Hi
To get to know the Yi better, I decided do cast daily readings.

Interesting so far:
On saturday I got a 29.1.4.5> 54
I understood what this was about at the end of the day, when my oldeer child had a crisis of crying because he didn't want to go to his father's home, as planned.
I dealt with the thing as well as I could, and I think I did pretty well, but somehow both 29, the totally changed hegram, 30 and 54 make sense.
What do you, seniors, say?

Sunday I had a workshop. I asked the day before how would it go and I got 36.1.6 > 52
As it was something rather spiritual, I interpreted it in the context of stillness, of looking inside, I find light, my own light, my internal, hidden light.
It was a very interesting workshop which may change my life for the better.

Today I asked for an advice and I got 41.
And you know what, I did feel more sober, with a clearer mind. I had to sacrifice ideals, dreams, to look at reality as it is. But I feel more balanced.

Any comment? Any enlightenment?

Hello deusa

On a mundane level, I see line one of hexagram 29 as saying that the situation, perhaps with the child crying, left you weak, and it has a hard challenge to face. Line four would indicate the need for taking care of the child and nurturing it, and it appears you handled the situation adequately. Line five would indicate that the challenge was, while...challenging...it did not overwhelm you and take you too far out of sorts. Finally, hexagram fifty four would indicate that in the situation you were in a subordinate situation to the needs of your child. The situation was not entirely pleasant, but at the same time, not overwhelming.

The commentary on hexagram 36 line one says, "Nevertheless he has a fixed goal that he strives for...even though ... do not understand him." In going to the class apparently you had a goal in mind and you accomplished it as much as you could in one setting. The commentary on line six says, "The climax of the darkening is reached." And when the climax is reached, the only thing left is a return of the light, and a return home, (to the family in 37) and a new awakening. (This would not be the normal interpretation of this line, but here it seems to fit. The essence of hexagram fifty two is that "he no longer sees in the world the struggle...." The mountain is also the symbol of a high reach of spiritual understanding and carries with it the connotation of gaining inner light, which would be the goal of a meditation class.

After the meditation class, very possibly due to the advancement in your spiritual goal, you gained a little more control over your inner world, and lessened any feelings of anger, rancor, or other negative emotions.

That is what I see in this anyway.

Gene

Gene
Uau!!!
What you say makes PERFECTE sense!
The situation described with 29 was exactly it. And 54 is also my subordinate role towards my ex-husband in that specific situation.

Where did you get the comments? From whom? They are great!!

I really thank you for the time and for the insights you gave into the Yi.

Is it possible, do you think, that once we cast a reading and read about it, some of the message gets to us unconsciously?

hi deusa

As far as any comments go, they come from me. As far as any commentary, it comes from the Wilhelm/Baynes version of the I Ching. I have studied this book for over thirty five years so I have been able to get some ideas as to how it works. You can check out my blogspot, (which I am not currently writing on) at genesiching@blogspot.com. Each reader it seems to me focuses on that aspect of the I Ching that seems most relevant to him or her. So we all have different perspectives on it and different areas of expertise.

Yes, I think our unconscious gets it. But there are levels of unconsciousness, and ultimately the answer comes from the deepest level of our unconscious which is universal and not specific to the individual. So at our own deepest levels, we all know the answers to all our questions. But we have to draw it out, and that is what the hexagram called "The Well" is all about. (hexagram forty eight).

Gene

Hi gene
35 years stydying the Yi!!! I feel so young in this!

My cast today was 8.1 > 3
I didn't get it...
Cabn you help?

I'm going to check your blog now.

Hi deusa

When it comes to daily readings, so much depends on the context and what you are looking for. Most people on this forum have wanted only to know what their day would be like. But the I Ching is written on so many levels and that is why I say, there really IS something deeply mystical about the I Ching. We talked about the subconscious mind, and how the answers really come from deep within us. Not from the subconscious per se, but something even deeper within us which is universal.

