Wait patiently and clarity will come. Sometimes it is not the time to act. Sometimes it is best to wait patiently, especially in times of deep conflict or indecision. Rather than act harshly, in despair, or out of malice, the best course of action might be patient waiting. Soon clarity will come, or at the very least a new course of action will show itself to be far better than first reactions. This may now be a time of patient waiting if all is to right itself again. Be patient, within and without.
Pace yourself. You’ve only just begun. There’s plenty of time. Let things unfold naturally rather than push with ego intent. Let nature show you how to go about making changes in a positive way. Yes, make your decisions, set your intent, and then be patient as change naturally unfolds, like each petal of a flower unfolds when it is ready. But first, you have to plant the seed, tend it, and lovingly encourage it to grow; first a sprout, then a stem and leaves, and finally a bud will appear before the blossoming can happen. You can’t have the blossom without the necessary early steps of transformation. A blossom without roots and a stem is nothing more than an empty hot air balloon. Without stability there will be no true grounding and your intent will not flourish. Be patient. Blossoming will come when the time is right. Master the first steps and then nurture and wait. Hold your intent on the flower, but do not miss every joyous and necessary step along the way.
Steer clear of judging others. Hold them in a place of loving kindness in spite of your reservations and in spite of your own convictions. Hold yourself accountable just as you hold others accountable. One way may not be right, but the other may not lead to compassion either. Seek balance in alignment with the truth, with the flow of what truly is. For to rush the river destroys everything for everyone. Supreme patience and patient waiting for change to happen naturally, for all the pieces to fall into place, adds stability to any situation, as does love. In the flow of it all, don’t forget to be loving. It’s the energy most important for now, and forever. Be patiently loving.
Patient waiting brings rewards not unlike the bounty of those who forge ahead heedlessly but without the painful consequences. Patient waiting is the key to all things desired, for it is in patient waiting that truths are revealed, unfolding in a graspable manner, slowly revealing themselves so that what has been desired is allowed time to mature. And thus, finally, one is also matured and ready to receive, though perhaps the truth is that the object of one’s desire is no longer necessary or wanted. And that is the real beauty of patient waiting, discovering the truth without a lot of heartache. Patient waiting also teaches one of life’s greatest lessons: how to do patient waiting!
These days I allow myself but one minute a day to read the world news. It’s all I really need to stay informed. It’s not an act of avoidance; it’s highly pragmatic and necessary to ensure my energetic preservation.
Patient waiting… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
I came to this decision after observing the impact on my energy when I tracked the flow of news throughout the day. Repeated exposure led to spikes of reactive emotional activity that sucked the life out of me.
The Shamans of Ancient Mexico identified this as the impact of entities preying upon human energy. The shamans realized that the way to not feed these entities was to stop getting aggravated by them. When the shamans calmed their own energy the entities could no longer rile them. The entity then had nothing to feed off and moved on. That is what the energetic predicament on the world stage feels like right now and I feel it most imperative to guard my energy very carefully, to preserve the Self, and have the needed energy to act when it feels really right to do so.
Trump appears to emulate such an entity. It’s time to stop being aggravated by him, to stop expecting him to be different. It’s not going to happen. Give him nothing to feed off. He can only be empowered by the emotional volatility that he incites. Starve him!
For objective guidance I have sought the counsel of the I Ching ever since the U. S. Presidential election was decided. The first reading I received was hexagram #54 Making Do, which I discussed in a previous blog back in November. Here is that blog: Making Do.
Last week I was compelled to consult the I Ching once again, as I felt the stirrings of a more extraverted response, as collective movements began springing up in response to executive orders. The I Ching gave me the exact same reading that I received in November, hexagram #54, Making Do. Once again it accentuated the first line of the hexagram and, in addition, the final line. I quote Richard Wihelm’s commentary on the first line:
“A man may enjoy the personal friendship of a prince and be taken into his confidence. Outwardly this man must keep tactfully in the background behind the official ministers of state, but, although he is hampered by this status, as if he were lame, he can nevertheless accomplish something through the kindliness of his nature.”
I think an apt example of this type of tactful influence is exemplified by an Elon Musk, a CEO chosen for Trump’s advisory council. Musk holds the value of addressing climate change, yet knows how to make money. Trumps respects him. He is one of only two CEOs on Trump’s CEO advisory panel of nineteen who challenged Trump’s order targeting Muslims.
The additional line at the top that I received in this second reading is abundantly clear: A marriage ritual is to be performed but neither the man nor woman is sincere; no real union is possible. The I Ching makes clear that though the outer forms of a democratic union may be observed, they are superficial. A genuine union is not possible. There is no genuine union with Trump.
This hexagram turns, in the future, into hexagram #61, Inner Truth. When the outer truths are overshadowed by fake news and authoritarianism, it is wise to send one’s attention inward and discover the real truth in one’s own heart and gut.
This morning, seeking further counsel, I once again consulted the I Ching for guidance to pass on. I received hexagram #3, Difficulty at the Beginning. This hexagram is about the chaos of birth. In one respect we are facing the chaos of the birth of a radical new world leadership. Additionally, we are at the beginning of the birth of a world movement seeking to respond to actions that many feel to be extremely dangerous to world survival.
The I Ching highlights the second line of this hexagram: a wagon breaks down, the horses run off; it’s a crisis, but someone immediately appears and offers rescue. The I Ching warns about a quick solution that appears to provide rescue. It points instead to patient waiting, that a cycle of time must first be completed which will prepare the foundation for a natural solution to fall into place. Strong guidance to avoid impulsive, precipitous action, however tempting it may be!
The future of this hexagram is #60, Limitation. Here the guidance is to accept the limits of what can be accomplished at this time and to place limits around the growing anxiety and emotional pressure within the self. A lake without borders can only flood, whereas a contained reservoir offers abundant nourishment when the time is right for sweeping action.
Each one of us must check in with our heart and gut and decide what action is right for us to take. Sometimes patiently waiting is the wisest yet most challenging action. That being said, it is the guidance for now.
