Hello Friends, Yesterday I decided to cast the I-ching, and my initial hexagram, "Heaven" had an explanation that reminded me of our many discussions. Out of all the times I've cast the coins, this is the first I have ever received Heaven as my message. It especially echoed our last meeting, where we "jumped into" our new lives together, feeling renewed and excited. I've quoted the lines that spoke to me most below. And since there are so very many interpretations of this text, these are from The Living I Ching version, by Deng Ming-Dao. If you've never owned but are interested in a copy of the I Ching, this is a beautifully written and illustrated version perfect for both beginners and those more familiar with the ancient Chinese writings. One of my friends, who studied Eastern spirituality in monestaries in Japan and China, helped me pick it out, so it comes highly recommended!
Heaven (hexagram 1):
Heaven is the beginning. Heaven creates from open sky. As the calligrapher begins from white paper, heaven works from emptiness.
Many of us, deep in darkness when we cannot sleep, wonder about the stars turning above us. We think of our own aging. The clock ticks. Our holidays mark the passing years as much as they might mark celebrations or remembrances. Our own birthdays impassively tabulate the number of years we have been on this planet, reminding us that our store of health and vitality can only lessen until heaven takes us again in the ultimate transition.
Creativity is the only act that denies this undeniable constant. When we make something - whether it is a wooden spoon for our kitchen, a painting, a poem, a song, a speech- the effort we invest is stored for the future and becomes a vehicle that lets us live outside of normal time. Creativity, then, begins new cycles that spiral out and spin into the coils of heaven. Heaven, the origin. Heaven, the pervasive. Heaven, the bountiful. Heaven, the pure. If you worship heaven, then be like heaven. If you would last as long as heaven, then create like heaven. In all things, be no different than heaven and the future will be yours. We must act like heaven, which creates and acts and furthers all things but never seeks to accumulate for itself.
Have a wonderful and creative day,
Rachelle
