Adaptable and penetrating gentleness

Adaptable and penetrating gentleness

One of the things I like about the I Ching, an ancient Chinese book of wisdom, is that the images all come from nature. There aren’t references to mythology or complicated symbols.

The Hexagram 53: Development (Gradual Progress) image is a tree on a mountain. Such a tree is visible from afar and its growth is gradual. Richard Wilhelm says this about Hexagram 53, which is associated with the section of Cancer* we are currently in:

No sudden influence or awakening is of lasting effect. Progress must be quite gradual, and in order to obtain such progress in public opinion and in the mores of the people, it is necessary for the personality to acquire influence and weight. This comes about through careful and constant work on one’s own moral development.

One doesn’t often hear this kind of advice in this age where we are regularly bombarded with “7 quick and easy steps to become more influential!” type of content.

Wilhelm again: “Within the personality too, development must follow the same course if lasting results are to be achieved. Gentleness that is adaptable, but at the same time penetrating, is the outer form that should proceed from inner calm.” [emphasis mine – I love that sentence and am going to write that one down on a notecard.]

As this quieter energy of Cancer continues, here are some questions to ponder:

  • Describe something you are better at today than you were a year ago.
  • What is currently evolving in your life?
  • How can you be more patient with the process?

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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

References:

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

Continue ReadingAdaptable and penetrating gentleness

The obstacle is the way

The obstacle is the way

The obstacle is the way, as the Stoics say.

It’s good that we stilled ourselves, because now there is an obstacle to face. Such is the cadence of life. We have now arrived at the Hexagram 39: Obstacles section of Cancer*.

Many of our external obstacles are generated internally. We are blocking our own progress, yet we tend to blame other people, circumstances, genes, the environment, and more. This is what is known as projection.

Even if the obstacle is self-inflicted, the work on getting through it need not be done alone. Other people can help us look at the problem from a new angle. You are never alone.

Here are a few questions that Hilary Barret invites us to ponder regarding this hexagram and an obstacle you may be facing:

*Where can you find help?
*How could you see the obstacles differently?
*Can you imagine going a different way?

I’ll close with a quote from Ryan Holiday’s book The Obstacle is the Way:

It’s an infinitely elastic formula: In every situation, that which blocks our path actually presents a new path with a new part of us. If someone you love hurts you, there is a chance to practice forgiveness. If your business fails, now you can practice acceptance. If there is nothing else you can do for yourself, at least you can try to help others. Problems, as Duke Ellington once said, are a chance for us to do our best. Just our best, that’s it. Not the impossible.

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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

References:

I Ching: Walking Your Path, Creating Your Future by H ilary Barrett

The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday

Continue ReadingThe obstacle is the way

Stilling yourself into your own right place

Stilling yourself into your own right place

Now that we are fully into Cancer season, it’s the perfect time to think about keeping still.

Hexagram 52: Keeping Still is associated with this section of Cancer.* I like how Hilary Barrett refers to this hexagram as “stilling,” which is a verb. This emphasizes that stillness is a process and is active.

Here is some more of her commentary:

“To still yourself is to come to rest in your own right place. …Attaining this kind of stillness means firmly, even stubbornly, resisting the forces that would disrupt your equilibrium”

She goes further to say that even if you feel you ought to be constantly sensitive to others and their needs, “in a time of Stilling it is no mistake to exclude all these things, and be quiet within your self.” It’s like you “simply not see the other people there, because you hold yourself still and do not resonate with them.”

In typology terms, it is dialing down the extraverted feeling (the “friendly hosting” function per Dario Nardi) and tuning into your introverted feeling (the “appraising” function per John Beebe). This helps you focus more on your inner perspective.

It can help to ponder questions during stilling periods, which will also help you get into that state. Here are just a few prompts:

  • How well are you able to live in the present moment? How often are you instead preoccupied with the past and the future?
  • As you still yourself, do you have an increased awareness of purpose in your life guided by your inner wisdom?
  • How much of your life is in response to external demands? Reflect on how you can make a stronger connection between your outer and inner life.

