Sacred Geometry

Posted on August 2, 2014 by William

 

pi hex 2a

 

 

 

Posted in I Ching Mathematics, The Toltec I Ching | Comments Off on Sacred Geometry

The Mandate of Heaven II

Posted on July 12, 2014 by William

The Toltec I Ching is the first completely new version of the I Ching in modern times.

Such was not my intention when I stepped onto this path some 45 years ago.  As dedicated to the classic King Wen version as any other student, it never occurred to me that I might make the changes to that text that I have.  In retrospect, however, it seems inevitable.

Every field of study has its fundamentalists.  This is especially so among studies of religious and spiritual texts and traditions.  Those who have made a concentrated study of their specialization come to identify with the positions and interpretations they have accepted and to which they have contributed.  This is compounded by the fact that religious and spiritual texts and traditions carry with them a sense of the sacred, which is too often perceived as an unchanging—and unchangeable—manifestation of eternal truth.

The field of I Ching studies is rife with such fundamentalists.  For personal reasons, both intellectual and emotional that reflect what they have come to identify with, these are students who have mistaken a closed mind for dedication to the Way of Change.  One of the first lessons that the I Ching demands of us is the ability to adopt multiple points of view.  Until we abandon our strictly personal viewpoints for the greater capacity to shift between many points of view, we cannot be said to have learned even the most rudimentary of the Oracle’s lessons.

Not all I Ching researchers and enthusiasts fall into the category of fundamentalist, of course.  Most are open-minded and concerned with carrying the oracular tradition forward into the coming generations.  It is to such honest investigators that the remainder of this article is dedicated.

 

Why A New I Ching?

There are two principal aspects of The Toltec I Ching with which I Ching fundamentalists take exception.  The first is the fact that the text no longer follows that handed down in the received version, particularly the names and judgments of the hexagrams.  The second is the fact that the order in which the hexagrams appear is not that in the received version.

There is another basic lesson that the I Ching teaches:  Change should never be made merely for the sake of change.  So what is it that necessitates changing this venerable text at this time?

First of all, the ancients never thought of the I Ching as an unchanging monolithic artifact.  It was a living Oracle that allowed them to communicate with the world of spirit.  The oracular tradition was part and parcel of life long before the Chou dynasty produced the received, King Wen, version we know today.  The Shang dynasty emperor was himself an accomplished diviner and there are many records of the divinations conducted by palace diviners on behalf of the state.  Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that the I Ching was a tool of statecraft:  the received version we know today was actually produced by the founder of the Chou dynasty, King Wen, and his son, the Duke of Chou—and the historical epoch they initiated is celebrated as a golden age of enlightened rulers, humaneness and justice.

The version handed down to us was never conceived as the only possible version.  The official records of the Chou dynasty, dating back more than 3,000 years, state that three different versions of the I Ching then existed—one for each of the historical dynasties.  The most ancient of the dynasties, the Xia, it was said, possessed the Oracle but the order of the hexagrams was different:  it began with the hexagram Mountain over Mountain.  The succeeding dynasty, the Shang, reportedly possessed the Oracle but, again, the order of its hexagrams differed in that its sequence began with the hexagram Earth over Earth.  As he was contemplating the overthrow of the Shang dynasty, King Wen discovered in the re-ordering of the hexagrams the mandate of heaven authorizing him to initiate a new dynasty:  it was, then, with the Chou dynasty that the order of the received version came about, an arrangement that begins with the hexagram Heaven over Heaven.

Whether the hexagrams existed as long ago as the Xia and Shang dynasties is a matter of historical question.  That the Shang used oracle bones to consult the oracle on matter of statecraft is an historical certainty.  That the Chou dynasty used the ordering of the hexagrams to re-form the Oracle as a means of legitimizing the founding of the new dynasty is a matter of their own record.  Likewise, they justified this reading of the mandate of heaven by pointing backwards in time to say that the ordering of the hexagrams was instrumental in the legitimization of the preceding dynasties.

A thousand years later, people were still experimenting with variations, as the Mawangdui Silk Texts of the Second Century B.C. demonstrate.  In what is the oldest extant copy of the I Ching, the order of the hexagrams is again changed and the names of many of the hexagrams differ from the received version.  Another 1,200 years later, the great Neo-Confucian philosopher and I Ching scholar, Shao Yung, made public the natural number order of the hexagrams, which he attributed to the ancient culture hero, Fu Xi.  It was this order that the missionary Bouvet sent to Gottfried Leibniz in the 17th Century and which Leibniz recognized as the very binary code he was in the process of discovering in the West.

So the I Ching fundamentalists, citing their dedication to the past by clinging to a single version of the text while ignoring the greater context within which it was created and evolved, are mistaken.  The ordering of the hexagrams was, within Chinese culture, a complex question responding to political and philosophical purposes.

The same is true of the naming and interpreting of the hexagrams.  Over time, and again within Chinese culture, various interpretations of the Confucian text emerged in order to illuminate the fuller potential of the I Ching’s relevance to other spheres of study.  Lui I-Ming produced a version expressing the Taoist alchemical perspective. Chih-hsu Ou-i produced another version reflecting the Tianti Buddhist worldview.  And the 11th Century scholar Cheng Yi produced a version reflecting the philosophy of his school of inner design.

Given the facts, why then does a new version of the I Ching meet with resistance from the very people one might expect to welcome it with, at the least, open-minded curiosity?  The answer, I suspect, is not precisely what one might expect.

Resistance comes from those who are dedicated to their idea of the I Ching and not to the I Ching itself.  Theirs is an intellectual pursuit far removed from the oracular tradition—they are not, in a word, animists.  They do not adhere to the principle that all of matter is invested with spirit and they certainly have no first-hand experience of sensing the spirit animating stone, water, wind and plants.  They treat the I Ching as an object of study rather than actively engaging the spirit of the Oracle.  They forget that an oracle is essentially a speaking and they ignore the question of who or what it is that speaks.  They are not, in another word, diviners.

This is why The Toltec I Ching is the first new version of the ancient classic in modern times.  It is a book for diviners.  It embodies the animistic lifeway of treating all of nature, all of matter, as spiritual entities deserving recognition and respect for the part they play in the whole of Creation.  Its emphasis consistently falls on the ethics of inspired action within the emerging world culture seeking peace and prospering for all.  It recognizes that just as human beings have a visible body and an invisible spirit, so does every other part of nature—a recognition that extends to the whole of nature itself, whose invisible half is the living World Soul.  It does not simply pay lip service to the yin-yang worldview that originated with the ancient I Ching—it illuminates the mechanics of restoring a harmonious balance to life by identifying the intent of the masculine and feminine halves of spirit in each of the 64 hexagrams.

It is an Oracle in the old sense of the word:  the agency or medium of a divine spirit.  This Oracle has an historical relationship with human beings that extends back at least 3,500 years.  It uses the hexagrams and their line changes as its means of expression.  It speaks in symbols that give voice to the archetypal essences of the changing relationships between things.  The Toltec I Ching releases the Oracle from the cage of intellectualism, loosing its magic back into the world of magic.  And this is just what the Oracle does for us, for to encounter the Oracle with our question is to approach the Great Mystery with a sense of the magic of potential transformation at hand—and to receive the Oracle’s answer is to have our own souls released from their cell of intellect and loosed back into the magic of the World Soul’s embodiment.

Beyond these essentially philosophical reasons for a new version, there are the political ones.  The first is related to class and the second to gender.  As mentioned above, the I Ching was an instrument of statecraft, not only consulted by but also produced by the very rulership of the dynasty.  This was not necessarily an ignoble enterprise initially, forming as it did part of the ancient experiment in governing, whereby great emphasis was placed on creating an enlightened rulership that would then create a peaceful and prosperous commonwealth.  Reading the received version of the I Ching, we can see how much of the commentary is written to the ruler, giving advice on how to govern those below.  Moreover, because the received version was produced by the victorious rulers of the Chou dynasty, much of the commentary is based on the military and political machinations involved in establishing their new dynasty.  This focus is amplified by the fact that the received commentary to the hexagrams essentially reflects a bias toward Confucian philosophy, which emphasized adherence to hierarchical relationships.

As to gender, the difficulty with the received version is well-known.  Hand-in-hand with its patriarchal classism, its patriarchal sexism of three and a half millennia ago is so obsolete as to be laughable at the very least and actually offensive in some cases.

 

The Toltec Connection

Such, in short, are the factors necessitating a new version of the I Ching in our time.

Now, a legitimate question can be raised:  Why introduce the ancient Toltec worldview of native Mesoamerica into the ancient Taoist worldview of native China?  The answer to this question is more straightforward than one might expect.

First, we need to start with the fact that the indigenous Native Americans and the indigenous Chinese share a common Mother Culture.  Linked by migrations across the Bering Straight ice bridge over the course of the Ice Ages, the peoples who eventually settled in ancient China and the ancient Americas shared an animistic, or shamanic, lifeway with numerous basic symbolic correlations.  Not the least of these is the oracular tradition, so foundational to their civilizations, that their respective writing systems begin with their divinatory systems—the Shang oracle bones in ancient China and the sacred calendar of the Olmec-Zapotec in ancient Mesoamerica.

Second, we need to accept that the I Ching is no longer merely a “Chinese text”.  For some time now, it has reached across borders to become a “World text”, even as its study has, simultaneously, been suppressed during modern times in China.

Third, we need to remember that even within ancient China, there were versions of the I Ching that shifted its focus onto another worldview, such as the Taoist and Tiantai Buddhist perspectives mentioned above.  The concept of reinterpreting the I Ching through another perspective is similar to looking through different facets of the same gem:  not only was this an accepted practice in ancient China, but it was considered proof of the universality of the I Ching’s applicability to all of human life.  Moreover, even the received King Wen version is an interpretation:  it is essential to keep in mind that King Wen composed the texts for each of the hexagrams while his son composed the texts for each of the line changes.  The founders of the Chou dynasty did not just re-order the sequence of the hexagrams—they wrote the texts.  That this is made explicit by the Chou dynasty’s own records accentuating the fact that the real I Ching, the core I Ching, is comprised of the 64 hexagrams and nothing more—just the 64 possible combinations of six solid and broken lines making up the hexagrams, without any accompanying text, commentary or interpretation.  It is the work of diviners to read the interaction between the upper and lower trigrams making up each hexagram and interpret it in light of the question.  What is called the King Wen version is as arbitrary a reading of the I Ching as any other interpretation.

As for the Toltec lifeway, specifically, it is because they are a people at the edge of mythological and historical times that are held up as the pinnacle of civilization by all those in the central plateau of ancient Mexico.  Their king, the universally-esteemed Quetzalcoatl, or Plumed Serpent, fostered the birth of the sacred calendar, writing, mathematics, art, architecture, and medicine, all while forbidding practices such as sacrifice.  It was a time of peace, in which the crops were never more bounteous, the production of goods was never more beautiful, and the people were never more happy.  The Toltec were great traders, as well, and their influence extended all the way down to the Maya in what is now Sothern Mexico and all the way up into what is now the South-Western United States.  They were part of the great Tolteca-Chichimeca migration that is marked by the peoples of the high desert plateau of the Inter-Mountain region of North America and Mexico—a people united by their common linguistic roots in the Uto-Aztecan language group.

It is with the descendants of those ancients, the contemporary Rarámuri of the Barranca del Cobre in Mexico, that my wife, daughter, and I were honored to live for two years in the late 1970s.  It was among those semi-nomadic indigenes that I found the family of the village shamans, the head of whom adopted me and initiated me into both the Rarámuri lifeway and the most secret of their rituals.  And it was from my exposure to their traditional life, relatively unchanged for thousands of years, that I was changed into an animist:  I was not any longer separated from nature by my humanity but was united with it by the commonality of spirit shared by all material—and immaterial—form.

