Category: Guru Dev Singh

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “In our relations we mingle with people who have renounced the collective connections that bind us together. Associate instead with those who promote unity rather than division along petty tribal differences. Those alliances will begin to heal fractures in the social structure.”

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Avoid interfering with the course of natural development. Refrain from rash actions that arise from fear, impatience, ambition or dissatisfaction. When everything is upside down, focus on remaining safe.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 14 – Look, and it can’t be seen. Listen, and it can’t be heard. Reach, and it can’t be grasped.

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

12 – Twelve. P’i / Stagnation

Heaven and Earth move away from each other.
In the ensuing void, the small invade where the great have departed.
There is no common meeting ground, so the Superior Person must fall back on his inner worth and decline the rewards offered by the inferior invaders.

Difficult trials as you hold to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

It is natural to assume that, if Earth above Heaven forms the hexagram for Peace and Paradise, then the opposite configuration, with Heaven over Earth would represent the antithesis of Paradise, Hell.
Not so.
This hexagram is actually the Dark side of Peace, its unsavory byproduct, Stagnation.
In a time when most of our wants are provided, there is little need for the heroes, the artists, the great thinkers and innovators.
As they recede into the shadows, Idleness, Apathy, and Lassitude come to the forefront.
Peace has become boring, bland, unchallenging — Stagnant.
Now our attention turns to the quick fix, the instant celebrity, the fad, the one-nighter, the current buzz.
There is no room for depth.
If you are a passionate soul, you must wait for a better time to find kindred spirits.
In these times, they are only curious legends, bas-relief, dead poets.

Six in the second place means:

He knows better than the sycophants how to manipulate the petty rulers; but instead he keeps his integrity and remains among the oppressed.

They bear and endure;
This means good fortune for inferior people.
The standstill serves to help the great man to attain success.

‘Art Gallery Sycophants’, 1979 – Lance Olsen

Inferior people are ready to flatter their superiors in a servile way. They would also endure the superior man if he would put an end to their confusion. This is fortunate for them. But the great man calmly bears the consequences of the standstill. He does not mingle with the crowd of the inferior; that is not his place. By his willingness to suffer personally he insures the success of his fundamental principles.

6 – Six Sung / Conflict

The high Heavens over a yawning Deep chasm:
An expansive void where nothing can dwell.
Even though he sincerely knows he is right, the Superior Person anticipates opposition and carefully prepares for any incident.

Good fortune if your conflict results in compromise.
Misfortune if your conflict escalates to confrontation.
Seek advice.
Postpone your crossing to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Conflict is a necessary part of life.
Tension upon the strings of a violin can make majestic music.
The critical mass of two hydrogen atoms trying to occupy the same space fuel the sun that nourishes our solar system.
Most conflicts you face in life are the result of your Path converging with another’s.
Your Path is not his, and one Path is not necessarily more right than the other.
Can you work together to remove the blockage?

“In our relations we mingle with people who have renounced the collective connections that bind us together. Associate instead with those who promote unity rather than division along petty tribal differences. Those alliances will begin to heal fractures in the social structure.” – Today’s Reading

In our relations we mingle with people who have renounced the collective connections that bind us together. Associate instead with those who promote unity rather than division along petty tribal differences. Those alliances will begin to heal fractures in the social structure.

Today: “Spiritual means me within me is infinite” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Review of Meditation and Sat Nam Rasayan® Healing Workshop with Hari Nam Singh 11/27/2016 – “Division and Unity”

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

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Avoid interfering with the course of natural development. Refrain from rash actions that arise from fear, impatience, ambition or dissatisfaction. When everything is upside down, focus on remaining safe.”

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Be respectful in all of your relations. You may have to rely on any one of them.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 13 – Success is as dangerous as failure. Hope is as hollow as fear.

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

45 – Forty-Five. Ts’ui / Gathering

The Lake rises by welcoming and receiving Earth’s waters:
The King approaches his temple.
It is wise to seek audience with him there.

Success follows this course.
Making an offering will seal your good fortune.
A goal will be realized now.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is an important Convergence, and you must be part of it.
Look for the Center of this convergence.
Like waters running to the sea, like an astronomical convergence of planets revolving around the sun, you should let the gravity of this Center draw you near.
Others are also drawn to this Center, and among them you will find shared bonds and kindred spirits.
This tribal convergence will give you a clarity of purpose.
You will no longer be alone.

Six in the third place means:

You strive to find common ground that doesn’t exist.
Sighing in sadness and walking away would be understood, though you may think less of yourself.

