Day 22,072 - I Ching: Earth/Sky -> Earth/Sky

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Day 22,072  - 2012 0103
Belov-ED Days - 4983
Saturday
James Oliver Smith, Jr.
http://josjr.com/
http://ichingreflections.com/

I Ching images

Fu Hsi Sequence
Hexagram 08: Peace, Advance, Unity, Greatness
01 ---  ---  Earth (Valleys, Canyons, Plains, Deserts, Hills)
02 ---  ---  Belly, Solar Plexus
04 ---  ---  The Embracing, Creation, Womb, Substance

08 --------  Sky (Planets, Stars, Birds)
16 --------  Head
32 --------  The Seeking, Creative, Intelligence, Strength, Power

changing towards

Hexagram 08: Peace, Advance, Unity, Greatness
01 ---  ---  Earth (Valleys, Canyons, Plains, Deserts, Hills)
02 ---  ---  Belly, Solar Plexus
04 ---  ---  The Embracing, Creation, Womb, Substance

08 --------  Sky (Planets, Stars, Birds)
16 --------  Head
32 --------  The Seeking, Creative, Intelligence, Strength, Power

Day 22,072 - Images from the I Ching: Earth [The Embracing] over Sky [The Seeking] (Hexagram 08 - Peace, Advance, Unity, Greatness) changing towards [888777] Earth [The Embracing] over Sky [The Seeking] (Hexagram 08 - Peace, Advance, Unity, Greatness) -- The two main influences that have presented themselves so far this month are the outer Earth and the inner Sky, in addition to stability (no changing lines within the images). In the first seven days, three days revealed no changing lines. Today, the outer/upper Earth appears with the lower/inner sky, with no changing lines. The outer Embracing Creation of Earth holds the superior position over the Seeking Creative energy of the Sky. They seek and embrace each other. They move in the direction of the other.

The Earth's natural relationship to space is beneath our feet to support us, feed us, give birth to us and to consume us. From the Earth we received all that we can hold, touch, see, taste and hear. Our senses are full of the Earth and we are drawn to explore it and define ourselves by and through it. Where we live, the food we eat, the shape of our bodies and the cultures we are born into are all derived and defined by the Earth from which they arose.

The Sky's natural relationship to space is above. It opens the gateway to the sun, the planets and the stars and it provides that path through which the birds soar. Our ideas, our intellect, our desire to seek understanding and to organize our concepts, systems and societies are all drawn from our ability to look up and see the celestial majesty of the universe, breathe the air that fills our lungs and feeds our brains and apply the light and fire from the sun to manifest our plans.

The Sky and Earth cannot exist without each other. They need each other and we are the by product of the interactions between them. But in this image of Earth over Sky, however, we see the most powerful and intimate presentation of of this relationship. The Earth, in moving downward towards its natural place beneath our feet, and the Sky,n moving upwards towards its natural place above and around us, are brought together within an embracing and seeking that manifests within the Earth all of life, of which we are a part.

For this reason, Earth over Sky is associated with harmony, love, balance, peace and ultimately greatness. Everything within our human cosmos emanates from this union of Earth and Sky, Yin and Yang, Embracing and Seeking. When we disrupt this harmony between the Earth and Sky we disrupt the very foundation of all the systems that sustain us. It is no wonder that we yearn so profoundly for "peace", "love" and "harmony". It is no wonder that we see so much beauty within the Earth and throughout the depths of the Sky.

We know that this balance does not always exist. We know that change will have a significant effect upon us. We know that we, ourselves, as individuals and collectively, are only a temporary presence in the long history and evolution of this relationship between the Earth and Sky and we know that it will continue long after we, as inidividuals and collectively, are gone. But this shouldn't be seen as a reason to belittle who we think we are or what we think we can do. Everything within the Earth/Sky cosmos has its role. Everything has its place and its moments of clarity, joy and pleasure. This is natural. And it is this that we all have the ability to experience. Those things we do to confuse, destroy and deprive others run counter to the way the Earth and Sky seek and embrace each other.

