang energies and the yin in order to act harmoniously and relate properly. While on the social level, men should display the more positive of masculine aspects, and women the more positive feminine aspects, on the spiritual level we must maintain balance between the two. The mind must become receptive to universal power in order to receive the answers to our daily questions and dilemmas. Without this our understanding of the I Ching, and all spiritual books, will never be very advanced, and the guidance we get will be minimal.

So, on the basis of that, we can go to hexagram three line three, and see a further definition of the things we are presently discussing. Hexagram three line three, being a yin line in a yang position says, "Whoever hunts deer without the forester only loses his way in the forest. The superior man understands the signs of the times and prefers to desist." In other words, the superior man is willing to be guided. It is a matter of hubris to think we can go it alone in this world. We do not consciously have the knowledge to guide us through the pitfalls that are found in life. The commentary says, "Fate cannot be duped: premature effort, without the necessary guidance, ends in failure and disgrace." If we think we can go it alone, we are only deceiving ourselves. We need a guide, and the I Ching is in many ways, that guide. In every line in the I Ching, the I Ching is talking about itself in its relationship to us.

Since the third line is yin, we can look at the prototype hexagram two to get a taste for its meaning. (Since it is in a yang place we can also look at hexagram one, but more on that later.) Line three in hexagram two says, "Hidden lines. One is able to remain persevering. If by chance you are in the service of a king, Seek not works, but bring to completion." First of all, there are "hidden lines." In other words, there is more to the story than meets the eye. Anyone who thinks they can always control things through the power of the conscious mind alone is sadly mistaken. It does not see all that exists. Its viewpoint is very limited. Therefore, we must develop our intuition as well, and allow ourselves to be guided. The commentary says, "He does not seek to have credited to himself things that stand accomplished, but hopes to release active forces;..." He does not seek credit for himself because he realizes he could never do the work without the help of the "forester." No man is an island. We are not totally on our own. We must recognize our place in the cosmos, recognize the "forester" (The I Ching itself) and give the credit to the forester, not our own limited abilities.

Fighting Climate Change

I saw a news story today about hackers meeting to fight climate change. If you have been following this thread you will know that all is consciousness and that the material world is only an illusion created by that consciousness. Therefore it is impossible to fight global warming in the way they are trying to do it, because it is our own consciousness on this globe that is creating the problem. It is not man made except in minor ways, but is in fact a reaction to the war, the oppression, and the tyranny that is happening around the globe. As the mass consciousness of those who are a victim of tyranny and unbelievable cruelty reaches high proportions, nature reacts in the only way it can. You begin to see serious sunspots on the sun. You begin to see radical changes in the weather, and the only way to combat that is to recreate harmony, peace, and prosperity on the face of the earth. However, that is not going to happen for several years yet. So extreme weather will continue to be a problem, until mankind looks in the right place for a solution, which is in its heart, not in its head. Be prepared for major changes in the earth's system, and in its attempts to balance itself and create harmony.

In the meantime the government will pass a lot of laws, and some of them are already about to go into effect, that will supposedly help reduce climate change, but will in effect only become an economic burden on the people, and create more disharmony. As such, the government becomes more and more tyrannical, destroying the lives of the people. But ultimately, even the government will be destroyed by the extreme weather changes coming about.

Silent Dancing at the Jefferson Memorial

Although not much has been seen in the news about this event, it has been carried on a few stations. People protesting the loss of liberty in America have silent danced at the Jefferson Memorial and have been detained for doing so. The dancers want to assert their rights to liberty as a protest against the intrusion of draconian style government in the U.S. As much as I agree with them in principle, I really do not believe this is the time or place. While it is true that the memorial is owned by the people, it is owned by ALL of the people, and it is well posted that the memorial is meant to be a place of quiet, awe, and respect. And that is what I think most American's would want in this situation. I do not agree with the protest in this place. However, the groping of American's at the airport is another matter. I do not see why the protests are not being carried out there rather than in a peaceful place where no laws are being broken. Texas, and a few other states are considering laws that would stop in most circumstances the groping of private citizens. The law failed in Texas once, but is being considered to be resurrected. This is where protest should go on. Not by dancing, but by insisting that state laws be respected even by TSA. Why do we pick the wrong place and the wrong way to protest? I think it is because of a fundamental misunderstanding of where, when, and how our rights and liberties are to be applied. When laws are passed that are supported by the citizenry, they should be obeyed. When laws are passed that do not take into account the wishes and desires of the citizenry, then it becomes tyranny. And the U.S. is now a tyranny, which means laws are passed regardless of the wishes of the citizenry, and laws are being passed that knowingly hurt our economy, The Federal Reserve is out of control, is not under the review of the government, and is working toward a one world government with no constitution, and no concern for the welfare of the people, and no one is doing anything to control them, or reign them in. This is where we need to focus.

There are not that many people that read these posts, so these words will go completely unheeded. But those that do read, I hope they will take these things to heart. Study history so we can see what liberty properly is and properly is not, and take action on this basis.

More on Yin Being Receptive

I got sidetracked a little in the recent post. Here perhaps I can explain this a little bit more. Since the conscious mind is yang, and the subconscious yin, it is the subconscious that is receptive to cosmic wisdom. Therefore, when we read the I Ching, we must be in a calm and meditative state in order to receive the answer. Conscious interference must be put to the side, and we must be open to the wisdom of the universe. That is where the answers really come from. When we are in a state of high agitation, we cannot properly receive the message. Therefore yin becomes extremely important. Without receptivity, nothing can happen. In this way, the conscious mind becomes synonymous with the ego. Eastern spirituality and western also has consistently told us we must let go of the ego in order to be reconciled with spiritual power. Therefore, the prayer that Jesus discussed where the one person was thanking God that he was not born as other men and was not a sinner, while the other was asking for mercy is a strong indicator of how we must present ourselves to the universe in order to become reconciled, (atonement - at-one-ment) with the universal quantum field. In releasing the ego, we allow ourselves to be receptive to the quantum field. (Universal subconscious mind.) This can only be done through meditation. Without meditation one will never discover the deeper aspects of the I Ching. The Nativity story of Herod killing all the children in order to kill the Christ child is an allegory of how the conscious mind tries to kill the subconscious, to subjugate it, and control it, so that its rulership will never be overthrown. Bear in mind that all of this is allegory, and it is not absolute good versus absolute evil. Both yin and yang have their positive and negative aspects. We must develop with ourselves true yang and true yin, not the false. More on that will be discussed later.

Yin is receptive

It has been established that yang is consciousness, yin is subconsciousness. It could also be said, yang is intellect, yin is emotion. As such they have different viewpoints about the role of emotion. Yin is comfortable with emotion, yang not so much so. Therefore men see emotional expression as weakness, women see it as strength. As always, neither side is right or wrong over all but only in context. One time I had started dating a woman, and there came a point where I became a little upset about something. Her response? "Now was that so hard to express?" What?! What kind of answer was that? Do you really think I am afraid to show my emotions? Of course not. But for some reason it came across that way. If I hadn't shown emotion before that time it was because I felt no need to, not because I was afraid to. To me it was just silly, ridiculous even. And it put me in a position where there was nothing I could say or do to alleviate the situation. Her view of reality was totally different than mine. Her view of reality was different than mine and there was no way to correlate the two views. Think, ladies, about how that would come across to a man. He gets upset about something and this response in effect is saying to the man, "what you just got upset about means nothing to me. Who cares how you feel?" It was the ultimate insult. But not in her mind. I remember a story line in the sitcom "All in the Family" a few years ago, where Archie's doctor told him that he had to start being nicer to control his blood pressure. And every time Edith did something he didn't like he would start to yell, but squelch it and say, "That's all right Edith." And her response? She went crying to Gloria saying, "Archie doesn't love me anymore. He doesn't care if the dinner is late, etc., etc., etc." Do you see what kind of problems these scenarios can create in relationships when we don't even understand each other? What one sex considers irrational anger the other calls love. Was Archie's way right? Was Edith's way right? She saw only the good in everyone. Is that good? Is it naive? Each of these questions can be answered in both ways, all depending on the context and the perceptive of the one perceiving the situation. I once knew a woman who had been married to a four star general. She divorced him because he was in her mind unwilling to show her emotions. She felt that he must be holding it in and someday he would explode. Can you imagine a four star general afraid of showing his emotions? Of course not. If a soldier disobeys his orders he wouldn't hesitate to say how he feels about it. It has to be in the right context. If a commanding officer were constantly showing his emotions, the men would lose respect for him, and would not feel comfortable going into battle with him because they would see him as weak. But here is the crux of the situation, men feel that uncontrolled emotional display is a weakness. Women consider it a strength. Is it any wonder we don't understand each other?

A little bit about the lines

We will get into this deeper in time, but for now a little bit about the nature of the lines, and a little bit about other things.

