The Meeting of Like Mindedness.

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I'm open to new paths, myself. I'm very much a 'road-less-traveled' fellow. And this weekend I found myself with a lucky Friday night free to do as I please. I've only recently ventured out of my writer's cave having completed my Book of Gardens: A Lover's Manual for Planet Earth, and so after a deep stretch yoga class I followed my feet to a local poetry reading with Doug Wilton's Elephant Mountain and Nelson's BookSmyth.

It was nice to cross paths with the likes of Nelson's local poets. As it is a special culture, it's poets are a highly special bunch; the cream of a highly eccentric crop, where I have always felt myself amongst esteemed company (albeit secretly esteemed). Nelson is one of these places which either draws in our deeper thinkers, or it will draw deeper thinking out of a person. Either way, I'm deeply proud to be a part of this little town.

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I made an offering to the group at the top of the evening: after each presenter, they would choose a number between one and sixty-four, and then I would lead in a brief meditation on the subsequent hexagram chosen, concluding with a reading of that I Ching poem from my Book of Gardens.

Everyone thought that was rather lovely, and for me it was certainly a test... ever looking toward the underlying fabric of how I Ching will always reveal only what-is.

The readings began with Linda Crossfield, who was there with her grandson. Linda is well known in the literary community here and I enjoyed listening to her read in person at our recent Elephant Mountain Literary Festival. Afterwards, she picked #37 People in the Home. The meditation centered upon fire inside wind, or, illumination inside action. This was naturally quite fitting to her work (copies of which can be obtained HERE.) which seemingly effortlessly brings out a sense of wisdom tucked into the corners of the everyday. It was rather suiting that her grandson was present, as he - quickly! - memorized a piece of hers, and we were delighted to have this young voice at the podium. Indeed: illuminated... illuminating... and quite dynamic to have a multi-generational presentation of her work that night.

We moved next to Phil Madar, whose postcard stories are filled with chuckles. His story ended with the character searching for the Norwegian word for storm... and no doubt a little later Phil asked for #51 ... Thunder. 

The meditation is governed by action inside action, one thunder inside another thunder, culminating in one larger and pervasive thunder. The meditations I crafted were based on my usual Inside & Outside couplings, placing each image in the belly and behind the forehead - localizing the imagination and concentration.

Next arrived one of Nelson's dear War Poets, Dennis Foley, whose appreciation of form and metaphysics is both curmudgeonly and formidable. Truly by no coincidence - I Ching only reveals what-is - Denis asked for #21 ... Biting Through. It astounds me that each time I cross this mans path he has another 'almost-got-shot-there' story. And despite such a history, here thrives a Poet.

Lastly, our host, Douglas Wilton, whose blog need be on every Kootenay Poet's "follow" list - ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN - shared a metaphysical musing from a recent walk in one of Nelson's many gorgeous pathways. Doug chose #8 ... Accord, a deeply metaphysical consideration, whose meditation is centered upon receptivity inside pitfalls. The study of Self is ripe with pitfalls of grandiosity as one peels away the postures of ego; followed with new feelings aside from overt feelings on the self, a new awareness naturally 'appears' to take up more space...

I look forward to bringing my Book of Gardens to future poetry readings throughout the Kootenays, offering small hits of mindfulness, and generating further discussion on my favourite subject, the I Ching.

Thank you Doug, for hosting an excellent evening. See you all again soon!

Full On Wow

D, came by for tea and I Ching. She cast #3, Difficulty, moving into #8, Accord. There is only one small movement in the first line, moving from yang to yin, which, though small or seemingly hidden, is significant.

           

The little personal shifts we make on any given day-to-day are like setting something into a spiral motion: as we travel further away from that shift, or decision, the eventual breadth and perspective we gain is significant. So too might every decision be, if we be granted our thoughts the attention they ask for.

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The top trigram is consistent in both hexagrams: water, each line comprised of young or new energy, is constant and unchanging here. Water, synonymous with mastering pitfalls, or danger, and contains a hidden - yet definite - invitation to use every ounce of wisdom one has. Water, in I Ching, is an invitation to uncover its compliment, Fire, or, Illumination.

D & I meditated on the images and qualities here of Water, Thunder, and Earth, finding that the internal (lower trigram) shift from Thunder into the receptivity of Earth was a very significant energistic shift - affecting the quality of the mastering pitfalls in the above, the outside upper trigram.

That the water stays consistent in both hexagrams holds this invitation toward wisdom at the forefront for any keen observer. Water (mastering pitfalls) is a constant element at all moments in the I Ching, and here indeed we see an immediate example of that, and the coin toss in this particular instance invites the solution of Accord.

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The line in the fifth position of any given hexagram is significant, and generally is seen as a boon if it is yang energy. Here, with Accord, being surrounded by yin, the ready caution is of passivity, though certainly after a time of Difficulty, rest is necessary. Yet the double invitation here is to absorb one's learning. That is, to not loose sight of the recent difficulty, but to mine it for its true, directional value.

The quality of accord is of receptivity inside the 'danger' of water. Danger here can also depict mystery, like any still body of water, what lies beneath the surface generates much emotion.

Amid that feeling, if one injects into the absolute centre of it this idea of receptivity, the magic of Accord comes into view.

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The Earth element is key. Our Earth receives everything we give: bulldozers, toxic spills, shovels, projectiles, trash, urine, rain, lightning... the Earth simply gives way. It is the ultimate embodiment of the Receptive principle. Coupled this to the water element in Accord, and the illumination carried within a prior time of difficulty rises to the surface..

