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Getting a Project done after a long break -- 16.3.5 to 31 and 35.2.6 to 40

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Hi All,

I completed a major research project 5 years ago. My life then went through a big shift and I put the project aside. I kept wanting to go back to it, and worrying about it, since though the research had been completed, I stopped short of sharing the results in a public way. So the project did not come to full completion.

Recently, I put aside some time to go back over it, revise the project, publish and promote it. Yet, I have been struggling, for various reasons, -- and mostly a lack of enthusiasm, as well as a feeling that I've already missed the boat on this, shall I really bother at all? Then another voice says, "YES, you must!!"

So I asked, "how can I fruitfully finish this project?"
16.3.5 to 31

and then

"Clarify please" 35.2.6 to 40

16.3.5 makes sense of how I feel. Though I was once enthusiastic about the project, now I am sort of fantasizing about getting it done and feel I'm too late in doing so (line 3) and line 5 indicates my inner feeling, that I've been "sick " over this for years, like a chronic complaint.
How does hexagram 31 fit into this? Also: do you see any positives and encouragement here?

Hexagram 35.2.6 to 40 is intriguing. What is the blessing from the grandmother? and what do you make of line 6? and 40?

Thanks for your time and attention.
 
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If any of you find this thread, and wish to respond, here are some more thoughts. Mostly , now I am curious about 35.6
Addendum: With respect to my project, -- these lines all feel a bit grim to me.
I am now sensing, that possibly line 31 asks me to rediscover my "mutual attraction" and love for my project, (which I used to experience), by ridding myself of my difficult and distressing expectations (lines 3, 5 of 16).
And 35.2 -- blessing from the grandmothers through sorrow and persistence makes a great deal of sense, since by completing this, I am carrying out an ancestral task, something given to me to do. That makes sense.
Now 35. 6 is confusing UNLESS it deals with my own psychology.
I have been pondering 35 line 6, in that regard, and found this translation from another posting.

Karcher:

"Flourishing with lowered horns. A Rising Sun.
Adversity, hungry souls and angry ghosts.
Hold fast and attack the capital.
Wise Words! The Way is open.
Trial for distress: this is not a mistake."

The Way is not shining yet. You can control the situation through direct action. Hold fast and deal with your own troubles first. You have to confront the negative images you have of things, based on past experience. This is difficult, but it opens the WAy. Though you may feel distressed, this is not a mistake. Attack and take the capital city.
Direction: Gather energy to respond when the call comes. Re-imagine the situation. Gather energy for a decisive new move.
 

steve

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Hi There

16.3 I believe is talking about this playing on your mind and the wondering what if, quite normal thats why i like to try things because if I fail well at least i know, as long it doesnt put you on the street.

16.5 is talking about about the energy is obstructed for completing the project, however there is energy there and so maybe you could direct that into this project possibly,

35.2.6>40 35.2 is the key here and to be honest I have never had the line but from what I gather this somehow is about indecision perhaps it means if you do make the decision there will be some sought of blessing meaning a weight lifted, as you will no longer wonder,

Line 6 is one i have had many times, i like to call this line " take the bull by the horns" as the meaning is saying it ok to lower your horns in aggression but I think of it grabbing the actual bulls horns and taking it on, so i think you should have a crack at it.

I have had many business ideas fail, Richard Branson says that the majority of his ideas have failed but the ones that have worked have made billions. To be honest i think the last 10 years of business have been the challenge more than the success deep down. but I have a family now so i am focused on success, like i said as long as its not going to send you broke then why not, but never gamble more than you can afford is the rule of staying afloat.

This has been great I am a bit shaky on Hex 16 and have never had 35.2 but i think the blessing is the fact you have made a decision.

Cheers Steve
 

steve

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I found your thread on page 2, i was online i think yesterday not sure how i missed this one , i think it was waiting for me.
 

steve

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Sorry just to clarify, 16.5 i mean the energy in the past has been obstructed yet it still remains
 
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Steve, Many thanks for your input! Yes, "taking the bull by the horns" . Actually, the project became a drain on me YET it's one of those things to finish, once and for all. Like if you had a business that was ambitious but losing money, ever had that ? You know you've gotta make one big push to complete the thing, even though it hasn't been the biggest success. Richard Branson is a good model for that, isn't he? You sound like you're an entrepreneur in your blood.
Blessing from the grandmothers: line 2. I understand this as the ancestors. There is value because, whatever the success of not of the project, the ancestors see its value. Makes sense to me.
line 35.6 is the one that stumped me the most.
And hex 31 in this context too.
16.5: yes, quite right. It's the energy of the past, living on -- and can be directed to positive results.
 

steve

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Like i said i have had many ideas fail and never get off the ground all soughts of things, as long it wont send you to the poor house then its worth investigating, see what it looks like years later.
 
