Be still!

Xiao Chu is the dark silence of a calm soul, the place where wei wu wei originates. Here lives a natural responsibility to do what is right, trusting the path of non-action and the power of clinging to the truth. Being content with the small gains achieved. Modestly accepting the slow way in which nature works gives others the space to discover where their path lies, and their self-interest in following it. If there is doubt in oneself, it will be subconsciously perceived by others, inhibiting our having a good effect.
....This is the council offered me via the I Ching. It is the way of Tai Chi. Not the slow moving set of steps but what the steps represent. When my focus is on my practice (Tao and Zen) and not on the difficult life situations and world issues, Xiao Chu is where I stand. It is the centered Tai Chi stance. Knowing how to respond to any situation as the situation presents itself. Advance, retreat, stand still. Not being caught up in worry about things beyond the present moment - Because they do not exist. Only the present moment exists.
I am shocked, embarrassed, surprised, by my reaction over becoming unemployed last January. The experience was not a welcome one (Duh!) and it threw me off balance. So much so, I lost site of my practice, and became 25lbs over weight (which I cannot do w/ diabetes) and many other physical ailments resurfaced. On the day of the summer solstice, I began the path back to my center. I've lost 5lbs and I have a spark that I hope will ignite as a light to regain my way. But it takes some time to walk deeply into the woods and get lost, so it will take some skilled orienteering to find my way out.