My friend has been looking rather strange and puffy and pale for the last few weeks, and his energy is quite low. He does not complain about anything other than feeling very tired, but I do wonder whether something more serious might be coming on.

He had two heart "events" in the past and thinks he might be fringing on diabetes. Still, he eats fatty salty sugary stuff. But I notice he's making better choices sometimes.

Years ago, I could diagnose people across the room, but I'm not able to do that now. I just know something is going on with him. So I asked Yi, How is his heath?

29.1.3.4 > 43

29.1 "Repetition of the Abysmal. In the abyss one falls into a pit. Misfortune." Growing accustomed to danger (symptoms?) and not fighting them? Heart symptoms?

29.3 "Forward and backward, abyss on abyss. In danger like this, pause at first and wait, otherwise you will fall into a pit in the abyss. Do not act in this way."
He's making the situation worse? It involves water? Kidneys? Bladder? He has always had a sensitive stomach. Is that getting worse? Or is it just stress?

29.4 "A jug of wine, a bowl of rice with it; earthen vessels simply handed in through the window. There is certainly no blame in this." This suggests nurturing to me. He does not drink, so wine is out. I think rice is a basic ulcer diet. ?

Still, I feel I'm overlooking important clues.

Hexagram 43. Breakthrough, Removing corruption, eradicating,
This sounds a little scary, like he needs to have surgery for something.


I'd appreciate your experience with this and any enlightened opinions. Friend sorta listens to my advice, which I tend to present as questions. Thanks so much for your assistance.:bows::bows::bows:

Maybe he must be resolute(43) on changing his eating habits (29)

from 43 " the best way to fight evil is to make energetic progress in the good."

Was thinking in another context h29 and I feel it has a dual meaning. learning and re-learning - which is the toughest one

anemos said:

Maybe he must be resolute(43) on changing his eating habits (29)

from 43 " the best way to fight evil is to make energetic progress in the good."

Was thinking in another context h29 and I feel it has a dual meaning. learning and re-learning - which is the toughest one

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Appreciate your insight, anemos. He would benefit from being resolute about changing his eating habits, making energetic progress at doing that. Sounds good to me. He would have to relearn a lifetime of terrible dietary choices. Giving up junk food is a tough go for some of us.

Reading Bradford's version of 29.4 makes me think I should not hesitate to lobby for a visit to the doctor. Pronto.

"Warrior, advisor, doctor and shaman will speak to the chief in urgent terms, devoid of allusions and protocols. They need their words to sink in right now, like stones, unbuoyed by etiquette. The knot on the gate is cut, not untied. ... Time becomes precious. ...We cannot take the passive approaches: ...The window lets in fresh air with the goodies, and new opportunities too. Must all of this weight, this ballast and jetsam, return"

The urgency of this description worries me. "The window lets in fresh air" really does sound like surgery to me. That's the way doctors talk when they open up someone's body.

Anyone else have another interpretation?

wired to eat such kind of stuff, according to some... Talk about oooooooold habits 29.4 suggests some kind of help, maybe he could use some help on that ... a doctor perhaps. to rule out any problem with his heart. I can't tell for sure if this reading talks about a wholehearted decision or something else

All the best for your friend

we were cross posting... yes, I saw Wilhelm's 29.4 .

Getting help

anemos said:

wired to eat such kind of stuff, according to some... Talk about oooooooold habits 29.4 suggests some kind of help, maybe he could use some help on that ... a doctor perhaps. to rule out any problem with his heart. I can't tell for sure if this reading talks about a wholehearted decision or something else

All the best for your friend

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Thanks, anemos. He is, as you say, wired to eat junk. He blanks out and shovels it in, totally unconscious. I should shoot a film and play it back to him-- he'd be surprised at the robot he turns into over donuts. And McDonalds junk. Addictive for sure.

I just had dinner with him. A very healthy dinner. And a little chat afterwards. He was receptive to my saying he has changed in worrisome ways over the last five months.

He admits to being concerned about his health. Huge admission for this macho guy. He says he will stay at work for dinner from now on...a place where they serve a very healthy bland sugar-free diet to patients, and to staff if they choose to eat there. That will help to some extent.

The elephant in the room is the potential for more heart problems. He just started the job, has another few months before health insurance activates-, he will not go to doc without insurance.

I don't know where you live, but here I paid $400 copay for nuclear stress test that looked at my heart. (I'm fine) Someone without insurance would be billed at least $20,000. No kidding. It was written up in Time Magazine recently. So I understand friend's reluctance to see doc without insurance.

