Month: September 2022

Tao Te Ching – Verse 24 – He who stands on tiptoe doesn’t stand firm

56 – Fifty-Six Lu / The Wanderer

Fire on the Mountain, catastrophic to man, a passing annoyance to the Mountain:
The Superior Person waits for wisdom and clarity before exacting Justice, then lets no protest sway him.

Find satisfaction in small gains.
To move constantly forward is good fortune to a Wanderer.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are a stranger to this situation.
It is your attraction to the exotic that has led you here, but you will move on to a new vista when this one has lost its mystique.
Because much of this environment is foreign to you, you must exercise only the best judgement.
You don’t know the custom here, and it’s too easy to cross a line you don’t know is there.
Because you are the foreigner in this setting, you have no history to acquit you.
Watch, listen, study, contemplate, then step lightly but decisively on.

THE MOUNTAIN, Kên, stands still; above it fire, Li, flames up and does not tarry. Therefore the two trigrams do not stay together. Strange lands and separation are the wanderer’s lot.

THE JUDGEMENT

The Wanderer. Success through smallness.
Perseverance brings good fortune
To the wanderer.

WHEN A man is a wanderer and stranger, he should not be gruff nor overbearing. He has no large circle of acquaintances, therefore he should not give himself airs. He must be cautious and reserved; in this way he protects himself from evil. If he is obliging toward others, he wins success.
A wanderer has no fixed abode; his home is the road. Therefore he must take care to remain upright and steadfast, so that he sojourns only in the proper places, associating only with good people. Then he has good fortune and can go his way unmolested.

THE IMAGE

Fire on the mountain:
The image of THE WANDERER.
Thus the superior man
Is clear-minded and cautious
In imposing penalties,
And protracts no lawsuits.

Fire on Sugarloaf mountain, in Chiricahua National Monument, 2011

When grass on a mountain takes fire, there is bright light. However, the fire does not linger in one place, but travels on to new fuel. It is a phenomenon of short duration. This is what penalties and lawsuits should be like. They should be a quickly passing matter, and must not be dragged out indefinitely. Prisons ought to be places where people are lodged only temporarily, as guests are. They must not become dwelling places.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “How prosperous and how great you can become depends on what opportunities come to you, and the ability of your intuition to bring the intelligence.” – Yogi Bhajan

“How prosperous and how great you can become depends on what opportunities come to you, and the ability of your intuition to bring the intelligence. Intelligence will give you substance, so that you have character, and you have Dharma. Then there’s no action and reaction—you are a victor, you are winning; there’s no way you can lose. Not at all. You don’t have to sell your consciousness, you don’t have to come down onto your knees, you don’t have to beg for peace and tranquility. No, everything from A to Z, whatever your needs are, shall be yours.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect

Meditation: TCH20 02 960722 – Increase the Power of the Infinite Within

Today: You are in a position of power. Hold to you chosen path with integrity and perseverance. – from the I Ching

You are in a position of power. Hold to you chosen path with integrity and perseverance.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 24 – He who stands on tiptoe doesn’t stand firm

34 – Thirty-Four Ta Chuang / Awesome Power

Thunder fills the Heavens with its awful roar, not out of pride, but with integrity; if it did less, it would not be Thunder:
Because of his Great Power, the Superior Person takes pains not to overstep his position, so that he will not seem intimidating or threatening to the Established Order.
Opportunity will arise along this course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The Awesome Power available in this hexagram stems from what the Taoists call your Te, a term not perfectly translated into English.
Roughly, it is your Integrity — not in the Western sense of honor — but more in the psychological definition of a full integration of Who You Are.
This Awesome Power is achieved only by fully embracing both the good and the bad, the strong and the weak, the masculine and the feminine — all polarities within you.
Such self-knowledge spawns a Mastery tempered with the humility necessary to rein in and harness this Awesome Power.

The great lines, that is, the light, strong lines, are powerful. Four light lines have entered the hexagram from below and are about to ascend higher. The upper trigram is Chên, the Arousing; the lower is Ch’ien, the Creative. Ch’ien is strong, Chên produces movement. The union of movement and strength gives the meaning of THE POWER OF THE GREAT. The hexagram is linked with the second month (March-April).

THE JUDGEMENT

THE POWER OF THE GREAT. Perseverance furthers.

