Different Parts of the Being

It was a great pleasure this evening to offer I Ching Guidance to someone ten years my senior. Though in matters such as mindfulness - or to use the words of my new friend, M, soul - age is just a number, and how one puts learning into practice is everything. On that front, the evening was rich with conversation.

Being new to I Ching, M, asked all kinds of questions about the process and about my soon-to-be-available-publicly The Book of Gardens; and it was a true joy to have ready and practical answers. We chatted on the various narratives we are all susceptible to - notably the religious and economic ones - getting swept away to a story, tied to its ending, often having to overlook the means by which we may arrive there... Certainly the narrative of constant-growth economics ties us to an end which never finds fruition... And as I argue in the Book of Gardens, such a narrative has us believing and acting in a way that keeps us feeling very separate and isolated from everything around us - especially each other...

I went through the questioning process of honing in onto a question, which is both the most fun and the most difficult of part working with I Ching: "Different parts of the being," said M, "are asking the question."

And he's quite right.

{ Rossetti: How They Met Themselves watercolour, 1864 }

We all have a question present to us. We all have various things occurring in our lives which present themes. If you are alive you are probably learning. The degree to which you are conscious to your learning may vary from person to person, but in the heart of all your thinking - always - always there resides a question... Part of the process - just as M described - was to ask first, well: "How do we listen?" How do we listen for the question..?

We each have roles to play on behalf of each other, and we each have a sense of duty to ourselves, and balancing these competing sets of needs make for many questions - many voices - inside of our thinking. Taking the opportunity to sift through this, and get to the central theme of ones life is what I Ching is all about, and why it will remain a timeless classic for our species. Using the question - something truly unique to You - brings out your innate concentration, and leads you toward generating your own insight to what is best to your own life. The only 'trick' to the process is to make time for it. Using I Ching Guidance, is one such opportunity that I offer to you, and greatly enjoy sharing.

These two sets of voices then - the outward responsibilities, and the inward - reminded me of the Doppleganger myth. According to German legend, the moment of your death arrives when you face your twin as if in a mirror. It is as if the other version of you - living out his or her days autonomous to yours - wanders equally on this planet, going about stuff, confused yet searching, and then BAM! meets his or her twin...You! The myth then describes the dying process as one hyper-quick flashback through your time seen through the eyes of the others who encountered you moment-to-moment-to-moment... You literally see your life 'flash before you.'

As I mention in The Book of Gardens, such a myth only raises a foreboding second head if one has something to hide.

Which I suppose is where Mindfulness and the I Ching comes in. I Ching makes physical various loci of attention otherwise buried in the day-to-day maelstrom of your thinking. As usual, I was taken aback by the relevance of what the coin-toss brought out:

#17, Following.

Just as one must follow through to find a question, so too does one follow the events and energies which insulate ones thinking from even asking the question. One follows - either consciously or unconsciously - the predominant set of thoughts which 'speak' the loudest. Underneath it all though - when we look - resides always our truest, most deepest wish. This process I call The Practical Value of Wonder.

It's like a vitamin for your neurology, creating space and uncovering the vitality for your best thinking.

Saagara.com

At this time, all of M's coin tosses revealed yin & yang in their 'young' states. That is, the energies in each line are just establishing: the time is new, and none of the energy is moving away from their given state.

Following, is characterized by the image of Thunder inside the Lake; the quality of Action inside Joy; as well as the characters The Eldest Son and The Youngest Daughter. These are various contemplations to concentrate ones focus on the question at hand.

To envision this, place your concentration of the 'Inside' at your navel, or the belly. Bring to mind there the image of Thunder as you have experienced thunder in your time thus far. From there, move to the idea of having action generating there from the Inside. Thunder, containing a masculine quality, or suddenness, or sudden strength, can also be imaged there inside your belly. Take some time to sift through this - the image, quality, and character - and make them personal to you. Personalize their energies, and feel them as they reside in your body - here, in the belly. The action of thunder, says much about M currently on the Inside.

On the outside, or just behind your forehead, imagine the image of Lake,which is synonymous to the quality of Joy. As I write this five blocks away from the beach here on this hot July afternoon, it does not take too great a leap to pair Lake with Joy...

#17, Following.

When we look here upon the correspondences between the bottom and top trigrams, lines 1 & 4 are both yang. This may illustrate a congruency for M at this time, in that his sense of self-hood is well established. The potential caution is of excessive yang which burns itself up more readily: but here both lines of yang are young yang, which speaks to me of having crossed through a time of transition, positioned well in what is fresh and new.

Lines 2 & 5 have yin inside yang. This is the area of interpersonal relations, and having yang in the fifth position (close to the 'leadership' of the sixth line) is generally a good thing. Every good leader needs excellent managers and supportive workers. Balanced and supported by the line below, this shows that M is in a place where he is flexible toward others while being active socially. Again, both lines are young and establishing, so the potential for growth and simultaneous renewal is present and balanced.

{ photo credit }

And in the last set of correspondences, lines 3 & 6, both are yin... which returns us again to the idea of being open and flexible to M's place in society, and how M is thinking on society. M is quite ready for new information and experiences.

So... what with all this seeming random positive-ness, what else is M to do other than to follow his own understanding of truth and benefit? Each step brings us closer toward seeing ourselves in our fulness. What - or rather, how - would you like to greet such a person?...

I am of the conviction that taking regular time to listen in for ones truest Question - to be present with your immediate sense of longing - is of immense health-giving benefit. It allows for our best decisions, personally, interpersonally, and how we may then become global citizens.

Thanks M. Looking forward to a round of Chess!

Change moving to Settled

I had a chance opportunity to cast I Ching with someone today. We both recently moved to a small mountain town, and had crossed paths in one of the local hostels months ago. I believe one evening I challenged H to a game of chess, and we ended up in intense conversation on ... was it feminist theory? I don't remember 100%. I'm sure I said many things which were MALE though. Nevertheless, we have been crossing paths ever since.

photo credit

H, clearly had something on her mind, and so I briefly described I Ching and suggested we could toss coins sometime. She invited me to stay for a bit and do so right away and I had the time, and, in fact, was having a horrible day; so, casing I Ching - being my favourite thing on Earth(!) - turned this day around in no time.


She cast #49, Change, with the fourth line moving from yang into yin, making for #63, Settled. 

       

Certainly H possesses 'illumination on the inside.' Our first conversation proved this. And, by both these hexagrams, does this quality remain constant. Change, is characterized by fire inside the lake; and Settled, by, fire under water.

The upper movement - going from the joy of lake, to the 'danger' in water - makes this a time of  enriched consideration for H. After some discussion, we agreed that the fourth line, synonymous with the heart chakra, by way of moving into yin/receptivity, means answers will be found at this time by being softer - more gentle - with herself.

Which is not to say she was being hard on herself. Moving to a new place is never easy. It is adventurous, and a lot can be asked of oneself. Indeed, by Change, the first and fourth lines both being yang, reflect this tipping of the balance into a hard/old yang quality (within the heart chakra). With this moving into the balanced yin/yang relationship in Settled, H, will be able to ask "less" of herself, and by such become more grounded, deepening her way of relating to the things around her.

Which seems quite natural, given the locale is now becoming familiar.

In Settled, the image is first under water. If the fire is stoked to much, the water boils over and puts out the fire. If the fire is not attended to, the water will not be as useful. One needs to keep the "fire within" burning steadily, so as to avoid any "danger."

Danger, can mean simply past habituation, as well as up to and including galactic events we simply do not have control over. A person casting I Ching who receives the water image in their hexagram (one yang line surrounded by two yins) need best discern the amplitude of "danger" based on their question.

H, was a complete newcomer to this process. I enjoy introducing I Ching to people, because I find it to make spirituality very practical, immediate, and observable right within ones body, without lessening any of the poetry to life.

Bless ya, H. I hope to help with many, many more questions. Do call for tea :)

Old & New. Part II

I met with another fine spirit this week, someone comparatively new to my life, who may well be in a similar 'family' of personhood as SG in my last post below: Old & New Part I. 

Kuan Yin (by Jan Zaremba)

MR, had a question pertaining to career direction, and at the time of casting, threw only young yin and young yang in the combination of "61, Sincerity in the Centre."

"Young" yin or yang, means that they are new. If they were "old," this only would denote that those lines (or, times) within the hexagram were upon a time of change, about to invert into their Other. I prefer to avoid the dualistic term 'opposite,' as I have found that when we pair things in such a way, the arising dependency intensifies: that each 'opposing' pair increases its need to be defined by the other within the pairing. I find such a mindset to be unhealthy, as it is ever ready to unwittingly create conflict. When things are defined communally, such territorial/philosophical cock-fighting can be avoided. So, in the example of SG prior, moving from 'Joy,' to 'Sameness,' there were two 'young' lines, and four 'old' lines. THIS IS NOT A COMMENT UPON A PERSON'S AGE: It is only to suggest the energy of the moment and the item being considered by the person casting I Ching has greater or lesser elements of transition present. Here, MR, cast all 'young' lines, and therefore is experiencing less "transition" in her qualitative day-to-day. Old and young denote the time of the event, where the action lies, and what decisions may lay ahead for best consideration: hence, the I Ching also being commonly known as 'the book of changes.' This is the study of Change. SG, is in a time of growth and the enhancement of acceptance. MR, here, is in a time of consideration. 

