keep an open heart, free of desire

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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all good comes when we are innocent

kirvan baldassari

In the

very center of each

of us there dwells an innocent

and divine spirit. If we allow ourselves to

be guided by it in every situation, we can never

go wrong. Wu Wang comes to remind us that

we must actively disengage our egos

before we can obtain the vast

rewards that come from

living in a state of

innocence.

The nature

of the ego is that when

we exercise it, it takes us out

of the present. When we engage in

ambitions, anxieties, or anticipations,

our ego is skipping ahead, and we miss the

guidance of the Creative in the present moment.

When we engage in anger, judgment, and condemnation —

whether toward ourselves or others — our ego is looking

backward, and we cannot see the Sage’s clear solution

to the present situation. In either case, the result is

misfortune. Only by stilling the ego and accepting

life in its entirety can we become innocent.

In this state we are receptive to the

help of the Higher Power and

can meet with good fortune

wherever we go.

You are

advised now to stop

looking forward and backward,

to abandon your ambitions, to disengage

from judgments and critical thinking. If a thought,

attitude, or action is not in accord with the principles of

acceptance, equanimity, humility, and gentleness,

do not indulge in it. The I Ching encourages you

to actively practice innocence. Because

the ego is strong, you must make a

conscious and conscientious

effort to be innocent.

If you

willfully unstructure

your attitude, open your heart

to the Deity, and allow yourself to be

guided by that which is innocent

and pure, you will meet with

success in the coming

time.

The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 25, Wu Wang / Innocence (The Unexpected)

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arrogance brings danger and downfall

Arrogance in ambition

or conduct brings danger, downfall,

and isolation. Remain quietly joined to

the will of the Sage. The abandonment

of gentleness and humility leads

to misfortune.

sixth changing line

from The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 1, Ch’ien / The Creative

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innocence, sincerity, openness

release and flow and let go

The Creative acts

to empty what is full and

to offer abundance to

what is modest.

This hexagram suggests that a deepening of one’s modesty now is a sure means of improving the situation. There is no power so great as modesty for compelling the assistance of the Sage – nor one so hindering as immodesty. Those in high places who retain their modesty are loved by all and continually prosper; those below who cultivate modesty inevitably rise on the strength of their merits, without making enemies along the way.

But what does modesty mean? Certainly it entails a refusal to boast or act imperiously with others, even in small ways. But beyond this steadfast humility it also means that our effort to discern what is right and then do it is constant; we do not work against ourselves, and we do not indulge in doubts about the wisdom of correct conduct. This unwavering commitment to what is correct might be called “the modesty before the Sage”.

So there is in modesty a component of nonaction – that is, not indulging in arrogant, ego-centered behavior – as well as a component of active effort: looking for opportunities to correct ourselves, to assist justice where there is injustice, to feed where there is hunger, to give solace where there is pain.

Finally and most plainly, modesty means holding to innocence, sincerity, and openness in every situation. To do this is to empty ourself and make room for the blessings of the Creative to take root.

The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 15, Ch’ien / Modesty

when a
person falls to
the earth

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