Mind and Speech

Mind and Speech

The whole manifested world goes to show us what use we have made of God’s gift. Receiving a gift does not mean that we are going to use it wisely, but we have the gift. Everyone has the gift; and the world simply reflects the use of that gift.

So you and I have been given a gift. To what use have we put it? In a book written in the First Century, written at the time of our Gospel, — it’s called the Hermetica, and this is a translation by Walter Scott.

It is a wonderful series of four volumes; and in this he says: “There are two gifts that God has given to man alone, and to no other mortal creature, and these two gifts are Mind and Speech. And the gifts of Mind and Speech are essential and identical with Immortality. If they are used rightly, man will not differ in any respect from the immortals; and when he quits the body, these two will be his guides and they will lead him into the troop of the gods and. to the souls that have attained to bliss.”

Now he is not speaking of any outer speech, for you and I have had this experience, — I know I have many times. You have gone to a party, and many people you do not know, you meet them and the usual greetings: “Nice to know you,” “What a joy to know you,” “Pleased to meet you,” and the usual clichés; and then you have drinks and your little hors d’oeuvre, and then the party breaks up and they all separate. And you hear someone say, “What a creep,” “What a bore”; yet they were so pleased to meet them: “What a joy to know you.” The outer words did not conform whatsoever with what they were really thinking on the inside. And God sees, not the outer man; He sees the inner Man.

It’s the inner speech that is frozen in the world round about us. This whole vast world is but “frozen” inner speech. What are we saying on the inside?

If one could only control these inner conversations morning, noon and night, and carry them right into the dream world, he would know what world he is creating. Stop for one moment and ask yourself, what am I thinking now? You are carrying on a little tiny inner speech at every moment of time. You may be in the presence of someone that the world thinks important, but you don’t, and inwardly you are saying, “But only God hears it.” That’s what you are actually saying. Outwardly you are pleased to meet him, and you are flattered with the contact; but inwardly, what are you saying?

This is what I ask everyone to observe. Observe what you are actually doing on the inside, for that is what God sees; and what you are doing on the inside, you are doing in little tiny speech movements, and they are crystallizing in the manifested world round about you. We all would be everything we want to be in this world. But we find it more difficult to do it than to know what to do. So I could tell you from now until the ends of time, but only practice will do it — just practice.

So you read something, and actually inwardly you are repeating the words. Well now, the whole thing is in your imagination. That is all it was in him, only his imagination. That was God’s gift.  It is translated in the Hermetica as “Mind.” “And God has given to man, and to man alone, two gifts, and to no other mortal creature. The gifts are Mind and Speech; and these are like the gifts of Immortality, and by these gifts he does not differ in any respect from the Immortals. If he uses them wisely,” — the whole world is his. Are we not told that: “The world was created by the Word of God;” and “things that are seen were made out of things that are not seen?”

So here, out of the nowhere, we create by inner speech through the use of what? Call it “mind” if you will. I like the word “imagination.” To me, it inflames me. When I imagine a state — any state, if I can only persuade myself of the reality of the state imagined, that’s the important thing; to believe in the reality of the state imagined. But to know what to do is not the same as doing it

Let me now make it quite clear: You have the gift. You can speak. Even if you were dumb, you can still speak — inwardly you speak, and you form these little speech movements within yourself. Make them conform to your wish fulfilled.

Whether you be a Frenchman or an American or any other nationality, you have speech and you have a mind. Instead of accepting what you have already done with that gift, you simply ignore it. You brought it into being. All this is solidified speech — the whole vast manifested world.

I would say to them, “Do you not know what you are doing to yourself?” “Yes, but just give me one little moment because I am so enjoying the feeling of getting even with them.” You “get even” with no one. There is no one else in the world. As you are told: “I am the Lord, and beside Me there is no god.” Read it in the 45th chapter of the Book of Isaiah, “I am the Lord, and beside Me there is no god.” “Now you want the Word?” He said, “The Word is very near unto you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, that you can do it. See, I set before you this day life and good, blessings and curses, death and evil. Choose life, that you and your descendants may live.”

