New to Iching, question on Hex 49

[scarlet]

Hi,
I am going through very tough times (relationship issues). I asked a question - in midst of the stress, what should I do to cope with this issue until a resolution is found?
I got a Hex of 49 with top moving line giving me a Hex of 13. Could you please help me interpret it? Thanks.

[dobro]

The I Ching has a lot of 'do nothing much' in a lot of situations, but in this situation that's only half the advice. On the one hand, it's saying that powerfully imposing order on the situation would be a mistake. On the other hand, it's saying that centering yourself in carrying out what you think is right is exactly what you need to do. So, put those two together and you get something like this: don't try to sort out the situation, don't try to set things straight, just make sure that *you* do what is right for you.

But in addition to the advice, the Yi is also giving you a sort of snapshot of the situation you've enquired about, it's describing the nature of the situation in a very general way. It's saying that there are two forces of change at work in this situation - one is sincere and powerful in its desire to get rid of the old way and embrace the new, and the other force is superficial and only concerned with appearances. It seems to me that the question you've got to ask yourself is what those two forces are in the situation you describe. I can see three obvious possibilities:

* You're the sincere force, and the other person is the superficial force.

* Vice versa.

* The two forces are both in you, and the reason the time you're going through is so tough is cuz of the inner conflict in you.

Sincerity is the higher path, of course. Sincerity trumps superficiality every time.

[scarlet]

hmm.....I need to think about what you said. I am very thankful for your analysis.
BTW- Would you recommend any book on I Ching that would be helpful for a beginner?

[tabitha]

i found the quan ( sp? ) yin very helpful to me

[dobro]

BTW- Would you recommend any book on I Ching that would be helpful for a beginner?

I started with the Wilhelm/Baynes I Ching and I loved it. It's a really good place to start because it's good and because just about everybody who uses the I Ching knows it and has used it.

[trojan]

Hi,
I am going through very tough times (relationship issues). I asked a question - in midst of the stress, what should I do to cope with this issue until a resolution is found?
I got a Hex of 49 with top moving line giving me a Hex of 13. Could you please help me interpret it? Thanks.

Don't settle for superficial solutions to your problem, as Karcher says don't just wear another mask and carry on the same way. Theres the idea of shedding, moulting, in this hexagram -off with the old in with the new. The saying is 'don't put new wine in old bottles' or something like that - in other words you can't adapt to things to try to make things go on as they were before, you need a whole fresh outlook on the situation. Old ways of finding resolution won't work here - change is needed - Perhaps 13 here suggests you go out and mingle more, get other perspectives

[willowfox]

You now have to stay still for the moment, as you have done all that you can in your situation, you can only make your position stronger now, and proceed very cautiously. So stop fighting and try and relax.

[scarlet]

To All,
Thanks so much for your responses. Thanks again!

[andrea]

I think there's another crucial aspect of 49.6. Some people are only capable of making superficial changes; if you expect people to change more than their nature permits, you're probably setting yourself up for disappointment.

[dobro]

I think there's another crucial aspect of 49.6. Some people are only capable of making superficial changes; if you expect people to change more than their nature permits, you're probably setting yourself up for disappointment.

Yes, I like that a lot - "only capable of making superficial changes" - and *that* is what makes a small person small - it's the small capacity of understanding, the small capacity of doing. I think you've described the smallness of small people perfectly.

But I still think that because just about everybody on this planet has a multiple personality (or, if you're uncomfortable with that idea, that just about everybody on this planet has multiple and often contrary forces in their personality), it's perfectly possible that a person can have both the 'small person' and the 'great person' in their own personality, and hence be in some sort of inner conflict. I mean, has it ever occurred to you that the sort of inner conflict that I'm describing might be the very reason a person attracts the OUTER conflicts in their life, or finds them, or generates them?