Perhaps if we spent more time working to share and yield to the natures of the Earth and Sky we would all experience more "clarity", "joy" and "pleasure" and see (percieve, understand) that this is our own truly natural state ... il matto ...

http://ichingreflections.blogspot.com/

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http://www.IlMattoblog.josjr.com
http://www.LifeBlog.josjr.com
http://www.PerlBlog.josjr.com
http://www.WritingBlog.josjr.com

http://Addewid.blogspot.com
http://CyberPoetPlace.blogspot.com
http://IlMattoVero.blogspot.com
http://josjr69.blogspot.com
http://PerlCatalyst.blogspot.com
http://CyberKindle.blogspot.com
http://panspiritualist.blogspot.com/

http://www.CyberPoet.com
www.addewid.com
www.fracturedparadise.com
www.roseannlloyd.com
www.cyberkindle.com
www.perlcatalyst.com
www.ciriad.com

Day 22,068 - I Ching: Fire/Water[......] to Fire/Water

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Day 22,068  - 2012 0103
Belov-ED Days - 4979
Tuesday
James Oliver Smith, Jr.
http://josjr.com/
http://ichingreflections.com/

I Ching images

Fu Hsi Sequence
Hexagram 43: Incompletion, Before Ending, Not Yet Fulfilled, Beginnings
01 --------  Fire (Sun, Vision, Heat, Lightning, Hearth)
02 ---  ---  Eyes
04 --------  The Clinging Fire, Clarity, Divination, Understanding

08 ---  ---  Water (Floods, Fog, Mist, Rain, Steam)
16 --------  Ears
32 ---  ---  The Abyss, Danger, Nourishment, Confusion, Obscurity

changing towards

Hexagram 43: Incompletion, Before Ending, Not Yet Fulfilled, Beginnings
01 --------  Fire (Sun, Vision, Heat, Lightning, Hearth)
02 ---  ---  Eyes
04 --------  The Clinging, Clarity, Vision, Divination, Understanding

08 ---  ---  Water (Floods, Fog, Mist, Rain, Steam)
16 --------  Ears
32 ---  ---  The Abyss, Danger, Nourishment, Confusion, obscurity

Day 22,068 - Images from the I Ching: Fire [The Clinging] over Water [The Abyss] (Hexagram 43 - Incompletion, Before Ending, Not Yet Fulfilled, Beginnings) changing towards [......] Fire [The Clinging] over Water [The Abyss] (Hexagram 43 - Incompletion, Before Ending, Not Yet Fulfilled, Beginnings) -- Once again, for the second day in a row, there are no changes in the I Ching images revealed by the Universe from the stalks. In the first three days of 2012 there has only appeared one aging line. Today we see Fire over Water, a sign of incompletion. The Clarity of Fire, the Vision that we trust almost without question, is being threatened by the rising waters of the Abyss. Obscurity within us has the potential to eclipse the discernment that seems so tantalizingly close. This is a sign of yearning to reach the finish line. We can see the path we want, or need, to take. We know the steps we need to take. We have the skills to accomplish what we want. There is a temptation to simply take that final step without checking the context. The next leg of the journey is calling us and we are excited, despite the awareness that there are some details that need to be taken care of.

This is the feeling we have when we hear the dominant seventh chord in a musical sequence ... It feels unfinished and we feel cheated if we aren't able to move on to the resolving major chord. We are profoundly driven to complete each phase of our life and we know that we will remain off center as long as each phase is left undone. In the Image of Fire over Water, all of the lines are in their opposite, yin/yang positions. Everything feels off. Everything _wants_ to move to its natural position. The Yang lines want to be in the odd positions. The Yin lines want to be in the even positions. This tension could more quickly be resolved if there was even one aging line, but there are none. So the discomfort, the tension, the incompleness will linger, at least for the moment. In situations like this it seems prudent to disengage for a moment and allow our bodies and spirits to settle into a more centered state. Moving anywhere while off balance is always risky. It helps to take a breath and more deliberately look around and allow the incroaching fog to burn beneath a rising sun, allowing the fires of our vision and understanding to more approrpiately perceive the step that will land on that harmonizing spot.

Just because we are only a step away from where we want to be does not mean that the Universe is going to allow us to get there at all. We may be redirected to a more arduous path that requires significantly longer to reach that desired place. Or the barriers, the confusion or the complexity may simply remove the possiblity entirely. Often we are required to leave that final unresolved chord in that unfinished state. This may have a lasting impact that will endure to death, or it may allow resolution years later, when all of the pieces fall into place.

