Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom
Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).
I disagree with your first interpretation of Hexagram 60.6. I think it refers to the idea that you have already limited yourself in your quest for spiritual progress enough. In paying attention to yourself enough, you will see that this way cannot continue; it's too harsh to be sustainable. So let go of it, and let it be. Instead, let your "inner truth" be your limit.
but you speak of it as though an abyss is the only way to learn, perhaps because it's the only way you've known. And so you fall further into the abyss. My guess is that you've never gotten out of the abyss of your past, walked on dry land, let the nurturing of the earth be your guide. You are still limited by the abyss. Get some stimulation from outside the confines of the abyss. Move on to a new life.
Overall, I'd say, "Let go of your limitations and live as you are."
60.6: The soul does not need to be purified to begin a practice of spirituality. One just starts from the place you're already at.
29.1: The soul does not need stimulation to progress. That idea is a pitfall. The highest value for the soul is peace, not stimulation. You need to set aside peaceful time for yourself, perhaps to meditate.
Perhaps soul requires a degree of selflessness grow.
And perhaps a certain understanding of yourself can be obtained by directing your energy outward toward doing the best you can for people, ideas, work, religion, philosophy. It's my impression, from this line, that you cannot "stimulate" your soul by dwelling on yourself.
Perhaps your real inner soul strength is an ability, willingness, intention, to help those who cannot or will not help themselves.
Your soul needs a challenge. 29.1 says you have become too accustomed to your situation. Your routine has become so routine that your perceptions have become dull around the edges. You need a bit of "danger" to sharpen your instincts, to clarify your intuition.
The River
It is when Siddhartha first visits the river that he realizes the spiritual power of natural things and this begins his own special journey into understanding the material world and the connections between all things. Each time he comes back to the river, it marks a new stage in his enlightenment. The first time he comes back, it is with great unease from living a rich life in town, and he desires to drown himself, but the river responds, sending him the word ‘om’ and showing him his own reflection. He seeks the ferryman, who shows him the power of listening. The ferryman has learned his wisdom from the river and it speaks to him in many voices. As Siddhartha learns to hear these voices and sees the visions of the river, he comes closer to contentment and greater natural wisdom. Eventually, after he has grieved to see his son refuse to live a ferryman’s life with him, Siddhartha learns the nature of eternity and wholeness from the river.
What does a soul need for spiritual progress? I think a paddle.
every time I tried to do something that I wanted to, I was swatted by my destiny....if I tried to use my free will to make a phone call to a friend, my destiny would at best find a way to prevent me from making that phone call, or at worst the conversation would somehow create trouble for my friend or me. But this is just one example. Most of my life has had this pattern in pretty much everything. Any desire to experience the simplest of joys was swiftly put down.
The River
It is when Siddhartha first visits the river that he realizes the spiritual power of natural things and this begins his own special journey into understanding the material world and the connections between all things. Each time he comes back to the river, it marks a new stage in his enlightenment. The first time he comes back, it is with great unease from living a rich life in town, and he desires to drown himself, but the river responds, sending him the word ‘om’ and showing him his own reflection. He seeks the ferryman, who shows him the power of listening. The ferryman has learned his wisdom from the river and it speaks to him in many voices. As Siddhartha learns to hear these voices and sees the visions of the river, he comes closer to contentment and greater natural wisdom. Eventually, after he has grieved to see his son refuse to live a ferryman’s life with him, Siddhartha learns the nature of eternity and wholeness from the river.
How about editing my first response from Spiritual Challenges to Spiritual Opportunities?
So a spiritual challenge is when the outer material world is giving you feedback, guidance of one sort but your inner spiritual world is telling you something different and you want to follow and strengthen your inner guidance.
This is the season of Lent. An excellent time for taking on a spiritual challenge -
....
"Feel the fear and do it anyway!"
Glad you like the poet's iching, ragini. It seems that poets are always looking for aspects of the soul in themselves and in the world. Perhaps you are a poet too?
“The world stands out on either side
No wider than the heart is wide;
Above the world is stretched the sky,
No higher than the soul is high.
The heart can push the sea and land
Farther away on either hand;
The soul can split the sky in two,
And let the face of God shine through.
But East and West will pinch the heart
That can not keep them pushed apart;
And he whose soul is flat—the sky
Will cave in on him by and by.”
from the poem, "Renascence," by Edna St Vincent Millay
http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/renascence
I really love your questions ragini, very stimulating for all of us.
:bows:
:bows:
:bows:
Challenges and obstacles in a person's life are indicated by the placement of Saturn in the natal astrological chart. The opposite, good luck, is indicated by the placement of Jupiter. I'm not an astrologer, by the way; I'm just interested in some of the concepts, because they can be clarifying.
And then they drop their thunderbolt on a monster, and they think, ‘What a good boy am I.’ And down they go again.”
What stimulation does my soul need for spiritual progress? 29.1->60
Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom
Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).