The Ithaca Oracle

The emerging world culture calls to all:  Take Your Stand In The Inevitable!

It is an unvoiced mantra that calls people together in pockets of spiritual activism dedicated to embodying spiritual principles in enlightened acts of social evolution.

One of the foremost such centers of the emerging world culture is Ithaca, New York.

My collaborator, Martha Ramirez-Oropeza, and I recently had the honor of talking about The Toltec I Ching with several dozen such spiritual activists in Ithaca.  It was a wide-ranging discussion during which we touched on the growing need for greater harmony between people, nature and spirit—especially as regards how the Oracle, as the voice of the One, views our condition.

Toward that end, we conducted a group Oracle to address some of our shared concerns.  We began by asking for a question from the folks gathered there, opening up the process by inviting everyone to add their perspective to the question in order to accommodate multiple points of view.  With the question in mind, I then handed three coins to the person closest to me on my left and asked her to concentrate on the question and throw the coins once on the floor in front of her.  After she read off the number of heads and tails, I asked her to pass the coins to the person to her left.  This procedure we followed, having six persons at random throwing the coins in order to build up a group Oracle.

The question we asked of the Oracle was suggested by a young woman named Anna and added to by others in the group—

Many people feel we are standing on the precipice of some profound transformation and, with the approach of 2012, there is concern both about what constructive actions we ought to take and whether we as humans will survive all the consequences of our collective actions.

The result of the six coin tosses was Hexagram 16 Renewing Devotion and included no changing lines.

Image:  On the platform of a pyramid, a group of male and female warriors greet the dawn with ceremonial fire, drum, and song.  Out among the surrounding vegetation, a bird greets the dawn with two speech glyphs, one of which represents a flower and the other a song.

Interpretation:  The pyramid is a symbol of the sacred mountain at the center of all things and means that you are part of the collective work striving to mirror the handiwork of nature and the divine.  The dawn is a symbol of the daily renewal of creation and greeting it with companions means that you have others with whom you share the song of your beliefs, the drumbeat of your passions, and the fire of your creativity.  The surrounding vegetation is a symbol of the natural order and means that you are in harmony with the spirit of the world.  The singing bird represents the winged, transcendent, essence of nature and means that you are free to spontaneously give voice to the pure joy of life.  The flower and song glyphs represent the spirit warrior’s philosophy of life and mean that you have the courage to confront the eventual passing of everything beautiful, as well as the dignity to honor each passing both before and after it occurs.  Taken together, these symbols mean that your sincerity, trustworthiness and persistence will bring you success, vindication, and contentment.

Action:  The feminine and masculine halves of the spirit warrior unite to carry out past decisions.  This is not the time for questioning the correctness of inner decisions such as your commitments to your beliefs, values, and viewpoints—nor is it the time for second guessing the wisdom of outer decisions such as your commitments to your duties, goals, and loved ones.  It is, rather, the time for honoring your sense of honor—the time for renewing your devotion to the higher purpose guiding your life.  Sometimes it is not a question of what we have faith in, but that our faith is strong and unshakeable.  Likewise, it is not always a question of who or what we are faithful to, but that our faithfulness is pure and unbreakable.  Your future circumstances are created out of today’s actions, so set aside all thoughts of changing direction. Your future character is created out of today’s motives, so set aside all self-doubt.  You have taken a stand:  do not permit the opinions or actions of others to move you off center.  Keep in mind that your decisions each have a symbolic value and represent part of your relationship with the whole of creation—by daily renewing your heartfelt devotion to acting with integrity, you will achieve the kind of consistency, firmness, and clarity that brings the highest benefit into your life and the lives of those around you.

