“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, It is the illusion of knowledge.” Stephen Fry

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. -Lao Tzu,

The good news of late is that integrity is trending !!!   Is it just me? I don’t know but like with other natural resources water,  or 🐝 bees, etc, integrity has been taken for granted.   And now it seems to be undergoing a thorough investigation as one of our nations most sought after commodities.  Yay…. investing in ‘integrity futures’.  🙂

“Look at yourself, shift your gaze from everything around you and direct it to your interior. This is the first request that philosophy makes to his apprentice. You are not going to talk about anything outside of you, but only of yourself “.  Johann Fichte

At the Oracle of Delphi (from what I have read) displays a single inscription:  Know Thyself……    

It isn’t the predictions of an oracle that make it possible or real.  A true oracle is a mirror for revealing one’s inner truth in the context of a problem.  A friend made the point recently, that what is so unique about the I Ching  is the uncanny and straight-up honest feedback it will give you –  if you are open to it.  What reflection really comes down to is self-honesty.

In approaching a conversation with the Sage  I’m saying to myself:  listen up. Respect yourself.  it’s the Sage, okay?   (And I don’t mean sacredly or submissively – just more carefully, slowly, less cross-examining… and so on.) You get my point.  Because each conversation with the Sage can be an opportunity to learn something radically new about myself and the world.

Daily life and all of it’s events are also part oracle.  The ability to see past what the ego would contrive in me takes practice.  To consult my senses for clarity builds trust and strength.  I am often sorting through this in dreams, where what I thought was friendly or valuable is actually NOT.  Instead, those are some dangerous, not nice elements when it comes to my integrity.  This would include all self-images, and compensations.   The ego flatters itself.  Getting my wires crossed is the end result, where I’m lured into feeling weak, sentimental, impressive, superior, awestruck, sorryfor myself, etc. It all depends, but one of the most important things we can do is lean back on our integrity and ask for its help.

Avoid self-reflection for too long and integrity will come knocking.  By then it can be an increasingly painful and humiliating lesson in proportion. What is being  true to oneself  is THE question… reflection anchors us within the ‘standard that needs to be followed‘, (see Hexagram 17).  I can be honest with others to the extent they are open to hearing it, and the same goes with me. I needn’t be perfect in advance (another ‘frenemy’).  A learning process is investing and in a totally encouraging and  true source of nourishment.

….thanks for reading 🙂

p.s. we will be further exploring our ‘cosmic portfolios’ in class this weekend.

i ching inner journey workshop            this Sunday. May 28             9:30 – 11:30 a.m.       $15          

@ floor polish