The Way of Sacrifice

The Taoist way is the way of sacrifice. In that sense it is no different than the Christian Way which is the way of the cross. Six of one and half a dozen of the other. Same thing. What is it we sacrifice? We sacrifice our self will and give it up to the universal will. The universe has a consciousness. This is what the "New World Order" and the elite do not want you to know. They want you to know it is a cold dead universe; that it happened by accident. The Taoists did not necessarily (or maybe they did) believe in a supreme being in quite the same way we do in the West, but they did believe that the universe was alive and that the universe was fully conscious. In much the same way, some Gnostic Christians believed that the old Testament God was a lower ranking being, and that the true God was this "mystical" universe of consciousness.

Fundamentalist Christians do not agree with the oriental concept of "oneness." That is because, in my opinion, they do not understand exactly what is meant by that. They quote the Bible which speaks of atonement, but do not realize that atonement comes originally from three words, "at - one - ment," or at one meant. Sometimes we speak apples and oranges, and argue never realizing that we are not even speaking of the same thing and are using concepts that are perceived in one way by the speaker and another by the hearer. This subject could be carried on farther, perhaps at another time. Suffice it to say for now that in most, if not all religions is this concept, conceived or not by the general practicioner, of a supreme being who is not in a given place in time or space, but all pervading, and is the essence of all that exists.

And in the I Ching, as well as the Bible, we have the concept of a higher reality in which we "move and breathe and have our being;" and being such, we learn that it would not be wise to "lean upon our own understanding," but to submit to this higher power, and give it credit for our accomplishments and our successes, rather than attributing them to our lower personality alone. So in hexagram thirty four, the Wilhelm/Baynes commentary says that we may "rely on our power, and forget to ask what is right." In other words, we rely on our lower consciousness rather than recognizing and availing ourselves of the deeper power that exists within us. When we do this we violate the maxims of hexagram fifteen, and give ourselves praise rather than the higher powers. In other words, we are self willed. "Pride cometh before a fall." We must humble ourselves and give ourselves up to a power that is higher than we. In this way we do not forget to "ask what is right." In this way we are following the way of the cross and the way of the Tao.

The lines give us various indications of how we can violate this universal law of "asking what is right." Often when we come into power we revel in it, and begin to exert our will to dominate those around us. However, this only causes resistance. Line one of hexagram thirty four describes a situation where a person has developed a certain amount of power but not as much as he or she thinks. Then they begin to arrogantly lord it over other people and this causes a reaction. Line three tells us that we must be "conscious at all times of the danger of pushing ahead regardless of circumstances." This too comes from a lack of humility and unwillingness to ask what is right.

When we use power properly following the tao and not our own self will, we find ourselves as in hexagram forty, easing ourselves away from tensions. We recognized in good time that we were violating the universal law of universal willfulness by trying to enforce our own will. Now, before disaster strikes, we need to "return to the way that is suited for us." And as hexagram forty says, (when lines one and three of thirty four change) we must make a "clean sweep and get back to normal conditions as soon as possible." In this way we spare ourselves of the humility that would overtake us by our own ignorance of our situation. (See hexagram four). If we fail to learn our lessons we can be like line four of hexagram four that says in the commentary, "Often the teacher, when confronted with such entangled folly, has no other course but to leave the fool to himself for a time,not sparing him the humiliation that results" For there is no harsher taskmaster than our own being when we behave foolishly and arrogantly.

A problem on Internet Explorer

Hello

I have heard there is a problem loading this on internet explorer. At the time I have no idea what to do about it. If I find a solution I will take care of it.

The Biggest Secret

The biggest secret is that there is no secret! And yet there is. Because even though the secret is right out in the open, nobody sees it. Lao Tzu, who wrote the Tao Teh Ching said, "the best secret is one which is right out in the open." Nobody notices the obvious.

I submit that the I Ching, the Bible, and pretty much all sacred or religious books are written in code, and that while the secret is right there, we never see it. And even those who see it see it only on a lower level. By the way, there are those code breakers working for various military units around the world who have stated "I work with secret codes, I make them and I break them, and I have seen enough of them to know that the Bible is a secret code."

