Today: “Seize the moment you have been waiting for.  Opportunity passes quickly. from the I Ching

Seize the moment you have been waiting for.  Opportunity passes quickly.

and then this: Tao Te Ching – Verse 80 – If a country is governed wisely, its inhabitants will be content

See the previous reading:  Today: “Use what you have been blessed with lest it deteriorate and become useless.” from the I Ching

See the previous previous reading: Today: “Wait, allow a new situation to form, witness, join the flow.  Allow random encounters.  Engage kindly with people.  Be helpful. You will help bring people together.” from the I Ching

See Related posts

Meditation: LA673-19910205- Third Chakra

All of the following contribute to the flow of what’s happening in recent readings:

Meditation: NM0383-20010213 – Culturing the Self

 

Meditation: LA847-19950816-Unity-Your Magnetic Field of the Total Self Will Become One

 

Meditation: NM142 19940615 – Bless the Planet Earth and Let the Heavens Descend in You

Meditation: LA860-960131-Increase the Flow of Earth Within You

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect

Meditation: NM374 – 20001128 – Patience and Intuition

Still relevant:

Meditation: LA741 – 921125 – Dance of Shiva

Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

Meditation: Meditations for the Radiant Body

Meditation: LA907 – Kriya for Non-Reaction

Meditation: Listening to Angelic Whispers – from the Mind

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
16 – Sixteen.  Yü / Enthusiasm

Thunder comes resounding out of the Earth:
Similar thunder roars up from the masses when the Superior Person strikes a chord in their hearts.

Whip up enthusiasm, rally your forces, and move boldly forward.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is a rhythmic force, a world music, that lives deep in the Unconscious of each of us.
It’s a primitive drumbeat, a shaking rattle, a tribal chant that invokes the primal self to rise up and join the dance.
This is the enthusiasm that is generated now.
Not rhetorical persuasion, not a play on the emotions, but a charismatic, irresistible Call of the Wild.
Confucius said that the person who could comprehend this could ‘rule the world as though it were spinning in his hand.’
This is a time for instinct, not intellect — the Thunder from the Beneath.

Six in the third place means:

You wait for a compelling signal, yet ignore the knock at the gate.
Missed opportunity breeds regret.

Enthusiasm that looks upward creates remorse.
Hesitation brings remorse.

This line is the opposite of the preceding one: the latter bespeaks self-reliance, while here there is enthusiastic looking up to a leader. If a man hesitates too long, this also will bring remorse. The right moment for approach must be seized: only then will he do the right thing.

28 – Twenty-Eight.  Ta Kuo / Critical Mass

The Flood rises above the tallest Tree:
Amidst a rising tide of human folly, the Superior Person retires to higher ground, renouncing his world without looking back.

Any direction is better than where you now stand.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Several high-priority concerns demand immediate attention.
All are crucial.
None will be denied.
Yet some demand the denial of others.
Like two atoms seeking to occupy the same space, these irresistible forces and immovable objects threaten to ignite a cataclysm that could irreversibly alter your world.
This is no time for fatal heroics.
You are at Ground Point Zero.
Remove yourself from this situation without delay.
Find sanctuary.
Later you may deal with these concerns on your own terms, from a position of strength.

 

 

 

Today: “The freedom of instinct exists with man” – Yogi Bhajan

“The freedom of instinct exists with man and not in the vegetable or animal world. Why? Because you have a chance to find your soul.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: M043-19890623 See Your Soul Within Your Third Eye

See related posts

Tao Te Ching – Verse 80 – If a country is governed wisely, its inhabitants will be content

Tao Te Ching – Verse 80

If a country is governed wisely,
its inhabitants will be content.
They enjoy the labor of their hands
and don’t waste time inventing
labor-saving machines.
Since they dearly love their homes,
they aren’t interested in travel. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 80 – If a country is governed wisely, its inhabitants will be content”

Today: “Use what you have been blessed with lest it deteriorate and become useless.” from the I Ching

Thunder speaks for itself.  If you know in your heart that you are prepared, you need not fear.

