I Ching reading

60: Limits and Connections

Limits are necessary to give purpose and direction to life. Swimming in a sea of boundless opportunity would eventually lead to exhaustion and drowning. Winging it alone in a sky of boundless opportunity would lead to being lost. In human affairs, the making of choices and alliances implies limitation, for in choosing one path or partner, another must be abandoned.

One key to a successful life is to select your limits consciously and carefully -- to be discriminating in the setting of personal boundaries and knowing when to join in formation. Thrift, for example, often precedes prosperity, just as the letting go of selfish interests leads to greater personal reward. Only by consciously accepting useful limits can one's energy be channeled to good purpose and lead to lasting relationships.

Point yourself toward a middle way between discipline and freedom of spirit. Limits will come of their own accord; but to be able to consciously select your affiliations in life -- that's knowing how to fly! At the same time, don't go overboard with discipline. Even limitation must be limited, so that in attempting to bring order and direction into your life you do not choke off vital sources of enthusiasm, love and spontaneity.

Similarly, in relationships, agreed upon rules should strike a balance between being too strict and too soft. If too strict, they build frustration among partners, and ultimately become destructive. If too lenient, sloppiness becomes acceptable, and positive energy is dissipated. The best path is one that allows for the fulfillment of both partners' potential, while supporting self-discipline and focus.

42: Increase

Whatever form it takes, periods of increase are exhilarating, as long as you go with the flow while it lasts, and keep the interests of significant others in mind. Like white water on a river, periods of increase are often of short duration; it furthers one, therefore, to shoot the rapids now, while the opportunity is there.

A good sense of direction in times of opportunity involves commitment to the needs of one's primary relationships. Only by realizing that to lead is really to serve, can an effective individual contribute to a lasting increase in prosperity for all. In times of general increase, those who contribute most directly to the common good will also receive the greatest rewards.

When opportunities for increase arise, supreme good fortune comes to those who act swiftly and boldly, while avoiding the trap of letting their actions be only self-serving. The most enduring strategy is to work to raise the tide of your whole pond, rather than to try to swim upstream on your own.

When the times favor prosperity, and when leadership is in the hands of the broad-minded, supreme good fortune results.