galloway87

On 11/7/2017 at 8:54 AM, Harmen said:

 

Thanks for the update. What do you want to learn? You say 'about the I Ching' but does that include history, language and application? What do you want to learn?

I suppose what I would most like to learn is application, to get a better understanding on the hexagrams and how I can really apply them in everyday life. Thanks for the reading suggestions I'm gonna pick up a copy of Steve Balkin's book, lots of good reviews! 

I think the Wilhelm translation will be easy enough to find online, what do you make of the James Legge translation? I know they have it online at the sacredtexts website. 

Many thanks, 

David 

On 11/1/2017 at 6:55 PM, Harmen said:

 

 Walker's book is not a translation but a very shallow interpretation of the original Yijing. I urge any serious student of the Yi to never use interpretations - they are making you lazy and will never touch on the matters that are essential to your situation. Keep in mind that in ancient China there were no Yijing interpretations. You had to do the interpretation yourself, only then were you considered a skilled diviner. Use a good translation. There are several available these days.

 

End of rant. Let's look at your hexagram. You asked 'how should I handle my current employment situation?' Most of the time I see the lower trigram as the questioner (you) and the upper trigram as everything outside the questioner (like your job opportunities). The lower trigram is Earth. Earth is docile, does not take action or initiative. It works with what comes to her and let it grow to its true nature & potential. This trigram might tell you to accept the situation as it is now but at the same time welcome the new opportunities that it has created. Earth is a barren but fertile field that has the quality to make the seeds that are planted in it grow. Earth does not judge but accepts everything. That doesn't mean it is easy, but what Earth might try to tell you is that there is potential and all you have to do is welcome it. Let it come to you.

The upper trigram is Fire. Fire wants to connect, it wants commitment, to make matters clear according to what you hold on to, what you see as the truth. This trigram might tell you that your should look for jobs that you are truly connected to, which feed you, which make you feel warm inside. It should feed your commitment without exercising any force to achieve that. The job should feed you, not drain you.  Fire can also mean that you have to make yourself visible as well as all the unique qualities that you have within. Let your light shine otherwise you will be surpassed unnoticed. The nature of Fire requires it to move on when its fuel has been used up. Now is that time for you and a new Fire is waiting for you. 

 

Let's look at the nuclear trigrams. The lower nuclear trigram (lines 2, 3 and 4) is Mountain. Mountain is inward peace, consolidation of what you have acquired through the years, stopping unnecessary progress and changes, being conservative, stay quiet and have inner confidence. This trigram is enveloped/blocked by another trigram Mountain (lines 1, 5 and 6). This trigram Mountain can show itself from a more or less negative side - stubbornness, rigid attitude, inflexibility, closing yourself off from your surrounding. This combination might tell you that if you are inflexible and reject renewal & change you will not be able to find some sort of inner peace: you will play the victim and stubbornly keep the situation in a status quo. Embrace change. Welcome new opportunities and keep an open mind towards them.

 

The upper nuclear trigram (lines 3, 4 and 5) is Water. Water asks of you to go with the flow, to accept that the situation might be murky and even though the destination is unclear you can still enjoy the ride. There are boundaries and yet within these boundaries you have the liberty to find the path that supports you the most. Don't try to control the situation - this is not the time for it. You are on a river which does not inform you of its destination. This trigram Water is enveloped/blocked by another trigram Mountain (lines 1, 2 and 6). Which means that if you keep a rigid attitude towards the current developments you will not be able to follow the currents with ease and comfort.

 

If you are able to relax, don't panic and accept the changes as the currently are you will do alright. There are opportunities and all you have to do is embrace them, let them come to you. This does not mean it will be easy. Every change comes with challenges. But if you realize that change is not necessarily bad you will make it much easier on yourself. This hexagram shows you have Fire to share with the world. And when you will make that visible you will not go by unnoticed.

 

The text of hexagram 35 says 康侯用錫馬蕃庶。晝日三接。 'Kang Hou is granted numerous horses. In one day he receives them three times.' This is a mark of excellence. Horses can be used to make progress, to win the war. Your excellence has you rewarded with the capability and assurance that you will progress. Don't doubt yourself nor the chances that you are given. If anything this situation has taught you it is that you have not changed even though the world is changing around you. Know your excellence and show it. Everything will benefit from it if you do that.

