hi everyone,

I've had the most unusual reading regarding a health issue last night and I'm trying to understand if I should be worried about it or not . .
I had one of my lovely headaches yesterday (ahem). It lasted throughout the whole day but since it was of a more or less bearable intensity I didn't pay much attention -I'm quite used to them and I only take medication when they incapacitate me. I avoided coffee, drank a lot of water and went to sleep expecting to wake up ok. Instead of that though, I woke up around 5 in the morning with a pounding head . . I wondered how I would be able to show up for work like that and asked Yi
-what was causing this, to which I got a 2.5 to 8

next thing I know, the headache is getting even worse and making me sick to my stomach, reaching its peak the way usually stomach sickness does . . Now I'm getting a bit panicky and ask
-what's going on? . . 34.5 (that is a line I always get in definitely not well situations, I honestly can't see any easiness in it!!)

Anyway, after that things calmed down and I went through my day ok, but coming back I thought I'd try to understand a bit more my first reading. Now Yi gave me a couple of answers that really played with my mind -I could see them going both ways- until I asked
-am I seriously physically compromised? . . 59

and
-was I over-worrying thinking there's sth seriously wrong? . . 40.1,3 to 34

Rosada, I remember you had the same answer concerning your father's moving house and I'm wondering how this turned out for you . .

If anyone has any insight on how a 2.5 can be related to acute physical pain, I'd love to read them . . this is still puzzling . .

thank you!

Line 2.5 speaks of the colour yellow and the middle, this is associated with the solar plexus and stomach. I suppose it could be hinting at a chemical imbalance in your body but not sure on this one.

Brainstorm Only...

rodaki said:

I've had the most unusual reading regarding a health issue last night and I'm trying to understand if I should be worried about it or not . .
I had one of my lovely headaches yesterday (ahem). It lasted throughout the whole day but since it was of a more or less bearable intensity I didn't pay much attention -I'm quite used to them and I only take medication when they incapacitate me. I avoided coffee, drank a lot of water and went to sleep expecting to wake up ok. Instead of that though, I woke up around 5 in the morning with a pounding head . . I wondered how I would be able to show up for work like that and asked Yi
-what was causing this, to which I got a 2.5 to 8

If anyone has any insight on how a 2.5 can be related to acute physical pain, I'd love to read them . . this is still puzzling . .

thank you!

Click to expand...

On a purely brainstorm basis (I don't even know if you are male or female, so forgive if I offend), you could be pregnant. It fits reasonably well with the H2 female/earth, modesty from the color yellow and the Line 5 skirt...and it is considered "extremely auspicious."

So what else is auspicious that might seem like a bad health thing at the time? Headaches and stomach aches all have to do with the body's attempt to detoxify. We are all subject to various kinds of toxicity, and the body deals with it in different ways, to keep it from damaging us. So a cleansing reaction, relating to keeping ourselves well, relates to me to the idea of moderation, and good fortune. The body is doing a moderate thing, by releasing toxins now, and avoiding a more serious illness later. (Toxins can sometimes be stored, but if they continue to circulate, or can no longer be stored, there is trouble).

This idea of a "cleansing reaction" may be a new idea to people...here is a more complete explanation.

What is a “cleansing reaction”?
Whenever the body releases toxins or balances unwanted guest populations faster than it can eliminate them, and/or the liver is functioning weakly, you may experience some discomfort until you regain your balance. This usually lasts anywhere from an hour to one or two days. The common signs that signal a cleansing reaction might be any of the following: headache, itching, rashes, aching muscles and/or joints, fever, sweating, body odor, bad breath, mouth sores, appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sleeplessness, extreme tiredness. Don’t worry. The cleansing reaction usually passes quickly and does not harm your body. It is only a sign that soon you will be feeling better than ever.

Click to expand...

I don't have the complete intellectual explanation, but in a course I took with Hilary, she covered "zhi gua" and "line pathways." This took our moving lines and we followed them around (How's that for a less than brilliant explanation!) (I think this comes from Karcher). So we might want to look at Lines 2 and 5 of Hexagram 8. Hexagram 8, Line 5, indicates that there is a safe way out and other ways lead to trouble; it fits well with detoxing. Hexagram 8, Line 2 talks about an auspicious alliance from within...more "inside the body" possibilities to ponder.

Have you changed your dietary or health practices recently? Given up caffeine or made some change that might encourage the body to lighten the toxin load?

It all is a bit of a stretch....but I have seen (and probably done) worse stretches, trying to relate to a reading.

Tiger

thanks for the hint Willowfox, I'll have to look this one up . .
I know that I have low iron levels but I make sure I get my proteins regularly . . guess I have to be more careful about other things too . .

hi Tiger

well, the first explanation is actually way more of a stretch than the second one -although a female

have to re-read your post though, I think you had some good points there . .

