Welcome to this reading from the I Ching and today we are receiving the message about the reciprocity of love.
Ixigram 31 is sometimes entitled mutual attraction or courtship,
It not only refers to romantic love,
But it is the balance of love that is found and experienced throughout all of life.
Let's prepare ourselves to receive this transmission.
Taking a few slow breaths in and out to cleanse,
To ground,
To settle and to arrive into the now.
And let's prepare our heart space,
You might like to place your hands over your heart.
Just breathe gently into the center of your heart,
Intentionally softening,
Opening,
Connecting.
And let's set the intention now to trust.
I trust that the information I'm about to receive from the I Ching and from my higher self,
My all intuitive knowing awareness,
I trust that this is all aligned for my highest good.
And for the greater good of all.
And as we breathe into that intention,
Pause and then exhale,
Releasing it into the ether,
Bringing your awareness into your whole body,
Then also around the body.
Feeling yourself grounding down,
Connecting with the earth and connecting as you reach up physically or intentionally.
Connecting with the heavens.
And in the I Ching,
We have these complimentary opposite elements that work together,
These matching pairs,
Like heaven and earth,
Like water and fire,
And also like the lake and the mountain.
And these two elements we find in this hexagram 31.
And in this positioning,
The lake is above the mountain.
So imagine a lake on top of a mountain.
The lake will then conform to the mountain.
It will receive the rain and the clouds above the mountain.
And so there is this reciprocal relationship and this selfless mutual influence that takes place,
Signifying harmonious relations,
A relationship where there is mutual benefit.
And this occurs when both elements,
Both individuals are selfless.
Take a moment now to consider this in your own life.
Where have they been or where are they right now,
Relationships that are flowing in this reciprocity,
Where there is this easy and natural give and take.
And then also notice those relationships that are not so easy,
Connections where there may be coldness or emptiness,
Where there may be pride or arrogance or judgments.
And notice what that feels like to you.
Bring that into mind now.
What happens in the body,
In the muscles,
The nervous system?
What happens in the thoughts?
Consider for yourself where you could be less forceful in a relationship.
It could be forceful outwardly.
It could also be forceful inwardly towards yourself,
Perhaps forcing a suppression,
Forcing a certain response.
And without judgment or even setting any intention to change something,
Just allow yourself to be completely open in your awareness.
Because this allows a deepening of this awareness to build.
And this building happens with trust.
So trust that only that which you are ready to see and know will be raised from the subconscious into the conscious.
Another strong theme between the lake on top of the mountain talks to influences.
How do we influence each other?
How are you influenced by another?
And if you can,
Bring a particular relationship to mind.
And from the place of observer,
Just notice whatever level of influence this relationship has on you.
And now consider your type of influence from your perspective on and into the same relationship.
What does that feel like for you?
And what is your underlying intention through these influences?
Also consider,
Is there an influence that you could bring through that is enhanced in its sensitivity?
And now as you broaden your view across all your relationships that you are currently experiencing,
Take note of where you could bring in the influence of kindness,
Caring and compassion.
And if it is already there,
Can you bring it in even more so?
Or can you bring it in a way that is more harmonious with a situation?
And finally,
Where could you be more open to the kind influences of others?
Words from the I Ching say,
The wise man knows that he still has everything to learn and is always open to new ideas and fresh perspectives.
Remember that you still have much to learn from others,
So humbly strive to emulate the example of the wise man.
Considering this,
Along with the other points of focus,
Along with the lake above the mountain,
What is your takeaway message that you are receiving from this teaching?
And is there an action that your heart is guiding you towards?
And if nothing is coming through,
Trust that it will in the right way at the right time.
If you would like to journey through other hexagrams of the I Ching and the Tao Wisdom,
I have an I Ching playlist for you,
Which you can find at the bottom of my profile page.
As we gently bring our time together to a close,
I wish for you a balance in your relationships,
Including the relationship you have with yourself.
