Great synchronicity

[rhett]

Hi Yi Friends,

Moments of synchronicity or coincidence are one of the great connections we share with the universe. I would enjoy hearing and invite you to share stories of your own favorite synchronicities. Let me start with one of my own favorites.


My wife gave me an Apple iPod for my birthday, which I filled with about a 1000 songs of music. Its great for traveling, because you can bring the music you enjoy anywhere.

Last year I took it with me to the South Pole, which you reach in a noisy C-140 aircraft. I was using the iPod instead of ear-plugs, & had set it to randomly shuffle among songs.

As the Pole became visible and we were landing, the music that the Great Tao chose for that moment was "White Room" by the Cream!

The first line of the song, "In the white room with black curtains near the station," captures the essence of the experience of living there during the Austral summer. White ice and snow extends flat to the horizon under 24 hour sun. Black curtains in the tents create the night so you can sleep. The tents are near the station, about a 200 m trek from the Dome of the South Pole Station.

What a wonderful sense of humor this universe has!

Happy Spring (in the North) and Autumn (in the South) and Easter to all,

Rhett

[mick]

Rhett,

You wrote, "What a wonderful sense of humor this universe has!"

Many years ago, I was going to work and I had a sudden craving for dates. So I bought myself a packet of "Eat Me" dates.

At that time I was working for a software house using a computer where numbers could be stored as binary or packed.

Later that day, a colleague asked me, "Do you know if it's possible to pack dates?"

I said, "Funny you should say that", reached into my drawer and pulled out the pack of "Eat Me" dates.

Hysterical laughter from everyone in the room.

Best wishes,

Mick

[hilary]

http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif !

I think I've noticed a new breed of synchronicity: Yi discoveries.

Bradford wrote on this forum that he thought he'd discovered transitional hexagrams, until he found that Mondo Secter and one other person had also come up with the idea in the same year.

On this forum, we've seen LiSe and Stephen Karcher pretty much simultaneously having the idea of putting together all four 'crosslines' and 'fan yao'.

And I just found a message to the IChing_YiJing group from someone who realised 'two years ago' that he could create a pair of hexagrams by taking into account only the places of change in a reading, not whether the lines were yin or yang. (Ie every time the first line changes, the 'pair' would be 24 and 44.) I went over to Andreas Schoter's site to find the date for his joint paper with Stephen on 'Tools for Change', which included exactly this. 2002.

There must have been many, many more. I wonder how many people simultaneously discovered trigrams...

[sparhawk]

Now, now Hilary, no need to be a cynic. Go and have some dark chocolate and come back. http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

You may be onto something, however... I am pretty sure that most of the Yi "discoveries" in the Occident have already been covered in the "Orient" in the few thousand of years that have passed since its inception. We just lack the language skills needed to dig into those thousands of books and treatises that have been written in Chinese, all this time, while we've been busy being conceived.

Even some modern concepts like the "Boolean Algebra" of Andreas (something so dry you see as a corruption) and Yi Cubes of Peter may have already been "discovered" in the times of Shao Yong (actually, Peter's work has the backing of computing power behind him, hmm, that's really novel)

Re-discovery, on the other hand, has a lot of merit. That one person actually re-discovers, on his own, something that was completely alien to him until that moment, out of pure love and interest for the subject, wow! That's really something to respect.

Everything has a place and those rediscoveries should be welcomed. Unless we start to believe that some, very dead, Chinese sage is whispering those things to the "discoverers", they deserve our congratulations.

Of course, that's MHO.

Luis

[candid]

My closest friend since childhood, who introduced me to the Yi back when, has always had an interest in this media phenomenon, as he expresses on his personal site:

media synchronicity (http://www.lousweb.com/Phenomena/unexplained.htm)

Thanks, Lou.

[hilary]

Hey, Luis, I am well supplied with dark chocolate and triple chocolate icecream (though it's undoubtedly a sign from the universe that you should mention this now...) and not in the least bit cynical. Honestly!