Maybe he can find some other kind of effective help.

I find that it's always tricky to ask about other people. You're never quite sure if the answer refers to them or to your state of mind regarding the issue, as you are the one asking. What works best for me is to ask about what I need to know / do.

Either way, line 4 is apparently about help offered in times of need, offered simply with no strings attached. I would not see surgery in it because of the image alone.

To me, it sounds like you have enough information to tell your friend to go see a doctor regardless of the I Ching. Especially if you have a history of being able to diagnose people. This does not sound healthy and while a change of diet is probably a must, your friend might need a bit more than this. A simple blood test should be able to tell if he's diabetic.

How is his heath?
29.1.3.4 > 43

Fluid retention is an extreme danger once the heart is damaged. I weigh myself every morning. A sudden increase of five pounds is a medical emergency. If your friend appears puffy (I suppose you can see face and wrists) something more serious could definitely be coming. He knows this, and yet he is sabotaging his health by continuing to eat salty foods, which increase fluid retention. This is an indication of a loss of morale. I eat nothing without knowing its sodium content, and I have been rewarded with improving health at a time of life when I should be in decline. The critical point in fluid retention is the ankles. I have not been to a doctor in the last four years without my ankles being pressed. Yes, he should see a doctor, but he doesn't want another lecture on how he should be living. Some persons simply cannot change their ways, and there is definitely a limit to your influence.

poised said:

I don't know where you live, but here I paid $400 copay for nuclear stress test that looked at my heart. (I'm fine) Someone without insurance would be billed at least $20,000. No kidding. It was written up in Time Magazine recently. So I understand friend's reluctance to see doc without insurance.

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Health system is not good here too- comparing the money one pays for insurance. I understand why he postpones it . Hope he can find someone to advise him , a simple doctor's call so he can plan his life till he will be able for full service. Hex 29 is about danger and even the stress it causes -whether there is a real issue or not affects heart .

Thanks, kash

kash said:

I find that it's always tricky to ask about other people. You're never quite sure if the answer refers to them or to your state of mind regarding the issue, as you are the one asking.

This does not sound healthy and while a change of diet is probably a must, your friend might need a bit more than this. A simple blood test should be able to tell if he's diabetic.

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Thanks, kash. In this case, I am almost certain the hexagrams are about friend. Excellent idea about a simple blood test for diabetes. I know he can manage that, probably at the healing center where he works. Will ask him about that.

Loss of morale

pocossin said:

How is his heath?
29.1.3.4 > 43

Fluid retention is an extreme danger once the heart is damaged. I weigh myself every morning. A sudden increase of five pounds is a medical emergency. If your friend appears puffy (I suppose you can see face and wrists) something more serious could definitely be coming. He knows this, and yet he is sabotaging his health by continuing to eat salty foods, which increase fluid retention. This is an indication of a loss of morale.

Click to expand...

Such an excellent, insightful view. His morale has been very low, on the rise again since getting his new job last week at a beautiful healing center that treats teenage addicts. He's a counselor, very devoted to his job, so he says he feels good about it. Always with a cautionary "so far."

Yes, his face is puffy, his belly grows, tho the rest of his body is lean and healthy looking. Not sure how much of this is fluid retention. Very long legs and very thin ankles. Then his feet are really puffy and so painful he has trouble walking and is reluctant to do so. I have not discussed salty foods with him, just the sugar and fat he consumes. I forgot that salt is a problem too. I was married to a diabetic long ago, and should have remembered all of that.

pocossin said:

eat nothing without knowing its sodium content, and I have been rewarded with improving health at a time of life when I should be in decline. The critical point in fluid retention is the ankles. I have not been to a doctor in the last four years without my ankles being pressed. Yes, he should see a doctor, but he doesn't want another lecture on how he should be living. Some persons simply cannot change their ways, and there is definitely a limit to your influence.

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I'm so pleased to hear of your efforts on your own behalf paying off in increased health. Very encouraging. Not sure there's a "time for decline," however. I'm in a state of creative denial about that.

Hard for me to acknowledge limits to my influence. LOL. Except that I'm a walking talking model of outrageous good health, which he cannot overlook. But I cannot overlook his declining health. From a perspective of my own self-preservation, I don't want to be driving over a mountain pass with him at the wheel when he has a heart attack. Of course, I'd never say that to him, but it's tempting.