Sixty-One

"To understand the universe, you must study and
understand these things:
First, the Oneness, the Tao, the Great Tai Chi;
Second, the Great Two, the forces of yin and yang;
Third, the Three Main Categories, expressed either as
Heaven, Earth, or Man, or as body, mind, and
spirit;
Fourth, the Four Forces, strong, weak, light, and
heavy;
Fifth, the Five Elements, symbolized by water, fire,
wood, metal, and earth;
Sixth, the Six Breaths--wind, cold, heat, moisture,
dryness, and inflammation--which transform the
climate and internal organs;
Seventh, the processes of change and recycling;
Eighth, the Eight Great Manifestations--Heaven,
Earth, Water, Fire, Thunder, Lake, Wind, and
Mountain--the combinations of which reveal the
subtle energetic truth of all situations, as taught in
the I Ching.

Understanding these things, you can employ them
internally to leave behind what is old and dead and
to embrace what is new and alive.
Once discovered, this process of internal alchemy
opens the mystical gate to spiritual immortality."

For a long time I have been working on leaving behind what is old and dead. Waiting for what's new and alive has been a correspondingly long process, but I'm glad I've made it this far.