Today: “Though you have the blessings of influential people, you should arise above their expectations and fulfill your own.  Then, nurture the next generation of leaders.” – from the I Ching

Though you have the blessings of influential people, you should arise above their expectations and fulfill your own.  Then, nurture the next generation of leaders.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 5 – The Tao doesn’t take sides; it gives birth to both good and evil.

Meditation: NM0365-20001024-On Communication II

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19 – Nineteen. Lin / Noble Calling

The rich, loamy Earth on the banks of the Marsh provides fertile soil for exceptional progress.
The Superior Person is inexhaustible in his willingness to teach, and without limit in his tolerance and support of others.

Supreme Success if you keep to your course.
But be aware that your time is limited; your power will wane, as Summer changes to Fall.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are in a position to help another.
This is a temporary situation, because your power is cyclical, seasonal.
Knowing this, you must perform your good deed without hope of reward.
You are not furthering your own process, but another’s.
Though you may cherish this other, you will never possess.
Touch without grasping.
Take comfort in becoming a fond memory.
Nurture, then let go.

Six in the fourth place means:

Successful or not, a sincere approach is the only course.

Complete approach.
No blame.

Guest from Far Away

‘Dear Guest from Far Away’, 1888 – Freiwirth-Lutzow Oscar
Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

While the three lower lines indicate rise to power and influence, the three upper lines show the attitude of persons in higher position toward those of lower rank for whom they procure influence. Here is shown the open-minded approach of a person of high rank to a man of ability whom he draws into his own circle, regardless of class prejudice. This is very favorable.

54 – Fifty-Four. Kuei Mei / A Loveless Marriage

The Thunderstorm inseminates the swelling Lake, then moves on where the Lake cannot follow:
The Superior Person views passing trials in the light of Eternal Truths.
Any action will prove unfortunate.
Nothing furthers.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is at best a Marriage of Convenience.
You have found yourself in desperate straits, a position of weakness, and you are tempted to pay dearly for a remedy.
A drowning man isn’t picky about who throws him a rope.
The rescue offered to you now is undesirable.
It may pull you out of this sticky situation, but it will cause even greater predicaments down the road.
Don’t obligate yourself in this way.
You are selling your future for a quick fix today.

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Today: “If you want the delicacy of life, if you want the delicacy of living, then you have to live as a guest.” – Yogi Bhajan

“If you want the delicacy of life, if you want the delicacy of living, then you have to live as a guest. Come, enjoy, and leave with grace.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation:  LA958 A00413 Grace My Grace Is Me! 20000413

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 49 – The Master has no mind of her own. She works with the mind of the people.

Today: “Once things become clear, take action.  Don’t sit on it.” – from the I Ching

Once things become clear, take action.  Don’t sit on it.

This reading is similar to January 18.  Here, there’s no expectation of a an intimate partnership in your endeavors.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 4 – The Tao is like a well: used but never used up.

Meditation: NM091 – 19921110 – Self Emboldenment, Engagement, Vision

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55 – Fifty-Five.   Fêng / Abundance

Thunder and Lightning from the dark heart of the storm:
The Superior Person judges fairly, so that consequences are just.

The leader reaches his peak and doesn’t lament the descent before him.
Be like the noonday sun at its zenith.
This is success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are in a position of authority in this situation.
Archetypally, you are the New King, returned from your quest to claim your throne.
However, you are enlightened enough to realize that you are merely a part of a cycle, and that you must someday yield your throne to the new kid in town, the younger, faster gunslinger, the young turk, the next returning hero, the next New King.
Fretting about the inevitable descent is senseless.
For now you must play your role to the hilt and use this gift of power to govern your world as best you can.
You are the best person for the job.
That’s why you were chosen.
Give it your personal best.

Nine in the fourth place means:
The curtain is of such fullness
That the polestars can be seen at noon.
He meets his ruler, who is of like kind.
Good fortune.