and then this: Tao Te Ching – Verse 79 – Failure is an opportunity

See the previous reading: Today: “Wait, allow a new situation to form, witness, join the flow.  Allow random encounters.  Engage kindly with people.  Be helpful. You will help bring people together.” from the I Ching

See the previous previous reading:  Today: “You are in a position to help others without diminishing yourself.  Do what you can.” from the I Ching

See Related posts

Meditation: LA747 921231 Fear 6, to command yourself

All of the following contribute to the flow of what’s happening in recent readings:

Meditation: NM0383-20010213 – Culturing the Self

 

Meditation: LA847-19950816-Unity-Your Magnetic Field of the Total Self Will Become One

 

Meditation: NM142 19940615 – Bless the Planet Earth and Let the Heavens Descend in You

Meditation: LA860-960131-Increase the Flow of Earth Within You

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect

Meditation: NM374 – 20001128 – Patience and Intuition

Still relevant:

Meditation: LA741 – 921125 – Dance of Shiva

Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

Meditation: Meditations for the Radiant Body

Meditation: LA907 – Kriya for Non-Reaction

Meditation: Listening to Angelic Whispers – from the Mind

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
51 – Fifty-One.  Chên / Thunder

Thunder echoes upon Thunder, commanding reverence for its father Heaven:
In awe of Heaven’s majestic power, the Superior Person looks within and sets his life in order.
Thunder mingles with startled screams of terror for a hundred miles around.
As the people nervously laugh at their own fright, the devout presents the sacrificial chalice with nary a drop of wine spilt.
Deliverance

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

A thunderbolt of Cosmic judgement crashes to earth.
For the common person, it’s just a momentary fright soon forgotten, its warning unfathomed and unheeded.
But to one who understands its significance, this thunder is a signal to awaken.
Centering the Self, seeking balance, the enlightened person will respect and align himself with this Higher Power, while his fellows remain subject to the whims of every passing storm.

yin
yin above: Chên / The Arousing, Thunder
yang
yin
yin below: Chên / The Arousing, Thunder
yang

 

The hexagram Chên represents the eldest son, who seizes rule with energy and power. A yang line develops below two yin lines and presses upward forcibly. This movement is so violent that it arouses terror. It is symbolised by thunder, which bursts forth from the earth and by its shock causes fear and trembling.

THE JUDGEMENT

SHOCK brings success.
Shock comes – oh, oh!
Laughing words – ha, ha!
The shock terrifies for a hundred miles,
And he does not let fall the sacrificial spoon and chalice.1

Last Supper

Last Supper

Thunder and lightning The shock that comes from the manifestation of God within the depths of the earth makes man afraid, but this fear of God is good, for joy and merriment can follow upon it.

When a man has learned within his heart what fear and trembling mean, he is safeguarded against any terror produced by outside influences. Let the thunder roll and spread terror a hundred miles around: he remains so composed and reverent in spirit that the sacrificial rite is not interrupted. This is the spirit that must animate leaders and rulers of men – a profound inner seriousness from which all terrors glance off harmlessly.

THE IMAGE

Thunder repeated: the image of SHOCK.
Thus in fear and trembling
The superior man sets his life in order
And examines himself.

The shock of continuing thunder brings fear and trembling. The superior man is always filled with reverence at the manifestation of God; he sets his life in order and searches his heart, lest it harbour any secret opposition to the will of God. Thus reverence is the foundation of true culture.


1. The priest and the people together recall the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ, which is made present in all its saving power, while they look forward to the second coming of Christ, for which this mystery prepares them.
The spoon and chalice are lifted up and placed on the left side of the Thronos (Altar).
The priest lifts them over head in his right hand quickly, signifying the second coming of the Lord on the last day, which will be like a flash of lightning. “For just as lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be”
(Matthew 24:27).

 

 

 

Today: “Without realizing who you are, happiness cannot come to you.” Yogi Bhajan

“Without realizing who you are, happiness cannot come to you.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: KWTC7-19910705 – Self Hypnotic Trance – Self Bliss

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 79 – Failure is an opportunity

Tao Te Ching – Verse 79

Failure is an opportunity.
If you blame someone else,
there is no end to the blame.

