Is fifty years enough time?

[lindsay]

Warning: People under age 50 will not find this topic interesting. But it takes many threads to make a warp.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about why old people live in the past. Why do our personal memories become increasing fascinating as we grow older? Very old people sometimes forsake the future and even the present altogether to dwell obsessively inside their memory of the past, often the remote past. It happens enough to constitute a trend in our mental development, a feature of aging, this preoccupation with times gone by.

Reliving parts of lives again and again seems to be very important. Why?

Now Confucius is said to have said (Analects 7:16): ?If some years were added to my life, I would give fifty to the study of the Yi, and then I might come to be without great faults.?

(Let?s not quibble about whether Confucius really said this or not ? Analects was pretty much assembled in the 5th century B.C.E., so the statement is in any case a very ancient bit of wisdom.)

What did Confucius mean, 50 more years to study the Yi?

First, to wish for more time to live seems to me the wish of an old man who feels the need of it. This is not the statement of a youngster or even a man in his prime.

Second, Confucius was probably not talking about divination in the sense of seeing into the future. Who cares enough about the future to study it for 50 more years when you are at the end of your life? So there is a strong implication here that the Yi is a book for obtaining wisdom. Even in old age, or maybe especially in old age.

Third, given all this, I wonder if Confucius was thinking about using the Yi to explore the past, his past, his personal memories, in an effort to understand and learn, and thereby ?come to be without great faults.?

Recently I saw a Latin inscription that said (translated): ?Remember you must die.? This struck me. It did not say, ?Remember you will die? or ?Remember everyone dies? ? obvious points. Instead, it said you ?must? die, you are obliged to die, you are responsible for knowing and preparing for death.

I believe our preoccupation with the past as we grow older is a way of preparing for death, for making sense of our lives. I also think the Yi can be very useful in discharging our obligation to die without blame, without remorse. This is something that is very rarely discussed, but I cannot imagine what else Confucius had in mind when he wished for 50 more years of studying the Yi.

Actually, for me, this is just the beginning of a conversation with the Yi about our obligation to die. A conversation no one here will probably want to have, and that?s OK too. I just wanted to open the door.

Thanks,

Lindsay

 

[candid]

Hi Lindsay,

Where ya been hiding?

I find the topic very interesting. When I have more than a brief moment to check in, I'd like to comment on it.

To die without remorse seems a highly worthy goal and reason to live an extra 50 years.

Too bad youth is wasted on the young!

 

[frandoch]

Hi Lindsay,

A very interesting post - thank you.

I was going to write a very long explanation about why 'old' people live in the past, from a scientific perspective - and I may do that - but have you considered the possibility that Confuscius may have meant exactly what he implied - that one lifetime is not enough to explore the I Ching. It certainly isn't for me.

Michael.

 

[lindsay]

Dear Candid,

Amen, brother, about youth! Like Merlin the Magician, I would prefer to live my life backward in time, drawing everything to a close by returning to the womb and becoming unconceived. Uninstalled. Cntl + Alt + Del in the world. Logged off.

Candid, you?ve been pretty quiet lately yourself. Didn?t you offer a little I Ching class a while back? How did that go? I?ve been thinking about you for the longest time, hoping you?d tell us more. Or maybe like me you just got tired of hearing your own voice.

Anyway, it?s great to hear from you again, and I look forward to anything you care to say. Actually, that goes for the whole wonderful crew here at Clarity.

Lindsay

 

[lindsay]

Dear Michael,

Yes, I would be interested in hearing about the science. Is there a physiological reason old people live in the past?

I think you are quite right about Confucius literally suggesting one lifetime may not be enough for studying the Yi. That?s one deep document you got there from those thick-necked Zhou warlords! But the thing that interests me most is that Confucius wanted to study Yi another 50 years so he ?might come to be without great faults.?

Another translation says, so he ?might then avoid committing great errors.?

What is he talking about? This doesn?t sound like divination to me? What do you think?

Lindsay

 

[hilary]

Are the relative youngsters allowed in here?

What Lindsay said about wanting to live backwards reminded me of Stephen K's response when I wrote to ask him about this decades idea of his. As presented in his book, the idea is that hexagrams 1-10 roughly correspond with the first decade of life, 11-20 to the second, and so on (and then you look at all the hexagrams connected to the one you receive by a single pair of lines, to see what periods of life this question connects to).