Polestar

‘Polestar’ – Kallman Art Gallery

Here the darkness is already decreasing, therefore interrelated elements come together. Here too the complement must be found – the necessary wisdom to complement joy of action. Then everything will go well. The complementary factor postulated here is the reverse of the one in the first line. In the latter, wisdom is to be complemented by energy, while here energy is complemented by wisdom.
15 – Fifteen. Ch’ien / Modesty

The Mountain does not overshadow the Plain surrounding it:
Such modest consideration in a Superior Person creates a channel through which excess flows to the needy.

Success if you carry things through.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The Cosmos is moving toward equilibrium.
Extremes are being tempered, excess is beginning to shift toward the empty.
You can use these moderating influences to strike a balance in the world around you.
Remember, though, that this Leveling will not come about through an arrogant confiscation of excess, but through subtler persuasions.
Modesty and moderation are the keys.

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Today: “Life is an attitude. You have to basically decide, once and for all, whether you are going to be original or not.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Life is an attitude. You have to basically decide, once and for all, whether you are going to be original or not.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: The Positive Mind

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Today: “Regardless of what happens to you at the hands of others, remain uniquely yourself , keep up and triumph.” – from the I Ching

Regardless of what happens to you at the hands of others, remain uniquely yourself , keep up and triumph.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 3 – The Master leads by emptying people’s minds and filling their cores

Meditation: LA101 790419-Faith In Our Self And Our Own Discipline

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38 – Thirty-Eight. K’uei / Estrangement

Fire distances itself from its nemesis, the Lake:
No matter how large or diverse the group, the Superior Person remains uniquely himself.

Small accomplishments are possible.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are working at cross-purposes with another.
The distance between you is very wide.
The gap can be closed, however, with no compromise of your integrity.
You are not adversaries in this case — just two persons addressing individual needs.
Ask yourself: are these needs mutually exclusive?
Is there common ground here?
Must there be one winner and one loser?
Could you become partners in seeking a solution that would allow for two winners?

 

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Today: “Universal realization comes when you see yourself as nothing but a bindu, a point.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Universal realization comes when you see yourself as nothing but a bindu, a point. What is tantra? Tantra is the science of the point.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA093-790319 – Pranic Energy – the Earth Element Balanced by Ether

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 47 – Without opening your door, you can open your heart to the world

Today: “As you include broader views in your awareness, merge your clarity with action.” – from the I Ching

As you include broader views in your awareness, merge your clarity with action.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 2 – When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad. Being and non-being create each other.

Meditation: The Negative Mind

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

55 – Fifty-Five.   Fêng / Abundance

Thunder and Lightning from the dark heart of the storm:
The Superior Person judges fairly, so that consequences are just.

The leader reaches his peak and doesn’t lament the descent before him.
Be like the noonday sun at its zenith.
This is success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are in a position of authority in this situation.
Archetypally, you are the New King, returned from your quest to claim your throne.
However, you are enlightened enough to realize that you are merely a part of a cycle, and that you must someday yield your throne to the new kid in town, the younger, faster gunslinger, the young turk, the next returning hero, the next New King.
Fretting about the inevitable descent is senseless.
For now you must play your role to the hilt and use this gift of power to govern your world as best you can.
You are the best person for the job.
That’s why you were chosen.
Give it your personal best.

Nine in the fourth place means:
The curtain is of such fullness
That the polestars can be seen at noon.
He meets his ruler, who is of like kind.
Good fortune.

Polestar

‘Polestar’ – Kallman Art Gallery

Here the darkness is already decreasing, therefore interrelated elements come together. Here too the complement must be found – the necessary wisdom to complement joy of action. Then everything will go well. The complementary factor postulated here is the reverse of the one in the first line. In the latter, wisdom is to be complemented by energy, while here energy is complemented by wisdom.
15 – Fifteen. Ch’ien / Modesty

The Mountain does not overshadow the Plain surrounding it:
Such modest consideration in a Superior Person creates a channel through which excess flows to the needy.

Success if you carry things through.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The Cosmos is moving toward equilibrium.
Extremes are being tempered, excess is beginning to shift toward the empty.
You can use these moderating influences to strike a balance in the world around you.
Remember, though, that this Leveling will not come about through an arrogant confiscation of excess, but through subtler persuasions.
Modesty and moderation are the keys.

