“I, I, all I!” – How does it feel when I suddenly find myself at the very center, all by myself, undisturbed by the votes of others? Is it really quiet? Or do I still hear their voices in my head, defending myself in fiery speeches before absent parties? An interesting observation: I justify myself… why? Because I’m not the way I believe that they want me to be? But, here the consolation: awareness is already part of the healing.
Weiterlesen: 01 – determination
Usually, we act, we do and push things Trusting receptiveness is a rather unusual practice for most of us. Hexagram 02 – the receptive invites us to trust the process, the natural course of things. And in the meantime take stock: Where exactly am I? What have I already achieved? How secure is my own standing? What are my resources? What supports me, what holds me? What are my goals?
Weiterlesen: 02 – the receptiveA number of inquies reached me regarding hexagram 03 – Difficulty at the Beginning. Here are some of them:
Weiterlesen: 03 – difficulty at the beginning
Hexagram 04 – youthful folly is auspicious, the judgement states: “Youthful folly has success…” But that only is true as long as we follow the path of the DAO, the way of the world – rather than to forcing our way onto the world. Or, as most usual, hand control over to our autopilot: unconscious control mechanisms and automated action patterns that may have had validity long time ago but that may be meaningless here and now.
Weiterlesen: 04 – youthful folly
“I, I, all I!” – No, this is not an ego trip, but: I am all one with myself, I am entirely centered… All right? OK, so, again: I, I, all I, all centered, completely calm, rooted within myself. And right here-and-now I am turning towards… the world.
What a variety of possibilities! How on earth should I choose? What is right, what is important, what does (not) matter? My head may help me to sort it out: What corresponds to me? What distracts me from my path? Yet some cases remain undecidable, they lie beyond my intellect’s grasp: I simply do not know all the facts.
Weiterlesen: 05 – waiting
Hexagram 6 – conflict seems to be a rather unpopular hexagram, because for a long time I did not receive any feedback on this answer of the I Ching. Now the tide has turned and I have been sent some questions.
Weiterlesen: 06 – conflict
These days – and just as this last question on the list below reached me – I have been thinking about the process of selfactualization. Our self, what-we-are, is a dynamic process that constantly evolves, progresses, “actualizes”, bringing our goals, our desires and intentions into harmony with the realities of life.
But let us first make it concrete. Here are various questions that reached me regarding 07 – The Army.
“I, I, all I!” – Now it is me at the very center: all one with myself, concentrated, well rooted. That is the starting point. And from here, as soon as I feel ready to do so, I turn towards… the world.
What an immense variety of possibilities storms up on me! How in the world should I choose? What is right, what is important, what is superfluous? How should I make a choice? My head can help me: what corresponds to me? What is my path – and what possibly distracts me from my path?
Weiterlesen: 09 – the taming power of the small
I was told two job stories these days. Both situations involve encroaching employers. In one case, extra (unpaid) hours are demanded with a flimsy justification; in the other, extra tasks were assigned that require extra work, which is then not paid. The I Ching‘s commentary in both cases is 10 – the treading.
Weiterlesen: 10 – treading (conduct)
“I, I, all I!” – did I get the message? Did I hear this fine, clear, subtle voice… and the message it speaks to me, deep from within my heart? Let us listen again carefully: what does it tell me?
If I am honest, I have long understood the message. Maybe I did not want it to be true, hoping I misunderstood. But I did not misunderstand. The voice is there, and I have understood its message.
Weiterlesen: 11 – peace
Here and now. Really, where am I? What have I achieved so far? What have I experienced, what has led me here, what adventures have I undergone… These are the questions this hexagram asks – but definitely not: Where do I want to go now?
Weiterlesen: 12 – stagnation
Our mental clarity, our ability to differentiate between important and unimportant, is the pivotal point of this hexagram. Our clarity allows us to analyze a situation and the various aspects it comprises: What are my options in this situation? Which of these options should I choose to achieve best results? What or who will help me, give me strength, promote my growth? What aspects of this situation are blocking me or lead me to a dead end in the long term? Sometimes it is enough to have just mental clarity. Sometimes, however, we must take action for the situation to develop and to gain momentum.
Weiterlesen: 13 – fellowship with men
“I, I, all I!” – No, this is not an ego trip. It simply means to be all one with ourselves, knowing who we truly are, deep inside. To quietly and contentedly sit smiling. Just like… a Buddha.
And then, with inner peace and well rooted: return to the world. A world that constantly storms up on us, in all its richness. A world that touches us, inspires, enriches us, affects and sometimes presses us… What a diversity – what a chaos!
Weiterlesen: 14 – possession in great measure
Regarding hexagram 16 – Enthusiasm I received a couple of questions concerning quite different issues:
Something new is coming to light decisively and powerfully. It will transform the entire situation. However, this new beginning has a price: we must disengage and let go of what is outdated, obsolete, an old pattern – even if it is hard to abandon something that was trusted and familiar for such a long time now. Eventually this image helps: a tree discarding old foliage, getting ready for a new cycle of life, with the old foliage serving as a fertilizer for new growth. We also need this fertilizer which is generated by disengagement: for our own forward bursting growth, which soon will interweave with the world, resonating with it in giving and taking.
