Posts Tagged ‘Iching’
Hexagram Twenty One
Shih H (Pro: Shrrr Her; but with the ‘r’ of the ‘Her’ not pronounced) – Grinding
With effort and feeling we chew over a problem, and succeed. This takes exertion, but the outcome is of great value.
Such ‘chewing over’ can also refer to the process of creative rumination, out of which arises something worthwhile.
It is the season for legal matters to be undertaken. The resisting and the yielding the defender and the accuser are separated, and between them the issue can be made palatable through the firm clarity of the law.
Even though the outcome may not be
to ones advantage, difficulty will be short lived. Do not assume your own wisdom in judgements at this time.
When two sticks are rubbed together vigorously fire is evoked. Although the result is warming and useful, the method of arriving at comfort is strenuous and even uncomfortable. During the effort, remember the warmth to follow.
Sometimes the thing we ‘chew over’ is an aspect of our own personality which is pressing for re-appraisal. It must therefore be experienced again, tasted once more, in order to evaluate and arrive at a new understanding and integration. In meeting the difficulties we meet ourselves in a transforming way.
Key words: Chewing over this matter may take strong motivation. Persevere as the rewards are of value.
The Moving Lines
1.If there is constraint at the moment, it would be wise to consider the actions which created the situation. Do so without placing the blame on others. Firmness is required.
2.Perhaps someone has been bitten off more than can be chewed in relation to you. An element of greed may have entered. No great problem will arise.
3.An unseen problem suddenly arises from past issues. Like poison in old meat, it attacks us after we have partaken. Fortunately the difficulty and humiliation will not last long.
4.In chewing over the situation, more problems are found in it than were previously realised. Perhaps there is enmity from powerful people you have to deal with. Persevere with awareness. Good fortune.
5.Some dangerous problems can be valuable as long as we are aware of the dangers. By remaining completely impartial in this judgement there can be a resolution.
6. Too many small errors – or crimes – have been committed. They accumulate to the point of bringing grief and misfortune. Perhaps a deaf ear was turned to warnings?
Hexagram Twenty Two
P’i (Pro: Bee) – Symmetry
The fire at the foot of the mountain cannot be seen far off. Rowing the boat against the tide, one can make progress, but success comes slowly.
It is not that events are against the enquiry. Rather it is like a candle in a basket. Only a little light escapes. Therefore it is wise to work at small advances.
Becoming aware of the pattern of events is wisdom in the present season. Sew seeds in the spring, rest in the winter. Try to move with the needs of the time.
Observe the customs of seniors and defer radical action. Beauty and vision reside within, but are not yet widely known in the world. Opportunity will arise.
A certain amount of change is involved here, mostly in regard to how we see things. There is a brightness of attention in connection with some aspect of self or life that has never been so clearly seen before.
Meanwhile bring some refinement and skill to the situation. Be aware of the importance of presentation and small matters such as appearance.
Key words: Do not lose yourself in the IDEA of beauty. Nevertheless, let your light shine.
The Moving Lines.
1.Don’t let the favours offered you by others deflect you from your own best direction. Make you own way to your goal.
2.Don’t try to gild the lily. When meeting people, it is your quality as a person which will be remembered, not the trim of your beard or eyelashes.
3.Resplendent and sociable, the gaze of all are attracted. This is the path leading to success with no interventions if there is no loss of purpose.
4.Shining like snow to attract attention. Is it beauty or simplicity you follow? All things pass away except the truth that transcends time and change.
5.Despite appearance not being at its best, no harm comes. It is not appearance but what you are that counts in being accepted. Good fortune follows.
6. Implicit quality makes all connected with it share its grace. We do not need to ornament a rose. This has power to fulfil what is expected.
Hexagram Twenty Three
Po (Pro: Por; but with the final ‘r’ not pronounced) – Shedding
The enthusiasm of growth is missing. It is a time of shedding and losing. Let things fall, like the leaves in Autumn. Do not be afraid of letting go activity in this issue.
People and events prevail against our efforts through inertia. It is not productive to actively seek goals or start projects. Neither seek dependence upon others, for it is a time of people falling away and few can be trusted to lean upon.
If there is to be activity, let it be that of shedding what is no longer necessary, of dropping activities only habit keeps alive. Rely only on what can sustain itself through the period of stripping away.
The dark prevails, the lesser dominate the greater. Even those close may depart and be lost. Who or what is to be trusted? Only that which remains when all else falls away, just as the laws of nature survive the events they produce.
Even so there is a great power of abiding and receptivity evident. Perhaps this receptive longing is threatening. But it has the power to attract new life and change. This waiting receptiveness may feel like idleness, or loss of power, and cause one to be a prey to fearful urges.
The seasons roll, abide until change brings new opportunity. Share goodwill.