Well, the above is just a few statements that should be made, and perhaps not elaborated upon at this point. I suspect that the people who read the posts on this blog have a somewhat higher understanding of life and the nature of reality than those who read other things. That being said, it may be surmised that people who read these posts understand that science is not all that it is cracked up to be. Science says that there is no way that someone can consult the I Ching and get an answer that is valid. They say they have proven there is "No God, no purpose, no plan for the universe and that it is just an accident." Therefore, there can be no meaning to the I Ching, to any religious, or spiritual, or sacred document. It is just a bunch of superstition made up by ignorant people in ages past who had no science. Well, those of us that have used the I Ching know that it DOES work. If we have used it extensively we know that there is a power, and a purpose behind it. And therefore it seems to me that we have a little more savvy, a little more understanding, than those who arrogantly think of themselves as the saviors of society with their science or what have you. So, once again I say, that I believe those that come to this blog consistently probably have a little better knowledge of the world and its meaning than society at large does.

And yet, even with that, we are all deceived. For there is a dark spiritual power and spiritual force in the world that wishes for the truth to be completely washed away, and that everyone should believe exactly what the elite of the world tell them they should believe. If they say two and two equals five, we are supposed to believe it, until they say it equals three, and we believe that. And the most educated of the world are the ones that are the most inclined to follow the elite into whatever belief system they lay out for the common man. Right now it is just a matter of deceiving us. The time is coming, and has always been that way in certain countries, where we will not only be expected to believe whatever the elite want us to believe, but we will be forced to believe what they say, under penalty of death. The elite have openly stated that they intend to crush Christianity. In many countries it is being done by slaughter. It some it is being done by ridiculing anyone that would believe in Christianity. But if you are not Christian, it would not be wise to think you are safe, that you don't have to worry. Once they stomp out Christianity, you can bet they are coming after everyone else's religion or spiritual beliefs. The elite of the world believe in Lucifer, but they want the common man to believe in nothing but the material world. They want him or her to believe there is nothing spiritual at all, that there is no purpose, and we are just here by accident. Two and two equals five. It is easier to control those who fear death (because there is nothing after) than those who believe we continue in spirit or soul form.

So sometimes it is not easy for me to post here. I know what is coming. I know what lies ahead and what the plans are. Right now there are those international elite who intend to pass laws such that any website that does not tell the truth can be shut down. Sounds like a good thing, except, who decides who is telling the truth? The elite do. It is their truth (which is a lie) that they are concerned about. And it follows their plan for world domination by forcing people to believe what they want them to believe, which is a lie. I salute those who read this. I greatly appreciate the following, though not large, yet surprisingly significant (by my perspective of significance) of those who are interested in this subject.

The Source of Great Power

Hexagram thirty four gives us insights into the meaning of power and where it comes from. When we attain it, we are all too often inclined to become egotistical and bully our way around in one form or another. This is true pretty much of all leaders of all nations. That doesn't mean they will necessarily go to war with another country, but that they will use their power to suppress all others who are opposed to their power, or trying to become more powerful themselves.

Many would argue that we all do this on our own level, and that we must do it in order to survive in the world. Indeed, it is the instinctive way. Even when we wish to break from the game we find ourselves engaging in these power struggles without really realizing it. If we don't, we may find ourselves the "dog that gets eaten." So, if we want to live moral lives, what do we do? Perhaps it is, as so many say, impossible to not play the power game at least at our own level. But the highest spiritual values and teachings, insist that we should not play this game. In fact they are so emphatic about it, that they insist you should not play this game even at the cost of our own lives. Jesus said that "a man must take up his/her cross daily, and follow him. Lao Tzu, the Chinese philosopher said that "daily he invests in loss." Why would anyone invest in loss? Perhaps because "metaphorically speaking, "The way of the cross leads home." To our true home.

At any rate, The hexagram speaks of great power and how to use it successfully. But early on in the Wilhelm/Baynes commentary it says, "...There is the danger that one may rely entirely on one's own power, and forget to ask what is right." What does it mean to not ask what is right? I would say this. If we think that our own power originates with us, without seeking the tao, or seeking heavenly guidance, we become arrogant and our own arrogance will eventually turn against us, as the dark shadow within us seeks its due. Not asking what is right means we ultimately think that our own conscious mind is so smart we can outsmart and outfox everyone, and in that way gained our power. But as the ancient Greeks used to point out so much in their mythology is that the gods hate arrogance above all else. We do not give them their due, we arrogantly take credit of ourselves, and hence eventually lose the power we had fought so hard to gain.

Out of Town

I will be out of town the next two weeks but should post after that.

