Brad Hatcher points out that 14 out of 64 hexagrams’ first lines mention feet. I wonder whether there isn’t a fifteenth implied at 49.1: ‘For binding use yellow cowhide’ What might you bind with yellow cowhide? It could be a tethered animal, of course, as Rutt suggests. But looking at… Read more »To change, first tie on your boots
In the Words of Change glossary (coming up within the next week or two) I’ve written this about constancy, zhen: “…We have a vision of the future – not what’s inevitably going to happen, but what it is right for us to bring into being. You can conceive of this… Read more »When is constancy a good idea?
There’s a lot going on in the first line of Hexagram 53: ‘Wild geese gradually advance to the shore. The small child, danger, There are words, No mistake.’ This is the first stage in the journey of the wild geese as they gradually draw close to their natural home. Now… Read more »The wild geese at the shore
Do you know the feeling of being actually thirsty for readings? It’s a little like the need to talk with someone you love, a little like the need for soul-nourishment that you might satisfy by walking in woods, or making music, or creating something. There’s an inner pull towards the… Read more »Thirsty for readings
Watching TV gives you square eyes, so I’ve been told. Living with Yi gives you that much stranger phenomenon, hexagram eyes. You see little subtle reflections of ideas from the Yijing everywhere. My reading for this year begins with Hexagram 5, so I’m especially attuned to anything that talks about… Read more »Still reading with hexagram eyes
Over in the quaintly-named ‘Basics’ section of GreatVessel.com, there’s an enticing article on The Voices of the Lines. [Update: now moved here.] As with most of Stephen Karcher’s ideas nowadays, I find I need to take small portions and chew them over well, not try to swallow it all at… Read more »Line 1 as inklings
The fifth line of Hexagram 45, Gathering, reads: ‘Gathering, has a position. No mistake. No truth at all. From the source, ever-flowing constancy. Regrets vanish.’ How can your position in the gathering be ‘no mistake’ if it’s altogether without truth or trust? I picked up Anyway by Kent Keith, author… Read more »Positional friends in Hexagram 45