The whole thing is before you. You can choose death if you want it, because the Word is on your tongue, it is in your mouth, it is in your heart. And you can do it now. You don’t have to ask who will go up to Heaven and bring it down for me, or go into the depths and bring it up for me. It is now nearer than you know; in your mouth and in your heart, that you can do it now. Well what would you do now? What sentence would imply that you are now what you would like to be?

You know what to do. And I say, it’s not knowing what to do; it is the doing it. Someone got the most marvelous revelation. I was there the morning that it happened. “Stop spending your thoughts, your time and your money. Everything in life must be an investment,” And I so loved it, I incorporated that thought in the chapter, “The Coin of Heaven,” in my book, “Awakened Imagination.” She would be the first to confess, although it came through her, and it was her revelation from God to her, — shared with me, and I shared it through the written form with those who read it in the book, — but she is the first to confess she never applied it.

So I ask you to really apply it. Don’t think for one second that knowing what to do is going to do anything for you. It’s the doing it that matters. So, if every moment of time you know what to do, then do it. If you find yourself carrying on any negative conversation, break it, even though it gives you pleasure, as it does many people; they find such fun in being critical. They think they are alone and no one sees them; so it doesn’t matter. No one sees you? The only One that matters sees you every moment of time, and that’s your Father. He sees into the very depths of your Being, and He knows exactly what you are doing. And your world is built out of these inner conversations.

So, today if you are not satisfied with the world in which you live, blame no one, but turn within to these two gifts and use them wisely, for here we are told to order our life according to our conversations. Then in Ephesians we are told, — it’s the 4th chapter: “Put off the old nature which belongs to the former conversations, and put on the new nature.” The new nature is sometimes translated “the new man,” and the “old nature” the “old man.” Well, if I equate the “old nature” with the “former conversations,” I must equate the “new man” with the new conversation. He identifies the inner speech with man’s nature. So now, what am I actually doing on the inside of myself? And I am doing it morning, noon and night; I can’t stop it. If I stop for one moment, it isn’t. You can’t stop it. You take it into your dreams, and you are still talking. You are really talking at all moments of time.

So what are you saying at every moment of time? Watch it; be careful what you are saying, because your whole vast world is this inner conversation “pushed out.” And you can change it only by changing the conversation, because the conversation is equated with your nature.

So if you walk the street or you ride the bus, or you sit alone, you are still talking; at every moment of time you are talking. And all you need to do to find out what you have been saying is to look at your world. Your world reflects this inner speech. I have seen it every moment of time.  I am not going to tell you I have not faltered. I would not for one moment tell you that I am always in control of the inner conversations.

So I tell you, you watch carefully what you are saying morning, noon and night. When you go to bed at night, just watch your inner conversations, and see that the sun is not descending upon your anger. Resolve it at that very moment, and make it conform to your wish fulfilled, and make that “wish fulfilled” a. thing of love. What would it be like if it were true? Just what would it be like? Then carry on a conversation from the premise of the wish fulfilled, all clothed in love, for anyone that you think of; and watch how things happen in your world. Your night, — may I tell you — if that is your last thought, it will dominate the dream of the night, You are completely dominated, and your Father is speaking to you constantly through the medium of dreams and through the medium of vision, and you will see the whole thing unfolding within you; and you will know that you are the Lord Jesus Christ.

You don’t go out and scream it from the housetops. You know it, and you walk in the comfort of being the Awakened Man, who is God. Let everyone say exactly what he wants to say about you, and pay no attention to it, because they have to do it. When you come down to the end, they have to do it. The separation must take place. And you don’t justify it. Self-justification is the voice of hell. So you don’t justify anything, and you don’t try to always be right. Another almost incurable disease of man is the necessity of always being right. So you don’t make any effort to prove that you are right. You know what you have experienced, and you can’t deny the experience; so you go your way, telling it just as it comes to you. And it comes to you in the most glorious manner. It’s all in Scripture; so when you come to the end, you aren’t disappointed and you aren’t surprised that those that you sent off alive and free will now take up arms against you and call you insane, call you a devil, and would disrupt their family life. You know exactly what you’ve done. You have only told the truth. And when the Truth comes into the world, it comes not to bring peace but a sword. He is going to separate you from that traditional background that enslaved you in the past, because real progress in this world, — religious progress, — is a gradual transition from a god of tradition to a God of experience. You experience God: and the whole thing reflects it.

