Please help. I don’t think the I Ching wants me to consult it.

[See_Q_bensis]

I’ve been reading about the I Ching for a bit and at the beginning of july(which I think is relevant) I got my Wilhelm version and didn’t put it down for days. It’s already showing wear.
I did my first reading when I was ready. Won’t get into it but even though I was open minded the I Ching far surpassed my expectations . It was dead on. And not only was it accurate but I could feel it. Like an undeniable intuition. Right in my belly. And it felt like I was talking to a sentience that answered back. Kind of like looking at a dog in the eyes and know it’s looking back at you compared to talking to your pet lizard who is great and all but not a lot of inner life. Does this make sense?Never felt that emotion (or feeling) before.
So, anyway, being convinced of it I consulted it again with all the respect and deference I’d give a teacher, I asked it if it would please except me as a student. Inwanted permission to use it in my life.
Well I got 44.2.4 > 53
It seemed like a no. The more I focused on it and thought about it I thought maybe it was also saying not to give readings to friends (which I was so excited I wanted to share) because I’d only cause harm. It would be irresponsible at this stage being so new and all. And that if I took it slow and honest gradually I would be worthy to use it how I saw fit.

well I waited a few days because it’s been with me and asked this:
Please, I will not use this to influence anyone. I won’t ever use you as a game. I want to be a better person and I don’t want to be alone in it.

its response was 50.4
I must be a real piece of shit and wasn’t aware.
I should mention my first reading was 21.6 with the line “his kneck is fastened to the wooden cangue so that his ears disappear. He does not hear clearly”

someone please give me their opinion.

 

[Trojina]

Inwanted permission to use it in my life.

If you use it in your life with the idea that it can give you permission for anything you are on dodgy ground because you would be giving up your own agency, your own free will. I do not believe Yi encourages anyone to give up their own agency, their own power of decision. It's not there for that and moreover very many answers put the weight of actual decision back on you.

I don't know if that's what the 44 was saying but I think the notion of you making Yi into a deity by asking to be it's student is possibly contrary to the nature of Yi who isn't after disciples.

Well I got 44.2.4 > 53

I notice how 44 is often quite a sudden intrusion compared to the slow gentle development of 53. Let it develop naturally, you don't need to make a contract or be a student or anything like that you can just talk to it. I'd think 44.2 was asking you to keep it to yourself since it says there is something there for you but not for guests. In any case I really wouldn't rush to read for the people you know.

Please, I will not use this to influence anyone. I won’t ever use you as a game. I want to be a better person and I don’t want to be alone in it.

its response was 50.4
I must be a real piece of shit and wasn’t aware.

Well no but you don't need to beg or plead to use it for other people, why would you? You don't need to rush off to give readings, you clearly have enough to do on your own. I'm very sceptical that anyone beginning to use Yi would find it necessary to rush off and do real life readings - it's for you at this time what's wrong with that. Also half the time with reading for others you get readings for yourself anyway.

There's this forum so you aren't alone with it although it's good to be alone with it anyway. Reading for people on here is more distanced and quite a good place to learn.
It seems if you insist on giving other people readings in your daily life you upset things, make a mess or it could disrupt your own connection. Yi isn't for everyone, if you found it then you use it for you.

 

[See_Q_bensis]

If you use it in your life with the idea that it can give you permission for anything you are on dodgy ground because you would be giving up your own agency, your own free will. I do not believe Yi encourages anyone to give up their own agency, their own power of decision. It's not there for that and moreover very many answers put the weight of actual decision back on you.

I don't know if that's what the 44 was saying but I think the notion of you making Yi into a deity by asking to be it's student is possibly contrary to the nature of Yi who isn't after disciples.

I notice how 44 is often quite a sudden intrusion compared to the slow gentle development of 53. Let it develop naturally, you don't need to make a contract or be a student or anything like that you can just talk to it. I'd think 44.2 was asking you to keep it to yourself since it says there is something there for you but not for guests. In any case I really wouldn't rush to read for the people you know.


Well no but you don't need to beg or plead to use it for other people, why would you? You don't need to rush off to give readings, you clearly have enough to do on your own. I'm very sceptical that anyone beginning to use Yi would find it necessary to rush off and do real life readings - it's for you at this time what's wrong with that. Also half the time with reading for others you get readings for yourself anyway.

