Asked about my sleep problems, but I am confused by the Hexagram (45. Union)

[Ant_Tam]

Hello, everyone. Thanks for your time and insights.

First of all, an introduction, as this is my first post here. Glad to have joined this group. I‘ve known about the I-Ching for many years now, but it wasn’t until recently that I wanted to try my hand and generate a relationship with it, to make it part of my life style for times of confusion or need.

Between the early days of November, 2020, and the early days of February, 2021, I suffered a series of very troublesome issues with sleep disorders, which eventually led to a mild depression and having to be medicated for a while. Insomnia and bad sleep are no strangers to me, but that period was intense and impossible to handle. By the middle of February, my problems were gone.

Come last year, 2021, around roughly the same time (early days of November) I started again with the same issues, only this time I’ve been able to manage them. No longer do I go days without sleeping, however, I fall asleep around 6:30, sometimes even 8:00 in the morning, and have to wake up by 12:00 so that I can work. (I work by myself, so there’s no issues with the boss)

My life has had some drastic changes in the last years. I broke with my girlfriend of six years by the end of 2018, did so in very lamentable circumstances. Then, in November of 2019, I was awarded a very important literary price (I’m a writer) which had plenty of promises to change my life for the better, but then Covid hit and everything related to that book stagnated. Like everyone else, the last couple of years have been somber for me.

I’m working on many projects and plans at the present moment, very exciting stuff, but I find myself drained of energy because of this recent problem with my sleep. I have absolutely no friends in this city anymore (I’m considering changing someplace else), so I spend a lot of time by myself, which is not a problem, but the drained energy and the drab view of life I get from constantly being tired is getting on my patience. I asked the oracle a question “Ho can I stabilize my hours of sleep?”, and for an answer I obtained Hexagram # 45, “Union”, as primary and only Hexagram. No changing line.

(As a n important note: I’m from Mexico and live in Spain, so the two copies I own of the I-Ching are Spanish translations. Perhaps Hexagram #45’s name might be slightly different in English. The first copy I bought was a cheap paperback with little to no information. The second one I bought is a very elegant and robust edition with better translation and plenty of notes, I use both of them)

I’m confused by the main image of the Hexagram. According to these two translations I own, there is some kind of sacrifice that I have to do, something that’s important to me needs to be changed or modified. There‘s also mention of the importance of having a place to go. In that regard, I do have a very specific life objective I’m heading to, so I suppose such sacrifice, said thing that I need to change, may be related to it?

The point of this long message is to ask for some advice. This is what I have interpreted about the Hexagram, but maybe I am reading it wrong (this is the third time I ask a question, so I am still in the dark about interpreting readings)

Thank you in advance.

 

[Liselle]

Hi Ant_Tam,

First of all, as you say let's make sure we're talking about the same thing. "Union" could also be a name for what we call hexagram 8.

Does your hexagram look like this (a) or this (b) ?

 

[Ana Maria]

h45 refers to Gathering, possibly an Assembly (with all the connotations that come with that term).

I can see how the translation EN_ES might have affected the wording in that context. But since you mention 'sacrifice' and "direction to go" as part of the judgment, I assume you do mean h45 (Hilary's post, worth reading).

h45's image includes weapons, alertness, potential dangers. this tells me that you're nervous, alert, distressed about something and this affects your sleep.
h45uc means both organized gathering (noun) or the process of gathering (verb) -- projects, plans, people, places, possibilities, preoccupations. that's a lot of Ps you can gather but do they cohere as a whole? this whole should serve a broader goal: a life path, a collective purpose, a higher good, your wellbeing...does it? And what do you prioritize in this context? what do you sacrifice? where do you want to go/move to and with what determination?

The reading reflects all these elements and questions, which you happen to mention above either in actual or figurative form (sacrifices, temples, directions, determinations, fortunes, kings, etc). and so it throws the question back at you. then the image and the judgement of 45 contain clues as to how you may address this situation - going to a temple, speaking to great people, being constant in the direction you want to go. how do these images or symbols apply to your life situation?

Answering this riddle will help you improve your sleep. If not and things get tough, you can always ask for help at a 'temple' of your choosing (good friends, health professionals, advisors). These are 'great people' to consult with.

hope this resonates.

 

[Ant_Tam]

Hello!

First of all, thank you, Liselle; it is the first Hexagram you show. I totally forgot that in the more elegant edition I own, Hexagram 45 is translated as Reunión/Gathering, so perhaps I should have used that one for my first post!

Ana María, thank you for your insight. Yes, as a matter of fact I am presently distressed by various things in my life: projects that I am starting but am too impatient and want to see results already, I want desperately to move to another apartment, or another city, the lingering sense that I’m getting behind life, various things like that.

Thank you for illuminating it under that context; I hadn’t thought about it in that sense. I really have to meditate about this, and see what to do. The direction I want to go is there, it is very clear in my mind, so I suppose I will have to work around that end point to figure the answer out.

Thank you for your help!

 

[Liselle]

Thanks, Ant_Tam. 45 it is .

You didn't explain exactly what your sleep problems are, or what causes them. Is it bad habits, is it medical... ?

If it's medical, then you need medical help.

If it's habits, I have a fair amount of experience with hexagram 45.

It might mean in order to stabilize your sleep, you'll have to make a supreme effort to do it, and be very vigilant and firm about saying "No" to anything that gets in the way. You will have to bring your whole self - or all your inner selves - to bear on it.

The trigrams show a lake above the earth. This is like a reservoir. Reservoirs are useful, but they need continuous, vigilant care so they won't break and flood everything. That's why it says in the Image:

'Lake higher than the earth: Gathering.
A noble one sets aside weapons and tools,
And warns against the unexpected.'

I think "sets aside" means "keeps handy." You'll need a set of tools you can pull out when you need them. For instance, when you have a thought like, "Oh, I can stay up late just this once, it won't hurt anything," you need a good inner microphone to pick up on that and hear it for what it is - an insidious influence that will hurt something. Then you need an autopilot tool to pick you up and shuffle you off to bed. And a stern schoolteacher tool to tell any inner self who objects to stop it this instant. Things like that.

I feel bad for you because most people have bad sleep habits from time to time and it doesn't ruin their life. Unfortunately you're not one of them. Hopefully the results will be worth it.

 

[Ant_Tam]

Hi Liselle, thanks for your insights!

They’re not medical, as I do fall asleep eventually and this isn’t something that happens year-long. I think they are a combination of bad habits and cyclical processes of my own body, since I always seem to have these issues during the cold months. It’s just that in the last couple of years they have become a little more intense. 2020’s I shalk it up to personal issues intensified by the psychological effects of the pandemic. The current one due personal projects and the high stakes at hand.

I have concluded, as you said, that I must find a series of tools to resolve this issue, and found that staying calm is one of the best. My life is not being ruined, though! This is a nuisance, but I still manage to go about my days. However, of course, I want my days to flow easier.

I have taken some important decisions in the last hours about life goals and priorities. This, couples with your advice and Ana María’s hopefully will be a good start for an improved condition.

Many thanks for your help and attention!

 

[Ana Maria]

I have taken some important decisions in the last hours about life goals and priorities. This, couples with your advice and Ana María’s hopefully will be a good start for an improved condition.

Many thanks for your help and attention!

sounds wonderful. If ever you need help with a casting or book version in Spanish, there's plenty of speakers in the forum (myself included).