Common Themes

In consulting the I Ching for a specific question, it seems to me it is best to seek an answer from one specific hexagram rather than multiple readings. When reading for spiritual wisdom or deeper understanding of the I Ching I would submit that it is better to consult from a complex of hexagrams. Carol Anthony, in her books, suggests that six hexagrams seems to give a good answer. I have followed that too. In this way it is possible to get a cluster of hexagrams with a common thread. For example, there are a number of hexagrams that relate to situations where one must retreat. Each hexagram or line that deals with that however, deals with it in a little different manner and a little different way. Therefore, in getting a cluster of hexagrams that relate to retreat, (hexagram thirty three is the most obvious) we can discover that that is a major theme for us to review. But there are other hexagrams and lines that can deal with this very same situation, albeit in a different context. So when we get perhaps, hexagram thirty three, with a number of lines changing, and we get hexagram fifty five, which indicates a situation where things are at their peak, and a change is coming, lets also say we get hexagram seventeen line one, which speaks of a standard that changes, and we get as well hexagram one line four, which speaks of a transition period, in which we can either leave the world behind, (retreat) or not, then we can see that we have a bit of a common thread running throughout. Things are not always so easy. Sometimes a common thread takes a lot of time in meditation to find. Things don't always fit together perfect in a way that we understand. (They do fit together but sometimes we are not mentally and spiritually ready to take the next step, and discover the real message. Then we have to persevere and concentrate until a light comes out of events.)

We can see from this group of hexagrams that a change is coming, and that it may be time to retreat from old friends and find new, or we may need to retreat from a situation that no longer serves us, or we may need to retreat from a position, or even from the world at large. It is often hard though, to comprehend that these timelines are a part of the Tao, or the Way, that we are meant to follow, and occur during times in our life when we are maturing to a point that we need a new environment for further growth. In hexagram fifty three line six, we see a situation that has matured to a point where we soar above the world, and can observe from above the dealings of the world. When we reach this stage, we may or may not still be "in the world," but we are no longer, in may ways, "of the world." A point of maturity has been reached. As the commentary in hexagram fifty two says, "He no longer sees in it (the world) the struggle and tumult of individual beings, and therefore he has that true peace of mind which is needed for understanding the great laws of the universe, and for acting in harmony with them." When we reach this point it can be said as in the commentary on hexagram thirty three line five, that the retreat can be friendly though the time for retreat has come, and in line six, that the retreat can be cheerful and that one can see clearly that it is time to depart, and that there is a clear path ahead which always leads to the good.

Today's discussion will probably not resonate with a lot of people, but for those few who have seen the handwriting on the wall may very well resonate with it, knowing that it is time to retreat, or that it is time to move to a higher level on the path of initiation. As in hexagram twenty six line six, "One attains the way of heaven. Success."

Closer to the Ruler

The discussion recently has centered around the case for two (or more) levels of understanding for initiates into the sacred mysteries. We have discussed a little about the levels of initiation in Christianity, and a very little in other religions (or philosophies) that I know less about. And I am not qualified to express the meanings on the highest level of initiation. We do have, however, an example in history when things went terribly wrong with those who had secret knowledge. It appears that there are those, (and I think this is especially true in the western world, but maybe not) who are absolutely determined to keep mankind in darkness and ignorance. (Remember the snake in the Garden of Eden?) The Serpent apparently gave knowledge to mankind that he was not supposed to have yet. And the question becomes, is it best for us to have that knowledge or not? Was the supposed fall a fall upwards? or was it a fall into sin? Or perhaps we can accept the idea that it was both? At any rate, whether it is the Serpent, or the Elohim that got us into this mess, or maybe both - maybe both had a hand in our demise, and things are not as simple as they seem, we do appear to have this capacity for advanced knowledge, but it is only for a few.

It appears that a group of Knights called the Knights Templar, who were guardians for the Roman Catholic Church, found some manuscripts in Jerusalem, perhaps in underground tunnels, that gave some secrets or secret knowledge that someone didn't want us having. And when it was discovered they had it, then, I believe the year was 1307 A.D.,  and I believe Friday October 13th, the Roman Catholic Church issued an edict for their complete destruction and in France a slaughter began. Some may have escaped to Scotland, and other parts of Northern Europe, and still exist in small groups, but that is speculation as far as I am concerned. Nevertheless... (This apparently is where we get the superstition of the dangers of Friday the 13th of any month.)

At any rate, that is enough of history, there are hints in many places about a secret doctrine that exists in many religious or philosophical sects. In the I Ching there is evidence of it in many places, but one I will mention now is hexagram forty six, line four. The Wilhelm/Baynes commentary says, "One acquires fame in the sight of gods and men, is received into the circle of those who foster the spiritual life of the nation, and thereby attains a significance that endures beyond time." Those who foster the spiritual life of the nation would be those of secret orders who have a secret doctrine that goes beyond the simple understanding of the natural man.