Gathering together amid sighs.
Nothing that would further.
Going is without blame.
Slight humiliation.

‘At the Moulin Rouge’ – Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (painted between 1892-1895)

Often a man feels an urge to unite with others, but the individuals around him have already formed themselves into a group, so that he remains isolated. The whole situation proves untenable. Then he ought to choose the way of progress, resolutely allying himself with a man who stands nearer to the centre of the group, and can help him to gain admission to the closed circle. This is not a mistake, even though at first his position as an outsider is somewhat humiliating.

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?

“Avoid interfering with the course of natural development. Refrain from rash actions that arise from fear, impatience, ambition or dissatisfaction. When everything is upside down, focus on remaining safe.” – Today’s Reading

Avoid interfering with the course of natural development. Refrain from rash actions that arise from fear, impatience, ambition or dissatisfaction. When everything is upside down, focus on remaining safe.

Today: “You have soul mates: your intellect, consciousness, subconscious, unconscious, you have your ten bodies. ” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Lecture: LA860 – 960131 – Increase the Flow of the Earth Within You

Meditation: LA907 – Kriya for Non-Reaction

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Be respectful in all of your relations. You may have to rely on any one of them.”

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – Drop your obstinacy trying to enforce your will. Impatience produces inner conflict. What you need will come in time.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 12 – He allows things to come and go. His heart is open as the sky.

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

53 – Fifty-Three. Chien / Gradual Progress

The gnarled Pine grows tenaciously off the Cliff face:
The Superior Person clings faithfully to dignity and integrity, thus elevating the Collective Spirit of Man in his own small way.
Development.
The maiden is given in marriage.
Good fortune if you stay on course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Adaptability mixed with integrity will bring a calm, steady progress.
Move from your center, always faithful to your principles, yet with the flexibility to weather any tempest.
Yours is not a meteoric rise to the top, but the solid, confident footing of one who has a clear vision of what can be, and who is willing to climb the distance to reach it.
The oracle foresees companionship along the way — a Divine comfort on any journey.

Nine in the third place means:

The wild geese nest in the open prairie.
The male leaves to forage; he will not return.
The brooding female will not hatch her young.
Predators close in.

The wild goose gradually draws near the plateau.
The man goes forth and does not return.
The woman carries a child but does not bring it forth.
Misfortune.
It furthers one to fight off robbers.

The high plateau is dry and unsuitable for the wild goose. If it goes there, it has lost its way and gone too far. This is contrary to the law of development.
It is the same in human life. If we do not let things develop quietly but plunge of our own choice too rashly into a struggle, misfortune results. A man jeopardises his own life, and his family perishes thereby. However, this is not at all necessary; it is only the result of transgressing the law of natural development. If one does not willfully provoke a conflict, but confines himself to vigorously maintaining his own position and to warding off unjustified attacks, all goes well.

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.

“Be respectful in all of your relations. You may have to rely on any one of them.” – Today’s Reading

Be respectful in all of your relations. You may have to rely on any one of them.

“A Teacher is not judged by his popularity, his richness, his money, his knowledge, his essence. A Teacher is judged by his character.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

HNS Class Golden Bridge Hollywood – 2012-05-02 – Perceptive Field

Recap: Healing and Meditation Class at Yoga West with Hari Nam Singh 2019-01-02-The Meridians

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Drop your obstinacy trying to enforce your will. Impatience produces inner conflict. What you need will come in time.”

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Wait to take on a bold venture until you are ready. Be prepared.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 9 – Better to stop in time than to fill to the brim

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

44 – Forty-Four. Kou / Compulsion

A playful Zephyr dances and delights beneath indulgent Heaven:
A Prince who shouts orders but will not walk among his people may as well try to command the four winds.

A strong, addictive temptation, much more dangerous than it seems.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are ignoring a clear and present danger to your well-being.
If this threat emanated from a heavy-handed oppressor, you would see it coming.
But this danger comes to you in the form of a seduction, an amusement, a diversion, an indulgence that is eating away at the fiber of your secure little world.
You are too cocksure.
You underestimate the tribute this dalliance will demand.

Nine in the fourth place means:

No fish for guests; none even for yourself.
Misfortune.

No fish in the tank.
This leads to misfortune.

Insignificant people must be tolerated in order to keep them well disposed. Then we can make use of them if we should need them. If we become alienated from them and do not meet them halfway, they turn their backs on us and are not at our disposal when we need them. But this is our own fault.

