Without any
intentional, fancy way
of adjusting yourself, to express
yourself as you are is the most
important thing.
Without any
intentional, fancy way
of adjusting yourself, to express
yourself as you are is the most
important thing.
This
is an absolute necessity
for anybody today. You must have a room,
or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know
what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know
who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody,
you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where
you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and
what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation.
At first you may find that nothing happens there.
But if you have a sacred place and use it,
something eventually will
happen.
Bear
with things as
the earth bears with us: by
yielding, by accepting,
by nourishing.
K’un the Receptive is the complement to Qián the Creative: the dark which is illuminated by light, the earth which receives the blessings of heaven, the vessel into which nourishment flows. This is a time to follow rather than lead, to assist rather than initiate, to listen rather than talk. Redevote yourself to the cultivation of modesty, receptivity, and gentleness now, and let go of concerns about the conduct of others or the progress of your worldly ambitions.
The wisdom of cultivating receptivity cannot be overstated; receptivity is the rich earth without which the Creative cannot take root in our lives. This fundamental hexagram serves as a strong encouragement to you to concentrate on your capacities to nourish, to support, to accept, to work without desiring recognition, to follow the guidance of the Sage.
You can benefit greatly in a period like this from time spent in solitude; in quietness we have an opportunity to focus on purification of our hearts and minds. It is a good time to ask oneself, “Am I sincerely pursuing the good for its own sake, or do I have a hidden agenda?” If so, detach from it and return to the path of independence and balance. Through humility and openness we become receptive to the assistance of the Higher Power.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
Hexagram 2, K’un / The Receptive
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Activity grounded in truth
brings good fortune.
It is
a time when
great progress can be made
through effort of will. However, it is essential
that all your activity be characterized by humility,
conscientiousness, and adaptability. Progress
as a tree does, bending around obstacles
rather than confronting them,
pushing upward steadily
but gently.
There
is nothing to be feared
from others now. Be neither subservient
nor forceful with those you encounter; simply meet
everyone with tolerance and gentle goodwill.
Those who look for the good
in others find it
there.
If fears
or doubts intrude,
remain quietly focused on
the activity at hand. Cultivate inner
independence and trust the leadership of
the Sage. The time is ripe for progress
if you put forth an effort that is
innocent, sincere, and
balanced.
The I Ching, or Book of Changes
Hexagram 46, Sheng / Pushing Upward
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You must keep this
mind balanced and equanimous,
without deluded ideas of self and others,
without arbitrary loves and hates, without grasping
or rejecting, without notions of gain and loss.
Go on gradually nurturing this for
a long time, perhaps twenty
or thirty years.
Whether you encounter
favorable or adverse conditions,
do not retreat or regress — then when you
come to the juncture between life and death,
you will naturally be set free and be not afraid.
As the saying goes, “Truth requires sudden
awakening, but the phenomenal
level calls for gradual
cultivation.”