How many games have been lost in the final out or the final second. How many times have we come in second for a job, a promotion or a publication. Sometimes, the "almosts" in life are the most painful. There are times when I would rather miss a bus by three minutes than by 15 seconds. This is especially true when it is -20F degrees outside and waiting the fifteen or thirty minutes for the next bus (or worse) would be quite painful or uncomfortable. With my eyesight now I experience that "almostness" everytime I try to read a treebook. The characters are there. I can see that they are there, but they fuse into a dark smudge on the page, yearning to be resolved with the clarity of vision, but I can't do that, even by bringing it closer. Fortunately I have developed a number of tools that help me magnify or illuminate or increase contrast that helps, but the haze remains, even after I _see_ what is written.

The Waters of the Abyss are always nipping at us, from all directions. We can't get out of bed, walk across the house or get on a bus without being grazed by the ever-present Waters of the Abyss. We will never be free from them. They were there to greet us when we were born and they will be there to greet us and consume us when we die. Like the unresolved dominant seventh chord we are driven to keep one step ahead of the Abyss throughout our life. In a way, that _is_ life, this drive to stay above the mist, the fog, the steam, the floods that are continually clutching at us. It is when we stop moving, acting, planning and dodging that we succomb to the Abyss of Water and to life itself. In a way, it is the "unresolveness" of life that keeps us moving. We want to find that place where we are comfortable, safe, relaxed and joyful.

Keep the Fires of creativity going to avoid the mists ... There will always be another path, another peak, another river, another valley, another story. The waters will overrun us at some point, but until then, stoke the fire ... il matto ...

http://ichingreflections.blogspot.com/

http://www.KindleBlog.josjr.com
http://www.IlMattoblog.josjr.com
http://www.LifeBlog.josjr.com
http://www.PerlBlog.josjr.com
http://www.WritingBlog.josjr.com

http://Addewid.blogspot.com
http://CyberPoetPlace.blogspot.com
http://IlMattoVero.blogspot.com
http://josjr69.blogspot.com
http://PerlCatalyst.blogspot.com
http://CyberKindle.blogspot.com
http://panspiritualist.blogspot.com/

http://www.CyberPoet.com
www.addewid.com
www.fracturedparadise.com
www.roseannlloyd.com
www.cyberkindle.com
www.perlcatalyst.com
www.ciriad.com

Day 22,067 - I Ching: Wind/Sky[......] to Wind/Sky

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Day 22,067  - 2012 0102
Belov-ED Days - 4978
Monday
James Oliver Smith, Jr.
http://josjr.com/
http://ichingreflections.com/

I Ching images

Fu Hsi Sequence
Hexagram 05: Clouds, Small Nurture, Little Accumulation
01 --------  Wind (Spirit, Breath, Trees, Wood, Forests, Inspiration)
02 --------  Thighs
04 ---  ---  The Penetrating Wind, Spirit, Greenworld

08 --------  Sky (Birds)
16 --------  Head
32 --------  The Creative Energy, Intelligence, Knowledge, Seeking

changing towards

Hexagram 05: Clouds, Small Nurture, Little Accumulation
01 --------  Wind (Breath, Spirit, Wood, Forest, Inspiration)
02 --------  Thighs
04 ---  ---  The Penetrating Wind, Spirituality, Inspiration, Knowledge

08 --------  Sky (Birds)
16 --------  Head
32 --------  The Arousal, Catalyst, Movement, Surprise, Action

Day 22,067 - Images from the I Ching: Wind [The Gentle] over Sky [The Creativity] (Hexagram 05 - Clouds, Small Nurture, Little Accumulation) changing towards [......] Wind [The Gentle] over Sky [The Creativity] (Hexagram 05 - Clouds, Small Nurture, Little Accumulation) -- Today's Wind over Sky appears without changes ... All lines are young ... It feels stable right now, as opposed to stagnant ... two sides of the no-changes context. After the events of this past year I am ready for a little bit of stability. This is an opportunity to prepare for the upheavals that are arriving ... For me, the increasing instability of the unemployement system makes each week an adventure ... The U.S. Congressional support of the two month extension to Unemployment gets me a bit closure to the 99 week limit, which is also drawing close ... Then it will be the "gapping" strategy to find financial resources to make it to 62 and Social Security retirement, or Disability, whichever comes first. ... Beyond that, it is always a good time to write down the stories and events that unfold within me and around me.

