a long-awaited change is at hand

A breakthrough.

Do not be drawn back

into bad habits.

The arrival of the hexagram Kuai indicates that a long-awaited change is at hand. A difficulty that has oppressed you over a long period is now about to dissolve. It is important to respond in the proper way.

There is a temptation on obtaining relief to fall into the traps of the ego: pride at having dispersed the trouble, self-righteousness about having triumphed through correctness, anger at one who we think was the source of the problem, or a desire to remain free of all difficulty in the future. None of these responses is appropriate to the situation at hand.

What is needed now is resoluteness: a firm commitment to continuing the battle for good and to the self-examination that makes all good things possible. This is not a time to lapse back into negative mental habits and enjoy the “vacation” provided by the breakthrough. Do not rest on your laurels, but push forward, deepening your inner strength and your resistance to the influence of inferiors, both in yourself and others.

Strengthen those around you by setting an example of self-improvement and self-correction. Great progress and good fortune are available now to one who makes proper use of the opening.

The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 43, Kuai / Breakthrough (Resoluteness)

Forget all ideas

of accomplishing something —

in your practice and everywhere

else. Everything is already

accomplished.

If this sounds

like a tricky idea to you,

the flaw is in your understanding

of reality, not in reality

itself.

Allowing nature

to manifest is the way

of the Way. By setting aside

our ambitions and leaving

the Way to the Way,

we perfect the

Way.

Wei wu Wei Ching, Chapter 43

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interrelated in indra’s net

indra’s net

Causes are complex

and have different time scales.

The efforts of the individual are not

the sole determining factor in the individual’s

condition in life, because everyone is part of the

nexus of society and nature and the continuum

of time. It is common for people to attribute

causes wrongly because of misperception

of real relationships.

Every cause is the effect of

something else, and every effect is

the cause of something else. What may seem

like a curse may be a blessing, and what may seem

a blessing may be a curse. Hardship is a blessing

when it spurs effort and development; ease is

a curse when it increases complacency

and self-indulgence.

Muso Kokushi

adversity is a stimulant to our growth

remain free and uninvolved

Do not attempt to intervene now.

A period has been entered when inferior influences will prevail. Even a superior person who seeks to act now will be undermined by the time. There is no reason to resist this state of affairs; indeed, it is natural that the inferior elements periodically come to the fore. Adversity is often a stimulant to our spiritual growth, and what is important is the spirit in which we meet it.

When challenging situations come to call, we are often overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety, doubt, and fear. We fear that if we do not act immediately and vigorously, we will be ruined, we doubt the power of the Creative to resolve the situation favorably.

It is when we act upon these feelings that we engage in “splitting apart”: we split apart from our spiritual path, our devotion to the Higher Power, and the wisdom of patient nonaction in the face of difficulty. If you take this course now, you will prevent the Creative from coming to your aid and unnecessarily increase your own misfortune.

The guide to proper behavior at such times lies in the image of the hexagram, which is “mountain over earth”. By keeping as still and quiet as a mountain, by resting firmly on your foundation of proper principles, by accepting the nature of the time and not resisting it, you weather all storms. By trusting in nonaction, acceptance, and patience, you gain the strength of the very earth.

The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 23, Po / Splitting Apart

see also Wei wu Wei Ching 23

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