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Today: “What, is meditation? What is God-consciousness? What is truth? What are you seeking?” – Yogi Bhajan

“What, is meditation? What is God-consciousness? What is truth? What are you seeking? If you think very deeply, very consciously, the answer will come to you. You are a living existence of light; you need not seek anything.” Yogi Bhajan

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

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 46 – When the world has the Tao Fast horses are retired to till the soil. When the world lacks the Tao Warhorses give birth on the battlefield

Today: “Still your mind and your ego.  Abandon striving and just be.” – from the I Ching

Still your mind and your ego.  Abandon striving and just be.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 1 – The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.

Meditation: Shuniya Meditations as Taught by Yogi Bhajan, Yoga West, 1994

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52 – Fifty-Two. Kên / The Mountain

Above this Mountain’s summit another more majestic rises:
The Superior Person is mindful to keep his thoughts in the here and now.

Stilling the sensations of the Ego, he roams his courtyard without moving a muscle, unencumbered by the fears and desires of his fellows.
This is no mistake.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is a higher vantage point available to you, but it is obscured by the visible peak of personal ambition.
To climb to this higher plane, you must shake off the desires and fears of the conscious, visible world around you.
To make this journey you must quiet the Ego, empty your mind of past and future, and dwell totally in the moment at hand.
Thorough mindfulness of what is before you is the only tranquility.
Be. Here. Now.

yang
yin above: Kên / Keeping Still, Mountain
yin
yang
yin below: Kên / Keeping Still, Mountain
yin

 

The image of this hexagram is the mountain, the youngest son of heaven and earth. The male principle is at the top, because it strives upward by nature; the female principle is below, since the direction of its movement is downward. Thus there is rest because the movement has come to its normal end.
In its application to man, the hexagram turns upon the problem of achieving a quiet heart. It is very difficult to bring quiet to the heart. While Buddhism strives for rest through an ebbing away of all movement in nirvana, the Yi Jing holds that rest is merely a state of polarity that always posits movement as its complement. Possibly the words of the text embody directions for the practice of yoga.

THE JUDGEMENT

KEEPING STILL. Keeping his back still
So that he no longer feels his body.
He goes into his courtyard
And does not see his people.
No blame.

True quiet means keeping still when the time has come to keep still, and going forward when the time has come to go forward. In this way rest and movement are in agreement with the demands of the time, and thus there is light in life.
The hexagram signifies the end and the beginning of all movement. The back is named because in the back are located all the nerve fibres that mediate movement. If the movement of these spinal nerves is brought to a standstill, the ego, with its restlessness, disappears as it were. When a man has thus become calm, he may turn to the outside world. He no longer sees in it 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. Whoever acts from these deep levels makes no mistakes.

 
 

Still Life with Chinese Lantern flowers

 

Still Life with Chinese Lantern flowers.
Colored lithograph, H.A. Dievenbach 1

THE IMAGE

Mountains standing close together:
The image of KEEPING STILL.
Thus the superior man
Does not permit his thoughts
To go beyond his situation.

Huang Shan

The heart thinks constantly. This cannot be changed, but the movements of the heart – that is, a man’s thoughts – should restrict themselves to the immediate situation. All thinking that goes beyond this only makes the heart sore.


1. Hendrikus Anthonius Dievenbach (1872 – 1946), was a Dutch artist.
In 1910 he settled in the village of Laren, North-Holland.
Henri Dievenbach was a traditional painter who was particularly inspired by his direct environment.
Apart from farmer’s interiors he made portaits of fellow-villagers. In his later life he painted especially beautiful still lifes and flower pieces, like this colored lithograph with Chinese Lanterns.

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Today: “Happiness comes out of contentment, and contentment always comes out of service.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Happiness comes out of contentment, and contentment always comes out of service.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: NM0390-20010320 – Provoke Your Higher Self

What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 45 – True perfection seems imperfect, yet it is perfectly itself

Today: “You have arrived at a point of equilibrium.  Everything is in order.  Watch out for signs of any disparity between you and your peers.” – from the I Ching

You have arrived at a point of equilibrium.  Everything is in order.  Watch out for signs of any disparity between you and your peers.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 81 – True words aren’t eloquent; eloquent words aren’t true.