Each hexagram is made up of two outer trigrams, (and two nuclear trigrams). Within the context of that setup, the first line is, generally speaking, premature. The second line is central and balanced, and the third line has as a general rule gone too far. That can give us some hint about how to interpret questions about relationships, or any other subject for that matter. When we receive the first line of a trigram, especially the first line of a hexagram, things tend to be in their incipient stages. It might be remembered also, that the first line is properly a yang line. Therefore, when we get the first line we can look at hexagram one line one and see that the "dragon has not yet appeared in the field." In other words, the power of spirit has not manifested yet on the material plane. When we get a first line that is yin, then there is an element, but an element only of manifestation, but the situation has not developed yet, and we need to look at the signs to see which direction the situation is heading. The first line of hexagram two says, "When there is hoarfrost underfoot, solid ice is not far off." In other words, look at the signs. But the signs cannot be there unless the material world is already in existence. And that is what the yin energy is all about. Yang is spirit, yin is material. The material world in hexagram two is in existence because yin is material, and yin follows yang. The spirit is infused into the material world. They are one and the same. They only appear different. But appear they really do. And about appearance. Scientists, in discovering the quantum world, came to the conclusion that a cat in a box, before being seen, is not necessarily either dead or alive, and it is not determined until someone opens the box and observes the cat. In the same way, the physical plane only exists when there is an observer to observe it. This is spirit. And since spirit observes, the form comes into being. But again, the first line shows the beginning of the creation of form. And in a reading, the beginning of a concrete situation which we need to be aware of. So too, in relationships, so much depends on the perspective of those in the relationship that are observing it, for ultimately it is our own inner belief systems about the relationship, and relationships in general, that create the nature of the relationship. Therefore, when we receive an I Ching reading, it is only reflecting back to us our subconscious images that we hold within, which ultimately create the nature of the relationship.

The fourth line of a hexagram which an aspect of prematurity to it too, but on a different level. It is only premature in relationship to a higher level situation than we had before. In other words, the fourth line has reached a certain level, and has just experienced a transition into the upper trigram, which is heaven in relationship to the lower trigram earth. This puts the fourth line into a little bit of danger, having not previously been in the upper trigram. So, the fourth line, being properly yin, is described in hexagram two, in the Wilhelm/Baynes commentary, as a situation where, "the strictest reticence is indicated here. The time is dangerous, because any degree of prominence leads either to the enmity of irresistible antagonists if one challenges them or misconceived recognition if one is complaisant." It is premature in the sense that the line has now entered the upper trigram and as such has not fully comprehended the laws that apply to that order. And how do we know the fourth line has transcended? Hexagram one, which implies time and energy, the commentary on line four says, "a place of transition has been reached."

This can give one pause for thought when a question is asked about a relationship, because it is saying in effect that the relationship has reached a new level, and there is a twofold path that can unfold here depending on how we handle the situation. If we are careless, we can wreck the relationship, but with caution and circumspection, we can create an even more delightful situation.

Yin and Yang are Different

Yin and yang are different. They compose a comprehensive whole and cannot be separated, they both are essential, and cannot exist without the other, and yet they are different and in terms of male and female especially, they have a very different social makeup and play by different social rules. This creates a problem because it is almost impossible for either sex to truly understand the other and that creates serious difficulties in relationships. If you are a male, it is very, very hard to understand the female. And if you are female it is very, very hard to understand the male. This leads to multiple problems in relationships that cannot easily be resolved because neither side understands the underlying nature of the problem. And before we go any further, let this be understood, that just because you do not think things should be a certain way does not mean they are not that way. The version of "fairness" that each individual holds in mind is based on a limited view of universal principle. None of us hold a complete view of the nature of the universe. Therefore, we truly need to keep our version of fairness in abeyance, and be more receptive to what we see around us.

Yang is more intellectual, yin is more emotional. Yang is spirit, yin is matter. The conscious mind in both males and females is more intellectual, the subconscious mind, male or female, is more emotional. However, women are a little more in touch with the subconscious than men are. Society has trained the subconscious out of our awareness for both male and female, but more male than female. Women are a little more in touch with their feeling nature. This can be of great service to them because they can feel when things are wrong. Women feel it, men look for the clues. Both ways work, but in some cases feeling works better, in others, the clues work better.

Why is this important? Well, because it keeps us from understanding each other. Women, being more in tune with their emotions, tend to get caught up in their emotions more than men do. This can be a great advantage in many ways, but it can also be a disadvantage if we get overly caught up in emotional drama. It seems to men often that women wish to just wallow in their emotions without being willing to do anything about it. It is almost as if they "love" their drama. Women feel that men do not validate their emotions. In not validating their emotions, women feel, and correct me if I am wrong women, or at least put it in a slightly different light, for I am not female, and therefore cannot truly speak for females, that we men are not validating them as persons. To men, this doesn't even make sense. To them, there needs to be a solution to an emotional feeling and they will search logically for an answer to that feeling. They will give a solution. Women often do not like this. To them it lacks validation, and to men, the emotion lacks logical analysis. Men do feel emotion. But to them, emotion is just something that "gets in the way." It slows down their logical processes so they are not comfortable with it. When they do feel comfortable with it, they consider it their own private little domain that no one else has the right to see. It is personal and private. Therefore, they are not comfortable sharing emotions with each other. As such, sports and similar activities become very important to them as it gives them something to discuss with each other without divulging their feelings, except of course, for the outcome of the game. Men lose respect very quickly for another man who shows any form of personal emotion, and will likely just say, "Sounds like a personal problem, I don't want to hear it." Men expect every person to be responsible for themselves, and not burden others with personal feelings. Men are competitors. Women are cooperative. Men bond with other men by going through tough times and finding solutions to those problems. Women bond with each other by sharing emotional states of being and feelings. To men women seem like drama queens who just exult in carrying emotions to the extreme. To women, men seem like emotional cowards who are too afraid to show their emotions. And next time, I promise to discuss how this is a misunderstanding of the male position, and how to understand it better. Men need to understand the female position much better too. Although both sexes need to understand too that neither sex is going to ultimately understand the other no matter how much discussion is given because we are different, and can never fully understand those differences and just live with it.

A little bit about hexagram two, the yin force

Before we get into the meaning of the lines, or even deeper into the mysteries of yin and yang, space and time, force and receptivity, we need to hone a little bit our understanding of pure yin energy. It is in every way the opposite of yang, and therefore would seem to be contradictory and in opposition to yang. In its state of falsehood, it is, yet in its true state of receptivity, it does not combat yang energy. When yin and yang oppose each other, and struggle against each other, the result is that which is depicted in the sixth line of each hexagram. It is not a pretty picture, for these two energies are eternal, indestructible, and uncontrollable, yet when they fight, they create destruction on an unprecedented scale in the constructs of space and time. Line six of hexagram one says, "Arrogant dragon will have cause to repent." If yang thinks it can act and accomplish without the use of yin energy, or if it thinks to overcome and suppress yin energy, it will find it cannot accomplish anything. Yang provides the energy, but yin provides the space. Yang creates, but yin is the receptacle in which yang creates. Without that receptive power, nothing can be created. In the same way, If yin energy competes with yang, or tries to diminish it, the result, as depicted in line six, "dragons fight in the meadow; their blood is black and blue." A fight between the two energies is unthinkable because they are both equal, and cannot diminish each other. Therefore they don't destroy each other but create havoc with each other. This can go on perpetually since both are equal, indestructible, and neither side can be in any way victorious.

Therefore it is wise for them to cooperate, and not compete. Yet we will see soon that proper forms of competition are also forms of cooperation. But lets look at the two forms of energy for a moment. Considering the nature of the two forms of energy we see that competition is primarily an attribute of yang energy, while cooperativeness is primarily a form of yin energy. In the world of humans, males tend naturally to compete, (and now days women do to to a large extent, but not as much,) and women tend to cooperate. There is a great deal of addage to the concept that "men are from Mars and women from Venus." For mars is the ruler of the first sign of the zodiac, Aries, which tends to put self first. Venus is the ruler of Libra which tends to think in terms of relationships. The weakest aspect of men is that they tend to think of themselves first, and will often sacrifice a relationship for their own needs, while the weakest aspect of women is that they often tend to sacrifice themselves, their dignity, and their pride, for the sake of the relationship. It is two opposite ways of being. The key is to remember that neither side is totally right or totally wrong. It is just a different type of energy. Once we become aware of this, we can integrate the two forces, and become more cooperative, or more unwilling to sacrifice our own dignity for the sake of relationships. The key in all things is to have balance, which is why the central line of each trigram is usually the ruler of that trigram. We must integrate both sides into a unified whole, and be consciously aware of the choices we make, rather than just having random tendencies never realizing that others do not react in exactly the same way. We tend to react unconsciously, inadvertently, and without awareness. We are what we are. It never occurs to us that there is another way to act, unless a master of life brings it to our attention.

We have to realize that competition when properly used really is a form of cooperation, because we are cooperating with our competitor in order to get better. If we cooperate without really realizing what we are doing, we lose the incentive to find ways to get better, and we tend to stagnate. However, we must be aware of the cooperative aspect of it. We must want to win, but not just for ourselves, but because, when we get better, so does our competition. We figure out a way to win, then they figure out a better way to be winners also, and in the end we are all winners. This is how competition becomes cooperation.