It is no coincidence, then, that my collaborator in The Toltec I Ching, Martha Ramirez-Oropeza, is a direct descendant of the Rarámuri people.  An accomplished muralist in Mexico, Martha was co-founder of the Universidad Nahuatl in Ocotepec, Mexico—an institution that taught the traditional arts and sciences of the ancient Toltec lifeway.  She was especially successful in bringing contemporary Nahuatl-speaking elders from indigenous communities to teach, from whom she inherited a vast treasure house of knowledge and wisdom.

That knowledge and wisdom is immediately apparent in the Illustrations that epitomize each of the 64 hexagrams of The Toltec I Ching.  Derived primarily from the symbols found in the pre-Columbian codices and monumental architecture, the Illustrations mark a revival of the ancient Mesoamerican writing system and stand as an important accomplishment in their own right.

In this matter, The Toltec I Ching is not just the first new version of the I Ching in modern times—it is also the first version ever to interpret the Oracle through both visual imagery and the written word.   In modern parlance, we would say it constitutes a single language speaking simultaneously to the right and left hemispheres of the brain.  Conceived and executed as translations of equal weight, the images of the Illustrations and the words of the text form a single interpretation that shifts the focus of the I Ching from the Old World and onto the New World—it shifts the focus away from the cultural intimacy of the ancient Chinese to their land and history and spirituality and towards the cultural intimacy of the ancient Mesoamericans to their land and history and spirituality.

But it is also a shift in a metaphorical sense, as well—away from the Old World lifeway of top-down patriarchal classism and sexism doing violence to people and nature, and toward the New World lifeway of bottom-up self-governance revering all the people, animals, plants, land, water and climate making up this living world that is our common home.  It is a shift away from the Old World of justifying a civilization of war and hatred based on a history of unforgiveable wrongs on all sides, and towards the New World of building a new civilization of peace and prospering for all that is based on universal amnesty and reconciliation.  It is a shift, in other words, towards the future that everyone wants, not just for themselves but for their children and their children’s children and all their relations in the coming generations.

It is a shift away from the Old Dynasty of the few overruling the many and desecrating nature, in other words, and toward the New Dynasty of the many ruling themselves in order to live in perpetual harmony with nature.

It is the founding of this emerging world culture that The Toltec I Ching commemorates.

 

Legitimizing A New Dynasty

The Spirit of the Age has reversed course again and we have entered a new Dynasty.  Unlike the dynasties of old that ruled one nation or one people, this time it is an egalitarian Dynasty, a global shift of awareness, setting free the potential of all nations and all people—and their collective relationship with the environment—for the next 5,000 years.

The old Dynasty of nationalism, aggression and self-interest is overturned now by time.  In its place, like billions of seeds fallen on the fertile plain of history, the first signs of the new age of enlightened peers reveal the emerging change to all.  Like the light from a distant nova that takes years to reach us, the effects of this spiritual revolution are already on their way.

 

As outlined above, The Toltec I Ching follows the ages-old tradition of legitimizing the new Dynasty by introducing a new version of the I Ching that more accurately reflects the vision and ethics of our age while still maintaining the shamanically-charged power of the Oracle.  Keeping to the path laid down by the ancients, we continue the practice of periodically re-ordering the sequence of the 64 hexagrams in order to renew cyclic time and restore humaneness to the social order.

This, then, is the ultimate reason for the appearance of a completely new version of the I Ching at this time:  The Toltec I Ching is an intrinsic part of the theurgic process of legitimizing the New Dynasty of Universal Benefit that diviners of many different traditions have foretold.

It is a part of the evolving Mandate of Heaven.

Posted in A New I Ching, The Toltec I Ching | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Mandate of Heaven II

I Ching Mathematics

Posted on June 16, 2014 by William

vol 1

I Ching Mathematics:  The Science of Change permits extended interpretations of I Ching divinations based on mathematical permutations of the single hexagram and line changes obtained through either the coin or yarrow stalk method.  The culmination of 45 years of study, this text will materially add to every diviner’s repertoire of interpretive skills.

While this volume continues the author’s work in developing the line of inquiry set out in The Toltec I Ching, every operation and interpretive model given here applies equally to the standard King Wen (Chou I) version.  

I Ching Mathematics: The Science of Change is available on Amazon.com.

 

Book Description:

This first volume of Researches on the Toltec I Ching sets forth an entire new science by which to interpret and analyze the inner workings of the sacred technology surrounding the ancient Oracle. The Oracle is that aspect of the numinous that speaks directly to human beings. It is the spiritual half of nature that has, of old, been called the World Soul and, more recently, the Imaginal. It has had numerous incarnations as a divinatory instrument among various cultures but none of those have approached the elegant marriage of complexity and simplicity that marks the system of the I Ching. Nor have any of those other sacred technologies garnered the serious attention and research of so many brilliant men and women across the past three-and-a-half millennia. Times change and with them, the most long-lived relics of human experience. Indeed, change they must if they are to continue being a living part of human experience that extends forward into an increasingly complex future. The core essence of such sacred technologies—those systematized mechanisms by which human awareness comes into unmediated contact with the numinous reality of which it is a part—do not, of course, change. What changes is our capacity to understand the ramifications of that essence. In the case of the I Ching, what has changed is our appreciation of the rational-mystical approach to life: Our growing awareness of the holistic and synergistic nature of life has made us realize that reason-without-spirituality is as cynical as spirituality-without-reason is naive. Its core essence is in fact the very model of rational mysticism: The progressive alternation of foundational polarities into symbols applicable to the widest range of human knowledge provides the rational counterpoint to its mystical relationship with the numinous spirit of the Oracle.

Volume II of this series is “The Image and Number Treatise: The Oracle and the War on Fate”.

Volume III of this series is “The Forest of Fire Pearls Oracle: The Medicine Warrior I Ching”

 

Posted in A New I Ching, The Toltec I Ching | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on I Ching Mathematics

The World Government-In-Exile: A Manifesto

Posted on January 24, 2014 by William

The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren and to do good is my religion.
— Thomas Paine

It is not given to every generation to take the reins of fate in hand at an historic turning point of civilization.  Just such a juncture in history has arisen, however, to test this generation’s will to set aside the failed visions of the past and to create a future civilization that fulfills the most promising visions of people everywhere and of all times.

The dreams of great-souled men and women of all cultures and all times are not visions of a highly-regimented civilization with inhumane discrepancies between rich and poor.  Nor have the wisest and most far-sighted among us envisioned a civilization perpetually at war with itself, fostering hatred among nations, races, religions and genders.

Despite the efforts of many noble-hearted people of the past to establish governments of enlightened rulers, more than enough time has passed to declare those efforts an abject failure.  Time has clearly proven that those in charge of governments, economies and religions are incapable of distancing themselves from the age-old enemy of human nature:  Self-interest infests their every thought and action, subverting the trust placed in them.  The hopes, dreams and well-being of the many have become mere markers on a game board callously manipulated by the few.

Civilization is turned inside-out:  Those who rule have no concern for humanity or nature, while those who should rule find themselves subjected to cyclic wars, economic collapses and environmental crises.  Modern governments are charged with ensuring the well-being of their people, future generations, and the environment—yet they collude with other political and economic forces to keep their societies in a state of shifting hostilities, antiquated classism and inaccessible alternatives to depleted natural resources.

That the many do not want their governments to engage in hostilities with other governments is certain.  That the many do not want their governments to give economic forces the right to steal from them and their children and their children’s children is certain.  That the many do not want their governments to collude with other political, economic and religious forces to continue the irrational and irresponsible desecration of nature’s land, plants, animals and atmosphere is certain.  Yet, these are precisely the actions that the few continue to impose upon the will of the many.

Beneath the illusion of progress, nothing has fundamentally changed since feudal times.  The few still dictate the lives of the many as if they were so much chattel.  People and their governments are further apart than ever, the special interests of the few continuing to overrule the common interests of the many.  The right of people everywhere to be free and decide their own destiny has been arrogated by the few that hold economic, military and media power.

The vast majority of people in the world are in a state of exile: exiled from the corridors of power where the decisions effecting them are being made; exiled from the boardrooms where the fate of the planet’s wildlife, vegetation, soil, water and atmosphere are being dictated; exiled from the war rooms where the strategies of perpetual hostility destroying homes, families and lives are being forged.

Through the ironies of history, it is the many who are exiled from the throne rooms usurped by the few. But it is not, of course, the 1% who are the legitimate governors of this world–it is the 99% of humanity who make up the World Government-In-Exile. Exiled within the borders of obsolete nation-states, this is a generation of world citizens seeking to do what governments are unwilling to do: Redirect civilization’s energies into establishing a long-standing peace among all peoples and an irreversible commitment to healing the environment.

 

Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.
— Albert Einstein

Taking back the reins of self-governance means aligning with the inevitable positive vision of the future in order to eradicate borders, differences, and distances between us: If the future is to be better than the past, then it must be founded on genuine goodwill among all. The distrust and fear propagated by the ruling class must be replaced by a willingness to recognize and trust the inherent goodness of people everywhere.

The inevitable World Government can only be one of global cooperation, in which resources are pooled and responsibilities shared. That World Government, comprised of all peoples everywhere, inevitably seeks to enrich the lives of every individual while ensuring that the best interests of the environment and future generations are of equal concern. It is this overarching sense of purpose that inevitably unites humanity in a shared vision of the future within its reach.

Following is an incomplete set of general principles, values, and ethics contributing to the positive vision of the inevitable future. Such a transition to the emerging world culture appears to be waiting for nothing more than a consensus of people to:

1. Acknowledge the essential nature common to people everywhere;

2. Acknowledge the inevitability of people everywhere identifying with human nature instead of gender, race, culture, nationality or religion;

3. Acknowledge the interests, concerns and needs universal to human nature;

4. Acknowledge the importance of concerns specific to local communities;

5. Acknowledge the right of people everywhere to share equally in the use of resources to meet the concerns universal to human nature, among which are good water, food, shelter, clothing, health care, education, peaceful coexistence and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the times in which they live;

6. Acknowledge that the purpose of government is to fulfill the wishes of people and that its purpose is to follow the will of people, not lead–to serve people, not rule;

7. Acknowledge that wisdom, goodwill and clemency are essential to holding the moral high ground during a time of reconciliation;

8. Acknowledge that people everywhere want peace and prosperity — and that it is this common desire that truly promotes positive change;

9. Acknowledge that a view of human nature as separate and distinct from all of nature is misguided and leads to the desecration of nature and the dehumanization of people everywhere;

10. Acknowledge that a worldview embedded in the sacredness of all of nature, including human nature, embodies wisdom and leads to harmonious relationships between people and respectful treatment of animals, plants and natural resources everywhere;

11. Acknowledge the folly of identifying with the horrors of the past, which leads to perpetuating hatreds and animosities;

12. Acknowledge the wisdom of identifying with the inevitable positive future, in which people everywhere lead lives of peace, prospering in perpetual harmony with their natural environment;

13. Acknowledge that the community of spirit transcends local limitations of resources and aids in their recovery from natural disasters;

14. Acknowledge that the world’s resources are shared by the world’s people in a manner that does not injure either the world’s future resources or its future generations and that the sacredness of all of nature demands a profound respect for its animals, plants, atmosphere, land and water so that caring for the well-being of all of nature remains a matter of the utmost concern for people everywhere;

15. Acknowledge that the technology exists for people everywhere to share information about problems they face and their possible solutions — and that access to such technology is among the rights all enjoy;

16. Acknowledge that nature and culture are the same thing and that the harmony between humanity and the environment has become essential to the wellbeing of both;

17. Acknowledge that the entire thrust of scientific research needs be turned to developing ways to feed and house all people while restoring watersheds and oceans to their uncontaminated states and restoring forests and the atmosphere to their original vitality; and,

18. Acknowledge that the right to vote is universal and extends to all people above the age of ten years, as children and youth are principal stakeholders in the decisions effecting the future.

Please take advantage of the comments section  to help complete this list and make it as comprehensive as possible.

