In response to a recent question.

Someone asked me recently about a post done long ago about the marrying maiden. I would have to go back a ways to look this up. So I will just post here...

By the way, I got a message that my password was changed last week, and I don't remember doing that. I do not see any suspicious activity on here at this point of time however.

As far as the question about the "Marrying Maiden," any references, well, I normally do not put other people's material out here. If I do, such as in the case of the Binary Soul Doctrine, I do, unless I forgot, suggest where to look. In that case, see books by Peter Novak. Otherwise, the information out here does not come from outward sources, but rather an inner meditation, and an inner knowing. The material comes specifically from me, and my subconscious, my inner knowing.

There is a depth of the mind that most people in a given lifetime, do not know of, are not aware of, and is unreachable. It is only when the mind has developed beyond a certain point that inner truths can be accessed. That being said, it is also true that over my lifetime I have read innumerable books. I have delved into inner truths to a point most people cannot image. Not that other people do not have the capability, they just have not tapped into it at this point in time. There are many, many people who have an unimaginable grasp of 'truth.' They, as well as others, have researched and researched, and through the process have intuited many things that they are able to pass onto mankind.

As a rule, I do not do research in the sense of looking up sources and then comparing those sources and coming up with conclusion. I do research, but do not keep track of those resources. Over the years I come to understand things intuitively and write them for those who are ready. Those who are not are not likely to come to this site, and if they do they are not likely to stay. My knowledge is what I have and everyone else's knowledge is based on the research and intuitions that they have had. We are all different, and in recognizing those differences, and accepting them, we can gain every more understanding on a daily basis. Hopefully we can all share and learn.

Duality Versus Unity

In sacred scriptures and in much ancient mythologies a theme runs through everything. And that theme is the integration of opposites.

In the I Ching we see it in various ways. primarily we see it in the interaction between hexagrams one and two. These two themes express the duality that we see all around us, yet, in their own way, reveal the path toward unity. A very wise man once said, "The putting together of opposites leads to the fortunate finding of things not looked for." But that only happens when one can integrate the two equal but opposite sides. We do see this in another way too though it is not so obvious. There are two canons to the I Ching, the first being hexagrams one through thirty, and the second being thirty one through sixty four. We also see it in the integration of each odd numbered hexagram with the following even numbered hexagram. (See Steven Karcher's work on this.) We could go on and on about this.

In Biblical terms we can see the same integration of opposites by comparing the Old Testament with the new. In the Old Testament God is an angry and jealous God who goes around killing all his enemies and pursuing justice. In the New Testament, God is a God of love who never judges anybody and is only love. (This is an oversimplification but suits us well enough for our purposes here.) The key is to integrate the opposites. And that is what we have to do.

So we have to recognize the need to put opposites together to create a unified whole. One Gospel was not included in the official Canon of the Church because it is very esoteric and very, very mystical. This does not sit well with a literal oriented Church which wants a straight forward doctrine. So it was thrown out. That Gospel is the Gospel of Thomas. It is a collection of sayings and does not talk at all about whether Jesus is God, or doctrine, about the birth and life of Jesus, nor his death or resurrection. It probably predates the orthodox Gospels. So why is it important? It speaks over and over again, in almost every verse, about the need to integrate the opposites into a single, united whole. But how do you do that? That is the key to everything.

In putting together the opposites into an integrated whole, one becomes a fully realized person, and one thing that happens is that the conscious mind and the subconscious are united and work together as a whole. This is the esoteric meaning of the story of the Marriage at Cana.

The Gospel of Thomas starts out with an interesting and provocative statement. "Whoever discovers the meaning of these sayings, (the sayings of Jesus as recorded in this Gospel) will not taste death."  Well, we all know that everybody dies. So what can this possibly mean? There is a curious verse in the Book of Revelations that says, "...will not be hurt of the second death." So what is the second death? The second death, I would submit, is the death after death when soul and spirit are separated. As Jesus said, "For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" The second death is the separation of soul and spirit. Much could be said about this, books have been written. But here, just a little bit about this concept. Because it is found in all major religions, including Daoism, as well as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity.

This is extremely significant, and well worth our attention.

Qualifications for using the I Ching

A lot of people take up the I Ching thinking they are going to get simple answers to life's perplexing questions regarding relationships or what have you. Eventually they are going to be disappointed because the I Ching is not a cure all, so to speak. It responds to us and who we are.


We often think we grow up and go to college and we get the highest level education and then we tackle the world, and that is all there is to it. We finish college and we know it all, we are mature, and it is just a matter of making money. All fine and good up to a point. But anyone who thinks they are getting a high level education by going to college is living in a dream world. Sure, we learn a lot of facts and figures that will help us meet the world and make a living, but that is it. It never occurs to us that there is more.

But there 'is' more. Much more. And if we don't recognize it we stay stuck in an emotional rut and never truly mature. We need more than that to become well rounded citizens and mature adults. And to consult the I Ching to find out if a certain relationship will work is extremely naive. We need to learn about ourselves and why 'we' don't work. Why we don't work in our day to day lives, in our interactions with others, and we need to come to terms with how immature we are.

We make a serious, grave error, when we think we are now adults and have it all under control. Life itself is a teaching process, and we grow regardless, but we would grow faster if we would give up our arrogance, realize that we don't know, and would accept the I Ching as a teacher, and not an automatic answer machine. I cannot make this point strongly enough. We need to ask the I Ching on a regular basis about ourselves, and not about others, or relationships, or businesses. Not that we can't get some information that way, but it is not the highest and best way.

The first step is to calm the mind, and come to understand that no matter what the outer world is saying to us, it is okay. That we are okay. That the outer world can only affect us outwardly, and even then only according to our own inner mind set. The universe reacts to our thoughts, and responds to us accordingly. This is the real problem in relationships and in business ventures. It is the real problem in anything that happens to us in life. In the image of one of the hexagrams, I don't have time to look it up, it says something to the effect, "The superior man finds the problem within himself." Enough said for now.