Cooperation can also be a form of competition however, if we are doing it to serve the greater good. Sometimes cooperation can become a matter of manipulation, making ourselves look better, showing how useful and how needed we are, and how competent we are. Cooperation nevertheless teaches us to work together, to try to solve a problem for our group, our neighborhood or societal unit that needs to be solved. This does in some ways the same thing as competition in that it makes us work together as a team to figure out a way to do it better, not by competing but by cooperating. When a baseball team plays another team it is trying to win, and in doing so becomes better not only as the winning team, but helps the other team get used to superior hitting and fielding and pitching in order to learn to handle better hitting and fielding and get better themselves. But at the same time that they are competing with the opposing team they are also cooperating with the other players on their own team to figure out ways to get better, to steal an extra base or two, or to get the ball to the right player to make a surprise out. It is all a team effort, and competing and cooperating are generally two sides to the same coin. We need both. The coin is not complete without the other side. In the same way, yin is not complete without yang and vice versa.

Senate Bill on Hold

The senate bill that just passed the judiciary committee, I have just been told, has been put on hold by Senator Ron Wyden, and will not be passed anytime soon. You can read about it here:

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/sen-ron-wyden-to-place-a-hold-on-the-protect-ip-act.ars

The bill is S968

Censorship Bill

A censorship bill for stopping unwanted material on the internet has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee now. If taken to the extreme, any domain name that is deemed inappropriate by the senate committee will be seized by the Feds. This is the end of freedom of speech for America if this bill goes through. Any one disputing official government policy will be considered an "untruthful" site and will be blocked. This has only passed the Judiciary committee, but it is likely to go into law eventually. No one will be allowed to know the truth of government, because the truth will be considered a lie. This has far sweeping ramifications. More than just political.

The Way of the Tao is Love

There is so much available in the I Ching for personal development, for instruction in divination, for wisdom and deeper understanding, that it would take ten thousand years to even come close to exhausting it, although, ultimately, it cannot be done. Therefore, when I sit down to write, I don't even know where to begin, and even when I do, as I start to write, the words just start to come out and it ends up nothing like I had planned. If we try to do things through the ego, our actions may temporarily have some benefit, but ultimately they go by the wayside. It is important to just let things flow. Ultimately, that flow, bigger than our little selves, is born of love. For the I Ching itself, and all sacred literature is primarily and primordially created out of love and is given to mankind as a gift.

The four attributes, listed in the first hexagram as: sublime, success, furthering, and perseverance, all are cornerstoned by the function of love. Love is the primary motivator of the creation of all that exists within the universe. It is not true that the universe is just a bunch of particles created by unknown and unknowing forces by accident, and without any conscious direction or plan. Everything that exists exists as a force of love. And as a force of love has an energy field unimaginable in human terms. If we could tap but a trillion trillionth of that power we could rule the galaxy. We would be an unassailable force not imagined by any man. Yet we don't know how, which in our present condition is an act of unimaginable love. Out of love comes the four fundamental attributes. The Wilhelm/Baynes version of the commentary on hexagram one states, "To sublimity, which, as the fundamental principle, embraces all the other attributes, it links love." It is easy to think we understand the term love, as an emotion, but we do not. For true love is greater than emotion. It is a fundamental state of being, and we must uncover this fundamental state of being within ourselves, or our relationships will never work. That is not the powerful, but very limited nature of romantic love, which is based on emotion only and is based on what our partner does for us. True love functions under all circumstances, regardless, and does not depend on any external factor that makes us happy. One great definition of love was spoken by one of the kung fu masters on the David Carradine Kung Fu show. The master said, "love is harmony, even in discord." How many of us can love even when all around us is discord. No, our love is ego based, and based on what's in it for me. And this love can never hold a relationship together. (In order to hold together both partners need to have uncovered this love inherent in their deeper selves. One cannot do it alone.) So, when the I Ching gives us an answer, it does so out of love. Not just love for the seeker, but love for all humanity and indeed all creation.

Since love is the primary attribute of the universe, then the only hell anyone can experience is the experience of thinking of oneself as isolated and not part of the stream or flow of the universe. That is the prodigal son who has left his father's home. He thinks he is separate from his father, but he is not. Therefore he puts himself into the wastelands of materialism only to find out that he is a slave to that very materialism. Since he is still truly the son of his father, he is by nature love, but he, (or she) hides that love behind a facade of self interest, and puts self first. This is in effect hell, and it is right here, right now on earth. To be condemned to hell is to be condemned to another incarnation in the flesh. Nothing more than that. But through understanding the hidden truths in the I Ching, we can come to learn our true heritage as "heirs," with the Father. Then we allow that love to shine through, and recognize that we are not separate but that we are all one.

One more little note here, although somethings are temporarily being skipped, but this is important, is that, as the commentary says, "The attribute furthering is correlated with justice, which creates the conditions in which each receives that which accords with his being, which is due him and which constitutes his happiness." In these words we have the foundation for the concept of reincarnation, and karma. We are not born into a world happenstance, in which anything can happen to us at any time by accident or circumstance, but something within us unconsciously creates the circumstances in which we find ourselves. The entire universe is a machine of justice. Everything that happens is fair play because it is born out of our own attitudes and conditioning, which we ourselves have created, and which conform to the laws of the universe, whether we are aware of them or not. Things don't just happen to us, we attract those things by the nature of our being.

Gene

So much going on

Right now there is so much going on it is hard for me to get to my work. But I will be posting again soon. Maybe tonight on the I Ching. But at the moment I am distracted by the fact that the U.S. is on the verge of absolute dictatorship. If you don't think so, look at what is going on in Texas. The state was contemplating passing laws not to allow the TSA to grope people, and the Feds said, if you try to stop us, we will blockade all travel in and out of the state. (This is a violation of states rights) I also heard, but cannot yet verify, that the TSA and/or the military are stopping cars on highways in a few chosen parts of the country, and searching cars, no warrants or anything, just random. This is just a small part. The president may be declaring martial law very soon. This is not speculation, it is really going on. Today I am hearing that Utah is contemplating a similar bill threatening to arrest TSA agents. What if every state does this? I have been saying for a few years now we are on the verge of civil war. This may be the spark.

I will be posting regularly, though, as long as I can.

Gene

A Sample Reading for Personal Development

I digress again here for just one day to give an example of a personal reading for spiritual development, since we have discussed that just a little lately anyway. It is important to realize how the lines and hexagrams fit together to make a story. In Carol Anthony's book she states that six hexagrams seem to make a full dialog. Here I only use three. The reading is as follows:

1. Hexagram three line five.

2. Hexagram forty with no changing lines.

3, Hexagram forty one line three.

The Wilhelm/Baynes commentary on hexagram three line five says, "...However, this influence is impaired in several ways." Since we are talking about a reading for development here, we must accept that in every line the I Ching is talking about its relationship to us. So we know that the influence that is impaired is that of the I Ching itself. Since the I Ching is perfect in every way, we must conclude that the problem is inherent in our own being. The lesson that the I Ching is trying to teach us is not being received fully. The message is somehow distorted. When we go into the rest of the reading we can get a clue to the problem.

The next hexagram may clue us into the problem. The commentary in hexagram forty says, "...At such times we must make our way back to ordinary conditions as soon as possible." It is very likely that somewhere along the line we have gotten off the path that is meant for us by being in some way distracted. At these times we must recall our path and return to it. (Hexagram twenty four). It is also possible under such conditions that we have allowed remorse and guilt to set in and are distracted by our own preoccupation with our personal ego problems or feelings of guilt. Therefore we must learn to forgive ourselves for any transgression, including getting distracted and off the path. The image says, "Therefore the superior man pardons mistakes and forgives misdeeds. Here the superior man first refers to the sage, the I Ching itself, and secondly to our own inner selves, who accepts us regardless of circumstances. Finally, hexagram forty teaches us that we must release anything that is not attuned to our highest good. That doesn't mean just bad deeds but even good deeds that keep us locked into an egoistic outlook on life and our nature.

The third hexagram wraps it all up. This is, granted, a very simple and basic reading but it is useful for instruction. The commentary on hexagram forty one line three says, "When there are three people together, jealousy arises. One of them will have to go. A very close bond is possible between only two people. But when one man is lonely, he is certain to find a companion who complements him." The lesson here parallels the lesson that Jesus taught his disciples when he said, "No one can serve two masters..." The I Ching is telling us that our loyalty must be first and foremost to our own spiritual development, Anything else is distracting and needs to be let go of, like the second master or the person or thing interfering with our love for the Sage. In effect, line three is saying, "Whatever is attached to us that is not truly ours must be released, only then can we have fellowship with our true master." The third line in hexagram forty one finds its true correlation with the nine in the sixth line, and lets the others go.

This is very basic but shows how patterns are developed.

Gene

The Great Way

Further on hexagram one, we have the commentary in Wilhelm/Baynes that says, "Here it is shown that the way to success lies in apprehending and giving actuality to the way of the universe (tao), which as a law running through end and beginning, brings about all phenomenon in time. Thus each step attained forthwith becomes preparation for the next. Time is no longer a hindrance but the means of making actual what is potential."