So without a context to go by, I have to turn to the more spiritual aspects of the meaning of the line. In hexagrams one and two we see an example of how to interpret each line, and line one is usually the beginning of something. In hexagram one the time is not yet ripe for activity. In hexagram two, the beginning of decay is setting in. So in hexagram eight line one we are given an indication of how to keep decay from happening in our relationships. The line says, "Hold to him in truth and loyalty," and the commentary says, fundamental sincerity is the only proper basis for forming relationships." If we have that then we can begin to form relationships. If we do not, then it is inevitable that our relationships will deteriorate. So for most of us, this would be a warning about how to maintain a relationship. But what if we have no relationship? Then how do we interpret this line? Well, the answer is, we all have a relationship with our inner, deeper subconscious mind. For most, the relationship is tenuous at best. We may not even realize we have a relationship with our deeper selves. Some people feel there is no subconscious. But it is there, and the only way to have a relationship with it is to draw out the "water of the well." (see hexagram 48 and also the Biblical story of "the woman at the well.") The well is our subconscious. So how do we interact with it? First we have to have sincerity within ourselves. Not only must we have sincerity in dealing with others, but we must be brutally honest with ourselves and meditate in order to contact that deeper part of ourselves. Until we are very good at this we must use the I Ching. But there comes a time when the answers will come from deep within for that is where the truth lies anyway. Ultimately, we cannot deceive that part of ourselves which is part of the universal subconscious mind. So the second part of the line says, "Truth like a full earthen bowl." If the bowl is empty we cannot pretend that it is full. That deeper part of ourselves knows. But if we come before that deeper part of ourselves, without empty pretenses, without a bowl that it is empty of any true spiritual content, then the good fortune that is promised, does not come.

I hope this is not too esoteric for you taste, but if it is, a little context might give me a chance for a more down to earth answer.

Hope your day is a great one.

Gene

hi gene
i loved what you wrote, not too esoteric at all!
and it made sense to me.
i am in a kind of "journey" within myself. lots of changes going on, spiritual work and so on.
yesterday was a good day, i must say. a really good day.

but the sincerity you talk about applies also to the broken relationship: i realized in the last two days, that I was sincere, but the other was not. a difficult thing to deal with, to me, but I found this quote by jung that helped me:

"But since the gift represents myself, I have in that case destroyed myself, given myself away without expectation of return. Yet, looked at in another way, this intentional loss is also a gain, for if you can give yourself it proves that you possess yourself. Nobody can give what he has not got."
Jung -- Transformation Symbolism in the Mass

so, I gave with total sincerity. i gave what i have. i could not know, at the time, how that person was. i had to find out. no blame.
ufff! sad, though...

today my daily reading is 44 unchanged. totally puzzled... who is that big, powerful woman one should be afraid of? myself?
does this mean that somebody "inferior" is going to come to me, admiting I am, or trying to be, the superior here?

today my daily reading is 44 unchanged. totally puzzled... who is that big, powerful woman one should be afraid of? myself?
does this mean that somebody "inferior" is going to come to me, admiting I am, or trying to be, the superior here?

Click to expand...

Don't make the mistake of thinking 44 is all about some feisty woman. The woman in 44 is only a metaphor for something that disrupts or tempts a man from his path.

for a daily reading put the cast on a daily type scale. It might just be something that demands your attention that you hadn't planned for, something that seems slightly intrusive, an event or a person that makes you take a detour of some kind. And for a daily cast it might be quite a small detour

This might range form an unexpected call from someone to tripping over., to being seized by the urge to do something creative, the creative urge can also seem an intrusion or....you may find your plans a little disrupted thats all !

I think the words 'superior' and 'inferior' are horribly misleading words so I dismiss them.


If daily readings make you afraid don't do them....only do them for fun and learning. As soon as you get get anxious about how the cast may manifest you are wasting time...

Also remember the Yi's imagery is very extreme sometimes, you have to remember to scale it down to the size of your question.

deusa

I'll get into hexagram 44 later on tonight, but for now, as far as giving, yes, I understand what you mean about not giving what you haven't got. Some people try too hard in relationships and give to the point where they are just taken advantage of. Hexagram forty one line one says, "But one must reflect on how much one may decrease others." In other words, how much help can we accept without harming someone else. It is often the case that we do not realize how much others are giving, and how little we are, or vice versa. One thing here though, it is important not to be a scorekeeper. "Let's see, I gave this, and this and this, but I only got that back." It is important to not worry about it, unless it gets to the point where it really is decreasing us. Everyone has their own "point of departure." And we have to judge what is really right. Just some thoughts about these kinds of things.