Which bit did you think was cynical? I really do get the feeling that some things decide to be (re-)discovered at a certain time, and so they are. Trigrams maybe sometime around the early Han dynasty - or maybe earlier (pax, Brad!). Maybe we are seeing tiny, miniature versions of the kind of process that brought the Yijing into being in the first place.

I was kidding about Stephen being 'corrupted' into using mathematical terms, by the way. http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/wink.gif I'm very interested in change operators, even if I wish he'd stuck with calling them something less intimidating.

[sparhawk]

<BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1>Quote:</FONT>

I was kidding about Stephen being 'corrupted' into using mathematical terms, by the way. I'm very interested in change operators, even if I wish he'd stuck with calling them something less intimidating.<!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE>

Darn! You are a romantic to the bone! Any chance I'll buy you dinner next time I go to London? I'll bring you a heart shaped box of the finest dark chocolates and a single red rose... http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/heart.gif

<BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1>Quote:</FONT>

I wonder how many people simultaneously discovered trigrams...<!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE>

You were not cynical then. I thought I caught a smirk and a backward thumb pointing with a "tsk, look at those guys..." http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/biggrin.gif

Luis

[sparhawk]

Candid,

That was creepy! A glitch in the Matrix, perhaps? http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

Seriously though, that's a good example of what happens when people really pay attention to their surroundings for these kind of signs. Seek for them and you shall find.

Luis

[candid]

Luis,

Yeah it is a little creepy in an interesting way. I too have noticed what he speaks of. I remember him being fascinated by it 30 years ago, and he still is today

There was something similar happening to/with me yesterday with the word "horse" or "pony". All day long those words kept popping up in completely unrelated context. Now I probably won't hear them for a long while.

There's always a sense of connectedness I get from these seemingly unrelated sources using the same exact words or terms, even if there's no understandable message attached to them.

[hilary]

Romantic to the marrow. And particularly fond of dark chocolate.

Candid, that's a good 'glitch'. Borderline telepathy (come to think of it, didn't Jung class that as a kind of synchronicity?)

Which reminds me... there was the time I was lugging my 'cello along the road to a rehearsal. It was a long walk, and I tended to fill the time with imaginings. Generally I played a starring role http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/blush.gif. For instance, one of my favourite imaginings involved the arrival of a French-speaking 'cellist: I would interpret fluently, and make a great friend. (Admitting to this is so embarrassing! http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/paperbag.gif.)

This time around I varied the imaginary scenario and thought of meeting a German 'cellist instead - a woman about my age. That's not an obvious imagining for me to come up with, as my spoken German is truly abominable - but anyway, the thought popped into my head.

Ten minutes' walk later, I found another woman in her 20s, with a 'cello, already waiting outside the rehearsal room, wanting to know if she'd come to the right place.

She was German. And thank heaven, she spoke perfect English.

[cheiron]

Gosh Hilary

You are brave/confident... most of us do this sort of thing at some time or another - the reasons for it are fairly obvious and nothing to be shy about - but I am shy...

I never met the woman... and I never made the great shamanistic discovery which would wow everyone into being spiritual and loving... But lots of nice things did (and do) happen along the way http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

ahh, well... what a lovely way to while away a long walk http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

--K

[sparhawk]

There we go! Just read your message about your daydreamings on the cello road and ten minutes ago I was talking to a lady that works at "Chelo Realty". The two words, cello and chelo, sound identical in Spanish...

Interesting...

Luis

[candid]

Just this morning I was chatting with a woman who asked if I knew anyone in the states who makes their own cellos. Later, a guitar player was telling me that a friend of his makes cellos.

Hilary, I admire your confession of imaginings of grandeur. That is so child-like in innocence. I love it.

I'm not sure if those words actually pop up any more often than usual, or if we just become attuned to hearing them. I recall when I first got married, we bought a new Volkswagen bug. Suddenly it seemed that VWs where everywhere along the roads. Unless VW experienced a windfall in sales following the week of our purchase, my mind had just become keenly aware of them. Still, that doesn't explain the premonitions, such as you've explained with the young German cellist.

The mystery keeps us humble, yes?

