Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon

193 Journey on

   There are so many things one can turn into a problem. Often it is better to let them simply slide away. Note them – and move on. Use life’s lessons like an interesting movie. Each lesson has its own images and ways to deal with it, give it a chance to be part of a vivacious life, enjoy the adventures.

194 East wind

   You went through hardships but you found a way out. This brings rest to your mind, you can relax, everything is right. But it is too early to simply sit back. There is leisure now, so go ahead, have a good time. Find your own way to spend it. Your mind is free, so whatever you do, you can do at ease.

195 A crane emerges

   Embrace the unexpected, don’t immediately mistrust it. Go for all those half-full glasses. Be happy someone comes back, instead of blaming him/her for leaving. Be open for love and happiness. The daily rut seldom brings new exciting things, it is what you don’t know yet which is full of promise.

196 Growing up

   Grant yourself the time to grow up, or to find a solution, or to uncover the creative work which is slowly growing deep in your heart. Things need a time of freedom to turn into what they are meant to be. Without that freedom they will only become the ‘expected’, which can never be living breathing beauty.

197 A bright pearl

   To go forward is scary, to retreat is not worthy - unless you do it for an ideal or for others or for your conscience. Responsibility changes everything about honor or courage, they from change personal feats into much larger values. They become the shining accomplishments of humanity.

198 No right or wrong

   The worst way to decide is when you rush on from where you came, with the entire baggage of what already happened. Stop and think first, start all over and make your mind receptive. When you can see the whole situation and not just one side of it, only then your decision will be a good one.

199 Halfway

   You know that you are still far from your goal, but most of the time it just drives you on. There are moments though when all motivation leaves. The light disappears and the birds fall silent. When you focus on problems, it magnifies them. Try to rest, every night turns into another dawn.

200 Go for it

   The easy road towards fame and fortune is cluttered with people, and the pot of gold at the end may just be fools gold. Look for the gems at the end of the road which is difficult to follow, where hard work, experience, creativity and courage bring you step by step closer, to jewels invisible to others.

201 The people sing, the ruler sighs

   It is heavy to be the one with knowledge. Life is so much easier when one sees only the surface and only the moment. Would you want to be ignorant and happy rather than knowing? Probably not, life wants us to learn and know, and if possible, to make a difference. It is what makes it meaningful.

202 Paradise

   The mind needs happy dreams. A moment where nothing is real or makes common sense, where everything is perfect, where past and future don’t exist. Careful though – many ways to find bliss are connected with dangers like addiction, criminality, disease or getting lost in dreams and losing reality

203 Many affairs

   Everything you do will stick with you. Even when it is solved and ‘forgotten’, it can rear its head at the most inopportune moment. Keep your life clear and clean, so everything can be in the open without harming you or anyone else. Repairing will always be a half measure, never a complete clean-up.

204 Sun and moon in the kettle

   A center where people meet is crucial for their future success. Not only for making it but most of all for causing it to last. It can be a literal center, a place where they enjoy a cup of tea and bantering, or a mental one, a positive attitude towards each other. Both life and affairs will be rich and durable.

205 Darkness leaving

   Dark exists because of light, light exists because of dark. Everything has another side which is an inevitable part of it. If you can worry, you can also relax in contentment. If you can be afraid, you also possess courage. In all these moods, you can step to the other side or find the balance. The choice is yours.

206 Mirror without dust (see story 124)

Little things will align with what happens, bigger things resonate with it. Make yourself free from faults and your surroundings will reflect it. Listen to Heaven and your life will be fortunate. You will find the perfect partner and a happy fate will be yours. Connections will be harmonious and efforts successful.

207 Harmony (opposite of poem 158)

Harmony makes eveything smooth. A marriage or collaboration or contracts. And things not only get done, they are also to everyone’s satisfaction. All parties are happy and eager to join forces. Discussions will be easy, and it will be no problem to find the right decisions.

208 Quiet nights

   Stop worrying and stop trying to make things right. Sleep over it. Your mind needs the rest and quietness of the dark and silence. Your inner wisdom is a thousand times smarter than anything your conscious mind can think of. Give it the opportunity and the time to advise you.

