This is the question addressed in a group divination at a three-day workshop on The Toltec I Ching in Southern Oregon, November, 2011. While six people threw the coins once each, the group as a whole concentrated on receiving the Oracle’s answer with open hearts and minds.

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SUMMARY OF ORACLE’S REPLY

The principal hexagrams articulate a clear message of change moving from the present situation to the future.  The first step in establishing the right kind of ending to this time of darkness is the most decisive—it is what sets in motion the natural consequence of the future Restoring Wholeness.  This initial change that we are, even now, beginning to experience is titled Entering Service and explicitly describes the 180-degree re-polarization of our collective lifeway:  the profundity of this change of worldview away from self-interest and toward self-sacrifice cannot be exaggerated—so sudden and widespread as to resemble a positive virus, the desire to put the past behind us is itself the specific trigger that activates the new beginning of Restoring Wholeness.

The two transition points marked by line changes give voice to the specific bridges between the present and the future situations.  One warns against relying on precedents to move forward, indicating that past attitudes and behaviors must be set aside in favor of bold new forward-looking solutions.  The other alerts us to the fact that a last-hour attempt to maintain control will result in a clamping down on freedoms by authoritarian forces—rather than securing their position, however, this is the last nail in the coffin of authoritarianism:  oppression has the unintended consequence of reminding people of their own collective authority and power of self-governance.

The ancillary hexagrams point to a simultaneous deeper—but no less widespread—change going on within individual consciousness.  Like a forest fire, the heat of which ignites the tress in front of it before its flames touch them, a profound shift in awareness passes from person to person, building momentum as it grows:  the concurrence of all the ancillary hexagrams on this single focus indicates, in context of the question, that a cultural meme of metamorphosis itself spreads among peoples everywhere with a spontaneity and velocity impossible to imagine beforehand.  It is as though people everywhere simply tire of using the past as an excuse for continuing the inhumane treatment of human beings and the environment—the past is cast off, people share a common experience of exhilaration at finally breaking free of their imaginary limits, the combination of which triggers an authentic and lasting transformation of human nature.

The Oracle foresees, then, an opportunity for humanity to heal its long-standing wounds and restore itself, both on the collective and individual level, to original wholeness.  Hand-in-hand with this social transformation, individuals everywhere are gripped in a corresponding metamorphosis meme that transforms the human psyche in a way that makes it more adaptable to the future.  The two bridges that must be crossed if we are to authentically arrive on the far shore of this future are marked by the line changes:  throwing off the shackles of past thinking and throwing off the shackles of authoritarianism.

The Ending that the Oracle advises is that of self-interest above all else.  The Beginning that the Oracle envisions is one in which all apparent opposites are united in harmonious balance.  This opportunity appears to being triggered by the ancients’ intuition of the length of this age of darkness:  human nature must shift in predictable ways through predictable crises, which the ancient Mayans were able to calculate and mark symbolically with the end and new beginning of their calendar on the Winter Solstice 2012.

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Each of the six Sections below provides the details of the text of the Oracle’s answer, followed by a Commentary analyzing its relevance to the question at hand.

Anyone wishing to expand upon these commentaries and interpretations is invited to add as much as they wish through the comments section.  I will respond to each and welcome the widest possible discussion among participants.

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THE ORACLE’S REPLY

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SECTION I.  THE PRESENT HEXAGRAM—

The primary hexagram determined from the six throws of the coins, which represents the way the Oracle views the present situation:  Hexagram 20, Entering Service.

Image:  An old man steps onto a long road that winds up a mountain, at the summit of which a plant grows.  He carries everything he needs for a long journey.  Under his arm, he carries a painted book of healing plants, opened to a plant matching the one on the summit before him.  His walking stick is in the form of a serpent.

Interpretation:  The old man represents wisdom gained through experience and means you are more concerned with bringing benefit to others than you are with receiving recognition for your efforts.  The plant at the mountain’s summit represents a distant goal and the long road winding up to it symbolizes the many twists and turns facing you on your lengthy journey.  That he carries everything he needs for a long journey means that you have anticipated hardship and prepared for it ahead of time.  The painted book of medicinal plants symbolizes the knowledge of the ancestors that is as relevant in the present as it was in the past.  That the book is opened to a painting matching the plant living atop the summit means that your goal is part of the living tradition of the old ones.  The walking stick in the form of a serpent symbolizes a helping spirit who knows the way on this winding and convoluted path.  Taken together, these symbols mean that you initiate a new and fuller realization of your potential by materially helping others obtain what they most need.

Action:  The masculine half of the spirit warrior undertakes an arduous journey in order to alleviate the need of others.  The quest to find benefit is a noble calling but one to be undertaken only when we are willing to accept the trials by which we acquire practical knowledge and ready to accept the tribulations by which we learn self-sacrifice.  Because experience has taught you that serving others is a nobler pursuit than serving yourself, you do not hesitate to take up this next leg of your journey.  Because it will be a long and difficult endeavor, you set your determination to see matters through to the end.  Because you cannot always count on others to make the hard parts of the journey easier, you make yourself self-reliant, flexible, and strong.  Because others lack consistency of vision and become periodically fascinated by new ideas, you study on your own and incorporate time-proven methods into your approach.  Because you strive to realize the highest vision, you pay close and constant attention to your spirit guide, who steers you clear of the pitfalls on the road of service.

Intent:  Observe those who profess to be pursuing a goal similar to your own.  Distinguish between those motivated by selflessness and those motivated by self-interest, between those content to fulfill their duty to others and those striving for advancement and recognition.  Learn from the ambitious that ulterior motives poison benefit. Learn from the selfless that pure intentions nourish benefit.  By weeding out unnatural feelings of being taken advantage of, you cultivate your innate garden of sincerity, devotion, and generosity.  By observing those who habitually exhibit cynicism and self-righteous indignation, you learn that poison eventually poisons the one who produces it.  By observing the incorruptible benevolence of your helping spirit, you learn that enduring noble-heartedness is itself the road by which you yourself become benefit.  Sow your seeds of intent in the timeless that others might receive benefit in time.

Summary:  Do not forget that you have undertaken a difficult road in order to benefit others.  Watch your reactions carefully, making sure that you harbor neither resentment toward those you serve nor distrust of those with whom you serve.  Continue to focus on the ideal of your goal, allow your journey to ennoble you.  Do not listen to voices that sow dissension or dissatisfaction in your heart.

ORACLE COMMENTARY:  THE PRESENT

The elder masculine figure here refers to the wise part of the purpose-driven half of human nature, sending it on  a quest to find the secret cure to the crises we collectively face.  This means the faction of humanity that seeks power and progress for their own sake need to voluntarily place their resources and energy into solving real-life problems without creating new difficulties in the future.  Real medicine is curative and restorative and does not produce negative side-effects.  This authentic caring and sincere concern inspire others to collaborate for the common good.  This willingness to set self-interest aside in order to address the common need pulls people together in an atmosphere of unity and mutuality.

What kind of Ending will produce the best Beginning for the Coming 2012 Age?

The Oracle is specifically condemning the immature adolescent masculine force of humanity, answering the question by indicating the kind of strength and resolve needed to end this current Age in the best manner:

turn away from the headstrong pursuit of dominating others in any form and every level;
embody the archetype of the wise medicine man who has dedicated his entire life to service of the Whole; and,
prepare all concerned for a prolonged, arduous and heroic adventure ahead.

~

SECTION II.  THE LINE CHANGES—

There are two line changes in the present hexagram that indicate the specific transition points by which the present trends develop into the future:

Second:  Just because the rule worked once doesn’t mean it will work again—conditions have changed and you must change with them.  You are being too cautious and acting as if you had no confidence.  Envision how this partnership fits with your long-range goals and then act.

Sixth:  People are malleable but cannot be oppressed indefinitely—clamping down too tight makes them question authority.  Once they begin looking into their own authority, their spirits can no longer be molded to another’s  will.  Step forward to meet their material needs and you will win their loyalty.

ORACLE COMMENTARY:  TRANSITION POINTS

The second line change warns that basing actions and attitudes on past precedents is foolish and self-defeating.  The past ways of dealing with people and nature has all been based on short-term solutions that have created new and even more complex problems.  Harmonious cooperation between all is inevitable:  the time demands bold and decisive action that leads to universal amnesty and reconciliation.

The sixth line change warns that ignoring the Oracle’s guidance leads to a time of widespread anti-authoritarianism.  This grassroots movement arises as a reaction to the misuse of power that subjects people to increasing oppression and diminishing freedom.  As people collaborate in their effort to build something new, they find unexpected strength in their collective vision.  The old is overthrown by new because all differences between spiritual traditions are set aside in the collective effort to meet all material needs in the emerging age of peace and prospering for all.

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SECTION III.  THE HIDDEN HEXAGRAM—

When the second line changes and the sixth line has not yet changed, the hidden hexagram is formed.  It speaks to the attitude and behavior needed to bring the future into being:  Hexagram 9, Uprooting Fear.

Image:  A male warrior, wearing war paint and a jaguar headdress, stands at the mouth of a cave and utters a battle cry that sounds like a jaguar’s roar.  In one hand he holds the power of the lightning and its thunder and fire.  His other arm is clenched, forming a shield of obsidian knives.  The flight of arrows is broken and stopped in flight.

Interpretation:  This hexagram represents the indomitable intent of those who will not be overcome by fear or insecurity.  The male warrior symbolizes the way of testing and training human nature that increases its versatility and fortitude.  His war paint and battle cry mean that you do not hesitate to show your resolve through direct speech and direct action.  The cavern and jaguar headdress, both symbols of the feminine half of the spirit warrior, mean that you do not hesitate to conceal your deeper intentions within the feints and stratagems of indirect action.  Taken together, these symbols mean that you withstand every inner and outer test of nerves the way a mountain withstands every individual raindrop.  Wielding the lightning’s fire and thunder means that you can concentrate the energy of the creative forces and direct it toward making matters known, using the power of fire to illuminate and the power of thunder to resound.  Forming a shield of obsidian knives means that you invoke the law of equal action and reaction, defending yourself solely by adopting the patient strength of those who no longer try to keep destructive people from destroying themselves.  Stopping the arrows in flight means that the spiritual protection you cultivate succeeds in making you impervious to harm.  Taken together, these symbols mean that you have prepared well for this battle and have nothing to fear.