Anything that is to last must be accomplished over time. It cannot be done all at once. In this way patience becomes a paramount virtue. Arts and sciences that have not developed over a long period of time will not have a great and long term appeal. As hexagram thirty line four says, "It flames up, dies down, is thrown away." That which is not developed step by step, is doomed eventually to fail.

Both hexagram four and twenty nine give information about and instruction to the teacher. To a certain extent so do all the hexagrams but not to such an obvious extent. The commentary on the image in hexagram twenty nine says, "So likewise in teaching others everything depends on consistency, for it is only through repetition that the student makes the material his own." In studying the I Ching everything depends on consistency. There is a larger awareness here that comes from the depths of the universe itself. That universal subconscious mind, if we give it a chance, teaches us through such instruments as the I Ching, and other tools. It not only teaches us but it does so in a personal way, clear and concise, like the life giving water of a well, (hexagram forty eight). It teaches in such a personal way that it finds our weaknesses and settles upon them and hits on them until the lesson is learned. Then it goes on to the next step as pertinent to the individual who approaches it in a spirit of humility. (Hexagram fifteen.)

And finally, The image on hexagram one says, "The movement of heaven is full of power. Thus the superior man makes himself strong and untiring." In order to make ourselves strong and untiring, one must contemplate the "Tao" of the universe, in order to understand its way, method and manner. Then one must take that understanding, and apply it daily to develop greater and greater power and wisdom within him or her self.

Gene

Everyting is a sine wave

Since hexagram one is in one aspect about time, it is said in the Wilhelm/Baynes commentary that "Because he sees with great clarity causes and effects, he completes the six steps at the right time and mounts toward heaven on them at the right time as though on six dragons." The superior man knows that just doing something will not necessarily work if it is not done at the right time. We harvest our crops in the fall, and plant them in the springtime. All things need to be done at the right time.

There once was a time when I kept running across the concept of sine waves and on a given day at work a coworker was telling me about how information was passed through the telephone wire in the form of a sine wave. When the moon moves around the earth it does so in the form of a circle, but in aspect to its movement around the sun, it moves as a sine wave. When the earth moves about the sun it moves in circular form, but the sun too, is moving around a star in space, and the earth in relation to that star forms a sine wave. Sine waves have various frequencies and amplitudes, and the modulation of frequency in radio terms gives us FM radio, and the modulation of amplitude in radio terms gives of AM radio. The answers we get from the I Ching show us where we are on a given sine wave modulation and how we should act at that time under those circumstances. And the first hexagram on the I Ching is an encapsulated description of the various phases of a given cycle.

More later,

Gene

Yin and Yang Everywhere

Throughout the world it seems as though nature itself is screaming at us to look at and understand the nature of yin and yang. For example, the world is divided between east and west. The east has been traditionally associated militarily speaking with passive aggressiveness, using subtlety in battle. The west has been associated more with the use of brute force. Personally speaking, the east has been concerned with the evolution of the person through meditation and quietness. The West has been oriented toward outward expansion and conquest. The east goes to war but it has traditionally been more concerned with inward struggles, with the possible exception of world war two, and China seems to becoming more aggressive, but still the emphasis is on secrecy and subtle warfare. Granted the west has also become more secretive and strategically oriented over the last few years. Nevertheless, there is a big difference between the orientation of east and west.

We see this same division as well in the separation of the two worlds, with the Atlantic ocean on one side and the Pacific on the other, the former having the reputation of being more stormy and the latter having the reputation of being more peaceful, although that too is changing.

In the book of changes we have the separation between the upper canon, and the lower, the upper covering hexagrams one through thirty, and the lower hexagrams thirty one through sixty four. Supposedly the lower canon relates more to the affairs of men, and the upper to the affairs of heaven, although from a modern western perspective it is harder to see. I am sure that the ancient Chinese understood more in the terms of its separation.

In the west too, the considered holy book called the Bible is divided into two halves, the first half depicting an angry God who will not tolerate sinners, and the second half depicting a loving non judgmental God who's sun shines on the righteous and the evil.

In ancient times the Egyptian nation was divided into upper and lower Egypt and later the Hebrew nation was divided into the northern kingdom and the southern. There was considerable tension between the two groups as they both had different versions of the meaning of their God. They had several names for their "one and only" God, but there were two primary parts to the name of God, some having the prefix EL, and some having the suffix AH. These two designations related in many ways to the conscious and subconscious minds. Most of the prophets had names that started or ended with EL, showing their relationship with this form of their God, and others had names that ended with the suffix AH. Others had names with both aspects which referred to their familiarity with both aspects of God. Names such as Elijah or Elishah fit this category.

There is also in sacred literature a division between soul and spirit, the spirit seeming to relate more to the thinking aspect of mankind, and the soul relating to feelings. If we take the garden of Eden story, and replace the female Eve with the subconscious mind, or the feeling nature, and replace the male with the conscious mind, or thinking nature, we get a much bigger view of the allegorical meaning of the story.

Finally, life shows us the division through the concept of life and death itself. And life can be associated with the conscious mind, death with the unconscious, for the unconscious tends to hide itself from view and works in the dark.

One more point, in the early days of the church, the orthodox church, which became the Roman Catholic, was in conflict with the gnostic church which it eventually repressed, and the gnostic church became almost non existent. In other words, hidden from view just as the subconscious is. In many ways, yang, being powerful and forceful, tends to bully the yin force, forcing it into darkness, (which is an attribute of yin) and becomes dominant. The yin force is forced to hide, which is its nature anyway, and becomes manipulative and uses subterfuge to fight back. As such man and woman is at war with him or herself.

In the gnostic tradition, it is only when male and female stop the war, stop opposing each other, and start complementing each other, that mankind ends the war within, allows the subconsciousness to become conscious, the male becomes as the female and the female as the male, that mankind makes peace with itself, and enters the "kingdom of heaven." Then there is no more "death."

Why is this important? Because it is only in changing the opposition into complementary energies that anyone can ever escape the cycle of death and rebirth without any remembrance of former lives and therefore never gaining ground.

More on this later.

Gene

The Essence of Power

It must be reiterated here that Hexagram one represents the primal power of the universe. Power creates movement, but movement cannot be accomplished if there is no space in which the movement can take place. Therefore, there can be no yang without yin, and no yin without yang. It is important too to conceptualize that these two powers are really one and the same thing. Energy in itself is a form of a field and space is also a field. We will talk more about that with lines one and two in the first two hexagrams.

But when it comes down to the human affair, hexagram one is embodied, according to the Wilhelm/Baynes commentary, in the holy man or sage. In the west, the holy man has traditionally been the priests and pastors. In the past they were able to give a lot of consolation to their congregation. But the time is past, and the world is in many, many ways more sophisticated than it was then. They do not have the appeal they once had. Now men and women go to the psychiatrist or psychologist, but they have been materialistically educated and do not have the means to give a great deal of guidance beyond a certain level. In the east, there once were holy men and wise men as well, but to access them one had to show the greatest dignity and protocol and respect or the wise man could not be reached. Now in the east, as in the west, the value of the holy man or sage has eroded. But even the holy man or sage must have a place to go to learn wisdom higher than this world has to offer, and that is the I Ching itself.

So, in hexagram one, the I Ching starts off immediately with information about the nature of the universe and the holy man. The Judgment in hexagram one says, "The Creative works sublime success, Furthering through perseverance." Right away we know there are four attributes ascribed to "The Creative" which we must also instill within ourselves. Those four attributes are:

1. Sublimity
2. Potentiality of Success
3. Furthering, or making greater, accomplishing
4. Perseverance

These will be discussed in greater depth later

The Wilhelm/Baynes commentary also says, "When an individual draws this oracle,it means that success will come to him from the depths of the universe.: Herein is the primary and most important lesson in all of the I Ching. It is not we ourselves that do the work, but a greater power, hidden from us. These powers are hidden deep within the subconscious which the average man does not have access to. In order to access this power, we must have humility, (hexagram fifteen) and recognize this power greater than the conscious mind, or, as we would say in the west, the ego.

Therefore, when we speak of sublimity, we are speaking of recognizing the source of power. The source of power is pure, creative, yang essence. We must be able to access this power in order to make anything in our lives work to their fullest extent. We must know the attributes and the nature of this pure power which includes the deepest aspects of yin, and yang. We must become like "two eyes working together," (hexagram fifteen) in contradistinction to the "one eyed man" of hexagram fifty four line two. The one eyed man is still able to see, although not far. When our conscious and subconscious are not married, we are like the "one eyed man." We can accomplish things, but they are not likely to last because they were not built on a sure foundation. The one eyed man cannot see far.

The commentary also says, "The beginning of all things lies still in the beyond in the form of ideas yet to become real." It is "in the beyond." It is not within our limited conscious mind. Our limited conscious mind may access the form but only through imagination. When the imagination is activated we create as we wish, but only by being in harmony with that universal power in the beyond. This is how all things are created. They are created by the imagination, ours, or the power of the universal subconscious mind which ultimately imagines all things into existence through its creative power and the receptivity of space, the yin power. In that sense, all things in space are the prodigal son because they all are emanations from the Father. They return to the Father through recognizing their oneness with Spirit, or yin's oneness with yang. Most seekers of truth east and west miss this one extremely important point. With it you understand the nature of space and time, without it there is no understanding at all, but we continue to deceive ourselves as did the prodigal son.

