Midlife crisis

[fluffy57]

I am at a crossroads and after consulting the I ching and my knowledge is limited. I thought I would ask you guys for your input.

I have been unhappy with where l live and the job I do and have been trying to have a child with not much success. to cut a long story short I asked the following questions. I have been using i ching book of the moon to help me understand. though not sure how the new hexegram equates to the answer.

Should I take redundancy?
23 4.6 changing to 16
background: I have wanted to leave but with financial commitments etc I had no confidence and have no real idea of what I should do instead. I have had no real growth in my job my friends tell me to punch the clock and just switch my mind to taking enjoyment from other things - but I have been doing it for years and I really had enough.

I think this is telling me to take the redundancy but Line 1 is telling me to be realistic on what I should do as I do need to compromise. Not sure what hex 16 is saying.

Where should I move to?
16.4 changing to 2
I am thinking of either moving to the countryside which my husband would love but not sure what we would do workwise. Or moving back to Dublin where I am from and where the family home is. there will be probably more opportunity for work there but the house in the country will be in a prettier environment. I am sentimentally attached to the old home but the move would not be straightforward. Whereas the house in the country seems to be. Again I got 16 and not too sure but line 4 says timing is important

Will I have a baby without more medical intervention?
46.2 changing to 15
I think that says I need to go and see the doctor and to be patient

Should I spend money refurbishing property?
26.1.2 changing to 52

This refers to the property back home. Which by the way I always refer to as No 26. Not sure what this is saying or what the new hex says.

where should I find happiness?
18.1.2.3 changing to 26

I think this is saying that I have to let go of the things of the negative things of my personality which have made me unhappy ie sense of failure, fear of failure, accept the risk of my decision.Again unsure of new hex means.

Also when I asked a what shall I do question relating to work and having a child I kept getting the same hex and line coming up, not sure of the number but its the one with the wanderer and the birds nest burns up and the cows die.

Also I had a dream last night I think its because my mind is trying to work out what to do. Anyway I dreamt of dying horses on the road which passes the street of the house in Dublin.

Appreciate any help out there.

Many thanks in advance

Fluffy

[bruce]

Hi Fluffy,

I think you've addressed well the crux of all your questions, in stating:

"I have to let go of the things of the negative things of my personality which have made me unhappy ie sense of failure, fear of failure, accept the risk of my decision."

This, I'm quite certain, is also the meaning of dying horses on the road. One interesting thing in your dream is that this road 'passes the street of the house of Dublin'. This suggests that wherever you are headed, it surpasses your ideas of Dublin. 23.6 suggests this also: the fruit uneaten is something that's not able to be grasped easily. It surpasses our ideas of what is or can be gained, through stripping away of old ideas and patterns. Another image of dead horses is in the common phrase: beating a dead horse. Or, looking backward on things which no longer offer life or hope for your future.

My head isn't in a place to break down each of your readings, but reading them, they all seem to have continuity, all flowing in the same stream.

First, there is the element of losing and letting go. Death comes before life, and also follows it. Everything is transitory, coming and going.

Second, these images are all large, as suggested by both of the 16s and the 26 you've received. This is a vision or visions of what might be, IE: the house in the country with a prettier environment.

Third, there is the idea of corralling all your visions, giving them continuity, as one big stream; not several little trickles of water.

Finally, there is setting to work to make your dream happen. Old things need to be corrected, and some possibly discarded. The beasts are dying. Set to work on a living dream. That, I believe, is the uneaten fruit of 23.6.

[ewald]

"where should I find happiness?
18.1.2.3 changing to 26"

Actually 18 changing to 26 has only line 1 changing. If you did get line 1,2 and 3 as changing lines, the hexagram would be changing to 27.

[fluffy57]

Hi Ewald you are quite correct it should be 27. And it makes better sense. its probably the one hex that is clear ie re positive nutrition gives positive results.


Thanks

Fluffy

[ewald]

It makes more sense to me as well than changing to 26.