The fourth line of any hexagram is a line that has gone beyond the natural realm and into the heavenly realm. For those who are not ready, this is dangerous, especially since this line is close to the ruler. It depends on the energy of the trigrams in a given hexagram, and the quality of the line to decide how dangerous this is. It is necessary to keep one's estate, and then move on. The fourth line is close to the ruler in the fifth line, and hence is scrutinized very closely. In hexagram forty six, however, the nature of the individual is to push upwards. But since he or she does this without antagonizing the ruler, the line is safe, and finds respect by the ruler, who "offers him mount Chi." The person has proved his or her worth, and therefore is received into the circle of those who "hold the secret doctrine." This is not necessary for everyone. Most of us do very well just to understand the I Ching on a level that helps us in our personal lives. But for some it is important to do better. As the commentary on hexagram thirty five says, "His ruler in turn is free of all jealousy, showers presents on the great man, and invites him continually to his court." There is both great responsibility and great freedom in being close to the ruler, and to the Sage.

Biting through to new levels of understanding

The I Ching is designed to operate on numerous levels. This is possible due to the factor that creates the reality of "as above, so below." So we can be sure that what happens on the microcosmic level happens as well on the microcosmic level. But it behooves us to ensure that we are understanding the I Ching on the highest level possible.

Hexagram twenty one brings this to our attention in a variety of ways. We must understand that to understand the I Ching on the higher levels we have to "bite through the wrappings." Most of us have no need for that as the physical world is all that concerns us. We are concerned about our relationships, about our careers, and about our families, but for the most part we are not concerned about things on a spiritual or metaphysical level. Yet it would be best that we were. We cannot deny the real, physical world, it does affect us, but in a more subtle way, so does the more ethereal, or microcosmic world.

Hexagram twenty one tells us that we must look for deeper meanings. That we should 'take the plunge" (hexagram twenty nine) and discover the message on a deeper level. Often this is initially repellent to us. Line two says that "in biting through, our nose disappears." Something smells rotten, something seems wrong. These deeper levels of meaning seem odious, and violate our sense of the nature of things. We think they do not make sense and cannot accept the deeper message. But we have to let the message sink in. It takes time. At first we are disgusted. This is because the message violates our sense of the nature of reality. But in the long run we find the message to be true.

Of course. "Biting Through" in this way can only occur after we have spent a lot of time in "Contemplation." (hexagram twenty) In contemplation we come to see the world in new terms. Are typical totally materialist point of view begins to dissolve and it confuses us. At first in contemplation we see only "through the crack of the door." (hexagram twenty line two) Then our contemplation confuses us, and violates our sense of reality. (hexagram twenty one line two) Eventually we allow the new message to fester within us such that we gradually (and grudgingly) honor or the Sage, or that wisdom within. As such we "bite through," and in doing so, we "receive yellow gold." We receive a gift not of a physical nature, but of a spiritual nature, and in doing so, we move from the lower levels of the outer mysteries, into the inner levels, the level of the initiate, the level that the initiate does not talk about, because he or she knows that in doing so, they violate the sense of reality of the lower level initiates. (Biting through so that the nose disappears.)

The crux of the meaning of the I Ching is that we can learn to advance ourselves through the nature of the Tao, and not through force or intrigue, or attempts to control. But in order to do that, we must build up character. This is one of several lessons taught to us especially through hexagram twenty six, although also through the I Ching as a whole. The mountain dams up the energy of the creative until the power of the creative becomes so great that it explodes as a volcano might explode after a buildup of gases and other forces within the mountain.

But the I Ching tells us that in order to build up creative energy, we must build character day by day. As such it is imperative that we follow the Tao each day and create within ourselves more and more of the energy of the heavenly realm. One way of expressing this is that we create more and more positive karma, not by good deeds that have the conscious intention of building karma, but by following the natural way. This is explained throughout the I Ching, and cannot be expressed in one or even several posts. It will be the sort of thing that one exposes themselves to as they build their intuition into spiritual matters, and allow the teachings to fester within until one finally matures in ways that are not easily describable.