Binary Soul Doctrine

On my front page I have listed a website called, "divisiontheory.com" I used to be able, under a previous email address, to interact in email with a group of people who were into the division theory, or binary soul doctrine. Three books were written by Peter Novak, and I recommend all three of them, especially the one on the "Gospel of Thomas." Mr Novak gave up his website a few years back as I understand it, due to what he considered the lateness of the hour, and the near arrival of the great tribulation, quit promoting this work. His books are still available though. I believe you can find them on Amazon.com. This was very disappointing. I have at times considered buying the website, but do not feel I am necessarily in a position to do so. The material was very informative. This was not about the I Ching, however, it did connect religions across the world including Taoism, and what the had to say about the soul and the spirit.

Yes, two distinct entities, both within one man, And these entities often are in conflict with one another. In other words, the conscious, and subconscious are often in conflict with each other. And as long as they are in conflict, at death, the soul and the spirit will separate, the soul being feelings, and emotions, more subconscious. The soul at death remembers who it is, but due to the loss of the spirit, no longer has reasoning power. Therefore it just dwells in its memories, feelings and emotions, which could be a heaven or a hell. Enough said about that. The spirit, the conscious mind, being disconnected from the soul, still has reasoning power, but no feeling, no emotion, and does not remember anything about its earthly life, since the soul only has memory. You may or may not find this silly. But it is something to contemplate, and more serious people, I think, will. By the way, this is coded into the Tao Teh Ching but not immediately obvious, unless one already has some advanced understanding of the Tao Teh Ching. It is a fascinating subject, and very, very important. There is much to be said about this in the Bhagavad Gita as well. Though it doesn't describe it in the exact same metaphor.

Hopefully next week I can do more I Ching. I just find it impossible to find the time for everything, and am going to have to work twenty hours a day, or let some stuff go. I can't get to it all. And as far as the I Ching goes, it is extremely difficult to decide what to write, as I do divinations to gain insight which involve the combinations of more than just one reading. Then I put the readings together to see how they work together to make a comprehensive whole. Since I am doing this on a regular basis, and so much info becomes apparent, it is very hard to decide what to write. But I was born to write, I doubt I have any other purpose in life that involves other people. Maybe I do, but we will see. Anyone, hope to have some good articles soon.

Confucianism or Daoism

Often there is talk of how people wish that we could get more Taoism in our translations of the I Ching and less of the Confucianism. They base this on the apparent morality signature of the Confucian model. This is a misunderstanding. Taoism and Confucianism are based on exactly the same principle, so that when we read the commentary on a given portion of the I Ching we are getting both the Taoist and the Confucianist model.

Now, that being said, it is my contention that Taoism goes much deeper, in a sense anyway. But that still does not take away the value of the Confucian model. The Wilhelm/Baynes interpretation of the I Ching has been accepted generally as a Confucianist model of interpretation, yet the W/B version is very, very, esoteric.

One way of looking at it is that within each chapter and each line, there are multiple levels of interpretation. This is more true in the original language, but is also true to a certain extent in English. For example, the third line of hexagram thirty two, a yang line, states that, 'He who does not give duration to his character meets with disgrace." Well, since most of us are totally into the divination aspect of the I Ching, the meaning of this line makes us scratch our head and wonder, "How can this possibly apply to my question?" Well, if you received that answer, it most likely does, but how? Often we are subject to moods and mood swings, which brings us up to another topic to be discussed later, about emotions, and the importance of them and the role they play in our lives. The viewpoint on the meaning and importance of emotions varies greatly between men and women, and causes a great deal of confusion and anxiety between partners of the two sexes. There is a reason for this and it relates to our view of reality, which is different. In the case of a divination, mood swings may be affecting our capacity to see the truth and the reality of the situation. Our mental attitude becomes different and that in itself changes the reality which we experience.

But if we want to look beyond the simple explanation in relation to our question presented to the I Ching, we begin to see the reading in a new context. The new context is not just specific to the question asked, but is specific to how we best live our lives in the present world. Therefore, the answer, in a sense, becomes more "taoist" in nature, and we perceive it as guidance for our lives as a whole, not just an answer to a specific question. The commentary says, "Inconsistency invariably leads to distressing experiences." But why? And this is key, absolutely key, if you want to understand the I Ching. Many will balk at this, and discount it, but the reason it consistently works that way because there are certain laws in the universe that are universal, and they always apply. It is our attitude that is getting us into trouble. Let go of the attitude, and the reality that we experience actually changes. This is hard to understand, it is hard to accept, but it is real, and many have proven in their own lives the veracity of these statements. And the rest of the commentary establishes this fact well, It says, "Such experiences are not merely effects produced by the external world, but logical consequences evoked BY HIS OWN NATURE!" (Capitals mine)

Think about this. This is crucial. This is of utmost crucial importance. We create our own reality!!! If that is true, then how should we live? If we get this line, or any line, in the I Ching, we must stop and think not only how the I Ching is replying in regards to the nature of our future, but how it is replying in relationship to our own thoughts, our own attitudes, and our own moral rectitude. This is reality. This is the ultimate reality. So to  ask simply to find out what our future is is simplistic. We must ask in order to find out how we are contributing to that future. If we are subject to moods, we are subject to whatever the universe brings us, which will BE in accordance with our moods.

And finally, let me ask, which is more correct here? The Confucian model or the Taoist? I would submit we do not know one from the other, because we have no framework for deciding? A moralistic viewpoint might be, it is wrong to do such and such. A Confucian and Taoist viewpoint might be, reality flows where attention goes. Are they two different things? Or in reality are they one and the same?

Waiting

It is only natural for humans to be anxiety stricken. At least at times. It is not so terrible for us to be that way, but it does work against us. When we become anxiety stricken we actually limit the work that the subconscious mind can do to produce the results we want. Hexagram five gives us some insights into the way the universe works. Of course, if you believe that we are here by a random accident, then nothing that is said henceforth will have any real meaning for you. But if you think otherwise, then the following message may make sense to you.