Of course, I wondered what all the 65-year-olds were meant to do with their Yijings. His answer was that when you reached 64, you turned round and traced a path back to hexagram 1 again.

Is it a fact that 'old people live in the past', though??

 

[frandoch]

Hi Lindsay,

I'll get back to you re the science of memory.

But I feel that Confuscius was talking about something that I have found in my workings with the Yi.

It's all about 'ego'. Almost every Hexagram can be reduced to the negative effects of 'ego'. His comments about great faults and about great errors suggest to me that he is referring to the problems caused by our egos.

May I post a chapter from my book that may explain where i'm coming from regarding this.

I will anyway. LOLOL

EGO AND THE ?I CHING?

In the interpretations of the hexagrams that follow, there will be frequent references to the ?ego? and ?ego-based? actions. It is important that these words, as they are used in the present work, are defined. To begin with, let?s try to see where the concept of ego comes from. In order to do this, we shall consider the various levels of consciousness as found in the world. We will consider a rock, a plant, an animal and a human.

A rock has a very low level of consciousness. It just sits there. It doesn?t move unless acted upon by an external force. It is wholly governed by the laws of cause and effect. Some would doubt that the Life Force is present in a rock, but the rock does show some measure of organisation. As we have seen, it consists of atoms or molecules held together in a specific arrangement by invisible forces, and these forces are part of the Life Force.

A plant exhibits a higher level of consciousness than a rock. As well as being subject to cause and effect, it responds to external stimuli. The sprouting seed produces two shoots, one of which will form the root and which grows downwards in the direction of gravity, whilst the other shoot grows upwards, against the force of gravity. Its flowers will open in the sunlight and close when the light levels fall. Some flowers will follow the sun, turning as the sun goes from one horizon to the other. There is a primitive intelligence at work here.

An animal exhibits a higher level of consciousness yet. It is subject to cause and effect; it responds to external stimuli; but it also has instinctive drives which are not external. It is aware of food, potential mates and potential enemies. This awareness is internal, but the animal will respond to these internal stimuli.

A human is subject to cause and effect, and responds to both external and internal stimuli. But, in addition, a human will respond to internal stimuli which don?t exist, i.e. imagined stimuli. The human mind is capable of asking the question ?What if.....??. This means that it can produce a model of reality in its mind, from which it can project possible futures, and make decisions accordingly. This model necessarily contains a representation of reality which includes the concept of ?I?. In other words, humans are aware that they exist. They have ?self awareness?. It?s what makes us different from animals.

There may be a blurring of the boundaries of the above four levels of consciousness, but there is no doubt that the four levels exist.

In many ways ?self awareness? is a blessing, but in other ways it is a curse. The internal model of reality represents the world, including the concept of ?I? as a separate being. This separate being feels itself to be separate from everything else in the Universe; it feels threatened; it feels vulnerable; it feels that in order to survive it has to take on the external world and win, or it will be destroyed. This separate being is the ?ego?. But the separation is an illusion. It?s unreal. It?s a construct of the mind. We are all connected. We are totally dependent on things outside of ourselves in order to go on living. The air we breathe, the food we eat, our friends, our lovers, all other people, the weather, the seasons - we are interdependent with all that exists.
The ego has other problems. It cannot live in the present moment. It cannot handle the ?Now?. Its identity is based totally on the past. It is built of past memories and experiences and because of its fear, it must protect its identity by manipulating the future. But unfortunately for the ego, the future doesn?t exist. Not only is the ego unable to deal with the present moment, it actively fears it, because if the ?real you? lives in the present moment, the ego evaporates, and it can?t let that happen. At least, not without a fight. It will do anything in its power to stop the ?real you? from living in the ?Now?. But, there is nothing else but the ?Now?. You can?t experience anything but the present moment. You can?t change the past. You can?t alter the future until it becomes the ?Now?. Remember, the ?I Ching? is your connection with the Collective Unconscious, or Higher Self, which only knows the ?Now?, because it experiences past, present and future as one eternal ?Now?.