Change, is democratic of age and aging.

"61, Sincerity in the Centre," is described by lake on the inside - the lower trigram - and wind, on the outside/upper trigram. Lake, is synonymous with joy, and wind, with action. Thus may 'Sincerity' abbreviate into "Joy within Action." The overall judgement of this time points to "the centre," and though career decisions have an inherent confusion, the only successful road onto making a decision, is to look within.

MR is of such character inherently, and in a good place to be making this decision: MR is immeasurably conscientious, and if the feeling of each career option were to be sussed out first hand, the resultant decision will arise quite naturally. That is, if MR were to take a course or brief workshop pertaining to each field, by sampling each field and having an impression to work from, the impression which sticks most will be the career path best chosen. That at this time the 'Sincerity' is unmoving - that is, young - it is a good time for reflection, capitalizing upon the constancy at hand. If enough time passes and the decision has not been made and acted upon, MR would naturally become restless, regardless of an ensuing choice. So enjoy this time, MR. You have a great wealth at your disposal for making a true examination of your options at hand, and finding the career path which will give you a great sense of congruency in your life. Stay true and tuned to yourself.

Kuan Yin (photo credit)

If... IF... we look at the yin moments of this hexagram (lines 3 and 4) under the idea of (and I loathe say this) "weakness," then there is a couple of gentle cautions to consider. As above, contrasting yin/yang as "weak/strong" creates a less considered frame of reference for the intrinsic considerations of I Ching and internal alchemy. However, it is not without its degree of merit: When we are excessively receptive, then yes, this can be dangerous. Yet even under that light, I'd rather consider yin moments as invitations. Even conflict, when you really look back upon one, was - and is - an opportunity to create something worthwhile for all involved. Yin, then, as much as Yang, is inspiratory. When receptivity culminates, it cannot do otherwise BUT to invert into action; thus, are incidents of yin worthy of extra consideration under this light - not avoidance! 

Conversely, Yang, in excess, would be an invitation to question if one is being compelled, and moving headlong into danger.... a much different qualitative measure. Imagine if you will:  the biggest video game couch potato addict... at some point, said potato gets restless and goes out to grab some more chips! The receptive grows into action, and the active grow into the receptive... Truly: "the opposite" resides within. 

So... again using the idea of chakras: the third and fourth pertain to stomach and heart. (This is where our reading took an interesting turn... And if you're asking - but there's 7 chakras no?! Consider please that the TOTALITY of the hexagram to be synonymous with a total understanding, an arising unity which is often depicted by the 7th chakra. As a person steps through the six considerations given by any hexagram, the arising hermeneutics grant the reverie.) 

MR, coincidentally (or not, depending on how you may view things) is on a cleanse currently(!) I always recommend having fresh burdock root kicking about - detox or 're-tox' - as it is a powerful and delightful "re-set" for the digestive track. After developing some rather fearsome anxiety during my career in live-performance, the ensuing digestive troubles were indeed re-set by incorporating this into my diet. (I'm sure my fellow thespians would be much "relieved" to read this!!)

Now... pertaining once again to the Book of Gardens... #61 was a true pleasure to uncover in its writing, as it represents a culmination of several "voices" throughout the book... The I Ching is a thorough dissection of CHANGE...The I Ching is the anatomy of CHANGE, and its anatomy has many parts, components, and so then "voices." Looking to comprehend Change in an all-at-once glimpse is a monumental task for anybody. I think this is why we have such admiration for those who have done it so well, like Jesus, Buddha, and Lao-Tzu. Religion aside: those individuals are true exceptions, and whatever words they've left behind for the rest of us to read, are, in my opinion, worth reading. It feels good - at the very least - to be a part of such a dialogue.

Kuan Yin (photo credit)

In my rendition of "Sincerity in the Centre" I found a way to have both the masculine voice and the feminine voice speak simultaneously - for "opposites" to speak together. And further to my hesitancy over the mindset of opposites, I go so far as to claim Yin and Yang to be Lovers. Mother Earth is a Lover: Heaven, embraces: The Way, is a beautiful thin line of Love... And so, as an experiment, MR & I read the poem together: first, like a script (my line, your line), and then as music: as two instruments contributing to one piece of music. MUCH FUN!! ... As it is probably one of my favourite pieces in the book... I will not be putting it to print here.... Sorry. 

BUT! I am going to be publishing the Book of Gardens in book form very soon through Lulu self publishing. STAY TUNED! :)

Thanks so much MR! It was a beautiful day. Much to consider. Deliciously, and deeply so. Keep your aim true, as per your own personal rulebook. Only you can know if a "rule" has been broken: Sincere to oneself, you betray no other.