Intent:  If we look for reasons to doubt the perfection of all creation, we will find them.  Because the perfect nature with which we are born is overwhelmed by the collective self-doubt produced by human history, we come to doubt our own vision and are increasingly influenced by the prevailing viewpoint of the world as inhumane and, therefore, imperfect.  It is this social indoctrination that creates an artificial viewpoint which obscures our original vision and, much like a mask covers the real face, creates in us an artificial sense of an imperfect nature.  When we become aware that our true birthright is usurped when we are too young to defend the perfect nature we bring into the world, then we come to understand the old stories about the royal child who is hidden away until it comes of age and can reclaim its rightful place in the world:  once we recognize our true self as that part which was hidden in order to protect it until was strong enough to fend for itself, then we view the world through the eyes of our innate perfect nature and no longer remain blind to the perfection of all creation.  Renewing their devotion to perfection every day, spirit warriors are tireless in their effort to remain aware that nature is spirit—and unfaltering in their decision to rejoice in the fact that they are a vital part of that perfect unity.

Summary:  Work to continually renew your heart-felt dedication to fulfilling the first ancestor’s vision of the human spirit, especially when surrounded by others who lack the awareness and sensitivity to appreciate the presence of spirit everywhere.  Stay true to your road and destination.  At this time, influencing others is more proper than allowing them to influence you.

In interpreting this reading, it is essential to keep in mind that the Oracle is responding to a group of people who have taken up a lifeway of personal and social transformation. From that perspective, the Oracle is clear:  those who hold everything sacred simply need to renew their devotion to the principles they have already accepted as being beneficial to all.  This is a particularly strong statement of Spirit’s trust in this generation’s determination to turn the tide on the long-standing degradation of nature, civilization and the human soul.

In this sense, Hexagram 16 Renewing Devotion appears to be an answer to the first part of the group’s question:  “Many people feel we are standing on the precipice of some profound transformation and, with the approach of 2012, there is concern both about what constructive actions we ought to take…”

The fact that there are no changing lines in Hexagram 16 means that the direction of change is moving naturally and spontaneously in progression through the sequence of hexagrams—in this case, to Hexagram 17 Guiding Force.

Image:  Above, a male warrior descends through twilight, reaching for the light of the daytime sun.  Clinging to his back is his shadow, who he carries with him.  Below, his shadow reaches for a black sun as he walks through a bright place of scattered bones and approaches a living skeleton.  In this place, the warrior clings to the back of his shadow, who carries him and guides him through the unfamiliar landscape.

Interpretation:  This hexagram depicts a journey into uncharted territory.  The male warrior symbolizes the way of testing and training human nature that increases its versatility and fortitude.  Descending through the twilight means that you take leave of the world of known and familiar experience.  Reaching for the daytime sun means that you begin the journey believing that past experience can guide you through this new time.  Carrying the shadow means that you have another half, a twin, that accompanies you everywhere, yet is so close and familiar to you that its presence is taken for granted.  The shadow reaching for the black sun means that your other half is guided by a different, invisible, kind of light.  Walking through a bright place of scattered bones means that your other half feels at home in the land of the ancestors, whose nocturnal sun turns the night to light.  Approaching the living skeleton means that your other half visits with the spirit that does not die in order to return to the realm of the daytime sun with new knowledge and understanding.  Being carried and guided by the shadow means that you increasingly trust the mysterious and hidden half of yourself to lead the way through unfamiliar and unforeseen experiences.  Taken together, these symbols mean that you keep your bearings in even the most disorienting and confusing of times by believing in the strength, wisdom, and resourcefulness of your companion spirit.

Action:  The masculine half of the spirit warrior follows the guide when passing through times of crisis and change.  While our day-to-day practice involves honing our ability to make insightful judgments and far-sighted decisions, there are times when the trials facing us are greater than the strength and knowledge we have accumulated over the course of this lifetime.  At times like this, it is necessary to change our orientation:  rather than pursuing our conscious decisions and goals, now is the time to follow up on coincidences and listen to our dreams.  Facing in a new direction is not easy, however, since it means breaking habits of thought and feeling that have accrued over a long time.  For this reason, it is necessary to rely on the transcendent intelligence of your spiritual ally, whose assistance is proof that selflessly benefiting others is the path of the evolving individual.  By following your spiritual twin into new arenas at this time, you reach the goal you would have missed had you sought it directly.