“Put off the former conversation, and then be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” If you put it off — it’s equated with the “old man.” Now, as I put it off, I have to replace it with something — a “new conversation”; so you are told in the Book of Joel: “Let the weak say, I am strong.” You read that in the 3rd chapter, the 10th verse. “Let the weak say, I am strong,” for there is no other God. “I am the Lord, and beside Me there is no god.” So, “I set before you,” — and you make the choice. You can choose life or you can choose death. You can choose the good or choose the evil, a blessing or a curse. It’s entirely up to man to choose anything. And look into this manifested world, and you’ll see what we have chosen.

But every morning you see headlines — nothing but disaster, you see what man has chosen. He seems either to want it or he is “fed” it, — one or the other. Look at the editorials. “We need that in order to sell papers,” Or else, we ourselves are demanding it from Him, but you “feed” upon it. Morning, noon and night we feast upon all this unloveliness and carry on these little internal mental conversations with ourselves; but they don’t remain there. They balloon and objectify themselves and become solidified as our manifested world.

So this whole manifested world goes to show us what use or misuse we have made of God’s gift. And God’s gift is your Mind and your Speech; and it’s not your outer speech, for we know how deceptive that is. You see it morning, noon and night. A salesman goes in, and he is trained to deceive the buyer. The advertiser is trained to deceive the buyer. And everything is on the outside. God sees only the inside. Man sees the outer appearance and God sees the Inner Man. So when you watch your inner conversation, you are actually watching the new nature. That is your nature. And if you don’t like it, change it. You “put off the old man,” and then “put on the new man”; and “He will show you the salvation of Gad.” Then the whole thing will unfold within you.

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From an edited lecture by Neville Goddard

How to use the i ching – an introduction

How to use the i ching – an introduction

summary

The I Ching, pronounced “ee cheeng“, sometimes written as Yi Jing and also known as The Book of Changes, is an extraordinary classic text. This post provides and introductory guide to help you understand and use the I Ching to benefit your life.

essential teaching notes

I Ching basics

The I Ching is not commonly recognised or discussed in the West, yet surprisingly many people have an old copy tucked away somewhere on their bookshelf or have encountered its Chinese Taoist wisdom during their experimental student days, perhaps without progressing the experience further.

When I hold workshops on the I Ching I’m always amazed at the sheer variety of I Ching books my students have amassed, often without ever fully understanding or accessing its wisdom.

The I Ching is one of the oldest and most spiritual books in the world and, coupled with the Tao Te Ching, it makes up the fundamental sacred teachings that command a special place in all Taoist’s hearts. For many Chinese thinkers and philosophers the I Ching is as important as the Bible is to Western society and philosophy, although it’s read and consulted in a totally different way.

The I Ching is essentially a means of obtaining spiritual guidance, inspirational insight and Universal wisdom. It can help with personal development or provide encouragement in finding authentic understanding and solutions to the questions or decisions that are of importance to you at any given time or situation.

The book acts not only as a spiritual compass but also offers a wealth of beautiful poetry and Chinese philosophy that stretches back 5000 years into the origins of ancient Chinese customs and values. Its wisdom has the potential to stimulate your sensitivity, creativity and resourcefulness, even whilst experiencing the most challenging and demanding emotional periods of your life, often when those vital personal qualities are not so readily accessed.

In this regard the I Ching can also be helpful as a meditation support, providing comfort and guidance. The text and subsequent visualisations that flow from its words have the power to stimulate a deep-seated personal authentic vibration.

