Hello

I find it interesting that often just before someone makes it big they have deep loss or just after they do they have problems in another part of their life.  I see this often in the entertainment world probably because the media covers these individual’s lives so closely.

The I Ching describes an ebb and flow in the cycle of life.  That deepest yin becomes yang and visa versa.  Balance is the goal, so ever-growing height or depth is not feasible.  There is a hexagram that seems to allow for expansion without loss but that has to do with the idea of bringing others in on the growth – so as to make the space bigger in a quantum-like way, like an upleveling of consciousness, a paradigmatic shift.

I find this concept of an ebb and flow of life as somewhat comforting.  It reminds me that there is a cycle and that if I am at the nadir of the cycle it will soon go in the up direction.  Loss will result in renewal; and a destruction or death of something gives rise to the space for rebuilding or rebirth.

Taking this broader, fuller view allows for me to feel more in sync with the fabric of life.  It helps me to have perspective and a sense of empowerment by remaining in the flow rather than getting stuck in the loss.  It helps me to look for how the loss can be positively incorporated into my world view, knowing that a sense of future or imminent joy may be on the horizon.  Or that I may now have the opportunity to go in a different direction that I may not have observed, if my life had not incurred the loss or change with which I am dealing.

It’s not quite as comforting when I am at the apex of something.  When I feel myself at a great peak in my life I like to embrace it. Fully incorporate the beauty of what is, like a picture of perfection.  I try to set it into my consciousness so that when the energy begins to wane I can remember that peak.

In some ways the ebb and flow or waxing and waning of the energy of life can feel like a dance or interplay among various themes in your life.  Sometimes the flow is not so much a loss as a mundaneness in life.  When it is a loss, I like to consider that the loss may be necessary for some new kind of growth – or a loss of something that may no longer serve me in some way.

Viewing life from this perspective of an ebb and flow allows for connecting to the tapestry of life and remaining in the present moment and standing still in the center of your world.  One is then able to respond to the things that are happening in a meaningful and connecting way, without getting stuck on high or low, but flowing through with a sense of strength.

In the loss as in gain it is important to mark the connection to the lost thing in some meaningful way – understanding how that individual, being, situation, or experience was powerful and how the lessons from that can move forward in your life even when the relationship is changed.

Change is the constant in our existence.  Stagnation, no change, leads to standing still and degradation.  Accepting the aspect of change that is ever-present and undeniable helps to respond to change with a more flexible and open heart and mind, so that movement with the flow will lead to growth and renewal and development in the various aspects of our tapestry of life.

See you tomorrow.

Beth