Hexagram five gives us some interesting feedback on how the universe works, and some of the metaphysical laws that apply. The hexagram carries the connotation both of 'waiting,' and 'nourishing.' But nourishing is something we do while we wait. And waiting is something we do while we nourish. Other hexagrams explain to us the importance of nourishing ourselves until we are ready to complete a project. Here we nourish ourselves while waiting to complete a project.

 But there is something novel here. There is something that is a key to how we handle our own destiny, and how we compose ourselves while we re waiting for our destiny to be revealed. Perhaps the simplest way of expressing that key is 'confidence.' But confidence has to be built on something. It cannot be just there without anything to back it up, otherwise we delude ourselves.

So where does this confidence come from? It comes from a plain and simple understanding of the nature and the laws of the universe and how they work. It is not a simple matter of blind confidence, but an inner knowing that we are in alignment with universal principles, and law. We know that we receive that which we greatly desire as long as it is in alignment with our destiny. The universe bends its will to ours when we bend our will to it. And when we do bend our will to the will of the universe, and follow the T'ao, so to speak, we find that "fate is favorable." When we are in alignment with the will of the universe we cannot be stopped, not because we are so great, but because the universe itself is. The T'ao is favorable. All great religions have taught this, but the idea has been glossed over and lost sight of through the centuries. The text says, "If we are sincere, we have light and success." Do we really believe this? /It also says we have "the inner certainty of reaching the goal." If this is true then we can be calm and relaxed regardless of our outer conditions. For we know that although the sea seems mighty rough at the moment, things are exactly as they need to be, and nothing can stop us from reaching the ultimate goal.

Hopefully more on this later.

In Keeping With the Theme...

In keeping with the theme of hexagram twenty one, we have talked about the hexagram as a description of punishment as well as keeping unity, but there is more to be said about this. In Carol Anthony's book she talks about being careful to not engage with those who have wronged us. I may disagree with this, depending on how well I have understood her. Because whenever we read someone else's words, we always interpret them according to the understanding that we have. And words and language are to a certain extent, inappropriate. At the very least they cannot communicate specifics but are always prone to be misinterpreted.

While Carol Anthony's statement is probably meant as just a way to protect ourselves, and to stay non committed, if taken in the wrong way, it could be interpreted as saying, "that as long as someone has wronged us, we have to punish them until the situation is corrected." No. And even Carol Anthony herself says that punishment should be left up to the Cosmos. My take on it is it is perfectly okay to engage with someone who has wronged us, as long as we do not become in anyway attached. The engagement in discussion can be neutral and in no way intended to hurt or to strike back at the other individual. Nor is it a way to strike back at others. It is only a means of allowing the universe and karma to guide the nature of the interaction and the relationship. For one of the first principles of life is that, "everything is okay just the way it is." We have been hurt and wronged, but that is okay just the way it is. And while that might seem like a trite and a belittling way of looking at things, it actually, if one looks deeply, becomes a very profound statement. And if everything is just the way it should be, why is there any need for 'hurt feelings" or any feeling of 'being maligned.' Here is where the power of detachment comes into play, We are not only detached from the person we have had the interaction with, (not in a negative way though) but we are also detached from any judgments that we might make from our experience. As Coronal Kurtz says in "Apocalypse now," It is our judgments that get us into trouble. We should not judge the situation we are in anymore than judging the person that put us in that situation. (Although, that in itself is a judgment.) If we judge a situation, or if we judge a person, we are not accepting things just the way they are. And guess what, when we take this attitude, not only does our own hurt go away, but we are able to interact with the other with detachment, (and yet love at the same time) and as such help them as well to no longer judge the situation and accept it for what it is. We do not indulge in or encourage others bad behavior, but at the same time we do not react to it with injured retort. That is what I think Carol Anthony is really trying to say as well, although in some statements it might appear otherwise. But then we all see through rose colored glasses, and we tend to 'judge' situations according to our own perceptions. When we judge, we are setting up ourselves as the highest authority, and are acting out of ego and pain, rather than "accepting things just the way they are."

Seeing with Rose Colored Glasses

Having received hexagram twenty one a few times lately, I thought I would spend a little more time getting familiar with the inner meaning. For as those who have followed this blog know, I am not so much into doing "readings" as I am finding out the esoteric and more spiritual meanings of the hexagrams, and how they relate to my life, and how they can teach me.

I find that in Carol Anthony's books she has put together a very nice detailing of some meanings of hexagram twenty one. Therefore I cannot say too much because it would appear I were copying her work. The only thing about Carol Anthony's work is that I think she puts a little too much emphasis on "our inferiors," and yet not really. I would just describe it a little differently.

Here is the thing about hexagram twenty one. It talks about laws and punishments, but who is punishing who and why, and how much? For what? Well, one thing Carol Anthony says is, "it is not our job to punish, that is a job for the Cosmos." But often, many people, many immature, surmise that the meaning is that there is a God up there who strikes us down out of anger when we doing something He doesn't like. This is a misunderstanding. Punishment fits the crime, and it is not dished out by anyone, but the laws of the universe, (just like the laws of gravity) are inclined towards a "what goes around comes around" nature.

But why laws? Isn't the universe just the result of a big bang, by accident, and people just the result of an accidental coming together of chemicals which create consciousness? Well, that is what a lot of people believe. But they are wrong. And I say that as matter of factly as I can. They are wrong. Period. End of discussion. It isn't one belief versus another, it is truth versus fiction. I can't stress that enough.

So the universe has natural laws associated with it, no different than the law of gravity. But gravity has a purpose. In the same way the laws of karma have a purpose. These laws are long term and often involve multiple lifetimes so it seems to us in our finite wisdom to not operate. But it does. And there is one goal for the laws of karma. And that is to bring about unity, love, and compassion for all creatures. Now that being said, some people do not belong together. That does not mean however, that there cannot be harmony among them, they just don't interact.