Action:  The masculine half of the spirit warrior protects the feminine half from physical, emotional, and spiritual harm.  Only a whole-hearted commitment to the proper course of action will stand you in good stead—only through clarity of vision, firmness of will, and consistency of action will you be able to act with the courage and conviction needed to prevail against those in the wrong.  When we can no longer make excuses for oppression and coercion, then we find what it is that is worth fighting for:  it is at just such a juncture that we commit to a course of action that improves our lives, refines our character, and broadens our compassion.  This is a time for hardening your heart against even the slightest of fears and closing your mind to even the remotest possibilities of failure.  Take up the symbols of this hexagram and make yourself like this spirit warrior and you will not only pass through the trial unscathed, but you will bring benefit to others in ways impossible to imagine at present.  Because your motive is pure and your reasoning sound, you act without doubt or hesitation.

Intent:  By pulling out the weeds of fear and indecision when they first appear, you will acquire the inner power to break up stagnation and free up benefit so that it might fulfill its corresponding need once again.  In such a time, it is necessary to coordinate your forces in response to events.  When you must confront matters, do so unemotionally, speaking the truth without exaggeration or distortion.  When you are attacked, defend your spirit in private without responding to taunts or intimidation in public.  Act with the daring of one who has gambled everything on a single throw of the dice, advancing when you are expected to withdraw and withdrawing when you are expected to advance.  Do not hesitate to make allies of those within the opponent’s camp, thereby allowing doubt and fear to take root among those who sought to sow it.

Summary:  Your path takes you into unknown lands without any clear sense of where you are being led.  You are fully committed to this course now and there is no turning back.  Set your will firmly on the goal and banish all worrying and second thoughts from your mind.  All this is meant to be, so proceed with unshakeable confidence and optimism.  Move like a jaguar among rabbits.

ORACLE COMMENTARY:  HIDDEN HEXAGRAM

Those who seek the path of Entering Service confront the institutionalized forces with vested interest in the status quo.  Here, the Oracle is unequivocal in its call to action:  uproot all fear, don’t let any doubt creep in, move as if you have already won.  No effort to establish a new beginning brings about worthwhile and lasting results if the endeavor is carried out only halfway due to uncertainty or timidity.  To end things well under these circumstances means having the fearlessness to bring self-destructive lifeways to an end once and for all.

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SECTION IV.  THE FUTURE HEXAGRAM—

After the line changes have taken effect, they develop the future situation:  Hexagram 5, Restoring Wholeness.

Image:  An old woman heals a young male warrior, who wears an arrowhead necklace.  While she chants an ancient curing song, she places a lizard on his shoulder and administers purifying herbs and water.

Interpretation:  This hexagram depicts great benefit fulfilling great need.  The old woman personifies the great-great-great-grandmother, the feminine force of profound wisdom and nurturing, the inner healing force within all, the aged and loving medicine woman.  The male warrior personifies the strength and vitality of youth, the great potential of the young, the idealism and insensitivity of the inexperienced, the impatient and reactive nature of the untrained passions.  Taken together, they symbolize the exchange of forces needed to heal your old wounds and enable you to bring benefit to all around you.  The herbs symbolize the feminine medicines of compassion and the understanding of relationships.  The arrowhead represents the masculine medicines of single-mindedness and the pursuit of new experiences.  Taken together, they depict the exchange of energies whereby the new must be refined by the old and the old must periodically be revitalized by the new.  For this reason, the hexagram shows that the young warrior is both a patient and an apprentice of the medicine woman, learning firsthand the ways of restoring natural and original wholeness and, thereby, bringing much needed energy to the feminine half that has been giving to others for so long.  The lizard, the one who grows back its tail, represents the spiritual medicine of regeneration whereby the original state of wholeness is restored.  The medicinal herbs and water together represent the purifying and cleansing away of the useless, the wasteful, and that which only confuses and drags down the original energy of body, mind, and spirit.  Taken together, these symbols mean that you reclaim your spiritual birthright of indivisible wholeness.

Action:  The masculine and feminine halves of the spirit warrior replenish one another.  It is a time for seeking new experiences that will broaden your vistas and deepen your joy of life.  Your innate wisdom and compassion do not have their source in thought but, rather, in life—they are not replenished by good intentions but, rather, by meaningful experiences.  In order for a well to bring benefit to others, it must tap into the unseen river of benefit flowing beneath the surface of the world of the senses.  Take no comfort in your accomplishments or knowledge now.  Instead, look to your need and pursue new interests that hold the possibility of discovering more meaningful joy in this lifetime.  Take a more playful and spontaneous approach to matters for a while, confident that what you find will reinvigorate your more serious efforts to nurture others.  It is not necessary to know ahead of time what new interest will prove meaningful—just as following a butterfly might accidentally lead you to a treasure, simply follow whatever captures your attention at present, confident that the creative forces will lead you to the proper goal.  Unsettling the beneficial feminine force in this way breaks up routines of thought, feeling, and memory, forcing you to reach a more effective balance between giving and having enough to give.  Because you make yourself whole again, you succeed in bringing benefit to others likewise seeking to restore their own wholeness.

Intent:  When people’s reactions are out of proportion to events, it is a clear signal that an old wound has not fully healed and is being reactivated by present circumstances.  Such reactions barely disguise the fact that something in the present is provoking an individual or group to relive the emotions of an old injury.  But disguise it they do, for the impact of many injuries is either long-forgotten or unrecognized.  Whether you find this imbalance in yourself or others, the nurturing-medicine of the wise feminine force must be augmented by the directing-medicine of the single-minded masculine force:  while it is essential that the wounded warrior be healed through reassurance and loving-kindness, it is just as necessary that the wounded warrior take up the discipline of recognizing that the new is not the old.  At the first sign of distress, the wounded warrior must immediately name the present and not allow the past wound to be re-opened.  Using the beneficial masculine force in this way allows you to keep the past from infecting the present.

Summary:  A forgotten part of you returns and takes the lead in establishing a new sense of inner unity and purpose.  Welcome the idealism and vitality of the young masculine warrior back into yourself and then act on your newfound vision of your future.  Over-confidence is preferable to timidity at this time.  Balance your roles and responsibilities with the new and the exciting and the daring.

ORACLE COMMENTARY:  THE FUTURE

Here, the Oracle points to the restorative tendency of homeostatic living systems to right themselves and return to a harmonious balance.  The Oracle balances the present time of Entering Service with the future time of Restoring Wholeness by illuminating the actual transformation of human nature taking place.  Here, in this future time, the immature masculine force within humanity voluntarily submits to the teachings of the elder feminine wisdom and compassion.  The strength and vitality of the purpose-driven masculine element is not, in and of itself, problematic.  It is only when it has no purpose above its own need to achieve that it becomes pointlessly overactive and carelessly short-sighted.  This greater purpose to which strength and vitality must be turned is the regenerative principle itself:  not only is the immature masculine force being instructed in this future hexagram but it is being healed as well—the teachings are themselves the medicine that restores people and nature to their original wholeness.  The purpose-driven masculine half of human nature becomes truly regenerative when it places itself in service to the relation-driven feminine half of human nature.

It should be noted that the entire thrust of the Oracle’s message in these first three hexagrams has been the positive and meaningful transformation of the masculine half of human nature.  In Entering Service, we are reminded that there is a positive, wise and selfless archetype of the masculine nature.  From the text, however, it should be clear that this does not refer to the gender of individuals:  the ancient wisdom traditions teach that each individual—and, indeed, humanity itself—has its feminine and masculine halves.  These are cosmological Creative Forces, Yin and Yang, whose union creates and sustains everything from within:  in the wrong measure, this union results in imbalances in nature and human nature, just as the right measure restores all imbalances to their original wholeness.

What kind of Ending will produce the best Beginning for the Coming 2012 Age?

The Oracle is unequivocal in its vision of the path forward:  there will be a re-polarization of the human psyche, one that brings it back into accord with the World Soul by setting the relation-driven life above the purpose-driven life.  This worldview of the relation-driven heart-mind places the needs of all life—the global civilization and the global environment—ahead of the wants of any special  interests.  In this sense, the meaning of the reading is very clear:  collectively, we set aside self-interest and enter into service of the Whole, uprooting all fear of the as-yet-unforeseeable way forward, resolute in our faith that the original wholeness of life, land, and spirit is being restored.  From this perspective, the living balance will not only be restored but this kind of ending will establish the foundation for the Golden Age of Humanity ahead.

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THE ANCILLARY HEXAGRAMS

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SECTION V.  THE NUCLEAR HEXAGRAM—

The structural core of the hexagram provides us with a glimpse into the essential nature of the transformation carrying us from the present into the future:  Hexagram 14, Unlocking Evolution.

Image:  Ancient spirits, part human and part butterfly, emerge from cocoons that hang from the branches of a tree.

Interpretation:  This hexagram depicts the passage into a new and more ennobling stage of life.  The human form symbolizes the body and its potential.  The butterfly symbolizes the soul and its potential.  The cocoon symbolizes a period of self-imposed isolation during which one undergoes transformation.  The tree symbolizes continuity of the vision passing from the spirit ancestors to their living descendants.  Taken together, these symbols mean that you turn inward to fulfill the timeless ideal of the evolving immortal.  Of the features of the butterfly, the antennas symbolize senses beyond the five senses, the compound eyes symbolize looking at things from many different points of view, the proboscis symbolizes nourishing oneself only on the nectar of life, and the wings symbolize the capacity to rise above limitations.  That many of these ancient spirits emerge from their cocoons at the same time means that you find spiritual companions on your journey.  Taken together, these symbols mean that your own invisible progress is essential to the forging of the invisible community of spirit.

