Listen always to the heart, for the heart knows more than the head. The head will try to take over, assert its rationality, but keep open the communication with the heart, in spite of all the rationality in the world, for the heart is the great communicator. It holds the world, far and wide, in its knowledge, connecting all that is and bringing it home to you, the knowledge you need in order to make the choices that are most important and spiritually serving. For the heart serves the spirit, and the spirit is what counts.
Stabilize your mind with visions of beauty and bounty. Stabilize your heart with songs of love and compassion. Stabilize your body with mentions of peace and calmness. Stabilize your spirit with the breath of loving kindness so that all may be well, within and without. The power to stabilize lies within not without, the power to change for the better, to maintain stability and keep the mind clear, the heart steady, the body calm and the spirit focused. Let there be peace now, within and without, by your own power to stabilize. With loving intent, set a new course from this day forward.
A path of heart is a path of learning. A path of heart is a path of possibility. A path of heart is the infinite path, to be adhered to no matter what else interferes. Remain upon your path of heart, learning the ways of loving kindness, the ways of compassion for all living beings, the ways of nature and how to be in the flow of it all. Learn the simplest means by which to live, staying connected to heart-centered guidance within and without at all times. A path of heart is a path of passion, dedication, love, and commitment to the human spirit as carrying the highest potential. Let the heart lead and all will be well.
Today, I request of the I Ching*: Guidance for ALL, now.
What is given is hexagram #32, Duration. The essence of duration is union, as an enduring condition.
The image of duration is built with thunder, the arousing, on top of wind, the gentle. Thunder and wind are a naturally paired set of influences. With the sound of thunder comes the energy of wind. The human social analogy for duration is the enduring relationship of marriage.
Within the individual, duration is a state of being that is not worn down by hindrances. By embracing enduring meaning in one’s life, one becomes self-contained and self-renewing. This kind of meaning is found in aligning one’s will with one’s true spirit.
Thunder and wind are mobile occurrences, seemingly an unlikely pair to depict the qualities of duration. But this fluidity of coming and going implies a definite lack of rigidity or refusal to change. That which acts from duration changes with the changing times. What doesn’t change is one’s unswerving commitment to the inner truth of one’s being, that which guides all actions.
No particular moving line was emphasized, hence, all the lines of the hexagram carry guidance for specific challenges to the state of duration.
The first line: Seeking duration too hastily brings misfortune persistently. Relationships require time to achieve duration. Self-development requires perseverance over time. If we grasp too quickly things fall apart and we are saddened, or give up.
The second line: Regret disappears. The power of one’s will is greater than one’s material resource. However, in the time of duration one is able to regulate one’s inner strength, thus avoiding excess in action. This removes the cause for regret.
The third line: The inability to turn inward brings misfortune. If one remains at the mercy of moods aroused by outside events, one suffers inner turmoil and loses the innerly connection to that which provides duration.
The fourth line: No game in the field. If one persists in a course of action that is fruitless, one will only be disappointed. Here, will overpowers spirit and loses its duration.
The fifth line: Flexible reason, moderate emotion. Reason must be flexible and adjust to changing conditions. Emotion must remain moderate lest it burn up or remain overly attached to the moment. Best that reason lead to maintain duration.
The sixth line: Continued restlessness brings misfortune. To remain in persistent hurry or worry precludes inner composure. Turn inward, breathe in, breathe out. Let calm breathing lead to duration.
In this time of outer threat, find composure in that which provides duration. The power of duration will endure and safely bridge to coming stability, where that which lends duration within will also lead to duration without.
Learn to go with the flow. As flowing water changes constantly as it flows along, learn how to be as fluid as a stream, as strong as a river, as powerful as an ocean. In everything you do, be like flowing water so you don’t get caught, backed into a corner, of held back by that which will only keep you contained and unchanging. Change like water changes, constantly, and let nothing get you down or keep you from your spirit’s call, for that is what life is all about, answering your spirit’s call.