If you have natal planets in this section of Cancer (my ascendant ruler Jupiter is here), you can include that as part of your journaling and reflecting as well. If you don’t have natal planets there, the Sun is currently visiting there and shining light into that area of your life as indicated in your chart.

When we retreat from others to strengthen the connection to our inner wisdom, we emerge with more compassion for, and understanding of, others. As Henri Nouwen said, “solitude is the ground from which community grows. …In solitude we discover each other in a way that physical presence makes difficult if not impossible.”

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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

References:

I Ching: Walking Your Path, Creating Your Future by Hilary Barrett

You Are the Beloved by Henri Nouwen

Continue ReadingStilling yourself into your own right place

What moderation is really about

What moderation is really about

Even a mountain can be brought back down to earth.

That is the image of Hexagram 15 in the I Ching: the earth and mountain balancing each other out; the valleys are filling up and the mountains are wearing down.

This is a reminder to bring ourselves back down to earth when we are caught up in the heights, so we can better fill in our own depths.

We can all probably think of times when not attending to a small issue in the physical world led to a bigger problem, such as an expensive repair. That is certainly true of me with my inferior sensation function! (INFJ, INTJ, ENFP, and ENTP types all have inferior sensation).

If nothing else, the inferior function will help do the job of bringing us back down to earth. Author Michael Pierce correlates introverted sensation to the Mountain trigram and extraverted sensation to the Earth trigram. So there is some serious sensation energy in this hexagram.

What is especially intriguing is the idea that moderation can come through experiencing something new; it isn’t just about restriction.

As R.L. Wing says in his I Ching Workbook: “It must be understood that acting with MODERATION means not only limiting the obvious excess, but also exposing yourself to new areas of experience. Through MODERATION you can now gain some real control over your destiny. In this way you use the balancing tendency of the current forces to center yourself.”

Which reminds me, the Sun entered Cancer today, but this hexagram also applies to the last few days of Gemini*. Gemini is curious and loves new areas of experience.

The rhythm of our Gemini journey was as follows:

Hexagram 20 – Contemplation
Hexagram 16 – Enthusiasm
Hexagram 35 – Progress
Hexagram 45 – Gathering
Hexagram 12 – Stagnation
Hexagram 15 – Moderation

This moderation now carries us into Cancer season. It’s interesting how we hit the brakes a bit with Stagnation and Moderation before entering the feminine water sign of Cancer.

When we are talking about Cancer we are really talking about the Moon, its planetary host. The Moon prefers the comfort of Cancer, which is conducive for moderation.

The last gasp of Gemini, especially with that recent Gemini New Moon, and Mercury being in Gemini for a couple more weeks, hopefully has us thinking about and experiencing new things, which we can now more quietly actualize as we center ourselves in Cancer season.


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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

References:

Motes and Beams by Michael Pierce

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingWhat moderation is really about

How stagnation can ease our psychic indigestion

How stagnation can ease our psychic indigestion

If there is one thing that Gemini has a hard time with it’s stagnation.

If you have Gemini rising, Moon, Sun, or other natal planets in Gemini, you know what that’s like.

Mercury is the planetary host of Gemini, and is at its the most swift and curious in Gemini, so it doesn’t like to stagnate.

But, Gemini or not, we all go through stagnant periods.

Per the image of Hexagram 12: Stagnation, which correlates to this period of Gemini,* heaven and earth are not united.

As above is NOT as it is below.

Workplaces, schools, relationships, religious groups, fitness routines, are some of the main places where we can feel stagnated.

There is likely at least one of these areas of life at any given time where we feel that there isn’t a larger cosmic purpose and the energy feels dense all the time.

As we enter the final stretch of Gemini season, it seems appropriate to ponder stagnation before moving on to Cancer. We kicked off Gemini with Contemplation and then have had Enthusiasm, Progress, and Gathering. As wonderful as those last three activities are, they might have our wheels spinning a bit, and needing a kind of forced return to contemplation via stagnation.