I see 2.5 as an indirect answer. You asked whats was causing headaches. Well i think 2.5 is about being happy to take a secondary role, getting benefit from staying out of the limelight, doing without the acclaim, applause and status is the way to go. Therefore anything to do with getting status, making a mark and up front type responsibilty might =headache.

To get rid of headaches take a back seat now, or at least stop worrying about impression making. Be like 2.5.


Also 34.5 is very much about giving up a determined go getting attitude.

I think headaches can come from pushing too hard, being overidentified with performance, status and so on which is the antitheses of 2.5.

Water my statements down about 50% as i doubt you are currently seeking world domination ( ) and there may be some sense there.

I don't see this as physical but then I'm bias as most headaches in my experience are purely from a kind of over intensity in the brain department especially accompanying a driven attitude (let that goat go).

Hi, Dora. Sorry about the headaches.

I usually get the feeling, and more so as we go along, that the Yi doesn't relate much to physical anguish of pain and sickness. Finding answers to these questions leaves me frustrated more often than satisfied. I think the Yi will answer in ways which are very different from a western medicine approach. A holistic answer, if you will.

As someone who has been well acquainted with the despair of those life-sucking headaches, let me offer a word, also shown in your reading: Openness. By feeding yourself this word, your blood vessels also begin to open. When in pain, we tend to grip and close, as though to protect ourselves, make our world as small as possible. Well, 2.5 is the exact opposite of that, it is open, relaxed, naturally balanced. And that's what you want to achieve: free of the gripping and demanding pain.

8 to me means "keep it together". Holding your resources and commands together - not always easy when your head is splitting, but that's what it says.

I used to wonder a lot about the 'golden mean', what was so special about it, as it just seemed like a fancy word for average or middle of the road. But it's unfortunately anything but average and not easy to attain. If we are brought low (through pain), the mean may be over our head. We could either drown in it, or hold onto that Golden Mean. The same when things are going very well, and we jump way ahead of ourselves. Holding onto the mean can keep us from getting a swelled head. That makes for bad headaches too, and heart attacks.

Try to open your channels. I had to laugh, when my chiropractor (a very smart and attractive woman), trying to get me to let go and relax - so she could twist my torso from here to Sunday! She said "I love you", followed by Keerunch! It worked, and we both laughed.

Maybe you could buy yourself something nice for someone's birthday.

Is it possible in 2.5 you in pain realised that you had to keep it together
as a female of the house and if you did you would win the fight and bring back stability
i see a quiet hang on..then gone

Steve

hi Trojan, Bruce, Steve, and thank you for sharing on this

I only read Trojan's post before leaving this morning and have been thinking abt it but I see that all comments somehow converge . .

there's a lot to say about holding things together in my life at this point . . for one, I feel it is scattered in at least three directions: Amsterdam (my chosen home of the past 3 years), Thessaloniki (my actual hometown) and the suitcase and hotelrooms that make up my most recent everyday life since I had to move for my new job. Add to that my research interest, the obscure politics going on in my workplace and the (well-meaning) pressure coming from my family to just settle down and I'm sure you can see how 'holding together' is indeed an issue now . . I feel there's a very thin thread holding everything and I sure hope it is yellow and strong cause sometimes it seems all too easy to break loose
So, really, there's absolutely no illusion on my part on dominating anything at this point, the dynamics are just too complex to even assume that, lol

now, do I get stiff from worrying about it? yes, I guess I do sometimes, but I 'm taking for granted right now that planning ahead is out of the question . . I only have some wishes and try to navigate the present situation in a way that won't drown them . . and I realize that I'm getting sideways looks for holding on to the creation of my own little niche instead of just fitting in to what's on offer but I try to not sweat too much over it

so maybe my headache was due to all the above . .
I dunno, maybe I should be more 'live and let live' about everything, more trusting in life, in change, in the 57s I keep getting . . I was thinking about that today and I remembered that the most dangerous sailing I've done was with the weather on our stern . . it was the only time that we run a serious danger of being capsized or having our steering wheel damaged . . it's also a known fact among sailors that reaching a shore can be way more dangerous than the open sea due to shallows and the way the mainland's geography affects the weather . . (don't mind my sailing metaphors too much, it's just my way of 'reading the weather' )
maybe Yi was telling me that I'm strong enough to cope with the tension? I rrreaally hope so!!lol

thank you for lending an ear here and sharing your thoughts . . I guess I just needed to vent a little

