The Gate of Spirit
Other Names: Love of Spirit, Innocence
Biology: liver
Archetypal Insight from the I Ching, by Ma Deva Padma; when this description resonates, a shift from novice expression to wisdom is likely imminent:
Innocence in an adult is not the same thing as gullibility or naïveté; rather, it is a quality that comes with maturity and arises out of a lifetime’s experience that trusting in the heart for guidance always proves to be the best way to deal with life’s ups and downs. Innocence is the ability to pay attention to the inner voice of intuition and to spontaneously respond to life unfolding in the now. An innocent person doesn’t attempt to be an all-knowing authority, and has no interest in carrying the weight of knowledge learned from other sources. He or she learns by living each moment to the fullest and is enthusiastic and inspired by even the most ordinary occurrences.
One who is innocent has the refreshing, childlike quality that emanates from unaffected simplicity, unconcerned by the need to prove anything. It is a wholesome quality, not childish or needy. It is to be content with being for the sake of simply being, complete in itself. Babies and very young children radiate this quality – everything is new to them, and they are continually fascinated and in wonder. They have not yet been programmed to have preferences, be fixated on ideals, or strive to achieve goals. And while it might be necessary to develop some armor to deal with the world, the problem is that by the time we have outgrown the need to protect ourselves we have lost touch with this innocent quality and don’t know how to go back and retrieve it.
Because of our training and education, the mind can be militantly forceful in trying to convince the innocent self that it is far too vulnerable to withstand the trials and tribulations of life. If you allow yourself to succumb to that belief, then it becomes necessary to strategize how to protect investments, elevate your status in relation to others, or make “improvements” to your persona. Plotting your moves through life based on these fears and investments of the ego denies you the ability to respond spontaneously to the new, and curbs your freedom to move without the burdens of past successes or failures.
If you find yourself rationalizing your behavior, trying to cover your tracks in order to save face, it is time to renew your acquaintance with your innocent self. Only by trusting life, being open and available to it, can you ever taste delight. And being delighted simply means joyfully experiencing the unexpected. Now is the time to approach each situation as it comes, and be responsive to even the most subtle influences not out of the need to manipulate but out of sheer vitality, enthusiasm, and sensitivity. If your innocence has been taken advantage of, the mature response is the resilient, bounce-back quality that is only ever strengthened by adversity. Mistakes made out of innocence are natural and are the building blocks of wisdom to come. There is no point in regretting mistakes; it will only feed the defensive armor of the ego.
Above all, remember that life is a moment-to-moment flowering, not some problem to be solved. When you live in the here and now, there is nothing to defend. Everywhere you look there is an opportunity for wonder; all that is required is that you look through the innocent eyes of a child.
The Changes (additional insight for applying the Line of an activated Gate)
Line 1 – Investigator/Information
Relaxing into the flowing quality of change will support your ability to respond spontaneously and with the right timing. You can trust in your heart to see you through times of change, and the heart is always on the side of the spontaneous and real.
Line 2 – Responder/Hermit
You are being given an opportunity to play a vital part in the now as it unfolds. Unburdened by motivations and plans for the future, you will feel light and spontaneous in whatever you participate in. This experience of deep connectedness to the whole is awe-inspiring.
Line 3 – Explorer
For many people, the idea of living spontaneously can be threatening to careful constructs that are designed to handle every problem that faces them from the cradle to the grave. The innocent person recognizes that it is natural to try to construct defenses against chaos and disorder, and it is just as natural that the scaffolding should collapse from time to time. Don’t allow yourself to be shaken from what you know to be true, and you just might learn from the experience how to construct a better scaffold.
Line 4 – Stabilizer
Human life has become a commodity that needs to be safeguarded against any possibility that the unexpected will happen. This attitude has been deeply conditioned into all of us by the collective mind. Remember that it has nothing to do with your basic, innocent nature. Don’t feel ashamed to be awkward or uncertain among people who seem to know what they are doing. The most important thing is that you stay close to your own truth and follow the dictates of your own heart.
Line 5 – Visionary Leader
Life is a gradual flowering that unfolds the unique potential of every being and unfailingly supports that uniqueness in realizing its divine nature. In the East, the realization of divine nature is called enlightenment. It is the return to innocence after a fall from grace; it is to be twice born- once as Gautama, then as Buddha, once as Jesus then as Christ. The return to innocence is the birthright of every human that has ever been and will ever be nurtured by life on this earth. Trust that this inner unfolding will take you through the present times, and let nature take its course.
Line 6 – Adept/Role Model
We can never be innocent when we’re comparing ourselves to others. The mind compares out of its need to always be occupied and be the king of the castle. It rationalizes that without proper tactics, it can’t win at the game of life. Better to do nothing right now than to lend any energy to a competitive or chaotic situation. There’s no advantage in allowing yourself to get caught up in a stampeding crowd, even if you could manage to stay on your feet and avoid getting trampled.
Other aspects
Astrological Sign: Pisces
Dynamics: Arousing (thunder) + Yang/Creative (heaven)
Color: red + white
Attributes: provoking movement, shock, impulsive, disturbing + authority, strength, power, inspiring
Action(s): to share and empower
Developmental: birth + transformation/death