I Ching: An Amazing Guide

The I Ching is invaluable tool to help me with observations to key questions and life situations.

My Inferior mind becomes active when my ego is consumed with doubts and fears misdirecting me.  This reactive mind-set keeps my true self imprisoned from universal truths and living in a more wholesome way. When I can emulate the virtues advocated in the I Ching then I can respond naturally and innocently improving my well being.  

My superior being is direct connection with my “inner truth” increasing my faith, willingness and dedication. The superior aspects of my being engage in kindness, devotion, openness, detachment, innocence, patience and modesty. Being modest helps me shift into a higher frequency of being. This activates greater me with self-willingness to better meet my daily challenges.   Also I find greater acceptance allowing me to celebrate what is and not become consumed with what is wrong.

  

I learn to resist less and be more patient turning matters over to the Cosmos for correction. Waiting as if thrown into the water and swimming instead of drowning.  Showing openness in I can lessen my drama so to see where my path will lead.  This gives me the opportunity to respond in a creative, spontaneous and spiritual way.  While the opposite is an egocentric, demanding attitude that shuts down and insists on being on center stage.

Kindness springs from inner necessity, an original innocence to prevent harm.  By not trying always to justifying my limited view, I can become liberated by seeing the entire perspective of all things are interconnects. The key for me is to exercise an unstructured mind and protect my dignity as a sacred trust with a divine sense of conscientiousness.  

Modesty is essential for me to find the higher ground beyond “me, my and mine”, respecting the unknown and recognize my insufficiency of power.   Allowing myself to listen and to flow with events instead of resist them, I activate an inner attentiveness.

    

Patience, restraint and yield with discipline and firmness to guard against my fear based pitfalls such as self-pity, doubt, fear, carelessness and indolence.  Modesty is helps stimulate the will power to commit to a clear path.  Grounded, detachment and an amazing ability to humbly disperse bad moods overcoming doubt I can better relate to what is happening.   Vigilance is all about recognizing the goal is not to get to a “place on the path” yet finding a daily connection to  my inner truth.  The I Ching lightens my egocentric dark programming to best find how every experience can teach me greater well being.

Cultivating Greater Mental Balance

The last of human freedoms is to choose ones attitudes – Victor Frankel

Years ago, Jill Bolt Taylor, a neuro-scientist, got to observe her left and right side of her brain while having a stroke.  The left side is about past and future.  It thinks linear.  All about organizing details and how we associate it. It thinks in language and remembers to do things.  

Right side of the brain is in the now; the present moment to moment.  This side thinks in pictures and learns by movement in our body.  Its process sensations, as energy being and consciousness connected.  We are beautiful and whole. 

I propose we are our out of balance.  Our left brain, rational dominated world threatens our future.   My/our minds are hyper-critical, and we are bombarded by negative messages, and a culture of cynicism created by media hype.   However, this trend has a psychological reason.  Our brain better responds to such bad news, messages, and events.   It is said that three-quarters of all our thoughts are negative.  Also we are much better at remembering the bad over the good.  As long as pessimism rules then we may be making a serious self-fulfilling prophecy.

Being imbalanced in the left brain, I find that my heart can be easily broken and misdirected. This is caused by acedia or what the Ancient Greek termed as “not caring” or “sour”.  Thomas Aquinas defined acedia as “lack of energy to begin new things.”  Acedia takes on many definitions from sloth, depression, numbness, boredom, apathy to other negative mind states resulting in bad things.  Such absence of vigor, enthusiasm and life energy is tremendous disability.

Joy is the opposite of acedia.   Acedia means energy depleted and by some as addicted by their despair. Such a nihilistic state is void of meaning, purpose, hope and love. Such people afflicted by this harmful mental affliction are detached, and self-destructed.  It is if they are on physic crack, soulless, numb, and empty of worth and filled with self-loathing.  This is a psychological form of terrorism and potential violence.

Thomas Aquinas observed the antidote to acedia when we find beauty, love, zeal and goodness. Joseph Campbell once said, “Life has no meaning what we are looking for is the experience of life. We shut ourselves off from this experience”.

Seeing what is positive, or possible helps better proceed in most circumstances then saying what is lacking or critical.  Elevating from being cynical judging I can reframe my mind to better observe any situation.  If someone is walking on ice their sense of balance becomes heightened. Borrowing from the Chinese symbol of crisis in any given instance means both danger and opportunity.

I can heal my broken heart when I greater balance my brain. This mental shift purifies my heart with a greater radiance and stimulates other virtues.   Becoming less left and more right brain requires preparation, training, and transformation. Visualizing greater happiness, love and wisdom I best align my mind to excel its potential.

Unless someone like you cares a whole lot of nothing is going to get better. Dr. Suess, from The Lorax

Tears and Laughter

The life of the flower is hope and fulfillment and peace; tears and laughter…

The life of clouds is a life of farewell and a life of reunion; tears and laughter.

Thus the spirit separates itself from the body and walks into the world of substance, passing like clouds over the valleys of sorrow and mountains of happiness until it meets the breeze of death and returns to its starting place, the endless ocean of love and beauty which is God. 

Kahil Gibran  further writes in his forward of Tears and Laughter;

Tears the purify my heart and reveal to me the secret of life and its mystery,

Laughter that brings me closer to my fellow men;

Tears with which I join the broken-hearted,

Laughter that symbolizes joy over my very existence.