Can you not see that the ego is a curse? There exist not only individual egos, but collective egos, such as tribal and national egos. After all, nationalism is only an advanced form of tribalism. It is these collective egos which cause racial hatred, fear of different others, wars, in fact, most of the ills of mankind. Because of both the individual and collective egos, humanity is the most insane and dangerous species that has ever existed on this planet, and unless we find a way to control these negative forces, we will destroy ourselves and possibly the planet. We have to continue to evolve, but do it consciously. We must transcend the ego state; we must rid ourselves of this dangerous illusion. The ?I Ching? tells us how.

So, what are the characteristics of ego-based behaviour?

Guilt, sadness, remorse, bitterness, anger, regret, depression, hostility, resentment, etc. These characteristics are all based on past experiences and all represent our inability to forgive ourselves and others for the past, which we cannot change. We can only learn from it.

Fear, worry, anxiety, nervous tension, apprehension, dread, panic, trepidation, etc. These characteristics are all based on a projected future, about which we can do nothing until it becomes the ?Now?. And most of our fears never materialise anyway.

In every part of the text, the message is the same: ?Curb the ego. Follow the ways of the ?wise?. In doing this we will be contributing to the future of ourselves, others, the environment, the planet and then the Universe. People often ask the question: ?But what can I do? What can any one person do? We are powerless.? We are not powerless. We have immense power, if only we knew it. True, we can?t change other people; we can?t change the world. But we can change ourselves, and in doing so we become a centre of influence, which will spread far and wide. It?s like dropping a pebble into a pond. The waves spread over the whole pond, influencing everything in the pond. Not everyone has to change. We only need a small ?critical mass? of people who follow the Sage in order to change the world.

Don?t doubt the wisdom of acting in accordance with the Sage. From personal experience I can say: ?Try it. It works?.

 

[lindsay]

Wow, Michael, you?re pretty tough on our poor egos! After all that, I think I?ll put my ego up for sale on Ebay. The problem is, if I get rid of my ego, who will be left to mind the farm? And what will my psyche be like with nobody home?

Someday I?d like some Buddhist to write a book about post-nibbana psychology. Can no-mind compile a grocery list? Are movies as much fun when your self has been blown out like a candle? How do you sign your name when there is no ?you? to have a name? Ah, problems, problems.

Hilary is right: false premise, false argument. Surely not all old people live in the past. Surely some young people do live in the past. My point is that age tends to bring a certain preoccupation with what one has done and how one has done it. And how one felt doing it. And how one feels now it is done.

The past is irreversible, irrevocable. This is a one-way trip. That alone gives the past special claims. And it does pile up in our lives, day after day.

I am proposing that Confucius thought of the Yi as a tool for introspection and improvement of character. How he came to that, I?m not sure.

Lindsay

 

[candid]

Lindsay, and others who might also be interested,

The class was allot of fun. There was a basic introduction of trigrams, referenced to the family 37. Then, examples of interactions of the trigrams forming hexagrams. Once they (about 14 people) had a handle on basic theory, we jumped right into readings for them. What better way for them to see it? And they did. It was hugely rewarding for me that they each seemed to ?get it?. There was a time of great laughter, as one of the inquirers posed a question about his obsessive compulsion to take home junk, and received 22 with line 2 changing: lends grace to his chin. The vanity of owning things was at the core of his obsession. All 4 readings were discussed in detail among the group, which the questioner had to agree to. Just a couple of days ago, the Yoga teacher who hosted the class asked me to return for a second class for those who were unable to attend the first. Naturally I said I?d be honored, and I am. Thank you for asking.

I?m still pondering your question. The image that continues to appear to me is of my Italian grandmother, sweeping the sidewalk and porch of her old house. She?d do that a half dozen times every day. She?d quite literally wear the paint off the wood, which I?d repaint. (Hmmm that sounds pretty symbolic..) Anyway, that?s the picture I receive every time I ask myself your question. Best I can figure, she was cleaning house in preparation for her death.

Michael, I?ve been enjoying your contributions.

Hilary, it?s younger ones who keep older ones from becoming antique furniture. We?d have a design and a history, but we?d be out of touch with the present.

 

[frandoch]

Hi Lindsay,

I never suggested that you should get rid of your ego. It's a necessary tool to communicate with others, and to carry out the functions of everyday life. The problem arises when it is your master rather than your servant.