53 – Fifty-Three. Chien / Gradual Progress

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

“Drop your obstinacy trying to enforce your will. Impatience produces inner conflict. What you need will come in time.” – Today’s Reading

Drop your obstinacy trying to enforce your will. Impatience produces inner conflict. What you need will come in time.

Here a man is suffering from inner restlessness and cannot abide in his place. He would like to push forward under any circumstances, but encounters insuperable obstacles. Thus his situation entails an inner conflict. This is due to the obstinacy with which he seeks to enforce his will. If he would desist from this obstinacy, everything would go well. But this advice, like so much other good counsel, will be ignored. For obstinacy makes a man unable to hear, for all that he has ears.

“A Teacher is not judged by his popularity, his richness, his money, his knowledge, his essence. A Teacher is judged by his character.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: LA135-19791029 Resolve Inner Conflict

Lecture and Meditation: Patience Pays – LA-19831020

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Wait to take on a bold venture until you are ready. Be prepared.”

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Look closely at the consequences of your actions. That will show you what is to come.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 9 – Better to stop in time than to fill to the brim

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

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 fourth place means:

Your legs are torn and bleeding as you push heedlessly through the thorns toward your target.
If you would allow yourself to be led down the path of least resistance, you would reach your goal.

There is no skin on his thighs,
And walking comes hard.
If a man were to let himself be led like a sheep,
Remorse would disappear.
But if these words are heard
They will not be believed.

5 – Five. Hsü / Calculated Waiting

Deep Waters in the Heavens:
Thunderclouds approaching from the West, but no rain yet.
The Superior Person nourishes himself and remains of good cheer to condition himself for the moment of truth.

Great Success if you sincerely keep to your course.
You may cross to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You must now endure this Dangling — either a carrot before your nose, or a sword above your head.
This strange mix of apprehension and anticipation is a Purgatory.
There is nothing more you can do to affect the outcome.
You must now submit to the Fates.

“Wait to take on a bold venture until you are ready. Be prepared.” – Today’s Reading

Wait to take on a bold venture until you are ready. Be prepared.

“A Teacher is not judged by his popularity, his richness, his money, his knowledge, his essence. A Teacher is judged by his character.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: TCH36-1-A00713 – Pain and Ecstasy – Triangle of Knowledge

Meditation: M0512-19890312 – For Mastery of Time and Space

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Look closely at the consequences of your actions. That will show you what is to come.”

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Right now it’s better to retreat a little than to move boldly forward. Aggressive behavior will prove more folly than courageous. Gather strength and wait for the right time to act.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 8 – The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to.

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

62 – Sixty-Two. Hsiao Kuo / Lying Low

Thunder high on the Mountain, active passivity:
The Superior Person is unsurpassed in his ability to remain small.
In a time for humility, he is supremely modest.
In a time of mourning, he uplifts with somber reverence.
In a time of want, he is resourcefully frugal.

When a bird flies too high, its song is lost.
Rather than push upward now, it is best to remain below.
This will bring surprising good fortune, if you keep to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is no profit to striving here.
To be content with oneself is the greatest success imaginable.
The enlightened person has nothing to prove to himself or others, and thus may always operate from a position of sincerity, with no pretense or posturing.
His humility is guileless simplicity.
His mourning is selfless compassion.
His frugality is an unshakeable faith that he is but a conduit, letting what is needed flow through him to others, with no loss to himself.

Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:
The bird meets with misfortune through flying.

Bird Leaving Nest – Larry Moore

A bird ought to remain in the nest till it is fledged. If it tries to fly before this, it invites misfortune. Extraordinary measures should be resorted to only when all else fails. At first we ought to put up with traditional ways as long as possible; otherwise we exhaust ourselves and our energy and still achieve nothing.

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.

“Look closely at the consequences of your actions. That will show you what is to come. ” – Today’s Reading

Look closely at the consequences of your actions. That will show you what is to come.

“When you teach, you must teach with confrontation, not by stimulation.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: Drib Dhristi Lochina Karma

Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect

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

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Right now it’s better to retreat a little than to move boldly forward. Aggressive behavior will prove more folly than courageous. Gather strength and wait for the right time to act.”

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Great changes are happening. It’s best to let them happen rather than resisting. This is a transformation of what is rather than a reset.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 7 – The Tao is infinite, eternal.

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

10 – Ten. Lü / Worrying the Tiger

Heaven shines down on the Marsh which reflects it back imperfectly:
Though the Superior Man carefully discriminates between high and low, and acts in accord with the flow of the Tao, there are still situations where a risk must be taken.