There's this forum so you aren't alone with it although it's good to be alone with it anyway. Reading for people on here is more distanced and quite a good place to learn.
It seems if you insist on giving other people readings in your daily life you upset things, make a mess or it could disrupt your own connection. Yi isn't for everyone, if you found it then you use it for you.

Your absolutely right. I actually came to understand a few hours ago that it was saying exactly that. And obviously now. Except about me wanting to run out and do readings for everyone. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. There are a few people in my life that I share personal things with and my first impulse was to tell them because I was excited and simply mis-Interpreted my first one. Took it to mean something it wasn’t. But otherwise yes. I understand now that I didn’t even know what I was expecting and that it was a warning to reel it in. If I seemed frantic or something in embarrassed. It’s all very new and I wasn’t expecting such strong conformation in its authenticity. Two years ago I was a cynical atheist with no sort of spirituality and had no problem mocking anyone who was. That’s not the case anymore so I’m catching up, I guess.

 

[IrfanK]

You mentioned that the answer to your first question felt like the answer was intuitively correct. I think 44.2 is suggesting that you don't invite other people in to second-guess your intuition, rely on your own feelings. Don't over-rely on commentaries, other people's opinions. Like you often have to modulate your behaviour, even your speech, when you have guests staying.

I'm not quite sure about 44.4. I guess the fish in the tank was there for food, rather than as a pet in an aquarium. So, you can't eat what the Yi gives you. It's not giving you cash or vouchers, it's not determining your course of actions for you. The longer I spend with the Yi, the more I realize you can't really lean on it. Trying to do so leads to misfortune.

And the judgement text. Well, the maiden is powerful. But you shouldn't marry her. Again, it's not something you can depend on or lean on in that way. That doesn't mean there is no place for her in your life.

53? The tree growing slowly, steadily, on the mountain top? Well, maybe that's related to the idea of how a relationship with the Yi develops -- over many years.

I guess I'm starting off with the belief that the Yi would be unlikely to give someone a blanket warning not to consult with it. Although it might warn against not using it in certain ways.

I've often wondered when people talk about the Yi as though it's another human being. It isn't. It may be conscious, but in a completely different way to the way a human being is. It doesn't have personal opinions, it reflects and tells you more about yours.

 

[Liselle]

I notice how 44 is often quite a sudden intrusion compared to the slow gentle development of 53. Let it develop naturally, you don't need to make a contract or be a student or anything like that you can just talk to it.

Exactly.


Re: decisions, I understand what Trojina's saying. Yi won't tell you "Do this" in so many words. It doesn't have a hexagram literally for "yes" and another one for "no." Neither you nor it are robots.

It does give you guidance, descriptions, things to think about to do with your decision, what things might be like if you do one thing or another - based on conditions at the time you cast the reading (and maybe what might change those conditions).

How close that comes to "here's what to do!" varies widely. Sometimes it will be quite clear. Much more often it won't be, and you'll have to do a lot of thinking and digging into the reading, the situation, and your own mind, in order to recognize what matches up. (Maybe it's not too far off the mark to think of Yi as a "recognition oracle"?)

A fair amount of the time, recognition won't/can't happen until the situation progresses in real life. "Here's what to watch for," Yi might say. That might be obvious to many people, but it wasn't to me. For a long time I thought I should be able to understand the reading when I cast it. No. Often you have to start down the road with your reading in mind, let things start happening, then a bell will ring.

Please, I will not use this to influence anyone. I won’t ever use you as a game. I want to be a better person and I don’t want to be alone in it.

its response was 50.4

'The vessel's legs break off,
The prince's stew is upset,
Dignity soiled.
Pitfall.'

A sentence from Hilary's book: "Putting this vessel to use reveals its weakness: just when its stability is most needed, it collapses."

I think this could be advice on getting to know it. Hilary consistently says don't keep the book on the shelf like a stranger until you have a real crisis. It's not disrespect to ask small questions or playful questions to learn from. She suggests asking about things like plots of books, or sports events. Things you know will have concrete outcomes, things that don't desperately matter, stuff like that.