Key words: The inert and receptive prevail without enough motivation to make change. Abide until new life is attracted by the feminine quality.
The Moving Lines.
1.To realise we cannot rely on what had seemed trustworthy may be painful, but it is necessary. Continue the search for steadfastness.
2.Those we thought were friends have gone. Is there anyone to trust? The uncovering proceeds. Meet the growing pains of independence.
3.To stand outside all one relied upon for support and expression is to feel naked and alone. Nevertheless it breeds great strength. Look beyond fears and doubts to wisdom of spirit.
4.To depart from or lose all that was known and offered security is nakedness. Such an awful misfortune comes to all at some time. This is the darkest hour, now move to the dawn.
5.The tide has turned for you, moving from darkness and loss. The receptive blossom now enlivens as the pollinator draws near.
6. The rose does not produce seeds from the pollen of an oak tree. If ones receptiveness was toward what brings life, then a new beginning starts. The unfertilised seed pod dies.
Hexagram Twenty Four
Fu (Pro: Foo) – Renewal
New beginnings. Seeds germinate. A time to wait upon the processes of inner growth.
A new cycle begins successfully. At this conception of something new, it is the time to meet friends, old and new; to let the movement of events bring change. It would be unwise to be too active in promoting growth. This would be like digging the seed up just as it begins its development – of being too active when strength is returning after illness.
As this period of growth is in force, it is beneficial to begin projects. Some directions for new activity may become evident with a little observation. This is because what was hidden now takes form in the world and its events.
A period of darkness, like winter and its decline have passed. Now begins the power of increase and regeneration. But as with the winter solstice, there should be a period of rest, to allow the transformation of the old into the new to take place without too much interference.
Now that an old cycle has ended and a new beginning, much that occurred in the past can be understood. Like the seasons, you have been here before, and will pass this way again.
Key Words: New beginnings emerging from the old. Quiet support is sufficient to allow the new to take form.
The Moving Lines.
1.Returning to the beginning, or the main direction, is valuable if you have strayed. Re-establishing connections brings great good fortune.
2.Renewing connections with those who are supportive and honourable is allied with good fortune. You will find welcome, and should express kindness and help.
3.To break connections with what is honourable. and then re-establish them so many times suggests uncertainty, but is not blameworthy.
4.Finding ourselves in company of others who are taking a path unwise for us, we see our established and tried friendships have more to offer. Best to leave and take ones own direction alone.
5.If you can analyse the situation now and honestly admit the mistake, no harm can come. Return with this clarity and there is no regret.
6. Somehow you missed the signal and lost the moment of opportunity. Now problems arise touching yourself and many others. This is serious misfortune and much time will have to pass to move beyond it.
Hexagram Twenty Five
Wu Wang (Pro: Woo Wung: rhymes with ‘Flung’) – Unsought Kindling
From a sense of unity the power of creative word and deed touches you. Persisting in the way that accords with the situation will bring reward.
Move with and uphold what is occurring naturally from within. Like waiting for a wave moving toward the shore, if we catch its movement and ride it, we can make exceptional progress. The progress is one of expressing in action a harmonious creative impulse. The impulse in accord with the best in yourself and others.
It is important not to grasp this advantage too greedily, but to allow others to profit also. Be sure of your motives, for you may lose the advantage.
Opposing the impulse arising from the harmony of things leads to obstacles. It is not of advantage to have a purely personal direction or goal. This would be working against the prevailing influences.
Do not try to alter the course of things, especially not for your own benefit. When such powerful forces are at work, they must be handled with respect.
As it is the unexpected and spontaneous you are dealing with, it is wise not to have any fixed goal in mind. Like a gardener in Spring, aid the growth flourishing naturally.
Key words: An impulse from beyond purely personal welfare arises. Let it flow through into action.
The Moving Lines.
1.Acting from beyond purely personal motives and remaining without deceit now leads to good fortune. What you aim for can be achieved.
2.Labour as an expression of yourself, not for gain only. Work to achieve quality today, not for an imagined fortune beyond the horizon. Then success will come.
3.It is not an advantage to profit by someone else’s loss. The loss may in fact be our own. Beware of leaving what is valuable unattended.
4.Being persistent with integrity will bring the gain sought. Use what arises spontaneously to move toward ones goal.
5.Whether this ill is to the body or in ones endeavours, avoid using untried remedies to cure it. If it arises through no personal fault the healing will be from within.
6. Even an unexpected change should be avoided. Be patient on this issue and let weeks pass. A time for being and not doing.
Hexagram Twenty Six
Ta Ch’u (Pro: Da Choo) – Revitalising Restraint
Richness of possibilities confronts you. As the sun rises warmth pours out if there is a clear sky. There are no clouds now and there can be replenishment. Open to this inflow of warming enrichment.