You tread upon the tail of the tiger.
Not perceiving you as a threat, the startled tiger does not bite.
Success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You have reached a perilous point in your journey.
This is a real gamble — not a maneuver, not a calculated risk.
The outcome is uncertain.
If it goes as you hope, you will gain — but if it turns against you it will cause serious injury, at least to your plans.
The best tack is extreme caution and a healthy respect for the danger involved.

Nine at the top means:

At your journey’s end, look back and examine the path you chose.
If you find no causes for shame, only good works that make you shine, you may take this as an omen of the certainty of great reward.

Look to your conduct and weigh the favorable signs.
When everything is fulfilled, supreme good fortune comes.

‘Enjoying the Fruit of Labor’ – Keith Martin Johns

The work is ended. If we want to know whether good fortune will follow, we must look back on our conduct and its consequences. If the effects are good, then good fortune is certain. No one knows himself. It is only by the consequences of his actions, by the fruit of his labors, that a man can judge what he is to expect.

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.

“Right now it’s better to retreat a little than to move boldly forward. Aggressive behavior will prove more folly than courageous. Gather strength and wait for the right time to act.” – Today’s Reading

Right now it’s better to retreat a little than to move boldly forward. Aggressive behavior will prove more folly than courageous. Gather strength and wait for the right time to act.

“You know, the only thing that goes wrong with us is that we forget. ” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: LA046 – 780614 – Hari Shabad Meditation – Use the Wind to Produce Trance and Dissolve Negativity

Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Great changes are happening. It’s best to let them happen rather than resisting. This is a transformation of what is rather than a reset.”

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “There exists an unstable equilibrium. If things fall apart, it will happen quickly. Pay close attention to your safety and wellbeing.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 6 – The Tao is called the Great Mother: empty yet inexhaustible, it gives birth to infinite worlds.

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

7 – Seven. Shih / Recruiting Allies

Deep Water beneath the Earth’s surface:
Untapped resources are available.
The Superior Person nourishes and instructs the people, building a loyal, disciplined following.
Good fortune.
No mistakes if you follow a course led by experience.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You must gain support from others.
Find a way to make others want to see your objectives met as badly as you want it.
How can they profit from the attainment of this goal?
Can you command confidence that you are just the person that can bring this plan to fruition?

Six in the fourth place means:

It is never a mistake to retreat to a stronger position.

The army retreats. No blame.

US army retreat

In the face of a superior enemy, with whom it would be hopeless to engage in battle, an orderly retreat is the only correct procedure, because it will save the army from defeat and disintegration. It is by no means a sign of courage or strength to insist upon engaging in a hopeless struggle regardless of circumstances.

25 – Twenty-Five. Wu Wang / Remaining Blameless

Thunder rolls beneath Heaven, as is its nature and place:
Sage rulers aligned themselves with the changing seasons, nurturing and guiding their subjects to do the same.

Exceptional Progress if you are mindful to keep out of the way of the natural Flow.
It would be a fatal error to try to alter its course.
This is a time of Being, not Doing.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is thoroughly a matter of the heart.
If everything you attempt, no matter how carefully planned, ends in disarray, then examine your motives.
They are the cause of your predicament.
It isn’t that your motives aren’t pure — even the best intentions will fail under these circumstances.
What stymies you in this situation is that you have a motive at all.
Free yourself of all expectations, release any tenuous grip you may have, and roll with it.
This is totally out of your control.
There are higher powers and more elements affecting the outcome of this situation than you can imagine.
Get out of their way.

“Great changes are happening. It’s best to let them happen rather than resisting. This is a transformation of what is rather than a reset.” – Today’s Reading

Great changes are happening. It’s best to let them happen rather than resisting. This is a transformation of what is rather than a reset.

Today: “What is kundalini? The energy of the glandular system combines with the nervous system to become more sensitive…” Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

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

Meditation: NM0426 – 20011117 – Self Transformation

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “There exists an unstable equilibrium. If things fall apart, it will happen quickly. Pay close attention to your safety and wellbeing.”

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “We should appreciate experience as our enduring source of faith and growth and all those who have grown with us. We are the teachers now.”

A letter to a friend

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

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 at the top means:

The wall falls back into the moat.
Use no army now.
Make your commands known within your own town.
Perseverance brings humiliation.

