Hi,

over the past few months, I have learnt to live with the 'flow' of life and have come to understand some things that help me to live this way. I do not know if they apply to everyone (feel free to disagree with anything), but I do want to share with people who may understand, so below I include some of what I have learnt so far (or un-forgotten, because inside I knew it already, but my ego was getting in the way of understanding).

With regards to I Ching, there is a question i can feel inside of me, it is important but i cannot yet put it in words, but am happy to have found this community so that it can be shared when I am ready.

I have used the I Ching (a long time ago) and it helped life to flow in the right direction and put me where I am now - or to look at it another way - it showed me how to join the flow of life and follow the 'way'.

But over the years, I slipped and was overtaken by pressures to 'succeed' and got caught up in foolishly wanting what I hadn't got. How have I come from the rat race me stressing to get a promotion, to the happy me, smiley warm sunny as I am now? Well i wanted to move up in my career and couldn't get away from the demotivating factors in my life, so i thought hypnotism would help to stop me being demotivated. Anyway, i found someone (trained hypnotist) who took a holistic approach and through several sessions including chatting visualisation and reiki (but no hypnotism), plus the realisations that occured inbetween the sessions, i rediscovered the 'way' of life. Result is that i realised the 'promotion' wasn't to be strived for, and by 'letting go' of the controls, life has flowed and moved me to the same same job anyway, but with less stress. I have also stopped stressing about the other things for which my ego told me i was responsible. And in particualr have lost my fear of losing things, which was holding me away from happiness.

Anyway, enough about my life, below are the understandings I have gained and wish to share.

good luck, smile and be sunny

cheers

Binz

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there is no plan


you can make your own, but this will not control.
your plans may only help things to flow

your plans can?t make things happen.
your plans won?t stop anything from happening.
they can only encourage ?life? to flow

this flow may or may not join with your planned conclusion,
but the flow will be of benefit if followed

the conclusion reached will be right


you may have your own plan


but accept that the outcome may not be as intended

whatever your plan actually results in,
it will be the right result for that time,
though you may not know it is right

trust in yourself

this is how life is

and by accepting and smiling inside
we will know it is right,
even if we don?t know why


why?


this is not a useful question

by asking why,
we seek to understand what is beyond understanding

the route of ?why??
is the route to discontentment

don?t say ?why??
say to your innerself
?it is so, and it is meant to be so?
smile at yourself,
and continue down life?s road



life is beautiful


view it with your innerself,
let your ?soul? look through the warmth of your innerself
onto the world around us

there is beauty all around
reflecting the beauty within
which is reflecting the beauty that is around us

allow these beauties to grow
and let the happiness of your self grow with them


ugly isn?t real


ugly is just a reflection of our perception.
dismiss this perception
and let your self look deeper

by allowing the innerself to flow and feel,
we can look through the perception of ugly
and find beauty in everything

everything is beautiful.
ugly is a perception our ego uses
to hide the pleasurable truth




lose your preconceived ideas
and you will lose your preconceived fears



water (rocks)


the way of life is as a river,
strewn with rocks that add excitement

rocks that add music to the journey,
and help prevent the flow from stagnating

as the river matures, the rocks are fewer.
in time, life levels out, but if too static
it can be hindered from flowing by its own silt


water (falls)


occasionally in life
the flow seems to plunge
falling out of control

these waterfalls of life take us from one stage
to the next
and should not be feared

we cannot control the fall.
go with it
trust it
the valley you emerge in may be more joyous than the previous.
but whatever it is, it is meant to be
and will lead to happiness


water (islands)


as we flow with life,
the river may take us many ways

often many rivers join and flow together,
then separate as if flowing past islands of independence

the flows may rejoin
or be joined by others

don?t wish to be the other side of the island,
we shall all reach the sea


water (eddies and whirlpools)


as we flow with the river of life,
sometimes we feel stuck in eddies and whirlpools
where it feels as if we have lost direction,
and we go round in circles making no progress

but the water doesn?t stay in one place,
and neither shall we

stop paddling to stand still,
let your self sink into the river of life,
then you will rejoin the flow and progress



water (rocks II)


if you try to swim upstream
to avoid the rocks and waterfalls,
at best you will go nowhere
and will exhaust your self,
achieving nothing as life passes you by

at worst you will not see all the rocks and waterfalls
(no one can)
and because you wont flow around the rocks,
they will hit you in the balls

so turnaround
relax
and follow the flow


water (weather)


your life / self is as a river,
experiences and events are as the weather

when it rains;
the river grows in depth, width and strength,
and is more able to nourish those around it

when the sun shines;
the river sparkles and is filled with warmth,
and happiness is reflected and shared with those around it

Hi Binz,

How synchronistic that you've shared this here today. I'm in dire straights (a river term I think?) at this point in time. Today I threw the coins asking: how am I ever going to move through this impasse? Yep, it came up #29 The Abysmal water. Your words spoke clearly to me, especially - "water (rocks II)" ouch!

Thanks for contributing!

Candid

Thanks Candid,

I am learning all the time how allowing myself to follow the 'way' is benefiting me, and it's good to hear that it's helping others too.

Binz

Hi Binz,

A month later... but better late than never.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
what a beautiful stuff is in here!!!. I have printed every word and I hope to read it from time to time.

Please keep posting poems like that. For sure you are in your " way" and " the way" is in you.
Congratulations.

Hi Angel, thank you for the kind words.

I don't always feel with the Way, but it is great when I do and I am becoming more in touch with Tao as time goes by.

I never thought of my words as poems, they're just words that wrap around feelings (but then maybe that's what a peom should be).

What I posted before took many weeks to come to me, it doesn't feel complete, but I am patient and open for more. I will add to what I've posted when it feels worthy of sharing. For now, here is me using words to give a feeling of an image of something that came into view during a quiet meditation.

Calm, peace and quietness to you all

Binz


(Green hill/brook, viewed from the edge of a forest)

Calm,
peace,
quiet.
The grass rests.
The sun shines and the colours are being.
The dragonfly sails along, soaking in the surroundings.
Calm,
peace,
quiet.
The dragonfly rests, on a rock, by the stream.
In the distance there are pleasant mountains.
Calm,
peace,
quiet.
The world rests, but continues to be.
The river flows and the breeze moves throughout.
Calm,
peace,
quiet.