Stepping off the treadmill. Exhaustion: A Beginning.

"Y" came in for an I Ching reading today, and we had a lovely discussion and contemplation. After an initial meditation and explaining the basics of the process (something I'll soon blog about for future reference), we hoped right into it, and this is what she threw:

 

As per the norm, we focused in on the images: water inside lake (on the left) and then wind inside thunder (on the right). The Image, focuses your mind onto the task at hand. Words like Lake, Thunder, Wind… these are broad enough in scope that your imaginative ability readily attach themselves to. The Qualities of water inside lake, are described as danger inside joy, and the title of the hexagram is Exhaustion. "Y" is moving out of a time of exhaustion - indeed, a knee surgery(!) - and into a time of Constancy.

Numbering the lines from bottom to top (one through six) there are natural correspondences between 1&4, 2&5, and 3&6. With Exhaustion, as we can see that by these correspondences, only one pair is  in balance right now: lines 1&3. This pertains to "Y's" Personal foundation - her own thoughts on herself - whereas the next two lines - indicative of the Inter-personal, and the Societal - are not balanced: there is a double yang in the interpersonal lines (2&4) and a double yin for the Societal (3&6). This can read as too much activity between herself and others, and too much passivity by herself with the world. Such is a picture of exhaustion: ones energies are withdrawn by the world out of necessity, and communicating with others can be taxing. The lesson of Exhaustion is to bring in the energies available onto oneself to avoid further calamity.

Here in this reading, as the time moves into Constancy (hexagram #32), there is a much more balanced picture taking place - each yin is paired to a yang. Lines 3 and 5 are changing lines… How Y understands the world is moving into a more active time, and how she incorporates others into her life is becoming more receptive. Indeed, Y mentioned how she has been branching out toward a variety of modalities over the past while, gathering new information, and how she is finding a finer and fuller sense of equilibrium with her children.

Our discussion over the course of two hours was very rich, touching on a number of subjects, including Depression. The thing about any given emotion is that the sooner it becomes named, the sooner a person can move on into the next thing needed by our situation and our Life Force. Exhaustion is one such thing. We both regaled in stories where the exhaustion was so great, truly all one could do was laugh. So with the I Ching, anything whose 'skin' appears negative, also holds a large turn-around; an inversion of energy. Thus is Exhaustion the sign of a beginning. Unlike my last reading with Fi, where she was grateful for the increase of the feminine coming back into her life, here, there is an arising 'masculine' presence in-coming by means of the action of Thunder in the second hexagram. Certainly being post-surgery requires a time for healing, and then a time for active recovery. Y  has bee steadily moving into such a transition for several months. 

Thunder is in the top half of Constancy, the Elder Brother, whereas the other three trigrams are all feminine: Water, the Middle Daughter; Lake, the Youngest Daughter, and Wind, the Eldest Daughter. It is interesting to note how exhaustion is characterized by the two younger girls, and Constancy is characterized by the two eldest children. Certainly there comes a time within all healing processes where a push from the bigger-brother-within, is a welcome thing.

By the time our discussion moved into Family Position, I had illustrated the method of how I Ching brings the mind closer and closer in to the qualitative focus one eventually brings onto the question. The Image begins the task (i.e.: water, thunder, lake, etc) - like opening a door - and the Quality focuses the mind and concentrates the energy (i.e.: danger, action, joy), and the Family Position concentrates things yet again. All of these focuses - layering them on  one by one - bring out the hermeneutical feeling of what the original question of "Y" asked. Sitting with the feelings at each stage very much quiet the mind - at each stage - and the culmination of these stages allows for very rich thinking and decision making.

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I confess here… this isn't one of my more eloquent blog posts… I've cut to the chase largely for "Y's" benefit, because she got so much out of our discussion… and BECAUSE I'M EXHAUSTED. :) Which is of course all fine-and-good. I am looking forward to a Christmas break from things. I am very proud to have published my Book of Gardens this year, and am diligently building the website for it.  When I work in-person, I definitely take my cues from the person in the room and can tell if I am speaking way above a person's understanding or not. My goal is to share such a rich method of self examination. What took me 18 years is certainly not going to land in a few hours, but the excitement for the basics will! 

