Hi everyone,

Out of complete frustration with my life, I asked the iching "what is my purpose for being on the planet?" I got 52 unchanging. I was pretty thrilled, because I feel I was meant to be somewhat of a hermit, being alone and quiet. My problem is everything in my life goes against this principle of keeping still. At my job, I am forced to deal with the public (which I hate) while trying to do other work. At home I live with two family members and others frequently drop in so I only get privacy in the bathroom or when I go to bed. Every time I try to arrange or change my circumstances to get more time alone to keep still, I meet with resistance and I fail. So I asked the iching how do I achieve 52 and I got 33.1.3.4.5.6 > 24, Retreat and Return.

This is pretty depressing to me, since I have been retreating for years, so much so, that I feel like a doormat, people just dump on me because I take it, but I try to make the best of it and start to practice positive intentions; focusing on the results I want, peace, prosperity, good health, etc. Well, my outer circumstances get worse! Work gets more hectic, more problems at home. So I ask the iching why does it seem that my life is all about me losing and I get 9.2.5 > 22. Here we go again! I then asked what is restraing me and I got 2.5 > 8.

I am so depressed by my circumstances, and by the message I perceive that I am stuck in a bad situation and there is nothing I can do,that I cannot comprehend what I am supposed to do. Please help!

Dear missann,
Random thoughts on your questions...
If we have a purpose on the planet, a reason for incarnating, I think it must have something to do with learning how to control physical manifestation. Thus I see 52. Limitation as saying that you are in a point in your development where you need to establish boundaries between yourself and other influences. Perhaps this is why you have incarnated in a time and place where it feels as if you have no privacy. Maybe this is part of your training.
How can I create 52? I see the I Ching as suggesting you let many things pass you by - 33 - without reacting, let only what is part of your core group come in: 24. I think the word "Retreat' does not give the best image. "Retreat" suggests giving up, turning around, whereas the trigrams Mountain below and Sky above show the Mountain is still while the Sky goes on past. So be still and don't get caught up in all the excitement going on around you

Why am I losing? I think man's innate purpose is to unite with others, thus I wonder if perhaps there is some particularly tricky situation here. On the one hand you know that to be you, to be a separate enity, you must have respect for your boundaries. However, at the same time to be successful you must connect with others too. I think 9.2.5 >22 is saying that because you want privacy perhaps you could start by consciously selecting times for intimacy. Like saying, "I can't talk to you right now. Can we talk tonight?"

Best wishes with this.
Rosada

More Questions

Thank you for the insight. It makes sense, but I guess I want to know why I have this particular challenge. And how does it translate into a goal. I really want to know what I am literally supposed to be doing in my life. Any insights?

52. advises "the superior man does not allow his thoughts to go beyond his situation." Perhaps the I Ching is telling you that in order to know your Life's Purpose you should first focus on just knowing the day's purpose. Also 52. is about creating a calm mind. Maybe when you are able to be relaxed and not distracted you will get a clearer inner sense of what you feel called to do.
Or perhaps 52 means you would do well in work where you are able to be alone. Emily Dickenson spent most of her adult life locked in her bedroom - and wrote 1775 poems!

rosada

Belated Reply

Sorry it took me so long to reply. I am sure it does mean for me to learn to be calm in mind in situations I don't like, I am just really tired of that lesson! I am choosing to believe that it means I am meant to work alone, that would be right up my alley! Thanks.:bows:

You make your own life.

The external realities of your life aren't going to change, so you can either continue to be depressed, or you can change your mind. Instead of being depressed about it, love your life instead, and by definition, you'll feel differently about it.

rosada said:

52. advises "the superior man does not allow his thoughts to go beyond his situation." Perhaps the I Ching is telling you that in order to know your Life's Purpose you should first focus on just knowing the day's purpose. Also 52. is about creating a calm mind. Maybe when you are able to be relaxed and not distracted you will get a clearer inner sense of what you feel called to do.
Or perhaps 52 means you would do well in work where you are able to be alone. Emily Dickenson spent most of her adult life locked in her bedroom - and wrote 1775 poems!

rosada

Click to expand...

Yes I think thats very much the spirit of 52...seems like 'take care of the days and the years will take care of themselves'. I personally find depression is not possible for me when I'm involved with the day I'm in...depression comes when I project years or months ahead. Sounds a bit trite I know and things aren't solved that easy but sometimes making the next hour or the next days the best it can be really is enough to be going on with...sorry can't resist a musical interlude.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftYEZIAAvh0

Love that JOhn Lennon tune!

Missann, I think it is interesting that you started your post by saying "out of complete frustration..." and later... " I am tired of that message" so I get the sense that you are more frustrated most of the time than calm, and really chomping at the bit. I can relate to that mindset, because I've found nothing worse than to feel frustrated when circumstances dont match what you want. The trouble is that that frustration mindset only digs us in deeper, because it is a mindset of push-pull, IOW the harder you dont want something , the longer it seems to stick around.

I dont really know about "life purpose" questions, they seem too broad. BUt for right now, it seems your purpose is that 52. Learning to be still and focused on who you are, what you want, and less moved by what is all around you at the moment. It doesnt mean resignation and smothering our desires, trying to be calm.....instead making an inner retreat to a calm unmoved position. The unmoved aspect also refers to being unmoved from our intent and goal, rather than giving that up to frustration. As Rosada said, letting things "pass by" or just letting things be what they are without identifying with them.

"my life is all about losing" is one mindset you would want to disengage from. When you get thrown by events, problems, are you immediately drawn back into thinking thoughts like that? (9.2)

In the moments when we are tempted to go backwards and think "oh whats the use?" lie the biggest opportunities to remain still and unmoved.