Gene

Hi gene
Well, i don't want to go into personal detail, but I was talking about being true and giving myself in the sense of trusting and commiting, and of him as having lied and fooled me (and mostly himself).
And, strangely, I feel kind of stupid and guilty because I trusted. And it is not right!!

I think that my 44 moment was at my children school, where I had a discussion about something I don't agree with concerning a show where I am involved too. Makes sense? Disruptive... Annoying. But ok, really, and it felt good to be able to talk freely and state how I felt.

Or could it be that one of the musicians invited me to sing and I want to but I am also a bit afraid? Feels exciting and frightening at the same time...

Hello everyone

The strong woman in hexagram 44 can refer to any situation in which something that appears relatively harmless, really isn’t. It can refer to things that tempt us, and we think it is a little thing, but it has a way of coming back and biting us in the hind parts. It can refer to a situation in which something as a super sweet chocolate bar full of sugar tempts us. I certainly hope that isn’t the case in the situation at school.

But there is another aspect of hexagram forty four that I want to go into here, and that is in situations in which things that belong together come together. The commentary in the W/B version of hexagram forty four says, “Although as a general rule the weak should not come to meet the strong, there are times when this has great significance. When heaven and earth come to meet each other, all creatures prosper.” Of course heaven and earth can also refer to yin and yang, to inner and outer, to spiritual and physical, and it can also refer to conscious mind and subconscious. And herein lies a situation when terms such as the inferior man and the superior come into play, because the inferior can refer to the conscious mind, while the superior can refer to the unconscious.

The lower trigram is wind or wood, while the upper is heaven. As such heaven above spreads its commands, (vibrations, voices, wisdom, wind) abroad in the earth. Thus in this hexagram heaven and earth meet and the people (the conscious mind) receives the wisdom from heaven. This is what we seek, normally in a meditative state.

The whole key to the I Ching is in coming to understand (coming to meet) how heaven (the universal subconscious mind) and the earth (the conscious mind) interrelate and how to integrate them into one united whole. (Unifying yin and yang and making them, and oneself whole.) Once we have accomplished this we become, in essence, the superior man ourselves, because we have integrated both sides of our being. When that happens, as hexagram fifty two says, “He no longer sees in the world the struggle and tumult of individual beings.” (They are no longer individual, now they are all one unified whole.) In every hexagram, in every line, the I Ching speaks of itself and its relationship to us, for it is us. And though we don’t realize it, we are a unified whole. We have “come to meet” the superior thing.

Gene

trojan
i wouldn't do daily reading if i got afraid. i used the word for the woman. but i get your point. either it helps and it iss joyous or better not to do it.

today, here is my daily reading:
i ask "an advice for today, please."
25.5 > 21

i got this line 25.5 once before, and i get here and there the 21. i feel it is an hex that comes to me often enough.

any comments that might help me?

my current situations in life is:
- more and more clear in my love life situation (i'm understanding what happened even though i have no contact with the guy. it is not very nice, but i like the clarity)
- new situation at work that annoys me a bit. but i'm pretty calm.
- today is the show at school.

thanks!

deusa

In terms of your relationship, though it is over, there is often a period of mourning, second guessing yourself, and general confusion about how things might have been or should have been. In relation to this the line is telling you in effect, to just allow time to pass. Things, if left alone, will right themselves in the way that they should be and we can get on with our life.

It is a very common maxim, that goes such as, "As above, so below." Another perspective of this same thought is, "As within, so without." The commentary on line five states, "but should quietly let nature take its course." This is because, while everything that happens without has a root within, some of those things are relatively speaking external, and are not a major karmic factor in our lives. So, though we temporarily experience something in our life, it is not of major consequence for us, and will pass of itself. Sometimes we make mistakes which create a small karma, but still are in no major way significant and should be just allowed to pass.

The hexagram itself speaks of innocence, and of the passing of time and allowing things to flow through the passage of time. The karma we have created for ourselves is of relatively minor importance and does not have a major foothold within ourselves. It is a karma innocently created, and therefore in the passage of time, it will pass away and have little or no meaning for us in the long run.