Action:  The masculine and feminine halves of the spirit warrior—the human and butterfly forms, respectively—unite to form a more versatile and charismatic person.  This is a time in which powerful forces, long dammed up within you, are finally released and allowed to come to expression.  The higher potential you have long sensed approaching now falls within your reach.  Remove yourself from your daily routines where you can and spend time by yourself in communion with nature and spirit.  Turn your will inward, direct all your inner resources toward destroying every influence of the past that seeks to destroy your joy of life and sense of confidence.  Consider the obstacles that have held you back, look at them from the perspective of the grandeur of the universe, reflect on their importance in the scheme of eternity:  sense the immortality of that which is beyond the senses, feel yourself an intrinsic part of the indivisible whole, see the world through the eyes of the ancestors’ hopes and dreams for your life.  Taking up the view that every lifetime is of the utmost consequence, you cease to act out of self-interest and rededicate yourself to another lifetime of bringing benefit to others.  Allowing your heart to be touched by the ancestors’ wishes for your happiness and well-being, you cease to be influenced by misfortunes and injustices and attempts to break your spirit.  Taking wing amid the field of immortal spirit warriors, you learn to meet need with benefit everywhere it exists.

Intent:  The longer that beneficial intent is held in check by coercive and oppressive forces, the more momentous its release—when dark forces predominate, they eventually reveal their malicious intent, thereby creating among otherwise compliant people a constructive backlash.  In this way, individuals who do not think of themselves as daring find themselves thrown forward into the very vanguard of change.  Resist wrong-doing without doing wrong:  without attacking or defending, do not give an inch.  This is a battle of wills whereby you will be transformed into a stronger and wiser warrior.  This is an especially auspicious time to take up the discipline of creating yourself as you have always wished to be, rather than allowing others to define you.  It is going to be exciting to the degree that you seek to take wing into the future—but unnerving to the degree that you seek the safety and security of the past.  Above all, avoid becoming either restless or paralyzed by the pace of change:  have faith in the beneficial intent of metamorphosis going on within the cocoon.  If you step back into your shadow-half and gaze unblinking upon the countenance of your light-half, this is a time in which all your inner obstacles are spontaneously changed into their opposites.

Summary:  You are entering a time of profound transformation.  In order to advance, give up something in the past that has been holding you back.  In order to give up something in the past, see yourself in the future.  Consider what you will be like when your inner obstacles are no more.  It is best to fashion a period of solitude in which you can crystalize your vision and solidify your intent.

ORACLE COMMENTARY:  NUCLEAR HEXAGRAM

Two points in particular articulate the Essence of this reading—

• This is a time in which powerful forces, long dammed up within you, are finally released and allowed to come to expression
• The longer that beneficial intent is held in check by coercive and oppressive forces, the more momentous its release

We activate our true potential when we have no other choice.  Repression, both internal and external, is creating a backlash of freedom that threatens to overwhelm the status quo at any moment.  Those who do not believe that profound and global change can occur overnight simply do not understand the mechanics of reversal:  when the dam breaks, all the water escapes at the same time.

Hexagram 14, Unlocking Evolution describes the invisible forces at work beneath the play of appearances.  It shows that the metamorphosis, though given expression through individuals, is a communal transformation, each individual’s release triggering the next individual’s.  We unlock our own unimaginable evolutionary traits when our adaptive traits are no longer compatible with our environment:  we take the evolutionary leap only when backed up against the abyss of extinction.

The past we have inherited from our common ancestors is a chrysalis.  It is a kind of protective encapsulation, keeping us one step removed from a real and intimate communion with both humanity and nature as a whole.  It is a kind of myopia, keeping vision to the nearby and decision-making to the short-range.  And it is a kind of numbness, keeping us from feeling the full brunt of emotions stemming from the harm our actions cause our peers and our environment.  The past is a chrysalis ready to burst and release into the wider reality of full responsibility:  it has protected us while we grew as a species and now we have outgrown it.  The ancient Mayans, in their remarkable insight into human nature, set their calendar of 5, 125 years to end and begin again on the Winter Solstice, 2012, to mark this dramatic and universal shift away from self-destruction.

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It should also be noted that this Nuclear Hexagram has, besides Hexagram 20, Entering Service, three other hexagrams derived from its core structure.  Those are:  Hexagram 8, Harmonizing Duality; Hexagram 48, Moving Source; and, Hexagram 57, Defying Uncertainty.  And, while Unlocking Evolution is the Nuclear Hexagram of Entering Service, it can also be a matter of interest to consider the Nuclear Hexagram of the future hexagram, Restoring Wholeness:  that Nuclear Hexagram is Hexagram 38 Dissolving Artifice, which also includes Hexagram 9 Uprooting Fear, Hexagram 60 Changing Alliances, and Hexagram 61 Strengthening Integrity among its derived hexagrams.

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SECTION VI.  THE UNDERLYING DYNAMICS—

Advanced studies provide a further methodology for deeper analysis and interpretation of the Oracle’s reply.  The following sequence of hexagrams mirrors the predictive sequence formed by the coin throws but brings to light the deeper forces at work.

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ORACLE COMMENTARY:  UNDERLYING DYNAMICS

The hexagrams illuminating the hidden direction and momentum of generative energy (qi) that manifests as the predictive hexagrams (#20 to #9 to #5) are these:  Hexagram 45, Casting Off; Hexagram 43, Going Beyond; and, Hexagram 14, Unlocking Evolution.

The first item of note about this sequence is the startling unanimity with which it speaks of metamorphosis—#45 in terms of a plumed serpent metamorphosing from the shed skin of an ordinary serpent, #43 in terms of an ordinary mortal metamorphosing into an immortal on the road of transcendence, and #14 in terms of ordinary humanity taking the evolutionary leap of metamorphosing into a new life form.  Less obvious, perhaps, is the fact that all three represent the conquest of gravity:  #45 and #14 both explicitly illustrate winged flight, whereas #43 shows the Road of Stars, the Milky Way, the path of transcendence whereby we reunite with our immortal allies.

The second item of note about this sequence is the startling presence here of the Nuclear Hexagram, Hexagram 14, Unlocking Evolution, the repetition of which reinforces the importance of the chrysalis symbol in the reading.  From this standpoint, then, these hexagrams amplify the meaning of the Nuclear Hexagram, establishing Unlocking Evolution as the central motif of the Oracle’s message.

What kind of Ending will produce the best Beginning for the Coming 2012 Age?

Underlying the principal message of the divination (Entering Service to Uprooting Fear to Restoring Wholeness), we find a consistent undertone of personal metamorphosis.  From this, we can surmise that the driving force behind the social changes leading to Restoring Wholeness is a shared personal experience of a higher awareness that transcends ordinary consciousness.  The mechanics of this relationship, which can be thought of as external-social and internal-personal, are hinted at when we view the two sequences as a series of pairs:

• #20 Entering Service and #45 Casting Off
• #9 Uprooting Fear and #43 Going Beyond
• #5 Restoring Wholeness and #14 Unlocking Evolution

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A Final Note—

Diviners interested in pursuing the advanced work further can investigate Hexagram 6, Fostering Self-Sacrifice, which should be considered an esoteric step backward on the path of returning to the One.  The relevance to Hexagram 20, Entering Service and the overall shift of attention away from self-interest and self-gratification for the sake of something greater than oneself is, at the end, elegantly reinforced.  This ought to be seen as the need to maintain both tracks consciously:  the social changes (toward idealism and altruism) and personal changes (toward transcendent awareness) will have to be the two wings of the phoenix rising forever from the smoke of the past.

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William Douglas Horden is co-author of The Toltec I Ching and author of two companion volumes, The Five Emanations and The Spiritual Basis of Good Fortune.

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The inevitable transition to a fully-green society will have to overcome numerous hurdles. Vested interests in the status quo, corporate mentality placing profits above all else, and government-by-crisis-management that eschews real long-range planning, for example, are among the most obvious matters that will have to be reformed.

There are other, deeper, issues that stand in the way, however. The polarization of the political landscape in the United States, for instance, and the underlying culture war spurred by the radicalization of fundamentalism — how is the most modernized country in the world to take a leadership role in creating a self-sustaining global community when it is paralyzed at home?

In the global arena, we face a similar problem. Trying to establish a constructive and forward-thinking consensus among all peoples is impossible without trust and mutual understanding — a relationship that cannot exist under threat of force or economic intimidation. History now reads like a bad Shakespeare play, revenge begetting revenge begetting revenge, escalating in violence and intensity as the plot grinds excruciatingly toward the final act in which everyone kills everyone else or themselves.

So political parties no longer act for the common good and simply strive to polarize people in order to get elected. Churches no longer pull communities together but, rather, tear them apart by polarizing people in order to promote religious zealotry. Governments no longer serve the interests of their respective peoples, polarizing nations into antagonistic relationships in order to justify the existence of government.

The inevitable transition to a fully-green global society, then, stands today somewhat like a single person with a pea-shooter standing before a well-fortified castle and demanding its unconditional surrender. All the major socioeconomic forces, and the weight of history, appear pitted against it. But it has reinforcements on the way: the inevitability of the future.

Because there is simply no alternative to a fully-self-sustaining lifeway for humanity, the issue at hand is not if but when. And because humanity’s very survival will hinge precisely upon just such a self-sustaining lifeway, green will eventually emerge as an over-arching philosophy rooted in a collective ethics that recognizes — and embraces — the dynamic unity of this living system we call Earth.

Such a philosophy has been articulated in times past. It recognized the patterns of human short-sightedness and rationalization. It offered a simple solution to what we can see now are the predictable crises of environmental degradation and governmental ineptness. I refer, of course, to the ancient philosophy of Taoism, which, it seems to me, offers a coherent and meaningful foundation upon which the emerging global society can build a collective future in which all enjoy peace and prospering.

Take the quote above from the closing lines of the Tao Te Ching, as an example. It is difficult to imagine a simpler and more direct way to address human nature –

The wise do not accumulate.
The more they work for other people, the more they gain.
The more they share with other people, the more they receive.
The Tao followed by heaven is to do good and not to harm.
The Tao followed by the wise is to work and not to claim credit.

It is the point of philosophy, after all, to arrive at wisdom and not mere intellectual knowledge. So ancient texts like the Tao Te Ching were intended as teaching tools in which their authors poured out the results of their investigations into the subtleties of human nature and its relationship to the world. As teaching tools, their authors generally assumed the that the readers’ rationalizing and justifying mind was in full force and so presented their ideas in ways that directly confront or bypass the merely argumentative mind.

