#9  Xiao Chu  ~  The Small Accumulating

Above:     Sun                root, foundation, nourishing
Below :    Quin/Ganh     heaven, energy, spirit, power

The Wisdom:

You are entering a time of great potential
Heaven awaits the lightening
Lighting beckons thunder;
You are the thunder

Progress has been good, yet completion is elusive. Frustration will take your power and the goal will slip further away. Be confident, and you will find completion is not your aim. The benefit is to focus on the present moment.

As you proceed on this road less traveled, you inevitably come up against the obstacles of guilt, shame, and judgment. At this moment in time, these obstacles are showing at precisely the right time. Your inner strength, wrought by hard work and suffering is at its zenith and is like a finely honed and sharpened sword. Raise the sword and cut away at the ties that bind you to old patterns and empty relationships, both personally and in commerce. In this moment be the skilled warrior who knows that a sword this sharp is the sword with two edges; on one side it can cut through a lifetime of ill-fated patterns, while on the other side, if you do not come to battle with pure intent, this sword has the potential to slice away at your resolve and leave you powerless, able to go no further.

Your true power now lies in the beauty of graceful, small and well thought-out movements. Proceed slowly and with a well-planned strategy. Meet the obstacle head on; reach inward to reveal your shadow, the self of darkness. Make the darkness useful as you reach in stillness to your authenticity, that of light and dark, yin and yang.

In this life journey, we suppress our dark side, what Jung called the shadow. In this shadow you will find some pretty ugly old stuff: disappointment, guilt, abandonment and shame. It is from this dark, shadowy, potentially troubling unknown that negative patterns and self-doubt arise. Mostly, this shadow side is denied and projected onto others, our partners, friends, and associates, but if we dare, we can know our shadow, and therein lies our liberation from all the fear and the key to activating our intentions. But be fully aware that you are dancing with the dark side and if your intent is not aimed to work for the greater good of all, you will find yourself exposed as you move into the light and you will be derailed as you come into the light. Meet your dark side head on in the full light of your love, acceptance, and compassion, and it crumbles. And in its place is a stronger, lighter you, a more sustainable you, who will be loved and able to receive the love and abundance you have desired.

Operating without being aware of the truth of your dark side is folly. All things contain both light and dark, yin and yang. If you are too sunny, you will not have influence or be trusted. If you allow yourself to operate from negativity, you will allow fear free reign, and what you really want in your heart of hearts will not come to fruition, as you will have been your own worst enemy.

This is not the time to expect perfection. Be the light, but not too light; be dark, but not too dark. Aim for balance without grasping onto outcomes. If reading this makes you smile and shudder at the same time, it is your truth.

Act with small movements, including minimal verbal flourishes; in this way you will hold in place the peace you have wanted and deserved, and you will have success in small measure. This is good enough for now—the power of the small.

Completion is near;
Gather your inner resources;
You will need to reach into the darkness;
What you find there will be very useful;
No blame, no fear.

When nearing a goal of completion there is the tendency to want to rest, to take a break. This is not yet the time; there are a number of small tasks to be addressed at this juncture.

Set ambition aside for now and attend to the small details, so that your path, your vision, will be clear. You will then be able to dip into the subconscious and bring to light the negative beliefs about yourself and the world that have been blocking you. What you find as you delve into the shadow may feel shocking, like a big dark monster; but know that the monster, in reality, is really quite tiny, like a little toy monster; it cannot really harm you or stop you on your path to love, health, and abundance.

Do not reach for a conclusion.
Now is not the time.   
Tie up loose ends,
End what must be ended,
Tend to what must be mended.

Moving forward does not always make for real progress. At times like these, progress will be made by going inward rather than forward, paying attention to the smallest things, things that might not seem to be relevant to your goal for your own and the greater good.

Your mind must be clear of any chaos, doubts, or fears. At this time, hone your skills and make strong your commitment, not to completion, but to living in a better way, in the way of your truth.

Look to your relationships and address the small things that have held you back from loving fully or letting yourself to be loved. Ask for what you know you deserve. This will bring clarity, and you will know what to do.

When it comes to your projects, family, or health, deal with the small matters; vow to remain authentic and have honest, open communication with all those in your life. By dealing with small details, you can remove the obstacles that have blocked your path to wellness, true love, abundance, or spiritual evolution.

Completion is near. These last few steps will only be bridged by cleaning up the things you have left unattended. Clean up your desk, straighten the closets, clean out your car if you have one, balance your accounts, lighten your load. Give some of your “stuff” away, literally and metaphorically. These seemingly small gestures will pave the way toward what you want and deserve.

It seems that taking care of the little details should be the simplest of tasks, yet we often get blocked from doing so. This is where the inner work begins. Take the time to look deeply into your thoughts about yourself; be real about where you doubt yourself in your work, your relationship, and your spiritual practice. Acknowledge what you truly want and deserve.

Now, to attain what you want, you must go inside and clean up the inner recesses of your mind. Look unabashedly at your dark side, and don’t allow shame or guilt to cause you to avert your gaze. We all have a dark side, a shadow self. There are hidden resources and strengths in these recesses of the subconscious. Look at what you are ashamed of and forgive yourself. In this way you will retrieve your authenticity, which has been obscured by the dark. Don’t be afraid—it is nowhere near as bad or dangerous as your ego wants you to think it is.

This is where you are found: wanting to survive, wanting to be fully loved and to be able to love freely, but are blocked. It is only by looking deep into the shadow side, examining what you fear and are ashamed of, that you will find liberation. Then, after   a light is cast on these small, shadowy things still lurking in the hidden recesses, you will to able to joyfully reach your destination of wellness, peace, love, and abundance in proper measure.

Being diligent about your meditation practice or developing one is of great importance now. Don’t be afraid to hold the energy back and give yourself some moments of quietude and inner spaciousness. In this vast place within yourself is a universe of possibilities, where you will again fall in love… with life and your own authenticity. Here you can feel the tribal unity of all struggling beings and you will feel the heart of compassion. Don’t worry, your guardian angels and guides have your back. You are safe. Just do the work. It will make you smile and shine like the sun at midday.

With Love,
I am the other you,

BobbyK