Therefore the Master
fulfills her own obligations
and corrects her own mistakes.
She does what she needs to do
and demands nothing of others. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 79 – Failure is an opportunity”

Today: “Use what you have been blessed with lest it deteriorate and become useless.” from the I Ching

Use what you have been blessed with lest it deteriorate and become useless.

and then this: Tao Te Ching – Verse 78 – “Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.”

See the previous reading:  Today: “You are in a position to help others without diminishing yourself.  Do what you can.” from the I Ching

See the previous previous reading: Today: “Wait, allow a new situation to form, witness, join the flow.  Allow random encounters.  Engage kindly with people.  Be helpful. You will help bring people together.” from the I Ching

See Related posts

Meditation: NM0383-20010213 – Culturing the Self

All of the following contribute to the flow of what’s happening in recent readings:

Meditation: LA847-19950816-Unity-Your Magnetic Field of the Total Self Will Become One

 

Meditation: NM142 19940615 – Bless the Planet Earth and Let the Heavens Descend in You

Meditation: LA860-960131-Increase the Flow of Earth Within You

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect

Meditation: NM374 – 20001128 – Patience and Intuition

Still relevant:

Meditation: LA741 – 921125 – Dance of Shiva

Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

Meditation: Meditations for the Radiant Body

Meditation: LA907 – Kriya for Non-Reaction

Meditation: Listening to Angelic Whispers – from the Mind

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
48 – Forty-Eight.  Ching / The Well

Deep Waters Penetrated and drawn to the surface:
The Superior Person refreshes the people with constant encouragement to help one another.

Encampments, settlements, walled cities, whole empires may rise and fall, yet the Well at the center endures, never drying to dust, never overflowing.
It served those before and will serve those after.
Again and again you may draw from the Well, but if the bucket breaks or the rope is too short there will be misfortune.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is a Source common to us all.
Jung named it the Collective Unconscious.
Others hail it as God within.
Inside each of us are dreamlike symbols and archetypes, emotions and instincts that we share with every other human being.
When we feel a lonely separateness from others, it is not because this Well within has dried up, but because we have lost the means to reach its waters.
You need to reclaim the tools necessary to penetrate to the depths of your fellows.
Then the bonds you build will be as timeless and inexhaustible as the Well that nourishes them.

Nine in the second place means:

Shooting at fish in the well puts holes in the bucket.

No one can draw from this well.

At the well hole one shoots fishes.
The jug is broken and leaks.

Barrel

Shooting fish in a barrel

The water itself is clear, but it is not being used. Thus the well is a place where only fish will stay, and whoever comes to it, comes only to catch fish. But the jug is broken, so that the fish cannot be kept in it.
This describes the situation of a person who possesses good qualities but neglects them. No one bothers about him. As a result he deteriorates in mind. He associates with inferior men and can no longer accomplish anything worth while.

39 – Thirty-Nine.  Chien / Obstacle

Ominous roiling in the Crater Lake atop the Volcano:
When meeting an impasse, the Superior Person turns his gaze within, and views the obstacle from a new perspective.

Offer your opponent nothing to resist.
Let a sage guide you in this.
Good fortune lies along this course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The Obstacle lies in obstinance.
An insistence on only one way of proceeding has brought things to an impasse.
You may either continue banging your head with irresistible force against this immovable object, or you might step back and survey this situation from a fresh perspective.
Which is immobile here — the obstruction or your attitude?

 

 

 

Today: “Love is a self-sacrifice. Love is the experience within one’s self of one’s own selflessness; that’s why love is God.” Yogi Bhajan

“Love is a self-sacrifice. Love is the experience within one’s self of one’s own selflessness; that’s why love is God. No one can explain love, because love is ecstasy. Love is the essence of an ever-longing devotion. Love does not change. If love changes, it is not love.” Yogi Bhajan

Lecture: The meaning of love

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 78 – “Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse  78

Nothing in the world
is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible,
nothing can surpass it.