More on this later,

Gene

Hexagram one

The first two hexagrams are indicative of pure yang and pure yin. Each of these forces have definite essences assigned to them, and yet it is important to understand that it is really only one energy. There is no distinction or separation. They operate together as one. As such, these two energies normally complement each other and work together as one pure force, but they, in the course of the creation of the universe get divided into two different but equal, (yet still actually united) forces that while supposing to complement each other, being equal but opposite, end up contrasting oropposing, or competing with each other. The problem is that when one force becomes too great, it starts to change into its opposite. (Throughout the universe there is always an equal amount of yin and yang because they are really one undivided force.) Each force contains the other within it, and the extreme of each force becomes the opposite force.

The Wilhelm Baynes commentary says of pure yang, first that it is "consistently strong." Now to digress just for a moment, for both yin and yang, there is false yin and false yang. The false yin carries the negative aspects of yin and the false yang carries the negative aspects of yang. But we will ignore that for the moment and get into it later. Nevertheless, understanding false yin and false yang explains why the book of changes appears to extol yang energy while the tao teh ching appears to extol yin. They are both essential, but they must operate in their positive forms. Yang, being consistently strong, therefore has the attribute of movement. Strength in order to manifest itself must do something. It must take on activities. Otherwise its strength is wasted. Therefore it moves either itself and/or objects. It's value is in activation, or as Alfred Huang says, "Initiation." For anything to happen energy must create action, or things remain in a state of inertia. And since yang is movement, it correlates with the concept of time.

The Wilhelm Baynes version also says, "Its essence is power or energy." That has already been mentioned, but to add to the previous, without any power, there can be no accomplishment. Therefore, being power or energy, it is also spirit. Yang is the essence of heaven or spirit. It is therefore the essence of the unseen world. In contradistinction, yin, being receptive, receives the yang power or energy, and becomes the physical manifestation. In other words, it becomes the material world. By becoming the material world, it corresponds with space rather than time.

The entire multiverse, the entire cosmos, everything seen and unseen are made of these two energies as they interact and complement each other. Without space there can be no time. Without time there can be no space. The third aspect of yang energy, (and the only ones we will cover today, there are more) is that yang is "unrestricted by any fixed condition in space." In other words, it is unstoppable. But that is only possible because yin energy is receptive to yang. Without the receptivity of yin there can be no movement in space. Yin is also yielding, (which also allows yang energy to be unstoppable.) But it is important to understand on these two forces that without the possibility of unrestricted movement, there could be no time. Time by itself implies movement. Without movement there is no time. So these two great forces come into being. The movement of yang in space creates the concept of time.

These are very general discussions on the concepts of yin and yang. It is absolutely essential to understand that one cannot exist without the other. Take away one force and the other disappears forever as well, and time and space itself cease to exist. A deeper and more down to earth discussion should follow soon.

Gene

The gateway to the I Ching

I have been talking for a while about how hexagram one and two are a prototype for everything that follows in the I Ching, and I thought I would digress shortly to talk about these two hexagrams and then get back to hexagram fifty three. Hopefully these posts will go into my I Ching in sequential order sequence also a little later, and eventually become part of a book. I noticed today in Alfred Huang's book on the I Ching that in his writeup about hexagram one and two, he calls these two hexagrams "the gateway to the I Ching." This is a somewhat different way of saying the same thing. I will go into this a little tomorrow and more in depth later. For today I will say this. The I Ching is a spiritual book which contains within its pages the method of developing spiritual power, only the surface will be available to you if you do not understand the depth of this book, and granted, that is all many people want. But the real depth is very profound, even within the context of an English translation, there is much material to be absorbed. If you do not believe this you are going to miss out on a lot, and will not be able to accept much of what I have to say. That is okay, you can still get something out of it on your own level. But understand, there is a spiritual world, and it is very real, and it is in fact one and the same as the material world, the only thing that needs to be understood is that this material world has consciousness, and therein lies the depth of its teaching. Once you grasp this, you grasp an understanding of the cosmos, until you do, you will still be freaking out over things that happen to you day to day. That being said, tomorrow I hope to begin a series more in depth than anything in the past.

Gene

Financial Armageddon

It is coming, it really is, and that is not just vain talk of conspiracy theorists. Mainstream media is talking about this. Of course, it all boils down to the budget problems in Washington D.C. but the point is it doesn't matter who wins the debate. We have gotten ourselves into a debacle. If we borrow more we will have to pay higher interest rates. If we do not, many parts of government will have to shut down.

This is far more serious than most people think. I suspect we are going to see crisis, real crisis, within one to three months. I could be wrong, but only about the date. It is coming and it has been planned. It is too hard to maintain control over billions of people if they are financially well off. That is why we have 9% or worse unemployment. That is why we have allowed ourselves to go $14 trillion into debt. We expect the government to fix all of our problems, but forget there is a cost to it. We have to fix our own problems....

And if that isn't enough, next year it is expected that the greenhouse light bulb laws will go into effect. These bulbs are very costly if broken, and cost $50 apiece. Also there is talk of a tax per mile driven in your private car. There is also pending regulation allowing the government to go into your home at any time, and check the thermometer in your house to see if you are using too much heat,(supposedly causing global warming) and they will have the right to turn the thermostat down, and possibly fine you. There is the strong likelihood of, due to the deficit problem, a serious devaluation of the dollar, and if people think they are hurting at the gas pump and the grocery store now, just wait.

On other fronts, there are serious weather problems causing flooding in the Midwest and South. This is not over yet, and is going to get much worse. You will see for yourself soon. The sun is preparing for another massive burst of solar radiation that will no doubt have an affect on earth, a serious one, if it comes directly toward us.

I am not talking about end of the world here, but our world is on the verge of very, very serious disruption. Our way of life will be forceably changed, and it would be wise for everyone to start looking for ways to protect themselves and their families in any way they can. Most people right now are still in the dark about the serious situation they and the United States are in. It is gong to hit a lot of people by surprise. But a lot of people on the financial market already know that it is armageddon time at least on the financial markets. I expect, though I do not know that there will be a major stock market crash sometime this year, probably earlier rather than later, when it becomes apparent there is no real solution to this problem. We have been asleep and have not been informed by the leaders of our nation until now.

Incidentally, this problem will soon affect the entire world.

Gene

Hexagram fifty three and keeping still

In several ways we are taught in the book of changes that gradual progress is based on "keeping still," or on meditation. One way is that hexagram fifty three comes immediately after hexagram fifty two which is "keeping still." Another way is that the lower trigram in "gradual progress" is k'en, or keeping still, (the mountain). A third way is that when line five, the ruler of the hexagram changes we have hexagram fifty two, keeping still.

This is the basis for everything. Without times in meditation, quietness, and keeping still we can never get in touch with our deeper, or our higher self, and therefore never really know ourselves. Many people today, especially young people, have the attitude that silence is oppressive. That is because through silence they are forced to come to terms with themselves which they do NOT want to do, at all costs. It is too frightening.

And speak of frightening, look at hexagram fifty one. This hexagram is the very opposite of keeping still, it refers to shocking movement. Yet it says that, "The shock terrifies for a hundred miles, And he does not let fall the sacrificial spoon and chalice. In otherwords, he or she is so accomplished in meditation and keeping still that even the greatest shock, the greatest unexpected event of epic proportions, does not cause him or her to lose their inner peace of mind. We would all like to have that inner tranquility, yet we do everything in our power to keep from having it. We must set aside time each day to go within. Without that time our electromagnetic field degenerates faster and we die at an earlier date, or manifest disease which was not meant for us in our life times. Without that we become unstable, and unable to deal with the perplexities of life. And we are unable to gradually develop into better and more accomplished people in our lives.

At the same time we must not let stillness become such a mainstay in our lives that we forget to do our work. If we become lazy, if we become indulgent, and do not apply ourselves, then things tend to spoil, and the opposite of development is experienced. When lines two and five change, the upper trigram becomes the lower, and the lower becomes the higher, which results in hexagram eighteen, which implies decay. Then we must take action. Lao T'zu said, "The way to overcome coldness, is through movement, and the way to overcome heat, is through stillness." There must be a moderation in all things. When we are heated, or when we are angry, we must maintain stillness. Stillness will overcome the anger. When we are cold, or when we are inactive, lazy, we must produce activity within ourselves. Activity will overcome depression. Activity will overcome laziness. We just get out and do it. If we try to accomplish too much all at once, we become like line four in hexagram thirty. We "flame up, die down, and get thrown away," We must progress just a little bit each day, with a consistency that never slackens. Then we achieve our goals, and our achievement makes us happy.

