hi,
I am graduating soon (this July) but I wish to stop or postpone my University education for about 1 year.

I-Ching says:
Primary Hexagon
24 Fu/Return(the turning point)
Line 3 & 4 changed

Relating Hexagon
55 Feng Abundance (fullness)

Please help.

thanks

Hi Tan,

I'll present this in an intuitive manner rather than technical. If you wish to know more about the hows and whys, I'll be happy to continue this conversation. I read it simply as follows:

Its a time to return inward and be removed from some of the turbulence you are experiencing. In this place, you observe the coming and going all around you, but you need not be drawn into it, if you wish to remain centered.

There is warning against returning to this inner focused place repeatedly, then going out into uncontrolled desires again, only to return again. This is dangerous, though there is an indication that this habitual pattern may yet be broken and your resolve toward abiding in your return is possible.

You may feel as though you're alone in the crowd, that you aren't fitting in well, but you have a connection or relationship with a strong and good friend. (This friend may be within you, but may also appear without.) Although nothing is said of reward and punishment, this return is certainly favorable, for such a resolve to choose the good brings its own reward.

This changes to 55, Abundance. Its a time when your superior man has influence and power. A time when you will be able to make swift and sound judgments and decisions concerning your situation at school.

I hear this saying, return to your original direction and finish what you've begun in school.

Thank you Candid.

In the first place, i told I Ching my problem and asked for advice. I pressed the consult button then. Did I do it correctly?

By "I hear this saying, return to your original direction and finish what you've begun in school" you mean I don't ask for a suspension?

thanks

Tan, How about a little more information? I don't know which means you've used to throw the I Ching, so I can't say if you did it correctly or not. It would also be helpful, if you would like more specif information, if you provide more specific information.

candid,
I present my problems verbally in front of the computer with Consult I Ching on it.

Then i pressed the Consult I Ching button. Result came up.

I pin up my message for help.

It that okay??

thanks

candid,

i consult I Ching on onlineclarit.co.uk electronically.

Any other way for me to consult I Ching conveniently?

thanks

Hi Tan,

There are several ways to consult the I Ching. The way you're doing it is fine. If you would like to try another, here's a website I sometimes use. http://aol.visionarynet.com/

Were you able to relate well to the interpretation I've written? Feedback from you would be very helpful in order to further assist you.

Thanks,
Candid

candid,

i still want to know, can I proceed to ask for a suspension from my course based upon the I Ching results??


thanks

Tan,

I can not advise you to or not to ask for the suspension, based on anything. My interpretation is not infallible. My original interpretation stands as just that, my interpretation. I read it just as I've expressed it.

Perhaps one of our other readers could add their input?

candid,

I have been unlucky at University. I want to go away for sometime for the bad luck to pass by. I am stressed and cannot perform my best now.

Take this time to make up or recover my education losses in the last few months. I consulted I Ching and asked for help.

This is my case.

thanks

Hi Tan,

You mention that you're stressed, so much in fact, that you feel unable to perform your work. My original response may still be quite appropriate.

"Its a time to return inward and be removed from some of the turbulence you are experiencing. In this place, you observe the coming and going all around you, but you need not be drawn into it, if you wish to remain centered."

#24 suggests "returning" inward toward your inner peace to regain your composure and sense of balance. There, you are free to observe the situation more objectively, rather than subjectively. This is a much better state of mind to make important decisions.


Once you've "centered" yourself, you will be in a better position to move forward to #55 Abundance. Abundance is a time of strength and clarity, and a time when important decisions can be made from a position of inner strength and security.

Please understand, I will never say, do this or don't do that. That's a matter for you to decide. I can only explain the meaning of the I Ching hexagram to you. It appears to me that its advising you to first gain a clear state of mind before making important decisions.

I hope this helps you.

Tan, I hope you don't mind but I did a Tarot card reading for you about your situation and this is what came up.

What will be the results of leaving school now to return later?