These mystical aspects are both challenging to explain and unique to each reader, but nevertheless the spiritual inspiration and experiences that result are as valid today as when our Eastern ancestors began consulting these ancient texts.

Appreciating Oneness

Paradoxically there’s no need to study or even understand Taoist philosophy to appreciate or benefit from the teachings of the I Ching. All that’s necessary is the sincerity and aptitude to explore the concept of aligning with natural and Universal laws and the energetic polarities of Yin and Yang.

To many Westerners polarity may mean opposites, as in ‘negative’ and ‘positive’. To understand and embrace the I Ching it’s necessary to abandon these rather fixed ideas and perceptions and instead appreciate that the seemingly opposing energies of Yin and Yang are in fact complementary.

They are part of the whole or Oneness almost like a ‘cosmic web’ to be explored. Indeed, great insight and awareness can be gained by simply re-focusing your perception on the entirety rather than a single isolated part of the energy being contemplated or encountered (this principle relates to a profound Taoist teaching that was passed onto me when I was ordained and I have written several other articles on this particular subject).

In the same way that night follows day, gradually and without division, or the seasons evolve into one other, it may be interesting for you to consider that nothing is fixed or ever unchanging; nothing is split into past, present or future; everything is interlinked and constantly moving and changing, always in a state of flux and transition.

Quantum physics and cosmological research are now driving forward Western theories of ‘interconnection’ and ‘co-existence’ at an exciting pace. I’m heartened to read that ‘unscientific’ Taoist hypotheses on such matters, which were dismissed only a few years ago, are now receiving approval from earlier doubters!

These concepts also relate to what Jung called ‘synchronicity‘ – a way of looking at things which connect one to another in unexpected ways. For example, you might be thinking of someone and then, apparently out of the blue, they arrive on your doorstep or they call you on the telephone. Or you may be worrying about a problem or situation and, seemingly by chance, you find an answer in a newspaper or magazine article you’re reading, or it seems to appear from nowhere.

The truth is likely that the ‘answer’ has always been within you, sometimes overlooked, blocked or stagnated, but it is there nevertheless, waiting to be accessed!

Finding your flow

Another important principle examined within the I Ching is how to maintain this energetic vibration of inter-connectedness by encouraging the smooth harmonious flow of Qi within yourself, your life and the world around you. There is no name or word in the West that directly translates the word ‘Qi’. The label that is often used is ‘energy’ and although this is a useful description I think the terms ‘life-force / universal-force’ or ‘love’ are perhaps more holistic and apt in widening your understanding of this profound concept.

As with all types of energy, Qi comprises of Yang energy (active, masculine and powerful) and Yin energy (passive, feminine and gentle) to make it whole. The balance between the two is ever changing and transforming and this is signified by the wavy, not straight, centre line (or Wu Wei line) in the familiar Yin-Yang symbol (also known as Tai Chi or The Great Ultimate).

The concepts of Yin-Yang and energetic balance and flow have a deep and meaningful relationship in your life and that of the Universe as a whole. Taoist thinking holds that everything in the Universe is generated from the Yin-Yang polarity and the flow between the two. And so it is that the philosophy of the I Ching welcomes change, movement, transformation, momentum and regeneration.

The Chinese word ‘I‘ normally translates as ‘change‘ and the book is all about change: exploring and defining the changes that you’re presented with, which may be beyond your current understanding, as well as revealing possibilities for future change, action, or indeed inaction (the latter relating to the Taoist teaching of ‘Wu Wei’).

Letting go and embracing choice

Through the process of consulting the I Ching the numerous ideas that the book presents become a positive focus of your creative attention. In turn your thoughts and energy shift away from dwelling excessively on the stimuli, issue or situation being confronted and the emotional feelings you may be experiencing. This then allows you to begin to address the matter at hand in a more balanced, authentic and resourceful way.

The change outlined in the text could be perceived as negative, positive or any possible scenario in between the two. This is the wonder and joy of the I Ching and a point which many people misunderstand. The I Ching doesn’t predict future circumstances or events and it contains no hard and fast rules or commandments.