While this is a general truth, it applies to all of us all of the time, and not just when we receive this line. We allow many things to pass. When we make honest mistakes we must not dwell on them, but let the emotions do their thing until they pass. It is the innocent passage of time.

Gene

Yesterday was my sunday with the kids and we asked the Yi for an advice for us three, for the day:
3.5 > 24

My knowledge of the Yi is still elementary so...

We had a pretty tense morning. My older son did something stupid and was feeling very guilty, so I had to contain his self-loath.

The afternoon and evening were good.

I don't know about the helpers... Maybe internal resources?
I have some discussions with them because of their beahviour, but nothing special, considering their age...

I'm readign similar readings in the forum.
I had to deal with the subtle criticism or tension of my family, yesterday morning. Nothing too stressing but still present...

And we had to change plans with the cinema because the starting hour was wrong on the newspaper!!!

The third hexagram is an interesting one because it is the first hexagram of the book of changes following the general descriptions of yin and yang. It indicates a beginning, and a situation in which we are not yet sure of our footing. We must sort things out, and find the proper placed for everything before we can truly begin our journey. Hence line three tells us that we must have a guide.

The fifth line is the place of the ruler, (our own higher self). It is the place where everything is controlled. And this yang line is correct being yang, and it corresponds with the six in the second place. Hence, by persevering, one finds one's place in the world.

The judgment says "Difficulties in blessing." I do not know exactly how it reads in the Chinese, but for the English speaker, it can mean, "Blessings in difficulty." For it is by this difficult time that we learn about ourselves, and begin to make sense of our world, both inner and outer. We sort things out. We find out who will help us and who will hinder us. We also begin to get a grasp of the real meaning of the I Ching. For the Forester in line three is in one sense our own higher self, and in another, the I Ching itself. It guides us through life if we will humble ourselves and listen to its counsel. And as the commentary says, "It is only through faithful and conscientious work, unobtrusively carried on, that the situation clears up, and the hindrance disappears."

Life is self is a difficult beginning, all the way through. For we are constantly challenged. We are constantly put into situations where we do not fully understand what is going on, what our responses should be, how we should interact. And that is exactly why we need a teacher. Some one who will guide us along the way, as we are "strangers and pilgrims" (hexagram 56) on the planet.

The line is in the middle of the trigram for water, or darkness. It is in a chasm, or abyss. When we are in darkness we cannot see the way. The I Ching from beginning to end is a depiction of how we can "free ourselves" from the darkness. But we must humble ourselves before it. Hexagram four, which is the hexagram of context to hexagram three, tells us of our proper relationship to the I Ching, and how to use it with respect, honoring it.

Of course, once again, as above, so below. So above I spoke of heavenly things, so to speak, here I speak of earthly things, for the starting hour in the newspaper is a small example of the influence of darkness. Our conscious mind simply reads the paper and believes the message. Only the deepest part of our souls knows the truth. So we practice daily (Hexagram twenty six line three) to get to know those deeper levels of ourselves, and to meditate in order to merge our energy with the energy of the universe, and become, ultimately, "the superior person."

A long time since i posted daily readings.
Feeling slightly depressed today and having my moon.
Asked for advice respectfully.
Got 58.4.5 > 19
Can't understand it, sepcially line 5.
Kind of dum today...

One of the things I like about reading daily readings for someone else is that I don’t have anything to tie it to so it gives me a far greater challenge. With that, however, comes a greater responsibility to give a proper reading. As such, I have to get a little more spiritual with it, and tie the reading to a more psychological situation.

Hexagram fifty eight speaks of joy, and the judgment is apparently very favorable. It says, “success. Perseverance is favorable.” And yet the lines in the hexagram get more and more unfavorable, generally speaking, as they go up. So why would this be? The key is that one must be sure to keep joyousness within proper bounds. The commentary says, “But joy must be based on steadfastness if it is not to degenerate into uncontrolled mirth.” The idea on one level is that we must be in charge of ourselves at all times. It is often possible to be in control of oneself and act with dignity in general, but when there is a change of conditions we can easily be tempted into situations that do not leave us with dignity. The problem is that all too often we do it before we even realize it. So we must under all circumstances maintain our composure. We must remain poised.

Just as when someone unexpectedly physically gives us a push we are knocked off balance, we can be knocked off balance emotionally and psychologically when events occur that shock us or cause us to lose our composure. We must right in the moment recognize the situation for what it is. Then we will not be so easily thrown off balance and suddenly do something that does not help us maintain our dignity and composure. Sometimes we may even have situations where we laugh and clown with our friends, thinking we are having a good time, only to find our so called friend is taking our lightness and lack of balance as an opportunity to make us look bad in front of other friends. (Another hexagram that deals with this is hexagram fifty one.)

We especially see this theme in lines four and five. In lines four we may tempted to give up our dignity and composure in light of some social situation that seems harmless but is really not. We must always be ready to act in a composed manner and not bring down upon ourselves the reputation of acting foolishly. Of course there is the deeper matter too of making sure we are not tempted to do things that are hurtful or harmful to others. We may think we have an advantage and are ready to use it to gain something for ourselves at the expense of others. But here we can just deal with the basic idea of choosing the wiser and more honorable approach.

The fifth line carries a similar meaning. Often negative elements, or elements that are not in alignment with our highest good will come in a package that appears to lead to joyousness. But we must be aware of its seductive element and not be fooled. (The Devil always paints a pretty picture! Just a metaphor!) The key is to recognize the situation early on, so that we are not fooled, and tempted into a dangerous situation.

The interesting thing about daily readings versus asking a specific question, is that we get answers that always apply in our life, whereas when we ask a specific question, we get answers that apply only in that given situation. The key to knowing the I Ching is to be able to read its message for us personally that teaches us the principles of life that always apply, and apply them.

Gene

Hi gene
Thank you! It is nice to know you like daily readings, lime this we both enjoy ourselves!

Yesterday i was anything but joyful. Another step on my mourning path, i guess.
I was teary and sensitive.
But through the day things got better.
As the hex 58 says to not isolate oneself, i tried not to isolate myself although i felt like it.

In the end it was a good day,i made drawings that made me feel good and i worked well, i was able to listen and communicate.

I keep thinking the lines are about my thoughts.
Chose between a higher or lower pleasure. Be careful with whom you think of.
Could i be right?

Looking back, my reading seems different...
The 44 maybe was because the show at school was put out by a mother whi is my friend and who apparently is angry at me and Indon't know why.
I did something but I don't know what...
She is a very sensitive person with a difficult life.
I'm writing this and i feel like smiling because sometimes adults are such children! It would be enough to talk and clear things up, but she won't answer my calls or messages, so i let it be. Time will solve thigs eventually.

The 3 i got later was obviously about my morning with the kids and my brother's family. I separated not so long ago from their father. It is still technically a beginning for all of us. Not easy but full of potential.

Well, thanks you all, specially gene who always answers my daily readings.
I'm slowly learning...

Well, yes Deusa, you ARE right. I wouldn’t assume that the thought interpretation is the only one possible for you, though. There is a level of the I Ching where EVERYTHING relates to our thoughts. There is another level where EVERYTHING relates to our daily life. There is another level where EVERYTHING relates to our relationship with our higher self. Then, there is also the Taoist level of I Ching where EVERYTHING is very mystical, and very spiritual. Few people know the I Ching on this level, however, and those that do aren’t talking. It is not for everybody.

Gene

looking back at my day, i don't recognize any situation that was pointing to what was described in the hex and lines.
but i do recognize internal processes that match...
you made me curious about the espiritual reading of the I Ching... is there anything written about it, gene?
thanks

today's reading: 60 unchanged. my question was slightly different:
an advice for the day so i would be more centered.

gene, i'm really eager to read what you have to say about 60!!!

Sixty is a very difficult hexagram for me, and I rarely get it in my readings, but about a month ago I was getting it occasionally. But I will work on it later today.

As far as spiritual readings, I can't think of anybody who writes about it or explains it. The closest I can think of is Carol Anthony, but her work doesn't appeal to a lot of people, and I see things a little differently than she does. Not that she is wrong. She is right for her, but I interpret things a little differently. The key to spiritual readings is that one must read each line as a response from our higher self to our lower self on how to bridge the gap between the two worlds. Ironically, many lines in the I Ching are the opposite of others in terms of their advice, but when one really understands the inner workings, one finds that the real inner message of contrasting lines are messages that apply at all times. Not just in the case for which we are reading. Few people take the I Ching this far. They either don't believe it exists, or they don't know how to interpret it in that way. The mind must be ready before one can understand the I Ching on this level.