The urgent message of my book stands, that amid the decisions upon us all today, what direction will we take?.. "Y's" exhaustion parallel's rather characteristically of our so-called 'trickle-down' economy, which seems to only trickle down an increasing amount of pressure for the 'little guy.'  

{ photo credit }

Much of the discussion in the back of the book pertains to the many divides we build and sustain daily with our human actions - monetized by credit instruments. I illustrate the psychological mechanisms which has us rather bound to growth-economics (i.e.: scarcity thinking) and that from the cause of this being through the very 'money' supply we use to meet our needs, our human problems go very much mis-diagnosed as intrinsic, personal, and inter-personal - whereas in fact it is a cultural monetary policy which keeps us trapped on a treadmill. You can read more about iT here, and purchase a copy - here.

Once I've introduced the basic lay-of-the-land with I Ching as I did for Y today, the discussion inevitably becomes rich and multi-directional. I'm also beginning to notice commonalities from one reading into the next, namely, the total surprised-recognition of the Questioner when I announce the titles of their hexagrams. This very much speaks to Thomas Cleary's work of translation, that his titles hit the bullseye each time with each hexagram study. His work is thorough, and his scholarship absolute tops. It took many years to digest his work, and I'm proud and lucky to say I have many more ahead.

It was a delight to sit with you today Y, and I hope to see you again for another Question.

How does the Warrior, forgive?

photo credit

Only a few days prior, I had asked a question myself of the I Ching. I had the pleasure of casting I Ching with yet two other friends in the weeks before, and, having a bit of a difficult time, I thought it was time for a question.

It's strange though... I RARELY ask!! I have long striven to be where I am at today, and I have been concentrating on my study of I Ching. I think this will change soon, as the regular use of I Ching is simply so pleasurable.

My questions tend to be metaphysical in nature, even though they pertain directly to things in my day-to-day.

I cast, #45, Gathering, moving into #25, Fidelity.

          

Fidelity, is also called "no error." And indeed, after one 'gathers,' it is best to make no error, lest what is gathered, gets dropped.

Gathering is marked by 'receptivity within joy,' and Fidelity, by 'the action of thunder within heaven.' Outwardly, the quality of pure yang is pervading my life. Indeed! This has been a most remarkable year of fast paced change, making all aspects of my living congruent with my intuition and best wishing. Externally, I am indeed living my heaven.

Inwardly, I am moving from the yin/receptivity of Earth, to the action of Thunder. This, I find especially interesting....

For my (SOON TO BE PUBLISHED) Book of Gardens, I prostrated to Kuan Yin, the bodhissatva of compassion for the duration the four years of writing it. She is also considered to be the feminine reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara, Buddha of Compassion. Currently, I have been studying the masculine archetypes of Carl Jung... and ... Earth, is yin receptivity, and Thunder is masculine action. ... I have also been thinking of purchasing soon a Buddha for my home space.

What was more poignant to me - and this is probably closer to why I do not consult the I Ching so much - is that I could tell the direction for me to be taking with each formulation of my question: It was difficult to just land on How does a Warrior forgive? I knew on the inside that I just needed to contain, fully, a sense of power and concentration for the things I'm experiencing currently. So I went ahead with the best version of my inside-questioning, knowing I would be given the avenue of study needed.

Gathering is marked by "drawing" - a method of attracting, or cultivating, the correct focus within oneself. Thomas Cleary, in the Tao of Organization, defines it as such:  "...when people seek each other they draw each other in; when they are dependent on each other they part.." 

Which addressed perfectly the issue I was experiencing. A coworker of mine was behaving rather inappropriately - repeatedly - and despite giving all the social cues in the world, as well as direct requests, my personal boundary was being continually challenged. Coming to this question alone took great concentration, to rid me of the sense of violation. Indeed, I gathered myself, to be rid of the arising (gross) co-dependency.

photo credit

And of course, a Warrior never needs to forgive if he is of the highest caliber in his class. He makes no error to begin with: the warrior is correct to his own decisions and the warrior code of ethics. I certainly do not see myself apologizing for defending a personal space: what I need "forgive," that is, to let go of, is any opportunity for future coercion - even if it be the mere potential for coercion. Hence, the Gathering need continue, allowing for a disciplined presence.