The soft overcomes the hard;
the gentle overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
but few can put it into practice.

Therefore the Master remains
serene in the midst of sorrow.
Evil cannot enter his heart.
Because he has given up helping,
he is people’s greatest help.

True words seem paradoxical.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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Nothing in the world is softer or weaker than water
Yet nothing is better at overcoming the hard and strong
This is because nothing can replace it

That the weak overcomes the strong
And the soft overcomes the hard
Everybody in the world knows
But cannot put into practice

Therefore sages say:
The one who accepts the humiliation of the state
Is called its master
The one who accepts the misfortune of the state
Becomes king of the world
The truth seems like the opposite

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
-+-+-+-

Water, so soft,
Was the beginning.
So powerful,
Will be the end.
Embrace the humble.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
-+-+-+-

Today: “Come together with your countrymen.  Unite.  Merge your aspirations, intentions and responsibilities as one family.” from the I Ching

Come together with your countrymen.  Unite.  Merge your aspirations, intentions and responsibilities as one family.

and then this: Tao Te Ching – Verse 77 – As it acts in the world, the Tao is like the bending of a bow.

See the previous reading: Today: “Wait, allow a new situation to form, witness, join the flow.  Allow random encounters.  Engage kindly with people.  Be helpful. You will help bring people together.” from the I Ching

See the previous previous reading:  Today: “You are in a position to help others without diminishing yourself.  Do what you can.” from the I Ching

See Related posts

Meditation: LA847-19950816-Unity-Your Magnetic Field of the Total Self Will Become One

All of the following contribute to the flow of what’s happening in recent readings:

Meditation: NM142 19940615 – Bless the Planet Earth and Let the Heavens Descend in You

Meditation: LA860-960131-Increase the Flow of Earth Within You

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect

Meditation: NM374 – 20001128 – Patience and Intuition

Still relevant:

Meditation: LA741 – 921125 – Dance of Shiva

Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

Meditation: Meditations for the Radiant Body

Meditation: LA907 – Kriya for Non-Reaction

Meditation: Listening to Angelic Whispers – from the Mind

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
8 – Eight.  Pi / Bonding

Deep Waters on the face of the Earth:
Surface waters flow together.
The Superior Person recognizes the situation calls for joining together.
Thus he cultivates friendly relations with all.

Good fortune is possible.
Cast the coins again to discover if you have the qualities needed to lead such a group.
Then there will be no error.
Those uncertain will gradually join.
Those who join too late will meet with misfortune.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a time of connection with another or others — not just an alliance, but a melding of parts into a new whole.
Such a connection may be too close, too intense for some.
Consult the oracle again to see if you have the qualities needed to strengthen and withstand such an intense synthesis.

yin
yang above: K’an / The Abysmal, Water
yin
yin
yin below: K’un / The Receptive, Earth
yin

 

 

THE WATERS on the surface of the earth flow together wherever they can, as for example in the ocean, where all the rivers come together. Symbolically this connotes holding together and the laws that regulate it. The same idea is suggested by the fact that all the lines of the hexagram except the fifth, the place of the ruler, are yielding. The yielding lines hold together because they are influenced by a man of strong will in the leading position, a man who is their centre of union. Moreover, this strong and guiding personality in turn holds together with the others, finding in them the complement of his own nature.

THE JUDGEMENT

Holding together brings good fortune.
Inquire of the oracle once again
Whether you possess sublimity, constancy, and perseverance;
Then there is no blame.
Those who are uncertain gradually join.
Whoever comes too late
Meets with misfortune.