[dharma]

Candid,
the "media synchronicity" thing is something i've noticed many, many times over the years. in fact, the other day i was watching television when the smell of cooking fish wafted in through my open window while the woman in the home deodorizing commercial on the TV sniffed the air in her environment and said "something smells fishy around here" http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/wink.gif

but the best is this... while stuck in traffic the other day, my son impatient to get going, groaned "we're going nowhere fast" and almost at the same time we both noticed a bird in the field along the highway flapping its wings very fast but remaining steady in one spot as though caught in a force field or an invisible net (btw, anyone know what kind of bird does this? it was too big to be a hummingbird - it would do this for about 30 seconds straight and then drop down for a breather and then go back up and do it again) i said out loud "that's like Jonathon Livingstone's Seagull!" and the radio announcer said "I've got Jonathon on the line..." http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif seems life is one big synchronicity after another - wonder why we don't notice it more often

[cheiron]

Hi Dharma

The hawk family and some hunting sea birds do this... hovering at sometimes extraordinary heights they can see tiny mammals in the shrubs and grasses then they dive.

Lovely story though... much metaphoric truth in it http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

--Kevin

[candid]

Dharma, I love it!

BTW, I just found this:

Some birds, such as kestrels, remain motionless "wind hovering" above a point on the ground by flying into the wind at a speed equal to that of the wind, and other birds hover momentarily while foraging. Hummingbirds, on the other hand, are able to remain in the same place in still air as long as they wish -- they are true hoverers.

[candid]

And this:

Kestrels are found in a wide variety of habitats, from moor and heath, to farmland and urban areas. The only places they do not favour are dense forests, vast treeless wetlands and mountains. They are a familiar sight, hovering beside a motorway, or other main road. They can often be seen perched on a high tree branch, or on a telephone post or wire, on the look out for prey.

(Kestrel and Kingfisher)

http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/messages/6331/2002.jpg http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/messages/6331/2003.jpg

[dharma]

Candid,
just took a look at some images of kestrels and i'm pretty sure that that's the bird i saw (overall brownish with colored markings around the head area) thanks! http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

...so i call my son up at work to tell him this and he points out a minor ? flaw in my retelling of the synchronicity story. he says...

are you ready for this?

the announcer didn't say "I've got Jonathon on the line" my son says he said,
"Go ahead Jonathon, you're on the AIR..."http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/bounce.gif

[candid]

LOL!

[lenardthefast]

Hi Demitra,

It could have been a kestrel, common name "sparrow hawk". They are about the size of a skinny pigeon. Nice story. http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

Namaste,
Leonard

[hilary]

Oh yes, very brave! It's so reassuringly nice and dark and sort of papery in here...

I love the story of Jonathon Windhover. And the website of the man who introduced Candid and Yi!

What I hear through the 'meaningless' coincidences is something like, 'So, you have this idea of not being connected? Pull the other one, it's got bells on...'

[sparhawk]

<BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1>Quote:</FONT>

common name "sparrow hawk". <!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE>

And we've come full circle: sparrow hawk = sparhawk... http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/biggrin.gif

The only thing remaining in the tale is that Demitra was thinking of me while being stuck in traffic... LOL

Luis

[dharma]

http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/messages/6331/2004.gif
alas, i was afraid of this, the truth is out http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/wink.gif

hOWever...

where, Luis, is MY dark chocolate and single rose http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/messages/6331/2005.gif

[sparhawk]

<BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1>Quote:</FONT>

where, Luis, is MY dark chocolate and single rose<!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sigh... so many fine ladies, so little time... http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

Alas, chocolate and roses are at my command... http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/biggrin.gif

<CENTER>http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/messages/6331/2006.gif</CENTER>


Luis

[rinda]

Oh my, dark chocolate and roses...

mmmmmmmmmmm........ Would they go well with a bottle of Shiraz?

I think I'm going to enjoy this community very much!


Rinda

[sparhawk]

Rinda, you may as well realize early on that this is a support group for chocoholics disguised as an I Ching forum.