The hexagram points to a time when inner worth mounts with great force and comes to power. But its strength has already passed beyond the median line, hence there is danger that one may rely entirely on one’s own power and forget to ask what is right. There is danger too that, being intent on movement, we may not wait for the right time. Therefore the added statement that perseverance furthers. For that is truly great power which does not degenerate into mere force but remains inwardly united with the fundamental principles of right and of justice. When we understand this point – namely, that greatness and justice must be indissolubly united – we understand the true meaning of all that happens in heaven and on earth.

The Tao of Power:
Lao Tzu’s Classic Guide to Leadership, Influence, and Excellence [A new translation of the Tao Te Ching] by R.L. Wing

I Ching Online

Moon in thunder sky

THE IMAGE

Thunder in heaven above:
The image of THE POWER OF THE GREAT.
Thus the superior man does not tread on paths
That do not accord with established order.

Thunder – electrical energy – mounts upward in the spring. The direction of this movement is in harmony with that of the movement of heaven. It is therefore a movement in accord with heaven, producing great power. However, true greatness depends on being in harmony with what is right. Therefore in times of great power the superior man avoids doing anything that is not in harmony with the established order.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “The mind is above time and space. If you decide not to complain, it will immediately compensate you with intuition.” – Yogi Bhajan

“The mind is above time and space. If you decide not to complain, it will immediately compensate you with intuition.”

https://www.harinam.com/meditation-kwtc-870710-no-one-complains-about-the-lord/

Meditation: LA015 780227 – To Bring Swift and Powerful Change

Today: In a time of adversity, if nothing is working for you, give up trying to change circumstances. Instead, look inside yourself to find what you need to change in order to attract good things. – from the I Ching

In a time of adversity, if nothing is working for you, give up trying to change circumstances. Instead, look inside yourself to find what you need to change in order to attract good things.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 24 – He who stands on tiptoe doesn’t stand firm

47 – Forty-Seven K’un / Exhaustion

A Dead Sea, its Waters spent eons ago, more deadly than the desert surrounding it:
The Superior Person will stake his life and fortune on what he deeply believes.

Triumph belongs to those who endure.
Trial and tribulation can hone exceptional character to a razor edge that slices deftly through every challenge.
Action prevails where words will fail.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is the realm of the Shaman.
You have exhausted every alternative, spent yourself completely, taxed body and mind beyond your former limits.
Survival and salvation lie beyond your reach now.
Only transcendence to a new existence — a higher plane of being — will see you through.
The Old You is just a dry husk.
You can’t return to it.
Metamorphosis is the only grace offered.
You can only return to your homeland as a New You.

Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:

He rests beneath a dead tree, trying to make sense of this dark, desolate valley he has strayed into.
These lost wanderings will last three years.

One sits oppressed under a bare tree
And strays into a gloomy valley.
For three years one sees nothing.

‘Bare Tree in Moonlight’ – Dottie Briggs

When adversity befalls a man, it is important above all things for him to be strong and to overcome the trouble inwardly. If he is weak, the trouble overwhelms him. Instead of proceeding on his way, he remains sitting under a bare tree and falls ever more deeply into gloom and melancholy. This makes the situation only more and more hopeless. Such an attitude comes from an inner delusion that he must by all means overcome.

17 – Seventeen Sui / Following

Thunder beneath the Lake’s surface.
The Superior Person allows himself plenty of sheltered rest and recuperation while awaiting a clear sign to follow.

Supreme success.
No mistakes if you keep to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Thunder from the Lake — the lulling, rhythmic roar of the faithful tide, eternally wearing away the stone of the shoreline, forever obedient to the phases of the moon.
The pull of the moon on the tide is the Following called for now.
As mighty as the tide is in its own right, it is ever the puppet of the invisible, irresistible gravity of the moon.
What cyclical forces pull you along?
Are you futilely attempting to resist a natural attraction?

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “Regardless of your history of abuses or kindness, opportunity, or challenge, it is within you to direct your mind” – Yogi Bhajan

“Regardless of your history of abuses or kindness, opportunity, or challenge, it is within you to direct your mind. You can be a saint, you can be a human, or you can be a demon. You can act as an animal at the altitude of impulse and ground; as an earthling human at the altitude of feelings and horizon; or as an angel at the altitude of essence, Infinity, and the Cosmos. It is your choice.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA041-780525- Control the Mind

Meditation: LA779 – 19930916 – Kriya to Create a Miracle for Yourself

Today: Just learn to be yourself. Do not imitate others who assume to be superior. It takes practice. – from the I Ching

Just learn to be yourself. Do not imitate others who assume to be superior. It takes practice.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 22 – If you want to become whole, let yourself be partial. If you want to become straight, let yourself be crooked.