Overall, the in-between-ness of everything is an interesting challenge. Being too blind to get a job but not blind enough to be a legally disabled person makes me feel, in some ways, like I have wandered off of the path and that I am surrounded by thorn-bearing briar bushes and rough caneberries ... It is hard to know where to step and how quickly I need to make that step. Wind in the Sky brings to mind dry air, hot sun, blue skies and very little moisture. If there are clouds they are small and hold little promise for the nourishment of the greenworld ... This is a moment to appreciate the systems that are in place to help out in these circumstances. The forty years of work that I have accomplished have allowed me to accumulate some back up for the just-in-case. When there is little rain and the fresh food is becoming scarce, the roots, preserves and grains set aside in the cellar are suddenly appetitizing and appreciated.

One of my daughters from the Universe stopped by from the land of Powderhorn Park and we enjoyed conversation and reflection on astrology charts and systems of divination ... The rain may not be falling, and the available resources in storage may be dwindling, but it is always good to reflect on where we have been, where we are and what is the most effective way to step through the briar patch, the cane berries and the buckthorn to get to the river ... The wind blows above, the sun burns and the thorns never seem to miss the flesh, but there are (afterall) berries hiding in the branches ... il matto ...

http://ichingreflections.blogspot.com/

http://www.KindleBlog.josjr.com
http://www.IlMattoblog.josjr.com
http://www.LifeBlog.josjr.com
http://www.PerlBlog.josjr.com
http://www.WritingBlog.josjr.com

http://Addewid.blogspot.com
http://CyberPoetPlace.blogspot.com
http://IlMattoVero.blogspot.com
http://josjr69.blogspot.com
http://PerlCatalyst.blogspot.com
http://CyberKindle.blogspot.com
http://panspiritualist.blogspot.com/

http://www.CyberPoet.com
www.addewid.com
www.fracturedparadise.com
www.roseannlloyd.com
www.cyberkindle.com
www.perlcatalyst.com
www.ciriad.com

Day 22,066 - I Ching: Earth/Earth [.....x] to Earth/Thunder

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Day 22,066  - 2012 0101
Belov-ED Days - 4977
Sunday
James Oliver Smith, Jr.
http://josjr.com/
http://ichingreflections.com/

I Ching images

Fu Hsi Sequence
Hexagram 64: Embracing, Nature, Earth, Creation, Responding
01 ---  ---  Earth (Valley, Canyon, Plains, Desert, Plateau, Womb)
02 ---  ---  Belly, Solar Plexus
04 ---  ---  The Embracing, Creation, Substance, Foundation, Nature

08 ---  ---  Earth (Valley, Canyon, Plains, Desert, Plateau, womb)
16 ---  ---  Belly, Solar Plexus
32 ---  ---X The Embracing, Creation, Substance, Foundation, Nature

changing towards

Hexagram 32: Returning, Repeating, Turning Back
01 ---  ---  Thunder (Lightning, Storms, Viper)
02 ---  ---  Belly, Solar Plexus
04 ---  ---  The Embracing, Creation, Substance, Foundation, Nature

08 ---  ---  Thunder (Lightning, Storms, Viper)
16 ---  ---  Feet
32 --------  The Arousal, Catalyst, Movement, Surprise, Action

Day 22,060 - Images from the I Ching: Earth [The Embracing] over Earth [The Embracing] (Hexagram 64 - Embracing, Nature, Earth, Creation, Responding) changing towards [.....x] Earth [The Embracing] over Thunder [The Arousing] (Hexagram 32 - Returning, Repeating, Turning Back ) -- Earth over Earth is a welcome image for me. It is an image of embracing, creation, substance and protection. With the Earth I feel safe, stable and centered. As a Leo I am all too familiar with Fire and all that comes with it: power, heat, clarity, vision and total consumption if energy through the use of that power. At the time of my birth Aquarius was rising, so I am familiar with the abyss that comes with Water. Last month (December 2011) I was surround by a lot of Fire, Water, Thunder and Wind, a stormy, agitated context. It was a month of struggle within me and around me. Challenges abounded and continue to press upon the horizon of this new year. I really needed the centering force of the Earth, and there it was: Earth. Within me and around me, Earth arose from the stalks and established a strong presence for this first day in the new year. It felt good to feel the Earth within my fingers, body, spirit and intellect.