This is the second of three articles proposing actions that can be taken now in order to arrive at the most beneficial future. In a previous article on the World Savings Initiative, I offered a model whereby the global community can fund constructive large-scale projects that improve the health of the environment and wellbeing of humanity at large.
The Toltec I Ching, by Martha Ramirez-Oropeza and William Douglas Horden, is published by Larson Publications. 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 for sample chapters, reviews and to learn more about the book.

Posted in Inspired Action | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The World Government-In-Exile: A Manifesto

Elysium is the New V for Vendetta

Posted on August 28, 2013 by William

Unquestionably the most subversive big-budget film in years, Elysium takes its rightful place among the small number of major productions that dare to hold a mirror up to the rising tide of inequality, injustice and authoritarianism facing us all.

Although cast as a science fiction film, Elysium cannot be mistaken for anything but what it is: An unblinking gaze into the dark heart of corrupted power — not a prescient view of some far-off dystopian future but a close-up under-the-microscope view of the dystopian present.

The title, Elysium, refers to the Greek place in the afterlife reserved for gods, heroes and those especially favored by the gods. In the film, it refers to an orbiting space station, a sparkling clean and well-ordered “second earth” populated by the elites who no longer have to live in the squalor of an over-populated and environmentally-degraded Earth. While the poor suffer from widespread hunger and disease below, the elites above enjoy the technological perfection of a homogenous society, a manufactured environment, and a medical system bordering on the miraculous.

In this new myth, Elysium is not so much the afterlife of people as it is the afterlife of planet Earth.

As a parable of what ails contemporary civilization, Elysium does an almost unparalleled job of touching upon all the major themes of our time —

1. Identity vs Humanity: Who is a person? Who decides who has rights and who does not? Running throughout the film is the question of what constitutes a legal identity — and the arbitrary way those questions are answered. The thrust of this theme centers around the dehumanization of the mass of humanity: they are poor, so they don’t count; they live in another place, so they don’t count; they don’t have any power, so they don’t count. It is in the exploration of this theme that the film exhibits the widest of extremes between compassion and violence.

This is a profoundly compassionate film. Its visual artistry evokes real empathy for those relegated to the dustbin of history simply because they are not born into a life of privilege. It especially evokes images of the coming generation and the personal sacrifices we have to make for the good of our children. Pitting the cruelty of granting rights to those who enjoy a “legal identity” against the suffering of those deemed “illegals,” Elysium speaks to our need to humanize civilization again.

And this is a profoundly violent film. Violence here is depicted as the ultimate form of dehumanization. People are routinely treated visually as little more than “talking meat”: There are simply more people blown apart in the most graphic way possible than any other movie in my memory. There is even, most notably, an instance of a face blown off — perhaps the most subliminal symbol of dehumanization possible. One could argue that makingElysium an “action movie” like this allows it to get the major funding required, not to mention an audience, but it seems to go well beyond that justification. This is exemplified by (1) the exo-skeletons worn to amplify strength beyond anything imaginable for a human being and (2) the robotic security forces whose anonymity is preserved behind masks and body armor. Like V For Vendetta, which was also criticized for an uncomfortable degree of emotional violence, Elysium depicts a world in which violence comes from the top, down — as the very language of authority seeking to control a populace from which it grows ever more distant.

2. Class vs Equality: The inequality of the right to resources that ought be held for the common good is depicted as the principal motive of the protagonists. There is little subtlety here: The elites look to be nearly all Anglos and those left to suffer the consequences of the elites’ corporations are nearly all people of color. It seems to fit with the film’s perspective that most of the protagonists are Latino (the Anglo hero played by Matt Damon was raised in an orphanage where the first language was Spanish). This seems to reflect directly on the issue of “legal identity” and the relationship between two neighboring nations. What is interesting in this regard is that poverty, hardship and inequality have made the protagonists quicker, smarter, and more adaptable than those who have grown complacent in Elysium. The subtext of this theme clearly points to how two cultures could be mutually beneficial.

3. Security vs Justice: There is a point in the movie where the robotic security forces are actually called “Homeland Security”. Their strong-arm tactics are aimed at (1) maintaining control of the earth-bound populace and (2) keeping them from reaching Elysium. All this is more-or-less the dictate of Elysium’s head of security, played by Jodie Foster, who contracts with known psychopaths to enforce her will. That she is violating her own legal mandates in doing so is of little consequence to her: Using the fear of “invasion” and the “loss of your way of life” as justification, she bullies into submission all who take a principled stand. Again, little subtlety here.

4. Technology vs Environment: Technology has chewed up the planet and spit it back out in vast urban ghettos on Earth, while up in Elysium it has produced a self-sustaining ecology that is both beautiful and in harmony with humanity. Little needs de-coding in this theme: It seems we simply need to make a decision about which vision we would like to see realized.

5. Poverty vs Health: One of the strongest themes of the film, this conflict is played out less in words than in images. Health care is literally out-of-reach for the poor still Earth-bound, the privilege of those who enjoy the “identity” of citizenship in Elysium. This intersects with a secondary theme, that of unemployment and the treatment of workers “lucky” enough to have a job. Damon’s character, in point of fact, is needlessly exposed to a lethal dose of radiation on the job and summarily dismissed with no offer of medical assistance anywhere. That the final scenes of the film depict medical units arriving on Earth from Elysium to administer universal health care to all demonstrates the significance of this theme to the film.

6.  Status Quo vs Re-Boot: Driving the plot is a piece of software that will “re-boot” the functioning of Elysium, allowing Foster’s character to do away with the political impediments to implementing complete order in the name of security. The program falls into the hands (actually, the head) of Damon’s character, whereupon it is discovered that such a “re-boot” could also allow for a re-designation of “legal identity” by making all humans legal citizens of Elysium. This, perhaps, is the over-arching theme of the film: Do we allow the status quo to continue indefinitely or do we find a way to re-write the social contract binding people everywhere?

Elysium is a difficult film, as it should be, given the visceral nature of its themes. But it is a more honest representation of the state of present-day civilization than has been offered to such a wide audience in years: Here’s why people do not agree with the way things are going.

* * *
This criticism first appeared in Huffington Post on 27 August 2013.

* * *
William Douglas Horden is co-author of The Toltec I Ching: 64 Keys to Inspired Action in the New World. This new version of the ancient Taoist oracle adopts Native American symbology in order to articulate the ethics of the emerging world culture.

Click here for sample chapters, reviews and a link for ordering the book.

 

Posted in Arts Criticism | Comments Off on Elysium is the New V for Vendetta

Five Keys to Inspired Action in the Global Spring

Posted on July 2, 2013 by William

The movement from me to we is well underway.  Forming the emotional bedrock of the emerging world culture, a new lifeway is taking root and spreading exponentially through each succeeding generation.  Entire nations shudder and awaken the sleeping giant of the people’s will.  We are no longer confined to borders nor defined by the past–we occupy a shared present in constant flux, constantly being recreated in a global vision of possibilities. Old hatreds are passing away as each generation moves closer to a future in which people live in harmonious balance with one another and the environment. Civilization’s priorities are changing before our eyes: competition among people and exploitation of resources are giving way to an ethics of social mutualism and spiritual environmentalism.

But what are the guideposts for acting in the most inspired and inspiring ways in this budding of the Global Spring? Not surprisingly, perhaps, they hearken back to a previous age, before the focus of life became the individual.

Below are five examples that articulate the ethics of such inspired action.

~
Recapturing Vision

We enter this world with memories of those principles which should govern personal and social conduct–principles that call us to task, demanding that we seek the good and the beautiful, demanding that we honor and respect all life, demanding that we have the opportunity to fulfill our full potential, demanding that we live compassionately and joyfully. Yet our memories of these principles grow dim over time as we are exposed to the cruelty and suffering pervading the world–and dimmer still as we seek to establish a secure and stable life while surrounded by so many others competing for a similar goal. Actively invite the source of those memories to make use of you to bring its principles to life–in this way you recapture the vision with which you came into the world and rededicate yourself to its fulfillment. Radiate unfading optimism and unqualified love for people everywhere and your efforts inspire others to risk sharing your vision.

Personal success is secondary to bringing benefit to others, personal longings are secondary to the legitimate need of others. All people deserve the same rights, all cultures are created equal. We benefit from the efforts of our ancestors–our descendants must benefit from our efforts. We benefit from what our environment produces–our environment must benefit from what we produce. We share a common origin with all life, we share a common destiny with all nature. Principles must reflect the underlying harmony of the world, ideals must be put into action.

~
Fostering Self-Sacrifice

Profit brings gain for one at the expense of many, whereas altruism brings gain for many at the expense of one–therefore, the logic of altruism is superior to the logic of profit. Self-interest cannot injure the whole without injuring oneself, whereas self-sacrifice cannot benefit the whole without benefiting oneself–therefore, the logic of self-sacrifice is superior to the logic of self-interest.

~
Shining Spirit

The untroubled spirit is untroubled even when things are difficult, the troubled spirit is troubled even when things are going well.

Brightness is the quality of contentment and joy that the untroubled spirit radiates and lightness is the quality of ease and buoyancy of the untroubled spirit’s presence. By diligently cultivating an untroubled peace of mind, we shed every last vestige of worry, distrust, and discontent.

~
Radiating Intent

Times of progress emerge from times of stagnation, times of advance follow times of hardship: a common vision emerges from shared adversity. When people no longer seek guidance from those with all the trappings of power and authority, they create projects that are supported by their peers because they provide a meaningful outlet for people’s pent-up energies. Because such projects are conceived from the ground up, they are the collective work of the community, made up of all the lives and talents and efforts and contributions of its members. When greatness is defined by mutual regard and mutual benefit, the totality of individual expressions is bound together by a common purpose and shared lives. In an atmosphere of equality and creativity, people collaborate in altruistic projects voluntarily because it brings them joy to contribute to the whole of which they are a part.

~
Unifying Inspiration

Contentment is not an intellectual state devoid of emotional conscience or social communion–it is, rather, a state of multiplying benefit that strives to overflow its vessel in order to enrich other vessels. The heart must be filled with a vision of a great endeavor, the collective purpose of which explains past events and actions, increases tolerance and understanding among contemporaries, and prepares meaningful responses to future events. People can sacrifice personal fulfillment indefinitely only if they feel themselves contributing to the fulfillment of something greater than themselves. For this reason, meaningless work in exchange for personal material security cannot hold people enthralled very long–nor can threats of losing such meaningless security force compliance in the long run. What is called for is a positive vision of unity that inspires people to set aside past conflicts, accept and respect one another’s potential, and work together toward a goal that ennobles the lives of all concerned. Only when people feel that all partake equally from the pool of resources do they willingly take up as much of the great burden as they can carry. Open your heart to the purpose of human life and your vision will be like a torch for others seeking to perfect their part of creation.

 

Posted in Inspired Action | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Five Keys to Inspired Action in the Global Spring

Three Zen Stories for Peace of Heart

Posted on June 28, 2013 by William

Zen stories and koans have a reputation for being difficult to understand. While this is certainly true of some, there are others more transparent that seem to impart their primary lesson much more readily.

Here are three such stories, each of which uses a different strategy to address the issue of calming the heart and finding peace of mind.

1. Is That So?

There was a monk who lived on the edge of a small town, much to the delight of the townspeople. Whenever he ventured into town to help someone, everyone came out of their homes to give him gifts from their gardens, calling out to him, “Oh, Teacher, we’re so fortunate to have you living nearby! You are such a wonderful person! You do so much good, Teacher! Your presence is such a blessing!”
To all of this, the monk would always reply, “Is that so? Is that so?”

One day a young woman came to the monk’s hut and said, “Oh, Teacher, I’m in terrible trouble. I’m pregnant and my family will disown me. The young man who I love so much has fled to another town because my family would certainly do him harm. I have nowhere else to turn and no one else to ask for help.”

The monk replied that she could live in the back room and help around the house and she would then have the security of a home for her child.