 

Congratulations on your daughter! She should be the only cause of sleepless nights.

Thank you for such a detailed response, and apologies for the lateness of my reply! 

I can see from the depth of your answer compared to the interpretation from my copy, that it really does seem shallow in comparison. You mentioned a few good translations, could you point me in the right direction? Also I would love to learn more about the I Ching, if you could recommend any supplementary material for a beginner I would be very interested  

I do have a tendency to end up in jobs that I'm not particularly interested in, and would love more than anything to find something I can be passionate about. I have landed myself in this position, but I feel like I am ready to dig myself out of this rut. I am looking to inherit some money in the next year or so and plan to put it to good use and attempt to set up my own little business or at least train in something I can sink my teeth in to.

At first when I was let go from my position I felt extremely angry about how the company could do something so heartless to a new father, I even penned a letter to the operations manager telling him exactly what I thought of him and the company. Instead of sending the letter right away I decided to reflect on it for a day or two, and getting the feelings out on paper seemed to cool me off a little bit and I decided not to send it. 

My mind is starting to uncloud a little and hopefully I can begin to see this as an opportunity, and not the end of the world shitstorm I first thought.    

Again thank you for your detailed insight into the situation! 

On 11/1/2017 at 11:42 AM, Apech said:

 

 

What's the job prospects like in your part of the UK?

Not too bad really, my only problem is that I never learned a trade after school, I was more interested in getting drunk and hanging out with friends, which I am now obviously paying for  so I get stuck doing quite generic jobs. Are you based in the UK also?

16 minutes ago, Apech said:

Sorry to hear about your work situation.  But congrats on your daughter

 

 

Hex 35 is like a sun rise so suggests some kind of opening up to new horizons.  I guess the higher influences means that somehow this will turn out positive for you - but at present you don't know how.   Keep faith.  best wishes.

Thank you for your kind words! Yes, this is the feeling I got from the hexagram also, it's just hard to believe in such negative seeming circumstances. I suppose every situation can be see from many points of view. Keeping faith is what I struggle with, as at times things can seem completely hopeless! 

3 minutes ago, Apech said:

Any moving lines?

Sorry, forgot to mention no changing lines! 

Hi All, 

I am looking for a bit of advice on my current situation- 

Me and my partner have recently been blessed with the arrival of our new daughter, and could not be happier! I took the standard 2 weeks paternity leave from work (UK), but then on my first day returning I was called into a meeting and told I was being let go from my position... The reasons stated were, 'we are trying to improve the company and feel you have too much of a laid back attitude towards standards'. I don't personally agree with the statement as I actually worked very hard at the company, but to be honest my department was a mess and new rules would be handed down weekly on how to correctly operate, and nothing was very clear. 

This left me feeling completely bewildered and lost. I'd had no prior warnings or disciplinary procedures brought against me. I had to ring my partner and break the news to her, and she was obviously devastated by the situation. Our life had been turned upside down in a matter of seconds! I think the employer is simply trying to save money and picked off an easy target as I've only been there 9 months. 

Strangely, earlier in the day I'd thought about consulting the I Ching regarding finding new employment, coincidence? Probably! But I thought what better time than now. The question I posed to the I Ching was, 'how should I handle my current employment situation?' And the hexagram I cast was #35- chin/progress.

In my translation (Brian Browne Walker) this seems like a very positive hexagram that marks the arrival of easy progress, growth, understanding and so on. I need to devote myself to higher things whilst distancing myself from inferior influences. Does anyone have any insight into what the higher things/inferior influences could be in this situation? I was not expecting to cast such a hexagram at this time, as I honestly feel completely lost in this situation, and am having a hard time dealing with the stress and worry it is causing. 

Anyone who can offer any insight into this situation, or thoughts and feelings on how to deal with this tough time I would love to hear from you!

