I am part of a Living Whole that wants the best for me and all others at the same time.
Inspired action flows spontaneously from an inspired mind.
When we replace trivial and undignified thoughts with substantial and ennobling ones, we are focused ahead of time on perceiving and interpreting events in the best possible light. In this way, we take the energy we previously devoted to the pursuit of self-interest and channel it into acts that benefit all.
I am part of a Living Whole that wants the best for me and all others at the same time.
An inspired mind flows spontaneously from an inspired heart.
When we replace selfish and self-important feelings with generous and all-embracing ones, we are positioning ourselves ahead of time to respond to events with loving-kindness and goodwill toward all. In this way, we take the energy we previously devoted to self-defeating attitudes and channel it into creative acts that benefit all.
I am part of a Living Whole that wants the best for me and all others at the same time.
An inspired heart flows spontaneously from being attuned to this single wish of the Living Whole: that all benefit as one.
But how are we to give up our separate sense of self-importance and open our heart to this living wish when so many around us are acting out of greed, superstition and fear? How are we to refine our thoughts and emotions when we are bombarded from every quarter with ever more sophisticated attempts to capture our attention?
It is one of the oldest lessons: If your intention is clear of ulterior motives, then even distractions and confusion are The Way.
Self-defeating thoughts and emotions, from this point of view, are viewed as the enemy-within, the constellation of habit attitudes and habit behaviors that constantly throw up stumbling blocks to the spirit warrior’s progress. Indeed, the spirit warrior is best defined as a woman or man who clarifies their intention by consciously training to (1) recognize Spirit within all matter and, (2) defeat the self-defeating habits of the enemy-within.
Freeing our intention of ulterior motives by focusing on these two goals, we find that confronting the distractions and confusion thrown up by the enemy-within becomes more like practicing with a sparring partner than an out-and-out battle. More and more, the enemy-within is experienced as an artificial sense of self that was formed by the conditioning it received from family and culture. As we get to know it better, it seems most like a recurring dream opponent trying to awaken us to our true potential.
For example, even if we were born to the same parents on the same day, it is obvious that were we then raised in a completely different culture, say the Mbuti of central Africa or the Inuit of the Arctic tundra, we would have a completely different personality, a completely different sense of self in relationship to the world-at-large. Once the hollowness of this illusory, conditioned, self is fully experienced—like recognizing that the distorted image in a funhouse mirror is not our true reflection—we stop reacting automatically to events around us. Our actions become more creative, more spontaneous, and meet with greater success.
In this sense, inspired action, an inspired mind, an inspired heart, and attunement to the wish of the Living Whole all spring from living each moment with an intention free of ulterior motives.
I am part of a Living Whole that wants the best for me and all others at the same time.
Spirit, like nature, abhors a vacuum.
When we clear our intention of ulterior motives, we are no longer beleaguered by our inner talk—Spirit rushes in to fill the clearing we have made for it. Our heart-mind becomes its nest.
And of what is this nest constructed?
Lessons: the accrued wisdom of the ancients, who first learned to stop their inner talk and then recorded what Spirit whispered to them in that shining silence.
By taking Spirit’s voice to heart, we, like the ancients, replace unworthy and self-destructive thoughts and emotions with ennobling and beneficial ones.
An Oracle is the voice of Spirit, speaking to us across the ages in the language of lessons.
Lessons are wisdom teachings, a body of ethical principles that can be adapted to the ever-changing circumstances of life. As in sailing, you don’t set your sails to go with the wind in the same way you do to tack against the wind—nor do you drop anchor in the open sea just because it works when you are in port. Lessons and their ethics guide our responses to change. Lessons make us better adapted to events, more competent, more improvisational, less predictable, and more creative. Their ethics make us more generous, more compassionate, less competitive, more collaborative, and more successful.
The Toltec I Ching incorporates the lessons and ethics of the Oracles of two of the world’s great civilizations. From ancient Mesoamerica, comes the Oracle of the Tonalpoalli, or Sacred Calendar, with its lessons inspired by the great civilizing spirit of the Toltec sages. From ancient China, comes the Oracle of the I Ching, or Book of Change, with its lessons inspired by the great civilizing spirit of the Taoist sages. We invite you to explore further your own inner path—and to carry the timeless wisdom of the ancients back into these troubled times.
This article appeared originally in Volume 8, Number 4 of Evolve! magazine.
The Toltec I Ching, by Martha Ramirez-Oropeza and William Douglas Horden has just been released by Larson Publications. 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.