The Venetian Star (la mia Stella di Venezia), my daughter from the Universe, greeted me from Italy. The Contessa awakened and requested her espresso. At 60, waking up each morning genuinely does become a joyful experience. To be surrounded by friends who welcome me as I am is a plus. To see Earth over Earth unfolding within the stalks is a particularly special way to start any day, not to mention the first day of the Year and the birth day of the Contessa. So I am brought to think of things that center me as I stand upon the Earth. I think of the substance that enters my consciousness as I touch that which surrounds me and find comfort that it all came from the Earth ... like me.

As my eyes lose their grip on the world, my fingers are revelling in their heightened significance, as are my ears, my tongue and my nostrils. The smells and touch and sounds and tastes of the Earth are everywhere and now there is very little vision to eclipse their potency, so I experience these new dimensions of the Earth with joy. I practice clicking my tongue when I walk down the hall or descend steps with my walking stick, seeking and embracing the "sense" of my location without vision ... My brain has discovered that there is so much to sample, even from the wind on my face that grazes the skin with subtle variance as it channels and skirts around buildings, trees, bus shelters and cars ... My nostrels seek the substance of that which inhabits the air. My tongue embraces the ensembles of flavors that greet me with each bite, sip, swig and swirl. In some ways, the images that form in my brain, behind the hazy curtain of my eyes are becoming richer, even visually (cognitively), because the brain adds the brilliant tapestry of hue and shade that the eyes are no longer capable of transmitting. My dreamscapes are becoming palpable.

It is more than a little ironic that our human world of vision saturation is really only a glossy pop-up page of experience, compared to what can flow in from the other senses. so the presence of Earth over Earth is welcome as I "look" ahead into this year where all of the paths opening up to me are extending towards the Earth's horizons through terrain that is completely unfamiliar. Wherever these paths lead I am fully aware that I will never fully understand them visually, directly. I will have to feel my way through these new landscapes in much the same way that I extend fingers, elbows, hands and hips to discern my way around the house.

There is one aging, changing line in this image of Earth over Earth, and that is in the most fundamental position: the first line, the innermost and significant of places. This changing line moves the inner Earth towards the inner Thunder, leaving the image of Earth over Thunder, an image of tremors within the Earth. The Earth moves in the presence of earthquakes and volcanos, nature's catalysts for change. So this first day of 2012 possesses the image of not only change, but also a turning point, for Earth over Thunder is the mid-point in the Fu Hsi sequence of the I Ching, step 32 in the 64 step sequence. It behaves in a manner similar to the Tarot's Wheel of Fortune. When the Wheel of Fortune spins it can change the course of many things in ways unexpected, so it is important to keep in mind that even though I may want things to be different than they are, there many ways that "different" may manifest in ways that are difficult.

I will use the image of the stabilizing Earth as a centering point of concentration as I prepare for the unfolding passages of this new year and look forward to travelling with those sharing the path with me ... let the thunder roll within the the depths of the Earth ... il matto ...

http://ichingreflections.blogspot.com/

http://www.KindleBlog.josjr.com
http://www.IlMattoblog.josjr.com
http://www.LifeBlog.josjr.com
http://www.PerlBlog.josjr.com
http://www.WritingBlog.josjr.com

http://Addewid.blogspot.com
http://CyberPoetPlace.blogspot.com
http://IlMattoVero.blogspot.com
http://josjr69.blogspot.com
http://PerlCatalyst.blogspot.com
http://CyberKindle.blogspot.com
http://panspiritualist.blogspot.com/

http://www.CyberPoet.com
www.addewid.com
www.fracturedparadise.com
www.roseannlloyd.com
www.cyberkindle.com
www.perlcatalyst.com
www.ciriad.com