Hi Rodaki,
Sure hope you are feeling better. 2.5 - 8 makes me wonder if there is someone you are close to who is going through a hard time right now? Could you be feeling their pain or trying to solve their problems? I'm here feeding my grandson and when HE needs to burp MY stomach cramps up too!
My Dad did finally make the move, thanks for asking. I can't remember exactly what I asked the I Ching, but as I look at those hexagrams now, 40.1.3 > 32, it makes me think that the I Ching was emphasizing that it was right decision that they move, 40.1, but that he was feeling robbed in that he could not take his bicycle (unused for twenty years) with him. 40.3. That or the fact he felt uncomfortable go to a "ritzy hotel" where everything was provided. Perhaps 32 emphasizes that he will get a custom to the place and endure. Also he has stored the bicycle so it Endures too. As to what this might mean about your health issues, perhaps that you're doing all the right things and will recover but maybe you wont believe it till you have been feeling back to normal for a couple of days.
Best wishes,
Rosada

Hi, Rodaki. You don't need to answer this, especially if you've been having headaches. But here are a few things to think about.

1) I wonder, since Hexagram 2 concerns "the mare", if your headaches might have something to do with female hormones? Especially since the mare is used as a source of estrogen?

2) I also wonder, since line 5 refers to "golden skirt" or the golden mean/light/etc., if something at work/home concerning the lights might be effecting you? For example, fluorescent (sp?) lighting?

3) You mention that this particular headache changed. This might be nothing at all, or it might be serious. I know that my headaches changed from "painless" migraines to "painful" ones after my son was born--the doctor said it was hormonal, so in my case, that was a fairly easy transition--just learned what to look out for, took appropriate medication when it happened, etc. You also may or may not be aware that migraines are often accompanied by what are called "auras", where the light affects one badly and causes "scintillation"--bright lights sparkling like fireworks, and may also be associated with stomach upsets (along with other symptoms).

4) I was in a doctor's office yesterday when a young man came in with a cluster headache. He was a walk-in patient, and didn't want drugs, although he looked sick as a dog, and appeared to be in a lot of pain. He asked the doctor for oxygen, which she gladly gave him. He looked much better when he left. You may want to experiment with various alternative treatments to see if anything would work--for example, there are some acupressure points that are very effective. My acupuncturist told me that while headaches may be common, they're a symptom, and a person should find out what they're a symptom of.

5) In Siu's A Man of Many Qualities, he quotes the following to illustrate line 5:

The man does not display his excellence directly. It is diffused throughout his conduct of affairs.

In the winter of 1650, I was going into the city of Chiaochuan from the Little Harbor, accompanied by a boy carrying a big load of books, tied with a cord and strengthened with a few pieces of board. It was toward sunset and the country was covered with haze. We were about a mile from the city. "Will we get there in time to get into the city before the gates are closed?" I asked the ferryman. "You will if you go slowly. But if you run, you will miss it," replied the ferryman, casting a look at the boy. But we walked as fast as possible. About halfway, the boy fell down. The cord broke and the books fell on the ground. The boy sat crying. By the time we had retied the package and reached the city gate, it was already closed. I thought of that ferryman. He had wisdom. Chou Yung, Chinese (1619-1679)

Anyway, hope you're feeling better, and that you find out what the cause of these headaches are. I think the other members here "feel your pain"--you got lots of great advice, and I'm sure most people would like to know how this is resolved.

Nancy

hello again

Rosada, so glad to know everything worked out for your father (and his bike!! . . i have mine stored in my room in Amsterdam, waiting for me . .)

Nancy . . now I'm feeling a bit embarrassed for making such a big deal out of my headache . . it's gone and I'm doing much better!

I'd like to comment more on both your posts but it's been a tiresome day . . . I'll try to do that tomorrow -thank you very much for your words

hi everyone

here is what Richmond writes abt hex2 and its 5th line:

Pattern:
Simple flow of activity
Unquestioned
Moves unjudged
accepting all things

Nature:
Onto the earth
warm and chill
Into the earth
seed, root, love
moving int he magic of water

Human:
Born from the earth
of its elements
Return sometimes unprotesting
resting in the flowing juice of life

Form:
The only form he can make
is an empty tube
The only government
the will of the people

5th:
When reality is ot composed of feeling;
active feelings beneath consciousness
nevertheless bring wholeness to activity

from Language of the Lines

Line 5 -less awareness of intuition:
Here everything is seen carried in the great tao. We remove our attention from our feelings and they continue to affect the way we are but, as we say, unconsciously
-A yellow undergarment.
Greatest good fortune.
yellow is active (being near the middle of our visible range of light frequencies) and the undergarment is our unseen clothing or unconscious form; this is what carries us here, so we flow naturally without conscious effort

from The I Ching Oracle

Click to expand...

unfortunately I didn't have much headspace to think everything through, but my intuition tells me that this reading spoke on more than one levels, going within, without and over the apparent circumstances -in short, it's turning into one of my favourites in showing how Yi teaches me the relations of the slight to the overall . .
You have all given me some great fertile ground to work on and I hope I'll be able to return the fruits that will grow on it . .


:bows: