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What if the universe's greatest support arrives not as a lightning strike of luck, but as a quiet, steady current of grace? And what if our greatest challenge during times of good fortune is not in receiving it, but in remaining open and humble enough to let it flow through us, without attachment or ego?
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This week, as Venus and Jupiter form a beautiful trine—the two "benefics" uniting in the most harmonious of aspects—we explore the ancient art of navigating good fortune. In a world obsessed with manifesting and controlling outcomes, the Hellenistic astrologers and wisdom traditions like the I Ching offer a more profound, and perhaps more difficult, path. They warn that we can become just as entangled in the "wheel of fortune" during times of plenty as we do in times of lack, losing the very soul-quality that invited the support in the first place.
"The ancient warning is clear: good fortune can intoxicate the soul just as easily as hardship can traumatize it. The test is not in the receiving, but in the holding. Can we taste the fruit of our labor without claiming the entire orchard as our own? Can we feel the support of the gods—the Venusian sense of being held, the Jupiterean expansion of hope—while whispering, like the Zen farmer, 'Good luck, bad luck, who knows?' This is the cultivation of a soul that is neither a beggar nor a tyrant in the face of fate."
In this talk, we delve into five key experiences of this Venus-Jupiter trine, from the gathering of resources to the appearance of silver linings. We also share three essential wisdom teachings—from Thomas Merton's Prayer of Unknowing, to a pivotal I Ching reading on success, to the timeless parable of the Zen farmer—that help us build a right relationship with the blessings in our lives, ensuring they nourish our character rather than inflate our persona.
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Transcript
Hey everyone. This is Adam Elenbaas from Nightlight Astrology [https://nightlightastrology.com/].
Today we're going to take a look at Venus and Jupiter getting together in a Trine. This is one of the most auspicious connections in astrology, the Trine being the great benefic aspect, and Venus and Jupiter being the two traditional benefics, we get a very auspicious and positive, lucky, kind of fortunate vibe from these two planets.
So we're going to take a look at why that's the case today. What you might notice in your experience and some wisdom to go along with it. Ancient astrologers actually had some warnings that they gave us about good, fortunate transits. I think that's really fascinating.
So I'm going to show you a little bit about what their insights. Share some of their insights with you, and hopefully that will be useful alongside of a little bit more of a deep dive into the aspect. All right, before we get into it, remember to like and subscribe.
Share your comments and reflections if you have them. It really helps our channel to grow. If you're watching and you're not yet subscribed, click that subscribe button. We're trying to get to 100,000 subscribers on the channel by next summer.
Big effort here on the channel. Anyway, you can find transcripts of any of these daily talks on the website, which is Nightlight astrology.com and we are in the midst of our Kickstarter campaign, and I'm going to tell you about that in just a second.
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Okay, on that note, let's turn our attention to the real time clock, where this very benefic Trine we're going to just show it for a second. By the way, I have to just briefly represent Door County, Wisconsin.
There's some Nightlight students, alumni who hooked me up with this wonderful te shirt at one of our meditation gatherings in Minneapolis. So shout out to you guys. You know who you are. Thank you for that. I'm repping it on the channel here. I'm grateful. Dead from Door County. Love it anyway.
So here's the real time clock, and we're looking at Venus and Jupiter getting together. Hilda's like benefics. My nap is my benefic Trine every single day. So you can see today, venus in scorpio coming through the Trine.
Now we're activating the Grand Water Trine we talked about that yesterday in the live stream that I did today. I just want to focus on Venus and Jupiter's combination. When these two planets get together again, we have the two benefics.
We have the most benefic aspect. Subjectively. Most people agree most benefic aspect is the Trine. Sextile is positive too, depending on the planet's conjunctions can be very positive. Squares and oppositions tend to be a little bit more tense, but when you put Venus and Jupiter together in a Trine, you do get one of the more subjectively benefic transits that astrologers talk about.
So that's why we're sort of hyping it up today. And I want to talk about how to kind of surf the waves of these good vibes, or the good luck that seems to come with this transit because there is an art to it, and it's not as straightforward as it might seem.