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

Six in the second place means:

Devotion comes from deep inside you.
Good fortune if you keep to your course.

Hold to him inwardly.
Perseverance brings good fortune.

If a person responds perseveringly and in the right way to the behests from above that summon him to action, his relations with others are intrinsic and he does not lose himself. But if a man seeks association with others as if he were an obsequious office hunter, he throws himself away. He does not follow the path of the superior man, who never loses his dignity.

60 – Sixty Chieh / Limitations

Waters difficult to keep within the Lake’s banks:
The Superior Person examines the nature of virtue and makes himself a standard that can be followed.

Self-discipline brings success; but restraints too binding bring self-defeat.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Cultivating the proper disciplines and the proper degree of discipline are the concerns of this hexagram.
By limiting options, you may give more attention to priorities.
One who is all over the map is no less lost than one without a map.
Avoid asceticism, however.
Deprivation is not wise discipline.
The key here is regulation, not restriction.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “Kundalini yoga is a method to become nothing, so that everything can flow through you. That’s all it is.” Yogi Bhajan

“Kundalini yoga is a method to become nothing, so that everything can flow through you. That’s all it is.” Yogi Bhajan

Sat Nam!
Ram Anand

Meditation: Meditate on Nothing to Find Prosperity – 19930421

Meditation: NM0406 – Know the Best of You – Share the Best with Others

Today: Contemplate your life to know the impact you have had. It will guide you and inform you so that there are no new surprises. – from the I Ching

Contemplate your life to know the impact you have had. It will guide you and inform you so that there are no new surprises.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 22 – If you want to become whole, let yourself be partial. If you want to become straight, let yourself be crooked.

Recite The Magical Story of Mushkil Gusha over a meal with friends.

20 – Twenty Kuan / Contemplation

The gentle Wind roams the Earth:
The Superior Person expands his sphere of influence as he expands his awareness.
Deeply devoted to his pursuit of clarity and wisdom, he is unconscious of the inspiring, positive example he is setting for others to emulate.

You have cleansed yourself; now stand ready to make your humble, devout offering.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The situation marks a rising to new heights.
As you climb for a better view of the panorama, you make yourself more conspicuous to those below.
This hexagram is also known as the Watchtower, because the shape formed by its lines resembles the ancient guardposts manned by Chinese soldiers.
These towers were placed on mountainsides to give a better vantage point.
To those below, the watchtowers served as landmarks to help them find their way.
The quality of your search for clarity in this situation serves as such a guidepost for others along the Way.

Nine in the fifth place means:

His future is shaped by the quality of his influence on others in the past.
Be blameless.

Contemplation of my life.
The superior man is without blame.

Contemplation

A man in an authoritative position to whom others look up must always be ready for self-examination. The right sort of self-examination, however, consists not in idle brooding over oneself but in examining the effects one produces. Only when these effects are good, and when one’s influence on others is good, will the contemplation of one’s own life bring the satisfaction of knowing oneself to be free of mistakes.

23 – Twenty-Three Po / Splitting Apart

The weight of the Mountain presses down upon a weak foundation of Earth:
The Superior Person will use this time of oppression to attend to the needs of those less fortunate.

Any action would be ill-timed.
Stand fast.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a situation easily mistaken for Stagnation (Hexagram 12) or Revolution (Hexagram 49).
It just depends on which side you’re on.
During a time of Stagnation, human worms invade to feed on the decay.
During a time of Revolution, oppression is being overthrown.
But in this situation, oppressors are violently seizing power.
Pay special heed when you receive this hexagram, because the oracle is often warning you of a situation of which you are totally unaware.
You are about to be blindsided.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “You need to establish play with your mate. You need a soul mate, you need a religious mate, you need so many things to mate.” – Yogi Bhajan

“You need to establish play with your mate. You need a soul mate, you need a religious mate, you need so many things to mate. There is one word for every man that he must have—a playmate. Playmate is a very polite wrestling match, in which a man and woman induce their integrity, their divinity, their love, their touch, their feeling, their smell and over all, their understanding.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: KWTC 19970630 – For Faculty of Self Engagement

Meditation: NM345- Strengthen and enhance the radiant body

Today: Uphold your commitment to integrity. Your subtle impact will grow beyond conscious intentions. – from the I Ching

Uphold your commitment to integrity. Your subtle impact will grow beyond conscious intentions.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 21 – The Master keeps her mind always at one with the Tao; that is what gives her her radiance.