So, The wise do not accumulate: Directly confronting the socialized mind that justifies self-interest and greed, the text establishes a fixed criterion for ethical behavior. Those who understand how things really are, those who are wise, simply do not accumulate: work it around any way you want, come at from any angle, argue it forever, it doesn’t change the fact that it is not in the interest of the whole for the individual to place his wants ahead of others’ needs. This, indeed, establishes a baseline for the ethical philosophy of the emerging world culture: in a world of peers, none is more entitled than another. Those who accumulate are not wise and therefore are arrogant because they place their wants ahead of others’ needs. This lack of insight demonstrates a profound lack of compassion for one’s fellow human beings and alienates one from the human family.

The wise do not accumulate, furthermore, because if everyone accumulates, the stress placed on natural resources is unsustainable. There has to be something more important than accumulating — something more meaningful, something more rewarding. This something is intimacy: it is an ethics of relationship, of refined sensitivity to the needs of human nature and nature itself. The wise do not accumulate, after all, because accumulation is empty and meaningless in the long run. Meaningful experiences, however, based on a sense of communion with one’s fellow human beings and, just as importantly, with nature, provide a ground of shared intimacy that directly addresses the real needs of human nature: happiness and a sense of belonging.

It is for this reason that the Tao Te Ching goes on to close with these words–
The more they work for others, the more they gain.
The more they share with others, the more they receive.
The Way followed by heaven is to do good and not to harm.
The Way followed by the wise is to work and not claim credit.

This is worth considering on several levels, not the least of which is literary: here is one of the world’s most-read and most-translated books, acclaimed for a millennium or two for its wisdom and profundity, and it ends with these words, so simple and lacking in refinement that they could almost be thought anti-climatic. This is the work, of course, famous for its use of archetypal symbolism and paradox (The Way that can be spoken is not the eternal Way; Those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know; and so on) and it chooses to end with this unadorned truth that strikes directly at the heart and not the head: real wisdom arrives at real happiness, which cannot be divorced from a trusting relationship with one’s community.

Modern Western readers may read all this as naive idealism, but people who have traveled and lived among other cultures know that these principles are still in play, forming the core of social interactions and personal fulfillment. In places where there is not a great deal of wealth in the first place, the emphasis is on social cooperation and survival of the group — working for others does, indeed, bring you gain and sharing with others does, indeed, mean others sharing with you. Benefiting others, harming nothing, and not seeking the elevated status that claiming credit brings — this is the personal practice that lies at the heart of the emerging social transformation.

The inevitable fully-green global society will, inevitably, be a society of self-discipline. It will require the kind of consistent and well-conceived philosophy that can be embodied with a clear conscience: it must satisfy, in other words, both the head and the heart. It will not come from government or church or corporations: it will not come from the top down, in other words, but from the bottom up. The set of self-sustaining behaviors our society will adopt won’t be dictated from the vested interests above but, rather, from within each individual’s creative nature. This reversion to a cohesive tribal worldview that encompasses all life is already being incubated through the global lines of communication afforded by the World Wide Web: a consensus is building toward accountability and social responsibility — towards a vision of The Commons as the shared benefits all are entitled to enjoy and none are entitled to destroy.

Of this individual creativity, the great Taoist philosopher, Chuang Tzu says –

Things in their original nature are curved without the help of arcs, straight without lines, round without compasses, and rectangular without squares. They are joined together without glue and hold together without cords. In this manner, all things create one another from their inner reality. None can tell how they come to do so.

This seems to allude to the principle that the Tao creates all things from within and, in doing so, collaborates as an individual in the co-creation of the whole. This may reflect the Buddhist concept of dependent origination and its attendant analog of Indra’s Net. Regardless of the metaphysics involved, the Taoist concept of natural integrity is pointed at here, with the implication that human beings need to return to their original being, which is in perfect harmony and accord with nature. It is this process of returning to our original nature that makes up the discipline of our personal practice and that of our collective descendants. Moving away from a lifeway of insecurity, self-interest, and accumulation, we intuitively move toward a lifeway of trust, plenitude, and sharing.

Because its wisdom teaching is so closely allied with Nature, the fundamental concepts of Taoism seem to me an ideal basis upon which to construct an embodied philosophy that can help create and sustain the coming fully-green global society. As a parting example of how this organic philosophy is concretized into ethical practice, I’ll end here quoting Chapter 8 of the Tao Te Ching, again translated by the late great Taoist scholar, Chang Chung-yuan:

That which is best is similar to the water.
Water profits ten thousand things and does not oppose them.
It is always at rest in humble places that people dislike.
Thus, it is close to Tao.
Therefore, for staying, we prefer a humble place.
For minds, we prefer profundity.
For companions, we prefer the kindness.
For words, we prefer simplicity.
For government, we prefer good order.
For affairs, we prefer ability.
For actions, we prefer the right time.
Because we do not strive,
We are free from fault.

*********

‘The Toltec I Ching,’ by Martha Ramirez-Oropeza and William Douglas Horden, has been released by Larson Publications. It recasts the I Ching in the symbology of the Native Americans of ancient Mexico and includes original illustrations interpreting each of the hexagrams. Its subtitle, “64 Keys to Inspired Action in the New World,” hints at its focus on the ethics of the emerging world culture.

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

Two companion volumes, The Five Emanations, and The Spiritual Basis of Good Fortune, have recently been published that expand on carrying the practices forward in the modern world.

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Across the imaginary distance of culture and borders, I honor your contribution to the Beginning Times.

~

A dying oak tree, its trunk split and branches breaking, does not in any way resemble an acorn.

The new beginning—despite growing directly out of the remains of the old—does not resemble what it replaces.

While it is imperative to recognize endings before they arrive, it is self-defeating to dwell on them:  Endings serve to direct our attention to the new beginning already starting to unfold.  The Book of Changes is not simply about the art of avoiding misfortune—its deeper intent is to instruct us in the art of arriving ahead of time at the meeting place of good fortune.

An acorn, bright and gleaming in the palm of a hand, does not in any way resemble the giant oak tree dominating the forest clearing hundreds of years later.  And this is a critical lesson of the I Ching—one of context and chance and perseverance.  For, the same acorn that falls in a level fertile field and grows to great height and prominence will grow stunted and gnarled should it fall among rocks on the crags of a cliff face.  The same acorn.

Everyone recognizes that the old is ending.  Everyone.  Worldwide.  The question of concern is, What kind of ground are we preparing for this seed of the new?

The ancients had an accurate sense of the length of time that the pendulum of change takes to swing out to its extreme and reverse the passions of human nature.  Across numerous cultures, the ancients accurately foresaw that this time, the historical epoch in which we are living, would be the turning point for civilization to realize the dream of a Golden Age of peace and prospering for all.

That these are The Beginning Times.

Among those prophesies is the Mayan calendar, whose 5,000-year Long Count of 13 baktuns comes to an end on the Winter Solstice of 2012.  Because the Mesoamerican calendar itself was not in use 5,000 years ago (it is perhaps 3,000 years old, imaginably 4,000 years old), it means that the Maya chose a symbolic starting date for their calendar that would end on a specific date.

A specific symbolic date. 

A date that would get our attention.

This accomplishment of the ancients, to accurately set their calendar to end on the Winter Solstice several thousand years in the future, is a testament to their care and concern for the future.  It is like a message in a bottle washing up on the shore of our island of the present, reminding us of the dreams that our common ancestors carried in their hearts for the coming generations.

It is a symbolic date, not one to be taken literally.  As the old saying goes, Don’t look at the finger pointing at the moon—look at the moon.  It is meant to get our attention, not to become the object of our attention.  As I have noted previously, the actual turning point began to first show itself in 1998.  The reversal of direction that the Mayan calendar points to is this space of time, wherein the old regime of conflict and competition withers and falls, collapsing under its own weight, no longer supported by the beliefs or actions of those it subjugates.  This reversal of direction is predictable because the seasons of human nature are knowable—it is not the direction of outer conditions that the 2012 date points to but, rather, the reversal of beliefs and values within human nature.  When the collective conscience of humanity can no longer be cowed into accepting the desecration of its own nature, then what emerges from the ashes of its old beliefs and values is a united humanity bent on no longer desecrating its relationship with nature and spirit.

Those who cannot believe that sudden and rapid change can, nearly overnight, reverse the course of whole nations simply do not understand the unconscious longings of the human heart.  The longer that people’s true desires are repressed by force and intimidation, the more sudden and more profound the reversal of beliefs and actions.  The dying giant is split and cracking—but what we need to focus on is finding the common ground within which to plant and nurture civilization’s new beginning.

2012 Metamorphosis

As I write here on my little hilltop in Southern Oregon, the Winter Solstice of 2010 has arrived.  It is an auspicious event because it is the first Winter Solstice in centuries to coincide with a lunar eclipse.  For those who have been trained to sense the Qi of the world, the extreme of yin is sinking to its utmost depths, just on the cusp of the turning point back toward yang.  At the apogee of the eclipse, the earth’s shadow moves on and the full moon’s light begins to wax again.  At the height of Winter’s cold and dark, Spring’s warmth and light is born.

A full season ago, on the Autumnal Equinox, I consulted the Oracle, asking this question:  What can humanity expect with the approach of 2012? In the Oracle’s answer, the events around the 2012 turning point predict a time of growing authoritarianism that, once transcended, will usher in a prolonged period of global reconciliation.

More specifically, it points to a crisis that we, as humanity, have confronted before and failed to resolve in a beneficial way for all.  With the approach of 2012, we have the opportunity to face that collective dilemma again.  Although the official reaction will reflexively try to repeat the same mistake as before, a groundswell of enlightened goodwill that transcends borders will unite people everywhere in a positive and constructive response—one that overrides the authoritarianism of religions and governments and sets in motion those metamorphic forces of nonviolence and noninterference that give rise to the harmonious and creative civilization our collective ancestors dreamed for us.