As for the wine, please pass the bottle anytime... http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

Luis

[candid]

Awww Hilary, that?s nothing to be embarrassed about compared to my rock star fantasy!

http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/messages/6331/2007.jpg

http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/paperbag.gif

[dharma]

terrific Luis - quality stuff! http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif
i'm so appreciative here's thanking you in spanish, german, greek, french, cantonese, japanese and italian

Muchas gracias, Dank sch&ouml;n, Efcharisto, Merci beaucoup, Doh je, Domo arigato, and finally, Gr&agrave;zzie http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/wink.gif

[lenardthefast]

All you emoticon-masters are making me feel SOMEthing akin to envy.(The little animated ones are especially appealing!)

Namaste,
Leonard

[jte]

I?ve really experienced many many synchronicities in my life, many more than I could count or list here (or even remember them all TO list). In particular with music. Some (to me) memorable ones:

The first and only time I saw a psychiatrist was when I was 16. (He diagnosed me with ?temporary adjustment disorder? which was causing depression.) Around this time I had just started using the Yi. The very last session I had with him, I mentioned that I had started using it. At the end of the session he said ?good luck? with emphasis on the luck. He was into using body language to express meaning and from the look in his eye and his whole demeanor, I got his message: the Yi is just random.

So, I go to my car to drive home. Turn on the radio and what should come on: Doctor, by The Who (??can you see the real me, doctor??). Being new to the Yi, I didn?t recognize it as a synchronicity, to me then it was just interesting coincidence. I remembered it though, and later understood what it was (to the degree that I understand what synchronicities are).

Interestingly, once I saw this as a synchronicity, I always assumed the ?me? that was not understood by the doctor was me. Looking back, I?m not so sure: it could also have meant the Yi itself, I think.

Fast forward a bit: in college I had a rather socially disastrous breakup with a 44 type girlfriend, Malia. I experienced a lot of very visible, powerful synchronicities around this breakup. By powerful I mean that they sent a very direct message to me, were impressive in scope in how much physical space was affected, and that other people could see them. (Someday I may post the whole story of this here, since the Yi was involved, it was a very transformative time for me, and had all the hallmarks of a good soap opera, but I simply don?t have the time right now ? this post is going to be plenty long I can tell already.)

Anyhow, the very last time Malia and I did anything together (this is going on 15 years ago, btw) we went to an outdoor party together. Just as we walked into view of people at the party (I was walking, she was on a bicycle, actually) the song ?Blue Sunday? by the Doors started playing very loudly over the whole are. (?? I found my own true love once, on a Blue Sunday??).

She left the party with another guy. Still not sure if she was my true love or his ? I did love her and I think he did, too. Maybe both of ours: whatever her faults, she was quite a woman.

Anyhow, I was somewhat distraught over all of this, but took it in stride. Unfortunately, I went to a small college of about 1000 students, so fairly soon *everyone* knew about this: did not make it easier :-( . Anyhow, there was a promise of better things to come:

[A side note: my fiancee is watching TV *as I type this post* and there is a guy singing a love song ??I?ll be there, always, always, not for just an hour, not for just a day, not for just a year, always always?? The universe and its sense of humor again (or something)? ]

About 2 weeks after this (and after some interesting developments that I won?t go into here) I was in our college dining commons. I sat at a table near a very large window with some friends, including a couple who had just started going out. They were singing to each other, knd of half jokingly, but in soft, pleasant voices: the theme from The Love Boat. Just as they were singing ?the Love Boat soon will be making another run, the Love Boat promises something for everyone?? the guy who went out with Malia before me walks past the window with a new girlfriend.

Message to me was clear: I would find a new love sooner or later (and of course, I found several over time). Worth noting that a guy who knew both me, Malia, *and* her previous boyfriend, was sitting right next to me. He saw and heard exactly what I did: it seemed to freak him out and he always treated me differently after that?

One more from college (and again a love-related one): I had another girlfriend who I was very attached to and ended up breaking up with. (I pretty much had the whole broken heart/break up thing down to a science in college, I guess.) At commencement (the ceremony where they hand you your college degree) she arrived and got up on top of a wall *at the precise moment* they called my name to come up and get my degree.