When the light dawns through, one can say they have reached a certain level of enlightenment but not the whole. Each day one adds to the understanding within, and "finds treasure within the mountain." (Hexagram twenty six.) Finding treasure within the mountain refers on one level to finding intuitively nuggets of truth in sacred scripture. When these "pearls of great price" are found, we realize that we are leaving the "outer band of discipleship," (the outer mysteries) and are gaining insight into the second level of discipleship where we understand the allegorical meanings of the text and of symbols. We begin the process of reaching the inner level. Usually we have to have an initiate teach us these things, as they are not going to reveal themselves. We can however, after long periods of meditation and research, and speculation, arrive at some of the deeper truths that were meant for us. The "daily renewal of character" referred to in hexagram twenty six eventually leads us to these intuitive insights. Since it requires meditation and cumulative effort within to gain these insights, having attained them, it is useless to try to impart such wisdom to others. They cannot see what they are not ready for. Therefore the initiates into the greater mysteries as a rule do not discuss their secrets with others. As Jesus said, "cast not your pearls before the swine." Most people will not understand that there is a deeper level of wisdom here, there or anywhere, so will interpret these messages as utter nonsense. But for those who are ready, there is "great treasure within the mountain."

Inner Versus Outer

In all religions and philosophical orders it appears that there is an inner and an outer doctrine. There is one belief system presented to the masses, and another to the inner initiates. In order to know the real doctrine, often you have to be a member of an elite society, and even then make sure you are part of the inner circle. In many cases it would seem, the lower ranking members of the society are purposely lied to while others are given the "secrets."

Modern Christianity, at least the Protestant version, tends to disagree with this, quoting Paul's message that said, "but if our gospel be hidden it is hidden to those who are lost." Of course, this evokes a serious question regarding, what does it mean to be lost? The Roman Catholic Church is more into symbolism and allegory but does not share that with the Roman Catholic laity. Why not?

It is said of the Masons as well, that they have a secret doctrine for the elite that is not shared with those of the lower degrees, and apparently not all of those in the higher degrees. It is argued however, that this is more of a sinister organization. I would argue that some branches of it are and some aren't.  I am not a mason however, and have no interest in becoming one, not to mention being any part of their more secret "inner sanctum."

Jesus however, regardless of how you interpret Paul's message, made it clear that there was an inner and an outer division of believers. To those outside Jesus said, "I speak to them in parables, that in seeing they may see not, and in hearing they hear not." There was the literal version, and the allegorical version. At least that is one way of putting it. In the literal version of Christianity, Christ's death was a sacrifice, (like the sacrificial lamb) for our sins, that we might be saved and declared righteousness. In an allegorical version. Christ's death would be a "death of the ego, and his resurrection would be a new life lived in accordance with the "way," or in Chinese terms, the Tao. Interestingly, the word Tao, (regardless of its being an English version of a Chinese symbol, is written, usually with a T rather than a d, although it sounds somewhere in between the two letters) starts with a T which is a symbol for the cross, upon witch a sacrifice is made and we change from the horizontal axis of time and space to the vertical axis of eternity. The A is a symbol for the ox, or for great power and the O for the sun. So Tao can be a symbol for sacrificing great power to the sun, or in other words, sacrificing our personal power to the universal sun symbol, the symbol of life, and the symbol of the universe, and the symbol of the Son. By giving up our ego we allow the "sun" to flow through us, and become one with the way. So is the allegorical version right? Or is the literal? Or could they both be right. I leave that up to the reader to decide. At any rate, the I Ching too, has an inner and an outer meaning. But what do we make of it?

More on this later.

In response to email requests...

Hello

I get email sometimes from anonymous sources, and some request I keep in touch. I cannot reply to the emails as it will not reach its target, so all I can do is comment or write a post. As far as twitter and facebook, and others, I hesitate to use them. I have become much more careful about what I write over the years, and do not have much confidence in social media. So it is not possible to follow me on twitter. You can write comments here however, or use the email address which I believe is on this blog somewhere. But I cannot respond to anonymous emails. It is not possible to respond to anonymous emails as the reply will not reach you. I do appreciate all the nice responses and comments however. don't feel that you cannot reach me in any way.

Gene

Accepting all, rejecting none

In the I Ching, every line in some way, is describing our relationship with the Sage. In Christian terminology, it could be referred to as our relationship with the Lord, or Christ. In others it might be our relationship to the Buddha, or to Krishna, or whoever. It might be referring to our relationship with our own higher self. It doesn't matter. But it does refer to a relationship.

In hexagram eight line five the line states to the effect that the Sage accepts all who come to him, but allows all who wish to go a different direction, to go that direction. He doesn't reject them, he just allows them to go their own way. They reject the Sage, or the Christ, or such. There is no such penalty for doing so, except the penalty that we do not learn the way of the Sage, or the Christ, and therefore live a lesser fulfilling life. No one goes to hell because they missed their opportunity. Now, whether or not there is a heaven and a hell is a matter for a different discussion. I am only talking about the consequences in this context; that of accepting or rejecting the Sage. The Sage does not become angry when he or she is rejected. The Sage only sorrows for those who do not know the wisdom in his/her words, and lives a life of foolishness because they do not see the light of the kingdom. (Hexagram twenty line four.)

