Lake Over Lake: Reflection & Joy - I Ching

 Lake Over Lake: Reflection & Joy is the I Ching hexagram #58, which stands for 'Joyousness' or 'Exchange' (or something similar), depending upon which I Ching, Book of Changes, is consulted.  This was the hexagram that arose in response to my inquiry about the consequences or outcome of creating this blog here on the Blogger platform.  

I was pondering the consequences of using Blogger's free blog platform in lieu of using either 'Tracy's Healthy Food' a blog/website I started last year at Wordpress.org (self-hosted website), or continue with SBI, a website host and builder I had previously used, and recently started up again, pre-paying for a year. 

You may be wondering why this is a relevant topic for a blog post, but bear with me.  Let me first share a brief description of the I Ching.

I Ching ~ The Book of Changes

As the back cover for Hua-Ching Ni's I Ching The Book of Changes and the Unchanging Truth states:

"The Book of Changes, or I Ching as it is more commonly known, is one of the most ancient philosophical systems available today.  Its origin and tradition go back nearly 5,000 years to the great sage Fu Shi.  It was he who first expressed the fundamental principals of life and universal energy by means of the special "energy language" of linear hexagrams.  It is fascinating and enlightening to learn how these simple lines can represent all the phenomena of the universe and human affairs."

It's precisely the 'fascinating and enlightening' process that I've been learning alongside my husband Don who is currently taking an online I Ching course through The College of Tao.

As Don and I consult the I Ching inquiring about topics ranging from a potential future home location, to specifics about our website, training routines, or other questions, we've been impressed with the results.  It seems to 'magically' address the true questions, or inclinations that our conscious mind can't quite grasp or articulate ~ yet our true core (divine) self already knows.

There is timeless wisdom shared in the explanations of each line, that builds the hexagram (bottom up) which relate to predictable patterns, cycles and universal, unchanging truths.  It's a profoundly deep and complex, yet elegantly simple, common sense system of philosophy that reads like an owners manual for living an enlightened, harmonious life.  

The I Ching can be consulted for ascertaining divine wisdom about any undertaking we may have questions about.  It's an excellent tool for gaining greater wisdom, discernment, and self-awareness ~ awareness of the True, or Divine Self or Presence within, and that permeates all life.

Lake Over Lake: Reflection & Joyousness Hexagram

Lake Over Lake, or Hexagram #58 I Ching Book of Changes looks like this: (image from Wikipedia Commons)

Each hexagram is comprised of 2 trigrams, with the foundation or first line being the bottom.  Each broken line represents 'Yin' and each solid line represents 'Yang.'  The Lake trigram is represented by the (broken) yin line in the last, or top position, with two (solid) yang lines supporting it.

From The Living I Ching, Using Ancient Chinese Wisdom to Shape Your Life. ~ Deng Ming-Dao:  

"The last doubled trigram in the hexagram sequence, this hexagram symbolizes a lake, marsh, joy, and the youngest daughter.  The yin line of each trigram rests on the firm yang lines beneath it.  True joy relies on inner strength and remains gentle and yielding on the outside."

The word used is Due, which relates to heart, and means 'delight,' 'joy,' 'happiness.'

Why The I Ching Reading Is Relevant 

I pulled this hexagram Monday, March 20, 2023, prior to publishing my first post ~ Returning Home to My Heart.  This seemingly benign inquiry represents, for me,  the inner quandary between doing what seems to 'make the most sense', business wise, or doing what felt like a more joyful, easy format to share what my heart seeks to express.

There are features I like about both Wordpress and the other platform, Solo Build It, or SBI.  WP has a higher learning curve, and requires adding lots of plug-ins.  I like the food blog themes.  I liked how Tracy's Healthy Food was looking.  Yet, shortly after starting it, I was having a lot of resistance, even around the name / URL (TracysHealthyFood.)  

In short, I have not yet been able to get into a flow of sharing what I am so desiring to share!  

I feel like I have a backlog of posts being written in my mind that are not seeing the light of day ~ a source of frustration.   

Recipes and content fade from my memory if I don't note them down.  I've also had so many ah ha moments since transitioning back to a whole-foods, plant-based diet, that I'd love to share as I think others will be able to relate and hopefully find some benefit.  Several have already reached out and told me as much.

Overcoming The Divide Between Our Mental Parts & Our Heart

From a broader perspective ~ and possibly a more universal relevance ~ this I Ching reading represents finally transcending a major life theme of not fully trusting myself.  Childhood experiences caused me to 'learn'  to go against my inner knowing ~ which has negatively impacted my life in many ways, and has taken time to  unlearn.

In truth, most of my life challenges were likely born from this issue.  And, from not having the right tools at my disposal to help me better manage the committee in my head!  Can you relate?

We are hard-wired to want to feel loved, valued, and accepted by the 'tribe'.  The false belief of not feeling worthy undermines our entire life, acting like a filter which subconsciously draws to us experiences that validate our feeling of being unworthy.  (Our subconscious mind does not judge our beliefs, it simply acts them out.)  This continues until we uproot the faulty belief.  It can keep us from thinking more independently, as those parts which feel unworthy fear rejection.  

Once upon a time, being rejected from the tribe meant sure death.

We may not be conscious of these forces, but they lurk beneath the surface (like those two strong yang lines below the yin line???) and limit our ability to really flourish.  It's difficult to be clear about our true desires with a faulty operating system!  How to overcome?

We need perspective.

The I Ching beckons us:  Be still, like Lake Over Lake.  Reflect. Ponder. Consider. Discern. Accept.  Allow. Let Go.  Relax!

The I Ching, therefore, is a tool for helping us reconnect with our own inner knowing.  It can help us reintegrate and harmonize all aspects of ourselves ~ our mind, body, heart and soul.  