So that's what we're going to talk about today. Let me just say that this. Transit will be unfolding over the next couple of days. As we get into it, we're looking at a process of probably, I'm just making sure I've got this.
I give it as as Venus separates within three degrees between now and Friday certainly would have been feeling this at the start of the week as well, Friday, November 28 so yeah, keep that in mind.
Now, I've got a list of five things to watch for, but even more important than that, today I have some things I want to talk about with respect to you know, there's actually some advice that was given by ancient astrologers about dealing with positivity in the astrology.
And it's not, it's not as straightforward as you would think. So we're going to get to that in a minute. But here's the five things to watch for, and as always, these are in no particular order.
One of the best, subjectively best things about this transit is the way that resources tend to gather together. Venus and Jupiter both represent things that are supportive, subjectively supportive.
So when you experience a Venus transit, one of the ways you may notice it is that you feel more supported. Now here's the thing, it takes a little bit of selflessness, as this is that we don't always have or a little bit of humility to notice when we're being supported, because sometimes the tendency, and this is part of what the ancient astrologers warned us against.
Some of the tendency we might have is to think that any good fortune we're receiving is because of ourselves. In the ancient world, when things went right, it was far more common, although there's always been narcissism and egoism, it was far more important, and it was far more common for when things started going well.
And it could be very basic, like, yeah, things are going all right today that you would sort of say, Oh, the gods have my back. Or the gods are doing me a solid. Or my patron deity, Aphrodite, is raining her blessings on me today.
And it could be for no other reason than the day just doesn't have a lot of O's or Oh shits, you know, and that smoothness of the day you would attribute to the blessings of divinity.
Now I'm not suggesting that, you know, we walk around like in some kind of constant pious, you know, position. We're just dropping down onto our knees like, Thank you, you know, but that simple acknowledgement that when things are going well, it's because something is acting to support me, and that there are, whether you want to call them energies or deities or archetypes, some of it is obviously attributed to Our own karma, and hopefully some of our own.
You know, the accumulation of maybe some good karma through virtuous behavior, sure, but also just recognizing that when things pull together and have a way of supporting us, for the ancients, in a trine between Venus and Jupiter, that you would recognize, that you would say, Oh, look, there's some there's support coming from the Divine, coming from the gods and the goddesses.
So the first thing to watch for is a feeling of being supported, and that may come through a resources, emotional resources. When that's within ourselves, it's the hardest to notice, because we just think any positive feelings, thoughts, vibes that I'm experiencing within Well, I get the credit for all of those, and some of them we do, for sure, but we can also take a moment to say, hey, I have more resources, mentally, emotionally, energetically, than I usually do.
Thank you. Thank you for providing that. It makes all the difference in the world. Even if we're only thanking ourselves our higher self, what other whatever other guides we have, it makes a difference.
Gathering of resources can also mean that things are pooling together financially, or that people, helpful people, or connections are coming into our life. So keep all of that in mind. Now. Number two would be silver linings.
A silver lining is where something goes wrong, but then there's, there's, there's a silver lining in the midst of it, where you go, Okay? Well, that ended up turning out nicely, or that turned out unexpectedly Well, considering the circumstance that silver lining is very Venus Jupiter, when Venus is debilitated in a Mars ruled sign, Mars closing in through a whole sign square to Saturn, you know.
So if you're just simply experiencing that something that went wrong turned out okay, that that's pretty common when you have some, some, some of the there's some debility for one of the benefics, right?
Another way of thinking about a silver lining might be that something looks like it's bad, but it actually turns out to be good. So it's it. I love though. I love when those things happen. For example, I had a big problem with my car recently, and it it first I was like, Oh, my God, this, this is so inconvenient, and I just don't want to be dealing with right now.
So it felt really unfortunate. But then it turned. It very unexpectedly into something that ended up being really nice. So that kind of silver lining or unexpected turn for the better is also something that benefics can do you come together, and, you know, it's tempting to think, when they come together, something subjectively good, joyful, pleasing, exciting, supportive.