The change alluded to in the middle of the hexagram has begun to take place. The wall of the town sinks back into the moat from which it was dug. The hour of doom is at hand. When matters have come to this pass, we should submit to fate and not try to stave it off by violent resistance. The one recourse left us is to hold our own within our intimate circle. Should we persevere in trying to resist the evil in the usual way, our collapse would only be more complete, and humiliation would be the result.

18 – Eighteen. Ku / Repairing the Damage

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.

“There exists an unstable equilibrium. If things fall apart, it will happen quickly. Pay close attention to your safety and wellbeing.” – Today’s Reading

There exists an unstable equilibrium. If things fall apart, it will happen quickly. Pay close attention to your safety and wellbeing.

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

Today: “Man and his manners are a very basic situation which we must understand.” Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Meditation: LA372 831212 Corruption and character

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “We should appreciate experience as our enduring source of faith and growth and all those who have grown with us. We are the teachers now.”

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – You can coexist and even ally with powerful allies and neighbors. Use discretion so that you don’t incur wrath.”

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

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

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.

Six in the fourth place means:

The finest clothes turn to rags.
Be careful all day long.

In a time of flowering culture, an occasional convulsion is bound to occur, uncovering a hidden evil within society and at first causing a great sensation. But since the situation is favorable on the whole, such evils can easily be glossed over and concealed from the public. Then everything is forgotten and peace apparently reigns complacently once more. However, to the thoughtful man, such occurrences are grave omens that he does not neglect. This is the only way of averting evil consequences.

49 – Forty-Nine. Ko / Revolution

Fire ignites within the Lake, defying conditions that would deny it birth or survival:
The Superior Person reads the Signs of the Times and makes the Season apparent to all.

The support you need will come only after the deed is done.
Renewed forces, however, will provide fresh energy for exceptional progress.
Persevere.
All differences vanish.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

A revolutionary Change must be made forcibly.
There is no negotiating with the Established Order.
Perfect timing is essential.
Let the abuse of power become apparent and oppressive to those around you before making your move.
Lay the groundwork, sow the seeds for Revolution without tipping your hand prematurely.
You will need a strong foundation, because you will have to bring about this necessary change alone.
You cannot count on popular support, so you must wait until there is massive dissent.
Then the avenue for your assault will be cleared.

“We should appreciate experience as our enduring source of faith and growth and all those who have grown with us. We are the teachers now.” – Today’s Reading

We should appreciate experience as our enduring source of faith and growth and all those who have grown with us. We are the teachers now.

Today: “It is the first thankless job of the teacher to create environments which the student cannot understand right away. If the student understands right away, he will just go through it.” Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: NM0364-20001023-On Communication I

Meditation: NM0365-20001024-On Communication II

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “You can coexist and even ally with powerful allies and neighbors. Use discretion so that you don’t incur wrath.”

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Be careful not to be caught up in destructive winds of chaos, often crafted by unseen agents of evil. Instead, follow your intuitive intellect. Listen to your heart. Be clear in your own path and identity. Shape your own destiny.”

See Meditation: NM0364-20001023-On Communication I.

Today: “The difference between you and an animal is that the animal has limited compassion and you can have unlimited compassion.” Yogi Bhajan

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

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 third place means:
A good horse that follows others.
Awareness of danger,
With perseverance, furthers.
Practice chariot driving and armed defense daily.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.

Scene form Ben Hur, the movie

The way opens; the hindrance has been cleared away. A man is in contact with a strong will acting in the same direction as his own, and goes forward like one good horse following another. But danger still threatens, and he must remain aware of it, or he will be robbed of his firmness. Thus he must acquire skill on the one hand in what will take him forward, and on the other in what will protect him against unforeseen attacks. It is good in such a pass to have a goal toward which to strive.

4 – Four. Mêng / Inexperience

A fresh Spring at the foot of the Mountain:
The Superior Person refines his character by being thorough in every activity.
The Sage does not recruit students; the students seek him.
He asks nothing but a sincere desire to learn.
If the student doubts or challenges his authority, the Sage regretfully cuts his losses.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a time of interchange between a mentor and pupil.
Whether you are the teacher or the student, it is a time of companionship along a mutual path.
This hexagram also emphasizes the eternal, cyclical nature of the mentor/student relationship — a mentor is merely a more seasoned pupil, further along on the journey.
A pupil holds within himself the seed of a future Master.

“You can coexist and even ally with powerful allies and neighbors. Use discretion so that you don’t incur wrath.” – Today’s Reading

You can coexist and even ally with powerful allies and neighbors. Use discretion so that you don’t incur wrath.