It simply highlights all choices, paths of action and possibilities open to you. It allows for your personal interpretation and meditation on the text and inspires you to look within yourself to find your authentic truth. Your subsequent decisions and actions will be determined only by your personal viewpoint and choice.

I like to think of it as consulting my own very old, wise, inscrutable 5,000 year old Chinese sage. You may prefer to think of it connecting to your ‘inner guide’, ‘inner compass’, ‘intuition’, ‘gut feeling’, ‘guardian angel’, ‘spirit guide’, ‘Buddha’, ‘God’, or whatever concept feels most appropriate to you.

To use the I Ching to its fullest you should approach the text with an open mind and without expectation. Allow it to stimulate and broaden your perspective on the situation or change you are encountering. Embrace and respond to it in a way that moves you onto your path of true self-worth. Seek to align with and incorporate the change rather that opposing or blocking it, thus ‘going with the flow’, holding your balanced ‘Wu Wei’, no matter how challenging or fearful it may emotionally feel at the time.

When you go with the flow in this way you become more creative and authentic, you begin to let go of past and outdated modes of conditioning and thinking that no longer serve you and your authentic potential.

And so it follows that if you alter your perception of the present your future must change.

Remember: the ancestor of your current situation is a thought, and the same principle applies to your future.

The I Ching offers a source of self-enlightenment, appreciation of your self-worth, and can empower you to reach your true harmonious potential. When you go with the flow, rather than clinging to the energy of an outdated situation, relationship or mindset, nothing remains fixed or rigid. You become open to all opportunities, which then flood into your life almost as if you’ve turned on a tap of Universal energy and love.

If this all sounds a little familiar, it is – this ancient Taoist concept is exactly what advocates of the ‘Law of Attraction’ are talking about right now!

Consulting the I Ching

The I Ching is made up of 64 chapters, each relating to a corresponding ‘hexagram’ which presents a particular message. Full details of the method of consultation are given in most I Ching books and I so will provide only a brief resume here.

The first step in consulting the I Ching is to formulate a question and create a hexagram, typically though the process of throwing coins.

There are several other ways to consult the I Ching – one traditional method uses grains of rice, another uses yarrow sticks (allegedly because Yarrow grows on the grave of Confucius) but the main method used in the West is throwing coins, usually Chinese, although any coins will do the job.

Before you cast the coins write down and meditate on the question relating to the stimuli, issue or situation you are facing. Being mindful to formulate the question ‘correctly’ can be an invaluable part of the meditative and enlightenment process. Then ‘throwing’ the I Ching is very simple: with your question in mind, shake the three coins in a cupped hand and throw them down when you feel the time is right – there is no time limit protocol.

Creating a Hexagram

In throwing the coins the intention is to create a hexagram. Each hexagram is built up from a series of six lines, either broken or unbroken, which are considered to be a reflection of the energetic qualities of the situation at hand.

A straight line ‘_______’ represents Yang energy or young Yang, and a broken line ‘____ ____’ represents Yin energy or young Yin. There is also another energetic quality which reflects the fact that the Yin or Yang energy of any situation is dynamic and thus may be at the point of transformation, either from Yin to Yang or vice versa. These lines are called ‘moving’ or ‘changing’ lines and a can be Yin moving/changing (old Yin) or Yang moving/changing (old Yang).

It is the unique combination of the four energetic qualities and possibilities over the six lines of the hexagram that represent the energy of the whole of the situation you are consulting on.

If you use the coin method, every time you throw your three coins the outcome can be translated into an energetic line. By throwing the coins six times you then create the six lines that become the whole hexagram.

Once you have formulated your question you should select three coins which have an identifiable ‘head’ and ‘tail’ or two easily distinguishable sides that you can assign the following numerical values to: heads = 3 and tails = 2.

By throwing the three coins their combined total value will fall between 6 and 9. For example, two heads and one tail would total 8, two tails and a head would total 7, three tails would total 6, etc.