So just walk into my life, and it should be like fireworks and confetti and you know, but actually, one of the ways the benefics work quite frequently is to smooth things over, or to turn a rough path into an easier one, or to turn something that looks bad into something good.
That's also a very common way that benefics behave. So keep your eye out for that number three would be saved from the worst. Well, I guess I gave this one away. The silver lining would be like, there's something kind of difficult, but it has a silver lining.
This next one would be, you get into a, let's say, God forbid, you get into a car accident, and, you know, you walk away completely unscathed. That's what I'm talking about here. Where the benefics can be like something like really, actually difficult or bad happens, but it's almost miraculous how there ends up being no negative consequence.
You know, I'll never forget when my wife was driving one day, and this was years ago, and she got hit, and thank God it was in a residential area where the speed limit was really low because someone te boned her.
And you know how bad te getting a te getting te boned could be life threatening if they're going fast enough, but because she was in our neighborhood where everyone's going like under 20 miles an hour, she ended up being okay and the car, but the car was totaled.
It, you know, it was kind of an older vehicle anyway, but she had a benefic transit that year to her Venus from Jupiter that was very close to exact at that time. And I remember thinking, but that's a really interesting expression of a benefic where her car gets totaled, it provided her an opportunity to get a new car, which she'd been wanting to do for a while.
So there's that kind of silver lining, maybe, but also, like, she walked away completely unscathed. That's good luck. So kind of like saved from the worst motif or silver linings, they're sort of the same.
I guess number four good vibes. Sometimes we go looking for events or occurrences, or like winning the lottery, so to speak, like winning the cosmic Powerball. Understandably, we're like, what am I going to get?
But one of the things that's very common is just a period of time in which we're happy. I was watching a clip from Mr. Rogers on Instagram, and who knows nowadays if any of them are, if they're AI or what?
But anyway, it was Mr. Rogers, and he was saying, like, you can't be you're not going to be happy. Like, all of the time, you know, there's you're going to be happy, but then there's gonna, you know, no one can be happy all of the time.
So isn't it nice when we have a transit from the benefics and for a period of time we just feel good, we just have a more positive outlook. Things seem to be conspiring in our support or our favor, where the universe seems to be a good, safe place, where we trust it, even if it's only for a week before we start becoming cynical again.
It's easy to do so our good vibes. It's a vibe check time. What's the vibe? Now, this is part of a Grand Water Trine, so I don't know, Saturn in in Pisces could make this a little soupy, but good vibes.
Good Vibes just mean good feelings, flow, ease, enjoyment. Subjectively speaking, the benefics seriously ruled something as simple as enjoyment and ease. So if things just feel a little easier, if the vibes are good, if the vibes are high, here's a piece of advice.
These things come and go. So when you're in it, feel grateful for it, because that magnifies your ability to feel it when it's not as big and high. One of the things that I think people suffer from in I've just seen this in the astrological world in general, is we ride the high highs and the low lows with astrology, and we when things are good, we make the mistake of thinking they'll last forever.
When things are bad, we make the mistake of thinking that the last forever, and there's nothing constant but change. So when there are good times, it's really important to thank the universe for those good times, because that appreciating capacity that comes from our understanding that this isn't constant, that things change, actually enhances our ability to take pleasure or notice when small things fluctuate.
If you if you can feel grateful for the big fluctuations and appreciate the ups and downs of fortune in the big ways and stay a. Unattached and appreciative, kind of let them flow through you, you, you your ability to see, your sensitivity level, let's call it, increases, and you can feel things in smaller ways and appreciate smaller things in bigger ways.
That kind of sensitivity is the intimacy that we're trying to develop with our soul and with reality itself. That's the game. That's the end game, the deepening of that intimacy. This is why we have great mystics who have said, you know, there's really a star or a grain of sand on the beach is equally as blissful in the eyes of God, number five blessings, success, green lights, etc.
So the the best thing about the benefic subjectively speaking, in this world of karma is just the feeling of, like my angels got my back, I'm experiencing some success. The lights are all turning green, the cosmic Yes, the feeling of being supported, of being blessed, subjectively in our endeavors, our ambitions, our relationships, are within our desire, body things supporting the pathway of our desires leading us toward what we want.
All great. Now I want to share with you all get this. You know, all of this is wonderful, but let's talk a little bit about growth. How do we grow spiritually during good times?
Actually, ancient astrologers had a lot to say about this, not going to read you the quotes, but many ancient astrologers were Platonists, eventually, neoplatonists, hermeticists, Stoics, Pythagorean platonic philosophy inspired many of the early astrologers.
Orphism, the yogis, of course, in India, carry the weight of much of our philosophical tradition, although most of us haven't taken the time to study Vedic philosophy, it's very important that you do, because there's so many parallels between the philosophy of broadly speaking, yoga and Vedic philosophy and astrology, they share the same root system, philosophically and spiritually, within those systems, within the works of those practitioners that have been left behind, there are warnings.
We can get attached to good fortune as easily as bad fortune. We can get caught up in the cycles of fortune, the ups and downs, to the detriment of our soul's journey. That doesn't mean that you should shun good things, pretend like you don't enjoy them, try to hover above the world and not actually have a human experience.
But there are some very specific there are some wisdom that's been shared with us about how to handle the ebbs and flows of fortune, good or bad, and some specific advice that says it's actually hardest for human beings to keep this perspective up when times are good, when times are good, it's the easiest to like, get like, if you're if you think of yourself like on a journey, you know, and you've got, you've got a little carriage, you're pulling your material weight, and you've got horses, and you're going along.
And, you know, if you lose all focus, let's just say that the horses may lose focus. I don't know how it works to drive a carriage, but let's say that that was the case. Then the point is that it's easy during bad times to lose focus, because, you know, you're stressed out, you're anxious, you're scared, you're traumatized, you're suffering, but it's actually also it's like getting drunk.
When good times come, you're just as likely to start turning into a distracted elf. I don't know where I'm going. Who cares? It's all good, you know. And so then, you know, you can, you can also lose the right amount of tension to keep holding on the reins.
And if I don't know if this analogy works, maybe the analogy breaks down, but make up your own. If you get, you get if you understand the basic idea. I want to share with you three of my favorite wisdom, pieces of wisdom that have really helped me work my relationship with good times.
First of all, I also can appreciate that. Remember, you may have a Pluto transit going on in your chart right now, and you're like, good times, screw you jerk, you know. So I get there's only so much we can, we can.
We can only focus on the mundane transits here. But first one I want to share with you is the Thomas Merton prayer. Now, you don't have to be a Christian. You don't have to be you don't really have to be anything.
In my mind, to take something for this, if you talk to the universe, view of a different name for God, if you talk to Goddess, if you talk to higher self, whatever. I think that this prayer can apply to whatever languaging makes sense in your relationship with the divine.
So this is a prayer of unknowing by Thomas Merton, and it was actually one of my first astrology teachers, who also was an Episcopal priest who told me about this prayer, and it has become a. It like it, I swear to God, it's on the walls like posters in the teenage walls of my inner sanctuary.
Okay, anyhow, here's the prayer. It's called the prayer of unknowing, and I'm going to comment on it as I go, My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end. That's so beautiful. What I love about this is just that if you if, no matter if we're in the midst of good times or bad times, if we zoom out, given how mysterious our existences, the existence of being itself, the mystery of why we're here and where we're going.
When good fortune comes in, I have found that it can be really helpful to go because when good fortune comes in, the temptation is that you're like, Yeah, I know exactly where I'm going. Everything's going in the right direction.
Everything's going well, everything's going but sometimes just pausing, you can two things can be true. I'm in receipt of some good fortune. Things are supporting me, and Dear God, I really have no clue where I'm going.
I don't know where the road is leading me. I don't know for certain where it will end. Keeping that perspective allows the good fortune to bless us, but flow through us rather than getting attached, because good fortune can, even the ancient said this, good fortune can get us caught in that wheel he goes on.
Nor do I really know myself. And the fact that I think I'm following you does not mean that I'm actually doing so how beautiful is that I I don't really know myself. I don't I think I'm following you, but I don't for sure know that I am.
So this humility can just bring us back to the present moment. And two things can be true. We can be like, Thank you for these blessings, and like I don't, I don't. I'm still trying to figure out, like, who I am and why I'm here, and I think I'm following divine guidance.
I think I'm following spirit. I think I'm following the call, or whatever we call, whatever words we give to it, but I don't know for sure that I am. I'm doing my best right? See how these things allow us to stay so present and not get high or certain, which is the temptation that comes along with good fortune.
Now he goes on, but I believe that the desire to please you does, in fact, please you. So let's say you're talking to your higher self. Let's say the word God doesn't work for you, just you and higher self.
I believe that the desire to please my higher self, regardless of how well I'm performing at doing it, or if I'm in alignment or not, just the fact that I have that desire I do trust is good enough.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you'll lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it, it's like just, if I can just stay whatever good fortune comes, whatever bad fortune comes, if I can just stay in that sweet spot where I go, how can I be the best version of myself?
How can I be pleasing to the divine intelligence and the divine love of the universe. How can I be a part of that? That's what I take to mean by pleasing. How can I make my higher self proud? How can I make my higher self happy?
How can I participate in the vibrations of love in this universe? All I have to do is keep desiring to want to do that, and I trust that the rest will take care of itself, and then I'll be led in the right direction.
But I'm not going to pretend that I know exactly what that is, or that I'm doing it correctly. And isn't it tempting when things are going well to think, Well, I must be doing it correctly, because I'm getting good things.
Therefore, I'll always trust you, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear. You're ever with me. You'll never leave me to face my perils alone. Hello, it's a simple prayer.
It's a Christian prayer from a great contemplative but you know someone who had the friendship of people like Thich Nhat Hanh and others. He was recognized as a luminary among world religions, and was open and sensitive to religious diversity, so I keep him on my shelf, so to speak.
All right, well, I want to tell you about another thing I had, something really, really fortunate happened to me some time ago, and I was sort of in awe, because there was, there was no like, there were, you know, sometimes good things happen and you go, Oh, good.
I've been putting in a lot of work, and now I'm seeing the results, or something like that. But then there was a time where good things happened, and I realized I was like, like, it didn't feel. Feel like anything I deserved.
It felt like kind of like radical good fortune, you know. So I did an eating reading, and I said, Why is this happening? And, you know, how should I take it? Because it's sometimes when good things happen to you.
It's almost like you're you. You think the rug is going to get pulled out from underneath you or something, because you're not used to it. So anyway, I did this I Ching reading. This is just from my personal notes.
The hexagram, in case you're wondering, was hexagram 61 which is called faith within. It's a very beautiful Oracle reading from the I Ching. But I'm going to share one line with you that was changing the second line.
The second line of that hexagram reads, reads, a crane is crooning in the shade. Its chicks answer the call. I have a vessel of good wine. I will share it with you so we can drink to intoxication.
I am with you, diffused everywhere. Now I'm going to read you benefel Wen's translation, which I didn't have at the time, but here it is, the second line suggests a certain affinity between the Oracle and you, the greatest and most noble among us, lead like a nurturing mother.
You're not one who seeks glory, attention or the spotlight. As you croon from the shade, all will answer the call, because truth is spoken by a great spiritual leader has a way of resonating. You do not need to be seen to be heard.
That is how you know the Divine is present. When you are wallowing in your darkest moment, call out and the divine will answer you. Do not need to see me to hear me. When the call of the crane is principled and the answer from the chicks will echo the principled call you are to be a spiritual inspiration to others, just as the Oracle serves as a spiritual inspiration to you.
The second line echoes the sighting of Zao zu earlier, zaou earlier in the first line, when your heart is open to truth, and you are not speaking for the sake of ego or attention, but speaking for the sake of truth, others will join and follow you on the virtuous path.