Why are we separated? One reason is we don't have the same perception of reality that our neighbors do. So we have conflict, with each person thinking they are in the right. So which one is in the right? All we have is our perceptions, but often our perceptions are faulty. So we think the other is to blame, and they think we are. Who is right and who is wrong? It appears it would be best to let the Cosmos decide. None of us have a claim on ultimate maturity. We see with rose colored glasses. As the ancient saying goes, "Now we see as in a glass darkly, but then we shall see the full light."

It is our nature, as we perceive ourselves to be in the right, to try to punish the other person. But that just comes from our ego. And it may be ourselves who are really blind to the light. So in hexagram twenty one line one, we receive a mild punishment, not to "get" us, but the punishment is simply to put us on the right path. But we will not get on that path if we do not have the ability to see our own culpability in the situation, or at the least, allow the Cosmos to inform us as to who is right or wrong. Or does it even matter? In this was, we can detach ourselves from the situation that is causing grief, and allow it to be worked out the way it is supposed to work out, and thus, finally achieving ultimate unity, or at least a "just and valid view of our fellow man." Hatred and fear are dissipated, (see hexagram fifty nine) and we achieve that which we had hoped for, or at least diminish the prospects of the situation getting worse.

There is a lot that can be said about hexagram twenty one, and hopefully more can be said soon.

Contrasting Yin and Yang

In the I Ching hexagram one relates to the primordial yang power and tends to describe it. It is easy to just look at the commentary on the two hexagrams to get an idea of how opposite they are. But it is necessary to go beyond the obvious to get a really good idea of just how each operates.

It is obvious that hexagram one describes yang energy and hexagram two describes yin. But the depth of difference is not apparent without some critical analysis of the text. It is more obvious that yang is strong, yin is weak, (relatively speaking). It is obvious that yang is heaven and yin is earth. It quickly becomes clear that yang is more masculine and yin more feminine. However, what makes that so? And where does heaven begin and earth depart. If you climb the highest mountain, are you in heaven? If you descend into the lowest part of the earth are you more earth? All these things have to be defined and yet they cannot be defined because yang is only yang in relation to something that is yin, And yin is only yin in relationship to something that is yang. So is the earth yang or yin? We have to be careful about precise labels. In relationship to the sun the earth would be yin, but in relationship to the moon the earth would be yang. So which is it? By itself it is nothing. It is neither yin nor yang. So we have to get beyond absolutes and think in terms of relationships.

But back to the point. There is more about yin and yang than what first meets the eye. Sometimes the commentary does not clearly make mention of certain truths but it is there if we know how to properly integrate portions of the text. So, hexagram one line one, which is pure yang, points to a situation where a situation is not ready to develop yet. Why not? It is still at its incipient stages. (Almost sounds kind of yin, does it not?) But develop it will, if we bide our time. (Bide our time) Aha! another aspect of the yang nature, time. The point is that evolution is taking place here. Something is growing, and though the "TIME" isn't right, it is evolving into that stage that is right. So what do we conclude about yang energy. First, that it is a strong, and growing force. It is the power of evolution. So what about yin? Well, let's look at the first line of the second hexagram. It says, "When there is hoarfrost underfoot, solid ice is not far off." What is happening here? The forces of involution are taking place, rather than waiting here for the draconian energy to evolve, we are watching a devolution. We are watching what once was of value, degenerate into something less useful. So we can conclude, yang energy is evolution, yin energy is involution. What are we taught in the last two hexagrams of the I Ching. First, we have number sixty three, where all the lines are in their correct place. But what happens when everything is correct? It cannot be permanently maintained. And things deteriorate until in hexagram sixty four, all lines are in their incorrect places? Evolution proceeds and the lines eventually end up in their proper places and everything is correct again. Hence we have eternal change, except that the principle, the core, never changes, (see hexagrams thirty one and thirty two.) Therefore all things in the universe are eternally in the process of either involution, or evolution.

Now note that in the first two hexagrams evolution is mentioned first, in hexagram one, and involution second, in hexagram two. But in the last two hexagrams the order is reversed. We first have involution, and then evolution. There are far reaching speculations that could go with this, but enough for now. By comparing line with line, we come up with deeper aspects of the I Ching. We also do so by analyzing its structure, and by looking deeper into the context and the sequence.

It's been so long

It's been so long since I have done anything, I have forgotten a good portion about the I Ching that I used to know, and so I am starting over, so to speak from scratch. It is also a long time since I have posted here. Now I have my heart set on publishing a book about the I Ching, but it may take more time, even years, to publish than there is time for, not only because I am getting older, but because war between the United States and Russia is now almost inevitable. We are truly in the end times. Of course, I am sure I have also lost a lot of my readership base since I post so intermittently. I am interested in too many things, and have a hard time keeping up with half of them. Not only am I interested in the I Ching, but in Gnostic and Esoteric Christianity. In Buddhism and Hinduism. In Taoism and Tai Chi Chuan. In astrology and to a lesser extent numerology and gematria. It is so unfortunate that as humans we only have so much time because all of those subjects are extremely important and they need to be integrated, but how is that possible?

So, in the first line of hexagram one, a nine in the first, it says that a great man is still unrecognized. On one level the I Ching is talking about itself. The I Ching itself is in a sense the great man, or at least, the great teacher, the great law giver, the great dispenser of wisdom. And how much of that do we recognize even if we think we already know the I Ching. At the same time all of us probably feel that we have an area of expertise that goes unrecognized by and large. And we probably feel so rightly. For how can we get our message out to others? No matter how great or how valuable our message is the majority of the people will not be able to get to your message as they have their own area of interest, and are limited as we all are, by time. It is only when we start making effects in the outer world, ( the nine in the second of hexagram one) that people sit up and take notice. When what we produce shows itself to be of benefit. Therefore we have to be patient. And we have to study and constantly increase our own knowledge base in order to pass that knowledge, the part which is of real value anyway, to others.