In my ongoing effort to expand on this message and present its ramifications as transparently as possible, I have executed the classic transformation of the reading’s hexagrams into their nuclear hexagrams.  This transformation produces a new pair of hexagrams that represent the underlying forces at work beneath the surface of events.  The hidden motivations, the unconscious currents, the dreams demanding expression.

The primary hexagram of the 2012 reading is #54 Repeating Test.  Its nuclear hexagram is #63 Awakening Self-Sufficiency.

This is interesting because this same hexagram appeared as the future outcome in my June 2009 reading as the answer to my question, At what crossroads does our global civilization stand now—and in what direction does good fortune lie?

For those not yet familiar with the Toltec spirit warrior, it is defined as a woman or man who trains to defeat their own enemy-within (which is in turn defined as their self-defeating habits of thought, emotion and memory).  We can see that there is a growing movement of individuals worldwide who have taken up such training—which appears under different names—in order to restore humaneness to our collective life.  It is this metamorphosis of individuals that is striking the spark to the kindling-nest so that the phoenix might arise more glorious from its ashes.

As a nuclear hexagram, #63 speaks to the unconscious desire to free ourselves from those baser instincts that divide us as a people from ourselves, nature and the sacred.  As its text illustrates, this hexagram seeks autonomy from that which trivializes human nature by seeking to restore its full creative power.  It is a nuclear hexagram that overcomes outer conflict by understanding that the instincts dividing us are universal to all people and, so, constitute the very source of our inevitable unity.

Image:  A great feathered serpent hatches out of the earth as if from an egg.  Its feathers are adorned with conch shells and it senses its surroundings with its bifurcated tongue.

Interpretation:  This hexagram represents the great forces released by the accumulated efforts of spirit warriors over the ages.  The feathered serpent symbolizes the collective intent and vision shared by spirit warriors in every time and every place.  That it hatches from the earth as if from an egg means that the community of spirit incubating within the material world emerges as a living, dynamic force of creation.  The conches adorning its feathers symbolize the call for all to join the community of spirit.  Its bifurcated tongue symbolizes the duality that is one.  That it uses its bifurcated tongue to sense its surroundings means that you are attuned to the universal presence of the masculine and feminine creative forces.  Taken together, these symbols mean that you align yourself with those whose only need is to bring benefit to their surroundings.

Action:  The spirit warrior reverses the flow of power, channeling it inside instead of outside:  by storing up power internally rather than expending it externally, we are able to both free ourselves of habits and gain control over our actions.  This inner autonomy also extricates us from social influences that strive to mold us into obedient marionettes even as it allows us to be more tolerant of the deeper motives of those social influences.  From the spirit warrior’s perspective, the original intent of religion is to awaken the higher soul to its potential freedom while purifying the lower soul of fear, greed, envy, and hate—just as the original intent of government is to awaken the higher soul to its responsibility to others while instilling in the lower soul the capacity for self-control.  From this perspective, the fact that religion and government acquire ulterior motives over time and begin to act in their own self-interest merely demonstrates that they are managed by human beings and must be viewed accordingly.  Similarly, the fact that all religions and governments strive to awaken the higher soul and purify the lower soul—even when they have forgotten how and why—simply demonstrates that the quest for metamorphosis is a universal and irresistible force.  Just as our inner autonomy releases us from the trap of depending on social influences for our sense of self, in other words, it also releases us from the trap of not seeing how those social influences contribute, however unintentionally, to the gradual unification of humanity.  Reversing the flow of power, we gain inner autonomy and, paradoxically, become one with the universal civilizing force.

Intent:  The wise become independent even from what they revere.  Like children who are grown up and independent of the parents they love and admire, spirit warriors take their place among the community of spiritual equals.  Because you use this lifetime to bring the most benefit to others, you incubate the higher soul that is preparing to hatch from the lower soul:  joining in the collective labor shared by spirit warriors in every time and every place, you contribute directly to both the fulfillment of humanity’s destiny and the creator’s vision.  Becoming part of the universal civilizing spirit, you contribute directly to the founding of a free and harmonious world of equals right here within this world.

Summary:  Only the body marks the passage of time—for the soul, there is only this everlasting moment of growing.  Let five rivers of energy come in through the senses, let them run together into a sea of growing power.  Do not expend it on petty thoughts, moods, or goals.  Send forth your rain clouds only to water the valuable.  Condense intent into actions that foster peace and prosperity for all.  Your success is inevitable.

The derived hexagram that appears in the 2012 reading is #2 Sensing Creation.  Its nuclear hexagram is #39 Reviving Tradition.  As the future outcome, #2 Sensing Creation is profoundly inspirational.  It presages a time of worldwide reconciliation and heartfelt collaboration towards an emerging vision of what civilization might become.

As its nuclear hexagram, #39 Reviving Tradition reminds us that our common ancestors lived closer to the time of creation than we do.  It shows that the underlying forces of #2 Sensing Creation are part of the emerging reversion to values and beliefs grounded in a more traditional—and meaningful—lifeway.  This could have evolved into a time in which the reversion to traditional values and beliefs led to greater conflict and confrontation, but the movement into #2 assures us that the mistakes we have made in the past will no longer be repeated.  This is because the general amnesty and forgiveness of past wrongs is based not upon the surface differences between traditions but, rather, upon their shared foundation in the sacredness of everything.

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.

The 2012 reading, with all its associated meanings, reminds us to reject utterly the paranoiac heart-mind of this wounded age that would have us dwell in the irrational belief that unseen forces are conspiring to do us ill.  Rather, it reminds us to keep in mind the definition of the word Pronoia:  the irrational belief that unseen forces are conspiring to do us good.  It is irrational only in the sense that spirit warriors do not confine their efforts to the rational world.

It is two years exactly now until the Winter Solstice of 2012 arrives.  Priest-diviners everywhere are focusing the generative energy of their intent on plowing the field of the World Soul to receive the rain of spirit seeds already falling and taking root in the open heart of human nature.

~

Across the imaginary distance of culture and borders, I honor your contribution to the Beginning Times.

~

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

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

~

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The cycle of change carries matter, energy, and spirit along its course of natural unfolding.  Time is spatial:  autumn follows summer just as a time of consolidation follows a time of expansion.  The Current, the Way, the Tao, is organic in the way it develops, moving the individual and civilization both according to the seasons of generative energy.

The Seasons of Generative Energy

The Oracle can speak to the way present trends are developing into future situations because it gives voice to the principles underlying all change.  The seeds of winter are sown at the Summer Solstice, just as the seeds of summer are planted at the Winter solstice.  Because they are seeds of generative energy, however, and not phenomena directly perceptible to our senses, their sowing and fruition generally occur long before—or sometimes after—we imagine.

The structure of the hexagram’s six lines is traditionally divided into three levels, of old called, Heaven, Man, and Earth.

Three Dimensions of the Hexagram

The top two lines represent heaven, or spirit.  The lower two lines represent earth, or matter.  The middle two lines represent mankind, or human awareness.  Humankind, embodying so perfectly the conjunction of spirit and matter, is thought of as the bridge connecting the sacred and the mundane, the invisible and the visible, the formless and form.

The Oracle is able to communicate with us because we bring human awareness into the divinatory moment, bridging the physical mechanism of divination (such as coins, yarrow stalks, cards, dice, random number generator) and the oracular awareness permeating time and space.  The Oracle gives voice to the One based on the relationship it has sustained with human beings for many thousands of years now.  The divinatory moment, then, is the very embodiment of the ancient saying:  Just as there is only One Mind, so is there only One Body.

Three Dimensions of the Divinatory Moment

Is this not the same Oracle that takes different forms in ancient cultures throughout the world?  Will we continue to hold ourselves apart from nature and spirit by relying on a crippling kind of reason that does not recognize its own limitations, even as the Great Mystery stares it in the face every moment?  Will we continue to believe, against all evidence to the contrary, that materialistic reason and religious zealotry are the only two poles of human participation in the world?  Will we dare to return to the ancients’ worldview of everyday unity with the Living Whole?  Can we abandon our histories of wrongs and establish a time of amnesty in which we might address our common problems?  Will we find our way back to a lifeway of nature mysticism that bequeaths to our descendants a civilization in harmony with itself and nature and the sacred?

With the above in mind, I take up the coins this morning of the seasons’ pivot and throw my question into the Beyond—

~

What Can Humanity Expect with the Approach of 2012?

The divinations I have cast on the subject of 2012 have been unanimously positive in the long run but have hinted at obstacles to be overcome in the short run.  The Oracle I received on the Autumnal Equinox 2010, regarding the events swirling around the turning point of the Winter Solstice of 2012, is the most detailed yet about the storm we will have to pass through before we achieve the calm of the New Dynasty of peace and prospering for all.

The first hexagram, representing the near-term events, is called Repeating Test.  Following is its illustration and interpretation—

Image:  A male warrior wearing the emblem of the smoking mirror pauses in his tracks.  The true road runs straight ahead but the warrior’s footprints show that he has doubled back on himself, circling around a pool of water.  The day sky overhead is filled with sunlight but the pool reflects the full moon in the night sky, indicating that the warrior made that past part of his journey in the dark of night.  As he prepares to undertake this leg of his journey for the second time, the warrior must face the additional danger of a jaguar who now crouches beside the pool.

Interpretation:  This hexagram depicts someone facing a dilemma for the second time.  The male warrior symbolizes the challenges and self-discipline that make us stronger and more adaptable than we imagined.  The smoking mirror symbolizes the penetrating insight, introspection, and self-knowledge required if we are to achieve a vision of the true self.  That he pauses in his tracks means that you take the opportunity to slow down your decisions in order to consider your circumstances carefully and discern how they resemble a past experience you have long wished to rectify.  That he has stepped off the true road to circle around the pool means that your true destiny must wait while you return to a previous stage in order to complete its task.  That it is light now but the pool reflects the night sky means that you are more aware and capable now than you were when you first encountered this test.  That this part of the journey is complicated by the additional danger of a jaguar lying in wait means that you clearly perceive this to be a new situation even as you use it to change your spiritual history.  Taken together, these symbols mean that you heal wounds left from a past stage of development.