Self-Center= 4 of Cups
Present Conditions= Knight of Swords
Challenge= Strength
Crowning Ideal= 5 of Wands
Foundation of Matter= 10 of Cups
Recent Past= 3 of Swords
Next Turn of Events= 4 of Wands
Inner Attitude= Empress
Outer Environment= 6 of Cups
Illusions= 5 of Swords
Probable Outcome= 4 of Pentacles
Long-term Influence= 7 of Swords

Tan, my tarot cards indicate that you are having a hard time appreciating all the successes you *have* made (4 of Cups) and are very focused on what hasn't gone too well. As a result, without really giving it much consideration (Knight of Swords) you want to get far away from the situation. You may or may not gain more insight this way, however, you will have a tough time getting back into the 'flow' of things later (Strength) if you walk away now (something Candid pointed out in his interpretation.)

The 3 of Swords behind you shows how much your losses pain you and so I understand how deeply this situation is affecting you right now but if you look to the Next Turn of Events the 4 of Wands showed up --things will settle down comfortably if you stick it out.

Your Crowning Ideal (5 of Wands) says that the best you can do under the circumstances is to bite the bullet and deal with the problem head on. Your inner world (Empress) reflects your ability to nurture and care deeply about what you do. Combined with the 10 of Cups at the Foundation of the Matter position this shows how much you really love what you are doing. Add to this the 6 of Cups in the Outer Environment position and I see you really missing school if you leave now --there may be some regrets.

That loss (3 of Swords) has had a major impact on you that you are seeing more into it than is really *real*. The 5 of Swords in the position of your Illusions indicates that you feel that you are being judged very harshly and you'd sooner avoid the conflict this presents than stand up for yourself. Perhaps, though, it is *you* that is judging yourself too harshly and not anyone else.

Your interests will be served best if you protect what is of most value to you (4 of Pentacles). Hold tightly to your possessions --you've put effort into your education and so I interpret the possessions to be refering to that. Your long-term influence is the 7 of Swords. This card speaks of spending much time alone and making most decisions on your own. Perhaps it would help if you let others in more often --to help you make decisions but also as companions that can make the difficulties in your studies less overwhelming.

My suggestion is to stay with your education because things *will* change and so will your feelings about what's been happening. However, if you do choose to take a break, you probably will wish you were back there, plus it may take a lot of strength and energy to "get back on the horse" later. I hope this helps you out a bit.

Dharma

candid,

"It appears to me that its advising you to first gain a clear state of mind before making important decisions."

Thank you so much. The above is very useful to me.

I have analysed my scenarios with a calm and conscious mind.

The University operates differently from others.
If I do not apply for suspension, the misfortune I received from the University together with the time constraints to do additonal tasks would affect the final degree marks greatly.

I have made up my mind to do that for the benefit of my future.

thank you dearly.

Dharma,

The Tarot cards reveal much more information than I thought. You interpreted them with great details.

I have discussed with friend about the consequence if I continue my study. Because this University is run under its set of rules(as i have told Candid) and given the time constrain factor, it would be harder for me to perform better. It is also unfair to me.

1)" That loss (3 of Swords) has had a major impact on you that you are seeing more into it than is really *real*. The 5 of Swords in the position of your Illusions indicates that you feel that you are being judged very harshly and you'd sooner avoid the conflict this presents than stand up for yourself. Perhaps, though, it is *you* that is judging yourself too harshly and not anyone else.
"

1)<< I cannot do anything to them(University)about this case meaning I don't have a chance to stand up for myself.


2)"Your interests will be served best if you protect what is of most value to you (4 of Pentacles)."

2)<< I guard my future by suspending the education. This will buy me time to do the unreasonable tasks I am assigned to. They know I am being treated unfairly(I was sick for the examinations) and they cannot do anything but to increase my burden.

This is the only way to pull myself out of trouble. Otherwise, I would take your advice and stayed with my education.

thank you dearly Dharma

Hi Tan,

A strange thing happened earlier today - I wrote an answer for you and posted it... at least I thought I did, because now I find it's not here at all. And you seem to have resolved the issue and found your path yourself. My own conclusion from that first reading of yours was basically that it was telling you to pause and find your own awareness of the right way, and not which way that was.