If we are unrecognized, then our message is not ready to go out to the world. And in the same way, if the value of the I Ching is not recognized, it cannot be properly used. The I Ching is a deep well. It has a reservoir of knowledge and wisdom that cannot possibly be fully tapped even in several lifetimes. As such, it cannot be fully recognized even if it is partially recognized. We must each do our own work. We must 'chop wood and carry water.' And only when our necessities are provided for can we sit and take the time to intuit deep wisdom. But until the depths of the I Ching is recognized, it is only a well where one, "shoots fish." The first line of each hexagram represents a beginning step. But in the first hexagram the beginning step is the most beginning of all steps because at first we have not even recognized that there is a step to be taken. As such no important actions can be taken here because we are not even aware of our situation, and any step we take may lead to the chasm, (hexagram twenty nine). So here we do not act. Because any action would be born of naivete, and we can be destroyed by the hidden dragon.

Gaining stability

Hexagram forty five line one indicates a person who is inconsistent. And when we are inconsistent in our lives then we receive inconsistent results. It is a matter so to speak of karma. Often we are inconsistent because we have not figured out who we truly are. In Carol Anthony’s books she is constantly talking about our inferiors. Here they are more likely to be called our lower self. There are many aspects of our low self and they often fight for supremacy. Some of us are far more moody than others, but pretty much everybody has swings. It is a matter of finding out who we truly are – what our real nature truly is, and then being true to ourselves. Therefore, when we call out to our Higher Self, we become more in touch with the real person inside. Coming into harmony with our real nature, our real person, our real self, can lead to a greater self- assurance and a greater harmony within. The commentary says “We should attach ourselves to this leader.” Without leadership in our lives, without Self direction, we are rudderless, and we crash upon the rocks of the shore. As the commentary in the W/B version of hexagram seventeen, line five says, “Every person must have something he or she follows – something that serves as a lodestar.” Our higher self is our lodestar. It is the higher self that guides us through life’s deepest valleys and highest peaks. When we are firmly entrenched with this leader our lives find purpose and continuity. We are no longer dashed by the waves of the sea. As Jesus calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee, so our lives become calm and peaceful.

Hexagram thirty four also has at least a secondary theme of the need for stabilization. When we come into power there is a temptation to immediately use it, but unless we are stable using that power may backfire on us. Once again we must have a firm guide, and a center or a leader around which we gather. On one level that leader is our own Higher Self. If we are not centered within ourselves, our power brings out our instability. No matter how strongly built a pyramid may be, if it is upside down, it topples.

Finally, hexagram forty six line two, teaches us how to become centered within and able to “touch the hand” of the leader, or our Higher Self. The commentary in W/B says, “Being upright in character, he meets with response.” We refine ourselves, and refine ourselves, as much as we can. Then we become a “tool for the master,” that he/she can use to correct us, give us instruction, (hexagram four) and teach who we truly are and who we were truly meant to be. 

Large readings

I have been very, very busy lately, and have not done much with the I Ching or written here. In spite of that, I have noticed very wide peaks in the readership from day to day. On April 13^th there were 227 readers. This really puzzles me. It has been as high as a hundred before, but even that is rare. Generally it averages about twenty to thirty per day. Some days there are very few. So I am a little nonplussed. But that is alright. I hope readers have the right reason for reading, and want to learn something.

I am also very aggrieved due to the lateness of the time, as it has been in mainstream news lately, including the New York Times, that the government intends to start microchipping EVERYONE by the year 2017. The reason this can happen is that there is a major and almost magical deception that has been created by the powers that be. Make no mistake about it. The world governments are deeply involved in deception, and misinformation for the public. If this happens, if we are all microchipped by 2017, humanity as we know it, is over. This has been my focus and my concern. It is time for people to wake up. I hope to post on the I ching later today.

Net Neutrality

There is a law being proposed called Net Neutrality. If it passes I will likely no longer be on the internet, because costs are likely to increase dramatically. Also, there is nothing neutral about it. It is a backdoor means of controlling the web, and stopping free speech. Let's hope this bill doesn't pass anytime soon. It will pass eventually for sure.

Inner Truth, Stability, and Preparedness

It seems to me that hexagram sixty one explores the heart of the I Ching, or more certainly, well, everything. (For the I ching is, in a very real sense, everything.) And even though line one usually depicts a situation which precedes the meaning of the heart of the hexagram, here it gets significant quickly. Bear with me here, I know the preceding is not the best English, yet I think it works.

Bear in mind here, first of all, that as hexagram sixty one relates to the fundamental principles of attraction, (on both the physical level, and on the spiritual level, also on the electro-magnetic level), it becomes key to everything that has been discussed throughout this blog, whether the discussion is the I Ching, or some other metaphysical or spiritual principle. It is the key to understanding, well, everything. (For is we really analyze all parts of reality, we can only come to one conclusion). Everything works together in harmony with everything else.

Of course, we cannot deny that electro-magnetic attraction has a polar principle as well. In other words, things can repel as well as attract. (yin and yang) That is why not all people are attracted to all other people. However, repelling energy does not have to mean hatred, disrespect, or even negativity. It simply means that those repelled are simply not part of our life path, and there is not a correspondence of association, just as the first and third, or fifth, or sixth lines of a hexagram do not NORMALLY have a correspondence of association. And depending on the text and the nature of the hexagram, they may or may not have an antipathy toward each other, they simply don’t correspond.) The laws of correspondence in NORMAL situations is that the first and fourth lines correspond, the second and fifth, and the third and sixth. They also often have an association with the lines next to them as well, such as the second with the first or the third, or the fourth with the third or the fifth, and so on. Enough said about that.

But the Wilhelm/Baynes commentary on the first line of hexagram sixty one states, “The force of inner truth (the law of correspondence) depends chiefly on inner stability and preparedness.” Think about this statement for a moment, (And in this particular discussion please be aware that there may be more to learn here than just what the words are saying. If we correspond to inner truth, we might find something substantial that goes just beyond the words and concepts themselves.) The more we examine ourselves, the more we examine our motives, and the more we become clear within ourselves as to our real nature, the more the power of “Inner Truth” (law of correspondence) works within us to attract things and people into our lives that are beneficial to us on a higher level. The more also we become attuned, (correspond) to our own higher self and the spiritual laws that govern our life. The more likely we are to attract a life partner that corresponds with the higher functions of our inner nature. The more we are likely to attract someone that is at least close to being a soul mate than when we are not mentally and emotionally prepared to correspond with that which is best for us. The more likely we are to be attracted to a book or a video, or a website that will have information in it that prepares us even further for “inner stability” and “preparedness.” We must prepare ourselves to attract the more positive things in life.

Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, our young people are not being prepared in high school or college to meet the more mature aspects of the inner and outer world. They are spoon fed information that will help them get good jobs when they get out of school, but that will not help them mature or become more rounded individuals. They do not have “inner stability.”

Enough said for the moment, more on this later, for it is a deep subject, much like the well in hexagram forty eight. 

The Shemitah

Well, I have been away for too long. I, however, do not know what to write. It is not that I do not have material, it is just that I don’t know how to present it. I do not intend for this to be a religious forum, and yet, the very nature of any discussion of the I Ching, Buddhism, or esoteric Christianity creates a situation in which that aspect cannot be fully avoided.

Lately I have been very, very absorbed in the study of end-times eschatology. People have been thinking it is the end-times for centuries, and in a way, each group was right, except for any “rapture” ideas. The rapture is an idea I don’t think is totally real. (But it could be.) All the end-times prophecies, or at least most of them, came true for the Jewish world in 70 CE. The Romans squelched a rebellion brutally and the Jewish people who survived were scattered throughout the world. World Wars one and two could also be interpreted as an end-times event because most of the world was engulfed in war and millions died. One thing not understood about prophecy is that time is cyclic, it is NOT linear. Oh yeah, I know this flies in the face of obvious interpretations of time, but it is nevertheless true. Prophecy is repeatedly fulfilled. It is the nature of reality.

This time it may be a little more disastrous however. The world as we know it will not continue much longer. It is very likely that the United States will soon be destroyed, or at the very least become somewhat more insignificant in world affairs. This may be true for several nations. It may be true as well for China, Iran, Russia, and others.

I would recommend that everyone become familiar with the Jewish, (or Torahish) concept of the Shemitah. This is related to the cyclic laws of years. In other words, every seventh day is a Sabbath. Every seventh year is a yearly Sabbath. This can be also called the Shemitah. After forty nine years there is a jubilee year. The idea is that every seventh year, if the laws relating to allowing the land to rest, so that it could restore itself, and the laws relating to the forgiveness of all debts, was not followed, then disaster was to follow. (I may not have described this absolutely correctly, but I think the general idea of the Shemitah is correct.) In America, the stock market tends to fall significantly every seven years, always in the seventh month of the Jewish SACRED year, which is late September or October. Some crashes were worse than others. Most people have no way of knowing which years will be worse, but some may know, but belong to esoteric societies which keeps their knowledge secret. That we cannot know. To get to the point now, 2015 is a Shemitah year, and as best as can be surmised, 2016 is a Jubilee year. The American stock market crashed significantly in 2008, the previous Shemitah. It also crashed in 2001 right after the attack on the World Trade Center in New York. We can go back further and see a significant trend. Every seven years… Will this one be worse? Remember, the Jewish Civil, year, which starts in late September, normally, as I understand it anyway, is this year a Shemitah, and next year a Jubilee year, in which freedom was proclaimed throughout the land. As the old blessing goes, “May you live in interesting times.” We certainly do. It can be frightening, or it can be exciting, depending on your perspective, but I would suggest that people be ready for Any event.

New Age, New World Order, What Have You

Well, I haven't been able to post much because so much is happening in the world right now, and I can't even begin to keep up with the information that is coming my way. But I want to take a moment to brush up on some things, not necessarily on the I Ching right at the moment, but on the state of the World.

Before I get into it I want to say that I am greatly appreciative of the fact, that even though I haven't written for a while, the readership has gone up enormously, and some days are posting over a hundred readers throughout the world. This isn't anything to stroke my ego with, as it has little to do with me personally, or any superior writing ability, or superior knowledge, but things are simply happening the way they are SUPPOSED to happen. That being said, I never know from one day to the next whether anyone will ever read it again. But I do hope to put things up here that are meaningful to my readership, give them a great deal of new knowledge that will be useful in their lives, and hopefully make their lives more fruitful.

For now just to mention, as I did a few weeks ago, that the ramifications of the December 21, 2012 scenario are not yet over with. Events on the earth, especially in the political arena are speeding up with great intensity. Religious freedom in this country is for all practical purposes a thing of the past. That statement may be scoffed at by some because the forces of darkness, (yin in the I Ching, although yin is not by itself negative) really do operate in the dark. They do not come to the light of day until they have totally undermined the good, and overt power rests with them. (hexagram twenty three) They are not quite ready yet to show their hand openly to the world, but the foundations of freedom and democracy are being undermined quietly at a steady rate. For right now, anyway. But look to the middle of 2016 and afterwards. That is when as the saying goes, the crap hits the fan, or at least it should hit then. It may be delayed a little. But the more I look, the more I don't think so.

So, it is with great interest I listened to a show today on coasttocoastam.com about the Torah codes. Now a lot of people are aware of the Torah codes, although the vast majority of the public in any country are not. There are multiple variations on the Torah codes, and some of them have been used for centuries by the priests and rabbis who were in the know. The more sophisticated ones have not been able to be cracked until the use of computers. But even if you know how to use them, and few people do, you still have to have a frame of reference in order to gain anything from them. The irony of the Torah codes, and gematria, is that for centuries priests and rabbis have used them to prove their own point of few. Rabbis often use the Torah codes to prove that Jesus is not the Messiah, others use them to prove he is. So it is easy to say then, "what good are they?" Well, like anything, they have their place. Just let it be said for now that new things are coming to light.

I think as events come to pass, it becomes more and more clear that two books of the Bible, incidentally prophecy books, are EXTREMELY accurate. Those two books are the Book of Daniel in the Tanach, and the the Book of Revelations in the Christian scriptures. Enough said about that for now. That is not to negate the value of other books.

