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36 to 23... as advice for spiritual development... ???

cheche

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hello all,
i have cast a double whammy if ever there was one! this is quite an alarming answer, and i'm not too well versed as yet on i ching. but is it advocating a kind of asceticism, an exploration of my dark side, or is it saying that through adversity spirit is purified and strengthened, in a similar vein to the shaman's death? is it that i have to find peace within adversity and poverty, in order to strip things to their bear essentials and find my own sustenance that holds fast (easy things to theorise about). that in non-resistance to my darkness, i'll be able to use times of light more effectively? that sentence is a bit wooly, but i think it makes some sense... courage to be alone and steadfast in hostile circumstances?

trying to see where this fits into my life at the moment, and i think of my home situation where i haven't been for the last month or so. we had just moved house in june, myself and some fellow students, when the next day our best friend, the one that brought us all together as house mates, got hit by a car and killed... a huge shock for all... the weekend was spent at the hospital, his parents flew in from america, and 3 days later he had passed away. it was a very intense time, dealing as we did with a lot of the practicalities of notifying college friends and staff, and those in comparison petty practicalities of the house that we had only just got the keys for, as well as confronting death in a way that none of us had dreamt possible, a ray of sunlight and inspiration gone from our lives. early days were extremely supportive amongst us, and really it was a magical time brought into focus by grief and contemplation of life. anyway, it may seem weird but i felt little sorrow for my departed friend because he was incredibly happy and at peace when he went, he had lived every moment of his life to the full and was at a peak of abundance, but i feel much sorrow for us and what we have lost as he was such an intregral part of our dreams, our futures, and such a wonderful friend... although support and communication was strong amongst us for a while, that began to change, and hostilities grew out of shadows... it is hard to say when exactly or why... from being a source of strength for them i became a source of consternation and was increasingly marginalised much to my bewilderment... an unspoken wall was being built and i didn't know whether it was wiser to ignore it, imagining it to pass as shock lessened, or if i should approach it to find out why it was being built... eventually i did and asked one of my friends if i had caused offense in any way - she said she didn't understand me, and that for some reason i had seemed to withdraw completely as though she had done something wrong... this was confusing for me and kind of like a catch 22... after, when i tried to source my withdrawal i realised that my initial resentment that she must have picked up on was that she had not told us that we had been invited to spend our friends last moments with him before they switched off the machines (his family had only her contact number) though this i put down to the numbing shock that she was going through, and i had thought it better to deal with my own hurt privately rightly or wrongly rather than point fingers... anyway things seemed somewhat smoothed but nothing really changed, and i felt increasingly isolated. i postponed my travels to visit my family for a month, leaving mid august and haven't heard anything since then. i am excited to go back, but uncertain also what it will be like for me when i get home. i think the situation was more complicated, involving mixed frictions, mis-communications, i don't know, it is quite painful and confusing as i write this... and i am aware of the length of this posting and uncertain of the relevance of all the details, maybe treading over unnecessary ground...

so maybe this reading is related to all of this, i then cast 59 changing into hexagram 2, which i take as saying i should disperse all this and not focus on these feelings and details, but accept things as they arise and allow them to pass through... this reading was in relation to original question of spiritual development rather than the issue described...

so any thoughts and insights on these hexagrams, particularly 36 changing into 23 would be humbly appreciated. i hope i haven't been too longwinded or babbly (though i feel perhaps i have)

thank you, peace and love :eek:)
che
p.s. i remember reading here someones comment of in order to appreciate the light one has to know the darkness... is that 36 too?
 

chrislofting

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some things to reflect upon:

36:

In the binary sequence hexagram 36 pairs with hexagram 22.
The overall focus in this pair is on covering-up, be it the need to hide one's "light" by being uncompromising or suffering the attacks of the uncompromising, or else by a need to draw attention away from the core and to the surface through beautifying the exterior, also known as facading or even to gloss-over and so draw attention away. In hexagram 36 the focus is on integration, like pulling a blanket over onself to cover up and so hide, whereas in hexagram 22 the focus is more on differentiation, on exaggeration of something to draw attention.

In the binary sequence hexagram 36 opposes hexagram 06.
This pairing covers the issues of compromise, as expressed in the need for compromise expressed in hexagram 06 compared to a focus on being uncompromising (as well as being the object of the uncompromising) expressed in hexagram 36.

At the LOCAL level we are dealing with an octet of hexagrams with the FIRE trigram as base. In this sequence hexagram 13, the exaggerated focus upon likemindedness, 'opposes' hexagram 36, with its focus on being uncompromising, hiding the light rather than sharing it. More so, the exaggerated focus on 'likemindedness', of sharing the 'light' is reflected in a more balanced format by a focus on covering-up the light.


