“The conscious regulation of the breath is to bring about a balance of energy in the nervous system.”
Yogi Bhajan
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Month: February 2024
Today: The major goal for your intention is accomplished. Remaining details must be put in order. Be wary of introducing any instability in the structure.” – from the I Ching
The major goal for your intention is accomplished. Remaining details must be put in order. Be wary of introducing any instability in the structure.
See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day
Meditation: Meditation: LA741 – 921125 – Dance of Shiva
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Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's and subsequent translations of the I Ching
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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above: K’an / The Abysmal, Water | |
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below: Li / The Clinging, Fire | |
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This hexagram is the evolution of T’ai, PEACE (11). The transition from confusion to order is completed, and everything is in its proper place even in particulars. The strong lines are in the strong places, the weak lines in the weak places. This is a very favorable outlook, yet it gives reason for thought. For it is just when perfect equilibrium has been reached that any movement may cause order to revert to disorder. The one strong line that has moved to the top, thus effecting complete order in details, is followed by the other lines, each moving according to its nature, and thus suddenly there arises again the hexagram P’i, STANDSTILL (12). Hence the present hexagram indicates the conditions of a time of climax, which necessitate the utmost caution. THE JUDGEMENT AFTER COMPLETION. Success in small matters. The transition from the old to the new time is already accomplished. In principle, everything stands systematised, and it is only in regard to details that success is still to be achieved. In respect to this, however, we must be careful to maintain the right attitude. Everything proceeds as if of its own accord, and this can all too easily tempt us to relax and let things take their course without troubling over details. Such indifference is the root of all evil. Symptoms of decay are bound to be the result. Here we have the rule indicating the usual course of history. But this rule is not an inescapable law. He who understands it is in position to avoid its effects by dint of unremitting perseverance and caution. |
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THE IMAGE Water over fire: the image of the condition When water in a kettle hangs over fire, the two elements stand in relation and thus generate energy (cf. the production of steam). But the resulting tension demands caution. If the water boils over, the fire is extinguished and its energy is lost. If the heat is too great, the water evaporates into the air. These elements here brought into relation and thus generating energy are by nature hostile to each other. Only the most extreme caution can prevent damage. In life too there are junctures when all forces are in balance and work in harmony, so that everything seems to be in the best of order. In such times only the sage recognizes the moments that bode danger and knows how to banish it by means of timely precautions. |
Today: “Consciously you must be conscious that nobody is wrong; therefore, you must not slander anybody.” – Yogi Bhajan
“Consciously you must be conscious that nobody is wrong; therefore, you must not slander anybody. When you slander other people, actually your consciousness goes from a higher level to a lower level.”
Yogi Bhajan
Meditation: NM0390-20010320 – Provoke Your Higher Self
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Today: You must choose now between the light and forces of darkness. Aligning yourself with what is good will free you from the bondage of evil.” – from the I Ching
You must choose now between the light and forces of darkness. Aligning yourself with what is good will free you from the bondage of evil.
See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day
Tao Te Ching – Verse 29 – Do you want to improve the world? I don’t think it can be done.
Meditation: Meditation: LA372 831212 Corruption and character
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Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's and subsequent translations of the I Ching
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.
Six in the third place means:
He moves among those who would overturn the throne.
Discretion and a true heart are the key to survival.
He splits with them. No blame.
‘Damnation of the Evil’ – Nancy Mueller
An individual finds himself in an evil environment to which he is committed by external ties. But he has an inner relationship with a superior man, and through this he attains the stability to free himself from the way of the inferior people around him. This brings him into opposition to them of course, but that is not wrong.
Six in the third place means:
He splits with them. No blame.
Winds sweep through the Mountain valley:
The Superior Person sweeps away corruption and stagnation by stirring up the people and strengthening their spirit.
Supreme success.
Before crossing to the far shore, consider the move for three days.
After crossing, devote three days of hard labor to damage control.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
You are blessed with an opportunity to resuscitate that which others have abandoned as beyond repair.
This ruin wasn’t caused by evil intention, but by indifference to decay.