Hexagram eight is created by the topping of the earth trigram by the water trigram. Earth stands still. Water can be a symbol of danger but it can also be a symbol of wisdom. Here we have water on a field. Earth can stand for the center. As such, it is by staying in the center that we overcome danger and evoke wisdom. The King stands in the central position. The Sage is in the sixth position and is above all. Why do we reject that which is above all? Why do we thirst for knowledge and yet reject wisdom? Knowledge feeds the ego. Wisdom feeds humility. (See hexagram fifteen.) When we reject wisdom we create our own punishment. No one outside ourselves punishes us. Our foolishness is its own punishment. The Sage does not force us to be good or wise. It allows each to make its own decision. And, as the saying goes, "The rain falls upon both the just and the unjust."

Gradual Development

Hexagram fifty three reminds us that Rome wasn't built in a day. To accomplish anything of value takes time and effort. Line three however, shows a little bit different twist. The third line is normally in the place of transition, so it is in a difficult situation. Each line wants to move upward into a higher position, and the third line wants to reach into the upper trigram. That is why it is in a difficult position. Line three in hexagram fifty three is a yang line in a yang place and therefore has strength. Nevertheless, the line says, "The woman carries a child but does not bring it forth."

Any creative effort is like a child that we bring forth. Any attempt to accomplish something that requires time and effort is a child that we "bring forth." Here a strong line in a strong place cannot accomplish the task however. Why? Because robbers have come and taken our possession.

All too often we tend to look at the literal meaning only, and not look beyond that. It takes creative effort and meditation to pick up a lines symbolic meaning. Robbers can be mental attitudes that block our effectiveness. Robbers can be that part of our own inner psyche that discourages us, or can find any little reason not to practice on a daily basis. It reminds us of all the little things that need to be done, and gets us carried away doing menial tasks that are not important, and we never get around to practicing the things that we need to practice in order to accomplish something in life. Robbers can rob us of our energy, of our stamina, and of our time. The reason the third line does not accomplish is because it allows robbers to steal its efforts, its time, and all that has meaning. We must put all our effort into accomplishing something of value. Then, as hexagram eighteen line six says, "He does not serve kings and princes, sets himself higher goals.

Gene

In response to some comments

Its been a long time since I have posted, and there are several reasons for that. I have received some very nice comments about my blog though, and want to address that, and maybe accomplish a few other things from time to time. There have been times in the past when I planned to respond to a few comments and could not get around to it. This time I have to do it.

There have been some questions about comment blockers. You can have google block spam comments. There is a catch though because they may not always be right about what is spam and what is not. When I first started writing there were 100's of comments advertising porn sites and such, without anyone asking permission or such. That's fine except that is not what this site is all about. I had to find a way to stop it. There is a way to contact google and request stoppage but I don't remember how I did it.

Anyway; the I Ching is such a broad subject, and has so many correlations that no one can know it fully or even anywhere near fully. I only know the aspect that I know, and my knowledge is considerable, but still faulty and lacking. I can only do what I can do and that is limited. Nevertheless, I do have good information to pass on when I can. Why this site? Is it better than any other site? Not necessarily, but it will reflect the area of expertise that I have whereas others will reflect their area of expertise and it is all good.

The biggest disappointment I have in my life, is that there is not enough hours in the day to accomplish anything of note. The more I study, the more I find I am lacking. It is also the case, that to be good at something you have to limit yourself to that one thing, at least for the most part. (See hexagram 60 line four.) I find that those that do find nuggets in their field of knowledge, but I also find that these people are often very one sided, and as much as they know in their field of expertise, they are lacking in overall clarity. So what to do? I am overextended, and I know it, but I need to do all of these things to become a well rounded human being. So I try to practice Tai Chi at the very least an hour a day, but often as much as three hours. I listen to the news at least an hour a day. I listen to documentaries most days, and some days up to three or four hours. I try to keep informed on what is going on in the world, and that requires more than mainline news, because mainline news is largely controlled. Think we have freedom of the press in this country? Not as much as you might think. I try to study the I Ching at least an hour a day, but simply cannot always get to it. I also try to study other sacred scriptures from around the world, but cannot always get to it. I try to read books, study gematria, study symbolism in scripture, astrology, and on and on and get frustrated because I cannot do it all: Then try to write here too? Especially when only a very small group is listening to me? But there are some, although I suppose I have lost a lot of readers not having written for so long. Anyway, how do you do it all.