So the warrior "forgives," by gathering himself to make no error.

It has been a time of excellent growth to actually have this 'problem' enter my life. It asks so much of me, as I pay attention to it. Mostly, to get on with the better things in life, and allow invasiveness to fall upon its own sword.

Inside & Outside

Find a copy at Alibris.

I came across something important in Thomas Cleary's "Toaist Meditation," which is worth mentioning in regard to several posts below - and certainly for the posts to come - on the nature of 'inside and outside.'

Much of my interpretation of the images in the hexagrams and trigrams uses these terms, and I need be clear that they do not exclude each other. That is, one is not of greater importance, and in fact, they are not separate entities. I think that this is readily understood with popular phrases like "we are all one" but is a far more intricate process to embody. As described in my other blog & post, "Indigo Washing," is well worth keeping an eye on. Professor Cleary says it like this, in his musing on "Stability:"

"Rather than approving inwardness and denying the external, it is best to forget about inside and outside."


Inside and Outside are simply tools to orient the mind and distill its liveliness. This distillation is simply a redirection of mental energy which is otherwise scattered; a ping-pong ball bouncing between two courts, "...what should I do... what should I do..." So the instruction here has three parts: recognize what is 'inside,' by which I also use the term "body;" recognize what is 'outside,' by which I also use "mind;" and recognize the habit of mind which would otherwise keep them appearing as separate.

For example!!:)

How often have you come across a moment where a person is saying one thing, and doing another? Even though thought takes place silently, I find them quite terribly visible through the body. How often have you been 'holding your ace card' in conversation? And does not that feel like tension? Certainly it is necessary to navigate our human world with some essential protections as "the world is full of trickery" (Desiderata). However, I do not think one's emotional state need be held hostage on account of this.

I find that worry is often a wedge for me between inside and outside: how will I be perceived if I say/do such and such, for example. The worry - the emotionality - however necessary, creates a false perception of separateness. If held to a state of worry, isolation follows; and ones actions may not be congruent with ones words or best wishes. As a stage actor, one learns to project - not only ones voice - but also ones thinking. I believe that is what the audience enjoys most, actually: those silent exchanges when a penny drops. It confirms and strengthens for us the tool of intuition, which I think always feels so pleasurable regardless of its actual instruction. Intuition is honest through and through. Thus Hamlet's advice to the players is strong advice for anyone: suite the action to the word, the word to the action...

So: when I speak of 'Inside & Outside,' please step through their three components: breath deep into your body with the description of the 'inner' image upon your thought (ie: illumination, or stillness, or joy, etc) which will generate a feeling 'inside' the body; then, imagine the description of the 'outer' image (ie: illumination, joy, etc) as something by which one is surrounded, which generates a feeling of mind. Continue focusing on your breath, and: Holding these two objects in place - inside the body, and surrounded by mind - bring the two feelings together into one unified feeling: "illumination inside joy," or "action-inside-danger," or "heaven-inside-action," etc, as per any one hexagram of the I Ching.

As I hope you are coming to see, becoming familiar with the eight trigrams alone goes a long - long - distance toward the embodiment of I Ching principles: heaven, earth, water, fire, mountain, thunder, lake, joy. Perhaps some day I will have the opportunity to learn the Chinese language, as I imagine the pictorial aspect of the language to be much more efficient than in the English.

{Image found at Rythm I Ching}

Aside from inside & outside referring to the top and bottom of a hexagram, inside & outside also point one more layer deeper to the inner and outer layers of yin/yang of the trigram. For example, the inside of water is yang while its outside is yin; fire, conversely, is yin on the inside and yang on the outside. If you bring your mind entirely to each of these elements, imagining each angle of their 'person,' inner and outer, you'll find that this is an accurate and eloquent way to express their natures.

Which brings us closer to the essential character of yin and yang... but we'll save that for later :)

Please leave a comment or question below. I would be most happy to clarify further, and I wish for you a truly wonderous day.

Change: Post I...