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Yes, it's costing me money, actually, since technically it is unpaid work, but it could reap rewards, once completed. So the thing is to take the bull by the horns.
Line 35.6: I am taking that to mean that I am to defeat the internal enemies, within myself, and to some extent the competition within my field.
 

steve

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I would like to hear more thoughts on line 2 I still havent really understood it, that line really depends on the question. I understand how you see it and how i see it but I think we are just touching on it

Steve
 
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Steve, yes, -- I'm curious too.

Hex 35 -- the lines give all different ways of advancing. Only line 5 is positive without qualification.
line 2 may be dependent on line 5 (I mean they are paired since both are the middle line of the separate trigrams).

Since ancestors -- and making offerings to ancestors - are part of ancient Chinese worship, I see it in that context. Sometimes people read it as having to do with getting help from an elder female, a grandmother figure. In my case, I guess I could consider that, if my work will prosper that way.
 

steve

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Yes it could be literal and often the YI is, i was wondering if someone could help if it wasn't literal , what then?

Steve
 
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Post-script - today, how do I revive enthusiasm to get the project done
19.1.2.3.5.6 to 53
Put my heart and sincerity back into the project and it will unfold over time.
 
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56.5 follow up to 33

Hi all, I find this to be an interesting reading, and post-script. I posed the original question, awhile ago, and really haven't worked much, since then on the project in question. Now, I'm determined to do so. I asked a follow up question.
What will benefit me this week in getting the project done?
Update: 56.5 to 33
This is interesting. I read it this way. The 33 is the context: I must RETREAT from the rest of my life. So here, taking a retreat, as a point of solitude, is what 33 advises (rather than a retreat from the activity itself).
56 : This hexagram makes sense to me, because in a way, I'm a traveller while I do this project. I have no fixed abode. I am just completing the job. It is hard to explain but it makes sense to me.
56.5 : lose the arrow but gain position
What is the arrow? I do not know. Yet, this image somehow makes sense to me. I am late in accomplishing this task, so that could be the "arrow" that I've lost, while I will gain from completing the project.
Any thoughts on 56.5
 

Tim K

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What will benefit me this week in getting the project done? 56.5 to 33
Stop[33] wandering[56] and commit to the project.

You are on the hunt and got only one arrow, choosing carefully the animal to shoot:
a monkey ? naah
a snake ? mm maybe
an elephant? too big
oh oh I see - the gazelle!
That's how I see 'loses the arrow, gets the office'. Lose the freedom to choose, get bound to something stationary.

cheetah-and-gazelle1.jpg

Gotcha!
 

steve

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Hey

Yes you are on the right thought process I believe with 56.5, always so hard doing your own reading I literally sometimes just get nothing when i read my own. Anyway this line i have had a few times, I think its advice as to try an nip it in the bud like just find a good approach and go for it and see what you can achieve. Dont procrastinate i guess, if it were a pheasant you had to kill for dinner then you would find a good position take aim and hopefully get it first shot. I think its like rip the band aid off as opposed to slightly pulling it. Perhaps then you can get some sought of accomplishment as opposed to this lingering in the back of your mind. The arrow yes could be as you say the hunter in the line does not lose the arrow but use it and gets a kill first shot. (Depends what next you are reading I guess) even you did lose the arrow you gain a big fat pheasant lets say he is fat. So that could mean bigger inroads, most likely the more you put in the more you will gain i think. In summary I think its just a case of get into it and see what happens.

Steve
 

canislulu

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Thanks, loverofknowledge, for posting this thread. I also am working on a project after a break and it has been helpful to consider your process.
 

steve

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wow me and ashteroid most have posted nearly at the same time, but he just beat me to the line , haha

Like the image, good explanation of the line, cheetahs dont get many chances in their daily hunting
 
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Hi Ashteroid, Steve, and Jumping Mouse,
Great ideas!! I've always been perplexed about this line. I'm feeling inspired after your counsel.
Jumping Mouse: let 's both do it !! To our success!!
So question: I had usually understood this line to mean: though you may lose something of value, in the current battle or hunt you are undertaking, you will gain a longer term benefit which will be just as good.
That interpretation agrees with Steve's , somewhat, but ashteroid -- you have a different take on it, it sounds like.
 

Tim K

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The wanderer loses his freedom, he retires from travelling and settles down.
There maybe wonderful places to explore and see but he gives up the chase of the better future.
Buys a house and puts down roots.

'you may lose something of value, in the current battle or hunt you are undertaking, you will gain a longer term benefit which will be just as good.'
Just like you said lover of knowledge :)
 
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You said (elsewhere)
"also there was some commentary that it was customary to present pledges of arrows and metal to a judge [public servant]."
Would then to lose the arrow mean to lose the opportunity to present these pledges to the public servant, meaning losing a job in the bureaucracy? That's where I don't quite follow your interpretation. You say, it's about choosing which job to do, and then doing it -- while losing various possibilities (but not actualities). It seems like it might be about losing an actual victory (losing the arrow)?