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

Try these meditations:

Meditation: LA046 – 780614 – Hari Shabad Meditation – Use the Wind to Produce Trance and Dissolve Negativity

Meditation: TCH2012 960727 – Warrior’s Exercise for Opening the Energy into the Shushmana & Balancing the Hemispheres of the Brain

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Be careful not to be caught up in destructive winds of chaos, often crafted by unseen agents of evil. Instead, follow your intuitive intellect. Listen to your heart. Be clear in your own path and identity. Shape your own destiny.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “What seem to be unsurmountable obstacles are coming from without. Keep a steady course and you will prevail.”

Today: “Poke, provoke, confront, and elevate. That is how your life must be.” Yogi Bhajan

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

10 – Ten. Lü / Worrying the Tiger

Heaven shines down on the Marsh which reflects it back imperfectly:
Though the Superior Man carefully discriminates between high and low, and acts in accord with the flow of the Tao, there are still situations where a risk must be taken.

You tread upon the tail of the tiger.
Not perceiving you as a threat, the startled tiger does not bite.
Success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You have reached a perilous point in your journey.
This is a real gamble — not a maneuver, not a calculated risk.
The outcome is uncertain.
If it goes as you hope, you will gain — but if it turns against you it will cause serious injury, at least to your plans.
The best tack is extreme caution and a healthy respect for the danger involved.


		above: Ch’ien / The Creative, Heaven
		above: Ch’ien / The Creative, Heaven


		below: Tui / The Joyous, Lake
		below: Tui / The Joyous, Lake

The name of the hexagram means on the one hand the right way of conducting oneself. Heaven, the father, is above, and the lake, the youngest daughter, is below. This shows the difference between high and low, upon which composure, correct social conduct, depends. On the other hand, the word for the name of the hexagram, TREADING,¹ means literally treading upon something. The small and cheerful [Tui] treads on the large and strong [Ch’ien]. The direction of movement of the two primary trigrams is upward. The fact that the strong treads on the weak is not mentioned in the Yi Jing, because it is taken for granted. For the weak to take a stand against the strong is not dangerous here, because it happened in good humor [Tui] and without presumption, so that the strong man is not irritated but takes it all in good part.

THE JUDGEMENT

TREADING. Treading upon the tail of the tiger.
It does not bite the man. Success.

Worrying the Tiger

Yin and Yang

The situation is really difficult. That which is strongest and that which is weakest are close together. The weak follows behind the strong and worries it. The strong, however, acquiesces and does not hurt the weak, because the contact is in good humor and harmless.
In terms of a human situation, one is handling wild, intractable people. In such a case one’s purpose will be achieved if one behaves with decorum. Pleasant manners succeed even with irritable people.

THE IMAGE

Heaven above, the lake below:
The image of TREADING.
Thus the superior man discriminates between high and low,
And thereby fortifies the thinking of the people.

Tiger in water

Heaven and the lake show a difference of elevation that inheres in the natures of the two, hence no envy arises. Among mankind also there are necessarily differences of elevation; it is impossible to bring about universal equality. But it is important that differences in social rank should not be arbitrary and unjust, for if this occurs, envy and class struggle are the inevitable consequences. If, on the other hand, external differences in rank correspond with differences in inner worth, and if inner worth forms the criterion of external rank, people acquiesce and order reigns in society.

1. [Auftreten, the German word used for the name of the hexagram, means both “treading” and “conduct.”]

“Be careful not to be caught up in destructive winds of chaos, often crafted by unseen agents of evil. Instead, follow your intuitive intellect. Listen to your heart. Be clear in your own path and identity. Shape your own destiny.” – Today’s Reading

Be careful not to be caught up in destructive winds of chaos, often crafted by unseen agents of evil. Instead, follow your intuitive intellect. Listen to your heart. Be clear in your own path and identity. Shape your own destiny.

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.

Try these meditations:

Meditation: Listening to Angelic Whispers – from the Mind

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

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “What seem to be unsurmountable obstacles are coming from without. Keep a steady course and you will prevail.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “We can rely on the source from which we are made for our sustenance and our support for each other. What nourishes us is also our connection with everything and everyone.”

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

Today: “You have to learn the art and science of giving yourself your own excellence.” Yogi Bhajan

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

44 – Forty-Four. Kou / Compulsion

A playful Zephyr dances and delights beneath indulgent Heaven:
A Prince who shouts orders but will not walk among his people may as well try to command the four winds.