Anyway, thanks for the nice comments I have received. The way this is set up though, often I cannot reply and get through in email, but can only respond to comments here. I will try to do that, and will try to write something meaningful and valuable to all those who have as I do a thirst for knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and spiritual love.

Gene

I have also found my blog no longer comes up on google. I do not know why this is. I will try to find out why. But it does come up on firefox. Well, now I find out it will come up if I use "I Ching for personal development" in a search engine. This is all bizarre. I will try to find out what is going on.

Gene

I have been getting an unusually large number of comments lately, and I can't respond to them all. I also know no way of communicating with any of you except through posts and comments. The only other way is for me to put my email out here, and you can contact me directly without going through the comments. Please only serious emails though. Ads and odd comments will just be deleted. The address is: gener202002@yahoo.com

I hope to start writing again occasionally. I have lots of information I want to post here. Sometimes it is a real challenge to do anything, but I will try. I have been getting a lot of interesting anonymous requests and such. I will try to answer them as best as possible, but applying to anonymous emails doesn't seem to accomplish anything. I will have to answer questions right here.

Gene

Well, I am going to start posting again, maybe not every day, but some. And the following is my first post for this year.

The I Ching is replete with statements that depict a universal principle of a sine wave in all matters relating to the universe, and we see that while in hexagram fifty five in which it is stated that a reversal of good fortune is inevitable the commentary also states, “Be not sad, (about this principle) be like the midday sun.” In other words, we just recognize the principle for what it is and just accept it. We maintain an equilibrium, knowing that this is a universal principle and that we simply prepare for it, and understand the changes as they come about. There are certain ways in which we should act during an up cycle, and certain ways we should act during a down cycle. Sometimes we advance, sometimes we retreat. Sometimes we spend, sometimes we save. Sometimes we prepare, sometimes we act, and so on and so forth indefinitely.

The l Ching is an excellent guide book to tell us where we are in a given cycle, and how we should react to the energies of that particular point in the cycle. Hence, the commentary in hexagram sixty line one says, “He must know when to stop.” This wisdom of knowing the point of the cycles is taught us in the I Ching but the ultimate goal is to incorporate the knowledge and wisdom of those cycles into our own souls and become ever more intuitively aware of the signs that are all around us. Line two of hexagram sixty tells us that although when the energies are not right we do not continue, when the cycle comes back around, we begin to act. Then hexagram eight tells us that whoever comes too late meets with misfortune. In other words we must act when the time permits it, and refrain when the time does not.

Hexagram thirteen gives us a little different take on this as the hexagram is more concerned with interacting with others, but it does relate indirectly. For example, the commentary tells us that all things that belong together must be organically arranged. And this can only happen through the medium of time. Hexagram three tells us of the difficulties of starting any project in that it cannot be completed all at once. It takes time. There are proper steps to be taken in order to complete any project and each step must be completed in its own time. (See hexagrams one and fifty three.) But the nature of the universe is to breakdown that which has served its usefulness and reorganize it into something new, thus everything is cycling eternally, and old organisms are broken down so new ones may appear. Since everything follows this universal law, we must be cognizant of the nature of it, and become in harmony, first through the use of the I Ching, then through our intuition, so that we do not miss the proper timing for any activity. All things must be accomplished in their own time, and the nature of the universe is to “bring things together that belong together.” (See hexagram thirteen, fifty five, forty five line two, several others, and sixty three and sixty four.)

We too, by tapping into the wisdom of the I Ching, eventually tap into our own power, and develop a sixth sense, that serves us more and more as we develop it more and more.

---

Last edited by gene; Today at 04:37 PM.. Reason: grammar

   

A Few Notes Before March 1st

As I said I have been torn between posting and not posting due to the new laws being put into effect in the U.S. but the main problem is google. The SOPA and PIPA acts have been put on hold as there has been too much of an uproar over these laws. So, I may continue on in a new format after March, perhaps with a new computer and with a regular website not google related, and strictly I Ching or esoteric Christianity information.

People do not know how dangerous the situation is now. One of our top political leaders recently made the statement that there is an information war going on, and we, (the elite) are losing it. That is why there is such a hurry to stifle information on the internet. The mainstream newsmedia is locked by elite interests and any real news is not to be found there. The only way to get real news is through uncontrolled sources such as the internet, and the elite are doing everything in their power to shut it down, and I have no doubt that they soon will succeed.