Action:  The masculine half of the spirit warrior gazes into the smoking mirror of the true self without blinking.  It is a time for exhibiting the character traits you believe you should have exhibited when facing a similar dilemma in the past:  because you take advantage of this second chance to prove yourself to yourself, you erase past regrets and reveal your true self to the unseen forces.  By turning our perception upon ourselves, we are able to sense the lessons we have learned from past mistakes.  Until we have had the opportunity to act on those lessons and put them into effect, however, part of us remains frozen at that stage of our development.  For that reason, there are few more fortuitous times than those in which we can prove we are stronger and wiser than in the past:  by discerning our own patterns of behavior that run consistently beneath the surface of appearances, we are able to stop repeating past mistakes and emerge victorious over our own self-defeating attitudes and behaviors.  Because you intuitively know that turning points periodically return until they are finally resolved, you are fully prepared to act when the time comes:  because you wait vigilantly for the opportunity to revisit a period of darkness, you do not fail to use the present turning point to extend the continuity of your light further back into the past.

Intent:  Now is the time to strengthen the ladder of your evolution by descending it in order to repair a lower rung.  Actions and decisions that have haunted us must be laid to rest if we are to advance further toward our rightful destiny.  Within the inner landscape of our soul there are hurdles we failed to clear, pitfalls we failed to avoid, on our first encounter—where we first reacted with weakness we can now react with strength, where we first acted naively we can now act wisely, where we first reacted with fear we can now react with confidence, where we first acted selfishly we can now act lovingly.  Because you do not allow this opportunity to correct the past to slip through your hands, you break the chains holding you and your allies back from ascending to the next rung of success.

Summary:  Don’t make the same mistake again.  Some fears are false fears, some hopes are false hopes:  stop and consider how you are reverting to a way of thinking, feeling, and acting that did not work before.  You are stronger and wiser now—act as you wish you had acted the first time.  Seize this opportunity to heal the past and you will create the future you long for.

The Oracle appears to be saying that we—humanity—are going to have to pass through a crisis with all the dynamics of one we mismanaged the first time.  The exact nature of this crisis remains veiled by time, of course, but the transformation of our collective response is mapped out in the lines of change.

In other words, the specific transition points between the short-term and long-term are marked out by the line changes that produce a second hexagram out of the first.  In the present case, it is the first, second, and sixth lines that change.

Line Changes—

1st:  Many are in denial of the growing trend toward oppression—all you can do is join with those of like mind and prepare for what lies ahead.  Avoid controversial positions and don’t call attention to your efforts.  Make yourselves useful but anonymous.

2nd:  Many cannot get past the first hurdle—all you can do is appreciate the cunning of those above and go along with it for now.  There will be time to fight for principles later but the priority now must be just surviving this time.  Do not provoke envy or resentment by flaunting your little success.

6th:  The dam breaks—the last vestiges of oppression dissolve, the will of its leadership broken, and the waters of free-thinking and creativity rush forward again.  Celebrate with those around you.  Spend your time training the next generation, for without continuity of principles it will all happen again.

From the above we can surmise that our collective response to the first crisis was a knee-jerk reaction toward the use of force and intimidation—and that our first tendency in the second crisis is to revert to our previous response.

The first line change points out the insidious nature of fear that is generated by shock:  it is easy to convince people that the worst has only begun and that they must protect themselves by taking up a defensive posture that makes life more miserable everywhere.  This kind of lashing out against enemies real and imagined, internal and external, can be masked as necessary for only so long—eventually, there is a growing recognition that no amount of rationalization or justification changes the fact that irrational oppression is irrational oppression.

The second line change points out that there are many who remain fixed in a fear and aggression specifically propagated by those in power.  This is the most difficult time, when the fever is at it pitch.  It can be a dangerous time for those who dissent, one in which it is necessary to avoid attracting the attention of those with the power to crush dissent in the name of the greater good.  At the same time, this line change reminds those who manage to thrive during this time not to distance themselves from those less fortunate.

And finally, in the sixth line change, we see that the fever has broken.  The mass delusion passes like a nightmare evaporating with the dawn.  Even those perpetuating the self-destruction lose the will to go on.  People of good will and innovative solutions to the crisis come to the fore.  It is a time of widespread celebration and an overwhelming sense of relief.  Most of all, however, it is a time of establishing the new worldview for the next generations, because the forces of self-destruction are forever like a seed ready to sprout even in the loveliest garden.

~

The second hexagram, which grows out of the first by virtue of these three line changes, represents the long-term repercussions of the events associated with 2012.  Titled Sensing Creation, its image and interpretation follows—

Image:  A female warrior is naked, immersed in water and surrounded by flowers.  A wellspring of water rises from between her hands.  The water drops are drawn as beads of jade in order to portray the precious nature of that which sustains life.

Interpretation:  This hexagram represents the great courage essential to creating a meaningful life.  The female warrior symbolizes the way of nurturing and encouraging human nature that increases its sensitivity and loving-kindness.  Being naked means that nothing stands between you and the world.  Being immersed in water means that you plunge whole-heartedly into the spirit of that which nurtures all.  Being surrounded by flowers means that you perceive the perfection of the world as it truly is:  each moment blossoms perfect and whole, then passes like a fading flower—each perfection born into the world must die.  The wellspring of water symbolizes the inexhaustible source of courage that allows you to use your awareness of mortality to more profoundly experience the joy and sorrow inherent within every encounter.  In this sense, the flowers and the water signify not only the wisdom attained through experience, but the aesthetic sensibilities to be moved by a beauty and truth not always apparent to others.  Taken together, these symbols mean that you open your spirit to the overwhelming perfection of the world and share your vision with all you touch.

Action:  The feminine half of the spirit warrior collects the movement and energy of the unseen forces, calming them and bringing them together in harmony, making a place for them to gather strength and then making that source of benefit open and available to all.  Where past injustices and resentments survive to poison the well of benefit, true need goes unmet and people suffer unnecessarily:  the spirit warrior fosters a climate of forgiveness and reconciliation, reuniting those whose hearts have become estranged and dissolving the tensions and insecurities that have prevented people from coexisting in harmony and mutual understanding.  Before action, the passions breeding distrust and discord appear too strong and too deeply entrenched to be overcome.  After action, the benefit you help cultivate results in a greater union of good will, hope, and creativity.  You succeed where others fail because you rely on the warrior’s refined sensibilities to guide you rather than past experiences.  You succeed where others fail because you reflect generosity in every thought, word, and deed rather than demanding that others first prove their worth.  You succeed where others fail because you cleanse yourself of all ill will rather than harboring any spiritual intent that might poison the well of benefit that you are become.

Intent:  Whether the struggle is internal or external, work to increase your sensitivity to the realms of nature, human nature, and spirit.  Because people differ only in the degree of their sensitivity to the One Spirit, continue to open your perceptions to more and more sublime thoughts, feelings, memories, and sensations.  By recognizing that you are filled with the source of nurturance, you can calmly let all your adaptations arise from it.  By giving form to the source of nurturance, you can respond to things with dignity, patience, joy, and appreciation.  Because your sensitivity to the world is your strength, you can find the way to restore harmony and progress where others find only opposition and antagonism.  Make the well-being of others your goal right now and you can build a coalition of allies to undertake even greater endeavors in the future.  Avoid taking sides, work to bring them together.  Cultivate trust in the early stages of discord, rely on your lack of self-interest in its later stages.  You succeed because you bring future benefit to those separated by the past.

Summary:  The beauty and loving-kindness you seek are within your reach.  Let go of obsolete opinions and dogma handed down to you from others.  Find that which allows you to share happiness with others and you will achieve greater freedom and creativity.  Focus on the healing of old wounds, promote the forgiving of old wrongs.  Set aside personal ambition, act for the common good.

Surely one of the most beautiful and promising of times, Sensing Creation is the opening up of forgiveness and reconciliation.  It is a time of universal trust and mutual goodwill.  Past differences dissolve in an atmosphere of shared hope and a collective vision of a greater future for all.

With this, the Oracle appears to reiterate its prognosis for the era beginning with the changes surrounding the 2012 landmark:  following a period in which the self-destructive forces in humanity start to reassert their authority, a new wave of humaneness emerges to guide us into the Golden Age of Humanity.

The Oracle sees, in sum, a tempestuous storm before the long calm.

What shall we build together?

~

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

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

~

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Inspired action flows spontaneously from an inspired mind.

When we replace trivial and undignified thoughts with substantial and ennobling ones, we are focused ahead of time on perceiving and interpreting events in the best possible light.  In this way, we take the energy we previously devoted to the pursuit of self-interest and channel it into acts that benefit all.

I am part of a Living Whole that wants the best for me and all others at the same time.

An inspired mind flows spontaneously from an inspired heart.

When we replace selfish and self-important feelings with generous and all-embracing ones, we are positioning ourselves ahead of time to respond to events with loving-kindness and goodwill toward all.  In this way, we take the energy we previously devoted to self-defeating attitudes and channel it into creative acts that benefit all.

I am part of a Living Whole that wants the best for me and all others at the same time.

An inspired heart flows spontaneously from being attuned to this single wish of the Living Whole:  that all benefit as one.

But how are we to give up our separate sense of self-importance and open our heart to this living wish when so many around us are acting out of greed, superstition and fear?  How are we to refine our thoughts and emotions when we are bombarded from every quarter with ever more sophisticated attempts to capture our attention?

It is one of the oldest lessons:  If your intention is clear of ulterior motives, then even distractions and confusion are The Way.

Self-defeating thoughts and emotions, from this point of view, are viewed as the enemy-within, the constellation of habit attitudes and habit behaviors that constantly throw up stumbling blocks to the spirit warrior’s progress.  Indeed, the spirit warrior is best defined as a woman or man who clarifies their intention by consciously training to (1) recognize Spirit within all matter and, (2) defeat the self-defeating habits of the enemy-within.

Freeing our intention of ulterior motives by focusing on these two goals, we find that confronting the distractions and confusion thrown up by the enemy-within becomes more like practicing with a sparring partner than an out-and-out battle.  More and more, the enemy-within is experienced as an artificial sense of self that was formed by the conditioning it received from family and culture.  As we get to know it better, it seems most like a recurring dream opponent trying to awaken us to our true potential.