A strong, addictive temptation, much more dangerous than it seems.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:


		above: Ch’ien / The Creative, Heaven
		above: Ch’ien / The Creative, Heaven


		below: Sun / The Gentle, Wind
		below: Sun / The Gentle, Wind

This hexagram indicates a situation in which the principle of darkness, after having been eliminated, furtively and unexpectedly obtrudes again from within and below. Of its own accord the female principle comes to meet the male. It is an unfavorable and dangerous situation, and we must understand and promptly prevent the possible consequences.
The hexagram is linked with the fifth month [June-July], because at the summer solstice the principle of darkness gradually becomes ascendant again.

THE JUDGEMENT

COMING TO MEET. The maiden is powerful.
One should not marry such a maiden.

The rise of the inferior element is pictured here in the image of a bold girl who lightly surrenders herself and thus seizes power. This would not be possible if the strong and light-giving element had not in turn come halfway. The inferior thing seems so harmless and inviting that a man delights in it; it looks so small and weak that he imagines he may dally with it and come to no harm.
The inferior man rises only because the superior man does not regard him as dangerous and so lends him power. If he were resisted from the first, he could never gain influence.
The time of COMING TO MEET is important in still another way. Although as a general rule the weak should not come to meet the strong, there are times when this has great significance. When heaven and earth come to meet each other, all creatures prosper; when a prince and his official come to meet each other, the world is put in order. It is necessary for elements predestined to be joined and mutually dependent to come to meet one another halfway. But the coming together must be free of dishonest ulterior motives, otherwise harm will result.

‘Contact’ – Fractal artwork by Sven Geier, 2002

THE IMAGE

Under heaven, wind:
The image of COMING TO MEET.
Thus does the prince act when disseminating his commands
And proclaiming them to the four quarters of heaven.

The situation here resembles that in hexagram 20, Kuan, CONTEMPLATION (VIEW). In the latter the wind blows over the earth, here it blows under heaven; in both cases it goes everywhere. There the wind is on the earth and symbolises the ruler taking note of the conditions in his kingdom; here the wind blows from above and symbolises the influence exercised by the ruler through his commands. Heaven is far from the things of earth, but it sets them in motion by means of the wind. The ruler is far from his people, but he sets them in motion by means of his commands and decrees.

“What seem to be unsurmountable obstacles are coming from without. Keep a steady course and you will prevail.” – Today’s Reading

What seem to be unsurmountable obstacles are coming from without. Keep a steady course and you will prevail.

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.

Try these meditations:

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

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

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “We can rely on the source from which we are made for our sustenance and our support for each other. What nourishes us is also our connection with everything and everyone.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Include everyone and everything in your relations. Appreciate close connections without allowing them to separate you from distant ones.”

Today: “All your soul is promised by God is one chance.” Yogi Bhajan

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

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?

Six in the third place means:

Bandits stop his oxen team and board his wagon.
He is scalped, his face is disfigured, and he is left to die.
Not only will he survive — he will endure and triumph.

One sees the wagon dragged back,
The oxen halted,
A man’s hair and nose cut off.
Not a good beginning, but a good end.

Sphinx Giza

Often it seems to a man as though everything were conspiring against him. He sees himself checked and hindered in his progress, insulted and dishonored.¹ However, he must not let himself be misled; despite this opposition, he must cleave to the man with whom he knows he belongs. Thus, notwithstanding the bad beginning, the matter will end well.

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.

1. Cutting off of the hair and nose was a severe and degrading punishment.

“We can rely on the source from which we are made for our sustenance and our support for each other. What nourishes us is also our connection with everything and everyone.” – Today’s Reading

We can rely on the source from which we are made for our sustenance and our support for each other. What nourishes us is also our connection with everything and everyone.

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

Try these meditations:

Meditation: NM0163 – Feel God Within You, The Kindness in You

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

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Include everyone and everything in your relations. Appreciate close connections without allowing them to separate you from distant ones.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “You have lots of power. Be careful not to bluster or abuse all that power.”

Today: “In my consciousness there is a support and in the support there is an equal negative and an equal positive.” Yogi Bhajan

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's 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.


		above: K’an / The Abysmal, Water
		above: K’an / The Abysmal, Water


		below: Sun / The Gentle, Wind, Wood
		below: Sun / The Gentle, Wind, Wood

Wood is below, water above. The wood goes down into the earth to bring up water. The image derives from the pole-and-bucket well of ancient China. The wood represents not the buckets, which in ancient times were made of clay, but rather the wooden poles by which the water is hauled up from the well. The image also refers to the world of plants, which lift water out of the earth by means of their fibres.
The well from which water is drawn conveys the further idea of an inexhaustible dispensing of nourishment.