Kind regards, 

David 

I just read a thread from a man who is seeking a better understanding of Hexagram 15. My understanding of the process is to ask the Oracle on how to approach the problem being faced. I don't believe that the Oracle will answer questons that begin with "what."

 

Synchronicity

 

Some years ago, a psychologist named Carl Young, took an interest in how the I Ching worked. His conclusion: Sychronicity, meaning coincidence.

 

I would like to take his conclusion a step further. I have read that the Oracle is within us. We are the Oracle. It could possibly be characterized as our Unconcious. Before consulting the I Ching, I believe that we are predisposed to the answer we are looking for. It is already there. It is innate. When the question is formulated, we let down our walls/defenses and become open to stored unconsious material that has been encoded over the years that we have been on this planet (please refer to my second post entitled The Way for an example of my spiritual dillemma).

 

Regarding jobs and hating them. Probably the best way to approach a feeling is to ask myself, what is it about the present job that I resent. Write it out in detail. Write until you can't write any more. Put it down, and come back to it the next day, and the next day. And then, formulate a question for the I Ching that is open ended...for example, how should I approach this problem or delimma. The answer given should point towards core values you already have within you...or the core values of the greater society.

 

I would pay attention to the commentaries made by Confucius who's philosophy encompassed Flial Piety and social harmony. To harmonize with others, I must know myself first and foremost.

 

JD

Hi Jim, 

It was myself who asked the question! Thank you in your interest in the topic and insight. The question I put forward was 'How can I find a job that I truly enjoy'. 

I don't see the I Ching as some sort of future telling device, where would be the fun in that?! More as a wise old friend who has been around the block a few times and has a bit of experience under their belt. I find your comments above quite interesting, theorizing that we already have the answers that we are looking for. You mentioned Carl Jung above and synchronicity, and as I'm sure you know it was Carl Jung who also coined the phrase 'collective unconscious', very crudely put a storehouse of information shared by members of a species gathered over time, like you mentioned above. 

Another person who I found had a very interesting theory on the I Ching was Terence McKenna, who theorized that the I Ching was formulated by the study of patterns and cycles that emerged in time. (I'll try and find a link because it's an interesting watch!)

Of course the Sage pointed me to a very simplistic answer- to be more modest in the situation and to abandon ego. I have interpreted this as to stop thinking I am better than the situation I am in. In all fairness I hadn't given the job a fair trial and was feeling very stressed because I felt I was in a little over my head, and that it didn't fit in with my image of an 'ideal' job for me. Maybe I have landed where I am because I'm going to pick up some useful skills that will help me in the future!? Who knows?

My main interest with your theory is how do you feel the I Ching works alongside synchronicity and the collective unconscious? By this I mean how does the link between the question being asked, the coins being thrown, and the hexagram being formulated come into being? I find all of this truly fascinating  

Here is the video I mentioned earlier, well worth a watch if you have time! 

Kind regards, 

David 

Hexagram 15 contains the trigrams of earth and mountain.

 

Trigrams are like elemental forces, and the elemental force of mountain is like a containment of something. It holds, and therefor has something to hold. The elemental force of earth is receptivity, emptiness, openness, acceptance.

 

With Mountain beneath Earth, it is somewhat like hiding a mountain beneath a plain. Beneath, there is a mountain, a strong force, but on the surface it is not seen. Above there is a vast expanse of flat nothing for as far as the eye can see. It is like having something but not being able to tell anyone about it. What one has is not obvious, and people will not treat you any differently for having it.

 

And thus the meaning of humility attributed to hexagram 15. When one is able to have, but not need to boast of it, and have even though people look at you and say you don't have, then one is able to be humble. In being humble, nothing can be taken away, for people cannot even see what you have. People may try to push you around, and you simply go along with it, for they cannot even see what is contained within you, and therefor cannot come to control that which supports you, and therefore cannot hurt you.

 

For your reading, it might indicate that you may find a job that you truly enjoy when you are able to be humble about your work. Perhaps it comes down to what you enjoy. If your terms for enjoyment are strict, it will be hard to find something to enjoy. If your conditions for enjoyment are low, then it will become easy to find enjoyment in anything.

