{"id":408,"date":"2010-09-30T10:09:26","date_gmt":"2010-09-30T17:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetolteciching.com\/blog\/?p=408"},"modified":"2021-01-30T23:04:24","modified_gmt":"2021-01-31T06:04:24","slug":"2012-the-storm-before-the-calm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thetolteciching.com\/blog\/2012-the-storm-before-the-calm\/","title":{"rendered":"2012: The Storm Before The Calm"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Autumnal Equinox arrives, accompanied by fog and mist and rain and clouds of every shade of gray.\u00a0 The world’s qi<\/em> shifts from boundless movement toward boundless stillness.\u00a0 We leave behind the excessive yang of summer and move into the newborn yin of fall.\u00a0 The time of outward action gives way to the time of inward action.\u00a0 The turning of the season carries us back from the branches into the roots.<\/p>\n

The cycle of change carries matter, energy, and spirit along its course of natural unfolding.\u00a0 Time is spatial:\u00a0 autumn follows summer just as a time of consolidation follows a time of expansion.\u00a0 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<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Seasons of Generative Energy<\/p><\/div>\n

The Oracle can speak to the way present trends are developing into future situations because it gives voice to the principles underlying all change.\u00a0 The seeds of winter are sown at the Summer Solstice, just as the seeds of summer are planted at the Winter solstice.\u00a0 Because they are seeds of generative energy<\/em>, however, and not phenomena directly perceptible to our senses, their sowing and fruition generally occur long before\u2014or sometimes after\u2014we imagine.<\/p>\n

The structure of the hexagram’s six lines is traditionally divided into three levels, of old called, Heaven, Man, and Earth<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Three Dimensions of the Hexagram<\/p><\/div>\n

The top two lines represent heaven, or spirit.\u00a0 The lower two lines represent earth, or matter.\u00a0 The middle two lines represent mankind, or human awareness.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 The Oracle gives voice to the One based on the relationship it has sustained with human beings for many thousands of years now.\u00a0 The divinatory moment, then, is the very embodiment of the ancient saying:\u00a0 Just as there is only One Mind, so is there only One Body<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Three Dimensions of the Divinatory Moment<\/p><\/div>\n

Is this not the same Oracle that takes different forms in ancient cultures throughout the world?\u00a0 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?\u00a0 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?\u00a0 Will we dare to return to the ancients’ worldview of everyday unity with the Living Whole?\u00a0 Can we abandon our histories of wrongs and establish a time of amnesty in which we might address our common problems?\u00a0 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?<\/p>\n

With the above in mind, I take up the coins this morning of the seasons’ pivot and throw my question into the Beyond\u2014<\/p>\n

~<\/p>\n

What Can Humanity Expect with the Approach of 2012?<\/span><\/h3>\n

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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

The first hexagram, representing the near-term events, is called Repeating Test<\/em>.\u00a0 Following is its illustration and interpretation\u2014<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Image:\u00a0 A male warrior wearing the emblem of the smoking mirror pauses in his tracks.\u00a0 The true road runs straight ahead but the warrior\u2019s footprints show that he has doubled back on himself, circling around a pool of water.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interpretation:\u00a0 This hexagram depicts someone facing a dilemma for the second time.\u00a0 The male warrior symbolizes the challenges and self-discipline that make us stronger and more adaptable than we imagined.\u00a0 The smoking mirror symbolizes the penetrating insight, introspection, and self-knowledge required if we are to achieve a vision of the true self.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Taken together, these symbols mean that you heal wounds left from a past stage of development.<\/span><\/p>\n