At any rate, around March 1st, I will either be no longer posting, or I will post on a regular website. In the meantime, there is so much to post if I just get around to it. And here I will post something I thought about last night, that I think may be interesting to many people. But first, let me remind people that the thrust of the kind of work I do relates to the I Ching as a unique voice, conscious and aware, and it speaks wisdom to us. It is great to do readings and find out information about things going on in our lives, and about relationships, the daily things, but it is of paramount importance to understand the deeper spiritual aspects, and this is what this is all about.

In that vein, the I Ching has something very important to teach us in line two of hexagram forty eight. The lines say, "At the wellhole one shoots fishes. The jug is broken and leaks." When we go to the well to catch fish, the I Ching is not being used for the purposes it was meant to be used for. Not only are we not using it correctly, but the "Jug is broken." The jug is broken when we do not properly understand the message that is being presented. Our understanding is limited. This is related to hexagram twenty line two when we "see only through the crack in the door." But here, not only is our understanding and perception limited, it is actually faulty, and not only is it faulty, but it is being used in the wrong manner. We can use our perception in the wrong manner when we do not approach the sage in childlike innocence, as in hexagram four line five, or when we have ulterior motives which we are only vaguely aware of and are using the I Ching for selfish purposes rather than our own spiritual growth. The commentary says, "...and whoever comes to it comes only to catch fish." They do not understand the value of the water, and how it can replenish them, give them understanding, like the "man who has the secrets to make the kingdom flourish" in hexagram twenty line four.

The same is true in our relationships when we do not recognize the value of our partner. It can be true in our businesses when we do not recognize the value of the business, when we handle our relationships on a superficial level, and do not bother to discover the real problem in our relationship, or in our business partnerships. We can deceive ourselves into thinking everything is okay when it is not. We have an idea of what is needed but do not take it seriously enough to actually do it.

When we try to grasp water it simply rushes through the cracks between our fingers. When we try to hold onto relationships and businesses without proper understanding of the problem, without a basis for a true realization for the extent of the problem, it is like "the jug is broken." We cannot hold onto what we have. When the jug is broken we lose that which is most precious to us. When we lose that which is most precious to us, the water leaks out of the jug.

The commentary also says, "This describes the situation of a person who has good qualities but neglects them." We neglect our good qualities when we do not take care to maintain our relationships, when we do not attend to business as appropriately as we should. In this way the line has a relationship with hexagram sixty three, where everything is in order, but left to itself will surely deteriorate, and it takes a superior man who cares to maintain the situation. If we leave our relationships to themselves, and do not maintain them, in time they will fail. The same can be said of our businesses, our families, our social organizations. All things have this peculiarity about them that if left to themselves they ultimately deteriorate. The proper use of the wellhole, is the spiritual nourishment we receive from its teachings, not mundane day to day things per se, although if we seek the spiritual first, "all these things shall be added unto you." If we want a life that is blessed, we must attend to the things that are important in our life and keep them from deteriorating. And we must drink "from the living water that lasts forever."

Deeply Torn

I am sorry that I have not posted in a few days. I am deeply torn and troubled about the current state of the union in the U.S. and things that are happening to the country and to the internet. I do not know how much longer I will have internet and/or cable service. If I drop it I will be totally isolated from the world with the exception of a few neighbors etc.

I feel the times are very troubling. I have a lot to write about. I do know however, that there are enough books out now, and magazines, or such, that the material I present is not unique to me, but many people know it. I do feel however, my approach to the I Ching is somewhat unique. I know of no source to get the type of material I am putting out. Much of the same "TYPE" of message however, can be found in esoteric Christian sources, such as books by Malachi Tao, one of whom's books is called, "The Gnostic Gospel of Thomas." Scientifically speaking, a great book has been out for some time called "The Holographic Universe," by Michael Talbot. A book called "Oneness" by Rasha is also very good. Peter Novak's books on "Division Theory" are very good. There are also some Indian Buddhist and Hindu masters who have written great books on the gospels from their perspective. Their names are too hard to attempt right now though. I will try to get some names tomorrow. The esoteric and spiritual sources of Christianity are very similar to Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist texts, but the church has changed them and created doctrines for their own purposes of control. When we see from fresh eyes, not the eyes of the church, we get a whole new perspective. For now I will try to get back to writing. I have been in Albuquerque a couple days this week and last, and I have been perplexed as to what to do, but I will try to continue with the best information I can possibly put out as long as I am online.