Just by addressing yourself to the problem, you exhibit a new awareness, a fresh perspective.
This is a time of recovery, renewal, regeneration.
Today: “Group-consciousness is an intermediate stage.” Yogi Bhajan
“Group-consciousness is an intermediate stage. It is what you pass through in the journey from individual consciousness to universal consciousness.” Yogi Bhajan
Today: Deal with things as they are. Accept the challenges. Navigate the adversity. Do not react to obstacles. Be flexible. Slow and steady.” – from the I Ching
Deal with things as they are. Accept the challenges. Navigate the adversity. Do not react to obstacles. Be flexible. Slow and steady.
See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day
Tao Te Ching – Verse 28 – Know the male, yet keep to the female
Meditation: Meditation: LA093-790319 – Pranic Energy – the Earth Element Balanced by Ether
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Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's and subsequent translations of the I Ching
46 – Forty-Six. Shêng / Upward Mobility
Beneath the Soil, the Seedling pushes upward toward the light:
To preserve his integrity, the Superior Person contents himself with small gains that eventually lead to great accomplishment.
Supreme Success.
Have no doubts.
Seek guidance from someone you respect.
A constant move toward greater clarity will bring reward.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
You are progressing, rising inch-by-inch toward certain success.
What makes this assured is your refusal to tilt headlong toward your goal, slamming into obstacles and going mad with frustration.
You have a clear map before you of the steps necessary to reach your objective.
With faithful patience and a careful conservation of personal energy and resources, you will run this long, slow distance.
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above: K’un / The Receptive, Earth | |
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below: Sun / The Gentle, Wind, Wood | |
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| The lower trigram, Sun, represents wood, and the upper, K’un, means the earth. Linked with this is the idea that wood in the earth grows upward. In contrast to the meaning of Chin, PROGRESS (35), this pushing upward is associated with effort, just as a plant needs energy for pushing upward through the earth. That is why this hexagram, although it is connected with success, is associated with effort of the will. In PROGRESS the emphasis is on expansion; PUSHING UPWARD indicates rather a vertical ascent-direct rise from obscurity and lowliness to power and influence.THE JUDGEMENT
PUSHING UPWARD has supreme success. The pushing upward of the good elements encounters no obstruction and is therefore accompanied by great success. The pushing upward is made possible not by violence but by modesty and adaptability. Since the individual is borne along by the propitiousness of the time, he advances. He must go to see authoritative people. He need not be afraid to do this, because success is assured. But he must set to work, for activity (this is the meaning of “the south”) brings good fortune. THE IMAGE Within the earth, wood grows: |
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| Adapting itself to obstacles and bending around them, wood in the earth grows upward without haste and without rest. Thus too the superior man is devoted in character and never pauses in his progress. |
Today: “There is no difference between you and me.” – Yogi Bhajan
“There is no difference between you and me. He is speaking and He is listening, and that is maya. If you understand this maya, you will understand this whole truth. He is speaking to me. He is listening to you, because He is the giver of the breath. He gives me breath to speak and he gives you breath to listen. If you understand this secret, you understand everything. In me, I have found only one reality—that I breathe in and I breathe out. And so anything that breathes in or out is reality. When I found this as a reality in everybody, I found myself in everybody and everybody in myself.”
Yogi Bhajan
Meditation: NM132-940504-Pratyahar
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Today: “Be careful what and whom you attract. Purify your intentions.” – from the I Ching
Be careful what and whom you attract. Purify your intentions.
See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day
Meditation: NM0380 – Ecstasy and Joy
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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?
Nine in the fourth place means:Following for dishonorable reasons. Following creates success.
‘Flattery’ – Juan Gris, 1908 – Pencil, color pencil and watercolor on paper |
| It often happens, when a man exerts a certain amount of influence, that he obtains a following by condescension toward inferiors. But the people who attach themselves to him are not honest in their intentions. They seek personal advantage and try to make themselves indispensable through flattery and subservience. If one becomes accustomed to such satellites and cannot do without them, it brings misfortune. Only when a man is completely free from his ego, and intent, by conviction, upon what is right and essential, does he acquire the clarity that enables him to see through such people, and become free of blame. |
3 – Three. Chun / Difficulty at the Beginning
Thunder from the Deep:
The Superior Person carefully weaves order out of confusion.