Raga Kumbha meets a young woman at a well, and asks for water.¹

THE JUDGEMENT

THE WELL. The town may be changed,
But the well cannot be changed.
It neither decreases nor increases.
They come and go and draw from the well.
If one gets down almost to the water
And the rope does not go all the way,
Or the jug breaks, it brings misfortune.

In ancient China the capital cities were sometimes moved, partly for the sake of more favorable location, partly because of a change in dynasties. The style of architecture changed in the course of centuries, but the shape of the well has remained the same from ancient times to this day. Thus the well is the symbol of that social structure which, evolved by mankind in meeting its most primitive needs, is independent of all political forms. Political structures change, as do nations, but the life of man with its needs remains eternally the same-this cannot be changed. Life is also inexhaustible. It grows neither less nor more; it exists for one and for all. The generations come and go, and all enjoy life in its inexhaustible abundance.

However, there are two prerequisites for a satisfactory political or social organisation of mankind. We must go down to the very foundations of life. For any merely superficial ordering of life that leaves its deepest needs unsatisfied is as ineffectual as if no attempt at order had ever been made. Carelessness-by which the jug is broken-is also disastrous. If for instance the military defense of a state is carried to such excess that it provokes wars by which the power of the state is annihilated, this is a breaking of the jug.

This hexagram applies also to the individual. However men may differ in disposition and in education, the foundations of human nature are the same in everyone. And every human being can draw in the course of his education from the inexhaustible wellspring of the divine in man’s nature. But here likewise two dangers threaten: a man may fail in his education to penetrate to the real roots of humanity and remain fixed in convention-a partial education of this sort is as bad as none- or he may suddenly collapse and neglect his self-development.

THE IMAGE

Water over wood: the image of THE WELL.
Thus the superior man encourages the people at their work,
And exhorts them to help one another.

The trigram Sun, wood, is below, and the trigram K’an, water, is above it. Wood sucks water upward. Just as wood as an organism imitates the action of the well, which benefits all parts of the plant, the superior man organises human society, so that, as in a plant organism, its parts co-operate for the benefit of the whole.

1. The painting personifies Raga Kumbha, one of the eight sons of Sri Raga.
Kumbha refers to a pitcher filled with water, which symbolizes an auspicious omen.
A young woman is pulling a pitcher out of the well, while a young thirsty soldier, clad in a yellow choga (garment) and a white apron tied around his head draws her attention.
The painting is based on one of the folk songs of Kangra valley that essays the accidental meeting of a husband and a wife.

The soldier after his marriage to a young girl goes away on service for several long years.
On his return he visits his father in law to fetch his wife.
He meets a young woman at a well and asks for water.
He also pays compliment to her beauty.
At this she rebukes him sternly and rushes home.
On her arrival at home, her mother asks her to put on her best clothes and ornaments as her husband had come.
She attires in best of her finery, and when goes to meet him finds that he is the same person who met her at the well.
Guilty of harsh words she had spoken to him at the well she attempts reconciliation and soon all misunderstandings are dissolved and they live happily afterwards as a loving couple.

“Include everyone and everything in your relations. Appreciate close connections without allowing them to separate you from distant ones.” – Today’s Reading

Include everyone and everything in your relations. Appreciate close connections without separating you from distant ones.

In times of prosperity it is important above all to possess enough greatness of soul to bear with imperfect people. For in the hands of a great master no material is unproductive; he can find use for everything. But this generosity is by no means laxity or weakness. It is during times of prosperity especially that we must always be ready to risk even dangerous undertakings, such as the crossing of a river, if they are necessary.
So too we must not neglect what is distant but must attend scrupulously to everything. Factionalism and the dominance of cliques are especially to be avoided. Even if people of like mind come forward together, they ought not to form a faction by holding together for mutual advantage; instead, each man should do his duty. These are four ways in which one can overcome the hidden danger of a gradual slackening that always lurks in any time of peace. And that is how one finds the middle way for action.

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

Try these meditations:

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

Meditation: Know the Psyche of the Other

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “You have lots of power. Be careful not to bluster or abuse all that power.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Division and unity both appear. You must choose. To regain the connections, return to the traditional forms so they can once again become more than just empty ritual.”