43 – Forty-Three Kuai / Breakthrough

A Deluge from Heaven:
The Superior Person rains fortune upon those in need, then moves on with no thought of the good he does.

The issue must be raised before an impartial authority.
Be sincere and earnest, despite the danger.
Do not try to force the outcome, but seek support where needed.
Set a clear goal.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Your iron will must come to the forefront now.
It will take great personal determination to resolve the situation in question.
Your adversary would love to force you into an angry display.
That would legitimize his opposition to you.
Such a berserker rage would drag you down to his level.
You must resolutely take a public stand against what he represents, but refuse to engage him.
Without compromise, you show others the way to higher ground.

Nine in the third place means:

Keep a tight lock on your mouth.
It takes resolve to face the insults silently, but they will prove harmless, and others will gradually warm to your sense of dignity.

To be powerful in the cheekbones
Brings misfortune.
The superior man is firmly resolved.
He walks alone and is caught in the rain.
He is bespattered,
And people murmur against him.
No blame.

Walk in rain

Here we have a man in an ambiguous situation. While all others are engaged in a resolute fight against all that is inferior, he alone has a certain relationship with an inferior man. If he were to show strength outwardly and turn against this man before the time is ripe, he would only endanger the entire situation, because the inferior man would too quickly have recourse to countermeasures. The task of the superior man becomes extremely difficult here. He must be firmly resolved within himself and, while maintaining association with the inferior man, avoid any participation in his vileness. He will of course be misjudged. It will be thought that he belongs to the party of the inferior man. He will be lonely because no one will understand him. His relations with the inferior man will sully him in the eyes of the multitude, and they will turn against him, grumbling. But he can endure this lack of appreciation and makes no mistake, because he remains true to himself.

58 – Fifty-Eight Tui / Empowering

The joyous Lake spans on and on to the horizon:
The Superior Person renews and expands his Spirit through heart-to-heart exchanges with others.

Success if you stay on course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is the sign of true companionship.
The principals in this situation exchange energy, ideas and feelings, constantly invigorating and encouraging each other to new heights of Spiritual achievement and Self-discovery.
This exchange is not for the glory of the Team, but for furthering the process of each individual’s ‘Te’, or pure potentiality.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “For the sake of your own intelligence, take anybody and study.” – Yogi Bhajan

“For the sake of your own intelligence, take anybody and study. You will find that they are one-pointed, to a man, and that God is their Infinity. Elevate your consciousness to that. In any relationship where you want permanency, where you want Infinity, direct that relationship toward God—God and Guru.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA010 – 19780210 – Gobinda – Project to the Infinite

Meditation: M136-970930 – Work on Shashara, Balance Earth and Heavens

Today: Your needs are coming into harmony with the requirements of the Cosmos. – from the I Ching

Your needs are coming into harmony with the requirements of the Cosmos.
Blending brilliantly with the Dance of Life, you are becoming an actual element of Cosmic Law.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 19 – Throw away holiness and wisdom, and people will be a hundred times happier.

50 – Fifty Ting / The Caldron

Fire rises hot and bright from the Wood beneath the sacrificial caldron:
The Superior Person positions himself correctly within the flow of Cosmic forces.

Supreme Accomplishment.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Your needs are coming into harmony with the requirements of the Cosmos.
Blending brilliantly with the Dance of Life, you are becoming an actual element of Cosmic Law.
Your goals will now be realized because you no longer cut against the Cosmic grain; you are no longer swimming against the flow of the Tao.
You are acquiring an intuitive sense of what can and cannot be, and aligning your efforts accordingly.

The six lines construct the image of Ting, THE CAULDRON; at the bottom are the legs, over them the belly, then come the ears (handles), and at the top the carrying rings. At the same time, the image suggests the idea of nourishment. The ting, cast of bronze, was the vessel that held the cooked viands in the temple of the ancestors and at banquets. The head of the family served the food from the ting into the bowls of the guests.¹
THE WELL (48) likewise has the secondary meaning of giving nourishment, but rather more in relation to the people. The ting, as a utensil pertaining to a refined civilisation, suggests the fostering and nourishing of able men, which redounded to the benefit of the state.²
This hexagram and THE WELL are the only two in the Yi Jing that represent concrete, man-made objects. Yet here too the thought has its abstract connotation.
Sun, below, is wood and wind; Li, above, is flame. Thus together they stand for the flame kindled by wood and wind, which likewise suggests the idea of preparing food.