For example, even if we were born to the same parents on the same day, it is obvious that were we then raised in a completely different culture, say the Mbuti of central Africa or the Inuit of the Arctic tundra, we would have a completely different personality, a completely different sense of self in relationship to the world-at-large.  Once the hollowness of this illusory, conditioned, self is fully experienced—like recognizing that the distorted image in a funhouse mirror is not our true reflection—we stop reacting automatically to events around us.  Our actions become more creative, more spontaneous, and meet with greater success.

In this sense, inspired action, an inspired mind, an inspired heart, and attunement to the wish of the Living Whole all spring from living each moment with an intention free of ulterior motives.

I am part of a Living Whole that wants the best for me and all others at the same time.

Spirit, like nature, abhors a vacuum.

When we clear our intention of ulterior motives, we are no longer beleaguered by our inner talk—Spirit rushes in to fill the clearing we have made for it.  Our heart-mind becomes its nest.

And of what is this nest constructed?

Lessons:  the accrued wisdom of the ancients, who first learned to stop their inner talk and then recorded what Spirit whispered to them in that shining silence.

By taking Spirit’s voice to heart, we, like the ancients, replace unworthy and self-destructive thoughts and emotions with ennobling and beneficial ones.

An Oracle is the voice of Spirit, speaking to us across the ages in the language of lessons.

Lessons are wisdom teachings, a body of ethical principles that can be adapted to the ever-changing circumstances of life.  As in sailing, you don’t set your sails to go with the wind in the same way you do to tack against the wind—nor do you drop anchor in the open sea just because it works when you are in port.  Lessons and their ethics guide our responses to change. Lessons make us better adapted to events, more competent, more improvisational, less predictable, and more creative.  Their ethics make us more generous, more compassionate, less competitive, more collaborative, and more successful.

The Toltec I Ching incorporates the lessons and ethics of the Oracles of two of the world’s great civilizations.  From ancient Mesoamerica, comes the Oracle of the Tonalpoalli, or Sacred Calendar, with its lessons inspired by the great civilizing spirit of the Toltec sages.  From ancient China, comes the Oracle of the I Ching, or Book of Change, with its lessons inspired by the great civilizing spirit of the Taoist sages.  We invite you to explore further your own inner path—and to carry the timeless wisdom of the ancients back into these troubled times.

This article appeared originally in Volume 8, Number 4 of Evolve! magazine.

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

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For the ancient Toltecs and the civilizations they inspired, the highest expression of their lifeway was embodied in the mystical philosophy of Flower-and-Song.

Flower-and-Song is a difrasismo, a common form of expression in the Nahuatl language that uses two words to form a metaphor for a third, more expansive, concept.  It is often translated as “poetry” but its meaning is more comprehensive than that, indicating that its practitioners strive to live a “poetic life”.  Examining the difrasismo a little makes this clear.

Flower in this context involves a three-stage engagement with the world.  The first stage involves seeing each moment—and whatever that moment holds—as perfect as a blossoming flower.  The second stage involves seeing each moment—and whatever that moment holds—as already fading and passing into death.  The final stage involves bearing these two visions simultaneously in the heart, engaging the moment and what it holds with the full emotional realization that it is perfect and dying.

Far from an intellectual exercise, this practice demands the greatest courage, for to face these two soul-shattering emotions at the same time requires us to open ourselves to the profoundest joy and grief all at once.  Without flinching from the perfection before us, we are filled with awe at the impossibility of spirit taking form in matter.  Without flinching from the inevitable death of everything we know and love, we cannot help but burst apart with grief and empathy.

This is a lifeway, in other words, of spirit warriors, those who exert constant effort to defeat their self-defeating attitudes and behaviors.  It is the lifeway of those who use death to awaken authentic gratitude for being alive and sharing this shape-shifting perfection with others.  When we experience it fully, Flower evokes a kind of spiritual nostalgia for the present moment that ennobles us and all our lives touch.

Song in this context means that the most authentic act we can perform is to give expression to the dual realization attained in Flower.  This is the reason that the difrasismo is generally translated as “poetry”.  But the deeper implication of this mystical philosophy of life means that Song involves treating every moment as an opportunity to express the truth of Flower.  It involves treating this entire lifetime as a single act of expressing the continuous vision of Flower.  It means using every thought, word and deed to embody the lifeway of Flower-and-Song.

Treating all things as miracles that pass away too soon, our thoughts, speech and actions take on a new caliber and timbre.  We concentrate on what is present instead of what is absent and we discover new depths of patience and tolerance.  Our lives take on greater meaning and our contributions meet with greater success.  We treat everything and everyone more nobly and we are enriched immeasurably.

As a spiritual practice, Flower-and-Song enters each moment asking two questions:  What is in front of me?  How am I treating it?

What is in front of me? opens us to the ultimately unknowable nature of the world.  By questioning the absolute nature of our perceptions, we come to accept the extraordinary mystery everywhere veiled by ordinary appearances.  It is a question that, once taken seriously, forces to us to look closer at the world:  Is this merely what I have become accustomed to seeing through daily contact—or is it the sea of spirit in all its manifest forms?

How am I treating what is in front of me? demands that we watch our inner actions—our thoughts and intentions, our wishes aimed at things outside ourselves—as well as our outer demeanor and reactions.  Am I acting nobly or mean-spiritedly?  Am I ennobling my life or trivializing it?  Am I rising above pettiness or descending into it?  Am I treating others like superiors and inferiors, all in pursuit of my self-interest—or as peers bravely facing their own death as well as they can?  Am I spreading ill will, discord and sorrow wherever I go—or compassion, collaboration and joy?

In our book, The Toltec I Ching, Martha Ramirez-Oropeza and I discuss the deeper implications of such a spiritual practice—

…..the spirit warrior breaks through the barrier separating matter and spirit.  Such a barrier is erected in our minds by the constant training we receive from those who find advantage in promoting the separation of people from nature, from each other, and from their own true self.  If people everywhere perceived matter and spirit to be the same thing, after all, the ignorance, cruelty, and suffering that make up much of human history would end.  If we were all to experience the material form of nature as spirit, we would stop harming it by diminishing it faster than we help it replenish itself.  If we were all to experience the material form of people everywhere as spirit, we would stop harming one another by acting as if our own rights and desires were superior to their own.  If we were all to experience the material form of our own individual bodies as spirit, we would stop harming ourselves by doubting that every thought, feeling, and action plays a pivotal role in eternity.  Breaking through such a mental barrier is a matter of constant training, as well.  If we do not use every thought, feeling, and action to intensify our experience of matter as spirit, we continue to desecrate the temple of nature, the temple of civilization, and the temple of individuality.

Those following the lifeway of Flower-and-Song find that it reveals the wellspring of rejoicing forever bubbling just beneath the surface of appearances.  It engages the world as a vast mystery of unimaginable potentials and aims to participate in its ongoing creation in ways that benefit the most.  It is not so much something we do on our own as much as it is music we hear and feel and long to play, a dance we cannot wait to join.  It arises from our depths to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Holding to such a practice for extended periods of time has certain foreseeable consequences.  By forcing us to focus complete attention on appreciating the perfection of everything as well as mourning its inevitable passing, it trains us to attend fully to the moment, drop off inner talk, participate in life authentically, and honor everything as an equal knowing it must die.

But it has certain unforeseeable consequences, as well.  By blurring the imaginary boundary between self and world, it opens new senses and allows us to perceive the spirit within all matter.  By blurring the imaginary line between flawed and flawless, it opens our hearts to the sacredness of all form.  By blurring the imaginary boundary between animate and inanimate, it opens our eyes to the formless awareness forever transcending the very form it inhabits.  By blurring the imaginary line between time and space, it opens our minds to the unchanging presence through which all changing forms move.

The Lifeway of Flower-and-Song, then, is a spiritual practice of Inner Activism—it sensitizes us to our tendencies toward self-interest and alienation, replacing self-defeating habits with those of spontaneity, creativity, and good will.  It shifts our focus away from personal success toward a heartfelt longing for peace and prospering for all.

And it constantly reminds us that the Golden Age of Humanity is within our reach if we but dare hold out our hand.

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

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The illustration below comes from Hexagram 61, “Strengthening Integrity”, of The Toltec I Ching—

Image:  A female warrior and a male warrior are seated on a woven reed mat.  Behind them, the sun hangs suspended above a great pyramid.  Their bearing and clothing show that they are people of great dignity and merit.  They are jointly seeking advice from the creators and ancestors by consulting the divinatory instrument drawn on the ground before them.

The opening section describes the elements and action of the illustration.  By warrior is meant a man or woman who uses their everyday experiences to recognize and defeat their own self-defeating reactions.

Interpretation:  This hexagram depicts the way for allies to strengthen the warrior’s spirit in one another.  The union of the female warrior and the male warrior symbolizes an alliance between individuals whose natures are complementary and mutually reinforcing.  That they are seated together on the woven mat indicates that their alliance is based on a shared vision.  That they are seated in front of the sunlit pyramid means that they acknowledge that they are descendants of great warriors who have gone on to live forever in the house of the sun.  That they comport themselves as people of great dignity and merit means that they dedicate their lives to making both their ancestors and descendants proud.  That they seek advice from the creators and the ancestors by consulting the divinatory instrument before them means that they honor and fulfill the ancient covenant between the visible and the invisible.  Taken together, these symbols mean that you align yourself with others in order to transform your weaknesses into strengths.

This second section interprets each of the elements and actions of the illustration, explaining their symbolism.  The focus here is on how  people share a particular world view, especially one in which certain spiritual perceptions contribute to sincere good will toward one another.  Such good will takes the form of willingly acting as the whetstone upon which the other hones the edge of their spirit.