WHAT IS required is that we unite with others, in order that all may complement and aid one another through holding together. But such holding together calls for a central figure around whom other persons may unite. To become a centre of influence holding people together is a grave matter and fraught with great responsibility. It requires greatness of spirit, consistency, and strength. Therefore let him who wishes to gather others about him ask himself whether he is equal to the undertaking, for anyone attempting the task without a real calling for it only makes confusion worse than if no union at all had taken place.
But when there is a real rallying point, those who at first are hesitant or uncertain gradually come in of their own accord. Late-comers must suffer the consequences, for in holding together the question of the right time is also important. Relationships are formed and firmly established according to definite inner laws. Common experiences strengthen these ties, and he who comes too late to share in these basic experiences must suffer for it if, as a straggler, he finds the door locked.
If a man has recognized the necessity for union and does not feel strong enough to function as the centre, it is his duty to become a member of some other organic fellowship.

 

Ocean waves

THE IMAGE

On the earth is water:
The image of holding together.
Thus the kings of antiquity
Bestowed the different states as fiefs
And cultivated friendly relations
With the feudal lords.

WATER FILLS UP all the empty places on the earth and clings fast to it. The social organisation of ancient China was based on this principle of the holding together of dependents and rulers. Water flows to unite with water, because all parts of it are subject to the same laws. So too should human society hold together through a community of interests that allows each individual to feel himself a member of a whole. The central power of a social organisation must see to it that every member finds that his true interest lies in holding together with it, as was the case in the paternal relationship between king and vassals in ancient China.

 

 

 

“Experience will give you power” – Yogi Bhajan

Experience will give you power; it will give you grit; it will give you confidence; it’ll give you to be you.”

 
          ~SSSji — January 5th, 1994
via Hari Simran Kaur Khalsa

Tao Te Ching – Verse 77 – As it acts in the world, the Tao is like the bending of a bow.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 77

As it acts in the world, the Tao
is like the bending of a bow.
The top is bent downward;
the bottom is bent up.
It adjusts excess and deficiency
so that there is perfect balance.
It takes from what is too much
and gives to what isn’t enough.

Those who try to control,
who use force to protect their power,
go against the direction of the Tao.
They take from those who don’t have enough
and give to those who have far too much.

The Master can keep giving
because there is no end to her wealth.
She acts without expectation,
succeeds without taking credit,
and doesn’t think that she is better
than anyone else.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
-+-+-+-

The Tao of Heaven
Is like drawing a bow
Lower that which is high
Raise that which is low
Reduce that which has excess
Add to that which is lacking

The Tao of heaven
Reduces the excessive
And adds to the lacking

The Tao of people is not so
It reduces the lacking
In order to offer to the excessive

Who can offer their excess to the world?
Only those who have the Tao
Therefore sages act without conceit
Achieve without claiming credit
They do not wish to display their virtue!

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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Charity you say?
I say greed.
Gifts you say?
I say destruction.
Heaven and the Sage live these truths.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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“May not the Tao be compared to bending a bow? The part of the bow which was high is brought low, and what was low is raised up. So Heaven diminishes where there is superabundance, and supplements where there is deficiency.
It is the Way of Heaven to diminish superabundance, and to supplement deficiency. It is not so with the way of man. He takes away from those who have not enough to add to his own superabundance.
Who can take his own superabundance and therewith serve all under heaven? Only he who is in possession of the Tao!
Therefore the sage acts without claiming the results as his; he achieves his merit and does not rest in it: — he does not wish to display his superiority.”

Excerpt From Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
https://books.apple.com/us/book/tao-te-ching/id1436033825

Today: “Wait, allow a new situation to form, witness, join the flow.  Allow random encounters.  Engage kindly with people.  Be helpful. You will help bring people together.” from the I Ching

Wait, allow a new situation to form, witness, join the flow.  Allow random encounters.  Engage kindly with people.  Be helpful. You will help bring people together.

and then this: Tao Te Ching – Verse 76 – Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry.