 

This may not be quite what you wanted to hear from the yijing, but often the yijing reaches very deep and lets you know the very basic, most profound answers to your queries. In the end finding a job that is enjoyable depends more upon you and your ability to learn to enjoy things than upon what job it is.

Thank you for such a detailed answer. 

I had a feeling something like this might be the case. Although I believe my terms of enjoyment not to be too strict, I believe the easiest way around the issue would be to learn to enjoy whatever I am doing at the time instead of constantly fighting the situation and worrying. Perhaps I should settle down for a little while and see how things unfold? Easier said than done though I'm sure 

any changing lines?

Nope! No changing lines in this one. 

rare indeed to find a job one truly enjoys, but the bills come regardless

Very true my friend! Maybe I just need more patience and see what comes my way.

Hi all,

I am just looking to get some general advice on a recent I Ching reading. I have recently started a new job working in a kitchen, but I only started here to get away from an old job which I hated. I have worked in the kitchen about 2 weeks now but I can tell it is just not me really...

I asked the I Ching 'how can I find a job that I truly enjoy?', and came up with hexagram 15. Can anyone with a little more experience with readings offer a bit of insight as to how this relates to my current situation?

Thanks in advance!

David

Galloway,

 

It could possibly help to look into Ultimate Reality and Truth from a certain angle, which has helped me to accept myself and feel comfortable with who I am.

 

What I'm talking about is some of the more difficult questions that have to do with the very structure of reality.

 

(btw maybe you already have answers to these kinds of questions, but if you don't be open to the possibility that those answers CAN be found)

 

My journey has largely been one of asking and seeking answers to questions such as: "Is it true that everything is as it should be?", "How can that be the case if there's so much suffering and darkness?", "Does "evil" exist?", "If everything is as it should be, do we have free-will?"

 

For me, it's been very important to try to understand these kinds of things.

 

I feel that if people put in the effort, they can find the answers that are right for them.

 

Peace.

Hi Roger, 

I find this a very interesting angle to look at the issue from! I have often found myself asking these very same questions. Did you ever come to some sort of conclusion?

The way that I have come to see things is this- I believe that the cause of human suffering is the fact that we have become self aware, causing us to grow egos and become very greedy, never thinking we have enough and so on. I always make comparisons to other creatures such as spiders, in the way that a spider only does exactly what it needs to do at the time. When they are hungry they eat, otherwise they will remain perfectly still in the same spot for days on end! I highly doubt they are concerned with what the other spider across the hall thinks of them. They are driver completely by instinct and without worry.

But I do see human self awareness as a product of the natural world around us, and that egos developed in a time when food may have been hard to come by, but now we are stuck with these lingering feelings of scarcity in a time when scarcity is not so much of an issue. This causes us to run around thinking we still have to collect more and more of everything in order to be 'successful'. Humans success will also be its undoing, the pendulum has reached its apex and is now heading back the other way as we continue to multiply in numbers and drain natural resources.

So I believe everything is naturally as it should be and over the next 1000 years humans will die out or at least massively drop in numbers and the system will re-balance itself. Behavior that some people consider to be evil like hoarding billions of dollars and stripping resources is the byproduct of humans success over millions of years of evolution. 

In regards to free will, this is something I am unsure of. I think we may have fleeting moments of free will, but the body mostly regulates itself in regards to functions like beating your heart or growing your hair. Maybe it is these moments of free will that cause so much internal conflict between who we are and who we aspire to be? I would love to hear your thoughts on this

Regards, 

David 

Hi Galloway.

 

Well, this isn't necessarily a Taoist approach, although it certainly doesn't go against it in my opinion.

 

Let go of the guilt. Forgive yourself.

 

They say that guilt and shame, and the emotion-backed judgment of things as "bad", keeps us stuck in attachments.

 

I'm not meaning to imply that you, personally, feel guilt and shame about your habits, but many people do, and if you do, an effective way to overcome them is to forgive yourself.

 

Another thing is that, many people don't THINK they feel guilty, but that's because they've suppressed their guilt, they're just not consciously aware of it.

 

No one is guilty in my opinion. Everyone is doing their best and there are reasons people do what they do.