The enrichment comes from great personal discipline, or perhaps the discipline of circumstance. The discipline has enabled both a receptivity of mind as well as the ability to tune the receptivity to the enormous potential of the hidden aspect of the human spirit. Wisdom and healing arise.
This has led to a great degree of self containment or self reliance, or what some may judge as restraint. It expresses as the ability to remain steadfast and in contact with ones own inner power despite the adversities and changes of life. Like a mountain with gold in its depths, you exist unmoving within change, with treasure within.
The treasures of the spirit and culture discovered enable the possibility of successfully undertaking difficult projects or tasks. Take the opportunity to extend into the world. This opens the possibility of good fortune and allows a meeting with the new.
Be nourished by what has been found, and nourishing with friends. Spend time with them in relaxed surrounding. Share some of your inner and worldly wealth. The mountain, however self sustained, needs to allow trees, animals and people to live on its slopes.
Key words: Being still like the mountain allows self renewal. But streams can flow into the world and bring changes from the heart of the crags.
The Moving Lines.
1.Stop now! Although there is great energy to do so, misfortune follows an attempt to advance. Wait.
2.Circumstances beyond your control call a halt to any progress. Recognise the situation and wait until there is a change which favours further advance. This conserves power.
3.Advance is now favoured and possible. Be aware of what forces are in opposition, and through awareness avoid them. Practice the skills necessary to deal with such problems, and keep the goal in mind.
4.Recognise future problems and deal with them now. This is like preventing the growth of a young bulls horns. Better now than later. Then advance is easy and success assured.
5.To have a gelded boars tusk is to have power over something that could have attacked you. The power comes from understanding the beast. This leads to unexpected good fortune.
6. Being in accord with the scheme of things removes all obstacles. Great is your advance and support given.
Hexagram Twenty Seven
I (Pro: Yee) – Hunger Satisfied
Each relate to their needs in different ways. Some push violently from their hunger and some seek with care. Be aware of what is hungered for, and in what way hungers are satisfied. What needs drive one into what relationships? This knowledge brings wisdom.
By observing how needs are satisfied, and who satisfies them, one becomes skilled in the ways of the world. Through this discover those who help to sustain you, and those who would feed off you without giving in return.
This hexagram shows there is a hunger of the mind or the body which needs satisfaction. Care must be taken to satisfy this need, otherwise other parts of ones nature will be harmed.
It is also about providing nourishment to others. Even if what we give to nourish others is emotional or in the form of ideas, nevertheless it should be prepared and presented as a good cook presents a meal.
Therefore take notice of how you nourish yourself and upon what you partake. Health of the body mind and spirit depend upon this nourishment. Notice how your body or mind reacts to what is taken, and the long term results.
Where one lives, in what relationship, the work one does are also forms of nourishment. If they do not bring pleasure and health, consider why.
Key words: Not only the body hungers and thirsts. Great tension arises from hidden hungers of the emotions and spirit.
The Moving Lines.
1.Why hunger for what others posses when your own plate is full and rich? This way lies unhappiness and misfortune.
2.Unadmitted anxiety or a hidden sense of dependence prevent one working and attaining independence. Self doubts and hidden angers then haunt one.
3.Avoidance of normal appetites leads only to aberrations. Looking for nourishment in dead things brings years of lost and empty life.
4.With tigerish zeal others are sought to share the nourishment. Finding real all-round sustenance and connection with life produces fearlessness and strength. Great light!
5.To sustain others we must first deal with our won needs. There is disturbance by unusual needs and events. Best not to attempt difficult projects. Good fortune can come by accepting help from a simple sage.
6. To have found wholeness is the greatest blessing. It shows wisdom beyond the normal. Such wisdom is a great responsibility, for many need it. Knowing this enables great undertakings to be dealt with successfully. Happiness!
Hexagram Twenty Eight
Ta Kuo (Pro: Dah Gwor; with the final ‘r’ not pronounced) – Excess
When the seed pod is full the pod must burst open. Too much experience leads
one to seek quietness.
At full term the baby must be born otherwise it will stifle, the overflowing lake drained. Fullness must lead to change. With awareness note the fullness and be ready to shift your ground as the change comes. Seek to understand the situation so that negative aspects can be avoided.
Too many things are happening at once, producing stress to a degree not usually dealt with. Dealing with one thing at a time will not work in this instance. The inevitable result is that something must suddenly change, like a roof beam breaking under great weight.
Be watchful for the moment of change and move accordingly. Meanwhile do not move too soon. It is a simply rule of life that things move to an extreme and then swing back, like a pendulum. This is such a situation.
Nevertheless the situation has enormous potential. Just as the baby must move out of the womb because its potential for growth is much beyond the environment it was conceived in, so the situation calls for emergence. Without this there is danger of the potential collapsing. The action must be quick and from understanding. Like a flood, its power must be directed to avoid danger. Do not be swept away by too much emotional involvement in the situation.