Well, now when the monk went into town, he was reviled. “You dirty old man! Look how you have betrayed our trust and taken advantage of that young woman! How could we have ever believed in you? What shame you have brought on us!” And they hurled rotten fruit at him along with their insults.

To all of this, the monk would always reply, “Is that so? Is that so?”

After a while, the father of the child returned to the town and presented himself before the family, saying, “I have spent the past two years learning a trade in a neighboring town and now I am able to provide a home for your daughter and grandchild.” The family was overjoyed. Although it wasn’t the best of situations, it was so much better than they had feared that they welcomed their daughter and grandchild back into the family with open arms.

How different it was when the monk came into town then. The townspeople lined the road every time, presenting him with gifts of food and calling out, “Oh, Teacher, how could we have ever doubted you? Look at the wonderful thing you have done! We are so ashamed! Please forgive us! You are such a wise and compassionate person! We are so fortunate to have you living nearby!”

To all of this, the monk would always reply, “Is that so? Is that so?”

While there is no single interpretation that would do justice to this story, it certainly speaks to the equanimity of the monk. Against the backdrop of praise and condemnation, he holds himself apart from “what everyone thinks” even as he acts with the most compassionate and involved sense of responsibility. Whether in public or the workplace or in the privacy of home life, people will misread our intentions and jump to conclusions that cast us in a bad light. The most straight-forward lesson of this story, then, is that by continuing on the most ethical course of action our true intents become known. This, however, can be a short-lived vindication as the same thing may happen all over again: We ought not be pulled off-center by shallow praise any more than by shallow criticism.

The monk in this story serves as a model by maintaining emotional detachment from the transient opinions of others while never withdrawing from personal involvement with others’ real needs.

Other lessons can be derived from this story by looking at the events from the perspective of each of the other characters (the parents, the young man, the young woman, the townspeople) and considering how simply each of them could have maintained their own equanimity in the face of circumstances.

2. The Threadbare Coat

A woman whose husband died unexpectedly faced dire circumstances. Creditors hounded her, taking everything away from her and her young son. Fearing she might lose the most valuable possession of the family, she hid the priceless jewel that had been handed down for generations by sowing it into the sleeve of an old coat that the creditors would never want. The troubles weighed on her grief and eventually broke her spirit and she died without ever telling her son about the jewel.
The boy found himself without family or home, his only inheritance the old threadbare coat that the creditors left him. He found work wherever he could, staying in barns or out in the forest, exposed to the elements and grave hardship. Filled with sorrow at his fate, he endured the passing years with an abiding belief in the unfairness of life.

One day, as he was chopping wood, his sleeve caught on a branch and tore open. Out spilled the priceless jewel onto the ground before him!

The source of happiness — real wealth — is our birthright, something we carry with us from childhood whether we remember it or not. We are rich, the story says, even when we feel deprived. This is because, of course, the jewel represents the perfect nature of the true, original self with which we are born. Upon finding the jewel, the young man realized he had been rich all along — and his life changed irreversibly in just that single moment of recognizing the jewel.

Becoming more aware of the hidden jewel we carry at all times brings us in touch with the source of inner peace and happiness. The more we identify with our hidden treasure, the more we become a well of peace and happiness overflowing into the lives of others.

3. The Wind and the Flag

A wandering monk passed by the courtyard of a monastery where he heard two groups of monks arguing about the temple flag fluttering in the breeze.
“It is the flag that moves,” one group argued.

“No, it is the wind that moves,” argued the other group.

Back and forth they argued, responding to the logic of the other side, coming up with new rationale for their respective positions. But it just came down to, “It is the wind that moves, it is the flag that moves.”

After listening for a while, the itinerant monk interrupted them and said, “If you look more closely you will see that it is neither the flag nor the wind that moves — what moves is your mind.”

This story is a reminder of how easily we fall into “either-or” thinking. It doesn’t matter what the subject is, we are fully capable of taking sides and then feeling the need to prove ourselves “right.” The lesson of “seeing ourselves seeing” is a necessary one if we are to develop the witness awareness that watches habit thoughts and feelings arise automatically. Interrupting ingrained reactions to things allows us to consciously create new reactions that better reflect our current stage of development.

One of the most direct methods of doing that is to catch ourselves reliving an old tape and ask ourselves, “Did I consciously choose that thought?” If not, then we pointedly ask ourselves, “What thought do I choose to have?” This is a very practical exercise that works as well with habitual emotions and memories as it does with thoughts.

Zen stories serve as intriguing reminders we can use to keep our feet on the path of a calm heart and an untroubled mind in the hustle of everyday life. It is always easier to remember a story than an idea!

Each of these stories is open to multiple interpretations. Please feel free to share how you read them in the comments section.

Posted in Tranquility | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Three Zen Stories for Peace of Heart

The World Savings Initiative

Posted on June 18, 2013 by William

If we want things to stay the same, everything is going to have to change.
–Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

It seems inevitable that a time comes when people across the globe create a mechanism by which to exert their collective self-governance.

After all, governments have given up the pretense of serving the people they now unashamedly claim to rule. Religions fail to stand up to the state and end war by prohibiting their every adherent from any violent act. Corporations make no excuses for trading the health of people and the environment for profits. The rich keep the rest of humanity in economic bondage through market manipulation. The elite media support the status quo, upon which their right to exist hinges.

Of course, it is a state of affairs shared by all nations. The will of the many everywhere is ignored or subverted so that governments can fulfill the will of the few. We are fast becoming a world of seven billion disaffected, dis-empowered and disenfranchised subjects: Not what we would have chosen as our common bond, perhaps–but bond it is, uniting us across borders, cultures and ideologies.

Which raises the question, “What is the will of the many?” If we had the resources at our disposal, what would we try to accomplish? Given the instantaneous worldwide communication open to us, what can we agree on achieving? Beyond all our superficial differences, what kind of civilization do we dream of bequeathing to the coming generations? And, more specifically, what long-range problems face us all and how do we solve them?

Of course, there is a growing movement of people everywhere to effect incremental, cumulative change, such as local cooperatives, ethical sustainability, ethical treatment of animals, environmental protection, responsible consumerism, community volunteerism, and so on. These and other coordinated efforts mark our real progress as a species: Our growing awareness of our collective power spreads as we find new ways to change the future through local action. But the balance of power remains stubbornly tipped in favor of the few, whose economic interests continue to trump the real-life interests of the many.

If we are to exert our collective will, we need to create our own economic resource.

The World Savings Initiative

Central concepts–

    • A trust is established to which everyone in the world may contribute.
    • In return for their contribution, each person is entitled to vote on how the collective funds are spent.
    • Regardless of how much contributed, each person receives one vote.
    • No funds can be expended on projects without two-thirds approval of donors.
  • An electronic forum is established whereby donors from every part of the world can advocate for specific needs to be addressed and the best ways to address them.

Peripheral points–

    • A running total of donations is constantly updated on-line.
    • Funds are saved and not invested, in order to avoid market manipulation.
    • A yearly audit is conducted of the trust’s funds.
    • A donor’s vote can be transferred to an heir.
    • The trust is set up to accept donations of estates.
  • The barest of administrative costs, to be approved by two-thirds vote of donors. (These would include audit costs, paperwork for donors without computers, website administration, volunteer training, etc.).

 

The World Savings Initiative, then, is a truly democratic global initiative that rights the balance of power, giving the many the means to address real-world problems ignored, or created, by the few.

There are, of course, numerous technical issues to be overcome in the establishment of the World Savings Initiative. Given the creative and intellectual resources of seven billion people, however, those hurdles can be cleared in good time.

Our greatest resource is our humaneness: The goodwill of people toward one another, the love of people for the land, and the inventiveness of people facing common problems—these are the attributes of hearts and minds already reaching across borders and redefining humanity beyond the shattered vision of obsolete governments.

Self-governance begins somewhere. It must have the resources to enact its will.

We have the means of changing the worst of things while letting the best of things stay the same.

If not now, when? If not us, who?

 

(This article first appeared in HuffingtonPost.com 17 June 2013)

****
 

The Toltec I Ching, by Martha Ramirez-Oropeza and William Douglas Horden, is published 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.

Click here for sample chapters, reviews and to learn more about the book.

 

Posted in Inner Activism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The World Savings Initiative

Breaking the Penniston Binary Code

Posted on May 23, 2013 by William

~

100110010100000010101001000010101111

011110101001100101100010000010

000010000100001111001100

~

Synopsis

A purported message from extraterrestrial beings appears to be encrypted as a series of hexagrams from the ancient divinatory classic, the I Ching.  The length of the message and its repeated themes creates a highly condensed language permitting an intelligible and congruent interpretation.

Background

In December, 1980, one of the best-documented cases of UFO contact occurred in Rendlesham Forrest, England, adjacent to Woodbridge Air Force Base.   Among the first on the scene was Sgt Jim Penniston, who claims to have made drawings of the craft and actually touched it—at which point, a light emanated from the craft around his hand.  Later, when he returned to his lodging, he reviewed the drawings in his notebook and spontaneously began writing out a long series of zeros and ones.  It was in 1994 that he recalled under hypnosis having written the binary code the evening of the incident and in 2010 that he made the contents of the first five of those pages public.  There have been efforts to decipher the code using ASCII, which has produced interesting results by translating the binary code into numbers and English letters.

In the 17th Century, Leibnitz recognized the I Ching as a preexisting version of the very binary code he was in the process of discovering.  This was in relation to the Shao Yung arrangement of hexagrams he was sent by the missionary Bouvet.  The I Ching, a set of 64 symbols that arose in mythological time, has no known predecessor or originator.  It appears full-blown, a system of simple solid and broken horizontal lines, used by the Chou Dynasty some 3,500 years ago to legitimize their reign and distinguish it from the Shang Dynasty’s divination via plastromancy.  The 64 symbols of the system are called hexagrams and consist of six lines each, which, in their totality, express all the possible combinations of solid and broken lines.

Translating the Penniston Binary Code

Following are two interlocking translations of the message purportedly transmitted to Jim Penniston by extraterrestrial beings in December, 1980.  These are viewed as complementary versions of the same message, the one political-historical and the other spiritual-cultural.

The first translation, Future History Of Humanity, renders the binary code according to the King Wen sequence of hexagrams as given in the classic Wilhelm/Baynes version of I Ching, or The Book Of Changes.  The nature of the King Wen version is pointedly political, social and historical, with a strong focus on the forces driving change in those arenas.  This translation follows a linear progression for the most part, with the 152 hexagrams falling roughly into thirds:  the first third addresses the changes humanity undergoes before formal contact can be made with peoples of other worlds; the second third describes the political and social changes humanity undergoes in response to that contact; and, the last third records the changes humanity undergoes as it encounters and absorbs the spiritual tradition of the extraterrestrials.  Material placed in quotation marks are direct quotes from the Wilhelm/Baynes version.

The second translation, The Ambassadors’ Message, renders the Penniston binary code in terms of the new sequence of hexagrams as given in The Toltec I Ching.  The nature of this version of the I Ching is primarily spiritual and political-social secondarily, so it renders the spiritual message embedded in the Penniston code much more cogently than the older King Wen.  This translation is not precisely linear, although it does build on principles as it progresses.  It has several major points it makes, using repetition to emphasize its meaning.  Further justification for using The Toltec I Ching in this regard can be found in Technical Note #1 following the translations.

In the translations below, the name and number of each hexagram is followed by a succinct interpretation of its meaning.  Each translation should be viewed as a combination of the hexagram name and its interpretation.

For the sake of readability, these are necessarily simplified charts.  Examples of the more complex charts including the binary numbers and the hexagrams are available for the asking.

Observations and Technical Notes follow the translations below.

