Believe Nothing.
Entertain Possibilities.

Later on, you might even joke about how foolish it was to be so frightened. It was just a storm, after all, and it blew over as quickly as it came.  Any external jolts you have received lately are just wake-up calls from the big, existential alarm clock. It’s pointless to try to roll over and fall back to sleep, or to try to belittle the impact by pretending the shocks haven’t happened and trying to carry on with the status quo. The only way to deal with the turmoil is to look, with uncompromising honesty, at the fears that might have been provoked by the lightning and thunder. The Arousing is a time when everything is briefly illuminated with a brilliance that throws all into sharp focus. It is a time when you can learn a great deal about yourself, not to mention about those around you. But in order to reap the most benefit from the circumstances, you’ve got to keep your eyes wide open, stay alert, and avoid the temptation to run for cover. Only then, with the help of the increased clarity the situation affords you, are you able to face the reality head-on.
  
It might become obvious that much of what once provided a sense of stability in your life can no longer hold up to the stress of cataclysmic change. In retrospect you may see that cracks had begun to appear much earlier, but for one reason or another they were overlooked or ignored. The current shake-up, whether you like it or not, might be powerful enough to shatter whatever you’ve been depending on for support.
  
Shocking experiences are generally something we try to avoid. Nobody wants to deal with shattered illusions, and even less to deal with having to clean up the wreckage. But although such times of crisis might force us to recognize our weaknesses, they also bring to the surface strengths that we might not have known we had. To fight the manifestations of the crisis and the opportunities for change that they bring is to turn away from the tremendous opportunity for growth. To trust and let the situation unfold as it will can be exhilarating and ultimately revelatory. Imagine surfing the crest of an enormous tidal wave - surviving the experience is bound to be humbling and thrilling, all at once. Don’t miss the chance to take the ride of your life into a more vulnerable, awe-inspired, and sensitive experience of reality.

The present time is one that reveals truth as it really is in the moment, and this may be quite different from what you have believed was the case. Whatever is valid in the now remains, and anything else becomes increasingly hard to hold on to. This revelation is most often an internal one - it may seem to be prompted by outer circumstances, but in reality it is the inner being that has brought itself into realignment with the Tao, thereby momentarily enlightening you. By letting go of delusions and illusions you not only gain clarity but become lighter, less burdened by ideas and beliefs that are no longer relevant.

 
It requires inner fortitude to not succumb to the nagging voices of a freaked-out or unhappy mind. It’s a little like training a wild animal that keeps running off whenever you are inattentive even for a split second. You must continually bring back your thoughts to neutral ground, unbiased and uninvested in particular outcomes.

 
Transcending your own mental boundaries can feel like swimming naked and alone in a dark unfamiliar place. The mind tends to become fixed and inflexible, and it never likes to appear “untogether”. Trusting in the flowing nature of life, is perceived as the biggest threat because the mind often wrongfully interprets vulnerability as inadequacy. When existence is coaxing you to stretch beyond the limitations of habit, it is easy to feel exhausted or threatened. But the exhaustion comes from fighting against the change, not from the change itself. And defending yourself against a threat is all the more tiring if the threat exists mostly in your own imagination. Bending with changes needs alertness and an open mind.

 
Be aware of a tendency to make molehills into mountains so that you get to be heroic and clever while demonstrating the ability to leap tall trouble in a single bound. Don’t be misled in this way, lest you deprive yourself of the opportunity to reap the real benefits of facing the actual life challenges at hand. The only way to deal with the challenges you are facing is not through histrionics but with awareness, inner composure and integrity.

You might find yourself at the moment seemingly stuck somewhere in this process of learning. The understanding that you need in order to move on to the next step seems to be within reach, but somehow you are held back.

  
It is important to remember that understanding a thing intellectually is a good beginning, but it is not enough. When you are really put to the test, the only useful knowledge is what you have truly integrated into your bones and marrow. No amount of study can bring about true wisdom. And nothing exposes the gap between “book learning” and wisdom like a time of Youthful Folly.

  
The quality of the hexagram of Youthful Folly is intrinsically impatient - it wants everything now. It would like to be as clever and knowledgeable as others, and must try on many different hats before finding one that fits. It hungers for respect and finds it excruciating to have to wait for a green light so it can show off its power by gunning the engine and leaving rubber on the streets as it roars out of the intersection at top speed. But if you give in to such impulses, or if you try to bluff your way into or out of a situation without really being prepared for the consequences, you’ll end up simply exposing your immaturity.

  
A classic tale that describes Youthful Folly is that of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” where a young pupil is eager to try his hand at magic and avoid the drudgery of attending to his daily chores. He is a bright and observant student, so when he waves the sorcerer’s wand he succeeds in summoning magical helpers - but then he falls asleep, oblivious to the havoc he has unleashed. Eventually he is rescued by the sorcerer and admonished. His negligence has created a near disaster, but the experience proves to be priceless: the understanding that if you haven’t mastered yourself, your words and deeds have little credibility in a crisis, and can even bring danger to you and to others. Only through maintaining awareness and being mindful of the consequences of your actions can you live more consciously, responsibly, and in harmony with Tao.