Several people who knew me and her and had seen all the Malia synchronicities (of which there were many, not just the two I described, just to put this in context) were in the audience. I could see several of them looking, well, very confused.

My Mom was in the audience and kind enough to take a picture. (In case I ever started to wonder if it was all hallucinations or something, well, here?s my proof to myself that it wasn?t.)

All of these were from 15 - 20 years ago... I?ll post on some of the ones I?ve been having recently when I get a chance? don't really have time to do them justice at the moment...

- Jeff

[lenardthefast]

Thats because she IS a little diamond! http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

Namaste,
Leonard

[rhett]

I have enjoyed hearing your tales of synchronicity &amp; would enjoy hearing more...

In starting this discussion, I told a personal instance of synchronicity. Here is one of my favorites instances of synchronicity for two people together.

Years ago when I was in grad school at Caltech, my office mate and best friend was Carlos, a Guatemalan. Many years before in Rhode Island, he had a girl friend and lover, Geneva, whom I had never met but had been regaled of stories.

One day my wife and I stopped by another friend's house, knowing her old friend from San Diego high school days, Michael MInor (of Robocop fame), was visiting Altadena, CA, where we lived. There was a note on the door, "Stopped by to say hi, sorry we missed you, Michael and Geneva." When we saw this, we remarked that wouldn't it be funny if Geneva turned out to be Carlos' old girl friend.

Yes. Michael met Geneva in Hollywood. They fell in love and got married. We were the only people connected with both sides of the wedding. Kim and I were the syncronicity of that moment.

Aloha,

Rhett

[yellowknife]

Hi!

My first post. I'd asked the Yi if I should post a question I had here and it counselled Patience (5)

Since there seems to be lots going on at the moment on the forums relationship wise, and battle wise, perhaps that's why.

So I'll make my introductory post a description of a couple of synchronicities instead;

I was doing Tarot reading at a psychic fair with my Arthurian deck. As I prepared for the rush to start by shuffling my deck, the Grail Queen card flipped out and landed on the floor. I thought, "I'll be meeting a significant Grail Queen" later then". Then I semi dismissed it, thinking that I'd obviously be meeting lots of Grail Queen types at a psychic fair.

My fourth or fifth client was a woman who I really clicked with and gave what felt like a successful, significant reading to. At the end she said she'd been drawn to me because I used the Arthurian Tarot pack- the same as her own. Then she started getting her wallet out, saying she carried something around to give her inspiration always. She flipped a flap open- to show the exact same Grail Queen card I'd earlier dropped! Shivers went down my spine, in a positive way...

Last December after some time disconnected with synchronicities, I had two instances of ornamental dragons I own being knocked and damaged- in both cases losing their heads. I spent some time pondering the likely significance of dragon's heads but drew a blank. Finally I googled "Dragon's Head" and came up with the astrological feature the North Node- which I'd previously ignored- and I'd not been in touch with astrological things for some years. As I researched though it turned out that the important solar eclipse of 23rd November had taken place exactly conjunct my natal North Node! That's since led to all sorts of important, relevant insights.

In both cases I've felt these synchronicities came up when my conscious mind was trying to dismiss the importance of the conjunction of the inner and the outer- and my unconscious was reminding me in no uncertain terms not to.

I look forward to being here.

K.

[hilary]

Welcome, K! Thank you for the synchronicities, and for your remarkable Patience in waiting for the dust to settle. http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

[rhett]

Hi K....,

Great stories! Did the Grail Queen have futher significance beyond the encounter at the fair?

When I heard the Dragons without heads, I thought of the Creative (Hex 1) with all lines moving...

"When all the lines are nines, it means:
There appears a flight of dragons without heads.
Good fortune."

I do not know much of the North node, but the synchronicity of the Dragons without heads is fascinating. Has this been a moment of Good Fortune?

I am glad you have joined!

Aloha,

Rhett

[yellowknife]

Hello Rhett
and thanks for the welcome.

I suppose the Grail Queen had ongoing sigificance- in that since I was trying to be hyper rational about the Tarot at the time, the Grail Queen embodied some of the fluidity and more "feeling" mode I should have been operating in.