So this is, this is a reading that came up for me in the early stage of my career, when I had more success than I was anticipating in some of the earliest endeavors that I had. And it it was a moment of good fortune for me that I was really, I was truly perplexed by I was like this.
I wasn't expecting this big of a turnout for an event, for example, and some other things that happened. And although that line talks about, you know, the kind of the right way to be successful, that what I had really taken away from it, which is a beautiful and historic part of this line, is that like when you're just when you're when you're privately in your heart, working at things that you care about, that you're ambitious about, but that you're not pushing For with, you know, like you're not jonesing for success, you're just quietly working at things that you love with a lot of heart and dedication.
There's a way that success will will come specifically because in the way you were working towards something, there wasn't too too much ambition. However, what's beautiful about this text and many other texts in the I Ching is it also in the rest of that hexagram also provides some advice, which is, now that you're in receipt of a certain degree of success, don't lose the principle that was connected to it, which is a lack of ambition.
So this in throughout the entire each Ching, the message is the same one of the message I got then was, you were, you're having a degree of success earlier in your career. That happened a little bit quicker than you were anticipating.
But it's because you were, you were working diligently, you know, kind of behind the scenes, with ambition, but not like crazy, ridiculous ambition. That was more about success than the pride you were taking in the work itself.
There's a secret to success there. That means that you're not connected or attached to the outcome of the success, but more the process. This is a teaching that recurs in so many of the ancient texts around fortune, the ebbs and flows of fortune, good karma and bad karma, which is to say, when good things come, when, when they come, let them pass through, acknowledge them.
Say, wow, thank you for that. That was I feel really fortunate and blessed. Recognize that a lot of the times success is connected to a very heartfelt way in which you were working at something and reaping the benefits of that heart, heartfelt dedication to something.
But that doesn't mean that the success is now an excuse to suddenly get a big ego about it. No, keep in the exact same spirit. Keep working quietly with diligence and heart. Keep walking your talk.
Keep and the success, in a sense, comes to in one way, the way that fortune works is success comes in proportion to humility. It sounds crazy, because it's not as simple as saying, be humble and you'll get something.
It's more like when you lose, complete, when you when you, when you, when you almost like, just lose touch of, what am I going to get out of this? And you're just wrapped up in the process of doing something you love, the outcome tends to be better than you expected.
It's just, it's almost like the physics of desire or something. But when that success comes, the point of the hexagram and so many other hexagrams in the I Ching is Be thankful for it. You don't, you don't act like you're above it.
That wouldn't be genuine or sincere. There's been some part of you that's been working toward this, and you have to. So you have to acknowledge and say thank you and enjoy and taste the fruit of your labor or success.
But do it so gently, so briefly, let it continue to pass through you, and keep you know, kind of keep your head down and keep doing the good work. Keep staying in the same process that brought the success without attachment to outcome and good fortune continues to flow through you.
And the I Ching says that that's how gradually the success being given to you is then distributed more graciously to other people, that when someone really realizes that whatever success they're in receipt of is is not about them, right, then there's more of a likelihood that the success that they're coming in to contact with will be generously shared and distributed, whether it's in wisdom or money or resources or opportunities or, you know, that's sort of the principle of of benefic at work is that it's, it's freely distributed where, where there are open, humble hearts to receive it.
That's where it's magnified and spread around in the best way. All right, so, a beautiful teaching, and also a teaching that really emphasizes, like, if you want an outcome, if you're working hard and you keep thinking, I want this outcome, trust this line is saying, like, there's this, there's this bird, kind of crooning in the shade, like in the quiet, in the private where no one can see it.
It's like, I really want to be successful at this. I'm really studying astrology. Like, I really want to have a practice. I really want to become an become an astrologer. I want to leave my day job. This line says the Oracle can hear you, God, can hear you crooning in the quiet, deep in your heart, hoping that something turns out in a certain way.
Keep working and keep staying. Like, don't let the desire get loud and big and cloud the good, sweet work you're doing in the private focus on that and know that those little desires, the quieter you keep them, the less you allow them to get big and dominant, the actually louder that those voices become to the Divine, to the Oracle, and the louder the answer and response comes in the blessings of good fortune.
