Good God ...
BEAUTY (Hexagram 22) ...
... moving through line 3 ...
... into SYNERGY (Hex. 30) ...
What's blowing my mind (O Synchronicity) is something I (supposedly) misread in my 28-year-old, falling-apart copy of The I Ching Workbook. There are notes on every question I've ever asked the oracle scrawled all over every available space (and they're just about gone, as are several pages). It's dog-eared and whittled; sweated and cried over; it's falling apart. I love it. It's my wabi-sabi book.
I misread two things.
First, I scanned my notes:
Grace is a time of all-pervasive neural serenity, I read ...
... and read it again:
Grace is a time of all-pervasive neutral serenity ...
***************
Neural serenity ...
O, Synchronicity. How You make me see.
Neural serenity.
I'm coming out of the closet here:
Soon, I will be going into retreat for about two months ... in a hospital. I have chosen to enter a place where God willing (and I sense that God is), I will heal as thoroughly as I can from a lifetime's worth of acedia and traumatic shock.
Yes, I'm going into a "loony bin".
I am going into retreat ... like a loon diving into the center of a northern lake ...
... and neural serenity will be one of my primary intentions while I am there.
... So there I am, google-eyed over the oracle's response to my query, and my eyes dart right to the changing line ... changing line #3:
You are in a moment of pure grace ...
*pop* goes my heart ...
I begin to interpret line 3 as I read ...
"... a moment of pure grace ... Persevere in the Principles ... Beware indolence ..."
... and then I glance at changing line #4. I notice that it, not line 3, changes to Hexagram 30. Oops!
Line 4 begins,
You have a choice of two paths ...
Oh Lord. Here I am at that fork in the woods ...
... in a moment of perfect grace.
(O Synchronicity)
***************
As I read, I come to think that humanity as a whole is at the fork in the woods that Robert Frost and Dante wrote of ...
You have a choice of two paths ...
May we all choose a right path in 2009 ...
(Photo of loon: Walter B. Fechner, http://www.blueloonphoto.com/index2.asp ... Visionary image by Alex Grey, http://www.alexgrey.com/ ... "Aspen Grove" by Steve Bingham ... http://www.dustylens.com/)
Comments
Especially when synchronicity kicks in.
Wow, you're amazing, you know? How brave and wonderful of you to tell us here of your upcoming plans. Willingly taking on hospitalisation, showing your strength, your foresight.
That is beautiful - the taking care of yourself.
I'm not sure there's ever anything but a choice of paths. I don't know if 'right' or 'wrong' are their correct labels. Sometimes it feels that way, others... just that there are options.
Wishing you much neural serenity in the coming months, and for the rest of the year as well!
Wishing you neural serenity too!
so many thoughts go through my mind, feelings through my senses, memories of my own healing journey, hopes for you, and finally faith that your inner knowing is leading you to where you need to be. There was a time, a number of years ago, when I removed myself from the "real world" for a month of mental and physical health retreat, in part for ptsd healing, and much was gained from that time away - fully for me. I will hold you in a sacred place and trust you, too, will find empowerment and healing during your time away. may wellness and peace be with you in the new year,
Karin
(I tried to post onto your blog last night and couldn't ... Don't know what the glitch was ... I wanted to comment on your gorgeous "stillness vs. movement" piece ... Will try again today)