Turn worry into love. Turn hate into kindness. Turn rage into compassion. Turn fear into peace. Turn the mind toward the heart and let it be still, just as the wind dies down and calmness comes after a storm. Redirect your energy away from that which drains you toward that which replenishes. Take back your power and use it for good.
Sending you love,
The Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne
When under stress, seek calm. When times are hard, seek peace. When your inner world is in turmoil, seek the steadiness of your own breath and the anchoring of your own heart. Even as you look outside of yourself for anchoring and stability, grant yourself the simplest measures from within. In finding equanimity within the self you will naturally bring it with you into the world. Walk in calm peacefulness and notice it begin to be equally calm and peaceful outside of you. As within, so without. Let peace begin with you.
Sending you love,
The Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne
Find solace within the self in the steadying breath of your own physical body, in the ability to achieve a quiet mind, in the perfection of stillness that comes during meditation. It is not difficult to tame the physical self this way, to turn off the busy mind, to tune out the world, and to tune in to the quiet inner self. It just takes a little practice. From this inner place of quietude, that you carry with you always, find your heart center and tune in to its calm peacefulness. In heart centeredness be assured that all will be well.
Sending you love,
The Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne
On Sunday, The Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a project that threatened the sanctity of life on Roberts Mountain, was cancelled by its sponsoring companies. The impact of the coronavirus creating a world energy glut laid bare the truth that the cost of fracking and transporting natural gas via the pipeline was a financial absurdity. Even the recent Supreme Court decision to remove all regulatory roadblocks to the pipeline could not justify this 8 billion dollar project to its investors.
In our joy, Jan and I clearly realized that the world is now in the time of the Turning Point, hexagram number 24 in the I Ching. The corporate decision was announced between thunderstorms. The Turning Point is composed of thunder beneath the Earth. Five Yin lines rest upon a Yang line at the bottom of the hexagram. The energy of new life is stirring in the Earth, and the heart. The Turning Point is the first substantial sign of long-awaited change; may it be handled with care. Here are the I Ching’s cautionary guidelines, interpreted from and with my personal insights:
Nine in the first place: To stray from the truth of the heart in small digressions is natural, however, be sure to turn around before a habit is formed. If one is enlightened of one’s illusion, shift position and embrace the truth. No shame is attached to abandoning that which does not serve the high Soul or the common good.
Six in the second place: Here the ego is encouraged to quietly subordinate itself to the truth of the heart, the intent of the high Soul. “Quiet”, writes Aurobindo (Powers Within, p. 120), “is a condition in which there is no restlessness or disturbance.” Ego is deeply calm when it acts upon its true vocation, the intent of its high Soul. Meditative practice that masters the automatic reactions of the autonomic nervous system can support this relationship.
Six in the third place: Here we encounter the Sisyphus of constantly doing that which I would not. These are the reversals of good resolutions brought on by the desire body’s influence upon a receptive ego. Ultimately, this is not a disaster; one simply will have to do it over again until one gets it right.
Six in the fourth place: Stay connected to your inner truth. We are surrounded by contrary views and the opinions of others. The power of true connection with one’s high Soul is the only friend one will ever need. There is no need to prove anything to anyone, proof rests in the knowing heart.
Six in the fifth place: Assume responsibility for manifesting your high Soul’s intent for your life. This requires deep self examination and honesty on the part of the ego. Admitting and relinquishing one’s attachment to illusions frees tremendous energy for one’s true mission, the intent of the high Soul.
Six at the top: Beware of blind obstinacy, it leads to misfortune. Refusal to answer the call of the high Soul ensnares one in an ever-deepening rift from right action; a slippery slope into the abyss. Mortality has its limits.
In summary, the time of the Turning Point is most auspicious. The underlying burst of energy to initiate change has arrived. However, as the guidance emphasizes, much effort in shaping needed change rests in the hands of the ego, which must first and foremost wrestle with its humanness.
Humanness is often governed by the inherent archetypes, the ruling parents. We are all children of those archetypes, charged with transcending their governance through arriving at right action, rooted in the truth of the heart center.
Nature is providing us with the thunder, let’s use it wisely.
At the Turning Point,
Chuck
When criticizing others don’t forget to look at the self and find the same criticisms. For that which is in others is also in the self. That which you find unnerving or frightening in the actions, language, or ideas of another lies also within the shadows of the self. For all are the same in the inner world; angel and devil, light and dark, good and evil. This is the universal duality that all suffer. Whether repressed or not, it is present in all beings. Resolution comes in knowing this and deciding which path is the right path of heart. The path of compassion or the path of hate? The path of equanimity or the path of disruption? The path of ego or the path of spirit? In the inner world there is always work to do. As within, so without. Change begins with you.
Sending you love,
The Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne