...life can be translucent

Menu

Verdict or guidance?

klann

visitor
Joined
Jan 18, 2008
Messages
118
Reaction score
3
Still learning and wondering...

Is a hex text a fixed prediction regarding a question or a guidance through a maze of future? As, for example, if you get a line which says something like "... those who neglect their duty will lose friends..." (I think this concerete comes from 42.6 but it's just an example) does it mean:

a) the asker will, at one point neglet his/her duty and be abandoned by disappointed friends, or
b) if the asker neglects a duty this will happen?

I'm asking this as I'm trying to grasp meanings of hexs better and because, sometimes, both the starting hex and the resulting one seem promissing but the changing line(s) sound ominous.

Thank you for your explanations. :)
 

willowfox

Inactive
Joined
Jun 18, 2006
Messages
5,530
Reaction score
261
Prediction doesn't work like in A + B = C, everything depends upon the original question, then one can adjust the answer accordingly.

Like in your example above about losing friends or some such, what if the question was about buying a car, then how would "losing friends" fit in? The answer must address the question and each question is unique, therefore the answer will be unique to that question. We are dealing with the IC here and not some quadratic equation.
 

gene

visitor
Joined
May 3, 1971
Messages
2,140
Reaction score
88
klann

If there is only one line that line rules. If there are more than one line changing it gets much more complex. As a rule in the I Ching, the good fortune only happens if you follow the advice given in that line, bad fortune only happens if you neglect the advice or operate on advice designed to help you change your course, but don't change course. In the example above, assuming the question really is about friends, then one would need to determine, have you already neglected your duties and it is too late, or you are likely to neglect duties in the future. In either case the desired course would be to correct the problem and minimize it as much as possible.

And, with Willowfoxes example, if you are buying a car, you would have to determine what friends is likely to stand for. For example would friends be certain attributes of the car that you admire, but neglect to look for them before you buy? In a case like that intuition becomes very important. While the I Ching can predict the future, as a rule it does not do so as much as offer you a course of action, and depending on whether you take that course of action, good or bad things happen. Predicting the future per se with the I Ching usually requires more than just understanding the meanings of the lines, but the meanings of the trigrams, how they interact with each other, the element they represent, and which element is stronger, do the elements work together harmoniously or not. It becomes much more involved and is something I personally have never concerned myself with all that much. I am content with getting advice.

Gene
 

willowfox

Inactive
Joined
Jun 18, 2006
Messages
5,530
Reaction score
261
A few words of advice, you can't use the IC to pick the lottery numbers, I know as I have already tried.
 

klann

visitor
Joined
Jan 18, 2008
Messages
118
Reaction score
3
Prediction doesn't work like in A + B = C, everything depends upon the original question, then one can adjust the answer accordingly.

Like in your example above about losing friends or some such, what if the question was about buying a car, then how would "losing friends" fit in? The answer must address the question and each question is unique, therefore the answer will be unique to that question. We are dealing with the IC here and not some quadratic equation.

I've chosen a random line to give an example, not one relating to any particular question. "The answer will be unique to that question" you say. Yes, that part is clear but: does it relate in a "this is what will happen" or in a "this will happen if you make this make/follow this advice" kind of way.

klann

If there is only one line that line rules. If there are more than one line changing it gets much more complex. As a rule in the I Ching, the good fortune only happens if you follow the advice given in that line, bad fortune only happens if you neglect the advice or operate on advice designed to help you change your course, but don't change course. In the example above, assuming the question really is about friends, then one would need to determine, have you already neglected your duties and it is too late, or you are likely to neglect duties in the future. In either case the desired course would be to correct the problem and minimize it as much as possible.

And, with Willowfoxes example, if you are buying a car, you would have to determine what friends is likely to stand for. For example would friends be certain attributes of the car that you admire, but neglect to look for them before you buy? In a case like that intuition becomes very important. While the I Ching can predict the future, as a rule it does not do so as much as offer you a course of action, and depending on whether you take that course of action, good or bad things happen. Predicting the future per se with the I Ching usually requires more than just understanding the meanings of the lines, but the meanings of the trigrams, how they interact with each other, the element they represent, and which element is stronger, do the elements work together harmoniously or not. It becomes much more involved and is something I personally have never concerned myself with all that much. I am content with getting advice.

Gene

This is what my question was about, exactly.

Ok, I get it, but then, isn't it different in a way if you ask, for example: "What can I expect if I do XY?" than if you ask "How will situation QZ develop?"
It seems to me that in the first one you are asking for advice whereas in the second one you are asking about the future.
Or am I mistaken...?

A few words of advice, you can't use the IC to pick the lottery numbers, I know as I have already tried.

:D
Thanks, I'll remember this.
 

willowfox

Inactive
Joined
Jun 18, 2006
Messages
5,530
Reaction score
261
but: does it relate in a "this is what will happen" or in a "this will happen if you make this make/follow this advice" kind of way.

Okay, for example, you ask whether its a good idea to buy a house, the answer indicates no as you will lose money but you do it anyway. So, you move in only to find out that the house has damp problems and termites,big loss of money. prediction fulfilled.

You ask whether its a good time to take a boat trip, and the answer indicates no as there will be "problems". So this time you listen and don't go, then later you find out that the ship you were going to sail with, the Titanic sank with great loss of life but not yours as you listened to the advise.
 

einhorn

visitor
Joined
Jul 15, 2009
Messages
110
Reaction score
0
As a rule in the I Ching, the good fortune only happens if you follow the advice given in that line, bad fortune only happens if you neglect the advice or operate on advice designed to help you change your course, but don't change course.

I'm a beginner, but I thought that it was:

The future hexagram will result if you follow the action given by the changing line in the first hexagram.

So to me, that sounds like if the future hex is a bad thing, then you probably don't want to do the action in the changing line, because that should lead to that bad outcome. But I don't know if I Ching logic works that way or not.

In your quote, you say "the good fortune." What if it's not a good fortune reading?

While the I Ching can predict the future, as a rule it does not do so as much as offer you a course of action, and depending on whether you take that course of action, good or bad things happen.

So you're saying that doing the action in the changing line brings good fortune? In this case, would you say that the second hexagram is not the "future" hexagram but rather a more broad picture of the entire situation (compared to the first hexagram which is a more specific picture)?

Thanks!
 

Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom

Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).

Top