Action:\u00a0 The masculine half of the spirit warrior gazes into the smoking mirror of the true self without blinking.\u00a0 It is a time for exhibiting the character traits you believe you should have exhibited when facing a similar dilemma in the past:\u00a0 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.\u00a0 By turning our perception upon ourselves, we are able to sense the lessons we have learned from past mistakes.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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:\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Because you intuitively know that turning points periodically return until they are finally resolved, you are fully prepared to act when the time comes:\u00a0 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Intent:\u00a0 Now is the time to strengthen the ladder of your evolution by descending it in order to repair a lower rung.\u00a0 Actions and decisions that have haunted us must be laid to rest if we are to advance further toward our rightful destiny.\u00a0 Within the inner landscape of our soul there are hurdles we failed to clear, pitfalls we failed to avoid, on our first encounter\u2014where 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.\u00a0 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Summary:\u00a0 Don\u2019t make the same mistake again.\u00a0 Some fears are false fears, some hopes are false hopes:\u00a0 stop and consider how you are reverting to a way of thinking, feeling, and acting that did not work before.\u00a0 You are stronger and wiser now\u2014act as you wish you had acted the first time.\u00a0 Seize this opportunity to heal the past and you will create the future you long for.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Oracle appears to be saying that we\u2014humanity<\/em>\u2014are going to have to pass through a crisis with all the dynamics of one we mismanaged the first time.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 In the present case, it is the first, second, and sixth lines that change.<\/p>\n

Line Changes\u2014<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

1st:\u00a0 Many are in denial of the growing trend toward oppression\u2014all you can do is join with those of like mind and prepare for what lies ahead.\u00a0 Avoid controversial positions and don\u2019t call attention to your efforts.\u00a0 Make yourselves useful but anonymous.<\/span><\/p>\n

2nd:\u00a0 Many cannot get past the first hurdle\u2014all you can do is appreciate the cunning of those above and go along with it for now.\u00a0 There will be time to fight for principles later but the priority now must be just surviving this time.\u00a0 Do not provoke envy or resentment by flaunting your little success.<\/span><\/p>\n

6th:\u00a0 The dam breaks\u2014the last vestiges of oppression dissolve, the will of its leadership broken, and the waters of free-thinking and creativity rush forward again.\u00a0 Celebrate with those around you.\u00a0 Spend your time training the next generation, for without continuity of principles it will all happen again.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\u2014and that our first tendency in the second crisis is to revert to our previous response.<\/p>\n

The first line change points out the insidious nature of fear that is generated by shock:\u00a0 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.\u00a0 This kind of lashing out against enemies real and imagined, internal and external, can be masked as necessary for only so long\u2014eventually, there is a growing recognition that no amount of rationalization or justification changes the fact that irrational oppression is irrational oppression.<\/p>\n

The second line change points out that there are many who remain fixed in a fear and aggression specifically propagated by those in power.\u00a0 This is the most difficult time, when the fever is at it pitch.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 At the same time, this line change reminds those who manage to thrive during this time not to distance themselves from those less fortunate.<\/p>\n

And finally, in the sixth line change, we see that the fever has broken.\u00a0 The mass delusion passes like a nightmare evaporating with the dawn.\u00a0 Even those perpetuating the self-destruction lose the will to go on.\u00a0 People of good will and innovative solutions to the crisis come to the fore.\u00a0 It is a time of widespread celebration and an overwhelming sense of relief.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

~<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 Titled Sensing Creation<\/em>, its image and interpretation follows\u2014<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Image:\u00a0 A female warrior is naked, immersed in water and surrounded by flowers.\u00a0 A wellspring of water rises from between her hands.\u00a0 The water drops are drawn as beads of jade in order to portray the precious nature of that which sustains life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interpretation:\u00a0 This hexagram represents the great courage essential to creating a meaningful life.\u00a0 The female warrior symbolizes the way of nurturing and encouraging human nature that increases its sensitivity and loving-kindness.\u00a0 Being naked means that nothing stands between you and the world.\u00a0 Being immersed in water means that you plunge whole-heartedly into the spirit of that which nurtures all.\u00a0 Being surrounded by flowers means that you perceive the perfection of the world as it truly is:\u00a0 each moment blossoms perfect and whole, then passes like a fading flower\u2014each perfection born into the world must die.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Action:\u00a0 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<\/em> open and available to all.\u00a0 Where past injustices and resentments survive to poison the well of benefit<\/em>, true need<\/em> goes unmet and people suffer unnecessarily:\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Before action, the passions breeding distrust and discord appear too strong and too deeply entrenched to be overcome.\u00a0 After action, the benefit<\/em> you help cultivate results in a greater union of good will, hope, and creativity.\u00a0 You succeed where others fail because you rely on the warrior\u2019s refined sensibilities to guide you rather than past experiences.\u00a0 You succeed where others fail because you reflect generosity in every thought, word, and deed rather than demanding that others first prove their worth.\u00a0 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<\/em> that you are become.<\/span><\/p>\n