Funnily enough (or synchronously enough) after I posted about the dragons heads yesterday I did one of the online readings on here and, in asking a question about a creative project I'm undertaking, I got Hexagram 1 and noticed the line in the Wilhelm translation about the dragon's heads.

The solar eclipse conjunct my North Node also coincided with a significant point in the beginning of those undertakings (I write and perform poetry and am currently planning some performance events which should see other people given voices as well as me). So far this has been a moment of Good Fortune!

I'm going to continue thinking about headless dragons now.

One thing it makes me think of is sheer powerful creative force without over analysis or purely mental (head) energy- similar to the Grail Queen message. I don't know if sounds right?

Blessings

K

[rhett]

Hi K,

Following the flight of the headless dragons, is your experience one that has synchronity of creativity changing to receptivity?

Aloha,

Rhett

[yellowknife]

that seems one to think about.

I suppose in terms of the upsurge in creativity set in motion by new ways of writing, performing and connecting with like minded people over the past few months then the next stage may well, of necessity, involve more receptivity.

Definitely food for thought,

thanks

K

[jte]

Finally have some time to post again (my folks were in town last week, AND I?m having a busy spell at work ? yikes!).

Over the last 6 months or so, I started getting interested in health (reading/collecting articles, working out at a gym, going on a diet, and developing an exercise program). This interest has resulted in a lot of synchronicities, in particular, I?ve seen a lot of interesting synchronicities in my gym:

There is music playing nearly constantly:
- songs metaphorically describing people/activities in the gym, including specific songs coming on when I see certain people
- when I see certain people, the music will go off and an announcement will come on or the songs will suddenly change (this is particularly pronounced with women I think are attractive ? not sure why this is ? yin/yang interacting?? some sort of karma/attachment message?? Dunno?)

In addition, several times people?s conversations have seemed to metaphorically represent or provide commentary for unrelated events that were going on simultaneously or nearly simultaneously

Also, a long series of ?small? synchronicities surrounding my 2-3 cup/day coffee habit led me to believe that I should stop drinking coffee. So, I slowly quit by reducing the amount I drank per day. I later found out that I now have borderline high blood pressure (I attribute this mostly to work-related stress.) First thing they said was ?cut down on coffee? ? I had beaten them to the punch?

( I didn?t quit completely, just went to 2-3 cups/week. The I Ching had something to say about this: 44.2. )

Another striking recent synchronicity I got when I was praying ? about a month or two ago, I decided to spontaneously pray while stuck in freeway traffic during a rain shower. Just as I finished, I rounded a bend and there was a big, gorgeous rainbow. Just as I saw it, the sun came out from behind a cloud so there was a sunny spot right on my car. This loses something in the telling, I think, but the effect at the time was quite striking.

I think a guy in a car next to me noticed this: I noticed he glanced over at me while I was praying, and then after the synchronicity he kept staring at me while we were driving along (driving slowly, due to the traffic).

That one was pretty cool, and after it I got the idea to get a bumper sticker made for my car that reads: ?Wondering what to do with your life? Make the world a better place?? Not sure exactly why, just felt inspired to do it.

To finish up this story, I need to give some background: about 2 years ago my fiancee?s step-mom died of cancer (poor thing was a smoker and died at 47 of like 7 different types of cancer :-( ). I ?inherited? some of her CDs that other folks didn?t want.

On the day I put the bumper sticker on my car, I opened one that I hadn?t gotten to: ?Amen? by Paula Cole Band. On the CD sleeve is a quote ?the way is not in the sky, the way is in the heart.? This seemed to bring the prayer synchronicity full circle. It also seems to have a message for me that maybe I needed to hear: in an important way, things like synchronicities are secondary to one?s mindset/state of consciousness/attitude/sincerity.

The quote is attributed to the Dhammapada, so I?ve now read most of the Dhammapada looking for that quote. I couldn?t find it. I?m wondering if it?s one of those wrongly-attributed quotes that one stumbles across occasionally? If anyone can tell me which section of the Dhammapada it?s in, I?d be most appreciative?