Weiterlesen: 17 – following
Is something wrong here? And if so: what is it? A dynamic development ends unexpectedly with a reality check – why? Momentum is basically positive. It turns unpleasant if the autopilot takes control. Autopilot occurs when a situation’s dynamic no longer comes from our own interior, but is determined by external (eventually cultural) imprint. A reality check is quite beneficial: Do I really enjoy what is currently happening? Does it make sense? Does it corresponds to my very heart – or is it a copy of someone else’s life? The answers to these questions will lead to a decision. And probably you must let go of something: maybe the autopilot, which was in control until now?
Weiterlesen: 18 – work on what has been spoiled
We open ourselves to our environment – and become inspired… Not an easy task, if our head and mind are full. Ok, once again: we open ourselves, make ourselves empty and perceptive, curious, without prejudiced, without any prior knowledge. We listen carefully: What does the external world want to tell us? And all off a sudden: we perceive it – and are inspired! Nourished, fertilized, refreshed… connected with what previously was alien, non-familiar. From this contact with the external world a decision arises, followed by a long period of growth and materialization. Maybe it will take some time before we see results. But we need not do anything. Only trust: in our inspiration, in our decision.
Weiterlesen: 19 – approach
Here. Now. At this moment it is wise to withdraw into our own root. To withdraw from the world. To turn our gaze inwards. Just as a plant does in winter. To do nothing. This moment belongs to us alone. We draw strength. Like a wave, which stretches back into the sea, concentrating its energy. And even though it may look as if we surrender – we do not surrender. We gather our strength. We focus our energy. In non-action (Wu Wei) we are provides with everything we may need at this moment. Incidentally letting go of a few old, unnecessary things / thoughts / attitudes… before we powerfully rush back into life.
Weiterlesen: 20 – contemplation
Usually, when we take a decision and want to make a change, we assume that we have to act in a completely new way, to add something unprecedented to the already existing.
Sometimes, however, the solution lies in just the opposite: to do nothing – and to let go of something. Maybe of our self-image, a habit, our accustomed view on something, our habitual “but we always…”. Perhaps it is also our impulse to bang with our fist on the table and to push our will through.
Weiterlesen: 21 – biting through
Sometimes, our cool head is the savior: when chaos ensues, when gut feelings go haywire. But perhaps they are not going haywire at all; maybe we just don’t understand what they’re trying to tell us. That’s when the cool head comes to the rescue – guiding the gut, illuminating the darkness, calming the storm.
Weiterlesen: 22 – grace
Here and now… where exactly am I – and with whom or what do I share this here-and-now?
Kun is navel gazing. It is a call to retreat to our own origins as a source of power and to calm down. But what does it look like, this intimate place, our inner source of strength? Do you like what you see? Does it give you strength – or it is just a collection of things (or people, or options, or, or), which creates an illusion of security? Things never give security. And at worst they clutter and block our lives.
Weiterlesen: 23 – splitting apart
Something is happening in the dark womb of the earth: a decision (Zhen) has been made and is now a long period of growth and materialization (Kun) follows. I do not know which is harder: the decision, or the patience.
Weiterlesen: 24 – return
無妄 wú wàng – A Japanese friend tells me about the meaning of the Chinese characters in the Chinese name of hexagram 25 – innocence. The first character means “scarifier tooth of the tiger”, the second means “release” or “letting go”. Later, a Chinese friend tells me that both characters are classical, so he cannot read them. This is not surprising: the Japanese adopted the classical Chinese characters and still use them today, while the Chinese have moved on to modern Chinese and therefore cannot read the old characters.
Weiterlesen: 25 – innocence
“I, I, all I!” – I am standing on the peak, I have achieved something. And now? I rest for a moment, enjoying the spectacular view. And then?
I reached the top. I have achieved something. I enjoy the view… What else do I see? More peaks. Summits which I could set off. And reenter the course of the world.
Weiterlesen: 26 – the taming power of the great
Like a mouth wide open, this hexagram stares around us. Fearful, insatiable. Or also: accepting, open and ready for anything….
It’s not so easy to make a decision and then trust it. To trust that things will fall into place. That I will be fed, nourished with everything I need.
Weiterlesen: 27 – providing nourishment
For hexagram 28 – Preponderance of the Great users shared with me various – sometimes dramatic – situations. What was the common denominator? In the end, how important it is to be centered even in the darkest moment, to remember oneself: “I, I, all I!”
Hexagram 29 – the Abysmal is composed of the trigram Kan, the water, doubled. In many traditional I Ching commentaries this double water is read almost exclusively as a sign of imminent danger, fear, or collapse. Elsewhere I argue for a broader view, one that also acknowledges Kan‘s positive potential – and, by extension, the creative aspects of our own unconscious, with all its unruly currents. Kan does not refer unilaterally to threatening torrents or perilous depths: it can just as well be understood as a symbol of life-giving depth, hidden resources, intuitive adaptability, and the ability to overcome obstacles through creative fluidity.
Weiterlesen: 29 – the abysmal
Is it beneficial – or harmful? What is good for me? What do I really want? These questions are not as easy to answer as they may seem. Because their starting point is this I – but who is this I really? Can I feel myself? Can I feel what defines me – including the boundaries that make me who I am?
Weiterlesen: 30 – the clinging
