BACKGROUND
My elderly cat gets powdered medicine mixed into her canned food twice a day. I fixed her morning dish today and put it on the shelf where she eats. The next thing I remember clearly was sitting down with her to give her a different medicine. When that was finished, I picked her up and carried her over to her shelf, where I noticed the food had been partially eaten.

I don't know what happened. There are times when my other cat gets up on that shelf and steals the older cat's food, and that's probably the the best guess here. But I didn't actually see her do it, and as best I remember, I was only a few feet away the entire time.

If the second cat did eat it, then obviously I'd start over with a fresh dish of food and a new dose of medicine. But if not - if it was the older cat who ate some of it - then that is not what I should do, because she'd end up with too much medicine.

The biggest problem is that I just don't remember the sequence of events. I don't remember if I ever left the room. I don't remember what opportunity the older cat may have had to get up on the shelf. There was some time available, because she hid from the second medicine and I had to wait for her to come out. I think I waited on the sofa just a few feet away from the food, and then she eventually hopped up there. But I don't remember what may have happened to cause me not to see what the cats did.

QUESTION
"What if I start entirely over now with a fresh dish of food and a whole new dose of medicine?" 57.2.4.6 > 31

From Hilary's translation:

57.2
'Subtly penetrating under the bed,
Using historians and diviners of many kinds.
Good fortune, no mistake.’

Okay...I'll post my reading on the forum...but is that what it means?

57.4
'Regrets vanish.
In the field, taking three kinds of game.’

That might seem like an endorsement of my plan, if it was the only line, but it's not...

57.6
‘Subtly penetrating under the bed,
Losing your property and axe.
Constancy, pitfall.’

???? Is Yi telling me I shouldn't be asking? I'm asking because (1) I can't reconstruct what may have happened, and (2) I don't want to give my cat too much medicine. I asked just this one question - is that really too much "constancy" in "penetration"? Is Yi trying to tell me ahead of time not to ask more than one question? Point taken, but that's just a guess.

I still don't know what to do. I suppose a safe option is not to give her any more - then the possible outcomes are that she'd get about half her normal dose (if she's the one who ate the food), or that she'd get no medicine at all this morning. Obviously I'd rather she get the medicine she's supposed to have.

The relating hexagram, 31, could mean that the younger cat was "attracted" to the older cat's food. But even if so, I don't understand the reading as a whole.

I have the same problem only with myself. I often forget whether I've take my daily thyroxine. If I have a feeling that I have already had it I don't take any more, to be on the safe side. If I miss a day it won't hurt me much, probably wouldn't hurt that much if I had a double dose but on balance I'd rather miss a dose than over dose. That's just thyroxine so unless it were a more urgent kind of medication that would be the rule of thumb I'd go by.

I was on warfarin for 6 months where it did matter if I took too much or too little. One day, can't recall details or why it happened, I was unsure of dose taken. I had to speak to nurse several times a week at the time anyway so asked her. Think she said not to take more.

So...I wouldn't go to the reading here because you could go round in circles when this can be resolved far more simply and practically by usual means ? Well you'll disagree but that's my view.

What about ringing the vet and explaining you aren't sure if she had the dose ? It must happen to many people. Then they can advise you whether it is better to not try to give more.

Personally I think they will tell you to forget it, don't give more, then give the usual dose at the next time it's due.


So in your shoes I'd either

a.. call the vet

b. Google 'suspected missed dose...' of what ever drug it is...bound to have happened to others, see what they did.

c. Leave things be and just go on as normal at next meal time

QUESTION
"What if I start entirely over now with a fresh dish of food and a whole new dose of medicine?" 57.2.4.6 > 31

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well lets look at it anyway.

Change patterns. Yang 64, yin 63. you approach the question via a sense of incompletion, go through it via completion. Be done with this.

57.2 is funny....and actually reflects my first answer. Often this line pokes gentle fun...looking under the bed, using occult means to find answers to everyday things that may not need such penetration. No harm done

57.4 ? No idea

57.6....Neurosis. If you overthink this you 'lose your axe', lose the power of conscious choice and decision .


Wow Yi's answer reflects the advice I was giving I think. Don't overthink this Lisa.


57 and 31 ....are both pretty open to influence....I feel you may need to close down your enquiry by maybe following the suggestions in my first post.


Yes I have taken it Yi answers the whole situation, your mind rather than the exact question put.

She won't die from a missed dose will she ?

Thank you, Trojina.