The fifth position is like 'upper management.' Or your most trusted advisor: close to the leadership, holding much knowledge and influence. That this 'advisor' is surrounded by the Receptive brings forward the image of riding that edge in meditation where you are close to falling asleep(!) yet one has to stay alert just enough to take in the full breadth of information at hand. Amongst the Receptive, the wealth of information it receives is truly limitless. Accord is the method by which one relaxes ever more deeply into the practical value of wonder, allowing the neural-chemical process to unveil, out from the shroud of daily stresses and battles we are habituated to. Its invitation reaches as deep as you are willing to travel. Thus moving from Difficulty to Accord is a time for being the sponge, for soaking up the lessons one has weathered; a true time of gratitude and appreciation for having arrived at this moment.

Observing Opportunity.

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Human curiosity is a lovely timeless thing. No matter what life hands us, curiosity truly just waits under the surface.

To that end, I met with a curious new friend for a hike and I Ching Guidance the other week. No, I'm not giving guidance to cats just yet - we'll save that for our later years - but curiosity and cats do pair together so well, and the site of 'dressing cats up as sushi' seemed too good to pass over. 'Hell' may be fashioned for the inquisitive, but I'd rather ask, than have a hell sneak up on me.

My friend S cast the following combination of hexagrams, with one minor movement of old yin into young yang in the top, sixth, line. This is in the area of how S moves, acts, and thinks on society as she is out-and-about in the world. Such an area for change is something which I think many of us will relate to today: how we are perceived, our life satisfaction, our vulnerabilities, our habits, and what is available to us to answer the questions and callings within...

My last post illustrated decently the areas of image, quality, and character contained by a hexagram study, so rather than explain these fresh again here, I'll dive into the deep end.

                        

    

On the left, hexagram #8 Accord, is characterized by the image of Earth inside Water. The qualities of which are receptivity inside danger, or, receptivity inside mastering pitfalls.

Hexagram #20 Observing, on the right, is characterized by the image of Earth inside Wind. The qualities of which are receptivity inside action.

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Briefly meditate on these images/qualities for a moment. The inside (the body, or the belly) is filled with the receptive, the Earth. Imagine how readily the Earth bends to our will. It accepts whatever is given: storms, fires, excavations, industry, grumpy humans throwing things at it... The Earth makes way and accepts all the forces that move above and through it.

Breathe deep into your belly and torso this notion of receptivity, or the receptive. Breathe with this for several large breaths until you begin to relax and the imaging becomes more subtle... Underneath the surface of our Earth, thrive millions and millions of its subjects, churning out a rather serious cosmic compost, giving and taking lives, ashes to ashes, dust to dust... Breathe this sense of Earth into your belly.

When life hands us a big challenge it is surprising just how long it can take to move beyond it - to digest it - and usually a person begins to do so after some time of rest and reflection. Hibernation almost; or withdrawing into the cave. That yin (the receptive) is so very present here in this casting of I Ching, and that S is now several years into co-parenting, it seems natural that an accord has been largely developed, and S moves now toward an active change for how S is perceived in the world. Certainly the readiness to jump into an I Ching reading speaks toward that readiness - to seek out new information.

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On the outside then, or just behind the forehead, meditate briefly on the image of water. There are all kinds of water: rain, streams, oceans, lakes, rivers... Continue with observing your breath through your torso while imagining the qualities of water inside your head. Water amends - like Earth - to anything we give to it - boats, rocks, debris, sunken ships... and it is not something we can survive inside for any length of time without coming up for air. So there is a constant sense of 'alert' when water is present - despite its engaging beauty.

This water, this 'mastering pitfalls,' is in transition, moving in this case into Wind. Shift your meditation now to this image of Wind - moving from Water to Wind. It is a slight, yet dynamic shift. The air envelopes everything - as does Earth and Water - and Wind, covers a tremendous amount of ground quickly. Here, S's perception is growing - expanding. From a time of mystery perhaps, S moves into a time of Perspective...

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S, spoke of a quality kind of like craving in our ensuing conversation. The lower three lines of each hexagram speak to this, in that the levels of personal, interpersonal, and societal are consistently receptive (yin). Being mid life (though S argues to be 1/3 through life!) S has available all the tools to do as is pleasing: sense of self - check - established relationships - check - and professional experience to draw upon to craft further a career...

... Yet at this time, S, awaits upon word of work in the fall, and is quite ready to make the move.

The movement in the top trigrams also speaks to this shift: water is the middle daughter, and wind is the eldest daughter. The movement in character alone depicts a kind of graduation, or a growing in authority. Given the underlying consistency of yin in the lower trigrams, S, has all the personal authority at the ready to claim this next move. She is consistently receptive on the inside trigram; that is, within her inner life and perceptions.

So all may appear well, in that a decision - or by a piece of new information - all may fall into place, and presto! all may be well. And right at that point bubbled up a sense of caution for me...

That this is a time of slight and gradual transition, the level of consistency here gives rise to becoming too passive in awaiting the change. The change is taking place out in the world, so there are factors at play that if one doesn't seize the day, certainly the day will unfold as it may... There is excitement to be found so long as there is no panic to do so.

Looking twice upon this caution, the idea of 'complacency' came to mind, yet only toward how S wants to be known in the world. That is, in having the life experience to draw upon, now is truly a time for not conforming to outside ideas. Rather, today is the day for capitalizing on the inward learning that has taken place in recent years, and moving actively into a sense of Decision based upon life's little lessons it must hand us. Such qualitatively-based decision making is like making the layers of inward looking decidedly active - seeking fulfillment or Satisfaction, perhaps uncovering something forgotten or delayed, starting that thing that has yet to be tried...

After a time of great change, or even upheaval, certainly a time of exhaustion and rest are probably the best thing to be doing: rest IS the action in such times. But once any 'craving' or unsettledness stirs, it is a time to consider taking concrete action, seeking out opportunity.

                        

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.

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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 :)