When you ask what is holding you back, you get 2.5 > 8 , a line that seems favorable, but in this context, it could maybe refer to the possibility that you allow outside influences to direct your thoughts.

Rickmatz' advice sounded a little depressing, but in a sense, he is right. Your external circumstances cannot change if your thoughts and frustration keep you in vibration with them. It may be the biggest challenge of all right now, but the most important one for you...to prove to yourself that outer circumstances cannot sway you, to stay present and steady in the midst of opposing forces. Sometimes when we attempt a serious change in thought and position , things DO GET WORSE! but that' s the signal to stay serious and centered! It's as if all the possible things to go wrong, will. The temptation to give up will come. BUt keep calm, steer your own boat calmly through and remember where you are heading. Then, eventually, circumstances begin to conform to your calm vibration. It's inevitable.

missann said:

Hi everyone,



This is pretty depressing to me, since I have been retreating for years, so much so, that I feel like a doormat, people just dump on me because I take it, but I try to make the best of it and start to practice positive intentions; focusing on the results I want, peace, prosperity, good health, etc. Well, my outer circumstances get worse! Work gets more hectic, more problems at home. So I ask the iching why does it seem that my life is all about me losing and I get 9.2.5 > 22. Here we go again! I then asked what is restraing me and I got 2.5 > 8.

I am so depressed by my circumstances, and by the message I perceive that I am stuck in a bad situation and there is nothing I can do,that I cannot comprehend what I am supposed to do. Please help!

Click to expand...

Having read Bamboos comments and read this again I totally agree with her that "why is my life all about me losing" is a mind set you want to get out of ..but I kind of see your answers as contradicting you. To me both of them indicate your're aren't a loser, far from it. You are a modest unselfish person (2.5) and being this way you may find your own good nature 'restrains' you as these values aren't what gets us ahead in todays world, at least they are often undervalued...but I think you perhaps have more treasures than you realise, being close to others (8). Also re 9.5 indicates you are rich in others. I tend to find this line quite literal..to mean you certainly do have the support of others, even if it doesn't look like it (22). Maybe its time to let your needs be known, for more privacy and so on. I think you've been giving out alot without realising you can also call some of it back..and that you are very much valued..at least I feel in 2.5 Yi indicates you have much value and actually don't know it, not actually losing at all, all you have given builds your own riches in some way (9.5) and i think you will see that in time (9.2)

I think your initial 52 was simply saying to still yourself over this frustration ..you're doing okay

A couple of points that came to mind.

52, among other things, speaks of settling down and remaining still. It seems,
from all your readings, that at the moment you cannot leave the situation you
are in. Perhaps 52 is saying to you, "no, sorry, you'll have to remain put for now",
but it also says "He goes into his courtyard and does not see his people". This
definitely shows a need for detachment from your environment.

And look at the only unchanging line of 33: "He holds him fast with yellow
leather"... And compare with "what is restraining me?", answer, "lower yellow
garment"...!!? Does this mean something to you? Well maybe not, but i thought
i'd mention it as it sort of jumped out on me.

Also you asked why does it 'seem' that i'm losing - then an answer with being
drawn back (drawn, and not returning by yourself...?) and rich in some manner,
and 22 - 'surface' perhaps, so i think this is somehow telling you that it might
indeed appear thus, but you are actually not losing.

Finally, 8 speaks of heartfelt relationships, ie ones which are formed because
we feel like it, and not because we have to - maybe the solution for you is
there? Take your eyes away from who you have to be with, and concentrate
on someone you really want to be with?

Missann,
The combination of 52, followed by 33>24 reminds me of the "ox-herding pictures" of Zen Buddhism. A series of ten pictures tells the story of a man finding and taming his own mind (symbolized by the ox). Eventually, the man attains complete emptiness and returns to his original self. But the story doesn't end there. In the final picture, he goes out into the marketplace. Having tamed his mind, he can re-enter the hustle and bustle of everyday life without losing his inner stillness and calm.

Perhaps you need to do something similar. If your mind were as still as the mountain of 52, your external situation wouldn't be a problem. But if your external situation is too stressful, finding that inner stillness can be virtually impossible. If you can't change your living or work situation right now, maybe you could take some time off for a spiritual retreat where you could begin to rebuild some inner strength. If that's not an option, try doing mini-retreats, setting aside a little time each day to do some sort of mindfulness practice or simply sit quietly and reconnect with your hermit self. Or get a gym membership and a set of headphones and do half-hour 'retreats' on the treadmill. If you are clinically depressed, maybe you need to retreat from that state by finding medication or therapy to keep the darkness at bay and give you the space and energy to build a more sustaining life for yourself.

In any case, Retreat and Return looks like a very auspicious reading to me.

rickmatz said:

The external realities of your life aren't going to change, so you can either continue to be depressed, or you can change your mind. Instead of being depressed about it, love your life instead, and by definition, you'll feel differently about it.

Click to expand...

That's literally true, of course. If someone stops being depressed, they'll no longer suffer from depression. But saying this sort of thing to someone experiencing major depression is comparable to telling a paraplegic, "Get up off your fat ass and walk." It may be good advice for someone who is capable of taking it, but for someone who is not, it can only be hurtful.

I'm sorry to break the bad news to you, when you receive something like 52 unchanging in chinese it is 六沖卦，which in English means break in six ways... plus it is unchanging. The i-ching is simply telling you, you are not taking the question serious enough, or you have asked it the wrong way. When you receive this kind of result, it means you have to ask it again.

After seeing the way you phrase your question, I think it's better you ask it more appopriately, it is a divination tool. It tends to tell you yes or no. Since you've been asking i-ching the wrong question, I see no reason that you should feel depress about it.