Doing Nothing
working with inner virtue and power
The verdant green Spring going on here in the Northern hemisphere right now can be very pushy. The winds are strong, the rain is profuse and basically everything is in the midst of constant change. I would, at least intellectually, like to keep up with it all. I’d like to imagine that I can do each and every thing with great alacrity and care. That idea has proved to be a bust given our collective reading today. This morning in our group divination session, we received the guidance that in this moment of great change it would best to standstill. Disconcerting as this guidance might seem, there is also great wisdom contained in the hexagram that is called Pǐ - Obstruction or Standstill.
Our inquiry went like this:
Guidance for bringing head and heart together this week, merging the old and the new while staying in the flow of change, not allowing ourselves to fall into trying to fix everything at once, but instead choosing wisely where to apply choice for change.
Our initial Hexagram was Hexagram 12 - Pǐ - Obstruction/Standstill. We received two changing lines; lines 1 & 2 to give us a relating Hexagram of Hexagram 10 - Lü - Treading. This is a powerful instruction to stop, even to rest and to review where you might be engaging with others fruitlessly. You might even notice where you feel your integrity or determination is undermined by circumstance. No matter how blocked you might feel, this situation is not a judgement about your character or your behavior. The situation is not your fault. Instead you can see it simply as part of the natural exchange of movement and stillness, the way of all things is this kind of alternation between progress and stagnation.
To acknowledge where things are in the fallow part of the cycle, where they are blocked, even to examine what a blockage is made of, is useful at this point. Progress can never be constant, just as blockage or standstill will not last forever. In this moment this week, you are invited to consider doing nothing, not struggling against the stagnation or the change to what is happening in your/our world. The wisdom here is not to push, not to protest or complain, but to return to yourself, to whatever small tasks can be done, but even more importantly, to stay connected to your inner virtue, your own knowing. There is no use in wishing for it to be different or to egotistically claim that it is your responsibility to fix or help the situation.
When we encounter such a blockage whether it be one of evolution in our own awareness (which might look like taking time to examine your emotions or the patterns that are arising in your psyche) or a literal stop (the car breaking down, the computer malfunctioning, or illness, for example) it is a moment to reconsider what is being asked of you and how you might remain clear and calm despite these outer circumstances that prevent communication and movement.
It is important to mention communication here because this is a moment where communication will not help. More talk, more words, will not make the blockage go away. The alignment in the hexagram says that earth is above and heaven below which means we cannot see the true nature of the obstruction and we really must stand still, doing nothing, until the way forward becomes clear.
Even in our changing lines we receive the same instruction and advice. The first line suggests that “in times of standstill you must draw on your inner reserves and maintain your character and help others to do so as well.”* To withdraw in this way is not a flaw or a mistake, but is actually laying the foundation for future success through the wisdom of not struggling with changes you cannot control. You can relinquish control without relinquishing your intelligence and your perception. You are present without pressing forward.
In the second changing line, we are reminded that it is simply our vanity that wants us to take action, to claim the spotlight or to exert force for a specific outcome. You would do well this week to watch for situations that bring forward any tendency to get involved in matters best left to the passage of time or to others. Again, you can return to yourself, not with any recrimination for finding such a tendency in yourself, but instead to fortify your equanimity and appreciation for the cycles of change. To not be caught by petty concerns but instead to foster patience, stillness and spaciousness in the face of obstruction is the way to build strength and character at such a moment.
The relating Hexagram - Hexagram 10 - Lü - Treading is about facing the choices this week with both circumpection and daring. You are working with your own power, your own capacity, in the face of an obstruction that is not of your own making and is likely larger than you can handle alone. You don’t need to back down, but you do need to take care, to again acknowlege what you are dealing with. In this hexagram, you are dealing with a tiger, an animal with great natural power and beauty. You are attracted to it and yet, it is also frightening. If you mistakenly step on the tiger’s tail, you may receive a blow, a wound, but it will not be fatal. Your mistake will be taken lightly, even if you are momentarily thrown off kilter. You must take yourself and your concerns lightly, not exerting an agenda, but testing yourself and the environment for readiness to take the next step.
The essential oil for the week is Cedarwood. Not Atlas Cedar, but the more common of the Cedrus species, such as Juniperus virgineana and the like. Cedarwood will help you to prioritize activities and ideas. It will also soften the spine and open the lungs, allowing you to breathe deeply and rest, at home in your own body. Cedarwood is deeply relaxing and a base note smell so one drop can last a very long time. Just put a drop in a cup of hot water to release the smell.
I wish you great strength in keeping still, doing the very high practice of doing nothing, while feeling into your own presence with tenderness and care. Please don’t hesitate to report back on how any of this lands in your body and life.
And consider joining us each week at 9:30 a.m. Eastern for this unique collective inquiry practice.
*Jack Balkin, The Laws of Change
