Who am I? 39.6 to 53

[deepstillwater]

Hello,
Perhaps it may be seen as an indulgent question to ask the I Ching, but I feel I'm coming up to a significant time in my life this year and I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about who I think I am, where I think I'm going... the type of person I want to be now and in the years to come.

Who am I? 39.6 to 53

39 sums up pretty clearly, I think, my life so far.
I left home at 17: my parents are very different people than myself. I wanted to go to university, a decision they could not understand nor condone. They are country people, who learnt their professions on the job when they were young.
I've propelled myself through some difficult but amazing years when I look back over the 16 years since then. I was a girl from the country, with limited resources or support from others, yet I have come quite a long way and I have skills, knowledge and strength that I have built for myself (forgive me if this sounds immodest). A family friend said to me recently, that what I have done really is exceptional given where I had come from. Coal becoming a diamond?

The changing line 6: I'm not sure about this

Karcher says " Further advance will lead to further hardship. If one understands the situation and returns she has two choices. Rely on the one at the fifth place (who is firm and strong, central and correct) or she can associate with the one at the third position since they are complementary yin and yang. She is extremely wise, associates with the one at the third place and goes along with him to see the great person at the fifth place"

What is mean by "follow the one of noble rank?"

Perhaps I choose the right people to follow, or the right profession to follow?

I also asked. What would be my influence on the world? 1.4.5 to 26.

Do you have any thoughts?

 

[yxeli]

Hello
It seems from your description of your life, where you have come from, that you greatly value your education(26). From your experience and you circumstances growing up, alot of emphasis has been placed on 'making something of yourself', and possibly this main idea has been the driving force in your life up until this point? It makes sense if you felt a lack of something in your early life, and as your family friend has said, you should be proud of knowing how far you have come, and also a very rare lesson in life, that alot of priviledged people who were born into a different kind of family then you might not understand, which is that each one of us really does have the ability to change his/her circumstances, to change ones life for the better. You know this, that through your hard work and dedication, that anyhting is possible. That in itself is a gift to never forget.

I think the second reading is telling you how assertive (1) you have been to make steady progress towards the big harvest (26), in this case, maybe your education, I often get 26 when asking anything to do with education. Maybe line 6 is councelling you not to get comfortable or feel like you have 'made it'. Possibly with all these thoughts of where you have come from, that you might get a little bit too arrogant about how far youve come. I think its a lovely reading though, maybe your influence is to teach? or show people that with singlemindedness and action, and with accumulation which has a long term goal(26), you have learned the way of heaven (26.6), the way to really manifest the life you want in this world.

The first reading is a little harder to interpret. 'who am i'. if i was to literally translate this, the i ching might be saying your blocked from moving further, you have to remain in place. 39 i have read is about being obstructed, not from anything happening outside of a person, but from inside of the person. There's something inside you that you might need to have a think about that is obstructing your progress (53), another literal translation could be to do with the absolute majesty of your question, the i ching might simply be pointing out that it cannot answer such a big question. I personally have often found this line of questioning to be a bit useless, simply because i know that i am different person compared to last year, and will be different again next year. Do you feel like you have a lot of obligations to others which you wish you didnt have? i dont know but it might apply, at the end of 39 your called back, you cant reliquish your responsabilities, although you might like to.

Hope some of this makes sense!

Yx

 

[deepstillwater]

Thanks for your reply yxeli!
Your words have brought further understanding, that I wanted to share with you.

I do value knowledge (which I think is 26). In my experience it is Knowledge and the ability to think that offers great protection and reward. Education has helped me learn to think. I never feel I have "made it", in fact I mostly work so hard and tirelessly towards a goal that I need to learn that I need to give myself a break. I think this line is a reminder that resting is important too... I become so exhausted at times

I think you are right about asking the first question. The question is a little useless

Perhaps the I Ching is saying you are a person in a body, that is blocked from moving to whatever comes next.

Thanks once again