~

Future History Of Humanity

Part I

49  Revolution

The time comes and people believe: “Changing the form of government brings good fortune”

63  After Completion

At a time of climax, the smallest and least expected change can topple the established order

28  Preponderance of the Great

The weight at the top can no longer be supported from the bottom

13  Fellowship with Men

“It is not private interests but the goals of humanity that create lasting fellowship  among all”

55  Abundance

When great abundance is not shared, dark forces usurp the common good:  injustice must be recognized and punished

9  The Taming Power of the Small

When the wheels stop turning, the wagon cannot proceed:  the powerful depend utterly on those below

8  Holding Together

Do not hold together with wrong people:  “Whoever comes too late meets with misfortune”

30  The Clinging, Fire

Fire rises from the earth, leaders arise from the masses:  a real change of heart spreads like a wildfire

13  Fellowship with Men

Differences still separate some but they can no longer fight among themselves:  slowly, reconciliation becomes the way

63  After Completion

Just as order is being created out of disorder, the powerful re-exert their influence, creating disorder out of order

49  Revolution

When sincere pleas for reform repeatedly go unheeded, people have no recourse but to overturn the status quo

58  The Joyous, Lake

This is cause for celebration, winning people’s hearts with the promise of a more fulfilling time

55  Abundance

Great minds set out to establish the means of sharing nature’s abundance and human effort

53  Development, Gradual Progress

Private interests and agitation are slowly overcome as the wisdom of this path becomes ever more apparent

45  Gathering Together

Only collective ethical force can unite the world:  inspired action leads to lasting accomplishments

19  Approach

A time of universal renewal is approaching:  high and low become peers via forgiveness and reconciliation

49  Revolution

The old is overturned:  many small daily revolutions lay ahead

53  Development, Gradual Progress

Peace and concord in good fortune:  people share good luck with others

28  Preponderance of the Great

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary cautiousness and planning if unity is not to disintegrate

63  After Completion

Wise people take thought of possible misfortune they might create and arm themselves against it in advance

55  Abundance

Great blessings and long fame draw near, bringing good fortune for all

37  The Family, The Clan

When the whole world is a family, care of the future generations is paramount

5  Waiting, Nourishment

In the midst of change, people take heart in expressions of their inner certainty of reaching the goal

41  Decrease

Stability and ease must not lead to letting one’s guard down:  the forces that would steal from below bide their time

30  The Clinging, Fire

Identify those who care only for themselves:  exile the leaders, pardon the followers

63  After Completion

Recognize the reason for dissent:  do not fall into wrong-doing when correcting wrong-doing

49  Revolution

Otherwise, the revolution itself becomes the target of revolution

17  Following

Factions arise when purpose and goal are not clearly expressed

60  Limitation

Strict rules must be set in place so as to avoid even the appearance of impropriety

18  Work on what has been Spoiled

Avoid future problems by mitigating any extremism taken up in the initial transition

62  Preponderance of the Small

Fine tune the rules guiding the relationships between needs and resources

17  Following

The second generation of change must remain open-minded to the moderating views in the new milieu

33  Retreat

When people take positive change for granted, the opportunity arises for those of ill-will to exert their influence

25  Innocence, The Unexpected

This causes people to return to the ideals and ethics that sparked the revolution in the first place

18 Work on what has been Spoiled

Taking up measures that evoke backlashes creates one’s own opposition

23  Splitting Apart

Polarities arise when inequalities persist

44  Coming to Meet

Those without a sense of history demand immediate satisfaction:  bring them into the decision-making so they understand it

21  Biting Through

Deliberate obstruction does not vanish on its own:  wrong-doing must be rooted out and punished

18  Work on what has been Spoiled

New rules are set up to avoid another insinuation of ulterior motives into the common good

49  Revolution

A more mature and pragmatic form of self-governance is formed without losing any of the original idealism

40  Deliverance

The movement passes out of the sphere of danger:  tensions and complications ease, people return to the reconciliation process

42  Increase

“To rule truly is to serve”:  leaders relinquish authority and become mediators

18  Work on what has been Spoiled

The worldview of equality of all cultures and individuals is extended to all life, land and what sustains it

28  Preponderance of the Great

The center holds although the inclusion of nature’s rights is not accepted by all immediately

57  The Penetrating, Wind

Slow persistent emphasis on the sanctity of all life inevitably brings most into accord

21  Biting Through

Violations of rules protecting animals, plants, land and climate are energetically punished

18  Work on what has been Spoiled

A system of caretakers is set up to address nature’s needs and to monitor both commercial and personal compliance with rules

17  Following

The standard changes:  people join in collaborative unions to create communities in perpetual harmony with nature

57  The Penetrating, Wind

This kind of reform becomes widespread and persists indefinitely, resulting in good fortune for all

46  Pushing Upward

Humanity’s presence begins to be felt beyond Earth

Part II

26  The Taming Power of the Great

The way is open for contact:  communication is tentative at first, trusting that humanity’s transformation is permanent

57  The Joyous, Lake

A time of mutual exuberance:  it is always a joyous moment when a new people are welcomed by the higher union

18 Work on what has been Spoiled

Elements of humanity react fearfully and defensively:  anthropocentric worldviews do not change overnight

25  Innocence, The Unexpected

It is not an illness, so use no medicine:  do not treat natural fears as wrong, let them pass in their own time

18 Work on what has been Spoiled

Seeing the beneficial nature of the alliance, people change their obsolete worldview

17  Following

Humanity willingly adopts the wider perspective of the higher union

50  The Caldron

“All that is visible must grow beyond itself, extend into the realm of the invisible” and take “firm root in the cosmic order”:  intimations of an older spirituality first appear

17  Following

A small minority of humans willingly adopts the spirituality of their elders

26  The Taming Power of the Great

This deepens their appreciation of the uniqueness of Earth and its place in the higher union

31  Influence, Wooing

The higher union responds by maintaining a respectful attitude, exhibiting admiration for humanity’s transformation

56  The Wanderer

Ambassadors of the higher union arrive to cultivate relations with human civilization:  they are diplomatic and considerate

29  The Abysmal, Water

Humanity’s first introduction to the way of crossing the vastness of time between peoples

6  Conflict

Elements of humanity demand access to that knowledge in a show of insecurity and impatience

21  Biting Through

Humanity’s reactionary elements are not allowed to sabotage the relationship:  the majority have greater trust in the ambassadors

27  Providing Nourishment

The ambassadors are accessible to people everywhere they go, spurring individuals to seek deeper understanding of their universe

46  Pushing Upward

The ambassadors begin transport of individuals to the other side of the abyss in order to experience the ways of the higher union

38  Opposition

The profundity of the differences between humanity and the elder peoples is both humbling and inspiring

50  The Caldron

The elder civilizations exist to afford every individual every opportunity to realize their full potential

30  The Clinging, Fire

Fire clings to wood until it burns out, spirit clings to form until it leaps clear:  it is the sanctity of life that binds the higher union

37  The Family, The Clan

As humanity is a single family of myriad cultures, the higher union is a single family of myriad worlds

45  Gathering Together, Massing

Informed representatives of humanity are invited to attend an official assembly of the higher union for the first time

63  After Completion

Representatives return to earth with new technologies assuring greater self-sufficiency on a planetary scale

55  Abundance

A period of worldwide well-being begins: civilization is fully integrated with the well-being of the environment and its wildlife

39  Obstruction

A large-scale natural disaster effects a significant portion of humanity:  the continuity of civilization is ensured by global cooperation

63  After Completion

Peoples of the higher union arrive to help rebuild human and wildlife habitats  and repair environmental damage

55  Abundance

A period of worldwide well-being begins anew:  earth is restored to its original lushness

37  The Family, The Clan

The bond between humanity and the higher union is deepened because of this assistance

17  Following

Humanity and the higher union pursue the same vision of universal benevolence

19  Approach

Humanity is formally invited to join the higher union:  this provokes debate about humanity losing its identity

37  The Family, The Clan

Humanity formally accepts the invitation to join the higher union

48  The Well

Humanity receives knowledge of the inexhaustible source of energy making crossing the abyss between peoples possible

43  Breakthrough, Resoluteness

An increasing number of humans begin migrating to other locales in the higher union, profoundly effecting their sense of identity

61  Inner Truth

Close contact with other peoples demonstrates how they maintain their unique identity as a part of the higher union

13  Fellowship with Men

As is typical of new members, humanity begins to form two identities—those who stay on Earth and those who migrate

37  The Family, The Clan

In time, this distinction lessens but dissidents holding onto an isolationist identity form a vocal minority

45  Gathering Together, Massing

The higher union convenes to address a crisis on a member world:  a request for volunteers to assist is made

5  Waiting

Isolationists convince many that they have no responsibility to help:  they claim humanity did not need the help of the higher union

63  After Completion

Humans who migrated among other peoples arrive with others of the higher union to resolve the crisis for the common good

9  The Taming Power of the Small

The great aspirations of human civilization are held in check by a minority with no true historical perspective

5  Waiting

Many humans who helped in the crisis return to earth:  real contention tears at civilization for the first time in generations

30  The Clinging, Fire

Isolationists sow more discord, claiming that the higher union is slowly invading earth by sending migrants from other worlds

22  Grace

The higher union withdraws its ambassadors in a show of benign noninterference

37  The Family, The Clan

Increasing number of humans follow the ambassadors, leaving earth in order to be part of a larger family

5  Waiting

Human civilization turns inward, away from the stars and other peoples:  xenophobia fosters fear, promoting abuses of freedom

9  The Taming Power of the Small

The few are again able to exert their will upon the many:  inferior people come to the fore and discord replaces harmony

63  After Completion

Humanity’s shadow returns after generations of peace, prospering and cooperative acts:  more humans leave earth

57  The Penetrating, Wind

A counter-movement arises:  many humans demand a return to the recent past, requesting help from the higher union

5  Waiting

A peace-keeping force arrives from the higher union, consisting mostly of expatriate humans:  the fears of isolationists come true

41  Increase

A world-wide referendum is held:  a vast majority vote  to reengage the higher union

11  Peace

Complete disaster averted, new global endeavors are taken up:  peaceful cooperation returns but the dissidents go underground

10  Treading, Conduct

It is a time of starting over, a time of simple essential projects that unite and benefit all:  the goal is restoring harmony

57  The Penetrating, Wind

The restored government seeks to analyze what went wrong but discovers that the difficulty is human nature, not its individuals

60  Limitation

Human civilization returns to a previous educational model that emphasizes inspired ethical action that benefits all life

26  The Taming Power of the Great

People of benevolent intent drive change forward, amplifying and consolidating goodwill in order to prepare for greater advance

55  Abundance

A time of peace and prospering for all life on earth returns:  it is a time of well-deserved stability following difficult correction

64  Before Completion

Human leaders are still concerned with investigating the cause of isolationism:  they do not let their guard down, knowing it could happen again

64  Before Completion

Victory has been achieved, the test of character has been passed and the realization that a new era has begun takes root

47  Oppression, Exhaustion

The isolationists cannot accede to the referendum or its outcome:  they begin a new movement aimed at migrating to another world

38  Opposition

No inhabited world in the higher union is willing to accept the dissidents:  they feel trapped, disenfranchised and dishonored

50  The Caldron

They are granted asylum on an uninhabited world:  they learn that similar groups of dissidents exist in exile, as well

13  Fellowship with Men

Human dissidents begin building a coalition among the other groups in self-imposed exile:  they are bonded by fundamentalist zeal

28  Preponderance of the Great

The higher union tolerates their sending missionaries to other worlds and sowing discord where they can

47  Oppression, Exhaustion

The dissidents’ movement gains no traction:  fueled by zealotry and paranoia, they resort to acts of targeted violence

35  Progress

The tipping point:  the higher union abandons tolerance and responds to criminal acts with the most severe penalties

27  Providing Nourishment

Most of the punished leaders of the movement are from Earth:  this disgrace takes humans an entire generation to overcome

50  The Caldron

Its will tested by barbarism, the higher union emerges stronger and wiser, its sense of spiritual maturity reaffirmed

58  The Joyous, Lake

A time of reconciliation arrives:  human civilization on Earth formally apologizes for its wrongs and petitions to remain in the higher union