Supreme Success if you keep to your course.
Carefully consider the first move.
Seek help.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
New ventures always pack along their inherent chaos.
Though this is an annoyance at best, and can even imperil or downright doom an endeavor, it is also the friction needed to polish your project to jewel brilliance.
Learn from these early obstacles.
Today: “Humility in action is universal consciousness.” – Yogi Bhajan
“Humility in action is universal consciousness.”
Yogi Bhajan
Meditation: NM0390-20010320 – Provoke Your Higher Self
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Today: “When the means and the right people appear to assist your cause, take full advantage, lest you miss the opportunity completely.” – from the I Ching
When the means and the right people appear to assist your cause, take full advantage, lest you miss the opportunity completely.
See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day
Tao Te Ching – Verse 25 – There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born.
Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect
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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 at the top means:Without a head, the union cannot hold together. He finds no head for holding together.
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| The head is the beginning. If the beginning is not right, there is no hope of a right ending. If we have missed the right moment for union and go on hesitating to give complete and full devotion, we shall regret the error when it is too late. |
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.
Today: “Be enlightened that the other human being is you.” – Yogi Bhajan
“Be enlightened that the other human being is you. Understand through compassion that passion will make you misunderstand. Vibrate on the cosmos and the cosmos will clear your path. When fear and insecurity leave you, truth and spirit will be with you.”
Yogi Bhajan
Meditation: Know the Psyche of the Other
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Today: “Acting in the flow brings great power and rewards. Acting precipitously subverts your intentions.” – from the I Ching
Acting in the flow brings great power and rewards. Acting precipitously subverts your intentions.
See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day
Tao Te Ching – Verse 25 – There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born.
Meditation: NM371 – Enjoy the Creativity of God
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32 – Thirty-Two. Hêng / Durability
Arousing Thunder and penetrating Wind.
Close companions in any storm:
The Superior Person possesses a resiliency and durability that lets him remain firmly and faithfully on course.
Such constancy deserves success.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
Endurance is the key to success in this situation.
However, durability is not synonymous with stone-like rigidity.
True resilience requires a flexibility that allows adaptation to any adverse condition, while still remaining true to the core.
Can you maintain your integrity under any circumstance?
Can you influence the situation without giving opposing forces anything to resist?
Then you will endure to reach your goal.
Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:He pledges his love too hastily, and awaits her promise in return. Seeking duration too hastily brings misfortune persistently.
Lao Tzu |
| Whatever endures can be created only gradually by long-continued work and careful reflection. In the same sense Lao Tzu says: “If we wish to compress something, we must first let it fully expand.” He who demands too much at once is acting precipitately, and because he attempts too much, he ends by succeeding in nothing. |
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.
Today: “There are two kinds of protection, natural protection and individual protection.” – Yogi Bhajan
“There are two kinds of protection, natural protection and individual protection. Natural protection is when the God protects you and individual protection is by your own hands.”
Yogi Bhajan
M134 970325 Working on the Upper Chakras
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Today: “Stuck. You might as well stay in place for now. Wait for a propitious time to advance.” – from the I Ching
Stuck. You might as well stay in place for now. Wait for a propitious time to advance.
See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day
Tao Te Ching – Verse 24 – He who stands on tiptoe doesn’t stand firm
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26 – Twenty-Six. Ta Ch’u / Recharging Power
Heaven’s motherlode waits within the Mountain:
The Superior Person mines deep into history’s wealth of wisdom and deeds, charging his character with timeless strength.
Persevere.
Drawing sustenance from these sources creates good fortune.
Then you may cross to the far shore.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
There are important precedents in this situation.
Others have trodden this Path before you, overcoming the same obstacles facing you now, and making crucial decisions at the same crossroads.
Study their journals, watch for their trail markings.
Gain inspiration and wisdom from the heroes and learn from the mistakes of those who chose a sidepath.
All were Seekers, explorers whose daring mapped a course you can follow.
The words and deeds of the finest can imbue you with the courage necessary to face what lies before you.
Nine in the second place means:The axles have been removed from your cart. The axletrees are taken from the wagon.
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| Here advance is checked just as in the third line of THE TAMING POWER OF THE SMALL (9). However, in the latter the restraining force is slight; thus a conflict arises between the propulsive and the restraining movement, as a result of which the spokes fall out of the wagon wheels, while here the restraining force is absolutely superior; hence no struggle takes place. One submits and removes the axletrees from the wagon – in other words, contents himself with waiting. In this way energy accumulates for a vigorous advance later on. |
22 – Twenty-Two. Pi / Grace
Fire illuminates the base of the Mountain:
The Superior Person realizes he has not the wisdom to move the course of the world, except by attending to each day’s affairs as they come.
Success in small matters.
This is a good time to begin something.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
The emphasis now is on form, not function — on the sizzle and not the steak.
The environment around you is not one of depth, and you are appreciated now for your image, not your essence.
You perfectly fill a role, and no one is seeing the genuine you.
Still, you are being listened to and watched.
Use this influence to further your goals as much as possible.
Even if you don’t feel understood, you can perhaps connect with a few isolated hearts.
Relax and enjoy the attention.
Today: “Hell and heaven are right here.” – Yogi Bhajan
“Hell and heaven are right here. In heaven, people live very still, they speak truth, and they are very compassionate. In hell, they jump around, they speculate, and they fluctuate; their words are never trustable because they don’t trust their own words.”
Yogi Bhajan
See Today: I Ching
Meditation: NM0426 – 20011117 – Self Transformation
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Today: “Follow your heart rather than your compulsions. Commit to that, then develop the discipline to practice it.” – from the I Ching
Follow your heart rather than your compulsions. Commit to that, then develop the discipline to practice it.
See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day
Tao Te Ching – Verse 23 – Express yourself completely, then keep quiet
Meditation: NM327-990930 Know Your Heart
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31 – Thirty-One Hsien / Attraction
The joyous Lake is cradled by the tranquil Mountain:
The Superior Person takes great satisfaction in encouraging others along their journey.
He draws them to him with his welcoming nature and genuine interest.
Supreme success.
This course leads to marriage.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
There is no greater natural law in the Cosmos than Attraction.
From the magnetic pull of an atom’s nucleus to the centrifugal force that spirals a galaxy, the face of the universe is shaped by Attraction.
On a human scale, it is Attraction that fuels procreation and furthers our species.
Yet it is also Attraction that spawns greed and covetousness, threatening our extinction.
Attraction is the underlying force of the situation in question.
You are refined or debased by the objects of your desire.
What gravitational pull are you now under?
Around what sphere of influence do you circle?
Can you use your own ability to attract?
Nine in the third place means:
Restless thighs signify impatience and a lack of restraint.
He has lost his center and is obsessed with another.
Humiliation.
The influence shows itself in the thighs.
Holds to that which follows it.
To continue is humiliating.
‘The Three Graces’ – Peter Paul Rubens c.1636-1638 Museo del Prado, Madrid Spain
Every mood of the heart influences us to movement. What the heart desires, the thighs run after without a moment’s hesitation; they hold to the heart, which they follow. In the life of man, however, acting on the spur of every caprice is wrong and if continued leads to humiliation. Three considerations suggest themselves here. First, a man should not run precipitately after all the persons whom he would like to influence, but must be able to hold back under certain circumstances. As little should he yield immediately to every whim of those in whose service he stands. Finally, where the moods of his own heart are concerned, he should never ignore the possibility of inhibition, for this is the basis of human freedom.
3 – Three. Chun / Difficulty at the Beginning
Thunder from the Deep:
The Superior Person carefully weaves order out of confusion.
Supreme Success if you keep to your course.
Carefully consider the first move.
Seek help.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
New ventures always pack along their inherent chaos.
Though this is an annoyance at best, and can even imperil or downright doom an endeavor, it is also the friction needed to polish your project to jewel brilliance.
Learn from these early obstacles.