I went to Edmonton Indigo Drinks last night. This networking event has a similar theme as the Green Drinks which have popped up in Alberta over the last few years, where environmentally conscious people and eco-focused businesses can come together, socialize, and develop their networks further. Indigo, being a latter colour in the rainbow, is a place for holistic practitioners to do likewise within their field, and gain traction with this growing sense of culture.

Naturally, I made sure I had three dimes in my pocket and some STA-sis business cards, and indeed met many an extraordinary individual, including M, who is finishing her piercings apprenticeship while simultaneously practicing her RMT. After our jump-into-the-deep-end icebreaker on the nature of Perfectionism, she graciously allowed me to speak on I Ching, and it wasn't too long before we found a table and asked a question...

This was my first casting 'unarmed.' I did not bring my Book of Gardens, nor any Thomas Cleary to rely upon, but went strictly "with the flow," as M had aptly named it. Her hexagram brought about, 49 Change: fire inside the lake. A brief description of Fire, is that it is flexible on the inside and bright on the outside; Lake, is flexible on the outside, and consistent on the inside. Indeed M, carries herself through the world with a very grounded openness, a sensible and balanced curiosity.

Knowing only a few things about her, namely that she is in her schooling currently, and that her consultation was not in flux (no lines were in a state of transition, but rather, one of arrival) it follows logically that M will be in this state of 'fire inside the lake' for some time to come. I expect that she is a very bright student, with much 'illumination inside joy!'

Later we were joined by one of her closest friends, also M (so let's say M2 for now), and I shared my findings. M2 blushed and confirmed readily of M's steady and 'illuminated' nature, her reliability, and the joy she simply brings to others.

As M had asked, 'What do I need to do to progress?' ... clearly the answer comes: NOT MUCH. You, M, are in the earlier part of the life span as you know, and that you travel through the world with a ready supply of stability, all you need do is truly to continue nurturing that inner light, and continue to pursue your joy. Change and evolution, as we agreed upon at meeting, are the currencies of Life. Your youth gives you a natural advantage to capitalize upon this. But if there is any caution in saying that, it would only be to not put all the wood on the fire at once, thinking that a bigger/brighter flame will bring greater illumination. You'll simply burn through your fuel supply that way, seeing the horizon before you've actually travelled there: so don't get greedy, lest you burn up and leave yourself in the dark(!)

I know you won't do that though. You're in a great spot in life, are much loved by your close friends; there is flexibility in the centre of the inside, and flexibility at the outer reaches of the outside... The remainder of the body of this hexagram is young/unchanging yang. You have many resources to rely upon.

It was a pleasure to be in your company... "M & M" ... I look forward to your next questions. You've both inspired me more than words allow.

{Please visit my Mindfulness page here.}

Fire below the Mountain: bookend transition with reflection.

My new friend Tomasz came by for dinner at the Edmonton house. We had a lively discussion all evening centering on the state of the world, global powers and elites, the economy, and the like. Our mutual friend, S (a philosopher with his own practice called ASK, Assisted Self Knowledge) took us to the test on any statements of potential conjecture. Though that can be uncomfortable, on important topics it is all the more important to do so, as conjecture is a very limiting force, being a pervasive yet subtle power.

I did not ask for Tomasz's question until after he had thrown the coins and I spoke about the images. There was some foundational movement at this time in the lower part of the hexagram. He threw, 22 Adornment, and 18 Degeneration: the stillness of Mountain in the outside (the mind) and moving from Fire (illumination) to Wind (action) on the inside (the body). ... Stillness on the outside, illumination on the inside, moving into action...

Tomasz is well traveled in life. He has lived in many countries, is approaching the grand man's time of fifty years old, and has a multitude of experiences to draw upon. Indeed in the position of mind there is stillness here, and fewer questions on self-hood at this juncture. "Mountian, is where you loose the self" says Thomas Cleary (much more on him to follow:). What caught my attention, naturally, was this inversion in the lower trigram. The bottom two lines are changing. The expression of the bottom two lines on their own could be read as moving from Spring to Fall, and I spoke much on this first image.