The wanderer loses his freedom, he retires from travelling and settles down.
There maybe wonderful places to explore and see but he gives up the chase of the better future.
Buys a house and puts down roots.

'you may lose something of value, in the current battle or hunt you are undertaking, you will gain a longer term benefit which will be just as good.'
Just like you said lover of knowledge :)
 

Tim K

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it's about choosing which job to do, and then doing it -- while losing various possibilities (but not actualities).

Yes exactly.

It seems like it might be about losing an actual victory (losing the arrow)?
Why? arrow is a direction/movement/coupon for a meal/ticket/a dollar.
Spend it and get praise/office the line says.

Evolve from the wanderer to a settled man.

About pledges - it was 21.4, I don't get the connection with this thread.
 
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21.4:
Biting dry bone. Winning golden arrows. Gain through difficulty and stay upright. Fortune.

56.5
Shooting pheasants. One arrow vanishes. In the end, there is honor and authority.

21. 4: winning golden arrows and accolades from one's superior
56.5: losing an arrow
what is being lost? (I like your interpretation, but I'm just not yet totally convinced). It seems like it's saying that in shooting pheasants, one is not successful at that particular job, but in the end there will be greater honor. It does n't seem to be about losing possibilities so much as losing in one game (say, a career or a particular contest), while still getting something longer lasting.

One issue: the translation. Here it's "one arrow vanishes" ,rather than one has only a single arrow. So the question is, does this person actually make a catch, and win the hunt, or not.

You say: quoting you--
"You are on the hunt and got only one arrow, choosing carefully the animal to shoot:
a monkey ? naah
a snake ? mm maybe
an elephant? too big
oh oh I see - the gazelle!
That's how I see 'loses the arrow, gets the office'. Lose the freedom to choose, get bound to something stationary."
 

canislulu

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In Wikiwing 56.5 is translated as "Shooting a pheasant, Gets it with one arrow. And so in the end, praise and a mandate."

I always thought of the line as saying that the hunter has success on the first try. (In Wikiwing there is a story connected to the line --- the wanderer shoots a pheasant on the first try, presents it to those in authority, and is given work.)

So when you ask, "What will benefit me this week in getting the project done? " To me the answer 56.5 indicates that the time is write for completing the project and it will lead to something of value... like a calling.

The following thoughts loverofknowledged expressed resonate and help me to understand the line.

he 33 is the context: I must RETREAT from the rest of my life. So here, taking a retreat, as a point of solitude, is what 33 advises (rather than a retreat from the activity itself).
56 : This hexagram makes sense to me, because in a way, I'm a traveller while I do this project. I have no fixed abode. I am just completing the job. It is hard to explain but it makes sense to me.

And then paradoxically I like ashteroid's comment:

Evolve from the wanderer to a settled man.

56.5 > 33 May involve a retreating from distractions to accomplish the task with skill and efficiency as an archer hitting a pheasant on the first try. But it could also be seen as a retreat from wandering --- accomplishing the task gives one a "mandate" and a place to abide.
 
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Hi Jumping Mouse, I like your reading of the line, thanks.
I've been looking at other translations, however, which say, "losing an arrow," however maybe that means, losing the arrow, because it has been used to catch the pheasant. I had never understood this line or translation.
I will go with what you and Asheroid suggest :eek:
I decided to take 40 days to concentrate on it intensively, hopefully getting it done in that time, starting tomorrow.
 

steve

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Thats the way I think of it if you do lose the arrow perhaps it was broken hitting the pheasant, but i can see what ashteroid is saying also giving up one thing to gain another.

The line is auspicious as you are not being advised to forget the project or modify it or something, like some of my readings on projects. I think if you do lose anything you will lose time for other areas but thats normal, they only way to avoid that is to pay someone and i dont think thats in anyway possible from the sounds of things. Just meaning as you said its research and you would probably waste more time training someone.

When Ashteroid said bound to something stationary its probably your desk.

PS there are lots of arrows flying around will be updating my thread on 21.4 interesting that both readings are about projects and mention arrows, maybe i find your lucky arrow in my meal , are these two lines connected in anyway other than that both talking about arrows?

Steve
 

Tim K

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My point was as jumpingmouse said, to 'spend' the arrow killing a game. To concentrate on the task at hand, to devote yourself to it. Retreat from distractions (choosing what animal to kill, waiting for a better shot/day).

56.5 → 33 (Retreating), Wilhelm:
He shoots a pheasant. It drops with the first arrow.
In the end this brings both praise and office.
 
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Hi all,
Yes, I'm convinced! Thank you all for your input.
Different translations had me thinking the line suggested that the arrow had been lost, because the pheasant had NOT been caught. Now, I see the opposite.
Giving myself to the "hunt" starting today!!
 

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