Being great

great

Ten Haiku

The dog’s still barking

after the sun has risen,

before the alarm.

Rain falls in summer

the car whispers, wet pavement,

and splashes the curb.

The morning is damp;

with no feeling of summer

we wait for the fall.

Summer skies are grey,

heavy with humidity,

uncomfortable day.

Sky of magenta

anticipates the call of

a cool autumn night.

The snow’s quietness

blanketed my pounding heart,

the sidewalk and street.

Cold air turns crisp, while

the last full moon of winter

lights a path to spring.

The thick falling snow

quiets everything it sees

even this old bus.

The sky’s turning gray

as my breakfast turns in me

anxious to return.

One more snow flake falls,

slow, before the stars appear

winter turns to night.

snow stopped by branches

waits for a wind or small hand

to keep on falling

	changing to
11		51

11. Passing Through

Line 2:

Barren surroundings necessitate fording the big river.
Not abandoning, but letting go off friends.
Value is lost and gained from targeted action.

One needs to move elsewhere, as there is nothing of value left for one here. It may be necessary to let go off friends, which is not the same as abandoning them. One needs to really go for it, to make valuable gains, accepting that this also results in losses (that which is left behind).

Line 3:

Without levelness there is no slope,
without going no return.
Laborious persistence is without fault.
Do not worry,
one's confidence in a meal has blessing.

There is no situation that stays forever, sometimes things go easy, sometimes they are difficult. When one doesn't undertake something, one cannot have returns. It is not a fault to need to work hard. While things are bad, it is good to keep in mind that as long as one can trust that one will have something to eat, things are basically alright.

Line 4:

Fluttering, fluttering.
Not enriched by one's neighbors.
Careless because of confidence.

Moving to and fro, while not being supported by others. One's confidence is making one careless.

Hexagram is changing to:

51. Shock

Shock.
Progressing.
A shock comes, fright, fright!
Laughing and talking, ha, ha!
The shock startled in a hundred li,
but one did not lose the ladle of sacrificial wine.

There is a shock that has a lot of impact. Although one is alarmed by the shock, there is no real harm done. When it's over one might even look back and make fun of it. Notwithstanding it's force one does not allow it to break one's concentration.
(100 li is about 40 kilometer or 25 miles.)

Being a good friend

Being a friend isn't just something that we do. It's a skill that we can learn and improve upon.

Here, eight ways to be a better friend.

1. Like yourself
   
   The first step in having a good relationship with a friend is to have a good relationship with yourself.
   
   When we genuinely like ourselves, we become more attractive to other people. We have more to offer others because we are not constantly focused on our own image and reputation.
   
   We become better friends because we don't cling. We are secure enough to spend time with a friend because we want to, not because we need to.
   
   And relax -- the journey to self-acceptance is life long. Practice it in small steps along the way.
   
   
2. Choose wisely
   
   Relationships among true friends take a steady dose of time and energy -- two resources in limited supply for all of us.
   
   Identify the friends with whom you wish to create a closer bond. It's perfectly okay if not all of your acquaintances make the list.
   
   The closeness of your connections is far more important than the length of your guest lists and size of your parties.
   
   
3. Make the time
   
   Friends are important in many ways -- so much so that these relationships often take on a life of their own.
   
   You owe it to yourself (and to your friends) to make these relationships a priority. Carve out some quality time for one another.
   
   
4. Make the first move
   
   This is where I have trouble, and I know I'm not alone. If you want to improve your relationships, put your fear of rejection aside and start taking more risks. Invite your friends to lunch. Organize a study group. Invite them over for dinner.
   
   Too often, we fail to follow up with our friends. Don't miss out - just make the first phone call. Your friends are just as anxious to get together as you are.
   
   
5. The Golden Rule
   
   Treat your friends as you wish to be treated. Stated another way: "To have a friend, be a friend."
   
   Focus more on being interested than on being interesting. Be enthusiastic and energetic. Avoid complaining, gossiping, and criticizing
   
   
6. Sweat the small stuff
   
   Make your friends feel significant by remembering small kindnesses. Notice her new haircut. Remember to ask about how his exam went. Send flowers or a simple email when you know they need it most.
   
   
7. Listen
   
   Good listeners are hard to find, and honing your skills can be a long-term project.

   A few tips:
   
   

   • Slow down. Try not to finish your friend's sentences. If you catch yourself planning your response while your friend is still talking, gently remind yourself to focus on the speaker.
     