 

The verdict: NOT GUILTY!

Hi Roger, 

Thanks for the input! I really do think this is something I need to apply better in my everyday life, not just in this certain situation. I can be awfully hard on myself, and even though I don't show it on the surface I am usually disappointed with myself for one reason or another at least once during the course of a day. 

I think this stems from a mental image of how I desire to be vs who I actually am at the moment. I feel that I should be some super healthy, successful, intelligent person who always makes the right choices etc..  I have no idea where this mental image has come from (28 years of buying into societies ideals perhaps?), but it bugs the hell out of me. I'm not sure how I can just settle into being whatever I am in the present moment. I guess it can be a good thing to have goals, but not if those goals cause internal conflict. 

Oh life is all very confusing 

Why not incorporate cannabis into your regimen, if you have one. Make it scientific and ritualistic, compare how you progress with cannabis, and without, compare a cultivation session with and without, note the differences and similarities, gauge and adjust. IMO if you quit cannabis, you would just replace it with something else, usually a certain meditation or something else and the last thing we want is use our exercises to get high, so why not just keep using it medicinally, if not abused it's no different than taking lemon balm tincture or valerian root or fennel.

Hi Noonespecial, 

I must say that is quite an interesting idea! I am very new to any kinds of cultivation techniques, I have just literally just started looking into them earlier this week as suggested by RyanO. I am still getting my head around it to be perfectly honest. I think I should maybe practice for a little while to get a feel for things. Do you have much experience with cultivation? Or cannabis for use for that matter? I love hearing other peoples experiences

Have you read Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking? If you're already thinking about quitting, it should help you convince yourself to look at smoking a different way. It helped me a lot too. That's not to say I still had to put in the work afterwards, but I was for the most part, glad to stick to my decision through the process.

This is not a book I have head of! Is it in regards to smoking cigarettes or cannabis? I see the two as being very different, as I never smoke tobacco, only pure cannabis. How did you find the quitting process just out of interest? I want to get as much insight into kicking habits as possible  

Welcome! Hope you find a good company here. What do you want to learn? This forum is more like a coffee shop than a school.

I'm sure the company will be sterling   What I want to learn- I think I can sum this up by saying I want to learn to live skillfully and simply, whilst also discovering things about myself and the universe around me! Not much to ask ey? What about you Junko, what did you come here to learn? 

I'm sure a number of members have had similar experiences. A bit surprised nothing has been offered yet. I'd like to try, though don't expect too much. (I don't know if there's a 'Taoist' approach to it... though I'm sure others will correct me. I'll just go by experience.)

 

To answer your last question first: yes, I think 'self-improvement' is a trap. But this does not mean that one cannot change the way one lives. If you want to quit toking, you can. It will likely make you happier in the long run (I enjoy life a lot better without it, though if you'd told the 17-20 year old me that, he'd have laughed at you).

 

I'll start with some presumptions (mostly evident in your post): you live in the same country, probably the same area, that you did when you started toking; you're on good terms with at least one or two dealers; you have a number of friends who toke.

 

The first time my dog experienced snow, she went nuts. Out in the back, running around jumping in the air trying to catch it. She gets so excited in that little garden she can't be let out without supervision, regardless of snow. In my grandparents' old garden, she had a fixation on one particular tree. She'd run in a big loop, jump and try to catch the branch. To this day we have no idea why, but it was hard to get her to stop. Put her in any other garden, she'll be fine -- until she reacts to some stimulus or other, and develops another pattern. Easy to break a bad pattern if you catch it early, but not so much later.

 

Humans are the same. When I'm in my hometown, there are all sorts of stimuli that I'm both aware and unaware of, and that I am consciously and unconsciously reacting to. It puts me in a certain mood, a certain way of doing things, that is often not conducive to happiness. When I'm in Beijing, the same happens, though I react to an entirely different set of stimuli, and my behaviour changes dramatically. My friends from back home travel to Beijing to visit, and my behaviour becomes a mix of the two (can bring quite a bit of anxiety, actually).