The ego is the product of the thinking mind. If you consider it, most people have an endless internal dialogue going on all the time - and we don't actually think - thoughts happen. If we can step back mentally and observe our thinking we realise that is not under our control.

If we want to open ourselves to Spirit - to growth, we need to silence this endless chatter and experience the gap between our thoughts, which is the vortex that can connect us to the deeper levels of conscious awareness.

The I Ching advises us to 'curb' the ego - not to get rid of it - to accept that we have baser instincts - that we have an ego - but that we should try to ensure that it operates in an appropriate way - as I said before - it should be a tool that we can use - not one that uses us.

I agree that Confucius thought of the Yi as a tool for introspection and character improvement. He came to that conclusion because he found that it always advises us of the 'correct' behaviour to achieve the best possible outcome in any situation, but not just for us - certainly not for ego desires - but for the greater good, and to ensure that we serve the Higher Self.

It's also true that not all old people live in the past, and that some young people do. There are certain physiological reasons why old people lose some of their ability to remember recent events, whilst being able to recall earlier events, but there is no doubt that when people stop learning new things - stop using the brain - it atrophies - 'use it or lose it', but there are many old people who never stop learning - who are fascinated by new information, and they don't live in the past.

Recent research has shown that even people suffering from senile dementia can improve if they use their brains - if they challenge themselves. We are born with a certain number of brain cells, and unlike other body cells, we don't grow any more - and as we age, brain cells die off. But, we can encourage the growth of interconnections between the brain cells through learning and challenging the intellect. We only use about 10% of our brain capacity anyway, so we have more than enough 'hardware' to last our lives. And we can take the necessary actions to ensure that number of interconnections is always increasing. If we do this, we can avoid many of the problems of aging.

Be gentle with yourself,

Michael.

 

[gene]

Being 56 years old myself, although if you look at my picture I will suspect you will think I don't look it. That picture is about a month old, and I don't feel 56 either, I can do almost anything a younger man can do, except, I may not be able to run the mile as fast. As such I think I live mostly in the present, but I do understand this phenomenon of older people living in the past. What else have they got? There's is very little future for them, and the present is very possibly a wheel chair, if not that, at best a slow day of fishing. What have they got but the past? And it is in the past that we made our mistakes, felt our sorrows, dreamed our dreams. Dreams that are no longer possible. "To the superior man it makes no difference whether death comes early or late. He cultivates himself, awaits his allotted time, and in this way secures his fate."

Fandoch, I agree with your perspective wholeheartedly. It is the basis for everything else. This is why Confucious was a bit perplexed when he received line 2 of hexagram 22. He realized he had not put away his ego. As such he needed at least another 50 years to study the I Ching, and learn to "put away his ego." We can ask the I Ching about our relationships, about our business plans, etc., etc., etc. And there is nothing wrong with that, nothing at all, but unless we read the deeper meaning into it, we simply pass through life making a few less mistakes, but nevertheless ending life the same person as we started. The I Ching says of itself, that the I Ching should be treated as a guest, and not just used as a tool. As such we honor and respect our guest, and show the reverence that it is due. We can use it as a tool, to get simple answers to simple questions, or we can befriend it, and drink of its wisdom, as in hexagram 48. We can nourish our soul with its substance, as in hexagram 50. We can gorge ourselves on its delicacies as in 27, and we can simply wait the allotted time while nourishing ourselves with its substance, while awaiting the arrival of the enemy, (possibly death? Old age?) as in hexagram 5.

Gene

 

[tashiiij]

my lama is 85, and going strong.

my teacher's teacher lived to be 125. when this wonderful woman attained realization, as a young woman, this song sprang from her being:

"all the fabrication of inviting (future experience) or running after (past experiences) has dissolved. not just once, but again and again i am experiencing it. i felt laughter as it naturally arose in me. i gained confidence that there is nothing to seek from somewhere else."

this is what awaits all of us.

plus, my teacher says human beings can realize at any age!!!

***

tashiiij

 

[lenardthefast]

Hi Lindsay,

Long time - no read. Great to have you back!

With respect to your question, it just so happens that I have been pondering the reflectiveness associated with age recently and have come to a personal conclusion. I find that when I am not involved in learning, I am frequently involved in remembering. It is my personal belief that when one stops learning, one starts dying.