Peace and blessings

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11 – Eleven. T’ai / Peace

Heaven and Earth embrace, giving birth to Peace.
The Superior Person serves as midwife, presenting the newborn gift to the people.

The small depart; the great approach.
Success.
Good fortune.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

It doesn’t get any better than this.
Everything is in harmony, all obstacles are cleared from your Path, anything you could ask for is right at hand.
This is the Elysian Fields, the Garden of Eden.
The only thing wrong with Peace is that it, too, must change.
Whether you are in this state of harmony now or it is predicted for your future, recognize it as your greatest opportunity to build your resources against less harmonious times.

Six in the fifth place means:

The emperor gives his blessing to his daughter’s marriage to a commoner.
All ranks of life benefit from this.
The sovereign I
Gives his daughter in marriage.
And supreme good fortune.

Tang

The sovereign I is T’ang the Completer.1 By his decree the imperial princesses, although higher in rank than their husbands, had to obey them like all other wives. Here too we are shown a truly modest union of high and low that brings happiness and blessings.

Chinese pagoda


1. [This refers to Ch’êng T’ang, the first of the Shang rulers, whose reign is thought to have begun in 1766 B.C. However, modern Chinese scholarship no longer accepts the identification of the Emperor I (1191 – 1155 B.C., according to tradition) with T’ang, and holds that the daughter mentioned was given to King Wên’s father, or perhaps to King Wên himself.]

63 – Sixty-Three. Chi Chi / Aftermath

Boiling Water over open Flame, one might extinguish The other:
The Superior Person takes a 360 degree view of the situation and prepares for any contingency.

Success in small matters if you stay on course.
Early good fortune can end in disorder.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Victory at the expense of another is a merciless taskmaster.
The precarious balance here is reflected in the lines of the hexagram: each of the yin lines rests upon a strong yang line — a seemingly perfect arrangement.
But the scales will be tipped with the change of any one line.
And there WILL be change.
Tireless vigilance and an answer to every challenge — that is the uneasy Seat of Power occupied by the conqueror.

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Today: “Feel that you exist, then turn yourself into a star.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Feel that you exist, then turn yourself into a star. This is a very powerful meditation. Feel your body entirely, from toe to top, then feel your body totally as a star; then emit the shine. You are turning yourself into a star. Project a lot of light, then become separate from it and watch it.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: NM345- Strengthen and enhance the radiant body

What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 44 – Fame or integrity: which is more important?

Today: “Liberation.  Without attachment, you may choose your next and every action.  Give your attention according to your intuition.  If there is something, do it.  If there is nothing, don’t act.” – from the I Ching

Liberation.  Without attachment, you may choose your next and every action.  Give your attention according to your intuition.  If there is something, do it.  If there is nothing, don’t act.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

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

Meditation: The Neutral Mind

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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.

yin
yin above: Chên / The Arousing, Thunder
yang
yin
yang below: K’an / The Abysmal, Water
yin

 

Here the movement goes out of the sphere of danger. The obstacle has been removed, the difficulties are being resolved. Deliverance is not yet achieved; it is just in its beginning, and the hexagram represents its various stages.

THE JUDGEMENT

DELIVERANCE. The south-west furthers.
If there is no longer anything where one has to go,
Return brings good fortune.
If there is still something where one has to go,
Hastening brings good fortune.

This refers to a time in which tensions and complications begin to be eased. At such times we ought to make our way back to ordinary conditions as soon as possible; this is the meaning of “the south-west.” These periods of sudden change have great importance. Just as rain relieves atmospheric tension, making all the buds burst open, so a time of deliverance from burdensome pressure has a liberating and stimulating effect on life. One thing is important, however: in such times we must not overdo our triumph. The point is not to push on farther than is necessary. Returning to the regular order of life as soon as deliverance is achieved brings good fortune. If there are any residual matters that ought to be attended to, it should be done as quickly as possible, so that a clean sweep is made and no retardations occur.