Intent:  When a situation is beyond our control, our unconscious connection to spirit keeps us from getting lost.  External change transforms us internally—and because change is constant, we are in a perpetual state of transformation.  There is, however, another part of us that never changes, an essence that leaves the body just as it entered it.  Difficult to find when sought, it emerges spontaneously when most needed:  we look through our guide’s eyes when we see the unchanging harmony underlying the world of appearances.  Independent of the social and cultural upbringing that determines so much of how we experience the world and respond to it, this essence is like a spark of the spiritual sun—arrived here from the source of light and life and love, it guides us through dark times, comforts us in fearful times, and draws us closer in solitary times.  External change transforms us internally—and because every transformation forces us to consider leaving some part of ourselves behind, every change reminds us of the great leave-taking at death.  It is our spirit ally who maintains contact with the spirit world, providing us with the means to experience the wisdom and love of our predecessors.  The closer we move to leaving this realm and entering the realm of the ancestors, the better we understand the importance of the two realms being governed by the same vision of universal peace and well-being:  we feel with the twin’s heart when we know that the realm of the living and the realm of the dead are in reality one and the same realm of spirit.

Summary: Because you maintain great inner flexibility and adaptability, you pass through even the most trying and confusing of times without losing your bearings.  Trust your hidden potential to come forth when needed and help solve problems beyond your conscious ability.  Do not place limits on the limitless, do not lose touch with your own miraculous nature.  Step into the flow of spirit’s intention and it will carry you into the ecstatic life.

Hexagram 17 Guiding Force is immediately recognizable as the Oracle’s response to the second part of our group question:  “…whether we as humans will survive all the consequences of our collective actions.”

Beyond this hexagram’s self-evident forewarning that we are truly stepping into the deep unknown, there lies an even more profound intent in the Oracle’s answer:  Hexagram 17 is a barely-disguised retelling of the great creation story of how human beings were created and brought to life by Quetzalcoatl at the beginning of this, the Fifth Sun, or Fifth Age.  This momentous event occurred when all of humanity was destroyed at the end of the Fourth Sun and Quetzalcoatl descended into the Land of the Dead to retrieve the bones of the ancestors in order to bring them back to life in the form of recreating human beings.  This quest proved to be more difficult than he could have imagined and he had to rely on the skill and knowledge of his spiritual twin, Xolotl, in order to succeed.  This an exceedingly well-known myth from pre-Columbian Mexico and can be found in multiple sources both on- and off-line.

The implication of Hexagram 17 Guiding Force as an answer to the second part of our group question cannot be easily ignored:  We stand at the threshold of the ending of an Age, a time of unforeseeable change wherein our own survival depends on abandoning our reliance on past experience and returning to a deeper kind of knowing—one that voluntarily sets aside self-interest in order to attune the human heart to the eternal harmony of nature and spirit.  The inevitable defeat of humanity’s enemy-within opens the way the inevitable Golden Age of Humanity.

The emerging world culture calls to all:  Take Your Stand In The Inevitable!

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This group Oracle was cast on July 6th, 2011, at approximately 9:30 pm in Ithaca, New York.

I welcome any and all comments on, and further interpretations of, this Oracle.

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On behalf of my collaborator, Martha Ramirez-Oropeza, I wish to extend our gratitude to Rachel Hogencamp, Director of Rasa Spa, for all her kindnesses in hosting our talk in Ithaca and making it such a pleasant and meaningful experience.  We are proud to call all the noble souls we met in Ithaca lifelong allies.

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The Toltec I Ching, by Martha Ramirez-Oropeza and William Douglas Horden has just received a Silver Award in the 2010 Nautilus Awards.  It recasts the I Ching in the symbology of the Native Americans of ancient Mexico and includes original illustrations interpreting each of the hexagrams.  Its subtitle, 64 Keys to Inspired Action in the New World hints at its focus on the ethics of the emerging world culture.

Click here to go to the main site to see sample chapters, reviews and the link to Larson Publications for ordering the book.

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