38  Opposition

The higher union overcomes any internal opposition and meets humanity halfway, sending new ambassadors to renew ties

Part III

42  Increase

The ambassadors are all well-respected spiritual teachers, who begin presenting their insights to interested humans

44  Coming to Meet

Disillusioned with the failure of orthodox religions, many humans convert to the ambassadors’ spiritual teachings

64  Before Completion

The transition to a religion based on the marriage of science and spirituality is long but humans are determined to advance

50  The Caldron

Civilization’s old misconceptions about the nature of matter and life and spirit are overturned in a second revolution

38  Opposition

No effort to persuade holdouts is made and most come of their own accord:  arguments are rational, without emotional intolerance

28  Preponderance of the Great

Even the dissident humans exiled from other peoples recognize the tragedy of their past beliefs and begin to convert

47  Oppression, Exhaustion

The sincerity of humanity’s effort to transform its nature is formally recognized by other members of the higher union

35  Progress

A period of greater communion between humans and the universe ensues:  spiritual growth leads to restoration of paradise on earth

42  Increase

The higher union’s capital moves periodically among member worlds:  it is unanimously agreed to move it to Earth

64  Before Completion

The rebirth of humanity:  as the cultural and political center of the higher union, Earth draws all the great ones together

58  The Joyous, Lake

Humans are gratified that the peoples of other worlds are so fascinated with the plants, animals and landscapes of Earth

38  Opposition

Great artists, thinkers and leaders of the higher union wander the Earth, falling in love with its nature and its people

42 Increase

Humans perceive themselves and their world thru the eyes of great people:  their sense of inferiority dissolves

64  Before Completion

A celebratory mood overtakes Earth:  many of the visitors stay in the homes of humans, becoming members of their families

47  Oppression, Exhaustion

The reason for choosing Earth as the present capital becomes clear:  a newly-discovered world needs ambassadors from the higher union

35  Progress

Humans volunteer to establish contact with the new civilization:  it is a laborious process, full of potential pitfalls

6  Conflict

Humans are perceived as a threat and danger wherever they appear to the new civilization, no matter how nonthreatening they act

64  Before Completion

Helping lead a world out of disorder without disrupting their evolution, humans come to care deeply about their charges

64  Before Completion

Despite their enthusiasm, humans follow protocol and advance slowly, appearing briefly to random individuals

47  Oppression, Exhaustion

The difference in knowledge and technology stands as a barrier to contact:  every attempt is misinterpreted as a threat

46  Pushing Upward

A slow approach warms the new civilization to the prospect of other peoples:  humans are their first contact with the higher union

10  Treading, Conduct

Though cautious, the new civilization opens its doors to humans, who act as the first ambassadors of the higher union

51  The Arousing, Shock, Thunder

Contact with the higher union provokes a backlash:  demonstrations and riots demanding return to autonomy disrupt the world

5  Waiting

Human ambassadors withdraw:  a review by other members of higher union find no fault in humans’ contact effort

37  The Family, The Clan

After a period of strict autonomy the new civilization tries to reestablish contact and petition for membership in the higher union

5  Waiting

Higher union responds cautiously but optimistically:  human ambassadors return to warmer reception

58  The Joyous, Lake

New civilization celebrates their newfound place in the universe:  humans dedicate themselves to helping them adapt most easily

14  Possession in Great Measure

A real bond develops between humans and the new civilization:  it is a relationship that lasts many generations and benefits both

17  Revolution

New civilization undergoes a methodical, radical change in the form of government to realize peace and prospering for all

37  The Family, The Clan

The higher union accepts new civilization as a member and presents the technology by which to cross the abyss to other peoples

17  Following

Humans are formally recognized by other members for their integrity in bringing no harm to new member

19  Approach

New member requests human ambassadors remain in order to present the higher union’s spiritual teachings to their people

37  The Family, The Clan

Humanity is fully integrated into the higher union, its vitality and creativity rekindling the momentum of the universal civilization

57  The Penetrating, Wind

Humanity is an integral part of the higher union’s Golden Age that perpetuates its quest to bring peace and prospering to all worlds

Nuclear Hexagram

___  ___

_______

___  ___

_______

The final series in the transmission comprises four digits, which translates

into one of the four most structurally important nuclear hexagrams.  That four-

lined figure gives rise to four derived hexagrams, detailed below.

38  Oppression, Exhaustion

Amid all fellowship, an advanced civilization will always retain its individuality:  the whole revels in the eccentricities of its parts

54  The Marrying Maiden

The future is full of hope and belonging:  “Spontaneous affection is the all-inclusive principle of union”

64  Before Completion

Though change is prepared for, the transition from disorder to order is never fully completed:  creation is still unfolding

29  The Abysmal, Water

The Abyss is deeper than it is wide:  “If you are sincere, you have success in your heart, and whatever you do succeeds”

 ~

The Ambassadors’ Message

15   Belonging Together

We belong together

53   Mastering Reason

Set aside doubt, set aside reliance on past experience

7   Compelling Motive

New beginnings cannot be predicted from past events

62   Conceiving Spirit

We see you as spiritual beings like ourselves

33   Accepting Instruction

Be open to learning what we have learned

3   Recognizing Ancestry

Let us begin by acknowledging our common ancestry

61   Strengthening Integrity

This affirms our bond

52   Growing Certainty

We have skeptics on our side, as well

62   Conceiving Spirit

They cannot see your spiritual nature

53   Mastering Reason

We both need to set aside doubt and set aside reliance on past experience

15   Belonging Together

We belong together

2   Sensing Creation

Our foremost concern must be the common good

33   Accepting Instruction

Be open to learning what we have learned

63   Awakening Self-Sufficiency

Take the necessary steps to become a self-sufficient civilization

19   Celebrating Passage

Rejoice in the arrival of this transition

45   Casting Off

Even though it means leaving part of the past behind

15   Belonging Together

We belong together

63   Awakening Self-Sufficiency

Our self-sufficiency depends on your own

7   Compelling Motive

This is of critical importance to us both

53   Mastering Reason

Do not rely on the same reasoning that has created a civilization out of balance

33   Accepting Instruction

Be open to learning what we have learned

39   Reviving Tradition

Return to the lifeway of living in perpetual harmony with nature

42   Interpreting Insight

The way you give expression to that lifeway shapes the coming generations

35   Holding Back

Above all, protect the coming generations

52   Growing Certainty

The further you follow this path, you more certain of it you become

53   Mastering Reason

Do not rely on the same reasoning that has created a civilization out of balance

15   Belonging Together

We belong together

11   Attracting Allies

It is your longing for a meaningful life that has called us

20   Entering Service

We share your longing to be of benefit to all life

64   Safe-Guarding Life

That which we most cherish cannot be replaced

13   Concentrating Attention

This is the sense of purpose that must be held in mind every moment

11   Attracting Allies

It is your longing to change the course of civilization that has called us

55   Internalizing Purity

Embody the pure intention that all share equally in life’s blessings

34   Evoking Opposite

In this way, others’ shadows can be turned to light

64   Safe-Guarding Life

That which we most cherish cannot be replaced

38   Dissolving Artifice

This is the blade of truth that cuts through all justification

40   Adapting Experience

You are so resourceful—you can find a new way so that all may thrive

26   Dignifying Ambition

You are so ambitious—you can find higher, more ennobling ambitions

64   Safe-Guarding Life

That which we most cherish cannot be replaced

15   Belonging Together

We belong together

40   Controlling Confrontation

War, violence and ill will among people must end

5   Restoring Wholeness

The original unity of the human family must be restored

64   Safe-Guarding Life

That which we most cherish cannot be replaced

7   Compelling Motive

A sudden and overwhelming change of heart is at hand

29   Sustaining Resilience

Time is your ally, change is your ally:  welcome the future

26   Dignifying Ambition

Ennoble your ambitions and they will solve the problems holding you back

64   Safe-Guarding Life

That which we most cherish cannot be replaced

11   Attracting Allies

It is your longing to safe-guard all life that has called us

29   Sustaining Resilience

Time is your ally, change is your ally:  welcome the future

47   Making Individual

Step out of the flow of history and make this the generation of metamorphosis

21   Cultivating Character

Wear away all that is petty and divisive

2   Sensing Creation

Immerse yourself in the sacredness of everything

64   Safe-Guarding Life

That which we most cherish cannot be replaced

34   Evoking Opposite

Even others’ lack of conscience can be turned to its opposite

64   Safe-Guarding Life

That which we most cherish cannot be replaced

11   Attracting Allies

It is your weariness of causing suffering that has called us

4   Mirroring Wisdom

The spirit within nature is the same spirit within you

11   Attracting Allies

It is your passion for the land that has called us

21   Cultivating Character

But you must not try to divide and possess the world you all share

36   Stabilizing Communion

A long period of close kinship among all is called for

22   Sharing Memory

It is the memory of your infinite potential for benevolence that we share with you