Believe it or not, it never occurred to me that missing a dose wouldn't matter very much . I want her to have the medicine she's supposed to have, of course, but (1) as you said, a fair number of medicines aren't life or death (this is one of those), (2) missing a dose once in a great while is different from missing doses habitually, (3) it is common advice that if anyone (cats, people) misses a dose of medicine, just skip it and take the next dose at the normal time. (I knew that...theoretically...)

I think probably I reacted the way I did because I noticed it right away, when it would have still been easy to fix. I wasn't thinking about it the same as if I hadn't even remembered the morning dose until the middle of the afternoon, when clearly it's too late.

I'll not call the vet. Being reminded it's not critical etc. is enough. I'm 100% sure they'd tell me the same thing. And I agree it's better to under-dose than over-dose.

The reading...

57.2 - I can see (now) what you mean, and maybe Yi was at me a little, but why does the line end with "Good fortune, no mistake"? I can even see the "no mistake" part - it didn't hurt anything to cast a reading or post it, except your time to answer (again, thank you) - but where is the "good fortune"? (Well, it's good fortune that you pointed out how to think about it...) Sometimes I'm confused when there are multiple omen words in the same line.

57.4 - how funny, the line I thought was somewhat clear (at least without the other two) is the one you weren't sure about. Looking at the reading as you explain it, I'm not sure about it now, either. (Unless maybe it is actually the answer - it's okay to give her another dose because yes, the other cat did eat it - and then the other two are more information: "But this really isn't a big deal," and "You're being neurotic about something that isn't worth the energy" - ?)

57.6 - Neurosis is a apt word; I was indeed being neurotic. "You 'lose your axe', lose the power of conscious choice and decision" - is that because an axe is used to chop through things? Because chopping things with an axe is very decisive?

I see what you mean about the change patterns, 64 and 63, though on my own I probably would have just been confused - complete it how? By giving her more medicine? When what it really meant was be done with the entire thing.

I understand in theory about readings addressing the entire situation. But I'm confused when Yi veers away from the question if I don't know what direction it's gone in. I mean, sometimes it's clear (this one was clear to you), but if it isn't, then I'm at sea.

With any luck I'll do better the next time I get these lines. Thank you!

I think the meaning of line 4 is more clear in hex 53:

Crowley: They reach the trees, and rest; but not too high.
Legge: Shows the geese gradually advanced to the trees. They may light on the flat branches.
There will be no error.

While one cat was under the bed, the other jumped to the shelf and ate some food.
But whoever ate it doesn't matter, 33.6 is your answer, retreat with dignity, let it go.

Thank you, Ashteroid. It's interesting how both you and Trojina came up with more-or-less the same advice with very different methods...

57.2 - I can see (now) what you mean, and maybe Yi was at me a little, but why does the line end with "Good fortune, no mistake"? I can even see the "no mistake" part - it didn't hurt anything to cast a reading or post it, except your time to answer (again, thank you) - but where is the "good fortune"? (Well, it's good fortune that you pointed out how to think about it...) Sometimes I'm confused when there are multiple omen words in the same line.

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I'm not sure why the 'good fortune', I don't even think anyone is too sure about the line. My personal sense of it has been that unbeknownst to you something fortunate lies beneath this . I think I've had it when everything is alright but I can't know that with the means I have. That's why I think it's a kindly humorous wink kind of answer.

57.6 - Neurosis is a apt word; I was indeed being neurotic. "You 'lose your axe', lose the power of conscious choice and decision" - is that because an axe is used to chop through things? Because chopping things with an axe is very decisive?

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Yes. I suppose 'neurotic' wasn't a polite word....but we are all neurotic in certain ways and it is invariably slightly disabling or rather uncomfortable but not a great deal. One of my slight neuroses is checking I haven't blocked anyone in when I park thecar. I look and I can see I haven't, walk away but then look back to check. Not too serious but if it got out of hand like an OCD I'd lose my axe because I'm not trusting myself hence losing the power of rational decision , my axe. I think for you it's more of a warning here as in 'Lisa if you start thinking too much about this you won't be able to think straight because you over penetrated the issue and it became more complex than it need be'. I think 57.6 is always the time to stop penetrating.

I see what you mean about the change patterns, 64 and 63, though on my own I probably would have just been confused - complete it how? By giving her more medicine? When what it really meant was be done with the entire thing.

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well change patterns are still open to discovery on how they work really. Here they may indicate something as fundamental as that your question was about whether something was begun or not

I understand in theory about readings addressing the entire situation. But I'm confused when Yi veers away from the question if I don't know what direction it's gone in. I mean, sometimes it's clear (this one was clear to you), but if it isn't, then I'm at sea.

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Often I think it helps to assume the direction it's gone in is the direction of helping you in any situation. Not always by telling you about the situation, which it can do, but telling you where you are in it.