I personally began concentrating less on the divination aspects and more on the 'teachings' of the Yi over the past year or so. It has become my strong belief that, similar to the Tarot, the divination aspects of the Yi are the initial attraction for most people, the underlying teachings are where the gold is buried. And yes, like Confucious, I would probably need at least another 50-100 years of study in order to mine even a fraction of its wealth.

Once again, nice to have you back, Lindsay.

Namaste,
Leonard

 

[anita]

Hi Gene,

So beautifuuly put. It's so true what you say about the Yi encouraging us to look deeper into our relationships at work or otherwise. yesterday while asking about my future here at work, I drew 22 twice and that at first puzzled me. Then I thought, ah, advertising is after all about images and aesthetics, but beyond that is the fact that I must now work on the inner self and that will manifest in my behaviour as well as in my work. These days I'm reaching new highs at work -- finally my work is being acknowledged because I get more opportunities to shine, and it is being seen by the right people (not my Creative Director, of course, who will never pay a compliment).

As for the Ego. It is my great downfall according to my Guruji. It has cost me a lot in life and I have only vaguely realised that it was troublesome. Till now. It's difficult to not believe you're great when the others say you are - and when you KNOW you are. The only thing that makes is less troublesome is the virtue of modesty - of realising as Sensei says that nothing belongs to you. It is given by the divine.

Best for Your Quest

Anita

 

[louise]

Thats a great line Leonard when i am not involved in learning, I am frequently involved in remembering Could it be though that your remembering is infact at that time your learning.
What is that famous saying ? Something like 'a life unexamined is a life not lived' ?

Learning is rooted in memory. Looking back at the past, thinking how you could have done things differently, is not always a total waste of time, it can be creative, and help you think how to reshape your future.

It would seem quite natural to me that an old person should reflect alot. They are near to the end of this life, their particular story, assessing it all, preparing for their next spin on the wheel (if you believe in reincarnation) And after death many say we are shown a rerun of our lives by our spirit guides to evaluate what we learned and what we need or want to do next to actualize our higher selves intent.

Also of course many old people simply enjoy chatting about the past, and it is often interesting to listen to them. I always enjoyed hearing about the way the world used to be from my grand parents and parents.

Re getting rid of ego - I never thought the ego could be dissolved by an act of will - rather it would be the natural, spontaneous result of realization. The problem with setting oneself the task of banishing ones own ego is that ones ego would get caught up in the task of getting rid of itself ! This is evident when people appear to judge themselves and others by how much ego they think they have got rid of - and the judging of course implies theres still plenty of ego there ! An easy trap to fall into, we've probably all been there if we are interested in spiritual development. No use in doing violence to your ego, its only doing its best, and will probably go quietly away of its own accord one day when your're not splitting it in half, trying to get one side to kill the other - both sides of course being the ego -


The dissolving of the ego can't come through words, through scholarly teachings, through intellectual analysis (can it ?) it must come experientally, by BEING your big self, not your little one. Attaining that BEING is impossible to discuss since the word 'attainment' implies struggle, implies ego. UUgh, going round in circles here....anyway my ego is alive and kicking
and I think I'll let it be, knowing from experience attempts at slaughtering it would lead to a 52, line 3 situation.

Anyway its nice to read your posts again Lindsay and Leonard, I've missed them !

 

[gene]

Hi Anita

You are great! Just remember that it is the big I that makes you great and not the little I. Hexagram 15 counsels us not only to decrease that which is too high, but to increase that which is too low. When the ego learns that there is work to be done to get rid of the ego, it tends to want to take credit for getting rid of itself, which, it cannot do, because as soon as it takes credit for the work, why, that is the indication that it is still there. Nothing wrong with recognizing how great we are, we just need to understand that we are not separate from the one energy of the universe, and that is what makes each and everyone of us great.

Gene

 

[lindsay]

Thanks everyone for the welcome! It?s great to be back. Having said that, I think I?ll take a little holiday for 3 or 4 days ? but first I have a few things to say.

Dear Louise, thank you so much for your posting. I?ve been thrashing around with this ego thing of Michael?s, and I just couldn?t figure out how to say ?yes? and ?no? at the same time. You said it perfectly! You are a sage (sagess?), you really and truly are!