I interpret 27 as a focus on finding out what exactly your desires are, and what the nutrition is that you need. This is necessary to find out where to find happiness.

We often stuff away our awareness of our desires and needs that we think we cannot satisfy anyway. It goes into our unconscious because of all kinds of fears. It takes a lot of work to uncover that.

[fluffy57]

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for your assistance. I now see that they are all pointing to change. The job and home cannot be divided. The house in the country is an aspiration of what I could never have if I went to dublin. Yet in Dublin I could have more opportunities to retrain. However, I do not want to end back into an urban white collar grind. My main goal is to have a portfolio of jobs so I can have a variety and not work all the hours god sends.

Where should I move to?
16.4 changing to 2

My intrepretation: Line 4 says that hindsight is something that is beyond human capability and then new hexagram 2 says "Harvest: in the Southwest finding friends (or money), in the Northeast losing friends" If I was to interpret Hexagram 2 literally it could be saying for me to move to Devon and to lose Dublin home (north east dublin) But can you take i ching that literally? and would hexagram 2 be the "hindsight"?

Have you got any idea of question I could ask i ching to get inspiration on what I do and where I go? Can you give me any insight to this hexagram as I dont understand it at all:

Should I spend money refurbishing property?
26.1.2 changing to 52

Many thanks

[fluffy57]

HI Ewald,

I am quite new with I Ching so I wasnt sure how to interpret the new hexegram that evolves from the changing line.

My interpretation was in the present tense ie if you keep positive and take care of yourself it will lead you to happiness which is more of an acceptance and not to think the glass is half empty all the time. Whereas the intrepretation you are presenting is for me to dig deeper and try to uncover what is it I want out of life. I agree its hard and I dont know where to start. Any suggestions?

[ewald]

Hi Fluffy, unfortunately there are lots of differences in how people interpret and translate the I Ching.

I'm translating the hexagram text (Judgment) of 27 like this:
<blockquote>Hunger.
Persistence brengt good fortune.
Examine the hunger,
what is spontaneously sought to fill the mouth with.</blockquote>
So this is a recommendation to observe yourself more closely and examine what you seek. This is basically what you need to do. You might deepen your observation by asking yourself why it is you seek certain things of which you already know that you desire them. Consulting the I Ching might help with that. You may have results on the short term, but I'd take some more time for it, especially as you consider yourself to be in a midlife crisis.

Seeing the glass as half empty might be a compulsion, and in that case it's a good idea to gradually give it up by paying more attention to what is really happening and what you are really feeling. But if the glass is really getting empty, you need to pay attention to that reality. Sweeping that under the carpet by trying to enjoy yourself will only get you farther from home. You'd better do something about it then, which is what hexagram 18 is saying.

[fluffy57]

Hi Ewald

I see what you are saying. I am using the i ching book of the moon for translation. This hexagram it says auspicious so do I take it its favourable as opposed to a hexagram which says pitfall? On Hexagram 18

Jaws, determination auspicious
Contemplating the jaws is the origin of seeking real substance for the mouth

The great image says
Thunder at the foot of the mountain: jaws The noble one uses cautious language and limited food and drink

which in the i ching, book fo the moon translates to:
If you eat inferior food, entertain ugly thoughts, believe distorted information, then you will never be able to live a valuable life. It will have no value for you and not for those around you. On the other hand, if you keep a sharp eye on all your food, you will develop an infallible intuition, a reliable guide for everything you do.

I would find it hard to reach that conclusion myself from the judgement/image. My own interpretation was reached by reading the above transalation.

Have you any tips in intepreting the judgement/image or should I as a novice continue with interpreting the translation as I can relate to it better unless the image/judgement is very clear.

Many thanks

[ewald]

Hi Fluffy - I think the part about eating inferior food etc. is a different way of saying the same thing as I did above.

Indeed, auspicious is favourable, and pitfall is not.

Sometimes we understand one part of a text better, sometimes another. Unfortunately it is not always clear. I'd go with what you understand best.