 

I'm not saying that you have to emigrate and cut ties with all your friends (though it couldn't hurt to lose your dealers' numbers). That might be an answer, and it works for many, but it might be that you can start working to recognize and eliminate some of the stimuli that cause you to toke when you're at home. If you and your partner agree that it's becoming detrimental, or that you're getting bored of it, why not agree to stop completely? Find other things to pass the time with, make some new friends, change up your diet...

 

Apologies if I'm totally wrong about you. Hopefully more advice is forthcoming.

Thanks for the reply Dustybejing. To start with all of your assumptions are correct pretty much! One thing I will point out is that I am not looking to quit smoking completely at this moment in time, although I think this may change in the future as I start thinking about settling down more and starting a family. One of my favorite pass times is sitting down and watching films (my favorite is 2001 A Space Odyssey ), and this is when I like to have a smoke. Not because I need it to enjoy the film, but rather it makes me see it in a different way, usually being a lot more drawn in to the story. I suppose this situation is one of the stimuli that you mentioned. I have quite a small circle of friends that I am really happy with at the moment, and most of them do smoke. The person I buy cannabis from is also a lifelong friend that I would hate to lose touch with. I have started this weekend to test out the method of only smoking when friends come to visit, as more of a social activity rather than something that I depend on every weekend. I'm going to give this a fair trial and see if it makes any difference in how I feel, and then I will make any other adjustments. In reflecting on what I've said I can see how my use of cannabis has changed over the years, and perhaps it is slowly but surely naturally coming to the end of it's cycle

What I'm about to write is a stream of consciousness response because I'm procrastinating on work and is in no way a well thought out, formulated response which is my usual MO.  I am simply replying because I am interested in this topic.  Also, keep in mind this is general advice for habit change and not necessarily a response to your particular situation.

 

Here are some important factors:

 

1)  Intensity.  You have to want to change and you should have good reasons for doing so.  It can help to feel this desire as intensity, which is your "change" fuel.  It may be helpful to visualize (or actualize) a sun blazing in your solar plexus to feel intensity.

 

2)  Let Go and Smile.  When you are trying to let go of a habit, it may seem easy for a bit but when the habit strikes, you may give in unconsciously, which is why mindfulness is important.  Or, if you try to resist, you may feel tension somewhere in your body.  The trick is then to be able relax this tension and smile.  I find the Inner and Secret Smile meditations very helpful in this regard.  A quick Google should help you out if interested.

 

3)  Persistence.  This is perhaps the most important factor.  Most attempts at habit change will initially fail.  Those who succeed are the ones who persist over and over again even if it takes years and years.

 

This isn't necessarily from a Taoist perspective, but one could see it as an alchemical process involving #1 Fire and #2 Water and #3 Earth being the ground.  

 

I don't think self-improvement is a trap, though it certainly can be when it becomes an obsession.  Like many things in life, self-development vs self-acceptance is a balancing act which plays out in our paradoxical, dualistic reality.

 

Anyway, I'm back to work, hope this helps a little.  Good luck!

Hi RyanO, thanks for your input! I can definitely agree with the second and third points in your comment. When I do try to resist the calling of a habit I can usually feel some degree of tension in my body! I will be sure to check out the Inner and Secret Smile meditations. Do you have any experience using these techniques? I read a lot of places that these practices should mostly be learned from teachers instead of internet articles, but I don't believe I would be able to find a teacher anywhere in my area unfortunately  

And yes, persistence is something I feel I should become more aware and accepting of. Looking at the bigger cycle of things, whenever I mess up I always have the persistence to try again or look at the problem from a different angle. Instead I am usually focused on being mad at myself for making a mistake! A shift in focus will be a welcome change I think. 

i'm totally with you on the cannabis stuff. used it regularly for years, still use it from time to time to be honest, though it's negative effects are more strongly pronounced, to put it mildly.

 

i used it recreationally through university and continued to use it until i had somewhat of a breakdown and fell chronically ill. various factors at play and the cannabis didn't help. i continued to use it to support my health as it relieved various symptoms i was struggling with, but i was ultimately looking for a cure and the root cause the whole time. i've now found that through teachings, an understanding of energy/karma stuff, a powerful practice and am working through the issues, slowly but surely.

