Accomplishments
“The
situation has reached completion. You have achieved what you wanted.
Details remain to be worked out, but the essential features have been
achieved. It is perfectly all right to celebrate your
accomplishments. But now the next phase of your efforts must begin.”
Jack M.
Balkin (The Laws of Change: I Ching and the Philosophy of Life;
p.594)
We don't get a lot of
time to rest on our laurels, do we? Whether it's landing the job we
wanted, entering solidly into a relationship, or finishing a creative
project, we get to celebrate for about a minute, and then it's time
to move on. That's one of the laws of change. The I Ching puts such
things into elemental terms—for instance fire and water. These two
elements in combination can be used to great good, or to great harm.
Fire can boil water for making food, or tea; we can use them to wash
our clothes, heat our homes or run an engine. But fire and water are
also antagonists. Left unattended, these two elements can bring
tremendous destruction. Singly, or in combination, they must be carefully watched. The lesson from the I Ching is this: enjoy your successes,
but don't get distracted by them. There is always more work to do.
Life is meant to be
lived. Celebrated, yes, and at times, grieved. Most of all, it
requires our attention at every level. It is important to be on top
of things—to not allow ourselves to be diverted for too long either
by our successes or by our failures. We may have landed the job, cemented the relationship, or successfully finished the project, but
now the real work begins. We must tend them carefully if they are to
last and be a source of comfort and joy.
The same is true for our
spiritual life. If we do not pay attention to the things that inspire
us, we become dispirited. When we tend to our spiritual life, we feel
alive, connected, related. When we do not, we feel flat, and
disconnected from the flow of libido—life energy. We lose our
juiciness, our zest.
So, enjoy your
accomplishments. Celebrate your successes. Then put on your hat and
go to work. Chop wood, carry water. Be blessed.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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