Gene

Hexagram fifty three line three

In hexagram fifty three line three it is said, "It furthers one to fight off robbers." The third line is almost always in a position of relative danger. It is yang and properly yang so the prototype for it is in hexagram one line three. Here it is said, "Danger. No blame." Yang lines tend to rise, and the third line, being properly a yang line, tends to rise, or wants to rise into the upper trigram. The upper trigram relates to heaven or a place of power. In order to rise to this position one must be careful of his actions and attitudes, or it can be struck down in its attempt to rise. (See hexagram sixty two line three) But if it does get struck down it is because it has acted in a way that is "contrary to the law of development." Line three does not have a correlation with line six, and line two is already taken by line five. Line four is its only connection, but this line is not appropriate for it. (That can give you a hint as to the meaning of the reading if you get line three and four changing.) Therefore, it is said, "The woman carries a child but does not bring it forth." In other words, speaking in terms of relationships, though the relationship is there, it really carries no weight. Nothing comes of the relationship. Not being a proper match, the best that can be hoped for is minor satisfaction. ("A safe place in which life can go on, although he may be surrounded by danger.")

In other terms, it is also said, "The man goes forth and does not return." This normally can be translated into, he tried to enter the higher realms,(of the king or whatever,) and did not make it. Perhaps he was struck down. But the reason is this: He tried to enter rashly through struggle. He did not heed the meaning of the timing, and did not wait for the proper time. He tried to do it on his own without acceding to the wisdom and planning of the deeper self. The conscious mind does not have the resources to know all of the "hidden lines," (Hidden dragon, do not act) and plunges in of his own choice. We must always wait for the right timing. We do this through preparation, but in all things being aware that our conscious powers are not enough, we must have the humility to wait for that inner prompting, for only it knows the right timing for an event to occur.

There is a theme here, in all the pages of the I Ching, that teaches us that all things depend on a higher power of which we are not fully aware. The key is to tap into that higher power and open a connection. This is normally done through meditation, combined with understanding the spiritual power inherent in sacred literature, including the I Ching, the Bible, the Tao Teh Ching, and multiple other sources. All of these sources should be consulted in relationship to one another. They should not be taken alone, or literally, or at face value. Their deeper messages are not meant for the masses or the unready. They are only meant for those who are ready to concede to a higher power in their lives and allow that higher power to be their guidance systems.

Gene

Off topic, but important

This film is long, but full of information, right or wrong. You decide if you wish to view it. You can agree or disagree as you choose.

http://www.forbiddenknowledgetv.com/videos/war/arsenal-of-hypocrisy-documentary-feature-film.html

Gene

More still on hexagram fifty three

In line two of hexagram fifty three we have a sign of initial progress, with a temporary stillness, as the young person in line one takes a break. Notice here the correlation with hexagram five line five. This happens because the I Ching is more than just an oracle. It is a designator of a way of life, and there is a spiritual philosophy that emanates from its pages. Line two of hexagram fifty three says, "...Eating and drinking in peace and concord." In hexagram five line five it is said, "Waiting at meat and drink." (We should be, when we receive oracles from the I Ching, noticing the correlation with other lines and judgments in order to get a broader view of the message of the I Ching, not just for a reading but for personal growth.) There are times when we can and should do nothing. That doesn't mean nothing is happening. But we must wait for the right time to act. The commentary on line five in five says, "It is not possible to achieve everything at once." We must understand this, and allow it to reflect in our lives. There are times when the clouds seem to cover the sun, (see hexagram fifty five) and our way seems darkened. We do not know which way to go. But if we just allow ourselves to wait, the way eventually shows itself out of the darkness. (Hexagram five line six, among many.) It often seems as if we are in a pit. We stray into a gloomy valley, and all seems lost. But that is just a preparation. We cannot do everything ourselves. There is a deeper subconscious part of us that is working when we are not. It fills in the missing pieces while it seems nothing is happening. It is necessary to let go of the ego in order to allow this deeper level to do its work behind the scenes. The prototype for this line is found in hexagram two line two. (A yin line in one of the two primary hexagrams defining yin and yang.) The line says, "...without purpose, yet nothing remains unfurthered. (The second hexagram lends itself well to the functioning and nature of the subconscious mind.) And hexagram one line two says, "Dragon appearing in the field." The dragon arises from the depths of the unconscious and it does so only when it is time (hexagram one is about time, hexagram two is about space) for it to do so. It cannot be called forth by the conscious mind, but acts in its own time and on its own terms.

So... line two commentary says, "This first success, opening up a path to activity...." It is only when the dragon appears that the time is ripe. Line one of hexagram one says, "Hidden dragon, do not act." Line two says the dragon appears, and here is our opportunity. We must wait for the time to reveal itself. This is true in relationships as well. We cannot force the issue, it must happen in its own time, when the "dragon" has appeared in the field. When it does, then we can "Eat and drink in peace and concord."

And one more thing. Notice how this line relates to line two in hexagram sixty one. "A crane calling in the shade. Its young answers it. I have a good goblet. I will share it with you." This line is not correct, but it doesn't have to be in this case, because hexagram sixty one speaks of the uniting of two people who are inwardly alike. When we do what we are supposed to do, and act in a way that is in accord with the time, peace prevails, at least eventually, when the time is right, and we can renew ourselves and prepare for futures struggles.

Gene

New website planned

I hope soon, hopefully less than two months, to have a full website offering services such as readings. There are some administrative difficulties in the moment.

But I also highly recommend Hilary's onlineclarity.co.uk. There you will have the opportunity to have readers look at your readings and offer answers. You will also have the opportunity to contact Hilary about more detailed and professional readings by her terms. I highly recommend the site as a source of information about the I Ching and a place to discuss anything.

Gene

Prayers for those going through the floods after the tornadoes

My heart goes out, and I'm sure all of America's do too, for the families and individuals of the south and midwest and elsewhere who are presently going through the horrible flooding after the recent spate of storms. May you receive comfort from God or whoever or whatever you believe in, or let's say, May you receive comfort, and help.

Gene

First steps

In a way, hexagram fifty three is a mirror or a microcosmic view of the message of the I Ching overall. The I Ching is a guidebook on how to make our lives work, and is a teacher to help us through life. In that way hexagram fifty three and hexagram four and hexagram twenty nine have a lot in common. In hexagram four the young person has a teacher. There is someone there to guide him. In our cases that is the I Ching itself. It is a guide post to help us through life. In hexagram twenty nine, life itself is the teacher and in hexagram fifty three line one, experience is the teacher. For an actual teacher outside of ourselves can only take us so far. He or she can give us a framework to go on, but it is experience that teaches us how to apply the lessons learned. So, in hexagram fifty three line one it says, "The young son is in danger. There is talk. No blame." The young son is in danger because he does not yet know how to apply the principles taught him by the sage in hexagram four. Since others more experienced do not remember the stumbles they took in applying the teaching, they tend to be critical of the mistakes of youth. The sage him or her self, however, is not so critical, except as a teaching tool.

Since hexagrams one and two are the prototype for all that follow, the first line of hexagram one says, "Hidden dragon, do not act." This fits in well with the principles of hexagram fifty three, twenty five, and all other hexagrams as well, since it is never wise to act in a contrived manner. Attempts at manipulation will always come back to bite us sooner or later. When we are inexperienced we cannot apply the lessons of the teacher in the right way. We have misunderstood the context in which the sage presents each lesson. Therefore, upon going out alone, as is spoken of in hexagram fifty three line one, it is necessary that we be cautious in the beginning, like the little fox in hexagram sixty four, who cautiously checks the ice on the stream he is trying to cross. (Life itself is a stream as if of flowing water.) We must learn to pay attention to the promptings of the sage, (our own higher selves) in order to rehear the messages and begin to apply them in the right way. As it says in hexagram four, line four, "Often the teacher... has no other course, but to leave the young person to himself for a time..." For life itself makes it necessary that we eventually step out on our own, and make our own way, hesitantly following the course as best we can in the way that is presented to us.

The commentary on hexagram fifty three, line one says, "Since no one comes to help him, his first steps are slow and hesitant..." This teaching is presented over and over in the I Ching, that everything begins with the first step, but it is nearly impossible to originally apply the principles of life correctly in the early stages of our life. Therefore we receive criticism, but by "practicing chariot driving and armed defense daily," (hexagram twenty six line three) we begin to understand how to properly apply the principles that the teacher has taught us, and though at first the progress is very slow, after years of studying we start making gains in our life faster and faster. Finally, hexagram fifty three line one commentary says, "but these very difficulties keep him from being too hasty, and his progress is successful." Life is the true teacher. Any other teacher can only take us so far, then it is up to us. No one comes out to help us because it would only be counterproductive anyway. We must make life's teachings our own in our own individual way. In this way the sage teaches us in a personal manner, and our life's lessons are not the same as someone else's.

Gene

More on hexagram fifty three

Another statement in the commentary on hexagram fifty three is as: "...within is tranquility, which guards against precipitous actions, and without is penetration, which makes development and progress possible." Here there is some afinity with hexagram sixty one, which speaks of "inner truth," or the way that people who naturally belong with each other attract each other, or find each other. It is through tranquility that the natural truths of the universe come to rest within the individual mind. Only when we have tranquility do we receive "inner truths" from the universe. It is then that we are able to contact spirit and have communication lines open between spirit and person. Line two of hexagram sixty one says, "A crane calling in the shade. Its young answer it." The one's who hear the call are the ones that truly belong to us. The shade can be a metaphor for that time in which we are quiet, and undistracted by the calls of the world. When we focus on that which belongs to us, we hear the call of our own. The young can be a metaphor for the individual person and the crane for our higher selves. It is only through meditation that we can receive communication from the deeper part of ourselves.

