Nov 16 21
The Emperor (reversed)
2. The Receptive
7. The Army
Petite Reading
It is often thought that personal discipline is the fundamental way to get life under control, but really this is a beginner’s move. Those that have tried and failed and tried and failed and tried and failed come to realize that discipline alone is missing something fundamental: generosity. Discipline without generosity is senseless as it has no reason to be. To ignite a relation between discipline and generosity one must discern what it is that they love. Love is the marriage of discipline and generosity. Love is the height of human possibility. But don’t get it twisted, love is not weakness it can be a casus belli, just as long as the motivation transcends discipline and generosity.
Complete Reading
This week we pulled the The Emperor, reversed. Both in the upright and reversed position The Emperor card indicates discipline issues, as “discipline” is both a positive and a negative aspect. When employed correctly “discipline” provides the reasonable and rational structure which much good is built upon. When overdone “discipline” fosters inflexibility, insipidity and ultimately sterility. Be careful of the latter this period.
Our first hexagram this week is #2, The Receptive. The two chief, primordial themes of the I Ching are contained in the first two hexagrams: #1 The Creative and #2 The Receptive. The ordering is important; first comes the Creative — the élan vital(!) the emergent life force of the world/universe. The second is obviously the Receptive — “action in conformity with the situation.” To properly use the creative force of this world one first must accept their “fate” (limitation) then one is “sure to find the right guidance.” “The superior person lets themself be guided; they do not go ahead blindly, but learn from the situation what is demanded of them and then follows this intimation from fate.” You do not shape the world the world shapes you!! Get to know your shape!! There was one change this week, of which the specific note is: “Nature creates all beings without erring… A human achieves the height of wisdom when all that they do is as self-evident as what nature does.” 🤯
Our second hexagram, the one that suggests how best to meet the challenges (or the changes) is #7, The Army. Here we have the metaphor of a “fighting force” used to explain the best way for anything to be accomplished. “Without strict discipline nothing can be accomplished, but this discipline must not be achieved by force. It requires a strong person who captures the hearts of the people and awakens their enthusiasm.” “Only a people economically strong can be important in military power. Such power must therefore be cultivated by improving the economic condition of the people and by humane government.” Again this is a metaphor, of which the lesson is to lead yourself with the best part of yourself. When we ask ourselves things like “Why don’t I have any discipline?” Well you’ve probably never taken the time to figure out what you really want, to get your head straight. Like an army, you are not going to fight for yourself unless you really know what you are fighting for.
It is often thought that personal discipline is the fundamental way to get life under control, but really this is a beginner’s move. Those that have tried and failed and tried and failed and tried and failed come to realize that discipline alone is missing something fundamental: generosity. Discipline without generosity is senseless as it has no reason to be. To ignite a relation between discipline and generosity one must discern what it is that they love. Love is the marriage of discipline and generosity. Love is the height of human possibility. But don’t get it twisted, love is not weakness it can be a casus belli, just as long as the motivation transcends discipline and generosity.
Complete Reading
This week we pulled the The Emperor, reversed. Both in the upright and reversed position The Emperor card indicates discipline issues, as “discipline” is both a positive and a negative aspect. When employed correctly “discipline” provides the reasonable and rational structure which much good is built upon. When overdone “discipline” fosters inflexibility, insipidity and ultimately sterility. Be careful of the latter this period.
Our first hexagram this week is #2, The Receptive. The two chief, primordial themes of the I Ching are contained in the first two hexagrams: #1 The Creative and #2 The Receptive. The ordering is important; first comes the Creative — the élan vital(!) the emergent life force of the world/universe. The second is obviously the Receptive — “action in conformity with the situation.” To properly use the creative force of this world one first must accept their “fate” (limitation) then one is “sure to find the right guidance.” “The superior person lets themself be guided; they do not go ahead blindly, but learn from the situation what is demanded of them and then follows this intimation from fate.” You do not shape the world the world shapes you!! Get to know your shape!! There was one change this week, of which the specific note is: “Nature creates all beings without erring… A human achieves the height of wisdom when all that they do is as self-evident as what nature does.” 🤯
Our second hexagram, the one that suggests how best to meet the challenges (or the changes) is #7, The Army. Here we have the metaphor of a “fighting force” used to explain the best way for anything to be accomplished. “Without strict discipline nothing can be accomplished, but this discipline must not be achieved by force. It requires a strong person who captures the hearts of the people and awakens their enthusiasm.” “Only a people economically strong can be important in military power. Such power must therefore be cultivated by improving the economic condition of the people and by humane government.” Again this is a metaphor, of which the lesson is to lead yourself with the best part of yourself. When we ask ourselves things like “Why don’t I have any discipline?” Well you’ve probably never taken the time to figure out what you really want, to get your head straight. Like an army, you are not going to fight for yourself unless you really know what you are fighting for.