Welcome to this contemplation of gentleness.
Guided by the I Ching's hexagram number 57.
Known as the Book of Changes.
Carries wisdom from the Tao and Stoicism guiding us in our daily lives.
To prepare to receive not only from the I Ching but also from your own inner wisdom.
Please ground yourself now,
Wherever you are,
Whatever position you're in.
Take your attention to your feet.
And relax them.
Slowing down the breath focusing on the exhalation.
And extending the out-breath.
Allowing your body to relax in a downward direction.
Breathing in and exhale down.
Relax down and ground downwards.
Just like the trees and the plants ground themselves into the earth.
And while they remain rooted.
Above ground They are flexible in their movement.
Breathe into your roots.
And exhale through the lightness of your being.
Now breathing into your heart.
And exhale as you feel that opening.
We're going to continue to connect with our beautiful hearts.
As we set our intention together,
You might like to repeat this along with me.
I trust the wisdom I am receiving from this ancient teaching.
Along with my own inner guidance.
Is all aligned with my highest good.
And for the greater good of all.
Breathe into the heart.
Reaffirm with the words I trust.
Exhale and let's once more ground our attention.
Into the body,
Into the earth,
Into the here and now.
And in this state of presence.
Simply notice what comes through in terms of your responses.
How does your body respond?
How do your thoughts,
Your emotions respond?
To the various suggestions.
You might find one talks to you and there might be many.
Is no one right way because this is a participatory experience.
Looking at hexagram number 57 we see The elements of the wind featured twice.
In both primary trigrams.
Which means we have wind above wind.
And thus this hexagram is entitled Wind.
Now one of the attributes of the wind is gentleness.
It is not a storm.
Is not thunder.
It is win.
I think for a moment,
A gentle wind.
Brushing across your face,
Through your hair.
And notice how the plants gently sway.
Now what would happen if the plants did not move with the wind?
They could crack.
And parts could even break.
Now think of this in terms of your life.
Where is there wind,
Movement,
Change taking place?
And how relaxed are you with it?
Are you supple and allowing your body your thoughts,
Your emotions,
And your responses.
To be in tune.
With this wind that is moving through right now.
And if that's not happening?
If you're finding it a struggle.
To accept the change.
And to flow with it.
Then consider where you can be more gentle.
In certain situations.
Maybe it's with yourself.
With your body.
Maybe it's with somebody else.
With the world at large.
And when you are more gentle.
Little bit KINDER in the way that you perceive things.
More softer in your tones when you talk.
Or thing.
Imagine that taking place.
How different.
Would those experiences be?
With a little bit more gentleness.
Words from the I Ching say,
There will be advantage in movement in any direction whatsoever.
Choose your goal and persevere towards it with unfailing calmness.
Gentleness and humility and you will succeed.
Seeking guidance from a wiser person would be good for you.
Consider now the last prompt of seeking guidance.
Perhaps it is seeking help.
Is there a particular person or people?
That you can reach out to.
We see this being emphasized by the inner trigram.
Lake.
And also the inner trigram of fire and both.
Talk to union and communication and connection with others,
Support from others and it can also be supporting others.
As this features in the nuclear space,
The inner space.
It is not necessarily going to be the primary focus.
It could be happening quite subtly and gently in the background.
However,
It is worth considering.
Or as within,
So without.
And so the inner support is very important to moving through this time.
With gentleness.
With humility,
With calmness.
And sometimes we can do that more easily.
When we receive the appropriate guidance or support.
The message from the I Ching around this teaching.
Tends to relay a sense that this is neither a good or a bad time.
It just is.
Things are taking place that need to,
Change is taking place that needs to,
And so it is a time of doing what needs to be done,
But it is the way that we do it that is so important.
Kindness,
Consideration,
Thoughtfulness,
These are just a few expressions of gentleness showing up in daily life.
So as you reflect now on your responses.
Along with the I Ching's guidance.
What is your takeaway message?
And how are you going to reconnect with this again?
Programming system of the I Ching works with specific hexagrams partnering with each other.
In this instance,
Hexagram number 57 partners with number 58.
And this is also a double element hexagram.
Featuring Lake Above Lake.
And when we consider the two together,
We can sense into wind above lake.
You can listen to the guidance for the Delighted,
Hexagram 58.
Which you will find in the I Ching playlist.
At the bottom of my profile page.
Thank you for journeying through this teaching with me and may you carry gentleness in your heart.
May it flow from your lips.
And may it guide you through your day.