THE IMAGE

Thunder and rain set in:
The image of DELIVERANCE.
Thus the superior man pardons mistakes
And forgives misdeeds.

 

Thunder over water

A thunderstorm has the effect of clearing the air; the superior man produces a similar effect when dealing with mistakes and sins of men that induce a condition of tension. Through clarity he brings deliverance. However, when failings come to light, he does not dwell on them; he simply passes over mistakes, the unintentional transgressions, just as thunder dies away. He forgives misdeeds, the intentional transgressions, just as water washes everything clean.
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Today: “A common soul frees itself from the earth attachment in seventeen days after death.” – Yogi Bhajan

“A common soul frees itself from the earth attachment in seventeen days after death.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA007-780117-Sadhana Yojina-To Infinity Upon Death

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Today: “You are called to lead.  It will take a steady commitment to teach and support the development of all who seek guidance.” – from the I Ching

You are called to lead.  It will take a steady commitment to teach and support the development of all who seek guidance.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 79 – Failure is an opportunity

Yogi Bhajan’s Seven Steps to Happiness

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19 – Nineteen. Lin / Noble Calling

The rich, loamy Earth on the banks of the Marsh provides fertile soil for exceptional progress.
The Superior Person is inexhaustible in his willingness to teach, and without limit in his tolerance and support of others.

Supreme Success if you keep to your course.
But be aware that your time is limited; your power will wane, as Summer changes to Fall.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are in a position to help another.
This is a temporary situation, because your power is cyclical, seasonal.
Knowing this, you must perform your good deed without hope of reward.
You are not furthering your own process, but another’s.
Though you may cherish this other, you will never possess.
Touch without grasping.
Take comfort in becoming a fond memory.
Nurture, then let go.

yin
yin above: K’un / The Receptive, Earth
yin
yin
yang below: Tui / The Joyous, Lake
yang

 

The Chinese word Lin has a range of meanings that is not exhausted by any single word of another language. The ancient explanations in the Yi Jing give as its first meaning, “becoming great.” What becomes great are the two strong lines growing into the hexagram from below; the light-giving power expands with them. The meaning is then further extended to include the concept of approach, especially the approach of what is strong and highly placed in relation to what is lower. Finally the meaning includes the attitude of condescension of a man in high position toward the people, and in general the setting to work on affairs. This hexagram is linked with the twelfth month (January-February), when after the winter solstice, the light power begins to ascend again.

THE JUDGEMENT

APPROACH has supreme success.
Perseverance furthers.
When the eighth month comes,
There will be misfortune.

The hexagram as a whole points to a time of joyous, hopeful progress. Spring is approaching. Joy and forbearance bring high and low nearer together. Success is certain. But we must work with determination and perseverance to make full use of the propitiousness of the time. And one thing more: spring does not last forever. In the eighth month the aspects are reversed. Then only two strong, light lines are left; these do not advance but are in retreat [see next hexagram (20)]. We must take heed of this change in good time. If we meet evil before it becomes reality- before it has even begun to stir-we can master it.

THE IMAGE

The earth above the lake:
The image of APPROACH.
Thus the superior man is inexhaustible
In his will to teach,
And without limits
In his tolerance and protection of the people.

 

Lake with coots

 

Stotersplas Landsmeer, Holland December 21st 2009 – photo Lex van den Bos

The earth borders upon the lake from above.1 This symbolises the approach and condescension of the man of higher position to those beneath him. The two parts of the image indicate what his attitude toward these people will be. Just as the lake is inexhaustible in depth, so the sage is inexhaustible in his readiness to teach mankind, and just as the earth is boundlessly wide, sustaining and caring for all creatures on it, so the sage sustains and cares for all people and excludes no part of humanity.


1. [See the two trigrams.]

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Today: “Concentrate on this mantra—Wha, I am the great spirit. It will bring fulfillment and good luck.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Concentrate on this mantra—Wha, I am the great spirit. It will bring fulfillment and good luck.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: NM0380 – Ecstasy and Joy

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 42 – The Tao gives birth to One