Michael, I was really struck by a couple of your ideas. The idea that it is more accurate to say ?thinking is going on here? than ?I am thinking? is an idea I?ve been playing with for a long time. Especially when one is being creative or solving problems, it sometimes seems that ?I? am not doing much of anything except tapping into a great stream of meaning that is rushing through me from . . . somewhere else? Creative people often talk as though their ideas come from somewhere outside themselves. ?The idea just came to me? or ?suddenly I realized what needed to be done? and so on.

Another idea you mentioned ? the principle of ?use it or lose it? ? is one of my wife?s favorite ideas. In fact, she has refined it to ?use it or get rid of it?! I have to make sure my I Ching books do not collect too much dust or they are likely to be targeted for perfunctory disposal. Personally, I am much more relaxed (actually, lazy) in my approach. I find it is usually not too hard to find what I need, and who cares about the rest?

As far as subduing ?monkey mind? goes, it is a noble goal but I have never met anyone who truly succeeded. I?ve heard of them, I?ve read about them, but I have never met them ? and I?ve worked through a few zendos and temples in my time. If that is the basis of growth, then I fear most of us have a lot of work ahead of us. Many lifetimes, perhaps. Personally, I enjoy the interior chatter. Nice to have an intelligent conversation once in awhile, even if it is with oneself!

Candid, you are too kind! I was touched by your story of your Nonna and her sweeping. In my old neighborhood in the city, every few days during the summer, all the signoras would actually wash the outsides of their houses with garden hoses! The men spent endless hours tending tiny gardens, nearly always centered on a small fountain or a statue of the Virgin. What beautiful grass and flowers in the middle of the grubby city!

Did you say you began your class with the trigrams? What a very good idea! People have been down on trigrams too much lately (Han innovation!), I think. I?ve started to go back to them more and more myself.

Gene, you do look remarkably fit for a man of 56! If I remember correctly, Odysseus was about that age in the ?Odyssey? when he beat all the kids at discus-throwing in front of King Alcinous at Phaeacia. May your good health last forever! Also I wanted to compliment you about your recent writings on Hexagram 26. Your last post in that string was especially illuminating!

Leonard, thank you so much ? I?ve missed you too! Didn?t you just make a big move across the US? I hope things are working out? Still racing motorcycles? In any case, this forum will never lack good humor or challenging ideas as long as you are here. Good times ahead, mate! Like Louise, I found your comments on learning vs. remembering very stimulating. I agree with you, but Louise is right when she says learning is rooted in memory and past experience. Wise Louise. But the main point from both of you is (I think) that learning ? embracing new meaning wherever it can be found ? is essential for living a wealthy life. Even when we are poor.

Finally, Anita, amazing Anita! Somehow I?ve never quite gotten your story straight. You are an American, but you live in India? You are a religious layperson, but you work for a big advertising firm? You have a lover in Germany, half a world away, who you see all too rarely? You are beautiful and talented and spiritual. What color! Your life sounds like the stuff Hollywood is made of! It sounds like you are doing well? Success is sweet, whatever the gurus say.

All this eqo talk makes me wonder what people think about Hexagram 15? There is a huge debate over what Qian really means. Humble and self-effacing, consciously putting oneself second? Or true to one?s self, without pretense, honest and sincere, up front? Anyway, isn?t Hexagram 15 central to the Yi?s position on ego?

Lindsay

 

[lenardthefast]

Hi Louise,

I am in total agreement with your "I never thought the ego could be
dissolved by an act of will - rather it would be the natural, spontaneous result of realization" Well said.

I also agree with your remarks concerning the benefits of learning from both our past accomplishments and mistakes. My comments with regard to Lindsay's question were actually addressing what I perceive to be a non-productive aspect of the process; that time spent remembering past experiences which lead to a state of nostalgia, and or, melancholy. Have found myself guilty of this practice recently and am busily attempting to understand it's dynamics so that I may eradicate it. So far, I have found that a combination of 'learning and implementing' seem to be useful tools in this quest. Candid's anecedote with regard to his Grandmother's sweeping, certainly struck a chord. A strong feeling of self-worth would help repel the nostalgia.

Namaste,
Leonard

 

[frandoch]

Hi there,

This is my interpretation of Hex 15 - for what it's worth'

___ ___
___ ___
___ ___ Hexagram 15 - Modesty.
________
___ ___
___ ___


Key Characteristics: Humility, Sincerity, Honesty, Compassion.

