Any changed thoughts on writing a novel now? 26.1.2.3.6 > 2

[sofianic]

Hi!! I'm a writer and editor and have been getting pretty emphatic repeated messages from the I Ching over the past year or so to NOT continue work on my own novel. And tbh I've understood it very well. I can be a bit pie in the sky when I'm in creative mode, and my health has been in dire need of addressing these past few years following some big burnout. Every few weeks I check in with something like, green light on the novel? Time to invest on the novel? &c, and it usually is quite blunt with something like, Pitfall/obstruction/stop with advice to focus on rest and let the cauldron bubble a little longer.

With the new moon coming tn, I just had one of those gut feelings of, oh, it feels like something's shifting here and decided to check in again.

26.1.2.3.6

1 is stop; I've gotten this before
2 to me is pretty much, watch yourself!
3 to me is a "Ok, you can have it BUT" about, from my perspective, make sure you don't dive in and just let it be your whole personality. Still do your work well, and your health routines, and get your walk and your meals in. But sure, you can start on the road (have gotten similar advice around creative pursuits)

But 26.6! 6 isn't entirely surprising to me bc, again, usually such readings are something like "wait for now, but yes there's good fortune for when you're ready," but this feels, possibly, like a full on green light???

If it were only 6, I'd be certain, but I'm not sure if 1.2.3 are simply summary actions, or if it's another "hold your horses" thing... Perhaps it's even as simple as waiting till the new moon passes to get a plan of action started?

Anyway, was curious what y'all thought. I know it seems a bit silly to be waiting for permission, but I have found timing matters a lot with my creative projects and like to follow that flow, but I am pretty eager to get started all the same. So I'm wondering, would you wait a bit longer for a clearer yes or take the 26.6 and run? lol!

 

[my_key]

Hi sofianic

Every few weeks I check in with something like, green light on the novel? Time to invest on the novel? &c, and it usually is quite blunt with something like, Pitfall/obstruction/stop with advice to focus on rest and let the cauldron bubble a little longer.

With the new moon coming tn, I just had one of those gut feelings of, oh, it feels like something's shifting here and decided to check in again.

26: 1.2.3 <> 2
'Great Accumulation' through 'Responding'

For the great to truly accumulate there has to be a right time. That right time comes about when you are able to focus on a single idea or project. You are wisely advised in 26 not to eat at your current dwelling place, not to associate with the 'clan' of thoughts that have been living with you but to step into the Great Stream. What is the most common meal that you have been nourishing yourself with in recent times, I wonder? Have you been gorging yourself on the type of 'nourishment' that is preventing you from feeling able to enter the Great Stream?

Hex 2 holds your current situation in a veil of openness that brings with it the eternal gift of realisation. Surround yourself with gentle, welcoming nourishment and then open yourself to yielding to the power that is being revealed to you. Respond maturely by setting a direction rather than reacting to the things that surround you at this time. Remember, when you are cloaked in the energy of Hex 2 you are always safely and securely held.

26.1 - you are held back by old hurts and wounds. Slowly releasing the negativity that enwraps you will bring you untold rewards.

26.2 - Stay centred and protective of the hidden treasures you carry. You may need to consider, at times, how next to make progress by gathering the strength you need. Never forget that the beauty inside needs to shine out into the world.

26.3 - Be aware of your abilities to survive and, more importantly, to thrive and that they both need to be skillfully honed through daily practice.

26.6 - Understanding that 'Heaven's Highway' is never obstructed is the wisdom that you need to embrace at this time. It may not seem so but you have been walking it for a good while. Make an offering now and there is no doubt that success will find its way to you as you continue to walk.

... or there my be other interpretations that carry more meaning for you.

Good Luck

 

[Hans_K]

but I have found timing matters a lot with my creative projects and like to follow that flow, but I am pretty eager to get started all the same.

The lower trigram Heaven in H26 is about time and timing. The fact that it has 3 moving lines and turns into trigram Earth shows that this is not the right time for action.
It also indicates, as you say yourself, that you are eager to start, in this case, however, too eager. Earth's advice is to give ideas space to develop. Earth it is also the trigram of "everything has its right time".
The upper trigram Mountain turns into Earth by the moving line at the 6th position. This is about stubborn behaviour and wanting to get things your way. Earth's advice here is to be subservient to the process without expectations or judgements about what the process will bring.
Looking at the answer, one notices that all the yang lines in H26 turn into yin lines. Something is broken open here, from too much wanting, too much action driven to being open and receiving, letting yourself be led rather than taking charge (H2).
Personally, I don't think now is the time to write that novel.

This would be my interpretation. As always, take what resonates and leave the rest

 

[Hans_K]

Hi Sofianic,
We love a response on this forum to our help in interpreting your answer.

 

[rosada]

Guess she’s not really into writing…

 

[sofianic]

Guess she’s not really into writing…

Truly my apologies on this; I have pretty bad social anxiety and got burned pretty bad shortly after posting this. I struggled to return to the forum (even to check the answers) out of a sense of fear of getting spurned or feeling like I was too vulnerable in my post. I think to some degree I was in so much pain I was suddenly terrified of being seen, and posting here was a bit of a realization that I could not hide, since everyone's so perceptive. It took some more growth for me to be ready to look in the mirror again.

Definitely need to work on some inner character flaws to not be so avoidant and I deeply regret making the helpful people here feel unappreciated.