In the traditional sequence hexagram 36 pairs with hexagram 35.
This pairing reflects issues of 'light', be it bring something into the light (35) or on hiding that 'light' (36).

In the traditional sequence hexagram 36 opposes hexagram 29.
This pairing reflects an aire of 'containment', be it for social reasons (29) or personal reasons (36).

The generic properties of hexagram 36 reflect the mixing of the generic properties of hexagram 22 with the generic properties of hexagram 52.
A combination of covering-up, the use of adornments to distract attention away from the core to the surface (22) with a focus on blockage and on being discerning (52) is reflected in the focus on being uncompromising, as well as the object of that uncompromising, given in hexagram 36.

In the variations on a theme sequence, hexagram 36 complements hexagram 15.
The overall emphasis here is on covering-up, as in playing-down one's appearance (as compared to 22 where we ham-up appearence to draw focus to the surface and so the dress-up part). In 15 the focus is on the use of reducing highs and lows, overall exaggerations, and focusing on modesty. In 36 the focus is more on outright hiding of one's 'light' within.

---------
23:

In the binary sequence hexagram 23 pairs with hexagram 02.
This pairing of 02 and 23 reflects the dominating aspects of pure yinness in the context of differentiating and integrating. Thus the pure integrating nature of hexagram 02, its focus on dual-mindedness, on drawing-in another/others through devotion to, absolute trust in, another/others is complemented by the differentiating element expressed through hexagram 23 where the unconditional devotion of 02 become conditional with the focus in 23 on 'pruning', on cutting-back the 'weeds' that have grown around one's faith to restore the 'core' elements of that faith, to make them the standards upon which we 'rest' (and so the analogy in 23 to stripping a bed where the bed is a symbol for our beliefs, for what we rest upon).

At the LOCAL level we are dealing with an octet of hexagrams with the EARTH trigram as base. In this sequence hexagram 23, the focus upon pruning, 'opposes' hexagram 45, congregating (and so exaggerating to celebrate). More so, the exaggerated sense of celebrating one's faith (45) is reflected in a more balanced format through the continuous removal of 'weeds' that can gather around one's faith (23).

In the binary sequence hexagram 23 opposes hexagram 43.
This pair deals with concepts we find in gardening where 23 reflects a focus on pruning, identifying the 'true' word, and 43 reflects a focus on seeding, 'spreading the word'.

In the traditional sequence hexagram 23 pairs with hexagram 24.
With this pair, just as 23 prunes, and does so from within the belief, so 24 returns to the belief. Both reflect 'coming back to'.

In the traditional sequence hexagram 23 opposes hexagram 42.
Just as 23 focuses on CUTTING-BACK to get the 'pure' expression, so 42 focuses on augmentation(ADDING-TO) to bring-out the 'pure' expression.

The generic properties of hexagram 23 reflect the mixing of the generic properties of hexagram 02 with the generic properties of hexagram 24.
A combination of total devotion (02) with a focus on returning to the 'true' path (24) is reflected in the pruning focus of hexagram 23.
------------------

For line changes there are two forms of interpreations:

(1) 23 is influencing the expression of 36.
(2) 36 is changing into 23.

See the page on comments etc : http://pages.prodigy.net/lofting/linecomms.html

Chris.
 

cheche

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thank you chris,

i will definitely respond to this in due course, it is inspiring many connections and images in my mind and there is much to reflect on...

che
 
Y

yellowblue

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Chris,

I do very much appreciate your responses to posts and have found them to be a great help in learning to read and understand the Yi's responses.

When reading your responses to threads and when referencing your I Ching Plus hexagram table I read Wilhelm's interpretation as well, and have to say that I'm learning so much and understanding more and more. Most times I'm quite astounded and very rarely, but occasionally am I disappointed.

That isn't to say I've become an expert : )---

I appreciate your time and effort.

Deb
 

chrislofting

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Hi Deb,

You wrote:
>
> Chris,
>
> I do very much appreciate your responses to posts and have
> found them to be a great help in learning to read and
> understand the Yi's responses.
>
> When reading your responses to threads and when referencing
> your I Ching Plus hexagram table I read Wilhelm's
> interpretation as well, and have to say that I'm learning so
> much and understanding more and more. Most times I'm quite
> astounded and very rarely, but occasionally am I
> disappointed.
>
> That isn't to say I've become an expert : )---
>
> I appreciate your time and effort.
>

:) your welcome.

Chris.
 

malka

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Hello Che,

I'm so sorry to learn of your loss. May you continue to find comfort in the memories of your friend. I admire your willingness to take a closer look into your own spiritual path.

Blessings,
Malka
 

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