As James Hillman says in Healing Fiction, having more events than we can experience (a common Gemini thing) gives us” “indigestion,” so to speak. When we stand still and process our events through an “imaginative process” we can ease “mental turbulence.”

The New Moon in Gemini on June 17 should help alleviate any psychic indigestion. New Moons represent new beginnings in that area of life in your chart. This isn’t an eclipse, so it won’t be dramatic, but it offers a little bit of an energetic boost.

Working with your typology can also be helpful and narrow down the types of things to help you work with this New Moon. If you know your personalitly type, tapping into your inferior function offers an opportunity to see things from a fresh perspective. For example, for an ENFP type, introverted sensation (Si) is the inferior function. Taking a break from the dominant extraverted intuition (Ne) activities by cooking, organizing a closet, indulging in some aromatherapy, and other Si pursuits could you help break through stagnation.

By focusing on the Below, we can start to feel the Above again.

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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

References:

Healing Fiction by James Hillman

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingHow stagnation can ease our psychic indigestion

Gathering together with caring detachment

Gathering together with caring detachment

There is much gathering together during this time of Gemini season, at least here in the northern hemisphere.

Cookouts and parades.

School concerts and other end-of-the-school year activities.

Family reunions. Weddings.

Softball leagues, baseball games, outdoor pickleball play, and on and on.

So it seems appropriate that Hexagram 45: Gathering Together is the hexagram for this section of Gemini.*

Those of us who are introverts may feel out of sync with this.

Ironically, even though I have a stellium of natal planets in Gemini, I am an introvert, and sometimes wonder if I can just contemplate the people instead of gathering with them?

Fortunately, we can do both at the same time, as R.L. Wing describes it in his I Ching Workbook:

Note the quality of your interactions. Self-observation within a group can speed you toward an expanded awareness. The original Chinese text points out that ‘by observing the way gatherings evolve, we can perceive the inner tendencies of heaven and earth and of all things.’

Well then.

That almost makes going to a family reunion sound appealing.

We can’t individuate – or become more whole – on our own.

We can do this when attuning ourselves to the energy of the group consciousness without simultaneously being swept up in it. I like how Jungian analyst and psychiatrist Ashok Bedi describes this as “caring detachment:”

Caring detachment comes from living life fully, not from avoiding it. The caringly detached person is a very active participant in the affairs of self, family, community, and the spirit, yet detached from the outcome of his or her endeavors. Work and life then become God’s work, not a personal quest.

Path to the Soul by Ashok Bedi, M.D.

Strengthening the groups we are in, and being unattached to the outcomes, is a practical way to experience that ancient concept of “as above, so below.” Or, as Marion Woodman said, “The deeper you go into your uniquness the more you are connected to everybody else. At the profoundest soul level we are one.”

Continue ReadingGathering together with caring detachment

On your way to an enlightened destiny

On your way to an enlightened destiny

Quite often progress is gradual and incremental and most noticeable in retrospect.

Sometimes it’s circular like a mandela and the difficulty of going backwards can be the path to progress.

Kind of like how I recently switched my pickleball serve to a volley serve, which is ultimately a more powerful and effective one, but in the short term I’m now missing a couple of serves each game as I make the transition.

But none of that is what Hexagram 35: Progress in the I Ching, an ancient book of Chinese wisdom, is about.

Here it’s about rapid, easy progress.

We’ve contemplated the people and fostered enthusiasm within them with the intent of creating meaningful change.

Now that change is here.

The image of Hexagram 35: Progress is the sun rising over the earth.

The sun represents clarity and spreads its rays over a large area. The I Ching compares this to the clarity of vision of a leader who is both an “enlightened ruler and an obedient servant” all at once.

That combination isn’t always so present in the leaders of our society today. But we can cultivate it within ourselves.

How so? R.L. Wing gives some practical advice in his I Ching translation: “Communication is now of vast importance during a time of rapid PROGRESS. It is wise for you to stay in close touch with all levels of your social world. Monitor the needs of others and be supportive of progressive improvements. Take an active part in the affairs of society now in order to refine and enhance your inner worth.”

