Though you may struggle, do not give up. Though you may feel there is no end in sight, do not give up the fight. A warrior knows that freedom will come, that salvation lies in taking the journey of self-knowledge, for only in revealing what lies within the self will any progress be made. A warrior begins and ends each day eager to know, eager to explore, eager to experience. Even though the journey may be treacherous, fearful, and frightening at every turn, a warrior proceeds with nerves of steel and a seeking heart, knowing that in the end peace of mind awaits. And what is peace of mind? It is knowing that no stone has been left unturned, no road avoided, and no experience unlived. A warrior’s journey is a journey of heart, personal and impersonal though it may be.
Go down to the wellspring of life… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
On the eve of the summer solstice, the most enlightened day of the year, President Trump abruptly cancelled a retaliatory strike upon Iran.
The year is cyclical and repetitive, punctuated by seasons that mark life’s beginning to its completion. The summer solstice elongates the light of consciousness at its highest peak, a supreme opportunity to be in alignment with inner truth.
Perhaps under the impact of solstice energy, President Trump was influenced momentarily to be patient and acquiesce to the greater good.
I threw the I Ching this morning, with the question: Where are we now in the cycle of the Tao and how best to promote fulfillment?
The I Ching responded with hexagram #48, The Well, with moving lines in the fifth and sixth places. The model for The Well in nature is the tree, whose wooden roots penetrate the earth to draw up the water that sustains its life. The well, in ancient China, was accessed by a wooden pole that dipped a bucket into the water, which was raised to nourish all.
The I Ching warns that carelessness in raising the bucket can be disastrous, such as, “if for instance the military defense of a state is carried to such excess that it provokes wars by which the power of the state is annihilated, that is a breaking of the jug.”
On an individual level, the I Ching counsels that, “every human being can draw in the course of (their) education from the inexhaustible wellspring of the divine in (human) nature. But here likewise two dangers threaten: a (person) might fail in (their) education to penetrate to the real roots of humanity and remain fixed in convention… or (they) may suddenly collapse and neglect (their) self- development.”
Interestingly, the future work proposed by the I Ching to solidify the best use of the well is hexagram #18: Work on what has been spoiled. That hexagram has us address the contents of the shadow or personal unconscious that create decay within the personality, as well as the attitude of the ego in a state of avoidance or inertia.
The two moving lines of the hexagram are extremely hopeful. The nine in the fifth place states that the water in the well is exceedingly pure, fed by a spring of living water. Thus, the channel to the living spirit is available in the hearts of everyone. However, what is lacking here is the volitional drawing from this wellspring of wisdom. Though the knowledge and right guidance are available, they must be drawn upon to arrive at right action.
The six at the top takes it to that final step: “One draws from the well without hindrance. It is dependable. Supreme good fortune.” All are empowered to draw from the inexhaustible guidance and nurturance of their inner well, situated in the higher truth of the heart chakra.
Thus, the I Ching highlights in these accentuated lines that the guidance we truly need is readily available within our hearts. We are primed to receive it, since we already have available to us the tools to procure it. The time is right to exercise such actions.
These tools include, reading the synchronistic signs that appear to guide us through our days, as well as the dreams which foreshadow the opportunities for self-development each night. In the calmness of meditation we open directly our channel to spirit.
Specifically, the I Ching asks us to face the source of our guilt. By facing and addressing the issues behind our guilt, the water of our inner well is clarified to nurture our fulfillment. Sometimes we must undergo shocks to our well before we are fully ready to deepen our fulfillment. This is the work of recapitulation that fully frees our energy from the ‘impurities’ of the past.
The time is right for deepening fulfillment through drinking the pure waters that await in the deepest caverns of the heart.
Listen closely to your body. It tells you each day how it’s doing, what it needs, and what it doesn’t want. Attend to it as you would someone you love dearly. Give it what you know it needs, based not on hearsay or fad, but only on what it tells you it needs. Your body speaks its own language. Learn how it communicates, paying attention to its methods. Respond with love and caring, and in this manner learn to love it as your human vehicle in this life, as your spirit’s home, complicated and capable of far more than you can imagine. Your body is you, and yet you, as spirit, are far more capable than you can imagine too. Combined, body and spirit, you are quite unique, one of a kind. Remember this duality that you are, but remember also this oneness that you are, and operate always as one loving being, within and without. For that is what you truly are capable of, loving unconditionally, without judgment, self and other, simply because you can. What else really matters?
Practice patience by sitting as quietly as a stone… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
In our audio channeling today we are all advised to be patient, but to be patient knowing that change happens in the right moment. Times are frustrating, but these times too will pass. And don’t forget to make your practice one of loving patience!
Change your thinking. Turn off negative thinking and turn on the positive. Acclimate to the positive throughout the day by reminding yourself to switch your thinking. Not enough sleep? Are you telling yourself “I’m tired” all day? Change your inner self speak. Tell yourself instead, “My body has enough energy to complete the tasks I assign it. My body has plenty of energy today.” You might be surprised how your body responds to your commands. Instead of telling yourself that you are in pain, tell yourself, “My body experiences no pain.” It’s never too late to turn on the positive and experience the joy of the power of your own thinking. Within reason, of course!