I don't think you exactly need my interpretation any more. But I'll post it anyway - see if it appears this time! - in case there is anything here you can still use. (It also seems to fit together in an interesting way with Dharma's tarot reading.)

I see I also suggested you might use other readings. If you're already clear, of course, there's absolutely no need for these.

Anyway, here's the lost post!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First, the I Ching won?t tell you what you can or can?t do, it?ll just offer advice and insight. Decisions are up to you! Sometimes it will say an option is wonderful and involves you to the full, for example, and you can still decide that that kind of involvement is not what you want.

Having said that? you can get more help from the I Ching on this one, certainly. So far you?ve asked in general terms for advice about both the options open to you - but it?s hard to review a decision as a whole when you?re not entirely sure about what each option would really mean for you. I think it could help a lot to ask another question:

?Please comment on the idea of asking for a suspension?

You see the difference? That way you would receive some specific advice on that particular option. You might also want to ask the ?pair? to this -

?Please comment on the idea of staying on?

- if you also feel that would help.

About your first reading:
I think it is encouraging you to return to an awareness of abundance. You probably have the sense that there is too much happening at once, too many factors involved, and you?re not in a strong enough position to deal with it all. But it?s astonishing what a difference you can make by changing your own conception of this. Perhaps you are at the centre of it all - perhaps you are in charge?
?Abundance, growth.
The king approaches.
No mourning. The sun stands at the centre of the sky.?
If you are the king, you are the one who holds it all together, and your decisions are as strong and clear as thunder and lightning. Yes, there is a lot involved, but if you are the king you can make it all work to your own advantage, and go on to achieve great things.

It?s quite likely that this idea of being the king sounds unrealistic to you at present. The I Ching explains why: you are just at the turning point in the cycle between bad times and good ones. Hexagram 24 is the hexagram where things turn around - or where you turn them around! - and get back on the right track. It follows from a truly horrible experience of loss, Stripping Away. But such times are not designed to last forever, any more than winter does. However, the moment when light and warmth begin to grow is actually the darkest moment.

Hexagram 24 suggests a much more relaxed approach to this return. You can move easily on your path, away from the university or towards it, and there is no need to try to hurry things. In fact, the wise old kings closed the borders at such times to prevent people from rushing back into normal life before it was time. Once you understand that the light is already returning, the question is whether you actually need the time away. In other words, where can you best do what Candid described, and return quietly to your own centre?

Line 3 reads ?Urgent return. Danger. No mistake.? Actually, ?urgent? can also mean something you keep coming back to. It suggests you?re hesitating on the brink, getting so worked up about the issue that you can?t concentrate properly. Should you retreat to protect yourself from further harm? You can help yourself by becoming more aware of what is involved. The light is coming back. Would time away actually help you to watch and nurture it? Or would you be turning away from it, blocking the opportunity? (These aren?t just rhetorical questions: I don?t know the answers!) It sounds as if you need some time to think - and yes, perhaps another I Ching question or two - before you jump either way.

Line 4 says ?Walking in the centre, return alone.?
As ever, the I Ching isn?t exactly telling you which way to turn: instead, it?s referring you back to your own sense of what is right. This is something that wells up inside you, a quiet voice amidst all the turmoil. It has nothing to do with what anyone else does, says or approves of. It may not even have much to do with outcomes - with what you expect to happen as a result of your choice. If you make space to trust yourself, you can negotiate this transition safely. Perhaps you won?t need those additional readings I suggested - but if you do, you know where to come

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BTW, I can sympathise with your experience with your university. I have also seen students making it through despite the apparent inhumanity of 'the system' and 'the rules'. Good luck, and may you graduate with honours!

all best wishes,
Hilary

Hilary,

Thank you for your help, concern and best wishes.

With the help I got from all of you, I feel the warmth in this world-- wonderful feeling to have.

Thank you dearly.