Instead of seeing things that are naturally in opposition, such as light and dark, as simply two sides of one coin, we tend to place positive and negative values on them; hence we see sadness as a threat to happiness, death as the defeat of life and so on. The dualistic mind keeps us caught in a mental game of Ping-Pong, fearful and at cross-purposes with Nature, in denial of wholeness and continuity, and of the restorative cycle of death and rebirth that is rhythmic heartbeat of life.

   
Our bodies are in a constant cycle of death and regeneration at the cellular level, yet when we face this process in our daily lives, it can seem excruciating. Nature in her dispassionate wisdom does whatever is needed to continue her ongoing rhythm. Yet if it were up to us, we would cling to everything and everyone we ever loved, forever. Even though we learn that holding on is a source of pain, we desperately resist letting go.

  
When the “due date” on a product is past, we don’t hesitate to toss it out. But if it is a relationship, our health, or a job that is at issue, we experience shock, rage, or fearfulness at being caught lacking, naked, and vulnerable. Nothing is more distressing to the ego or threatening to the inner equilibrium than being exposed as weak or disadvantaged.

  
Under the circumstances, the only choice is to let nature run its course. Put all your energy toward facilitating the process. Be very firm with your self, avoid self-pity, and get ready to move on. Whatever is being put to rest now needs to be. Although things are deteriorating, you need not collapse with them; instead, appreciate the transformative power of this time. “Let go so that you may be restored” is the dynamic of SPLITTING APART. Withdraw now from any thoughts, situations, or people that are obstructing the process of letting go, and surrender to it.

  
If the time for splitting apart has arrived, it is unavoidable. By accepting and working with it, we naturally grow in maturity. As you recognize and integrate the fundamental reality of death and decay in your life, the spectrum becomes whole and you become wiser. This experience, however painful it may be right now, is an invitation to respect all of life’s colors, not just your favorites. When impermanence is accepted as an integral part of living, you are in tune with the Tao.

Dissolving any rigidity that has been in place for some time will require a lot of patience and tact. It makes little difference whether the symptoms lie within your own thinking, or have been generated by external circumstances. The effect is the same: you have become cut off from your own natural flow, and as a result disharmony has grown in your relationship to your work, your partner, or your own nature. Becoming aware that there are snags in the communication flow is the first step toward restoring that lost harmony. You must also have a sincere willingness to persevere toward reconciliation, however long it takes.

  
Be aware that the process of dissolving rigidity benefits from warmth - but not a blow torch! No matter how intolerable the situation may have become, applying too much pressure will have the opposite effect from what you desire and will only provoke defensiveness and resistance. Your first task is to back away from the tangle to gain some perspective on what it will take to untie the knots. If you find yourself in a pattern of reacting and placing blame, immediately pull the plug on it.

   
Returning to openness and trust means being strong enough to withdraw from anything that perpetuates the status quo. Indulging in temper tantrums and threats will only make things worse. Real strength is possible only when we trust that unity can be restored through gentleness. A sincere attempt to understand the other’s feelings - or your own, for that matter - can disperse all kinds of emotional logjams and melt the hardest heart. Once you have found your sincere intention and devotion to the task within, and can express it through a relaxed and sympathetic outer demeanor, it can be surprising how easily negative attitudes and behaviors melt away.

  
It is pointless to attempt reunification while any of the parties are still suffering from emotional chaos. It’s a little like trying to hit a bull’s-eye from the other side of a busy freeway - blindfolded. You could stand there forever shooting arrows and never even get close to the mark. But this is the kind of childish nonsense that the ego often proposes when it is scrambling to appear on top of the situation and save face. Forget the face, and allow yourself to simply be equal to the situation rather than on top of it.

     When a time of waiting is at hand, there is a need for inner work or personal practice that prepares you for birthing the new.  The single most important requirement is your willingness to step back from the desire to push forward.  It means suspending future plans and fantasies and consciously bringing yourself back again and again to the present moment.  In every transformation there must be time to build up inner strength, even though that timing might not fit with what you think should be happening.  The ripening that is occurring requires that you wait in trust, in spite of the fact there are no clear indications as to the timing of events.  There is a deep process at work within your own being that must be completed before the external events can shift.
     Life is not working against you now; in fact, it never works against any of us.  We are challenged in myriad ways throughout the whole of our lives to find a sincere “yes” to what life provides.  But this needs maturity, and maturity means being able to take a detached overview that is concerned not primarily with outcomes or goals but with understanding and awareness in the journey toward them.
     While you are waiting, keep your outlook positive and your body healthy.  Tend to the ordinary with extraordinary care.  By putting your focus on strengthening your sense of well-being, you will be cooling down and redirecting the energy of impatience and aggression toward more creative pursuits.  Remember that any obstacles you might encounter are not permanent conditions; rather, they are life’s way of steadying you and bringing you into a more centered state.
     In retrospect, you might find that much of the energy that you have spent in pushing for results, planning new tactics, and seeking solutions to problems has succeeded only in busying your head and bringing you back to “square one” - in other words, it has created more trouble, not less.  Stay on track by nurturing self-awareness and waiting patiently and with optimism for the tide to turn.  When it finally does, you will be more than ready to embrace the new.