Key words: Recognise the potential power and the evident weakness of the situation, and do what need to be done.
The Moving Lines.
1.If this is going to be done, then it must as well be done with as much skill and carefulness as possible. Be alert.
2.From what seemed old and without much future growth, new possibilities emerge, like green shoots out of an dead tree trunk. Whether it is love, business or ones spirit that is renewing itself, take heart and support the growth.
3.What depend on for a roof over your head, whether work, relationship, or welfare, is dangerously near failure. This because one has pressed ahead without awareness of dangers. Disaster is near unless you can transform the situation.
4.A looming misfortune is avoided by timely co-operation with ones who serve. If one avoids turning this to personal advantage, good fortune.
5.A marriage between the old and young in a business or a relationship, does not have the destined longevity of a union between the young.
6. You may be plunging in over your head here. If you are sure you can swim well and good, but take care. Misfortune through self sacrifice is noble if you want it.
Hexagram Twenty Nine
Hexagram Twenty Nine
K’an (Pro: Cun; as in Cunningham) – Without Form
You may walk upon the water while the ice is on the river. But when the ice melts the pathway has no form. With awareness you can endure the absence of known pathways until the trackless becomes familiar.
Thus you create a path upon the featureless terrain of the new, the dangerous, the unexplored and ever shifting. Let the light from the flame of your mind, beyond thoughts, be the guide now, as it has in the past.
There are many dangers in a trackless ocean if you are without skill or a compass. But for those with both, adventure and fortune lies in facing and traversing the unfathomable seas of life.
Meeting the unknown then becomes a way of life. In the trackless, one needs to return to the simple and great truths of life left us by sages, or uncovered in our own search for the truth that has no form.
Water is a great teacher regarding this. It flows on despite the terrain, filling depressions, passing over rocks, falling great heights, all without changing its innate nature. So the changeless in us can meet all change.
Key words: The trackless ocean of life appears known because we imagine latitude and longitude. Take courage to traverse the waters. Fear and doubt are the greatest dangers.
The Moving Lines.
1.In a trackless way you are always lost unless you have supreme confidence and are centred upon what lies behind change. Now you have stumbled into a pit – a situation hard to get out of.
2.Being trapped or endangered, small successes are the way out of the pit. No good comes from scrabbling to get free. Make one move at a time and test it.
3.The problem is acute. As if caught in a spider’s web, every move only accentuates the danger. When so utterly helpless, now is the time to ask for help from others, or be still and watch for opportunity.
4.The situation is difficult. There appears no way out. Do not stand on ceremony in seeking mutual aid in danger. Accept humble help from others.
5.The difficulty is not overwhelming. Doing only what is necessary is sufficient. Effort can only deepen the problem. Learn to be still. The situation will not worsen.
6. Through becoming entangled in this situation you are now rendered helpless for an extended period. Wait it out and learn from it in the freedom you eventually attain.
Hexagram Thirty
Li (Pro: Lee) – Dependent Light
The candle flame depends upon the wax for its light. Its flame kindles as many candles as touch it. Each igniting others.
The light of your own mind was lit by those who taught you. Honour this and realise your part in the scheme of things. Being receptive allows this inner light to burn brightly. This leads to greater connection with all, and brings success. Shed your light into the darkness of other lives.
In all ways ones existence is dependent upon all that exists. The flame of consciousness ignites through the intricate working of the body. It is a truth of life that we depend upon air, water and food. We also need others to make our clothes, grow our food, and teach us. Recognise your place in this world of interdependence and give as well as receive.
With joy accept this connection with all things and be a part of it. While aiming to be self reliant, accept your place in the community of beings which is society and nature. All are co-creators of the universe. Being independently a part of the creative whole leads to success.
Key words: Take time to clearly see your connections with family, society and the world. Acknowledge and work with these.
The Moving Lines.
1.Confusion – through the conflicting impressions of everyday life – may make it difficult to choose your actions. But a ship moves to its goal through innumerable alterations in course. Be like the ship by keeping your goal in mind.
2.Extremes of any kind have no place here, for you walk the middle path. This highest culture is beautiful. The sun shines, all is well. Supreme good fortune.
3.When the sun is setting we must prepare for darkness. An end is in sight. Prepare for it now, but enjoy the beauty of the sunset. To cry mournfully about endings or death, or to frantically grasp pleasures, is to miss living from the changeless.
4.Some good things come and pass from our hands before we even experience their delights. Do not burn your life away like a straw fire, without substance to create lasting warmth.
5.Tears of lament may bring good fortune. Such tears about life’s passing away may bring a change of heart and strength to meet what comes.
6. You may have to be forceful to correct the situation. Avoid unnecessary retaliation however. Discriminate between what must be removed and what disciplined