See the previous reading:  Today: “You are in a position to help others without diminishing yourself.  Do what you can.” from the I Ching

See the previous preivous reading: Today: “When you are in the flow, be prepared to receive everything that you need to accomplish your good works.  That’s how it works.” from the I Ching

See Related posts

Meditation: NM374 – 20001128 – Patience and Intuition

All of the following contribute to the flow of what’s happening in recent readings:

Meditation: NM142 19940615 – Bless the Planet Earth and Let the Heavens Descend in You

Meditation: LA860-960131-Increase the Flow of Earth Within You

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect

Meditation: NM374 – 20001128 – Patience and Intuition

Still relevant:

Meditation: LA741 – 921125 – Dance of Shiva

Meditation: LA088 790222 Egyptian Meditation

Meditation: Meditations for the Radiant Body

Meditation: LA907 – Kriya for Non-Reaction

Meditation: Listening to Angelic Whispers – from the Mind

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
2 – Two.  K’un / Receptive Force

Earth above and Earth below:
The Earth contains and sustains.
In this situation, the Superior Person should not take the initiative; he should follow the initiative of another.
He should seek receptive allies in the southwest; he should break ties with immovable allies in the northeast.

Responsive devotion.
Receptive influence.
Sublime Success if you keep to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a time for dealing with reality as it is, not as you would have it be.
If you realize that in this situation you are the receptor, not the transmitter of the stimulus, you will find yourself reaching goals that seemed unattainable under your own steam.
If you persist in futile efforts to be the Shaper rather than the Shaped, you will completely miss this unique opportunity.

Six in the fifth place means:

A yellow robe.
Supreme good fortune.

A yellow lower garment brings supreme good fortune.

Fresco painting of Flora

Fresco painting of Flora, or Primavera, found in the luxurious resort of Stabiae in the Bay of Naples

Yellow is the color of the earth and of the middle; it is the symbol of that which is reliable and genuine. The lower garment is inconspicuously decorated – the symbol of aristocratic reserve. When anyone is called upon to work in a prominent but not independent position, true success depends on the utmost discretion. A man’s genuineness and refinement should not reveal themselves directly; they should express themselves only indirectly as an effect from within.
8 – Eight.  Pi / Bonding

Deep Waters on the face of the Earth:
Surface waters flow together.
The Superior Person recognizes the situation calls for joining together.
Thus he cultivates friendly relations with all.

Good fortune is possible.
Cast the coins again to discover if you have the qualities needed to lead such a group.
Then there will be no error.
Those uncertain will gradually join.
Those who join too late will meet with misfortune.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a time of connection with another or others — not just an alliance, but a melding of parts into a new whole.
Such a connection may be too close, too intense for some.
Consult the oracle again to see if you have the qualities needed to strengthen and withstand such an intense synthesis.

 

 

 

Today: “We have to understand the basic fundamental existence of ours – to understand the spirit.” – Yogi Bhajan

“We have to understand the basic fundamental existence of ours – to understand the spirit. Once you understand the spirit you are all right.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: M043-19890623 See Your Soul Within Your Third Eye

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 76 – Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 76

Men are born soft and supple;
dead, they are stiff and hard.
Plants are born tender and pliant;
dead, they are brittle and dry.

Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible
is a disciple of death.
Whoever is soft and yielding
is a disciple of life.

The hard and stiff will be broken.
The soft and supple will prevail.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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While alive, the body is soft and pliant
When dead, it is hard and rigid
All living things, grass and trees,
While alive, are soft and supple
When dead, become dry and brittle
Thus that which is hard and stiff
is the follower of death
That which is soft and yielding
is the follower of life
Therefore, an inflexible army will not win
A strong tree will be cut down
The big and forceful occupy a lowly position
While the soft and pliant occupy a higher place

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
-+-+-+-

Be soft and be immortal.
Be the bully and be destroyed.
How many times must this lesson be taught?

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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Today: “Do not be misled by the blind enthusiasm of your countrymen.  See for yourself the truth, the seeds, the motivation behind the latest trends.  You cannot trust the wily schemes of the manipulators and powerful grifters.  Follow your own intuition.” from the I Ching

Do not be misled by the blind enthusiasm of your countrymen.  See for yourself the truth, the seeds, the motivation behind the latest trends.  You cannot trust the wily schemes of the manipulators and powerful grifters.  Follow your own intuition.
From Confucius:
To know the seeds, that is divine indeed. In his association with those above him, the superior man does not flatter. In his association with those beneath him, he is not arrogant. For he knows the seeds. The seeds are the first imperceptible beginning of movement, the first trace of good fortune (or misfortune) that shows itself. The superior man perceives the seeds and immediately takes action. He does not wait even a whole day. In the Yi Jing it is said: “Firm as a rock. Not a whole day. Perseverance brings good fortune.”