THE JUDGEMENT

THE CALDRON. Supreme good fortune.
Success.

While THE WELL relates to the social foundation of our life, and this foundation is likened to the water that serves to nourish growing wood, the present hexagram refers to the cultural superstructure of society. Here it is the wood that serves as nourishment for the flame, the spirit. All that is visible must grow beyond itself, extend into the realm of the invisible. Thereby it receives its true consecration and clarity and takes firm root in the cosmic order.
Here we see civilisation as it reaches its culmination in religion. The ting serves in offering sacrifice to God. The highest earthly values must be sacrificed to the divine. But the truly divine does not manifest itself apart from man. The supreme revelation of God appears in prophets and holy men. To venerate them is true veneration of God. The will of God, as revealed through them, should be accepted in humility; this brings inner enlightenment and true understanding of the world, and this leads to great good fortune and success.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “As a man there are three faculties that you must have: wisdom, humility, and the desire to serve.” – Yogi Bhajan

“As a man there are three faculties that you must have: wisdom, humility, and the desire to serve. In any walk of life, if you cannot establish that you are a man of wisdom, you cannot win the game 100%. Your wife, your child, your partner, your spiritual teacher, your city, your county, your country—all look to you to be a man of wisdom. The second qualification is humility: that you are social and humble, approachable. Humble means approachable. You need to be approachable, easy to communicate and talk with. That is the second faculty. And the third is that you have the desire to serve, that you are sincere in your purpose of service.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: NM0420-20011015 – The Power of Memories – Remember the Saint Within

Meditation: LA741 – 921125 – Dance of Shiva

Today: In your family, those whom are entrusted to you must enjoy discipline and freedom at the same time. Seek balance, erring on the side of discipline. – from the I Ching

In your family, those whom are entrusted to you must enjoy discipline and freedom at the same time. Seek balance, erring on the side of discipline.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 19 – Throw away holiness and wisdom, and people will be a hundred times happier.

37 – Thirty-Seven Chia Jên / Family Duties

Warming Air Currents rise and spread from the Hearthfire:
The Superior Person weighs his words carefully and is consistent in his behavior.

Be as faithful as a good wife.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

One in this situation must be keenly aware of his influence on others.
Maintain a healthy respect for the ripple effect of your words and deeds.
To some you serve as a role model.
You can either help shape their world or tilt them into chaos.
Show temperance and consideration to all.

Nine in the third place means:

Tempers are unleashed within the family.
The father carries a heavy burden of guilt.
If his wife or children taunt him, this will only perpetuate the cycle.

When tempers flare up in the family,
Too great severity brings remorse.
Good fortune nonetheless.
When woman and child dally and laugh
It leads in the end to humiliation.

‘Woman and Child’ – Jean Laurent Mosnier

In the family the proper mean between severity and indulgence ought to prevail. Too great severity toward one’s own flesh and blood leads to remorse. The wise thing is to build strong dikes within which complete freedom of movement is allowed each individual. But in doubtful instances too great severity, despite occasional mistakes, is preferable, because it preserves discipline in the family, whereas too great weakness leads to disgrace.

42 – Forty-Two I / Expansion

Whirlwinds and Thunder:
When the Superior Person encounters saintly behavior, he adopts it; when he encounters a fault within, he transforms it.

Progress in every endeavor.
You may cross to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Get ready to ride a tide of accelerated growth toward self-actualization.
A joyful awareness of the best within you, coupled with an acceptance of your Shadow, will provide a greater repertoire, a much bolder vision, and new depth and clarity that will compel you to expand your horizons.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “Remember whenever you speak with anyone, you have only one line to speak. ” – Yogi Bhajan

“Remember whenever you speak with anyone, you have only one line to speak. You must gear yourself mentally. Whatever you have to communicate in that one line, it must be helped by your creative sense, your sixth sense. You must know where you can penetrate the person or situation and then your creative sense must let you establish your relationship.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA031 19780423 – Ad Nad Kriya – Gupt Gian Shakti the Secret Power of the Knowledge