Action:  The masculine and feminine halves of the spirit warrior vigilantly treat one another with the respect, courtesy, and authenticity accorded great warriors.  The skills and the knowledge of the old ways are of little value if they are not applied to present-day circumstances:  in this sense, spirit warriors create relationships with one another in order to train themselves to live a balanced and harmonious way of life with the utmost integrity.  As in every relationship, there are those who lead and those who follow—but among spirit warriors, these roles are extremely fluid and change constantly.  One takes decisive action and another goes along, providing the utmost support.  One moves in an indirect manner to increase harmony and good will, and another gives up the need for identifiable goals and concrete solutions.  One challenges and another nourishes.  One opens to new experiences and another gives up the need to control change.  One takes on the role of the masculine half, another the role of the feminine half.  One takes on the role of the feminine half, another the role of the masculine half.  Back and forth, exchanging roles constantly, such allies face circumstances as a united front:  moving along with things when appropriate, creating resistance to things when appropriate, they use circumstances to train themselves to apply the old ways with honor, sincerity, and integrity.  Because you make yourself such an ally, you find such allies and bring great benefit to all.

The action of this hexagram revolves around the attitudes and behaviors that ennoble and solidify relationships:  treating one another like great warriors instead of trivializing the relationship; maintaining a degree of formality beneath even the greatest intimacy rather than demeaning the relationship; and, shifting roles in response to circumstances rather than allowing one to dominate the other.

The forces at play here can be appreciated by analyzing the interaction of the trigrams making up this hexagram:  Earth within and Water without, Fulfillment within and Mystery without.  When I feel fulfilled personally and view the other person as ultimately unknowable, then I experience the other as a sacred mystery instead of taking them for granted and making light of their life and inevitable death.  “Strengthening Integrity” corresponds to hexagram 8, “Holding Together”, in the traditional King Wen sequence.

Summary:  Treat everyone as if they have a wise and immortal teacher within—and see everything they do as the teacher’s subtle strategy for testing the depth of your perceptions.  Treat everyone with respectful intimacy, avoid informal familiarity.  Treat everyone like a great warrior armed with spear and shield, don’t try to read others’ minds.

The text ends with a reminder that how we treat those closest to us should be how we treat all.  When I treat everyone and everything as a shining manifestation of spirit, then my thoughts, words, and deeds will always shine like spirit reflecting spirit and echo like spirit calling to spirit.

Real allies spar with wooden swords.  They never draw real swords.  They never draw blood.

Help one another make the most of this lifetime and nothing will want to pry you apart.

.

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

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—Hexagram 27, The Toltec I Ching

Ethical strategies allow us to respond to wrongdoing without doing wrong.  We can feel our way through the crossfire of competing strategies by keeping our own intent free of ulterior motives and ill will.  This allows us to avoid many pitfalls, since keeping our intent clear makes us extremely sensitive to the ill-conceived intentions around us.  Pure intentions, in other words, attune the intuition to pure intentions, making ill-conceived intentions stand out in stark contrast.  Likewise, ethical strategies attune the intuition to ethical strategies, making unethical strategies stand out in stark contrast.

But how to clarify my intent?  How to trust that my intentions are pure?

It is just this effort that makes up the greater part of the spirit warrior’s training to defeat the enemy-within.

Such a discipline begins by accepting that most of what I think is nothing more than my opinions.  Many of my opinions, of course, are handed down to me by others but nearly all are the result of my familial and cultural conditioning.  Others are formed from direct experience and continue to linger because of my irrational conviction that precisely the same circumstances will recur at some future date.  Nearly everything I once took for truth is eventually shown to be nothing more than my opinions.

The practice of letting go of my opinions is hampered by the fact the that a large part of my identity is formed around them.  A big part of who I am seems to be determined by my opinions about what things are, how they work, what kind of a world it is, why people act as they do, and why I’m treated the way I am.  Letting go of old opinions and not creating any more new ones has a profound impact on my sense of identity.  With fewer and fewer “guideposts” to tell me beforehand what I am experiencing and how I ought to react, I find myself concentrating more and more on the matter-at-hand and treating it in a more spontaneous and innovative way.  Clearing away the cobwebs of opinion, furthermore, turns out to be the surest and quickest way to rid myself of ill-conceived intentions.

The second step in this training involves looking for the purities among my intentions.  This is like picking gold flakes out of sand or a loved one out of a crowd.  Not all my intentions are ill-conceived.  Some are fundamentally pure, relics of my true self before it acquired the conditioning of this artificial personality.  Picking out these wholly positive intentions and then concentrating on them attunes me to other pure intentions, which initiates an emerging cascade of pure intentions.  This is like concentrating on a dream, picking out a detail or two, concentrating on those, which reawaken memories of other facets of the dream, which in turn reveal further details.  Concentrating on my pure intentions creates a new, or more properly a reawakened, sense of self—an utterly realistic and spiritual self able to participate in the world in the most beneficial manner possible.

Participating in the world, however, all too often means confronting injustice and oppression—

“There is no true victory in force because those overcome eventually use the moral high ground to achieve their independence.  Such a turn of events is made inevitable by the fact that the spirit of those who oppress is progressively sickened by their past actions at just the time that the spirit of those oppressed is made progressively stronger and finer by the hardship they have endured.  Force corrupts those who use it and ennobles those who endure it.  For this reason, those who use force fail because they are brutish and short-sighted while those whose spirit cannot be dominated succeed because they are humane and wise.  When those who are stronger seek to dominate and control us then we must develop a strategy that ensures we defeat our oppressors without repeating their mistakes.  In this sense, it is necessary that we commit beforehand to making no attempt to exact revenge from those who have wronged us.  In order to emerge unscathed from domination we have to recognize the indomitable nature we have inherited from our ancestors and then ally ourselves with others committed to preserving inner independence until outer independence can be openly celebrated.  Because you take the time to gather inner strength without arousing any suspicion, you succeed in freeing yourself without harming another.  Because your humaneness shines on your oppressors, you succeed in freeing them without harming yourself.”

—Hexagram 41, The Toltec I Ching

Ethical strategies are especially crucial when confronting opposition—

“…..the spirit warrior accumulates force in order to resist the use of force.  Whether they are internal or external, it is necessary to confront the forces working in opposition to our goals.  This is a matter of grave delicacy, however, since the passions tied to self-interest run equally deep and strong among all concerned.  Old grievances and resentments, in particular, stand in the way of a peaceful and mutually advantageous resolution to the current discord.  For this reason, confronting others means we are forced to confront ourselves, restraining our own anger and righteous indignation by seeing how our own actions have contributed to the present conflict.  Only by holding our anger in check can we avoid escalating the problem at hand:  an uncompromising stance of having been wronged serves no one’s purposes here since it merely forces others to do the same.  The danger is that real hostility can be ignited under these conditions—hostility that can inflict profound suffering on all concerned and take a long time for any party to heal.  This is a time to treat your opposition with all the respect due a great warrior:  avoid inflammatory and provocative statements based on half-truths or a one-sided view of things, since slyly provoking others to hostility is doubly hostile.  This is likewise a time to act like a great warrior:  accept responsibility for past mistakes and make good faith commitments to remedy injustices and imbalances among all concerned immediately, since demanding others right their wrongs without following suit is doubly wrong.  For the spirit warrior, true force is exercised by not resorting to hostility even when it promises the shortest route to success.”

—Hexagram 32, The Toltec I Ching

Foremost among ethical strategies are the qualities of restraint and self-control, especially when under pressure—

“Whether you are the pursuer or the pursued, this is a time for holding back:  where the mother bird tries to hold back the hunting fox from discovering her nest, the hunting fox tries to hold back his first reaction to jump at every opportunity.  In the world of nature, both the nesting bird and the hunting fox are spirit warriors.  Every moment of every day is a battle for survival of the individual and the bloodline.  Each moment of each day requires unbroken attention to the strategies that enable them to successfully play their part in the on-going work of creation.  True spirit warriors master the art of holding back by studying what motivates others—and themselves—to act as they do:  the nesting bird succeeds because she knows the fox chases anything that runs from it; the hunting fox succeeds because he knows the bird runs away from the nest to protect her eggs.  Study what others hold valuable, study what you yourself hold valuable, and you can successfully act on the purposes you perceive behind every action.”

—Hexagram 35, the Toltec I Ching

Inspired Action likewise utilizes ethical strategies for resolving internal conflicts—

“….. the spirit warrior gazes into the smoking mirror of the true self without blinking.  It is a time for exhibiting the character traits you believe you should have exhibited when facing a similar dilemma in the past:  because you take advantage of this second chance to prove yourself to yourself, you erase past regrets and reveal your true self to the unseen forces.  By turning our perception upon ourselves, we are able to sense the lessons we have learned from past mistakes.  Until we have had the opportunity to act on those lessons and put them into effect, however, part of us remains frozen at that stage of our development.  For that reason, there are few more fortuitous times than those in which we can prove we are stronger and wiser than in the past:  by discerning our own patterns of behavior that run consistently beneath the surface of appearances, we are able to stop repeating past mistakes and emerge victorious over our own self-defeating attitudes and behaviors.  Because you intuitively know that turning points periodically return until they are finally resolved, you are fully prepared to act when the time comes:  because you wait vigilantly for the opportunity to revisit a period of darkness, you do not fail to use the present turning point to extend the continuity of your light further back into the past.”

—Hexagram 54, The Toltec I Ching

As the examples above demonstrate, Inspired Action adapts to circumstances but always reflects the balanced strategy of the spirit warrior, whose masculine and feminine halves constantly intermingle to produce just the right blend of metamorphosis and nurturance.

Without definition, defying expectations, free of contrivances of any kind, Inspired Action reflects the mystical philosophy of Flower-and-Song, grounding us in the ever-present center of the world and, paradoxically as always, giving us the wings to take flight into the Beyond—

“Just as someone who has mastered a musical instrument can improvise at will, you are able to move through this time with an untroubled spirit, adapting and responding to sudden and unforeseen changes by initiating sudden and unforeseen changes of your own.  Just as living music gains vitality and power when played by more than one musician, your efforts are in harmony with the unseen forces and aided by innumerable spirit helpers.  Just as master musicians become the music they play, you become the moving source of renewal that you express.  Just as the perennial presence of music is given new forms of expression every generation, your actions advance the collective work of renewing the perennial truth every generation.”

—Hexagram 48, The Toltec I Ching

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

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