Today: “Rather than resisting authority or cultural or tribal  pressures, stay true to your path.  That is the most powerful position amidst conflict and chaos.” – from the I Ching

Rather than resisting authority or cultural or tribal  pressures, stay true to your path.  That is the most powerful position amidst conflict and chaos.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

Tao Te Ching – Verse 70 – My teachings are easy to understand and easy to put into practice.

Meditation: LA907 – Kriya for Non-Reaction

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Project from the heart in your relations today. All will go well.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Treat people who have been misled with kindness. It is the only way they will see a new view without reacting.”

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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.

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.

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: “When there is a holy man and you touch his feet” – Yogi Bhajan

“When there is a holy man and you touch his feet, what can he do? What is left for him, except to say, “God bless you.” Right? If he has the habit of speaking the truth and if he says God bless you, then God has to bless you. What option has God?” Yogi Bhajan

 

Meditation:  LA958 A00413 Grace My Grace Is Me! 20000413

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 70 – My teachings are easy to understand and easy to put into practice.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 70

My teachings are easy to understand
and easy to put into practice.
Yet your intellect will never grasp them,
and if you try to practice them, you’ll fail.

My teachings are older than the world.
How can you grasp their meaning?

If you want to know me,
look inside your heart. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 70 – My teachings are easy to understand and easy to put into practice.”

Today: “Project from the heart in your relations today.  All will go well.” – from the I Ching

Project from the heart in your relations today.  All will go well.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

Tao Te Ching – Verse 69 – Rather than make the first move it is better to wait and see.

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

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Treat people who have been misled with kindness. It is the only way they will see a new view without reacting.”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “It’s time for a sweeping, radical change. The status quo is no longer sufficient to satisfy the needs of the time. New ideas and creative solutions must come to the forefront and be acted on. ”

See related posts

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.

Nine at the beginning [yang at bottom] means:

A guileless nature reaps good fortune.

Innocent behavior brings good fortune.

L'Innocence

“L’Innocence” – Guillaume Seignac

The original impulses of the heart are always good, so that we may follow them confidently, assured of good fortune and achievement of our aims.

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.

Today: “those who serve with devotion will go across this world ocean” – Yogi Bhajan

“God guarantees that those who serve with devotion will go across this world ocean.” Yogi Bhajan

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

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 69 – Rather than make the first move it is better to wait and see.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 69

The generals have a saying:
“Rather than make the first move
it is better to wait and see.
Rather than advance an inch
it is better to retreat a yard.”

This is called
going forward without advancing,
pushing back without using weapons. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 69 – Rather than make the first move it is better to wait and see.”

Today: “Treat people who have been misled with kindness.  It is the only way they will see a new view without reacting.” – from the I Ching

Treat people who have been misled with kindness.  It is the only way they will see a new view without reacting.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

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

Meditation:  LA015 780227 – To Bring Swift and Powerful Change

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “It’s time for a sweeping, radical change. The status quo is no longer sufficient to satisfy the needs of the time. New ideas and creative solutions must come to the forefront and be acted on. ”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “It is a time to hold together. Act on your strengths that contribute to the whole, making us all stronger. ”

See related posts

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.

Nine in the second place means:

The man is gentle with the misguided and understands the hearts of women.

Such a one can be trusted with the kingdom.

To bear with fools in kindliness brings good fortune.
To know how to take women
Brings good fortune.
The son is capable of taking charge of the household.

   


These lines picture a man who has no external power, but who has enough strength of mind to bear his burden of responsibility. He has the inner superiority and strength that enable him to tolerate with kindliness the shortcomings of human folly. The same attitude is owed to women as the weaker sex. One must understand them and give them recognition in a spirit of chivalrous consideration. Only this combination of inner strength with outer reserve enables one to take on the responsibility of directing a larger social body with real success.

24 – Twenty-Four.   Fu / Return

Thunder regenerates deep within Earth’s womb:
Sage rulers recognized that the end of Earth’s seasonal cycle was also the starting point of a new year and a time for dormancy.
They closed the passes at the Solstice to enforce a rest from commerce and activity.
The ruler himself did not travel.

You have passed this way before but you are not regressing.
This is progress, for the cycle now repeats itself, and this time you are aware that it truly is a cycle.
The return of old familiars is welcome.
You can be as sure of this cycle as you are that seven days bring the start of a new week.
Use this dormancy phase to plan which direction you will grow.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are about to experience a rebirth — about to be given another chance, a new lease on life.
You have persevered, gone the distance through an entire cycle — through the Spring of hope or new passion, through a Summer of growth and building, only to be sacrificed like the archetypal Harvest King at the Autumn reaping.
You lie dormant like seed beneath Winter snows now, healing and absorbing new energies in preparation for the new young Spring coming shortly to your life.

Today: “The greatest education man has to learn” – Yogi Bhajan

“The greatest education man has to learn is not medical science, not sociology, not chemistry, not biology, not mathematics, but the science of man, the science of self. The science of self and self-awareness is the highest knowledge a man can possess because then you can pull through all circumstances.” Yogi Bhajan

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

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 68 – The best athlete wants his opponent at his best. The best general enters the mind of his enemy. The best businessman serves the communal good. The best leader follows the will of the people.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 68

The best athlete
wants his opponent at his best.
The best general
enters the mind of his enemy.
The best businessman
serves the communal good.
The best leader
follows the will of the people. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 68 – The best athlete wants his opponent at his best. The best general enters the mind of his enemy. The best businessman serves the communal good. The best leader follows the will of the people.”