Overview: The cycle of the Universe fills that which is empty and empties that which is full. The law of change is ever present. When the Sun is at its height, it must set; when at its lowest point, it must rise. When it?s a full Moon, it wanes; when a new Moon, it waxes. So it is in the affairs of mankind. Consider the difference between arrogance and modesty. The word ?arrogant? means being full of oneself; full of one?s ego. This means that there is no room for anything else. The Universe deals with this. Pride comes before a fall. Humiliation, which is enforced humility, follows. But when modesty prevails, the self is empty of ego. It can be filled by the Creative. Modesty is also a way of controlling extremes by bringing things towards the centre, towards moderation. It is the natural way. Mountains erode and in the process valleys fill. An excess of predators eat out the available food supply and their numbers fall. Over population is controlled by disease, famine and war. By living the way of the ?wise?; by keeping the ego in its place; by continuously maintaining the emptiness of the self through modesty, humility and generosity, the Creative must fill you with abundance. This is the Law of the Universe. As you are filled, you give, you empty again and you are refilled. The resources available are infinite.

Outer World: In human affairs, if you are in a position of authority and you exercise that authority with modesty, you will be held in high esteem and will be supported. If you are in a lowly position, your modesty will allow you to advance without creating enemies.

Inner World: Modesty is twofold. Inwardly, you avoid ego-based tendencies, and seek to discover and correct your faults; outwardly, you look after the interests of others first. Both are necessary. This is not weakness. You must be prepared to counter evil in others, to right injustice, to stand up for what you believe is right, even if you become a target in doing so. But do it modestly. Modesty and humility are true strengths.

Relationships: You may be entertaining unrealistic ideals in your relationships. Examine your innermost feelings in order to root out any ego-based desires and unrealistic expectations. By behaving with modesty and humility you will be able to accept others as they are, rather than wishing they were different. You have no right to impose your wishes on other people.

General: The path of Modesty is never ending. Be ever watchful for any tendency to extreme attitudes and behaviours. Be tolerant of weakness in others. Remember, you are superior to no-one, but neither are you inferior. If you think you observe faults in others, remember that each person is a mirror, reflecting you. Search inside and identify the same fault in you. It is there.


The Changing Lines. [Like a hexagram, the bottom line is Line 1]


Line 6: DON?T BLAME OTHERS - YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE. You are in a situation where there is discord. Look inward to find the cause. No hostility. No self-pity. No blaming others. Just self awareness. Discover the faults within you and correct them. If you follow this advice, you will achieve much.


Line 5: BE MODEST - EVEN WHEN ACTING WITH STRENGTH. You are in a position of authority. Remember, modesty is not weakness. You may sometimes have to use forceful measures in your position as leader. But this can be done modestly. Don?t boast of your authority. Just take whatever firm, effective action is necessary to correct the situation. Be objective. Be offensive to no-one.


Line 4: DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE - THEN STEP AWAY. You are in a dangerous position. Treat those above you with respect, and those below you with consideration. With modest behaviour, the danger will pass, but don?t confuse modesty with shirking your responsibilities or with being abject. Do what is required of you, diligently. Others depend on you. In other areas, do what you believe to be right and then remain unattached to the outcome of your actions.


Line 3: SUCCESS - DON?T LET IT GO TO YOUR HEAD. You are in a position to achieve even great things. Beware - you may be tempted to bask in your glory. When people achieve success, they attract attention to themselves. If you behave immodestly, that attention will be very negative. You will make enemies. They will try to bring you down. But if you maintain correct behaviour, no one will resent your success.


Line 2: INNER MODESTY - OUTER BEHAVIOUR. Let your inner modesty be reflected in your outer behaviour; in your speech and actions. By pursuing this course, you will achieve success and honour without causing resistance or resentment.


Line 1: BE MODEST - EVEN ABOUT YOUR MODESTY. Don?t boast about your virtues. As Emerson said: ?The louder he talked of his honour, the faster we counted the spoons?. If you are trying to succeed in a difficult situation, don?t boast about what you are going to achieve. You will find the going much easier. If you avoid making claims and statements there will be no resistance. Just get on with it.