209 A formation can break

   When things finally change for the better, or even become perfect, you can finally relax. Don’t go on as if you are still traveling; this also means you can end this journey and find a different way of life. Letting go of many responsibilities and of hard work, and settle down to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

210 A day of leisure

   When you are free, then be free. Enjoy the place, the time, the easiness. Let your thoughts be free as well. Don’t bother about your efforts having been good enough, the profit being big enough, the future secure enough. Accept everything the way it is and enjoy the day of freedom.

211 Invite happiness

   If you want a life with meaning, then make one. Just living is not enough, you need a cause to live for, exchange with loved ones, and a place which feels like home. So if you find someone or something which brings happiness, then open your heart, live a life together and find peace.

212 Follow the moon

   Those who have big ambitions and goals are those who climb high. A journey does not just start with the first step, it starts with the direction of this step. With your mind following an ideal. Make it a worthwhile one and conquer everything which is in your way. Ideals are stronger than obstacles.

213 Saddle up and ride out

   God helps who help themselves. Don’t wait until something happens but make it happen. Good fortune cannot find you when you hide. So, forget your troubles and reluctance and fears, gather all forces and all the help you can find, summon all your courage and vigor. And move.

214 Accomplishments

   Make your life grand in all respects, so you can be proud and free of any regret when looking back on it. Expand it to the world around you, so you find recognition which will augment what you already know yourself. Satisfaction and pride will make everything around you beautiful.

215 Then peace, then disaster

   There are no guarantees, ever. Things can look fine for a long time, and suddenly they go wrong. Nobody knows the future. There are possibilities, and maybe fate picks the one you like. Maybe not. Part of fate depends on your choices, but a big part doesn’t. Accept it and make the best of it.

216 Family

   When family members or partners or lovers are at war, a higher authority is needed. Find a referee, someone who is neutral or who knows the situation without being biased. It may save a lot of hurting words or deeds, which can make it very difficult to find a solution which is free of resentment.

217 The deer *

   The best way to make it in the world and in your personal life, is to work hard to achieve things and also to be polite and social. The hard work needs to be combined with good manners. Finding people who become friends and a special one who wants to share your life need empathy and ethics.

218 Too late

   You can be full of plans and energy, but if you don’t find the right time to carry them out, it will amount to nothing. Wonderful inventions, great undertakings, even big wars fell into pieces because the time was not the right time. Too early is a problem, but too late is lethal.

219 Life can be magic

   Blessed are those who can see the beauty of things. Almost everything you do, even simple little tasks - or especially those - can be art. Train yourself to see, and to be part of it. Life will become beautiful and meaningful, and the difficult parts easier to deal with. Beauty is an essential part of nature.

220 Alert

   Routines can be handy, they diminish the work. Their danger is, that you overlook the small things which are not the way they should be. Your eyes also follow old routine. Every day every action should be new. Like it is for a dog: he startles at the slightest deviation of how things are day in day out.

221 A dream in spring

   Not many people have the gift of relaxing when everything is right. If you can, then you’re blessed. If you cannot, then find a way to learn. It is easy of course, you just have to let go. But it seems letting go is outdated, very few still know what it means. It is not holding still, it has no name, is nothingness.

222 A cool breeze

   Working hard is not enough. You need intelligence to turn it into something useful and worthwhile. And you need a clear mind to keep everything in perspective. This combination of brain and overview has great potential. You will not only be successful in your work bot also in your private life.

223 Willow catkins

   Every day needs the evening and night, every hour of study needs a moment of stretching your legs, every journey needs stopping places. Important is that you use them to really relax, so rest and enjoy yourself and feel free. There will always come a new morning or a new spring.

224 Smile

   Don’t expect anything to be perfect and to stay shiny forever. Everything gets scratched or worse. It is part of life. How stupid have you been at times, and how often did you make mistakes. How many things you’d like to do over and better. Accept your past, it is what made you to who you are now.