Gene

I’ll do a simple talk about hexagram sixty tonight, but I will take it along two different paths. The most obvious thing about hexagram sixty is that it deals with limitations. But why limitations? Why can’t we just do whatever we want to do regardless? The reason is that the basket of life is too full, so in order to be effective we must limit ourselves to those things that are most important to us. But there are two possible reasons why we would have to focus and limit ourselves to certain aspects of life. The first possible reason is that we choose a certain direction in life. We have a goal that we strive for. Without a goal, we can never become proficient in any one thing, and therefore be a little use to society or ourselves. We can study all our lives. But unless we study a certain field we never become proficient in anything. So we choose. We choose what we want to accomplish, and then we have to work to accomplish that which we desire.

The second reason is that often duty calls us to certain tasks. We cannot easily back away from our commitments. And if we want to continue in our duty station, we must compete with others to maintain our position, and work hard to be the best we can be at what we do. In this way we accomplish something of value for mankind. The commentary on the image in hexagram sixty, Wilhelm/Baynes version, says, “The individual attains significance as a free spirit only by surrounding himself with these limitations and by determining for himself what his duty is.” Only by finding our true place in life, and in finding our true calling, are we able to limit ourselves to that which gives us respect within society, and that which gives us a place in society to call our own, and to excel in. The more we limit ourselves to that which is our true calling, the sweeter the limitations placed upon us by ourselves.

Gene

Tonight i asked:
An advice for tomorrow.
44.1.2.5 > 30
Coupling to clarity
I can't totally understand it...
Last time the 44 was maybe something to do with a friend who was angry at me.
But n the context of clarity? It sounds better...
Any thought?
Gene...

Hi Deusa

Give me a day on this. I am listening to several very important documentaries tonight.

Gene

Of course, gene! I'll give anytime you need.
What documentaries? You made me curious...

Hi Deusa

As far as the documentaries, I get several per day in my email box, and if I were to listen to all of them it would take about 60 hours a day. They are on every subject imaginable. The one I was most interested in last night was one about ancient prophecies from around the world that relate to the years 2012 through 2106. It was done about a year ago and I am finding it very accurate. Though it is relatively speaking a Christian broadcast, I find it most interesting. The document lasted about three hours, and I had a half hour left before I called it a night. Today I tried to finish it, found an error had occurred, and the program was no longer available. I wish I had downloaded it. But it is not the type of thing that would appeal to everyone. I also listened to a documentary by Judy Woods about the way the twin towers fell on 9/11. That too was very interesting. But not the type of thing that would appeal to everyone. I also subscribe to coasttocoastam.com both the audio and the video, and those shows are about four hours each. They cover multiple subjects. Once again, not everyone’s cup of tea.

As far as hexagram forty four… The lines you got, I am going to have to meditate on them, because it is difficult. The only thing I can say now is about line one. Often as days go by, the physical necessities of life force us to maintain our attention on our sustenance, our relationships, and the general things of daily life. It is so predominant that it is very difficult to maintain a spiritual presence and to be able to remember the spiritual lessons we learn through the I Ching, through meditation, or what the preacher was saying on Sunday, or whatever. As such we have to watch for the little things that creep into our lives that are not noticeable at first. They only become noticeable after they have grown full scale. This is the way erosion, or inertia, or deterioration occurs. It starts out small and very unnoticeable. It is the same way dark forces in our lives or in society work. They start out very little, just make little adjustments that nobody notices until they have gained power, then they come out in the open and wreak havoc. We must be constantly mindful of the negative things in our lives and correct them, not forgetting our spiritual unfoldment, not forgetting to do the work we intended to do. To maintain vigilance in our daily lifes, to not let the little things creep in a little more each day, a little more, a little more, until we are no longer “practicing chariot driving, (hexagram 26 line three) or in other words, doing our spiritual practices. Lines two and five give hints as to how to protect ourselves from such slippage, or as the Christians might say, “backsliding.” But more on that later.

Gene