Firm as a rock, what need of a whole day?
The judgement can be known.
The superior man knows what is hidden and what is evident.
He knows weakness, he knows strength as well.
Hence the myriads look up to him.

and then this: Tao Te Ching – Verse 75 – When taxes are too high, people go hungry. When the government is too intrusive, people lose their spirit

See the previous reading: Today: “When you are in the flow, be prepared to receive everything that you need to accomplish your good works.  That’s how it works.” from the I Ching

See the previous prisious reading:  Today: “You are in a position to help others without diminishing yourself.  Do what you can.” from the I Ching

See Related posts

Meditation: NM374 – 20001128 – Patience and Intuition

All of the following contribute to the flow of what’s happening in recent readings:

Meditation: NM142 19940615 – Bless the Planet Earth and Let the Heavens Descend in You

Meditation: LA860-960131-Increase the Flow of Earth Within You

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

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Still relevant:

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Meditation: Listening to Angelic Whispers – from the Mind

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
16 – Sixteen.  Yü / Enthusiasm

Thunder comes resounding out of the Earth:
Similar thunder roars up from the masses when the Superior Person strikes a chord in their hearts.

Whip up enthusiasm, rally your forces, and move boldly forward.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is a rhythmic force, a world music, that lives deep in the Unconscious of each of us.
It’s a primitive drumbeat, a shaking rattle, a tribal chant that invokes the primal self to rise up and join the dance.
This is the enthusiasm that is generated now.
Not rhetorical persuasion, not a play on the emotions, but a charismatic, irresistible Call of the Wild.
Confucius said that the person who could comprehend this could ‘rule the world as though it were spinning in his hand.’
This is a time for instinct, not intellect — the Thunder from the Beneath.

Six in the second place means:

Firm as a rock, but only when necessary and appropriate.
This course brings good fortune.

Firm as a rock. Not a whole day.
Perseverance brings good fortune.

Matterhorn

Matterhorn

This describes a person who does not allow himself to be misled by any illusions. While others are letting themselves be dazzled by enthusiasm, he recognizes with perfect clarity the first signs of the time. Thus he neither flatters those above nor neglects those beneath him; he is as firm as a rock. When the first sign of discord appears, he knows the right moment for withdrawing and does not delay even for a day. Perseverance in such conduct will bring good fortune. Kongfu (Confucius) says about this line:

To know the seeds, that is divine indeed. In his association with those above him, the superior man does not flatter. In his association with those beneath him, he is not arrogant. For he knows the seeds. The seeds are the first imperceptible beginning of movement, the first trace of good fortune (or misfortune) that shows itself. The superior man perceives the seeds and immediately takes action. He does not wait even a whole day. In the Yi Jing it is said: “Firm as a rock. Not a whole day. Perseverance brings good fortune.”

Firm as a rock, what need of a whole day?
The judgement can be known.
The superior man knows what is hidden and what is evident.
He knows weakness, he knows strength as well.
Hence the myriads look up to him.

40 – Forty.  Hsieh / Liberation

A Thunderous Cloudburst shatters the oppressive humidity:
The Superior Person knows the release in forgiveness, pardoning the faults of others and dealing gently with those who sin against him.

It pays to accept things as they are for now.
If there is nothing else to be gained, a return brings good fortune.
If there is something yet to be gained, act on it at once.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The relief you experience here is not your own personal pardon, but the release of others from your rigid expectations.
Like a hot air balloon, you will rise to new heights as you cast the heavy sandbags of resentments and restrictions away from you.
Feel the lightness of being that results from forgiving others and accepting them as they are.
Free yourself of the endless vigil of policing the behavior of others.
See them for who they are, not what they can or can’t do for you.