It's a beautiful teaching, really. All right. Number three, this is one of my favorite all time stories. Everyone knows the story, but it's worth repeating. This is sort of Buddhist story of good fortune, as I've heard it explained.
Are we living in good times? Are we living in bad times? And you know, it by and large, the astrological community online will tell us that we're living in the most turbulent crisis of all time.
It's always apocalyptic. It's always leaps in consciousness. It's always, you know, transitions and major shifts in the collective a lot of sensationalism. Well, this question, are we living in good or bad times?
Is similar to a question of how to handle Is this good or bad fortune, really. This is an important perspective to keep even Vettius, Valens, Firmicus Maternus, ancient astrologers in their textbooks wrote about this perspective.
When we stop trying to coerce life to get what we want, we naturally experience a greater sense of fluidity and ease no matter what happens, just like the Zen farmer. There once was an old Zen farmer.
Every day the farmer used his horse to help work his fields and keep his farm healthy. But one day, the horse ran away. All the villagers came by and said, We're so sorry to hear this. This is such bad luck.
But the farmer responded, bad luck. Good luck. Who knows? Notice the Thomas Merton prayer. I don't know. I don't know what's right. I don't know where I am. I don't know where I'm going. See how that keeps us close to something.
It puts us in the center of the wheel of fortune, as opposed to riding it. The farmer responded, bad luck. Good luck. Who knows? The villagers were confused, but decided to ignore him. A few weeks went by, and then one afternoon, while the farmer was working outside, he looked up and saw his horse running toward him.
The horse was not alone. The horse was returning to him with a whole herd of horses. So now the farmer had 10 horses to help work his fields. All the villagers came by to congratulate the farmer and said, Wow, this is such good luck.
The farmer responded, good luck, bad luck. Who knows? God, I don't know where I am. I don't know where I'm going. And you know, how important is it, especially when something looks really good, to be like, okay, cool.
Thank you. And gonna keep working in the shade. I'm gonna keep working quietly, wholeheartedly, without attachment to outcomes. Thank you. That's great. But good luck. Bad luck. I don't know. A few weeks later, the farmer's son came to visit and help his father work on the farm while trying to tame one of the horses.
The farmer's son fell and broke his leg. The villagers came by to commiserate and said, How awful. This is. Such bad luck. It's like Instagram astrology. That was a low blow. Come on. Just as he did the first time, the farmer responded, bad luck.
Good luck. Who knows? A month later, the farmer's son was still recovering. He wasn't able to walk or do any manual labor to help his son around the farm, a regiment of army came marching through town, conscripting every able bodied young man to join them.
When the regiment came to the farmer's house and saw the young boy's broken leg, they marched past and left him where he lay. Of course, all the villagers came by and said, amazing. This is such good luck.
You're so fortunate. And you know what the farmer said? Good luck, bad luck. Who knows this is, in short, the warning that ancient astrologers gave us. Good fortune comes to those who work with as little attachment to outcome as possible, and even then, when it comes don't be tempted to try to own it, claim it, take it or let the ego come back.
Just let it flow right through. Thank you. Wow, that's amazing. Thank you. Let it flow through. Good fortune, is it? I don't know. Thank I'm thankful. I'm not going to turn my nose up at something that is pleasing or helpful.
But in the grand scheme of things, do I know why this is happening? Do I know where I am? Do I know where I'm going? Do I know exactly why I'm here? Do I know exactly why this is happening? Do I know what will come next?
I don't. So I'm going to let this flow through. All right, little cosmic going to church, hmm? So on that note, hey, don't forget silent Sundays. This Sunday, come meditate with us. Come sit in silence.
After we're done, we have a little time to share reflections and insights from our quiet sit together and then remember, we're in the midst of starter season. We need 2043 backers by New Year's Eve.
Please help us get there. Pitch in. Contribute every dollar amount helps a ton of really good rewards. I'm going to tell you about them next. Bye.





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