- Jeff

[jte]

Oh, yes, one more thing on this topic:

<CENTER>http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/messages/6331/2046.gif</CENTER>

;-)

- Jeff

[rhett]

Hi Jeff,

A moment of prayer followed by a rainbow. Auspicious!

Great stories.

Aloha,

Rhett

[rhett]

Another interesting bit of synchronicity. This time the Yi does a play on words.

I am in the process of moving. I have about 10 ft of LP record albums, which I don't often play in this digital age, but which contain a lot of great music. I was not sure whether to get rid of them or keep them. Being open minded, I decided to ask the Yi, "Should I keep my records?"

The answer received was "Keeping Still".

A pretty straightforward and humorous reply, playing on the Name of Hexagram 52 in my W/B version of the Yi.

I plan to still keep my records.

Rhett

[gene]

I listen to coasttocoastam.com often and a few days ago there was a show on coincidences, or synchronicity. What a coincidence!

Gene

[heylise]

My grandfather's birthday was Mai 26.

Birthday of my girl-friend during all primary school was too, and my first boy-friend. And my second boy-friend. And someone I fell very much in love with.

Today I heard Buddha's birthday was Mai 26.

Could it be that fate was telling me all the time not to search for a normal love, but for a spiritual one?

LiSe

[candid]

LiSe, I don't know, but if you find the answer to that question PLEASE share it with me!

[lindsay]

I'm not sure, LiSe. May 26 was the birthday of Queen Mary (1867-1953) of England, who was immortalized during an evacuation from the royal palace during WW II when she observed, "So that's what hay looks like." And May 26 was the birthday of actor John Wayne (1907), a very spiritual guy. On the other hand, jazz great Miles Davis was also born May 26, 1926.

I'd like to think it's possible to find both kinds of love.

Lindsay

[candid]

Eros and agape.. yeah that could be nice.

Chen over Sun = 32
Sun over Chen = 42

Great and enduring things possible.

But..

Ken over Tui = 41
Tui over Ken = 31

Only small things.

Compromise is a bitch.

[cheiron]

I think Queen Mary might have been exercising sardonic humour when she said that.

Sardonic humour is a very famous Royal Puppy - Not as good looking as Candids Pooch though ;)

--Kevin

[lindsay]

Actually, I like to think it's possible to find all three kinds of love, since philosophers traditionally talk about (1) eros = romantic love, (2) agape = love of God, and (3) philia = brotherly love. Does the Yi ever talk directly talk about love? I know several modern authors have written love-oriented commentaries, but I cannot think of any open reference to love in the Yi. Maybe the ancient Chinese did not have love, or rather the idea of love?

Lindsay

[candid]

Lindsay, I think:

44, 31, 54 are about Eros

32, 13, 45 are about Philia

61, 17, 50 are about Agape

What say you?

[bradford_h]

Hi Lindsay
Words that can translate as love do not appear in the Zhouyi, and only appear twice in the Wings,
ren at 24.2x and ai at 37.5x.
I'll betcha the academics would think that human civilization in the Zhou was too primitive for love.
b

[rinda]

Funny how a saying like "We are one body" can encompass love as expressed in eros, philia and agape...

I want to take some time to think about this - fascinating! Perhaps this deserves it's own thread - an exploration of love based on Yijing. Wow.

Rinda

[lindsay]

Yes, Kevin, I'm sure you're right. Sardonic humour. We Yanks just don't get it - I guess it's genetic. And you're right too about Candid's pooch. That's one good-looking dog!

Candid, I need some time to think about your selections -- this could be important. I just never considered the Yi as literally much interested in the finer emotions. Maybe it was all the ear-cutting, nose-slicing, and buttocks-squeezing that distracted me.

Lindsay

[rinda]

LiSe~

If it's love (the kind of love that I think most of us hope for or treasure), how could it not have an element of the spiritual? ...and I wonder - did not [that which is beyond all understanding] create us, give us limits/boundaries so we could be loved by and in relationship with that same being??

