keep an open heart, free of desire

lee madgwick

 

An influence comes.

Good fortune to those

whose hearts are

correct.

 

The hexagram Hsien indicates the coming of an influence. This may take the form of a teaching from the Sage, an interaction with another, or a disturbing or pleasing event. In any case, there is good fortune if you meet the influence with proper thoughts and actions.

It is a good time to remember that like attracts like. If one gives expression to higher things, then one is surrounded by higher things. If one indulges in what is inferior, then one can expect to have the company of inferiors. Therefore, it is wise to cling steadily to humility, independence, gentleness, and openness.

With others, keep an open heart, free of desire, condemning no one, enjoying affinities while retaining your equanimity. With the Sage, keep a clear connection. Seek resolutely to serve as a conduit for truth and innocence and goodness.

If the influence is challenging, persevere in correctness. If it is pleasing, also persevere in correctness. Maintaining your devotion to higher things insures success in the coming time.
 

from The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 31 Influence (Wooing)


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your heart is a muscle

“The chorus comes from a print made by my dear friend, Dalia Sapon-Shevin. This is a song about dear friends, starting with her. It’s also about the stakes at play in the daily choice to give up or not.”-Pat

[Verse 1]
Dalia never showed me nothing but kindness
She would say: “I know how sad you get”
And some days, I still get that way
But it gets better, it gets better, it gets better
Sweetie, it gets better, I promise you
And she’d tell me…

[Chorus]
Your heart is a muscle the size of your fist
Keep on loving, keep on fighting
And hold on, and hold on
Hold on for your life

[Verse 2]
Ian built a cabin in the woods to live in
For years, terrifying noises kept him up at night
With a twelve gauge under his pillow
He’s living in Boston now, going to art school
I forgive him, I forgive him
Hell, I’ll admit it: I’m proud of him

Serena’s an architect and a carpenter
She’s such a feminist she says she isn’t one
‘Cause, “Goddamn, my gender shouldn’t matter!”
And her motorcycle glides through the streets of Providence
Down to the warehouse district, the paint job is as stunning as
Her knowledge of medieval building techniques
[Chorus]
Your heart is a muscle the size of your fist
Keep on loving, keep on fighting
And hold on, and hold on
Hold on for your life

[Bridge]
This one goes out to Georgios, he knows how to dance
Abby Banks, your book is beautiful
And fuck anyone who says otherwise
Scott, I love you and you make me glad to be alive
I promise that I’m gonna pay you back
You always know how funny everything is
Even when I’m so serious that it’s gonna be the death of me

Like the time that our friend Chuck came over to our house
He said he needed somebody to take care of his pets
‘Cause he was going out of town
I asked him, “Where,” and he said “New Mexico”
I asked if I could get a ride
He said: “No, you don’t want to follow me
Where it is I’m going”
He backed out of the driveway
That was the last time we saw him
‘Cause he drove straight to his parent’s cabin
And put a bullet in his head 
[Chorus]
Your heart is a muscle the size of your fist
Keep on loving, keep on fighting
And hold on, and hold on
Hold on for your life…

Your heart is a muscle the size of your fist
Keep on loving, keep on fighting
And hold on, and hold on
Hold on for your life

 

 

in order to be a teacher to oneself

mike putnam

 

In order to

be a proper teacher to

oneself, one must be part midwife,

part executioner: sometimes rebirthing oneself,

sometimes annihilating and leaving useless bits by the

wayside, until the self soars free and clear of

attachment, obstruction, and delusion

and joins all buddhas past,

present, and

future.

 

Then one

can stop fracturing

reality with names and ideas

of self, other, buddha,

enlightenment,

and so on.

 

There,

beyond definitions

and beyond mind, reality

flows like pure

water.

 

Wei wu Wei Ching, Hexagram 29

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wait with a proper attitude

vinj

 

To wait with

a proper attitude invites

the assistance of the

Higher Power.

 

There is

a situation at hand that

cannot be corrected by force or

external effort. The Creative will provide

the solution to one who waits with a correct

attitude. This is a time for patience

and careful attention to

inner truth.

 

Do not

give in to doubt and

agitation now. You are not meant

to wait in a state of desperate longing but

in one of patient inner strength. Without certainty

in the power of the truth, success is impossible.

Attempts to force a change, rather than

allowing it to mature naturally,

will only cause

misfortune.

 

You would be

wise to strengthen and reaffirm

your reliance on the Creative. When you indulge in

fear and doubt, you flood the arena where the Higher Power

is attempting to work. Your principal responsibility in life

is to keep this arena—your own consciousness—

free of negative influences.

 

By accepting things

as they are and not making fruitless

comparisons to the situations of others or some

imagined ideal, one engages the power of the Creative.

If one remains balanced, modest, and

independent, good fortune will

come to hand.

 

from The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 5, Hsü / Waiting

 
 

mountain bluebird

 

Maintaining

quiet awareness from

moment to moment, you’ll see

that your enlightenment is not separate

from the ordinary world but one with it.

It doesn’t come from some distance to

get to you and it doesn’t go away

when you stop attending to it.

Make awareness continuous,

though, and it will

surround

you.

 

Wei wu Wei Ching, Chapter 5

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iBooks

 

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can now buy

Wei wu Wei Ching as part of a

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