57   Defying Uncertainty

We have crossed a vast abyss to be here

32   Controlling Confrontation

Yet our presence must not cause distress or crisis

26   Dignifying Ambition

Our purpose for being here is noble

14   Unlocking Evolution

We seek only to help you bridge the abyss isolating you

47   Making Individual

Step out of the flow of history and make this the generation of metamorphosis

23   Wielding Passion

Dare to replace fear of the future with hope for the future

4   Mirroring Wisdom

The nature of spirit is the nature within you

52   Growing Certainty

What is real is still unfolding

39   Reviving Tradition

Return to a lifeway based on the meaningful relationships between all

19   Celebrating Passage

This ushers in the transition to a golden age of humaneness and justice

53   Mastering Reason

Set aside the false reasoning of those who created this civilization of fear

33   Accepting Instruction

Be open to learning what we have learned

37   Penetrating Confusion

Do not allow others to spin cobwebs over your eyes

53   Mastering Reason

Reason is a noble servant but a tyrannical master

33   Accepting Instruction

Be open to learning what we have learned

39   Reviving Tradition

The original lifeways hold that the world itself is a sacred living being

11   Attracting Allies

It is your longing to belong that has called us

45   Casting Off

Cast off everything but the highest aspirations

39   Reviving Tradition

The old lifeways hold that decisions are made by the whole people, not by rulers

59   Developing Potential

You cannot wait any longer to develop your full potential

24   Revealing Knowledge

We cannot reveal everything we need to until you make peace

8   Harmonizing Duality

The human family must forgive the past and begin anew with trust and affection

62   Conceiving Spirit

The essence of each of you is the same as the essence of all of you

39   Reviving Tradition

The old lifeways make decisions for the good of coming generations

19   Celebrating Passage

The old ways become new again as spring follows winter every year

42   Interpreting Insight

Embody your vision of humaneness and justice

53   Mastering Reason

The past holds no precedent for a joyous civilization

3   Recognizing Ancestry

The human family is part of a much larger family than you have been taught

42   Interpreting Insight

Embody your vision of a creative joyous future for all

52   Growing Certainty

What is real is still unfolding

56   Recapturing Vision

Reawaken your idealism

39   Reviving Tradition

The old lifeways survive because they care for every individual’s well-being

42   Interpreting Insight

Embody your vision of an age of peace and prospering for all

3   Recognizing Ancestry

You are part of a noble race of peaceful creators, not violent destroyers

53   Mastering Reason

Do not let false reasoning blind you to your real heritage

29   Sustaining Resilience

Time is your ally, change is your ally:  welcome the future

42   Interpreting Insight

Embody your vision of the inevitable

35   Holding Back

Protect what is valuable for the future generations

17   Guiding Force

This is the polestar by which to navigate the unknown

16   Renewing Devotion

Unremitting dedication to the well-being of future generations assures your own

29   Sustaining Resilience

Time is your ally, change is your ally:  welcome the future

20   Entering Service

Restore your world to its original paradise

21   Cultivating Character

As you place yourself in service to life, you create your own good fortune

33   Accepting Instruction

Be open to learning what we have learned

18   Resolving Paradox

Things in two different times can occupy the same space

18   Resolving Paradox

Things in two different times can occupy the same space

46   Honoring Contentment

You live in a blessed time:  do not allow it to be ruined

23   Wielding Passion

Violent energies need to be channeled into constructive acts

4   Mirroring Wisdom

The spirit within nature is the spirit within a wise culture

62   Conceiving Spirit

Every atom is spirit:  the universe itself is a spirit

7   Compelling Motive

The leap into the future requires a vision of the landing place

46   Honoring Contentment

You live in a blessed time:  do not allow it to be ruined

41   Feigning Compliance

The time of feigning compliance with corruption comes to an end

14   Unlocking Evolution

The longer a change is held in check, the more sudden and drastic its release

4   Mirroring Wisdom

The spirit within nature is the spirit within cyclic change

2   Sensing Creation

The inevitable time of worldwide reconciliation approaches

23   Wielding Passion

This brings a surge of relief and goodwill

5   Restoring Wholeness

It restores the human family to its original unity

40   Adapting Experience

Everything you have learned until now has been leading to this transformation

18   Resolving Paradox

Things in two different times can occupy the same space

4   Mirroring Wisdom

The spirit within nature is the spirit within time

23   Wielding Passion

Dare to explore new horizons and make new discoveries

7   Compelling Motive

An utterly new purpose awaits you

46   Honoring Contentment

You live in a blessed time:  do not allow it to be ruined

41   Feigning Compliance

The time of self-governance arrives

5   Restoring Wholeness

Reuniting the human family will not be achieved by governments

18   Resolving Paradox

Things in two different times can occupy the same space

2   Sensing Creation

Reconcile the present civilization with the future civilization

23   Wielding Passion

Dare to bridge the distance between us

5   Restoring Wholeness

Help us reunite

18   Resolving Paradox

Things in two different times can occupy the same space

46   Honoring Contentment

You live in a blessed time:  it is the crossroads of our future

41   Feigning Compliance

Horses and cattle and dogs and cats still run free where never domesticated

32   Controlling Confrontation

The time of war and conflict comes to an end

18   Resolving Paradox

Things in two different times can occupy the same space

18   Resolving Paradox

Things in two different times can occupy the same space

23   Wielding Passion

Turn all past energies spent on conflict into acts of global cooperation

47   Making Individual

Step out of the flow of history and make this the generation of metamorphosis

16   Renewing Devotion

Rededicate yourself to the ancient goal of refining the human spirit

1   Provoking Change

This is the pivot of change, where the end gives way to the beginning

42   Interpreting Insight

Seize the opportunity to prevent wider suffering

39   Reviving Tradition

The old lifeway is the collective memory of what produces happiness

42   Interpreting Insight

Give voice to the timeless longings of the human spirit

2   Sensing Creation

Open your hearts to the loving-kindness flowing all around you

27   Trusting Intuition

Trust your feelings that you are part of this living universe that wishes you well

15   Belonging Together

We belong together

39   Reviving Tradition

The old lifeways treat the land and life as heirlooms passed down the generations

11   Attracting Allies

It is your longing to be part of something greater than yourselves that has called us

45   Casting Off

Abandon self-doubt:  believe in the nobility of the human spirit

39   Reviving Tradition

Return to the old lifeways of migrating into new lands

29   Sustaining Resilience

Time is your ally, change is your ally:  welcome the future

Nuclear Hexagram

___  ___

_______

___  ___

_______

The final series in the transmission comprises four digits, which translates

into one of the four most structurally important nuclear hexagrams.  That four-

lined figure gives rise to four derived hexagrams, detailed below.

23   Wielding Passion

Re-channel your energies into a cooperative global endeavor

12   Seeing Ahead

Change direction now while you can still see the consequences of your decisions

18   Resolving Paradox

Things in two different times can occupy the same space

57   Defying Uncertainty

We have crossed a vast abyss to speak to you

~

Observations

1.  As it stands, the Penniston code is a long unbroken string of zeros and ones across five pages of a small notebook.  Dividing that unbroken string into units of six each produces a total of 152 series of binary numbers.  Each of these series is translated into one of the 64 hexagrams that are correlated to the decimal numbers 0-63.  The “transmission ends” abruptly with what at first glance appears to be an incomplete series of just four digits but which, upon closer inspection, seems to form a nuclear hexagram of some significance—a closing statement peculiar to the singular language of the I Ching.

Generally speaking, a divinatory statement of the I Ching consists of two hexagrams, one representing the current situation and a second representing the developing situation.  These hexagrams are then analyzed in detail in order to bring to light all the different perspectives on the matter at hand.  In the traditional reading, then, each hexagram is like a complex chapter in a long book, the multiple meanings of which overlap and amplify one another.

Adopting the I Ching hexagrams to the long string of digits in the Penniston code, however, results in a long unbroken succession of 152 hexagrams.  The very nature of this long sequence seems to indicate that it is to be read as “summaries” or particular “aspects” or “essential meanings” of the hexagrams.  In this manner of reading, each hexagram appears more like a sentence, the meaning of which emerges from the sentence before and after it in the sequence of 152.

Because there are 152 series of digits and only 64 hexagrams, some hexagrams must be repeated in the overall sequence.  This tendency toward repetition is reinforced by the fact that not all 64 hexagrams are utilized in the message:  exactly one-quarter of the hexagrams are absent from the Penniston code.  This provides a certain density of meaning to the message, suggesting several repeated imperatives toward action and appeals to receptivity.

Technical Notes

1.  The Toltec I Ching is a new version of the I Ching published in 2009 by Larson Publications.  It is the book I co-authored with Martha Ramirez-Oropeza and which I feel resonates best with the content of the spiritual message recorded by Penniston.  The reasons for this are two-fold.

First, because the names of the hexagrams in The Toltec I Ching lend themselves extremely well to encapsulating the essential meaning of each hexagram, whereas those in older versions require specialists to explain them (“Preponderance of the Great”, “Taming Power of the Small”, “The Marrying Maiden”, for example).

Second, because I have found I have a particular affinity for this message.  I attribute this to the fact that I had an experience, similar to Penniston’s, with what I can only assume were extraterrestrials in July, 1978.  This occurred when my wife, daughter and I were living in the Sierra Tarahumara of Mexico’s Barranca del Cobre for two years.   Shortly after returning to our home in Oregon in 1980, I felt compelled to begin work on the restructuring of the I Ching that became, nearly three decades later, The Toltec I Ching.  It was, likewise, at that time that I began taking up the study of binary numbers as they relate to I Ching studies, a project uncharacteristly rational for my nature.  For this reason, I am most comfortable offering the above translation based on my own experience and research.

2.  Those who work from the original binary code to the hexagrams will note that the hexagrams are constructed by transposing zeros into solid lines and ones into broken lines.  Aficionados of the I Ching will protest that tradition has it reversed (zero = broken line, one = solid line), however this is hardly tradition nor is it correct.  It stems from the misreading of Shao Yung’s chart, which Westerners like Bouvet and Leibnitz read from upper left to lower right—the exact opposite in which the Chinese wrote it.  This misreading has been corrected by several experts, including Wilhelm and Birdwhistle.  Furthermore, there can be no misreading the intent of Shao Yung sequence as it moves from creative potential (the hexagram made up of all solid lines) to completed realization (the hexagram made up of all broken lines).

3.  Again, those who work from the original binary code to the hexagrams will note that the hexagrams are constructed from the bottom-up by transcribing the zeros and ones of the code in the left-to-right order in which they are written.  As the code is transmitted as individual lines (zero/solid, one/broken), the hexagrams can only be transcribed in this manner, as they are always written from the bottom-up.

4.  There is no reason to discount the existing translations based on ASCII computer code.  Any beings capable of traversing the stars or conquering time travel would be capable of designing a message wherein the two codes run simultaneously.

5.  It will be noted that there are two instances where a hexagram is repeated:  in both cases, it is hexagram 64 Before Completion in the King Wen version (hexagram 18 Resolving Paradox in The Toltec I Ching version).  In no other case, does the same hexagram follow itself—yet, this hexagram does just that, not once but twice.

6.  Below is the Illustration of the hexagram Belonging Together from The Toltec I Ching.  It shows the natural simplicity of shared emotions around the everyday rituals of family—which is also attended by the invisible presence of the ancestors.  This hexagram, which seems to epitomize the entire message of the Penniston binary code, deserves careful scrutiny.  It seems to imply, at the very least, that everyday life goes on here among us, yet we are always attended, accompanied, by these older beings who are of our own lineage.  Thus, We Belong Together stands as the positive counterpoint to the popular intuition, We are not alone.

15

Following are a few excerpts from the commentary on the hexagram Belonging Together:

Taken together, these symbols mean that you actively seek to establish the kind of life in which you can nourish—and can be nourished by—all that is good and genuine dwelling in the past, present, and future.

Those who have been injured react by taking up a defensive posture, adopting the masculine force in order to protect the vulnerable potential in their care.  Necessary and successful as such a strategy may have been, its time is past and its effectiveness coming to an end:  now is the time to break through your distrust, drop your defenses, and reclaim the sense of childlike innocence, openness, and safety that is your indisputable birthright.

If you do not feel grateful for what you have, imagine what your life would be without it.  If you do not feel appreciative for those around you, imagine what your life would be without them.  Keep in mind the impermanence of everything you love, formalizing your heartfelt kinship through rituals by which all that you love might receive ever greater blessings.

The simpler and more basic an activity is, the more essential and indispensable it is:  the present generation must learn from the ancestors what it is that they miss most in order to make decisions that maintain the continuity of benefit running from the distant past to the far future.  The basis of these simple things is the same basis from which all great creations spring:  it is that which sustains life and spirit that brings people together in an ever widening sense of meaningful communion, community, and culture.  All of life, from the distant past to the far future, is bound together by the daily ritual of eating food:  opening our hearts to the ways in which we are not different is both the first and last step in the journey home.

~

Posted in Penniston Binary Code | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Breaking the Penniston Binary Code

2012 Winter Solstice Oracle: The Age Of Light

Posted on January 17, 2013 by William

An alligator barks at something in the night.  Limpkins call eerily in the bayou out beyond the mosquito screening.  A pale green luna moth flutters at the window light.

I’ve travelled to the Everglades in Southern Florida to greet the Winter Solstice of 2012 and commemorate the ending of the Mayan Sacred Calendar and celebrate its new beginning.  The night wraps me in its living mystery of potential.  I formulate my question, echo it back into the unblinking darkness, and throw the coin oracle that has, since time immemorial, been called the forest of fire pearls—

 “What is the course of the transition to the new Age of Light?”

~

 Summary

The Predictive Hexagram (#46) points to the need of the present generation to realize how fortunate it is and to recognize the contentment it enjoys.  In the unpredictable swings of history, the current period stands out as one enjoying relative stability and comfort.  That this is true in the face of so much poverty, suffering, and violence in the world is, itself, a justifiable cause of grief.  The implication, of course, is that this period will come to an end—an implication reinforced by the Derived Hexagram (#7), which states unequivocally that the course of things will be drastically interrupted and set in a new direction.  The Predictive Hexagram is named Honoring Contentment and, within the context of this divination, advises those living now to recognize their good fortune in order to have it last as long as possible.  The unpredictable and unexpected changes brought about by the Derived Hexagram, Compelling Motive, points to a new beginning so counter-intuitive that vast numbers of people struggle against it for some time.

The line change in the third place of Hexagram 46 indicates the difficulty of the transition from a time of relative stability to a time of an unexpected beginning:  here the Oracle speaks of failing at a futile task and how this is not a test of ability but of character.  This seems to mean that certain matters beyond human control will bring the current time of relative stability to a close, ushering in a time that appears to have no precedent in human memory.  The fact that the third place is a broken line changing to a solid line indicates that this uncontrollable change will bring with it a deeper sense of alienation and separation among people.