I once said somewhere else that I would not predict the stock market any more. And I won't specifically predict, but I would indicate there is a good likelihood of a major stock market correction along about September or October of 2015. This is based on economic laws encoded into the Torah, and prophecy, and timing including timing taught in the Torah codes. It can always be delayed, but most likely not. Another basis for it is the four blood moons (lunar eclipses) two of which happened last year, and we saw the consequences in the war between Israel and Hamas. (This is very likely to flair up again.) Two more will happen this year with a solar eclipse between them on March 20. What the effects of the solar eclipse will be this year I have no idea. Incidentally, all these blood moons happen on major Jewish holidays and feast days.

Anyway, enough said. Look for some MAJOR changes on planet earth however.

Stimulus from a High Place

The commentary on hexagram nineteen line two tells us that "when the stimulus to approach comes from a high place ... good fortune will ensue." This is a universal law and will always apply in the long run though sometimes it may seem not to in the short run. The key is knowing when it is coming from a high place. There is a hint here that we must receive stimuli from our higher self, and not from selfish desire. Selfish desire will get us into trouble sooner or later.

What stimulus do our actions come from? Are we trying to aggrandize ourselves at the expense of others? Sometimes this may work for us for awhile. Usually it doesn't in the long run however. It is true that some notorious gangsters, brutal as they may be, have died in their bed at a ripe old age. Don't make the mistake of thinking this is the end of the story however. There is a judgment of sorts, one way or another. But if we are striving toward the higher aims of mankind in general, we can be confident of our being and our success if we follow the "natural way," as the Taoists might call it, or the "way of the cross," as the Christians might call it. We empty ourselves of self, and allow the higher power to flow through, always being assured that we are set upon the right course, and our compass is true.

In this way we can be as in hexagram six, "So clear-headed and inwardly strong that we are able to quickly come to terms" with any enemy, in a way that is beneficial for all. Hexagram nine line two however, tells us that we "must be in harmony with the time." How do we know whether we are in harmony with the time? We know because we are acting from the stimulus of the higher self. When we are fully in accord with our Higher Self then "all things work together for good ... those who are called according to His purpose." That is, the purpose of our higher self. When we do we can follow this path good fortune comes.

Hexagram thirty seven line two tells us that "We should not follow our whims, but must attend within to our nurturance and to our Higher Self. We "must always be guided by the will of the master of the house," The house is our inner being, where we find sanctuary, where we receive guidance from the master, where we have that inner knowing that allows us to know what stimuli is the right stimuli to keep us on the path that we were meant to be on. If we do not strive to stay on this spiritual path then sooner or later, our readings of the I Ching will prove to be misinterpreted, and the "Three unexpexted guests" will not come. We will be on our own, and ashamed and embarrassed at our misfortune. Are we in harmony with the Tao, or the "way of the cross," or are we not?

The Limitations of Hexagram Sixty

In all my thirty plus, maybe forty years of studying the I Ching, I have very rarely gotten hexagram sixty. But now I am getting it intermittently. Usually this happens when we are ready for a new type of lesson or a lesson on a different level. The thing I find interesting here is that this hexagram tells me a lot of the same things that the other hexagrams do, just in a different way. That is just me however. Others may find completely different things in it as we all have our own areas of expertise and understanding, and all have our own personalities and character traits, and when we consult the I Ching personally, through a random means, such as throwing coins or yarrow stalks, we receive answers that are specific to us. Someone else getting hexagram sixty may see something completely different in it, and that is not wrong. The Spirit behind the I Ching knows our nature, our abilities, and our LIMITATIONS.

Lines one and two show two different scenarios, one in which it is "safe to go out the door," and another where "it is not." The key is that it all depends on the timing, a timing which only the universe, or the Higher Self knows, but our LIMITED self does not. If we become arrogant, and think we control it all, we are not in harmony with the meaning of the hexagram nor are we in harmony with the universe as a whole, and therefore not in harmony with our Higher Selves.

It is requisite that we submit to our Higher Selves, or in other words, the universal powers, and do not try to complete everything by ourselves. If we think we can do it all in our own power, we inevitably fail. Granted, some may make their way very well in the world, but sooner or later, arrogance will catch up with us, and we will be humbled.

Line five tells us that we must apply our limitations to ourselves. There are times when we might have to apply them to employees, (if we own a company) or to our children, etc., but primarily we must apply them to ourselves. To know when to go out the gate and courtyard is not something we are consciously capable of knowing, but when we follow the higher guidance it works for us without our conscious awareness of it.

When these four lines change, the result is hexagram fifteen. Hexagram fifteen indirectly and discreetly indicates to us that we must be modest and recognize a higher power that can guide us. When we are in harmony with this higher power, we can pass through the gate or not at the right time and in accordance with the will of higher powers. In this way we follow what the Taoists call "the natural way," and we make no mistakes.

Union and Misunderstandings

In the last post it was related that a relationship with a significant other is not unsimilar to a relationship with our own Higher Self or the I Ching, and pretty much the Higher Self and the I Ching are the same thing. The I Ching is merely the medium the higher self uses to communicate with us. Pretty much the same principles apply. Therefore, in our approach to the I Ching, we are really approaching a deeper aspect of our own being, and as such are having a relationship with that deeper aspect. Often in our relationships, misunderstandings are created because non of us see the world through the same eyes, or have the same understandings of given things. We become all too often like "the teamhorse that goes astray." If we really care about our relationships however, we attempt to look beyond the misunderstandings and find a common ground for attempting reconciliation. Sometimes differences are irreconcilable of course, at least with a significant other, not with our higher self. Nevertheless, it is often possible to maintain a relationship if things have not become too poisoned. In order for things not to become too poisoned, it is essential that we look at the world through other lenses, and not  just our own. It is imperative that we gain a broader view of the world so that we can see someone else's point of view. We do not want to see the world through "the crack of the door" as it is said in hexagram twenty line two. We must have a broader view. In the same way, it is necessary to gain a broader view of ourselves, and of our relationships with the world. In fact, by "Observing," in hexagram twenty, we come to understand things we would not otherwise understand. And the "commands" (directives) of our higher self and how to relate to it become more clear.

Sometimes it is simply not possible in our present state of development to find a way to reconcile, but our Higher Self can clear up the differences in its own way, if we are "receptive" (hexagram two) to the impulses that can be received from the Higher Self. This situation is depicted in hexagram thirty eight line two. Here it says, "One meets his lord in a narrow street." This meeting may be "accidental" by our standards, but by the standards of the Higher Self it is not. For it is the Higher Self that plans out our "accidental meetings," which refers to a place where we come face to face with a truth in such a way that we cannot deny it or lie to ourselves. We will be forced to look in the mirror to see ourselves the way we really are no longer with self deception. The meeting can be startling. We meet in "a narrow street" where we cannot get away from the truth of the matter. This can be arranged by the "Higher Self" as well for situations which are fated or destined for us, or for relationships that were intended for us. We come face to face with the reality of the situation as unpleasant as that might be, and we cannot get around it because the "street is too narrow" to allow for escape. This may be very uncomfortable but it is not a bad thing, for therein do we learn who we really are. And relationships are often a necessity for us to see a mirror image of oneself, and come to terms with the reality of our condition. Then as in hexagram twenty line five and six we come to contemplate our life and find where we have failed and where we have succeeded, and the reason for each.

Often, as in line six of hexagram thirty eight, we see our companions, (including our Higher Self) "As a pig covered with dirt. As a wagon full of devils." We are ready to fight. But in time, thanks often to the meddling of the Higher Self, to "meeting our Lord in a narrow street." we come to realize that the partner comes with good intentions. We have the same problem in hexagram thirteen line three where we "hide weapons in the thicket." There is always a tendency within ourselves to project onto others the faults that we ourselves are burdened with. However, as in line four of hexagram thirteen, "he climbs up upon the wall, (where he has a better view) and realizes that either "he cannot attack" or that there is no need to attack, and reconciliation draws nearer. It is important that we try our best to reconcile with those we can reconcile with, and infinitely more important that we reconcile with our own Higher Self, and in the same way, with the same meaning, the I Ching.

Different relationships

There are so many lines in the I Ching, and I would submit that in some ways, all lines in the I Ching discuss our relationship with our own higher selves and how that relationship is either blocked or in non working order, or else it is in good order. In hexagram forty eight line four it says, "The well is being lined." It amazes me how many different meanings any given line can mean. Often it can mean a situation has not fully developed yet, and no definitive answer can be given until the situation develops further. It can also mean that we have not yet fully developed ourselves or the nature of our relationship to our own higher self. Remember that all lines can relate to relationships; either relationships to ourselves, to our neighbors, to our interaction with society as a whole, to relationships with superiors or inferiors, or personal relationships of the most intimate kind. Hexagram forty eight line four can therefore mean, in terms of a personal relationship, that the relationship has not yet fully jelled, and there is no guarantee that the relationship will move to the next level. This of course does not begin to exhaust the possibilities of meaning coming from just this one line.

In hexagram eight we have an obvious reference to relationships of one kind or another. But all types of relationships follow a certain kind of pattern. The same type of principles of  relationship we have with a "significant other" is the type of principles in a relationship with our higher self. Just as we don't want to try to move too fast into a relationship of significance, we cannot too quickly develop a relationship with our own inner self. The stage has to be set. And both hexagrams thirty one and hexagram fifty three (as well as others) caution us against moving too fast into a relationship. It tends to scare the other person away. We have to under many conditions hold back for the time being until the time is right. Until the "well has been lined."

Sometimes a relationship simply is not possible. (Although it is always possible with our higher self if we proceed in the right way.) As such, hexagram eight line six tells us, "He has no head for holding together." In other words, the conditions aren't right for a relationship to develop. This is true on a personal and interhuman level, just as it is true on a deeper level in getting to know our higher self. We do not understand (head) the mechanisms for making a relationship work even within our own being. If the beginning is not right the the end cannot be right either. Relationships cannot develop too quickly. At the same time, if we hesitate too long we miss the minute of truth, the minute when the relationship can work.

Hexagram sixty one indicates also the way relationships work. But here the emphasis is not on the physical aspects of a relationship or the dynamics of male female relationships (actually, yes it does in a certain way, which will be discussed here.) But on the inner affinity necessary between two people to make the relationship work. The same principles that work within us for a relationship with ourselves apply with a relationship with others. There has to be an inner affinity of "like attracting like" in order to make it happen. Usually for men the original impulse for attraction is the physical beauty of the female, where for the female it is the success of the man that is an initial attractor. However, for a relationship to jell and continue it takes more than that. There must be an inner affinity between the two people. In a human relationship however, there has to be an awareness of each other and a mutual looking at each other in the sense of going the same direction. In line four though, the team horse does not look at its mate. This is because it has a job to do and cannot be distracted. In terms of our relationship with our higher self, this has got to be the way it is. We cannot be distracted in pursuing a relationship with our higher self and at all times must attend to our duty. In contradistinction to what I just said though, although the former applies too in it own way, in order to have a relationship with another, we cannot allow outside distractions to develop keeping us from pursuing and continually better relationship with our significant other. We cannot be dazzled by the beauty or the attractiveness of outside people, but must maintain strict discipline in pursuing the improvement of the relationship that we have and the desire to make it better. We must at all times attend to our duty. In this way we "limit ourselves" (hexagram sixty) to the pursuit of that which reinforces the value of the relationships that we have.

Line five of hexagram sixty one says, "He possesses truth, which links together." Falsehood will not enhance our relationships, this is true in interpersonal relationships as well as relationships with our own higher self. We cannot lie to our own higher self. It is impossible. It may be possible to lie to our significant other for a while and get away with it, but eventually it will destroy the relationship, not strengthen it. (I am talking about real deceit here, not little lies to not hurt someone's feelings). However, when both lines four and five of hexagram sixty one change, the resulting hexagram is number thirty eight. Herein lies the possibilities of misunderstandings and how to deal with them. We will get to that later.