Hexagram 42 – Wind over Thunder – 4/11-4/15

Yi – Increase

Expectation – Detachment – Celebration .:. Codon Ring of Living and Dying

A time of ease and growth is upon us. The energy of heaven descends into our lives and fills our endeavors with positive charge. Wind and Thunder are energies that Increase each other. So too does this time Increase every action we take. In life, humans seem to relax and let go boundaries when times are good. It is important to not waste the supportive energies of this time. Instead we are called to double down on the proper thoughts, intentions and actions that led to this success in the first place. Every action taken with proper awareness multiplies exponentially in auspicious times.

What is counseled is to focus on acts of giving, service and open-heartedness. Forgive the improper behavior in others and instead be courteous and patient. This will activate their higher potential and call it forth naturally. Model the positive behavior you see in others and seek to curtail the selfish or shortsighted behavior in your self. If these things are taken to heart, progress will Increase. Look to build the foundation of awareness with all the positive traits during this blessed time.

The geometry created by this hexagram forms the image of an empty bowl, ready to be filled. The lower trigram of Thunder acts as the bowl, and the upper trigram of Wind is the emptiness. A bowl’s usefulness is found in its emptiness, as we must remain open and empty in order to be filled by the beneficial energy of this time.

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When the mind projects itself into the future, Expectations are formed. There is a propensity of the mind to delay bliss, contentment and peace until the long mental to-do list is all checked off. Excuses are made for delaying our joy, as we hold out for the hope of perfection. But in this shadow, Expectations lead to the inevitability of disappointment. As the mind desperately clings to its desires, this shadow crushes our hopes into disappointment over and over again. There is a deep mental fear in this shadow that stems from our fear of death, but running from our fear of death causes us to never be able to fully live life. Only by surrendering our attachments can we allow our hopes for the future to come into the present. Expectation creates a repressive and reactive expression – Grasping and Flaky. Grasping for something solid to stabilize through life leads to fear of change and endings. There is an inability to let go. Flaky never finishes anything or follows through to completion. In order to avoid the dilemma of disappointment, they never commit to anything.

In the heart of this shadow lies the root of the treasured Gift of Detachment. This is part of the Buddha wisdom path of Non-Attachment. Here the mind is able to cease grasping and to commit to experiencing the drama of life without attaching to the drama. There is a soft space around beings of this Gift that allows them to sink their teeth into the experience of being in the world without attaching to their Expectations of the outcome. This allows for presence to really come online, to engage in all the beautiful and painful twists and turns that arise in life. The journey of life is often like a river path, meandering through many climates and characteristics. From wide, calm waters to babbling brooks and rushing rapids, the same river takes many forms from spring to ocean. We also mature in a journey from embryo to baby to adult to death. The more we can surrender to the now, the more we are able to face the inevitable obstacles of life as an opportunity of growth without getting hooked into the drama at every turn. The trick is to become a witness to your life, unattached, and to cherish the ten thousand moments along the path instead of feeling disappointment that we are not at the conclusion of the journey.

This leads to the siddhi of Celebration, where each moment in the drama of life is embraced as the unfolding of the mystery and magic of life. We are incarnate in the grand drama and the purpose is to learn, evolve and enjoy. But all roads lead to death. So embrace that all our cells are dying, all beings will eventually die, so let’s start living! Most people celebrate the beginning and end of things, but this siddhi is about celebrating every moment of the journey. If we like flowers, we pluck them to smell and have them in our home. If we love them, we leave them growing. Slow down and see the perfection in the unfolding of life.

With Expectation, lines are cast out into the world in an attempt to catch and control life and the world. Detachment exists when we let these lines slack & eventually release them altogether. Celebration is the light of presence radiating from deep in the belly as we sit on our open lotus of delight.

Keys of the iChing .:. Jesse Chesnutt