What if it doesn't work?

[hilary]

I thought I should bite the bullet and broach this subject this month. We've done surveys on what happens when you divine, what divination is for, how wonderfully accurate it is - but surely there are times when we just can't make sense of the answer?

Dharma posted this absolute gem in the Friends' Area just as I was thinking about this (synchronicity is alive and well...), so I thought I'd copy it over here. It's 'about' tarot, but in practice it doesn't take much imagination to apply it to the I Ching.

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Questions are often structured in the tarot through a spread, or layout. This is a symbolic pattern of positions, each with a given meaning. A card-symbol is selected for each of these positions and interpreted in relation to the assigned meaning of the position. Individual spreads lend themselves to different questions.


A spread is like a map. It is a preplanned structure that the seemingly random, but synchronious events, can fall. The maps can be very defined or very rough. An analogy is if one considers the position of Greenville SC to Atlanta GA. The "mapping" between the two can be at these possible levels:


. They exist (this is a very valid starting point!)


. They exist in this dimension


. They exist on planet Earth


. They exist in the United States


. They exist in the Southeastern part of the United States


. Greenville is north of Atlanta


. They are both located on HWY 85


. ~ and so on


The more defined the spread, the more specific the answer will be. The drawback of a very specific spread is that the universe does not like to be pigeonholed. The right question and the right spread is important. Spirit, however, may or may not cooperate fully with the intended "map", and if other information is supplied, the answer will make no sense if plugged into a question with the supplied "map".


Why will Spirit seem to not cooperate? There are a variety of ways to get a "wrong" or non-understandable answer.


~The question is not important compared to something else going on in the querent?s life. The analogy is that the querent is asking what color shoes they are wearing while a truck bears down on them.

~~The answer seems wrong, but the person is just not open to hearing the reply. The querent wants to hear another answer.

~~The parameters of the question were too largely defined, and it is not known what question or person the cards are referring to.

~~The parameters of the question were too small, and the answer is bigger than the box provided.

~~Multiple questions were asked, and multiple answers are given. Confusion results.

~~The question has been asked many times, and Spirit is just tired of answering. Another tack is being tried by the spiritual guides/soul, and we haven?t figured it out yet.


~~And there are more. This is only a sampling. Practice and being open to the voice of the divine are the paths through these difficulties.

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Comments?
Votes? The survey is just a click away (http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/cgi/EventHandler/EventHandler.pl?action=entryform&filename=whatif)! (and opens in a new window, so you won't 'lose' this one.)

[supanatural]

Greetings to all...

I agree that the way the question is phrased is very important. When querying The Yi, one should not prejudice the question. Example; Should I join this organization? Here, it's implied that you have already made up your mind to join the organization. Instead, I would ask the Oracle, please comment on the quality of said organization? I personally try not to prejudice the question. Some events require more than one reading to fully understand the event.

As for interpretation, I see it as simple sentence building. The first hexagram is the subject, the second hexagram is the verb. I hope this at least helps one person here.

[dharma]

SupaNatural, your ideas and suggestions are indeed most useful. However, there are times when I phrase questions as expressed above and the issue of WHO'S quality I am refering to nags my mind -- and so instead, at those times, I find it is less confusing and more helpful to ask "What do *I* need to know about the said quality of the organization? to make the best informed decision under the circumstances."

Asking, "What do *I* need to know?" during those times when the question is difficult to formulate, can sometimes be a most practical solution to the problem.

Dharma

[supanatural]

Greetings to All...

Dharma I agree with your ideas here. Sometimes I find it neccessary to ask 2 or maybe even 3 different questions, to fully grasp an event. For instance;1. Comment on the argument I had with John Doe? 2. Comment on the way my person functioned in the argument with John Doe? 3. Comment on the way John Doe functioned in the Argument with my person? From this position I can see the situation from the I King's point of view, my persons point of view, and John Doe's point of view.

This way we can truly get undreneath of a situation. Truly UNDERSTAND a situation, as opposed to OVERSTAND a situation. To Understand, describes my point of view. I'm looking at it from underneath, or the root cause. To Overstand is to look at it with superficial perception. The purpose of the Oracle, is to gain true Understanding.

I would like to take this time to applaud yourself, and others like Hilary, and Candid, for development of this forum. All of you have done an excellent job, picking up this study, and carrying it on your back to bring it to the public in this way. You all are beautiful people, and I'm glad to have met you all.

[dharma]

SupaNatural, the applause goes out to us ALL for we all participate in different ways.http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

Some of us come with questions, we participate by knocking on doors and by making others aware of their own unspoken questions.

Those of us who have answers, participate by sharing our points-of-view by making others aware of what they unconsciously knew all along but couldn't find the words until now.

Many more of us quietly observe, learning and taking that learning out into our own personal worlds and becoming better people in the process.

And a few of us http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/wink.gifthoughtfully remind the rest of us how incredibly valuable our interactions are to the WHOLE, so that can we grasp the true importance of what we are doing here and reflect on the importance of keeping places like this alive with our continuing participation.

Amen to us ALL!http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/zen.gif

Dharma