Like Lake, answers to our queries can surface ~ and be reflected to us ~ once we are still enough to receive them. 

A Brief Bit of Background

I mentioned in my first post how I have created websites and blogs, only to change their  name and themes  ~ several times over the last 11-12 years.  I've even written books which I unpublished.  I start with enthusiasm.  But then, something would happen, and I'd lose steam.  Hence, my quandary.  Beneath my question, was a reservoir of thoughts and feelings associated with 'failure to flourish.'

Considering what precipitated my abandoning my websites, blogs and books was a change of diet, I felt especially gun shy to try, yet again.  I imagined the rejection in my mind from those who question why they should listen to us after all our changes.  

Plus, as we transitioned back to the vegetarian / plant-based macrobiotic diet of our hearts, the pain of having abandoned ourselves ~ our values, books, and so much more ~  five years ago really stung.  Especially on the heels of all the upheaval and losses over the last couple years.

The question that hit me most was, How can I expect to feel valued when I'm not valuing my own self ~ or my creations?  Ouch! 

Because I never stuck with what we were doing long enough for any of my creations to flourish, finally flourishing is at the heart of what I am most ready to embrace.  

While I had made great strides following the very steps I outline in my book, The Strong Spirit 10-Step Plan, Your MAP to Overcome Obstacles and Realize Your Dreams, the journey continues.

In hindsight, I can see how all I've been experiencing was helping me, I just judged it inappropriately!  I am more passionate and committed than ever with respect to helping others sustain a healthy, plant-based vegetarian / vegan macrobiotic diet.

Quite honestly, because of everything that has transpired, and all the years I've worked on overcoming faulty belief systems, reading hexagram #58 filled me with tears of joy!  It marked a significant hurdle.  Powerful transformation.  A fresh start.  Hope.  

And, to finally have the name and platform finally sync up in that 'Yes! this feels right!' kind of way put me over the moon.  

That's the main message I wanted to share about the significance of this particular I Ching reading.  The rest relates to choosing the name, The Vegetarian Intuitive ~ and why that brings me such joy as well!

Birthing The Vegetarian Intuitive On Blogger

Following through on a hunch, I revisited Blogger to look at their themes again.  I pretty much knew them, so I wasn't sure what I expected.  I had to choose a name just to preview the themes, so I put my name in, similar to my URL on SBI.  Then, to better view how it would look, I wrote my first post.  I didn't publish it as I had yet chosen an appropriate title, or URL.

That was when I consulted the I Ching ~ to ask about the consequences of returning to the free blog platform, before investing more time.  All I accomplished Sunday was like a test run. 

Drawing Lake Over Lake: Reflection & Joy helped me 'seal the deal.'  My impulsive urgency to look at Blogger's themes again ~ despite my practically having them memorized ~ seemed to pay off.  Joy rekindled.  Enthusiasm returned.  Light at the end of a dark tunnel.  Yay!  Finally!

Back to the title

I wanted a name that more appropriately tied together the food, with my insights about life, personal growth, freeing ourselves from the emotions and patterns that keep us stuck, and presenting my Energy Healing and Holistic Coaching / C.O.R.E. Counseling services.

I was trying to find the concise wording that best described me, and what I had to offer.  

I almost went with The Intuitive Vegetarian, which as Don pointed out, implies eating a vegetarian diet in an intuitive way.  Which is what I do and hope to inspire in others.

However, The Vegetarian Intuitive implies that I am an intuitive, who happens to be a vegan (who prefers the term vegetarian.)  

My passion is to help teach others how to eat more intuitively, applying the universal principles of balance as taught by ancient Taoists, and is utilized in Chinese food therapy, Ayurvedic medicine and macrobiotics.  AND, since restoring our vegetarian diet, my intuitive abilities have heightened.  I have become a much more clear channel as an energy healer and holistic practitioner.

Why Vegetarian (Versus Vegan)

Vegetarian is my preferred term (over vegan) as I like what it means ('to enliven') and it resonates with my younger days when I first fell in love with whole natural foods, and with the now classic cookbooks like Laurel's Kitchen, by Laurel Robertson, et al., and The Moosewood Cookbook, and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, by Mollie Katezen.  The term vegan wasn't even on the radar back in the 1970s and 1980s.

After a two year hiatus from offering Reiki / energy healing and other intuitive services, I was excited to have the title so closely match who I am, and what I offer.

To bring this full circle,  I stopped doing Reiki / energy healing and intuitive readings and gave away several related items of value ~ in part because of being influenced by external voices!  Suffice it to say, there's much more I can share about this.  But, for now, I'll sum it up.

In Summary

Lake over Lake, or 'Joyousness' heralds a new cycle for me.  Time for me to share what has been bottled up inside for too long.  Time to let my light shine, stand in my truth, and let the chips fall where they may. 

We all need to learn to trust ourselves, yet it's not as easy as it sounds.  We have parts which fear the unknown, rejection, and disappointing others.  

I hope my new blog will help others who may be going through similar circumstances find the courage and strength to stand in their truths.  Join the tribe of One.

The world needs us all to shine our light, and share what we uniquely know with others.

The right diet, mindset, and life orientation are necessary elements to manifesting a healthy, fruitful life.  

Clearing the mental / emotional obstacles, and limiting beliefs is also necessary.  Hence, being like Lake can help us be still, reflect, find peace, and live joyously.

The Lake Over Lake: Reflection & Joy hexagram #58 especially gave me hope for finally being able to create the platform that has been burning on my heart for years.  A means to share all I've learned and experienced in hopes of helping others.  

More to come.  Much more!  Stay tuned!

Here are some of the books referenced, or referred to in this post, for those interested, and for informational purposes.  Any purchases made through my links are greatly appreciated.