This is a gradual process. We do not get in touch with our deeper self, at least not normally, through one meditation practice no matter how exceptional we may be. We must practice. Those who have natural ability will still fall behind those who practice daily. (In hexagram twenty six line three it says, "Practice chariot driving and armed defense daily.") It is tranquility which guides us in actions such that we do not make precipitous mistakes. In other words, we are not hasty. Tranquility comes from an inner confidence that can be derived only from daily contact with our higher self, and with a modesty, (hexagram fifteen) that comes from knowing there is a higher self, something greater than the ego.
When we open the doors of communication with the higher self, through tranquility, and we trust that communication with the higher self, which is a very high form of self confidence, then we are not subject to precipitous actions, or actions that are taken on the basis of limited or inadequate knowledge of the situation. Instead, our actions work properly with the right timing, in accordance with the nature of the teachings in hexagram twenty five which tells us that our actions should come from innocence, not contrived manipulation.
Hexagram twenty five, sixty three and fifty three all have a definite correlation, as do to a certain extent all of the hexagrams in the book of changes. More on this later

Gene

Hexagram Fifty Three and relationships

On onlineclarity.co.uk, I was doing a series on relationships in hexagrams that have the second line yin and the fifth line yang. The principle of the I Ching is that the first third and fifth lines of the hexagram are more properly yang, and the second, fourth, and six lines of a hexagram are more properly yin. It is not necessary at this point to go into that any deeper.

I have just discussed, minimally, hexagram twenty five, and was asked if I could talk about hexagram fifty three. There are a few things I can about that. Hexagram fifty three is another hexagram that contains a yin line in the lower central point of the lower trigram, and a yang line in the central line of the upper trigram. Therefore, it tends to lend itself to instruction about relationships as well. (Of course, it's usefulness is infinite, not just about relationships).

One of the first things that jumps out at mean while reading the Wilhelm/Baynes commentary on the I Ching is as quoted, "The development must be allowed to take its proper course." Is it clear how the message here has an afinity with the message in hexagram 25? Hexagram twenty tells us that we are not to take "contrived" action. That we must simply do the work and allow things to follow naturally. Here we see a related message in the sense that "we cannot force the issue." We must simply do the work, and from that point wait for the proper time. We can plant a tree and cultivate it, but the fruit ripens at its own rate and we cannot force it.

In relationships, this principle is applicable for both men and women, but men in general have a harder time with it, as it is natural for them to be goal oriented. When a more immature man sees an attractive women he is immediately interested, and he will do thing to test the waters or try to create some action. This is natural for men because it seems they must do something or nothing happens. In a way this is true, but it is important that they be very careful about what they do do, and make sure it doesn't appear as an unnatural attempt at seduction. Even more mature men will do the same thing, just more subtley. Unfortunately women pick up on this mannerism much more quickly than men would. Men are activators and go getters. They must learn to allow things to mature at their own rate just as a fruit ripens on the tree. Men must be able to allow things to happen in their own course, and not to move too quickly in a relationship. At the same time, it would be wise for women not to interpret every friendly gesture as meaning something that would create sexual tension. (Sexual tension seems to be a term women understand but men have no clue what it is, they don't feel it. And since they don't, they often do not know how they are coming across.)

I think that is enough for the moment. I will try to get more on this subject in the next day or so.

Gene

The nature of innocence, hexagram 25

The commentary on hexagram twenty five line two says, "We should do every task for its own sake as time and place demand and with an eye to the results. Then each task turns out well and anything we undertake succeeds." In one way this is a continuation of the theme in line one. Line one speaks of innocent action. Line two defines this as doing things for the sake of doing them, and not to contrive an outcome. This goes back again to Lao t'su's principle of nonaction. Manipulation and subterfuge might work for a while, but eventually the actions will boomerang back on the perpetrator. It would be wise to stay away from such activities. When we simply do what is right because it is right, without worrying about the outcome, we find that normally things turn out well. Ths is a universal principle and this principle applies at all times, not just when we receive this hexagram.

In relationships we must apply principles consistently, and follow these principles even when it seems counterproductive. We do what is right. Even if it seems not to be going well, in the long run it will, because we do not always realize what is best for us in the long run. We go by the initial perception only, and do not recognize the longer term outcome of our actions. We have ideas about the rightness or wrongness of the outcome, but we are limited in our perspective, and what appears to be disaster is often a good thing.

These principles will only appeal, and make sense, to those who have a deeper understanding of the nature of the universe. It will be a requirement to understand that the universe has a consciousness, and an intelligence. Without this understanding the deeper elements of the I Ching will make no sense and will be indecipherable. We look for answers from what appears to us to be nothing more than a machine which will automatically give us the answers we want. It doesn't work that way. We are leaving out the spiritual aspect of its nature. If we do so, we will not be able to gain spiritual knowledge that helps us to know and understand ourself and grow spiritually. It is absolutely essential that one understand this principle of universal consciousness. Without this knowledge you will never truly understand the I Ching, and will not be able to tap its true richness. It will be like the well, (hexagram 48) that has not been lined, and/or is not being used. You may get some good answers to many of your questions, but you will continue to live your life in frustration, and will continue to feel like a victim of circumstances even when you get good answers. The I Ching is meant to teach you, especially about yourself, not just inform you about the next course of action. As Confucius says in the commentary on the image, "He who departs from innocence, what does he come to? Heaven's will and blessings do not go with his deeds."

Hexagram fifteen tells us that we are a part of the greater whole, and in order to access that greater part of us, we must have humility. Cunning and manipulation do not form any part of humility, and that greater knowledge, that greater awareness, the higher self within each of us cannot be accessed if we have the wrong attitudes or the wrong desires. Without humility we are cut off from universal circuits; we cannot access our higher selves. We cannot make our relationships, or our careers work, we cannot accomplish tasks in a way that they turn out to be a blessing. We must become aware of this greater consciousness that is aware of all things. and has more information and more access to "hidden lines" than we do.

A short note about timing...and hexagram 7 line one.

Hello

Hexagram 7 line one was mentioned which goes to hexagram 19 as well. Just a quick mention about timing. It is apparent that the I Ching is very much about timing. We can see it in the sequence of the hexagrams, and we can see it in the progression of the lines. The first line relates to the beginning of a time sequence. In hexagram one, line one, we see that there is "a hidden dragon," and we are couselled not to act. In hexagram 2 line two, we see that it is the time when things begin to freeze over, and we must make note of the seasons. Since hexagram seven line one is yin, we look especially to hexagram two line one to understand its meaning. Line one of hexagram two says, "...solid ice is not far off." in other words, we are seeing the beginning of the forces of decay. In hexagram 7 line one, we are once again required to "look to the order of things." If the order is not good, disaster strikes. We cannot move forward until the fundamentals for union and for discipline are setup, so to speak. In a relationship, this could mean that we need to look at the signs of the relationship to determine where it is going. And in determining where it is going, we can look to the requirements for making that relationship stronger, for until the basis for unity is assured, we can make no progress in attempting to "close the deal" so to speak. We must "get our act together." Until we have unity and discipline within ourselves, we cannot expect it in relationships. It is only when we have taken control of ourselves, and controlled the hidden dragon that lines within, that we can have any success. "An army must set forth in proper order.

Hexagram eight

There was a question asked me about hexagram 8, lines 1,2, and 5. It sounds like a reading. I will try to discuss it here, although I am not sure what the context is for the question. As a rule, I only do readings minimally except for situations of spiritual growth. However, there is a place for them. But to answer, I really need to know what the question is. Nevertheless, I will discuss the context in these lines just a little bit.

Hexagram 7 and 8 are both about unity and forming relationships. But in hexagram 7 the context is forming relationships at least partially through coercion, as the context requires for an enforced unity for the good of all. Hexagram 8 is about developing unity too, but only among those who have a common quest. In hexagram 7 unity is developed through coercion, in hexagram 8 it is developed by common interest. Both require a strong leader. But the leadership in seven is different than eight because the context and the requirements for unity are different. In hexagram 8, we join because we want to join. We see a commonality of interest in a time of peace, and a goal that can be reached through WILLFULLY working together.

Hexagram eight deals with multiple types of relationships, hexagram 7 more with relationships formed to overcome an obstacle, relationships that might well break about once the job is done.

With that in mind, the various lines develop the concept of relationship more fully. Both of these hexagrams show some elemental promise for individual relationships, but hexagram 8 has greater validity in this area. This is because, while in both hexagrams, the two central lines correspond, in hexagram 8 the central lines are correct.