 

it sounds like you are naturally waking up. late 20s seems to be a significant time for us energetically, where we're fully maturing and coming into the heart energy. for reference i'm 30 and had my big breakthroughs at 29, through meeting a teacher, learning meditation and receiving dhamma transmission. makes perfect sense that you're feeling less like cannabis as it's constantly disturbing the heart/consciousness when you're on it. i find it overeggs the pudding, sends energy upward (when you want to be balanced/grounded) and it's effect linger around for days. it's far worse than alcohol in that sense, at least for infrequent use.

 

in terms of the meditation, discipline, crumbling, bad habits in general. you need a good reason. you need to feel the feel the effects at an energetic level or have some context (teaching) as to just might be going on here. better motivation i guess is what i'm saying. a taste of how things are when we're truly settled has been the strongest motiviation personally. a million times better than any intoxicated high and something to aspire to, without chasing too much (hard!). sounds like you naturally reached a better place having been away, seems to be a common thread when people go somewhere new or more natural for a while. there's the idea that whatever life is presenting us is our perfect lesson if we embrace it. the fact you're aware of any of this and having such introspective thoughts is significant in itself.

 

so good luck! and feel free to get me to expand on anything that could be helpful or interesting

Thanks for the reply Wilfred! I can certainly agree with the negative effects being more strongly pronounced than in my younger years. I often wake up the following morning after smoking feeling quite groggy! A sort of cannabis hangover? I think you could be right in saying I need better motivation- a taste of how things could be! I don't believe I have yet had a taste because my mind has been so clouded in my youth by things that are detrimental to clear-headedness. I would love to get some proper instruction from a teacher but at the moment I don't think this would really be possible because of money and location. So I suppose for now I will just keep on keeping on and see where I end up. I have a subtle sense of reassurance that things may be moving in the right direction because like you mentioned- my introspective thoughts on the matter, and my continued feeling of wanting to change the situation. It will be interesting to see how things progress from here!

hallo fellow Brit

Hi Wilfred, how's it going? Nice to see another Brit here! How do you find following a Taoist lifestyle fits in with life in the UK? One thing I have noticed is a huge lack of teachers on our tiny island. 

Thanks a lot Marblehead, I'll be sure to check out the rules and then dive on in

Hi all, 

I am looking to get a bit of advice on a topic that has had my head spinning in circles for some time now! - What would the Taoist approach to overcoming bad habits?

I have a number of habits that I consider to be 'bad', in the respect that they cause me some degree of internal conflict whenever I indulge in them. I have come to the conclusion that the main problem underlying all of these habits is my lack of willpower. I always find myself falling back into old routines. Here's an example- 

From the age of roughly 17 (I'm 28 now), I have smoked cannabis. When I was younger I used it heavily pretty much every day with friends. As I've grown older the usage has declined massively. I now only smoke at the weekends and don't generally touch it during the week. But recently I have started to feel as if I am just smoking for the sake of it, and that it sabotages my ability to get things done and just generally makes me lazy and eat too much etc..

I was discussing the issue with my partner to get her thoughts on it, and she feels the same way- that the enjoyment factor has started dropping away and we are just doing it because it's what we have done for so long in the past. So I came up with the idea of just smoking occasionally only when friends come and visit, say every 2-3 weeks, and that we wouldn't do it when we are alone.

We have recently returned from a holiday in India, so haven't touched anything in 2 and a half weeks, but now that I'm home I can feel the pull of the bad habit creeping back in. I always seem to crumble and then just end up mad at myself for giving in. 

Another example is meditation practice- something which I do thoroughly enjoy, but never manage to stick to for more than 3-4 weeks. These habits just go around in continuous cycles.

Is self improvement just some kind of mental trap? I'm not sure if I should just allow things to run their course and stop trying to improve/strive for these ideals that I dream up for myself. 

I look forward to hearing from you guys and getting your insight on this situation  

Kind regards. 

Hi, 

My name is David, currently living in the UK. I'm looking forward to getting to know you guys, and looking forward to picking up lots of useful bits of info whilst I float around the forum