Adornment, is described by Fire below the Mountain, illumination inside stillness. I always imagine sitting nestled into the mountain at lakeside on a calm evening when Adornment arises. It is a time of something even more still, more radiant, than simple reflection; but is rather a deepening appreciation of one's physical body, the miracle of one's blood and neurons, emotions, and that this body is a filter for Life... All these things coming to a point of radiant calm confidence and observation... an inner sparkling darkness... the night sky within ones own skin. ... The image of illumination inside stillness alone is worth contemplating.

The first sages who (possibly unbeknownst to them) set out on developing I Ching, sat around fires, asking questions to the stars, the cosmos, and threw bones into the fire to be cracked by the drying heat. Imagine now the pictorial quality of the Chinese language... In asking these questions, and allowing the divining powers of nature to bring back their 'answer' for examination, these early sages developed in time a cataloging system of these bones and their cracks, discovering patterns within the questions themselves - and even the questioning - like a 'primitive' quantum physics. Over several millennia, the patterns coalesced into what we now know to be the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. It is truly a most remarkable accomplishment, brought together through observable and natural elements.

So I think of Adornment as a time of great beauty, in fact. It has such a bulk of history and genuine inquiry contained within it.

"Relax into the kidneys: doubt is simply time feeling like regret." Is my interpretation of the mountain under which the fire of Adornment nestles... "Relax into the kidneys: doubt is simply time feeling like regret."  I brought T toward this image, and this feeling in his body, a place of pervasive security and nurturance. I explained briefly the history and use of fire in I Ching, as well as my own time sitting below a very specific mountain... deep into my own research and writing. When we truly still ourselves, there is always a great bounty within. Tomasz, is about ten years further into his time than I am, so there is much treasure here.

All along this time with Tomasz, I was offering a caution, as the action of Wind is approaching. Indeed, Degeneration, offers many forewarnings on the nature of corruption, and how at the heights of strength  the prior seeds of weakness are often revealed. Do not hide them! Be ruthlessly honest, and scrape away any inconsistency. It is the way through to success... I was somewhat insistent that Tomasz use this feeling of reflection from Adornment - like wearing a crown - as a REMINDER for going forward. It is easy to alienate others, or alienate oneself from others by way of knowledge. By staying still to the beauty of our experiences though, we become so very inviting, and put ourselves in a position of sharing our innate wisdom; our most mature selves.

If one is 'newly minted' with a peak spiritual experience, it is a time of caution. Of tending the fire gently. As, if one claims enlightenment (illumination) to soon into the world... some form or other akin to corruption gains traction within ourselves. Beauty itself the intoxicant, my friends(!) Enjoy, but do not linger :)

Of course we all want to feel AWE. And, more keenly, to speak of this experience articulately. What is of great importance is the timing within ourselves for the quality to arise by which we share this awe. Too soon... and others may not follow. Too late? ...don't worry about it.

So: as we move into action, notably after a period of great discovery, this is indeed like "crossing a great river" (TC). And to be in such a position, is a great honour(!) I am happy for you, Tomasz!

Jung says that our second half of life is far more interesting than the first, to which I must concur (I am just at its starting gate, and am loving it!) And yes, it is like crossing a great river: one must prepare "Three days prior. Three days after" (TC). We must bookend our transitions with preparation and reflection.

The complete gorgeousness of Adornment cannot be underestimated in its usefulness. It follows on 21, Biting Through, which is a powerful and turbulent time. Thus Adornment is in itself a form of 'success.' Personally, I define success as contentment. That deep long exhale which happens upon the heels of an achievement. By focusing on the words, "illumination inside stillness,"  this gorgeous feeling will be an important anchor for Tomasz.

Tomasz now steps into what I hope and trust will be a time of quality-based action. Qualitative Action. This is not the action of a young man who has things to figure out, nor the action of youth which rails at others from inside their unknowing. This is the action of learning how best to proceed, with all the wisdom of the first half of life to inform, as we share our best knowing.

Much love Tomasz. May you always have long life, radiant good spirits, and excellent health. Remember the Zen saying, "your poverty, is your treasure" and return to that deep breath, deep into the kidneys.


Please see my "Book of Gardens" for my complete interpretation of Thomas Cleary's 'Budhist I Ching.'