Moving house

[sybil]

I asked the I Ching about moving house and got 34 "The Power of the Great" moving to 54 "Marrying Maiden".

The background is this: some months ago I was advised by a card reader that I would meet the man of my dreams, whom I would marry and set up house with. This is due to happen around now up to Feb 2002. I am 38 and never married before. There is a guy I have just met, who could possibly be "the one"!

Meantime, an older flatmate at my house - John, who has a mental health problem - has fallen in love with me. He cannot take no for an answer and I decided to move out, as it would be difficult for John to find another household that would take him with his difficult patterns. My other flatmates don't want me to leave - they want to kick John out.

There are other reasons for me to move, including that I want to live closer to where I work and socialise.

Then a friend of mine decided to move out of her place. It is a great house with a very pretty garden and is well-located near transport and close to where my cousin lives. It seemed the perfect opportunity for me.

There are a couple of reasons not to move there - the higher rent and the possibility of losing contact with people as I did before when living alone.

But when I checked with the I Ching, I got 34 moving to 54. I think it is telling me not to use my power to move just because I have such power. I will just get stuck in the hedge (whatever that means in this situation!) Instead I should wait for the right time (maybe when I meet this dream man!) But I don?t think that is the true meaning of the Marrying Maiden.

Any advice please?

[richard]

Yes....dont do it.

Richard

[hilary]

Well, that has the serious merit of being short and unambiguous! I think it?s also right, but bear with me while I waffle on a little http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/wink.gif

First, I am personally very wary of fortune-telling. This isn?t the same thing as divination, which helps you to see where you are, what you can do, the likely consequences of your decisions, what choices you have ? that kind of thing. Fortune-telling tells you what is going to happen, and all you can do is sit and wait. The effect is not so much empowering (which is what good divination should be) as paralysing. I don?t want to be harsh on this particular reader without knowing her/him, but?

I think your basic understanding of this reading is a good one. 34 shows tremendous strength and vigour, impulsive and driving, with great potential to do good or harm. It?s essential to relate to this strength in the right way: to stay very firmly on track, not to experiment with new paths, and to retain the ability to stop. In other words, I suppose, you need to stay in control.

Hexagram 54 ? not always about getting married, you?re right. Also, it takes its imagery from a very particular marital situation, that of the younger woman who goes to her new husband?s house as a second wife ? she comes second to the official wife, and has very little status. Often this symbolises a situation where you come second, or where you?re drawn into a situation that is beyond your control. It may call you to adapt and relinquish your ambitions, and it may well not be of lasting value. As background to your question (which the second hexagram often is), I think that this sums up your current circumstances: the untenable situation with poor John; having to wait for the card reader?s prediction to materialise; the house appearing as a new opportunity, perhaps rather as the marriage appears to the young second wife. Of course you have to adapt to the situation; you also have to look ahead to see what can and can?t be sustained.

This decidedly insecure situation is not a good one for ?setting out on expeditions?; harvest comes from not having a particular direction. Nor is it a good background for the exercise of Great Strength, as the moving line makes pretty clear.

?Small people make use of strength.
The wise disciple uses a net.
Constancy ? danger.
The billy goat butts a hedge,
Entangling his horns.?

Small people are those who, rather than having a clear idea of what they want, merely react to circumstances. In this case, oddly enough, it?s these people who act with vigour, and appear decisive. The wise disciple uses a net ? she waits for what comes her way, is still and empty ready to receive it. Of course, she will use her intelligence and understanding in positioning the net in the habitat of what she wants to catch! (This net, or even ?emptiness?, offers plenty of food for thought?) ?Constancy?, in essence, means pushing your ideas through towards realisation, even in the teeth of hostile circumstances. Usually this is a good idea, but on this occasion it would lead you into danger, perhaps danger that you?ve met before. And I think you?ve understood the billy goat ? being full of power, and not being particularly bright, he acts for the sake of it, and ends up helplessly entangled. Maybe that hedge is a rental contract?

Does this make sense to you?