No life’s path is ever perfectly straight, for to be in tao is to go with the flow, to be in tune, attuned, free to align with what is right in the moment. Some days are up, some days are down, as is natural. Some days are calm and some days are exciting. Some days are slow and meandering in their unwinding, while others go quickly and with great focus. Accept the tao of life, its natural unfolding, and go with the flow of what is, but remain always alert and aware, ready to shift at a moment’s notice, to take a new path, a new direction when it is right, for that too is being in tao.
When in alignment with yourself, all things come to you: your memories, your truths, your answers. They all exist already in you, just waiting for you to discover them. With nerves of steel, with unbending intent, with sobriety and stability in mind, body, and spirit, you are in the good hands of your Self, your High Self, your Soul, the part of you that knows you so well and only wishes for your very best, for you to learn and grow, to come out of the fog and into the light. This, and more, is what the practice of recapitulation teaches. The first move on the part of every being is to align with Spirit, acknowledge its existence, its possibility, and to be open to its guidance. Begin there. These words I write are Spirit speaking through me. Without attachment, I pass them on. Spirit will find you too. Keep that thought uppermost in your thoughts and you will not be lonely or abandoned but only found, cherished, and loved. Spirit knows you. Do you know Spirit? It’s within you. It is you.
Sending you love,
J. E. Ketchel
Author of The Recapitulation Diaries
•Posted on The Recapitulation DiariesFacebook page on Tuesday January 7, 2020
Stay focused on your path of heart, upon your own feet, as they take one small step and then another. Stop to look around you, to notice the clouds in the air, the wind on your cheek, the sounds all around you. You are a part of it all, and each small step brings you closer to more fully understanding that it is the enjoyment of such small things that matter the most. One day, one small step after another has created a whole world, and it has created you as well, in this moment now, on this day, in this time, a simple warrior taking a most momentous journey, seeking your wholeness, your peace, and your most precious Self. Take another step toward all of that with love in your heart, more certain than ever that you are more than worth it!
Through the darkening of the light, remain steady… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
On the day of the assassination of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, I consulted the I Ching for its perspective on it, as well as on the conflagration in Australia. Hexagram #63, After Completion, moving line in the fifth place, was my answer. The future of this constellation is hexagram #36, Darkening of the Light.
Completion, for the I Ching, marks the climax or culmination of a cycle that must, alas, begin anew. Think of the highpoint of the lunar cycle, the full moon. Once fullness is reached the light begins immediately to wane, as a new cycle begins. The events of January 3, 2020 mark the completion of a cycle; we are in a whole new era now.
Both the dramatic actions of nature, in its fires, and of human nature, in its decision to assassinate, mark the completion of a dream. We awaken now to a new dream. The moving line in the fifth place addresses the first order of business for that new dream: What attitude will prevail now?
This moving line in the fifth place is an action line that typically overreacts or takes action of its own accord when it is actually most appropriate to be patient, sober, and humble. This is an instance of the ego pushing the river, when what is called for is going with the flow. Here ego acts on its own willfulness, rather than assuming its proper place, as General to the intent of the High Self/Soul.
Though history does tend to repeat itself, the I Ching holds that we are not absolute victims of our habits, tendencies, and proclivities. The moving line in the fifth place depicts the usual course of history, history repeating itself. With that outcome in mind, it forecasts Darkening of the Light for the future, which is a time when shadow forces predominate, and the forces of light retreat, for safekeeping.
Within the hologram of every individual is the collective dream we are all confronted with and share, in some way, within ourselves. Thus, the fires of nature rage in the anxieties and mounting passions we all experience within our individual psyches and lives. As well, we all must contend with our ego selves that seek immediate relief and solution from the tension.
All of us must face the clouded perception brought about by the Darkening of the Light, as special interest entities try to steal our attention, energy, and allegiance to support their intent for this new dream. We truly are in a waking dream that has unleashed all manner of fantastic characters.
Keep it simple; address the dream of your individual life. Own every character that you are drawn to, or are afraid of, in the world. Find that character in the self, particularly the emperor with no clothes. Lead that character, not censoriously but definitely, into the light. Face the truth, and let it set you free through right action, action in alignment with the Tao.
For those characters that have taken up residence within but truly don’t belong there, vote them out. Send them off with compassion that they might find their own way home to wholeness.
And then, regardless of the duration of the darkness, guard your guiding light, as we embark upon A New Era.
Let love be your guide no matter the outside influences that seek to dissuade you from a path with heart, for a path with heart is the eternal means by which love endures. Love, that elusive truth that carries no harm, wants only to be kept alive so that all beings may experience its light. Even as you take care of yourself and your loved ones, even as you take your small steps in new directions, and even as you ponder the immensity of the life you are in, do not forget the light of love. Keep it always lit within in you, and tend to it daily, for in the end it may be all you have to rely on with any certainty.