How appropriate that this takes place in airy and social Gemini season.*

Once again this brings to mind the extraverted feeling function, which Dario Nardi calls the “friendly hosting” function: “Empathically respond to others’ needs and values, and take on their needs as your own. Check for respect and trust. Give and receive support to grow closer to people.”

All of us have access, in varying degrees, to extraverted feeling. It is one of the eight energy pathways of our personality types.

We all have a Gemini area of life, too, as represented in the natal chart. It’s being lit up right now by the transiting Sun and will more naturally be an area of focus for you, even if you don’t have natal planets here.

Wing says that taking an altrustic approach and becoming influential with people helps us progress in our inner development. If you can progress in both your relationship with yourself and with others “you are on your way to an enlightened destiny.”


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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

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References:

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingOn your way to an enlightened destiny

Using thunder to find harmony and your inner voice

Using thunder to find harmony and your inner voice

Whenever I hear thunder, I don’t tend to feel enthusiasm. Yet the image of thunder over the earth is associated with Hexagram 16 (Enthusiasm) in the I Ching, an ancient Chinese book of wisdom that is important in the Jungian world.

Thunder is a symbol of sudden change and transformation, while the earth represents stability and grounding. Together, they represent the power of enthusiasm to inspire change and create something new.

This requires getting others on board, however. This is why hexagram 16 is also sometimes referred to as “harmonize.”

How best to generate this enthusiasm and harmony? You could start by “contemplating the people” and then aligning yourself with their values.

I can’t help but notice that these are extraverted feeling kinds of activites. Extraverted feeling adjusts itself to external conditions and social, rather than personal, values. R.L. Wing’s description of hexagram 64 could also serve as a description of extraverted feeling:

If you can grasp the direction of the tendencies around you, you can parallel them and accomplish great deeds. …Penetrate the popular sentiment of society, anticipate what will be needed and supported, and choose able helpers who will be enthusiastically attracted to your compelling inspiration.

R.L. Wing, The I Ching Workbook

All of us have extraverted feeling as one of our eight energy pathways. People with ESFJ, ENFJ, INFJ, and ISFJ tendencies have it as one of the top two, where it is more easily accessible.

This adaptability is also charateristic of Mercury, the planetary host of Gemini.

And speaking of astrology, here is. R.L. Wing again: “Obey your inner voice if you wish to behave correctly in the current situation. If there is a decision to be made, surrender to the impulses of your true nature. Choose the path of least resistance. Move with the rhythm of the moment. In this way you will be relieved of tensions and open to inspired accord with the cosmos.”

Astrology is a practical way to form an inspired accord with the cosmos. Hexagram 16 correlates to these next 5-6 days of Gemini season.* If you have natal planets in Gemini, tune into them this week and access your inner voice. If you don’t have natal planets in Gemini, the Sun is currently in Gemini and lighting up the area of life that Gemini represents in your chart.

We don’t always know when thunder will arrive, but a greater awareness of your extraverted feeling energy pathway, and the Gemini area of your life, will better prepare you for it. Then you’ll experience the joy and relief that follows after the thunderstorm refreshes nature and relieves the tension that had built up.

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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

Sources:

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingUsing thunder to find harmony and your inner voice

Contemplating the people

Contemplating the people

At first glance, contemplation doesn’t seem like a Gemini type of activity.

To contemplate is to pause and enter our own center. Through the calm and quiet state of contemplation we can bring our inner and outer lives into balance. We emerge better prepared to face life’s emotional ups and downs with equanimity.

I love how Henri Nouwen described contemplation: “It offers the freedom to stroll through your own inner yard and rake up the leaves and clear the path so you can easily find the way to your heart.”

By contrast, the bright, social, and analytical air sign of Gemini is speedy and curious about what lies ahead.

There’s more contemplative depth to Gemini than one might first realize, however.

For starters, Gemini is ruled by Mercury. Mercury was the only god who could move back and forth between earth and the underworld and is the psychopomp – the guide of souls in the underworld.