Today: “It’s time for a sweeping, radical change.  The status quo is no longer sufficient to satisfy the needs of the time.  New ideas and creative solutions must come to the forefront and be acted on. ” – from the I Ching

It’s time for a sweeping, radical change.  The status quo is no longer sufficient to satisfy the needs of the time.  New ideas and creative solutions must come to the forefront and be acted on. 

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

Tao Te Ching – Verse 67 – Some say that my teaching is nonsense…

Meditation:  LA015 780227 – To Bring Swift and Powerful Change

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “It is a time to hold together. Act on your strengths that contribute to the whole, making us all stronger. ”

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Allow liars and other disrupters their space. Simply avoid mentioning them or other acknowledgment of their existence.”

See related posts

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.

 

yin  
yang above: Tui / The Joyous, Lake
yang
   
yang  
yin below: Li / The Clinging, Fire
yang
   

 


The Chinese character for this hexagram means in its original sense an animal’s pelt, which is changed in the course of the year by molting. From this the word is carried over to apply to the “moltings” in political life, the great revolutions connected with changes of governments.
The two trigrams making up the hexagram are the same two that appear in Kuei, OPPOSITION (38), that is, the two younger daughters, Li and Tui. But while there the elder of the two daughters is above, and what results is essentially only an opposition of tendencies, here the younger daughter is above. The influences are in actual conflict, and the forces combat each other like fire and water (lake), each trying to destroy the other. Hence the idea of revolution.

THE JUDGEMENT

REVOLUTION. On your own day
You are believed.
Supreme success,
Furthering through perseverance.
Remorse disappears.

Political revolutions are extremely grave matters. They should be undertaken only under stress of direst necessity, when there is no other way out. Not everyone is called to this task, but only the man who has the confidence of the people, and even he only when the time is ripe. He must then proceed in the right way, so that he gladdens the people and, by enlightening them, prevents excesses. Furthermore, he must be quite free of selfish aims and must really relieve the need of the people. Only then does he have nothing to regret.
Times change, and with them their demands. Thus the seasons change in the course of the year. In the world cycle also there are spring and autumn in the life of peoples and nations, and these call for social transformations.

 

Fire in the lake

THE IMAGE

Fire in the lake: the image of REVOLUTION.
Thus the superior man
Sets the calendar in order
And makes the seasons clear.

Fire below and the lake above combat and destroy each other. So too in the course of the year a combat takes place between the forces of light and the forces of darkness, eventuating in the revolution of the seasons. Man masters these changes in nature by noting their regularity and marking off the passage of time accordingly. In this way order and clarity appear in the apparently chaotic changes of the seasons, and man is able to adjust himself in advance to the demands of the different times.

Today: “there is a chance for every man to become a perfect saint” – Yogi Bhajan

“Whether you believe me or not, there is a chance for every man to become a perfect saint. If your mental attitude is perfect and security and calmness is achieved inside, everything, all the material world, will relate to you outside.” Yogi Bhajan

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

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 67 – Some say that my teaching is nonsense.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 67

Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 67 – Some say that my teaching is nonsense.”

Today: “It is a time to hold together.  Act on your strengths that contribute to the whole, making us all stronger. ” – from the I Ching

It is a time to hold together.  Act on your strengths that contribute to the whole, making us all stronger.  

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

Tao Te Ching – Verse 66 – If you want to govern the people, you must place yourself below them.

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

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading

Today: “Channel your passion to produce solid results that will endure.  Take a modest approach.” – from the I Ching

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

8 – Eight.  Pi / Bonding

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

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

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

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

 

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

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

THE JUDGEMENT

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

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

 

Ocean waves

THE IMAGE


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

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

Today: “Without labor one never understands the master within himself” – Yogi Bhajan

“Without labor one never understands the master within himself.” Yogi Bhajan

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

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 66 – If you want to govern the people, you must place yourself below them.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 66

All streams flow to the sea
because it is lower than they are.
Humility gives it its power.

If you want to govern the people,
you must place yourself below them.
If you want to lead the people,
you must learn how to follow them.

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 66 – If you want to govern the people, you must place yourself below them.”

Today: “Allow liars and other disrupters their space.  Simple avoid mentioning them or other acknowledgment of their existence.” – from the I Ching

Allow liars and other disrupters their space.  Simple avoid mentioning them or other acknowledgment of their existence.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

Tao Te Ching – Verse 65 – The ancient Masters didn’t try to educate the people, but kindly taught them to not-know.

Meditation: LA714-19920219

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading

Today: I Ching – Previous Previous Reading

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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 second place means:

A fish in the kitchen.
Adequate for your humble needs, but not suitable for guests.
No mistake.

There is a fish in the tank. No blame.
Does not further guests.

Fish in tank


The inferior element is not overcome by violence but is kept under gentle control. Then nothing evil is to be feared. But care must be taken not to let it come in contact with those further away, because once free it would unfold its evil aspects unchecked.

33 – Thirty-Three.  Tun / Retreat

The tranquil Mountain towers overhead, yet remains this side of Heaven:
The Superior Person avoids the petty and superficial by keeping shallow men at a distance, not in anger but with dignity.

Such a retreat sweeps the path clear to Success.
Occupy yourself with minute detail.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Retreat in this instance is not a desperate flight in disarray, but a conscious choice to distance yourself from forces that would rob you of your peace.
It is not a surrender, but a regrouping.
Retreat from this conflict is actually an advance toward your own center.
You move toward balance, and thus a much stronger position.