Rinda

[lindsay]

Brad, you're right! Even now I bet some poor graduate student is reading this, thinking the topic (or, better, non-topic) of love in the Yi would make a wonderful dissertation! If people don't write about love, it can't exist, can it? And yet, there are an awful lot of modern Chinese who seem to be descendants of the ancient Chinese, so I guess somebody figured out the love thing without King Wen's guidance.

Lindsay

[candid]

LOL, Linsday! buttocks-squeezing?

On a pragmatic level, I appreciate Brad's points. On a romantic level, I appreciate Rinda's points.

I've never really found anything in Yi that directly points to what "feels" like romantic love. I've just considered Tui as encompassing that entire set of emotions. On a higher level, Li, as she is the second daughter. And on the highest level, Sun, the eldest daughter, because she would be the spiritual connection, which I personally would definitely need in a serious and committed relationship. And if there was that Sun connection, I'd also wish her to be radiant like Li, and highly sexual like Tui. Not asking too much, huh? But I figure I'm worth it. The question is, does she?? LOL

[candid]

Isn't it the same for a woman, using the three sons' images? Chen the eldest son, strong and spiritual. Kan the second son, fluid and exciting. Ken, the third son, still and hard. (pardon the graphics)

Mojo and I thank you for your compliments!

[lindsay]

Rinda wants to talk seriously about love and the Yi, but I?m not sure we are ready to do that right now. I am a very analytical person and have pointy ears, so I must say I see three big problems:

(1) Bradford tells us there is no expression in the Yi that can be translated directly as ?love?, which means we must approach the topic indirectly or in other terms. And that brings up the issue of how much we are willing to stretch interpretation to fit our own concerns. Obviously the Yi has no word for ?computer? or ?internet? either, but we might not hesitate to ask a question like, ?What will happen if I express my opinions openly on my webpage?? Are questions about love the same or different? Can the Yi talk about things it has no words for?

(2) What is love? Do we really tend to ask questions about love itself, or about issues surrounding love? Issues like desire, respect, possession, security, control, responsiveness, values, sharing, willingness, and so on. I think the Yi may be capable of addressing each and every love-problem, even if it remains mute about love itself. And then too there is the question brought up in another string, of whether the love-struck are capable of interpreting the Yi with any degree of accuracy? Perhaps consulting the Yi in any highly-charged emotional state is a waste of time?

(3) I?m also wondering if there just aren?t enough women posting right now to make this a fruitful discussion. In matters of love - well, you know ? there is a whole range of perspectives that are probably not accessible to most men. Another thing: can the Yi talk about love like a woman? How would I know? To me, the Oracle is a guy I talk to once in awhile.

So maybe we should forget the whole thing, and just chat about synchronicities or dogs or whatever. What?s love got to do with it, anyway?

Lindsay

[martin]

Easy, the Yi was written by men and men like to talk about war!
Face it, the Yi is a macho book!

Chuckle

Martin

[jte]

Hrmm hrmm. All below is IMHO:

I think love, even "ordinary" love, not the compassion of a spiritual leader, represents a kind of spiritual power and can effect synchronicities. Like they say, "all the world loves a lover." Yes, that saying is about inner attitude, but I think it's about more than that as well.

I think part of the difficulty seeing love in the Yi is that hexes are so general - they can be about love and many other things, too. That's why it's hard to see love in them, it's love OR devotion OR compassion OR (etc...)

My personal opinion is that love (in some aspect) is treated (or perhaps it's better to say CAN BE treated) in several Hex's: 2, 8, 13, 17, 24, 31, 32, 35, 36, 48, 50, and (of course :-) ) 61. I probably missed a few in there.

Sadly, I don't have the hours and hours it would take to elaborate on each case, but I've gotten love-related readings with these hexes.

This may in part be due to the translations I'm using (Legge and W/B) and of course the particular questions I ask and interpretations I make.

One example: My fiancee is very skeptical about the Yi generally (she's a rationalist). I had the audacity to ask (in front of her): Does Shannon love me? Answer was 2 unchanging. I interpret this as her being devoted to me, since devotion is an attribute of 2. (She didn't think much of it, oh well... :-) )

- Jeff