Also, Gemini occurs during the time of year where we reach the maximum amount of light in the year, which then hands off to Cancer where the light starts to decrease. Contemplation is especially important during the busy Gemini season where the increase of light in the spring prompts us to be busy and active in our outer lives. Contemplation will help us remember and prepare for the decrease in light right around the corner.

Why am I writing about contemplation on this first day of Gemini? Hexagram 20 of the I Ching, an ancient Chinese text that was a favorite of Jung’s, correlates to the first 5.3 days of Gemini season.* This hexagram is called Contemplation.

The image of Hexagram 20, per Richard Wilhelm’s translation of the I Ching (he was good friends with Jung) is:

The wind blows over the earth:

The image of contemplation.

Thus the kings of old visited the regions of the world,

Contemplated the people,

And gave them instruction

Let’s stay with that image of “contemplating the people.”

Listening is one of the best ways to contemplate the people and of my favorite descriptions of listening comes from James Hillman: “Inquisitive curiosity into the lives of others extends our lives. This is not sharing; it is artful listening.. The other person is a fount of lifeblood, which transfuses vitality into your soul if you can provoke the other with your listening.”

Astrology, typology, and artful listening are just a few ways to contemplate the people. Speaking of astrology, it’s worth noting that contemplation is a lunar activity.  Looking at where the natal Moon is in your chart can show the manner in which you like to contemplate.

A practical application of this hexagram per R.L. Wing in The I Ching Workbook: “Take this time of contemplating to move freely through society. Experience new ideas fully, then offer your advice.”

This sounds like an activity perfectly suited to Gemini, doesn’t it?

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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

Sources:

The Force of Character by James Hillman

You are the Beloved: 365 Daily Readings and Meditations for Spiritual Living by Henri J.M. Nouwen

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingContemplating the people

Your life as an astrological musical score (or, the anti-aging effects of astrology)

Your life as an astrological musical score (or, the anti-aging effects of astrology)

There is a lot of focus in online discussion about astrology on how to use it to describe future events, which overlooks one of astrology’s biggest benefits: it can help us live more fully in the present.

I thought of that when reading this passage in The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts:

There can be no doubt that the power to remember and predict, to make an ordered sequence out of a helter-skelter chaos of disconnected moments, is a wonderful development of sensitivity. …But the way in which we generally use this power is apt to destroy all its advantages. For it is of little use to us to be able to remember and predict if it makes us unable to live fully in the present.

The Wisdom of Insecrity, page 34

Thanks to astrology I often forget my exact age because I instead focus on which year I’m in astrologically. For example, in the current year I’m living since my most recent birthday, I’m in a 9th house of Leo year and the Sun is the highlighted planet of my year because the Sun rules Leo. That means 9th house topics such as astrology, higher education, religion, philosophy, and so on will be more pronounced. Planets that visit Leo during the year will speak more loudly as will my natal Gemini Sun. The last time I was in a 9th house year was 12 years ago and will be again 12 years from now. This helps me remember that time is circular, not linear, so focus on the present and not on next year’s 10th house of Virgo year.

Way back when I was in high school I played violin in the school orchestra and I also played in church bell choirs back in the day, I enjoyed how we would work on only parts of a muscial score at a time. If it was a part with a lot of rests sometimes I would get bored and lose track of the count, which was never good, because it could make me miss my entrance when it was time to play again (a bell or violin played at the wrong moment can be excruciating to listen to). Staying in that moment of rests contributes to the greater good of the musical score just as much as the extreme focus needed when playing a bunch of sixteenth notes for several measures. All of this is analogous astrology and our lived experiences.

Yes, it’s fun to muse about what Pluto in Aquarius will be like during the next 20 years. But what part of your musical score are you working on right now? Are you paying attention to the rests and practicing the complicated bits of melody? What type of musician are you (something your astrological temperament, rising sign, and more can give insight into)?

Alan Watts again:

If, then, my awareness of the past and future makes me less aware of the present, I must begin to wonder whether I am actually living in the real world.

The Wisdom of Insecurity p. 35

Continue ReadingYour life as an astrological musical score (or, the anti-aging effects of astrology)