As an update, I ended up completing a novel draft that year in November through Nanowrimo. It was a bit grueling and involved some dark themes over the mental health struggles I was dealing with at the time. It ended up being a very messy draft with almost no worth in publishing, but every value in helping me finally break out of the depths of depression. It also built my confidence as a writer and helped me to find a community of writers who helped me build my confidence and voice which had been "taken" from me (from my POV) awhile back.

my_key's note about nourishment really resonated; in fact, I was struggling to eat at all at the time! Gorging myself on ruminations, self-shame, fears of being perceived in general. I was looking to the novel as an "out," a way to escape my circumstances, and it ended up not being that, but still helped me work through a lot of pain.

In this time period, I was still rushing to come out of my depression and the period of stillness that was required of me. As mentioned, I needed instead to build my daily practice as my highest purpose. I was avoiding self-care in favor of trying to hustle into the next phase of life. Not very centered in dao of me!

Hans_K's interpretation was likewise apt. It wasn't the right time really for the dream I imagined, even if I did get a draft done. I also felt that sensation of all that yang energy really dissipating out into this voidlike yin which I could not escape and simply had to succumb to. Much of the novel's theming is around void and I ended up basing a lot of the story structure off the I Ching.

Again, my apologies for the long delay. I've thought about returning (and what my conclusion even would be!) for quite some time, but for some reason could not quite build up the courage.

Thank you all so much and hopefully this update is helpful for any other searchers!

 

[sofianic]

The lower trigram Heaven in H26 is about time and timing. The fact that it has 3 moving lines and turns into trigram Earth shows that this is not the right time for action.
It also indicates, as you say yourself, that you are eager to start, in this case, however, too eager. Earth's advice is to give ideas space to develop. Earth it is also the trigram of "everything has its right time".
The upper trigram Mountain turns into Earth by the moving line at the 6th position. This is about stubborn behaviour and wanting to get things your way. Earth's advice here is to be subservient to the process without expectations or judgements about what the process will bring.
Looking at the answer, one notices that all the yang lines in H26 turn into yin lines. Something is broken open here, from too much wanting, too much action driven to being open and receiving, letting yourself be led rather than taking charge (H2).
Personally, I don't think now is the time to write that novel.

This would be my interpretation. As always, take what resonates and leave the rest

Thank you so much for your insightful response. You were right on the money that I was far too eager and stubborn, and as I mentioned in my update, the yang to yin energy. Even though I did complete a novel draft, I still feel even now I'm waiting for the "right" time for the project I was truly envisioning when I asked this question. Thankfully now I feel much more comfortable with being led.

Wonderful guidance... thank you again. I hope your year is blessed and please excuse my late reply.

 

[sofianic]

Hi sofianic



26: 1.2.3 <> 2
'Great Accumulation' through 'Responding'

For the great to truly accumulate there has to be a right time. That right time comes about when you are able to focus on a single idea or project. You are wisely advised in 26 not to eat at your current dwelling place, not to associate with the 'clan' of thoughts that have been living with you but to step into the Great Stream. What is the most common meal that you have been nourishing yourself with in recent times, I wonder? Have you been gorging yourself on the type of 'nourishment' that is preventing you from feeling able to enter the Great Stream?

Hex 2 holds your current situation in a veil of openness that brings with it the eternal gift of realisation. Surround yourself with gentle, welcoming nourishment and then open yourself to yielding to the power that is being revealed to you. Respond maturely by setting a direction rather than reacting to the things that surround you at this time. Remember, when you are cloaked in the energy of Hex 2 you are always safely and securely held.

26.1 - you are held back by old hurts and wounds. Slowly releasing the negativity that enwraps you will bring you untold rewards.

26.2 - Stay centred and protective of the hidden treasures you carry. You may need to consider, at times, how next to make progress by gathering the strength you need. Never forget that the beauty inside needs to shine out into the world.

26.3 - Be aware of your abilities to survive and, more importantly, to thrive and that they both need to be skillfully honed through daily practice.

26.6 - Understanding that 'Heaven's Highway' is never obstructed is the wisdom that you need to embrace at this time. It may not seem so but you have been walking it for a good while. Make an offering now and there is no doubt that success will find its way to you as you continue to walk.

... or there my be other interpretations that carry more meaning for you.

Good Luck

my_key, please excuse my very late response!
Truthfully your words brought tears to my eyes. <3 I was in a dark period then and your insight seems to cut straight through to that very core. I was burdened with night terrors, depression, etc. and was viewing my novel as a way to escape a bad situation. Instead, I had to turn within and face myself, which was a slow, gentle, and grueling process. I ended up entering "the Great Stream" with a long visit by a lake later that year, which involved no writing, no hastiness, no goals except to take care of my health.

The resonance of "always and securely held," the insight into past wounds I carried, my ability to survive, protecting inner treasures, gathering strength... I spent much of the time since then doing somatic trauma release and therapeutic journaling. The community I found through the draft I ended up writing gave me the confidence to release people in my life who were constantly taking from me and finally rediscover my inner peace.

In a way, I feel like that bad draft was my "offering" to this new path. It wasn't taking me the way I wanted but somewhere much more essential and necessary.

Thank you so much for your wonderful insight. So much time later and it really could not have been more apt. I hope you are having a wonderful new year, blessings <3

 

[my_key]

Hi sofianic

There is nothing to excuse. You were not ready to make the response any sooner than you have. All is as it should be. I never expect a reply or a response to any of my posts and so it is a real delight to hear that your life has turned around from the dark place that you were in all those months ago. I'm sure Hans would be delighted too to hear how his post helped you to look into modifying your stubbornness and excessive zeal. He has not contributed to this forum for some time now but I know he would be grateful, as I am, that you have taken the time to give us all an update.

Becoming tearful when reading an oracle or engaging with other emotional activities always signifies that the wound is being gently touched, and is moving towards healing. Thank you for sharing your journey, I am sure it will be an inspiration for many others who pass this way.

Be Well. Go Well.