Guidance from the I Ching: #61 - Insight
Learn from your experience and the experiences of others
August 17, 2020
“Insight moves even pigs and fishes. Good fortune. It is advantageous to experience the collective flow. There is further advantage in correct persistence. An enlightened person, therefore, negotiates in disputes and moderates rigid ideas.”
I consult the I Ching (Book Of Changes) for inspiration at the start of every week. This week’s message is all about self-awareness.
Insight represents the highest quality a person can develop: self-realization. Insight gives you the ability to be connected with all things because the heart and mind are free from the selfish preoccupations that come with ego. When you act from a position of Insight, you move in harmony with the Dao – the way things naturally work. You can let go and “go with the flow” because you understand where the current is taking you.
” Insight allows you to effectively lead others because it gives you the ability to know the right words to say, the correct actions to take, and the proper attitude to adopt to shape events.”
According to the I Ching, during times of Insight, your success is powered by experience. You gain a deep understanding of your problem through direct interaction. To gain Insight, you must embrace the struggle, not ignore it, or run away from it. By immersing yourself in your situation, you gain a clear picture of your circumstances. This experiential knowledge puts you in an advantageous position, both now and in the future. But to gain the benefit, you must remain completely open and unbiased. This state of mind is what mindfulness practitioners call being non-judgemental. Insight requires emotions and preconceived beliefs to take a back seat to the powers of the frontal brain – reasoning and problem-solving.
The I Ching suggests that to gain Insight, you should seek to go beyond objectivity into pure observation and acceptance. Imagine you are viewing yourself as a character in a movie, or someone has hired you as a consultant to solve their problem. By observing your situation as if it is happening to someone else, you can begin to remove your emotional attachment to the circumstance, the process, or the outcome. Allow your mind to learn from what you’ve observed and experienced. Then stop and pull back into your Self, bringing a deep and powerful understanding based upon your new experience. Doing this type of empathic voyage will not make you lose your perspective or jeopardize your principles. Instead, you will gain valuable Insight into something that may be unknowingly restricting your growth and success.
With Insight comes clarity. Insight allows you to effectively lead others because it gives you the ability to know the right words to say, the correct actions to take, and the proper attitude to adopt to shape events.
Or perhaps your newfound Insight tells you that it is time to step out of the limelight and to live a quiet and peaceful life, thanks to your richness of experience. Either way, your decisions will be based on the wisdom that comes from knowledge and experience.
By developing Insight, you will ultimately become self-actualized, which will improve your dealings with all aspects of your world. However, you may need a little help in the form of a coach or a mentor. The I Ching suggests that now is an excellent time to turn your attention to a person with experience and objectivity to gain Insight into their wisdom. Insight comes through experiential learning, but the lessons do not have to be your own. However, you must be careful not to allow your external relationships to determine your mood or to define your confidence. Your power comes from within, and your outcomes are always a result of your actions.
The great German writer, scientist, and statesman Johan Wolfgang von Goethe said, “There is nothing so terrible as activity without insight.” My challenge to you is to look at every experience, the good and the bad, as an opportunity to learn and grow, for that it is our higher calling.
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