225 Another spring

   You think nothing you do is right; your finances are hopeless and you gave up that you could do anything to solve it. So, you run. Don’t you know that one little positive and useful action can restore your energy and your joy in what you do? What you need is just a little faith in yourself.

226 Flying sky-high

   A small joy can make one forget about all other troubles. Maybe not for very long, but at least for a wonderful moment of elation. Your heart and body need those moments, the heart needs to be thrilled now and then, the body needs to move with joy. So let go of all worries and fly!

227 Decide now

   Why do you stay where you are? Every-thing worn out, uncertain and without any future other than more of the same. Get out! Gather your courage and decide. Now. Not some day, or soon, or whatever other excuse you can find. Get up and start and go on until you are in a better place.

228 Birds of mojo *

   Grumbling and complaining don’t solve anything. On the contrary, they chase your luck away. Universe relies on resonance, so make sounds which summon up the good chances, instead of hurting the ears of all spirits, omens, synchronicities, fairies, pixies and most of all your (future?) spouse.

229 Thousand banners

   To be content scores higher than happiness. It is a balanced and restful state of mind, and a way to live life to the fullest. It is of more value than an exciting life, or a rich one, and certainly than an envied one. If you are content, you need no advice, you’re rather the one who can give it.

230 Origins

   It doesn’t matter where you came from or how lowly you started. What you do and your attitude make you to the esteemed person, partner and relation others appreciate. Your strength to make it from a simple start to where you are now will rather speak well of you. So be proud of your roots and yourself.

231 A tense heart

   Something precious is coming your way. When the mind is challenged in an extreme way, it is as if universe hears. Call it inner wisdom, or intuition, or an angel, there is something coming to your aid. It is you who summons it, but it is also you who can miss it by not trusting it - or not trusting yourself.

232 Steady

   Doing things in a thorough way is a guarantee that the result will be good. If you are nervous or insecure, then find first your inner strength and calm, before you try to do anything. But even if you cannot get all of that restlessness out of you, then acting step by step will still be the best way to proceed.

233 A clear mirror

   Many ghosts can be chased by simply facing them. Fear, insecurity, untruth, they are all like prison wardens which keep you a captive in your personal jail. Look at them. It takes courage, but then you will see how fake they are. You will also recognize them in others, which sets you free and maybe them.

234 When the night is dark

   When you try to find your path, your own mood and the mood around you are much more important than having directions or a map. Seeing the next step works better than knowing the next step. It is like this in everything you do, so make sure you are understand before you act or think.

235 A greeting on the road

   Some people have a way to put your mind at rest. When you get confused, they can help you, not by actually doing things for you, but by putting you back on your right track. By relaxing you, or ‘guessing’ the clue you need, or answering a question with a new insight. It feels like magic.

236 Turtle of legend (see story 073)

Creativity is elusive. One cannot hunt for it, it just happens. Following its faint tracks can help. Wide space and the depth of an ocean can help. Believing in magic can help. What you are looking for is the same force that created universe and all it contains. It deserves our reverence.

237 Clouds disperse

   For some people life is not complicated. They know the golden mean and their life is in balance. For others it is a rollercoaster. All the time ups and downs, difficult choices, deciding what is right and what is not, and never a calm moment. But it seems nobody wants to change to the other way.

238 Snake and rabbit

   Act like nature does and follow the natural course of things. Go where a road opens and take what offers itself. Be aware and ready to react. Train your strengths and make them versatile. Combine the fertility of the hare with the wisdom of the snake and good fortune will be yours.

239 The power of ghosts

   One should always be very careful when accepting help or borrowing. If it is not paid back to the fullest, it will inevitably make you tied to the giver. To shake off obligations is extremely difficult. You have to or you will not be the master of your life anymore and you will lose your self-confidence as well.

240 The thatched hut *

   Dao means to live the whole of your life. To be strong, to be good, to know how to follow the time, to be able to withdraw, to be wise and ethical. Dao is not a predefined road, it is being and doing the best of what you have been created to be and to do. Your own dao is both a gift and a responsibility.