Duration and Continuing

This blog has been mostly a photo blog, with some text, but as I can be very verbose I try and keep the internal musing to a minimum; the learning curve of this project has been more like a learning switch-back path up a mountain. I have observed many phenomena; physical, chemical, psychological, metaphorical and personal along the way so far, all of which have given me ample subjects to ponder.

I consult the I-Ching frequently, and for the last month or more I have drawn the hexagram 32: Duration/Continuing

*Duration. Success. No blame.
Perseverance furthers.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.

Duration is a state whose movement is not worn down by hindrances. It is not a state of rest, for mere standstill is regression. Duration is rather the self-contained and therefore self-renewing movement of an organized, firmly integrated whole, taking place in accordance with immutable laws and beginning anew at every ending. The end is reached by an inward movement, by inhalation, systole, contraction, and this movement turns into a new beginning, in which the movement is directed outward, in exhalation, diastole, expansion.

Heavenly bodies exemplify duration. They move in their fixed orbits, and because of this their light-giving power endures. The seasons of the year follow a fixed law of change and transformation, hence can produce effects that endure.

So likewise a dedicated woman embodies an enduring meaning in her way of life, and thereby the world is formed. In that which gives things their duration, we can come to understand the nature of all beings in heaven and on earth.

Thunder and wind: the image of DURATION.
Thus a superior woman stands firm
And does not change her direction.

Thunder rolls, and the wind blows; both are examples of extreme mobility and so are seemingly the very opposite of duration, but the laws governing their appearance and subsidence, their coming and going, endure. In the same way the independence of a superior woman is not based on rigidity and immobility of character. She always keeps abreast of the time and changes with it. What endures is the unswerving directive, the inner law of her being, which determines all her actions.*

I read this and am reminded of what I can count on in life, what force I can draw on, and what can make life seem so easy as to allow for an endurance that is easy on the nerves. I also tell myself all the time: " It isn't going to build itself". I am building it. Then I am going to live in it,travel in it, take care of a dog, raise my son, have more children, and hopefully share my life with an amazing man! I won't owe anyone any money, I won't have to burn any fossil fuels for energy, and I won't waste water! My home will produce compost, it will produce clean water, and in it I can produce the works of art that the personality and talents of this life have given me to use to be best advantage for all.

Lately people have been contacting me from all over the place, lending me their inspiration in the form of praise and support. I just want to say "thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you thank you."