These values can then be translated their energetic lines:

3 tails thrown = value of 6, represented as a Yin broken line which becomes a moving/changing line (old Yin), because the coins are identical:

2 tails and 1 head thrown = value of 7, represented as a Yang straight line (young Yang):

2 heads and 1 tail thrown = value of 8, represented as a Yin broken line (young Yin):

3 heads thrown = value of 9, represented as a Yang straight line, which becomes a moving/changing line (old Yang) because the coins are identical:

Note that moving/changing lines within the hexagram are often represented with an ‘x’ or ‘o’ in the middle of the line to indicate that the lines are changing from Yin to Yang, or Yang to Yin, respectively.

The value and energetic line type of the first throw corresponds to the first or bottom line of the hexagram, the value and energetic line type of the second throw corresponds to the second from bottom line, etc. Repeating this throwing action six times then builds the hexagram from the bottom up.

The bottom three lines of the hexagram are referred to as the lower trigram and the top three lines are referred to as the upper trigram, together they make up the whole hexagram.

An example would be:

Once you have the trigrams written down you can consult the grid table which is printed in the back of all I Ching books to identify the name and number of the hexagram you will be consulting – this is your primary hexagram. Both the hexagram and the position of the two trigrams have very important meanings, which become evident as your reading progresses.

In the example shown above the particular upper and lower trigrams shown are called ‘Sun’ and ‘Li’ respectively. Together they make up hexagram 37, called ‘Chia Jen’, translated as ‘The Family’.

Shifting energy and the importance of changing lines

Each hexagram chapter is divided into two sections. The main opening text gives a broad overview of the message and should always be read. There’s also a series of six supplementary passages, each relating to one of the six lines of the hexagram.

If you throw values of 6 or 9 and therefore have moving/changing lines within your hexagram you should also read the additional line passages that these correspond to for further guidance or insight.

With the hexagram example above, the second and fifth lines are moving/changing and so the line passages two and five should also be read alongside the main opening text.

Where moving/changing lines are present within your hexagram this can mean that the situation or question presented is in an extreme state of flux, unbalanced or due for immediate change and attention. In addition to reading the supplementary line passages within your primary hexagram chapter, the moving/changing lines can also be ‘allowed to change’: every old Yin (6) becomes a young Yang (7), and every old Yang (9) becomes a young Yin (8), and so a second extension (or relating) hexagram is created.

Your two hexagrams can then be read together (the main body text and relevant line passages of the primary hexagram and the main body text of the extension hexagram) to disclose the full meaning of the guidance being offered.

Using the example above, the following second extension hexagram would be created by allowing the moving/changing lines to transform:

make up hexagram 26, called ‘Ta Ch’u, translated as ‘The Taming Power of The Great’.

This whole process can seem a little mechanical and cumbersome at first but don’t let it prevent your authentic consultation. The methodical and mindful nature of the practice is actually very important as it slows down your highly stimulated human-centred mind allowing you to access your more meditative, creative Tao mind, enabling a true reflection of the current situation or issue to manifest.

 

Conclusion

In this article I’ve covered the basics of my philosophical interpretation and practice of consulting the I Ching. I intend to expand upon both these aspects in much greater detail in future posts, but for now I hope this introduction has whetted your appetite sufficiently that you seek out and dust off that old copy of the I Ching that may have been sitting neglected on your bookshelf or that of a nearby bookstore!

For me the I Ching represents an entire ancient philosophy and so should be treated with respect.

It symbolises the cyclical interconnections of the Universe and is a guide to a personal path of balance and harmony (Wu Wei) that follows natural laws which Western scientific endeavour are slowly awakening to.

Most importantly the I Ching does not give you the ‘answers’, rather it empowers you and encourages you to look within. Paradoxically, it appears mystical simply by emphasising your own phenomenal nature!

Remember: authentic inspiration originates from being at one with yourself, nature and the Universe.

You came from Source, you return to Source, therefore YOU ARE SOURCE.

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Source

https://wuweiwisdom.com/how-to-use-the-i-ching/