Intent:\u00a0 Whether the struggle is internal or external, work to increase your sensitivity to the realms of nature, human nature, and spirit.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 By recognizing that you are filled with the source of nurturance, you can calmly let all your adaptations arise from it.\u00a0 By giving form to the source of nurturance, you can respond to things with dignity, patience, joy, and appreciation.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Avoid taking sides, work to bring them together.\u00a0 Cultivate trust in the early stages of discord, rely on your lack of self-interest in its later stages.\u00a0 You succeed because you bring future benefit<\/em> to those separated by the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

Summary:\u00a0 The beauty and loving-kindness you seek are within your reach.\u00a0 Let go of obsolete opinions and dogma handed down to you from others.\u00a0 Find that which allows you to share happiness with others and you will achieve greater freedom and creativity.\u00a0 Focus on the healing of old wounds, promote the forgiving of old wrongs.\u00a0 Set aside personal ambition, act for the common good.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Surely one of the most beautiful and promising of times, Sensing Creation<\/em> is the opening up of forgiveness and reconciliation.\u00a0 It is a time of universal trust and mutual goodwill.\u00a0 Past differences dissolve in an atmosphere of shared hope and a collective vision of a greater future for all.<\/p>\n

With this, the Oracle appears to reiterate its prognosis for the era beginning with the changes surrounding the 2012 landmark:\u00a0 following a period in which the self-destructive forces in humanity start to reassert their authority, a new wave of humaneness<\/em> emerges to guide us into the Golden Age of Humanity.<\/p>\n

The Oracle sees, in sum, a tempestuous storm before the long calm.<\/p>\n

What shall we build together?<\/em><\/p>\n

~<\/p>\n

The Toltec I Ching<\/em>, by Martha Ramirez-Oropeza and William Douglas Horden has just received a Silver Award in the 2010 Nautilus Awards<\/a>.\u00a0 It recasts the I Ching in the symbology of the Native Americans of ancient Mexico and includes original illustrations interpreting each of the hexagrams.\u00a0 Its subtitle, 64 Keys to Inspired Action in the New World<\/em> hints at its focus on the ethics of the emerging world culture.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to go to the main site to see sample chapters, reviews and the link to Larson Publications<\/a> for ordering the book.<\/p>\n

~<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Autumnal Equinox arrives, accompanied by fog and mist and rain and clouds of every shade of gray.\u00a0 The world’s qi shifts from boundless movement toward boundless stillness.\u00a0 We leave behind the excessive yang of summer and move into the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,3],"tags":[335,205,20,7,48,22,19,206,12,36,23,6,45,203,13,204,8,207,33,5,50],"class_list":["post-408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-11","category-the-toltec-i-ching","tag-335","tag-authoritarianism","tag-benefit","tag-divination","tag-end-of-the-world","tag-ethical-strategy","tag-ethics","tag-freedom","tag-global-community","tag-golden-age-of-humanity","tag-hexagram","tag-i-ching","tag-mayan-calendar","tag-new-dynasty","tag-new-world","tag-oppression","tag-oracle","tag-peace-and-prospering-for-all","tag-social-transformation","tag-toltec","tag-world-view"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thetolteciching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thetolteciching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thetolteciching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thetolteciching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thetolteciching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"http:\/\/www.thetolteciching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1290,"href":"http:\/\/www.thetolteciching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408\/revisions\/1290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thetolteciching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thetolteciching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thetolteciching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}