Getting ahead of the story again, PEACE is the original outcome of today’s I Ching reading.
It isn’t the peace one usually thinks of, merely the absence of inner conflict or world war.
Far more, it’s the profound joy of wholeness, experienced when we’re deeply at one with ourselves and with the world.
It’s the state of being that arises when the pairs of opposites – yin and yang, heaven and earth, male and female, black and white, mind and body — are harmoniously balanced. This was the vision of seers, described in Hexagram 11:
When the forces of nature
unite in profound harmony,
heavenly PEACE fills the earth.
It’s the perfect message for today . . which “just happens” to be Yom Kippur, the high holy day of atonement. At-one-ment.
Is inner peace actually achievable? If so, how can we reach this blissful state?
Through repentance.
Before you balk, first check out the following definition. By my count, in two brief paragraphs, the key word CHANGE repeats nine times.
Repentance fundamentally means to change your mind about something. It has to do with the way you think about something. You’ve been thinking one way, but now you think the opposite way. That’s repentance — the changing of the mind.
. . . Repentance is a decisive change in direction. It’s a change of mind that leads to a change of thinking that leads to a change of attitude that leads to a change of feeling that leads to a change of values that leads to a change in the way you live.
Now, this isn’t a theological tract. Nor am I a theologian. Nevertheless, the implications are worth considering.
Given the amount of conflict, pain and suffering going on in the world right now, change doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.
Scientists and psychologists agree that our thoughts and beliefs create our reality. Creating a different, better reality starts with changing how and what we think.
In a world at critical mass, change has become a matter of survival. Einstein put like this:
By definition, atonement involves admitting sins, meaning “mistakes.” Sin is simply missing the mark, being off-target in our thoughts and actions. It’s focusing exclusively on the surface of the Life Wheel, out-of-alignment with the inner levels of experience. It’s being unaware of Source and acting without conscience.
So IF repentance consists of recognizing and correcting mistaken thoughts, words and deeds, THEN the reward of realigning daily experience with the inner levels of the Life Wheel is Wholeness. Unity. Peace, first within, then without.
Hint: working with the Book of Change is an excellent way to start changing the way one thinks. (It certainly was for me!!)
It gives us a practical way to align awareness and actions with the larger reality of the Unified Field.
We’ve not been trained to come to the Book of Change for answers to our deepest questions. That’s why I’m bringing the book to you. Let these bi-weekly readings serve as an opportunity to make the unfamiliar familiar.
The original answer to the question, “What should we be aware of NOW?” is:
Profound peace is the gift of this holy day, Yom Kippur. Heart-felt repentance opens the door to at-one-ment. This option stands in stark contrast to what’s going on in the world right now. The final warning, “avoid disorder,” gives caution to widespread unrest.
Which is probably why today’s Peace doesn’t last; two changing lines result in a very different outcome. In the notebook, the changes look like this:
The changing line in the 3rd place reminds us, “Nothing remains the same.” The familiar world as we knew it, which we mistakenly assumed would last forever, disappeared in 2020. And it’s not coming back.
So we’re warned, “Avoid decay by changing with the time.”
Holding on to familiar beliefs and focusing with regret on what’s been lost is a prescription for suffering.
Our old ways of thinking got us to the point of critical mass. Clearly, familiar beliefs weren’t serving us well. So changing our fundamental beliefs – especially about change itself – is critically important now.
Creating the new, better world we want for ourselves and our children depends, a la Einstein, on improving the way we think.
For those who heed the warning to change with the times, the 3rd line becomes ADVANCE:
Shifting to a complete and accurate paradigm reaps rewards across the board. It’s especially important for leaders to understand this.
Next, the changing line in the 5th position focuses in on leadership. “The way to lead is to serve without pride.”
From long observation, seers knew that leading with ego-driven agendas ends up causing grief for everyone involved. That’s why, in the I Ching world view, leadership is seen in terms of service, not power or control.
For those who adhere to I Ching leadership practices, the 5th line changes to:
Today’s path of repentance and atonement — the one that leads to PEACE — requires clarity, confidence, courage and determination.
Patience is a key virtue in the I Ching armory. Like Peace, it stands in sharp contrast to the fear-and-hate-driven energies tearing the world apart right now. It’s a counterbalance to insanity. Let the practice of calm, kind patience be a healing salve to our gaping wounds.
Finally, the outcome of combining changing lines in the 3rd and 5th places is:
LIMITS brings us full circle back to the blessing of this holy day: At-one-ment: PEACE.
“To find peace within, reduce desires.”
Again, I’m not a theologian. But my first take is that the advice of LIMITS resonates with the teachings of attained seers throughout the ages.
It wouldn’t hurt for you to think through the applications of all this to your own way of thinking, acting, and ultimately, to the feedback you’ve been getting from the Universe.
I’ll be publishing collected readings as The Lessons of 2020: Using the Wisdom of CHANGE to Build a Better Future. Look for it on amazon in January of 2021.
If you’d like your very own copy of the CSBOC to work with, to answer your own unique questions at your own convenience, or want extras to give others in need of insight, solace and support, it’s available here. : )
Okay, then. That’s all for now. Talk with you again soon. Take care, all.
Rethinking Survival 