Hello all! This is the first time I have attempted to look at a reading for some situation other than asking about myself personally, so I would appreciate any feedback. A Nepalese couple, friends of mine, operate an import business in the town in which I live. The wife just returned from a trip back to Nepal, where she purchased a bunch of stuff. Normally, the shipment goes through New York City, and is then shipped freight to Charlotte, where it is checked at customs and picked up. This time, however, the shipment got routed somehow from Rome to Miami, FL, instead of New York. Now, the shipment, all their stuff, is stuck in Miami and the government agency down there in charge is giving them all kinds of hassles about the shipment, and possibly even about the burlap sacks which much stuff is packed inside. He feels very much at a loss about what to do and is very worried. They may not allow the shipment in the country, they may have to unpack everything and repack minus the burlap sacks(a situation which really scares him because he is worried about breakage and things getting damaged). He is in a waiting mode, because there is not much he can do. He has to communicate through his broker as well as the airline, and he has been given messages as to not try to interfere or the process will be slowed down even more. The shipment arrived in the USA Saturday, and should have been in Charlotte Monday. Now, everything is uncertain, and to make matters worse, he was counting on the shipment for a booth he is setting up next week sometime.

So(sorry for that long-winded intro...) I asked the I Ching two questions.
First, will the shipment arrive safely?
H6, changing line 5, into H64
Second, will the shipment arrive quickly?
H52, changing line 6, into H15

Any thoughts? Much appreciated - Brian

Hi Brian,

Just a quick thought as I will shortly be unplugging cpu and going offline for a brief time(moving)!

Both of your questions are of the 'yes/no' variety and I have found these types of questions to be answered rather cryptically. IMHO the oracle seems to be much more detailed in its answers when you acknowledge that the querent has a role in the situations outcome.

It then follows, I believe, that you should get a clearer answer by rephrasing the questions, i.e. "How may (name of party) influence the safe arrival of (his/her/its) shipment." Similar for second question. Good luck, wish I had more time!

Namaste,
Leonard

Thanks for the suggestion Leonard, that makes sense, so here are two more sets of hex's to add to the pot:

How may Manaj influence the safe arrival of his shipment?
H20, changing lines 2 and 5, changes to H4
How may Manaj influence the quick arrival of his shipment?
H17, changing line 6, changes to H25

Any interpretations? Myself and Manaj would greatly appreciate it... Peace - Brian

Hi Brian,

While I definitely agree with Leonard on the yes or no answer limitation, I?ll give you my impression.

They are in conflict (6) now. 9 in the 5th is clear that its right to contend with the proper authority for ?the goods.? This has success, IF they followed proper customs and the merchandize is imported according to the laws of the land. ?If one is in the right, one attains great good fortune.? This moves to 64, which advices of caution as this stream is being crossed. The correct attitude is that of 15 - Modesty, which shows how to bring things to completion. "The superior man carries things through."

If they contend for it honestly and modestly, they will receive the goods. It may require some annoying detail work but if they keep their cool, this tells me they?ll get it back.

Candid

Brian,

20 contemplates the rightness of his actions. This requires some introspection of the matter. He should take the high ground and act maturely, not see from the inside out only. Remember, this is Yi we're talking to and the master let's no one get away without a lesson in addition to an answer. Perhaps 9 at the top is referring to Yi? 25 reinforces this with establishing innocence as the highest good.

Namaste,
Candid

Thanks Candid for the advice and interpretation. My friend is definitely both worried and frustrated, as he is pretty much powerless to affect the situation through outward action. I just spoke with him, he was thinking of possibly hiring a lawyer down there in Miami to help speed up the process, but I cautioned against this, at least at this stage. I let him know he was doing all he can do, and if he continued to act w/ correctness and do all he could, things will all be OK. I cited hex 52 as an example, to simply keep his thoughts and energies focused on the issue at hand, remain calm, and not get too carried away by various scenarios he was contemplating for action.
H17, changing line 6 is a bit baffling, isn't it? I do not know what to make of this, whom or what it refers to?
Thanks again- Brian

About safe arrival of his shipment. H20, changing lines 2 and 5, changes to H4
20.2: if you are not able to see the whole picture, then do not set a fixed course but react carefully to every moment, acknowledging your lack of overview. Changes to 59.2: when your mind is open you can grasp a chance when it presents itself.
20.5: make your intentions and actions clear and understandable. Avoid making an ambiguous impression, but make your words and actions clear.
Changes to 23.5: give your intentions some extra polish, give a present to the one who can help you, flatter a bit, things like that.
Hex.4: I don?t know what 4 might mean..

About the quick arrival:
17.6: when something is very important to you, you will easily act emotional. Don?t, but try to connect to something higher, maybe in your mind, or maybe someone who has an overview on the situation. 17 is about resonation, so make sure you resonate with the right sound. Either because you listen to the right one, or because your own mind is so calm and composed that it only resonates with pure sounds. (putting the whole thing in simple words: don?t mess it up by panicking). 25.6 tells you not to move without enough knowledge or insight.

No idea if this is of any use, but who knows .. LiSe

LiSe-

On the contrary, this was all very useful!!! Thanks so much! I do have a question as to how you read the relating hexagrams. Do you make a habit of reading the corresponding changing line of the relating hex? This has never occurred to me, but I find it very interesting. Why do you do this? I have been in the habit of reading the relating hex, minus the lines in interpreting a divination. Just curious.. and thanks again! Peace - Brian

I answer your mail in the 'Discussion-area', with a new thread: Fan Yao - reverse line-pairs
LiSe

Not an IC response, but I've known people in similar situations before, and from my experience, the one action the recipient can take is to make sure they have a really good broker, and/or that the broker they do have is doing a really good job in their case.

Customs is a lot like the post office - oftentimes the person you are dealing with has very little power to choose what or how they do their job, and in this circumscribed state they react to pressures with the only thing they can control - their power to speed up or slow down, and their power to be attentive or inattentive. A good broker is in a far better position than a customer to know how to cause speed and care instead of delay and carelessness.

Also, just about any trade show or festival you go to, there will be someone there who's shipment of X didn't arrive. Don't know how to get your friends to a higher plane, but I do know they'll have company!

Thanks for the responses everyone. There does appear to be some "movement" of the goods. At least it seems that customs is taking a look now, and the shipment is not just sitting around. If all goes well, possibly it will be cleared sometime this week. This afternoon I wil see my friends and share with them your comments and insights. As soon as I know more, I will let everyone know. Again, much thanks!

Peace - Brian

Well, almost 4 weeks later, the goods have finally arrived! They arrived on Monday actually, but I just found out today. I believe everything arrived safe and sound, although possibly two boxes are unaccounted for... Thanks everybody for responding to this post!

Namaste- Brian