Since, in hexagram 8, the first line is yin, we take as the cornerstone of our interpretation, the first line in hexagram 2. Hexagram two line one says that "When hoarfrost is underfoot, solid ice is not far off." This means that the situation is just beginning to develop, and line one in hexagram 8 tells us how to make it develop properly. Line 1 in hexagram 2, again, also tells us that we must pay particular attention to the signposts along the way, to see that we are following our course properly. In hexzgram 8 line one, as well, we must follow the signs within ourselves to make sure we are properly pursuing our relationship with the utmost fundamental sincerity. Sincerity is less important, although still valuable in enforced relationships such as in hexagram 7, but here, it is of the utmost importance. We must check ourselves daily, to find any trace of an ulterior motive, or any form of selfishness, for that motive will eventually wreak havoc on the best of relationships. It is that lack of selfishness, and coming together for the common good, that brings people together in an unenforced union. This is a natural thing, unlike the arbitrary and contrived unity in hexagram 7.

There is a principle here, an undying, eternal principle that is given to us in these verses of the I Ching so that we might come to a greater understanding, and a deeper appreciation of the role, and of our purpose in the universe. The universe is governed by principles, principles that some might say amounts to "God." I prefer to look at it as the natural laws that are not made by a creator, but are one and the same as that creator. All existence has life, and all existence has awareness, therefore, it is impossible in the long run, to get away with anything, for here we are compromising ourselves with universal law, which is both totally impersonal, and yet totally personal, at the same time. This principle, in the I Ching is called "The Sage," in the Bible it is called "God." Call it what you will it is law, and it is awareness. If we violate this law, we automatically pay a penalty for doing so. The Wilhelm Baynes commentary says of this principle that it has the power to attract good fortune to all those who abide by it.

Line two goes deeper into the meaning of principle, and which principles we should follow in the pursuit of developing relationships. (This hexagram should be read in context with hexagrams 61, 31, 32, 53, and 54 at the least.) It is important that we do not pursue relationships to the point that we lose our dignity. (See the image in hexagram 28 and 36.) We must not throw ourselves away. This is true in all forms of relationships, but in personal relationships, it is important that one does not, in order to please the other person, do things that one would not normally do, or feel comfortable with, or even with the motive of impressing unduly the other person.)

Finally, the fifth line, the upper central line, and the ruler of the hexagram, hint to us how to properly choose who belongs with us. Ultimately, in a free society, as opposed to the situation in hexagram 7, it is the other person's choice, whether they join you or not. It is like that old saying, "if you love someone, set them free, if they come back..." (See hexagram 38 line 1) We must choose those who choose us, and let the others go their own way.

When these three lines change, we have hexagram 19, which speaks of approach. When we follow the instructions given to us in the book of Changes, we are more readily willing and able to approach others in a spirit of harmony. When we prove ourselves worthy, the universal sage approaches us, assuming we have approach in the right spirit. Not only do we approach, but the text speaks of "joint approach," for those we have harmonized with are themselves capable of a deeper unity, a deeper understanding and a commonality of relationship. And together we approach the universal sage, and become one with the spirit of light, or the universal light. We are deeper, happier, and more mature individuals when we have developed the relationships that are proper for us. (See the Wilhelm/Baynes commentary on hexagram forty five, line 2.) "There are secret forces at work, bringing those together who belong together." This isn't mindless commentary, this is how the universe works, and this is how the Sage reaches us, and brings us into fellowship with him/her. There are always, always, secret forces bringing people together, and separating others who do not belong, (See hexagram 59.)

Gene

The end times are not the end times

What I am really trying to say here, despite the catchy little title, is that there is an end time in creation, and we are apparently experiencing the start of that now, but there is also an end time for each and everyone of us, as we leave behind our earthly bodies, and return to the stars in a body of light. The things that apply to end times as a whole, also apply to the individual. For apocalypse originally came from a Greek word meaning, to reveal. Hence the apocalypse of Jesus Christ is also the Revelation of Jesus Christ, or more specifically, the revelation of "the Christ within." Readers may or may not find that a tantalyzing statement, but more will be said on it later.

Gene

A copy of my post at onlineclarity.co.uk

A copy of something written in response to questions on onlineclarity.co.uk about what the year 2012 and the new age is all about.

What happens will depend on the level of understanding of the people on this planet. People talk about a thing to fear, and that is not it at all. There is nothing to fear. There is no death, it is an illusion, as are all things. What happens depends a lot on what our governments, and its institutions, the military industrial complex, and everyone involved, other governments as well, does to uplift humanity rather than sacrifice it. Actually this is a very exciting time, one when we get to see the culminating of one age, and the start of another. A most excellent age I might add.

I must say, there are those in positions of power, and not everyone in power, but some of those in positions of power, who do not wish the best for mankind. If there is any kind of destruction, it will be in response to the war making machines on this planet who's intent it is to wipe out most of humanity.

I have been preaching for a long time that we are all one. No one wants to hear it. But how you hear it, and how much of it you hear, will position you for better or worse in the new age. Not because of some angry God, but because of natural law and karma.

This runs counter intuitive to everything we see and hear. To the natural mind, it doesn't make sense, because we see diversity and separate objects all around us. But believe me, and this is very, very important. When we recognize the oneness of all things, we recognize that sunspot activity is only a natural result of the energy we put out. If we put energy into war, we have sunspots, and vice versa, because it all acts in a form of singularity. If we have governments that are trying to enslave people, as governments around the world are doing, the natural environment picks up on that energy, and mother nature begins to act up.

The new age can come peacefully or not. It doesn't have to bring within it the strain of negativity and disaster. It depends on how we recognize our oneness, and when we carpet bomb entire nations, we are doing it to ourselves because we are all one.

Any changes that happen within the earth are not meant to hurt individuals within the earth, it is the natural outcome of the type of energy produced by man.

We were just missed today by an asteroid that came as close to us as one and one half times the distance of the moon. A few days ago, there were some scientist who thought it might hit us. There was a fifty fifty chance. It didn't. Is that by chance? Or because millions of people visualized it bouncing off an imaginary circle around the earth? I don't know. It could have been both. But I have seen mass consciousness make many differences in people's lives and the life of the planet. We are thinking positive thoughts, but I can guarantee you there are many people who are not. They want death, the want destruction, and the want the earth cleansed of the people the call, "useless eaters."

Why is this happening? it all goes back several thousand years ago, when "the gods" interfered genetically with human dna, and created what amounted to a master and a slave race. The dna is slightly different. The so caled master race was denied their prize of the enslavement of mankind by various means, but they never gave up. They are still among us, some of them know exactly who they are, and they are still trying to enslave us. They will stop at nothing, including mass murder, but they will be foiled again, because of the coming earth changes, If they don't change their ways. That is what it all depends on, is the thoughts of men.

The whole idea of a 2012 is not for destruction, it is not meant to be destructive. It is happening because the minds of men are being evolutionarily modernized, we are becoming aware of our oneness, and our place in the universe. We are becoming enlightened.The new age is a wonderful thing, not a bad thing.

Gene

An invitation from the sage

In hexagram 35, it is said that the ruler "invites him to a greater intimacy." When we learn our lessons in life, when we do the things that are right, when we love and act in harmony, these things are noticed by the intelligence of the cosmos. When these things are noticed, we are invited by the cosmos to a greater intimacy, and there is thereby sharing a greater wisdom, a greater teaching, and a greater understanding of the orders and laws, and the general nature of the workings of the universe. We get this hexagram when we have done well. The conditions that are noted in the W/B version of the I Ching are that the leader is uniting others together in the name of his Lord. This can mean that we are integrating different parts of ourself, and that we are acting in accordance with the nature and laws of the universe. When we receive this hexagram it normally can be assumed that we have done a good job in some way.

Gene

Help from above

The I Ching is replete with promise of help up above. We do not see that if we are only concerned with the material realm. We read "helper" as some friend, or some such, and in strict divination, this is often the meaning. But there is a deeper level here, and let me tell you, one would be wise to always look for a deeper level. "Seek and ye shall find." But we must seek with the right attitude and the right heart.

Throughout the I Ching, we are being told of this divine help. We often think, "I am not getting any divine help, I must do it myself." Yes, you do have to do it yourself, there is no other way, but we must also be "receptive" (hexagram 2) to the will of heaven. To the "energy" of heaven. For it is through the divine "intake" of heavenly energy, (chi) that we improve ourselves. This is a major part of being spiritual, being open to a divine energy that replenishes us. This energy is stored in the "Tan Tien," which is not something we will go into detail about now.

Needless to say, we are reminded of how the sage, the spiritual advisor relates to us, in passage after passage. Some are more clear than others of course, but we see it in hexagram after hexagram. In hexagram one, the spiritual advisor is tireless in his work to help us. In hexagram two the advisor is receptive to our needs and our desires. In hexagram 3 the advisor helps us to separate the wheat from the chaff and to make sense of things that are initially disorderly, and on and on and on. Hopefully I will get into this later. For here I will just finish up saying, that in hexagram 8 line 5 we learn that the sage is receptive to those who are receptive to him. The sage is open to those who are open, and he exerts no pressure, to get people to join him or learn from him. He simply makes himself available, as the sage is available in hexagram 48, all one has to do is to draw the water.

More later,
Gene