The Nuclear Hexagram (#39) points out that the essential experience of the vast majority of people is a revival of—or regression to—traditional world views.  This movement back into known lifeways stands in contradistinction to the minority attempting to advance into the unknown future.  The positive aspect of this movement is that people attempt to hold on to values and ethics that provide them a center from which to act as they confront an unprecedented future.  The negative aspect, of course, is a reactionary fear of the new, an overwhelming compulsion to hold on to obsolete and self-defeating traditions, and an inability to move beyond historical animosities.

This motif is reinforced in the Metamorphic Hexagram, which points to a widespread tendency of peoples to renew their emotional and psychological devotion to their past beliefs, values, and decisions.  As with the Nuclear Hexagram, this bodes well for those who aim to carry the wisdom teachings into the unfathomable future—and ill for those who aim to abort the potential of the future by clinging to history.

The forces sustaining the relative stability of the present are those of generalization and non-specialization:  This is the pre-adaptive set of attitudes and behaviors that leans into the wind of change with an openness of mind and heart, creating human nature in response to the ever-changing creation within which it is immersed.  This Inertial Hexagram indicates the path of freedom, the way to step off the path of fate, but the odds are not in its favor:  The past becomes a gravitational pull of security when people are faced with an insecure future—but there does remain a remote probability that the majority of people, or at least their leaders, will let go their historical differences and enter the future unencumbered by obsolete views.

The emerging equilibrium, however, demonstrates that the long-range consequences of this transition are humane in the highest sense.  The forces driving a new and more positive equilibrium demonstrate an entirely entirely different kind of direction taken by the vast majority of people—one that can be summed up as a universal movement to ennoble and support the individuation process.  This shift of social resources—away from regimenting attitudes and behaviors, and toward full development of individual potential and eccentricities—marks a major turning point in human history and the first large-scale effort to embody the universal civilizing spirit of the age.  The goal of this movement, fueled by the technological advances in global communication, will be to ensure that the light of wonder in every infant’s eyes still burns as bright in the eyes of every elder.

This individuation process, conceived of as an eclosion, or emergence from the chrysalis, will be viewed in the Embodiment Hexagram as a Mountain of Stillness in the external social world meeting the Sun of Creativity in the internal personal world of each individual.  This ancient formula for the formation of character allowed to reflect the immortality of the true self, finally given the social resources on the widest scale, is the catalyst giving full realization to the ancients’ dream of transmuting civilization from within the individual.

The line change in the third place of the Embodiment Hexagram reverses the curse of alienation and separation, returning humanity to its original sense of wholeness with nature and spirit.  The resulting Age of Light is then one in which neither groups nor individuals disrupt the harmonious balance of life by seeking personal benefit at the expense of others—an ethic so simple and straightforward that, once embodied in both attitude and behavior, guides humanity for the next several millennia.

 ~

Full Reading

Below follows the full reading of the divination, including the nuclear hexagram.

The Immediate Future

Hexagram 46:  Honoring Contentment

Image:  A female warrior receives the affection of her grandson.

Interpretation:  This hexagram depicts the source of contentment.  The female warrior symbolizes the feminine creative force, who conceives in order to nurture and sustain what is valuable.  Her grandson symbolizes the extended family of all our loved ones, all our friends, all our relations.  That she receives her grandson’s affection means that you open your heart to the overflowing joy abiding in the eternal moment of love unreservedly shared.  Taken together, these symbols mean that you increasingly find meaning and power in acts of simple and unadorned affection.

Action:  The feminine half of the spirit warrior embodies the wellspring of blessings.  Just as that which is truly loved is truly nurtured and that which is truly nurtured truly grows greater, that which receives blessings is destined to dispense them:  only those who feel whole-hearted gratitude for the blessings borne by ordinary and everyday circumstances are able to give others the kind of pure and unselfish love that truly nurtures greatness.  True greatness is greatness of spirit, just as true love is love of another’s spirit:  if we wish to encourage others, we must reflect the loving-kindness that shines upon us.  It is a time, in other words, for more than simply feeling content—it is a time for honoring our contentment by directing our joy into gratitude for the blessings bestowed by the divine unseen forces.  Sanctifying the love we share with those in front of us helps crystalize the love we share with those behind us:  allowing ourselves to be loved by those we can see teaches us to allow ourselves to be loved by those we cannot see.  It is to our spiritual ancestors that we turn, then, when we honor contentment, for it is in the company of the ancestors that we find our home.  Because we are destined to eventually become one of the ancestors, it is only natural that we come to be better able to sense the love, care, and guidance they give us every moment.  Dwelling in the deep and abiding sense of fulfillment that comes with loving and being loved, therefore, makes us better able to see the spirit of our loved ones and understand how to nurture the greatness of each.  In this, we repeat what we learned from those who truly saw our spirit and truly nurtured its greatness.  It is in this manner that everyday moments of pure, unselfish love are transformed into bridges that span all the generations, binding them together in the single act of universal love.

Intent:  The continuity that binds the generations together arises from the meaning and power of the memories each of us make of our experiences—and the meaning and power of each memory arises from the emotions and insights we possess while in the midst of its experience.  For this reason, there are few actions we can take that are more significant and beneficial than honoring contentment.  In this sense, contentment means that you whole-heartedly experience the joy of being a loving part of a loving universe, whereas honoring means that you see spirit within every form and nurture its metamorphosis.  Toward this end the spirit warrior trains to love every thing in creation as though it were a grandchild.

Summary:  Recognize moments when you are content.  Recognize moments when you are at peace.  Recognize moments when you feel love.  Do not let these moments pass unnoted:  share them with spirit and thank spirit for its blessings and vow to spirit that you will work hard to deserve many more such moments.  Be good company for spirit and you swim in the sea of bliss.

~

Line Change in the 3rd Place:

When people are given a futile task, they take it to heart and allow it to affect their self-confidence.  Once you appreciate that it is infinitely better to fail at a futile task than an achievable one, you will regain your composure.  Bring out your flexible half again—this is a test of character, not ability.

~

The Emerging Future

Hexagram 7:  Compelling Motive

Image:  A female warrior who is close to giving birth bathes tranquilly in a lake.  From her womb there emerges a heart, with whom she is having a dialog.  The speech glyphs are colored white to signify their purity and dignity, the water drops are drawn as jade beads in order to portray the precious nature of that which sustains life.

Interpretation:  The female warrior symbolizes the way of nurturing and encouraging human nature that increases its sensitivity and loving-kindness.  That she gives birth means that you bring something new into the world.  The lake symbolizes the tranquility and serenity found in communing with nature and spirit.  Bathing symbolizes purifying the thoughts, feelings, and intentions.  Taken together, they symbolize beginning a new endeavor that you truly believe will bring benefit to others.  A heart emerging from the womb means that you love what you are creating—and feel loved by it.  Having a dialog with the newborn heart means that you actively speak to it of your hopes and intentions—and actively listen to its vision of its purpose and potential.  Taken together, these symbols mean that the spirit of your lifework sustains and cares for you and your unborn creation—and that your vision and purpose are part of a larger effort dedicated to protecting that which is most valuable.

Action:  The feminine half of the spirit warrior does not tarry at the crossroads.  When the spirit of the heart calls, you must answer.  Even if the calling comes when you are least prepared for it, it is your calling and cannot be ignored.  Those who come across an acorn but see instead an oak tree have glimpsed the next part they have to play in the unfolding of creation.  If you set aside other goals and whole-heartedly pursue this new direction, then you will find greater meaning, happiness, and success in life.  It is essential to speak to the spirit of your endeavor, to treat it with respect and love and caring, to nurture it until it is whole and strong enough to emerge from the womb of benefit:  you find that which deserves to be preserved when you find an inner need that you share with others.  It is likewise essential to listen to the spirit of your endeavor, to allow yourself to be respected and loved and cared for, to be nurtured until you are whole and strong enough to emerge from the womb of benefit:  just as an infant still in the womb may communicate with its mother, sharing its perceptions and protecting her with its intuitions, the spirit of your endeavor guides you to a future that is safe and filled with opportunity for growth and fulfillment.

Intent:  Before acting externally, it is necessary to act internally—before making your decision known to others, it is necessary to incubate your plans in private.  For this reason, it can be a frustrating time, one in which preparation can be mistaken for procrastination and gestation for inaction.  This kind of impatience must be subdued by immersing yourself in the feminine spirit of water, which nourishes without bias.  It can, however, also be time of timidity, one in which real procrastination can be mistaken for preparation and true inaction for gestation.  Such hesitancy must be subdued by immersing yourself in the masculine spirit of water, which rushes headlong towards the sea without interruption.  Once you have made the emotional decision to change direction, in other words, you must not reveal your intention until you are ready to act—but once you have revealed your intention, you must not allow anything to deter you from acting.

Summary:  What you are trying to do is important, not just for your own future but that of others, as well.  If you remain true to your loving and nurturing nature, you will enjoy real success.  If you succumb to mistrustful and self-serving feelings, however, your hopes will not be fulfilled.  Do not hesitate to pursue a new opportunity at this time, no matter how suddenly or unexpectedly it arises.

 ~

The Nuclear Hexagram:

 Hexagram 39:  Reviving Tradition

 Image:  The ancient spirit of fire takes the form of a male warrior, who is made part of the land by the roots growing like veins through his body and the earth.  His arm is raised, greeting the long line of people in shadow that approach him.  Another line of people, their torches rekindled, depart in light.

Interpretation:  This hexagram depicts the ancestors’ inheritance passing from individual to individual and from generation to generation.  The ancient spirit of fire symbolizes the universal tradition of fire-making, whose timeless ritual unites all people in a common heritage.  The male warrior symbolizes the self-discipline and training needed to stand against greed, ambition, and materialism.  That he is made part of the land means that you find your spiritual home in the site of your own lifetime.  The long line of people in shadow is a symbol of those seeking to find their way back to a balanced and harmonious way of life.  The line of people departing with torches rekindled is a symbol of those who find the light of the ancestors inside their own hearts and carry it through the darkness of their own time.  Taken together, these symbols mean that you resist spiritual erosion the way a mountain of righteousness stands against the wind of corruption and the rain of meaninglessness.

Action:  The masculine half of the spirit warrior views everything as a buried treasure left behind by the spiritual ancestors for their descendants.  It is a time for holding fast to what lasts rather than getting distracted by the novel or overwhelmed by the fleeting.  Avoid participating in the fads and fashions of the day, seeking instead to uphold the values and world view of a more spiritual time.  This means, first and foremost, respecting and honoring all that is not human:  when matter is seen as devoid of spirit, then nature can be desecrated without a second thought; when one form of nature is seen as devoid of spirit, then all forms of life can be desecrated without a second thought; when one form of life is seen as devoid of spirit, then human beings can desecrate one another without a second thought.  For this reason, the spirit warrior sees the world as the divine homeland shared by the living and the dead and those not yet born.  Recognizing that meaningfulness is hidden from those who attack it, you look into the secret heart of things and see the One Spirit of creation everywhere you look.  Recognizing that meaningfulness is an open secret to all but the greedy, ambitious, and materialistic, you bury the treasure again in your own turn so that your descendants will find their secret heart.

Intent:  Even though you feel out of step with the wounded spirit of the time, you are actively involved in healing it:  recognizing that its illness is meaninglessness, you feed it the medicine of meaningfulness day and night throughout your life.  Just as the fire of light and warmth must be fed wood and air to continue burning, the spirit of the time must be fed the joy and insights born of meaningfulness if it is to continue living:  without the tradition of meaningful consecration to feed it, the spirit of the time will eventually die and be replaced by that of meaningless desecration.  For this reason, the spirit warrior keeps alive the ancient tradition of training every thought and feeling to reflect the hidden sacredness of every moment.

Summary:  The more you put the world view of the ancients into practice, the more you have to offer others.  Be generous with what you have learned but do not stop learning:  just as people depend on a well for their water, the well depends on the invisible river below ground for its water.  Assume that you will understand matters better in the future and act with a corresponding degree of humility.

 

Posted in 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment