Let us connect to hexagram 29 of the I Ching together now,
Entitled The Deep,
Referring to deep,
Deep waters.
So let's start by tightening the body and the mind and allowing our own inner waters to guide this relaxation and this request for presence with intention sent into the water flowing through you,
Resting within you and in the atmosphere around you.
And as you notice the qualities of this water,
Be present to its teachings,
Its wisdom through an open mind,
A gentle heart and with the physical body settled and grounded in peace.
And as you start to wonder your awareness through your life right now,
What stands out for you?
What relationships with situations?
And as you bring them into your mind's eye,
Keep yourself at a distance.
You're not getting swamped by their properties.
You are merely observing.
And then bring your awareness back into the physical body,
Into the heart center.
And let's set our intention to trust,
Trust that the information you are about to receive from the eaching is aligned with and for your highest good as well as the greater good of all.
We breathe in to receive that and we exhale as we allow the unfolding.
The message of this hexagram consists of two trigrams,
Both of the element of water.
Water above water.
And within that,
We have the nuclear trigrams of the mountain and thunder.
So there is this rumbling message that is coming through,
Perhaps a warning,
While at the same time,
A calling from the mountain,
From our inner essence,
To be true,
No matter how deep the waters may feel or seem to be that you are in right now.
No matter what a situation consists of,
There are some primary steps that the Tao wisdom through the eaching guides us to make use of.
And first is to assess the situation carefully and know the choices open to you,
Whether they are appealing or unappealing.
And at this time,
Practice great patience.
Do what is necessary to maintain clear-sightedness.
And if faced with great challenges or even fearful situations,
Keep returning to the strength of your heart,
Remaining true to your essence.
Knowing that through this practice,
You will learn many valuable things.
The eaching says,
When one is sincere,
The mind is penetrating.
Actions will then be of high value,
So remain steadfast in the face of danger and true to yourself.
Keep going forward.
Do not hesitate.
Just as deep waters may appear to be never-ending,
So sometimes we go through similar circumstances in life and perhaps just when one thinks one has completed it or moved through it,
It appears again.
And this is very much part of the archetypal expression in this changing situation that one finds oneself in,
In deep,
Deep waters.
And the guidance is to persist.
Don't look back.
Don't stop.
Know yourself.
Remain in your center.
Remain patient and calm.
And keep moving forward.
And this test may come day after day,
Perhaps even week after month.
And at these times,
A deep level of trust is requested.
For in this process,
There is an incredible opportunity for transformation,
Not only for oneself,
But for the collector.
Perhaps it is related to your family and ancestral information.
And the healing of this can take time and can take repetition.
At times like these,
Remind yourself that this too shall pass.
And in the same breath,
Honor yourself for your courage and your presence in showing up,
In facing what needs to be faced.
And repeatedly drop into stillness.
Starting the day,
Ending the day in stillness,
And repeating this a few times throughout the day.
And this repeated returning to your essence strengthens your Jing energy.
TCM,
Traditional Chinese medicine,
This is connected with the kidney system.
And at times like these,
Our kidney system needs to be strong,
Our Jing essence vital and alive.
So what parts of this message now stood out so clearly for you and what you are going through?
Perhaps it would help to write it down and remind yourself on a regular basis.
Let's return now to our connection with the waters.
Taking a moment to connect first with the waters,
Far afield,
The oceans,
The streams and rivers,
Or perhaps the clouds and the sky.
Where does your mind take you?
And as you flow through these waters,
Allow them to gently bring your awareness to the waters around you.
Right around your physical body,
The sprinklings of moisture in the air.
And now moving your awareness into the physical body and with intention sensing into the waters now present within you.
And set the intention now to trust,
Trust that you are and will continue to be guided by the wisdom of the waters,
Which represents the wisdom of these ancient teachings,
The spiritual wisdom that resides within yourselves,
As well as flows through the universe.
Trust in your design and in the greater design of life.
As you breathe into that trust,
Allow yourself to exhale it now as it continues to move and flow and unfold through your life.
And for a deeper understanding of water,
We need to turn to fire.
And so I invite you to explore the next hexagram in the sequence,
Hexagram 30 of the I Ching,
Which is fire above fire.
And through this archetype,
We learn to explore and understand even deeper the archetype of water.
In closing,
I Ching says of the deep,
Remain virtuous,
Then you will not be swamped by danger.