     
   • Show her you are listening. Maintain eye contact.Offer nods and murmurs that indicate you understand their point of view.
     
     
   • Minimize distractions.
     
     
   • Ask questions.
     
     
   • Be careful with advice. Assume your friend wants to just vent her frustrations, not ask you for a plan of action. Avoid the phrase, "what you ought to do is..." Offer your opinion only if your friend specifically asks for it (and you believe she will benefit).
     
     
8. Be loyal
   
   We all need someone in our corner. If your friend isn't there to defend herself against gossip or criticism, speak up, and know they would do the same for you.

(Susie Michelle Cortright)

Work on what has been spoiled

You need to analyze and estimate events especially carefully: you can become the participant of changes in another's private life. You should be a master of the situation. It becomes possible owing to your present condition. Can happen so, that you will lose the friend. From you shortly it is possible to wait for the most unexpected acts. You need to clear the relations with associates. They not by way of, and problems arising from this can interfere with execution of your desires.

22
The fire, whose light illuminates the mountain and makes it pleasing, does not shine far; in the same way, beautiful form suffices to brighten and to throw light upon matters of lesser moment, but important questions cannot be decided in this way. They require greater earnestness.

1 A beginner in subordinate place must take upon himself the labor of advancing. There might be an opportunity of surreptitiously easing the way- symbolized by the carriage-but a self-contained man scorns help gained in a dubious fashion. He thinks it more graceful to go on foot than to drive in a carriage under false pretenses.

2 The beard is not an independent thing; it moves only with the chin. The image therefore means that form is to be considered only as a result and attribute of content. The beard is a superfluous ornament. To devote care to it for its own sake, without regard for the inner content of which it is an ornament, would bespeak a certain vanity.

3 This represents a very charming life situation. One is under the spell of grace and the mellow mood induced by wine. This grace can adorn, but it can also swamp us. Hence the warning not to sink into convivial indolence but to remain constant in perseverance. Good fortune depends on this.

4 An individual is in a situation in which doubts arise as to which is better-to pursue the grace of external brilliance, or to return to simplicity. The doubt itself implies the answer. Confirmation comes from the outside; it comes like a white winged horse. The white color indicates simplicity. At first it may be disappointing to renounce the comforts that might have been obtained, yet one finds peace of mind in a true relationship with the friend who courts him. The winged horse is the symbol of the thoughts that transcend all limits of space and time.

5 A man withdraws from contact with people of the lowlands, who seek nothing but magnificence and luxury, in to the solitude of the heights. There he finds an individual to look up to, whom he would like to have as a friend. But the gifts he has to offer are poor and few, so that he feels ashamed. However, it is not the material gifts that count, but sincerity of feeling, and so all goes well in the end.

6 Here at the highest stage of development all ornament is discarded. Form no longer conceals content but brings out its value to the full. Perfect grace consists not in exterior ornamentation of the substance, but in the simple fitness of its form.

This hexagram can be favorable only for the affairs concerning theatre. It means, that you have a propensity to hide the original face, and people surrounding you too behave not quite sincerely. Your love affairs are problematic enough now. But successes in other spheres are possible. Your desires will be executed, but is completely not fast. It is necessary to try to accept a life such as it is, and to study at it.

Corruption to Beautifying

18. Corruption

Line 1:

Managing a father's corruption.
Have the child investigate.
Without fault.
Seriousness will eventually bring good fortune.

Dealing with deterioration caused by former neglect. Investigating into this will help doing something about it. Being serious about it is necessary to eventually make things well.
(The "father" refers to an ancestral spirit, in ancient Chinese ancestor worshipping.)

Line 2:

Managing a mother's corruption.
Persistence is not suitable.

Dealing with deterioration caused by inherent weakness. Some consideration for the people involved is called for. One shouldn't just try to push ahead.
(The "mother" refers to an ancestral spirit, in ancient Chinese ancestor worshipping.)

Hexagram is changing to:

22. Beautifying

Beautifying.
Progressing little.
It is beneficial to have a goal to move to.

Making something beautiful. This makes for only little actual progress, as it isn't about what actually matters. It is a good idea to have a goal for this.

Recapturing the Spark

(excerpted from Yehuda Berg’s 72 Names of God)

I am going to stop the darkness—remove all destructive forces.

I tap into the positive forces in the universe, open myself up for transformation.

I will reclaim my sparks of Light.

Breaking judgment, embracing love and spreading Light to others, I feel the sacred sparks returning to my soul, filling my vessel.