Concentration Problems

[michela]

Hello. Think I've got an interesting I Ching answer here, but not sure I'm up to interpreting it.

I believe my main stumbling block to getting what I want in life is a lack of concentration and focus. Asked about it and got 14, change 3,4 & 5 to 58.

Could someone, anyone, please offer an interpretation about this?

THANK YOU!!!

 

[arien]

14 lines 3, 4 & 5 changes to 61 (path goes 14->38->41->14)

it seems that you need to be more honest about your possessions

if you honestly want something, then dont let anything drive you away until you get it

if you dont have that persistence, then maybe you are unconsciuously blocking your self from getting it

maybe you dont really need it, maybe you dont really want it

in any case I suspect you fail to get only what you dont really WANT to achieve

there is a difference between trying and doing, we fail to realise this often... we are always willing to try, but are we willing to do?

Anyway, I suspect you have a sagitarius lunar node, go here and read the sagitarius tikune, it may help

 

[michela]

Oh no, sorry the changing lines are 3, 5 and 6.

Concentration again.

 

[arien]

well, have you read the lines? I think most of my previous message still applies, you are perhaps too "happy" in pursuing your goals, and sometimes we need to be serious instead

line 3 is the essence of having great possessions: the only thing that one should do with them is sharing

line 5 maybe deals with your sincerity, like I said before: do you really want it?

line 6 is one of the nicest of the Yi, but here it may mean not that you can rely on heaven to provide, but that you count too much with heavens doing the work for you, or maybe your head is in the clouds

but taking the reverse perspective, lines 3 and 6 of 58 show how we may loose track of our goals by indulging in excessive happyness... is this your case?

 

[michela]

Hi, yes I read the lines. Inferred from them something like this : the mind is a vast wealth (14) , those who give it up to higher purposes are truely noble (line 3) and will never be ruled by pettiness...this connects one with true power (line 5) and that, accordingly, the mind receives the blessings of heaven (line 6).

This is what I understood from the lines, sort of a dissertation, and didnt really see how it applied to my lack of concentration, except to say that concentration is very very good.

I think you have hit upon something in your interpretation , however, about abundance of pleasure, as I suffered an acute type of mind disorder a while ago, and am fearful to go there again...to the task. So I have found happiness in avoiding the work, and am afraid I have lost forever some kind of pure ability to connect. All connections seem frayed, all goals seem not worth reaching, only the present distraction keeps me from the unsolvable glitch in my mind.


I checked the nodes, if true node is the north node, I have it in Libra at the end of the 12th house.

Thank you for answering, I really appreciate your insight.

 

[arien]

well, fear not, I too have gone through some demotivating times such as you speak, and I tell you: they dont last for ever!

so hang in tight, and try to be positive about the future; sooner than you think you will see a change for the better and you'll feel motivated again

Regarding the nodes, you must have read the libra tikune, but you should also see what house your true node is placed, and see the corresponding sign as well (aries=1st house, taurus=2nd house, and so forth). Both the house and sign have a incredible strength on this matter, so if you have your true node in the 9th house (or near the end of the 8th) you still have the sagitarius tikune

Otherwise it may be some transit thats making you go through that, which then may be a better perspective, cause hard as they may be, none lasts forever

 

[soshin]

Arien,
interesting link to the nodes, thank you!

Michaela, 14.3+5+6 to 58....
from the casted hexagrams it seems to me you already have outstanding intellectual skills. Those are your "vast wealth". To use them wisely could be the task, maybe...

Sometimes the Yijing's task is to assist one in one's urge - in that case to concentrate better - by showing you the outcome of your goal. The path to reach it should be to "curb evil and further good and thereby obey the benevolent will of heaven." How curbing evil and furthering good connects to your own situation is something you could intuit on your own.

14 is a very good hexagram to get, and the changing lines five and six are favorable indeed.
Only line three seems a little problematic to me, saying that your goals should be goals which are for the better of all the people connected with you, and not only for yourself. It's not only about if your goals are lofty enough, but also, are they "public spirited" enough?

In the Wilhelm translation it reads like this: "A magnanimous, liberal-minded woman should not regard what she possesses as her exclusive personal property , but should place it at the disposal ... of the people at large. In so doing, she takes the right attitude toward her possession, which as private property can never endure. A petty woman is incapable of this. <FONT COLOR="ff0000">She is harmed by great possessions,</FONT> because instead of
sacrificing them, she would keep them for herself." Could there be a connection between the harm done by the state of mental disorder you described in your post and something you've done or failed to do the time before this state appeared so suddenly? Anyway, IMHO the Yi is telling you there should be no reason for fearing to try again.

Both the fifth and sixth lines are very encouraging to do like suggested in line three. To find the "right attitude to your skills".
And in 58 the wise woman "joins with her friends for discussion and practice." This is the "friends area"! Welcome to the club!

Namaste,

Soshin

 

[candid]

(Arien?s quote) "well, fear not, I too have gone through some demotivating times such as you speak, and I tell you: they dont last for ever!"

Michela, I'll second the above. It won't be just the same as it was, ever. But I can promise that it can be better.. if you just hang in there and be open to good thoughts, good feelings - believing that just by this you will create in yourself the room to receive the blessing. Hardest thing to do during this time is believe you are worthy of receiving it.

14.3 Do not compare yourself to others. You are unique and are more than just an emulation.

14.5 Do not degrade yourself. Be especially mindful to not lend support to your weaknesses. You are 'good enough' just as you are. Then work from there.

14.6 Be devoted in your thinking to the greatest good you can imagine. (It helps take the mind of yourself, the root of your difficulty.)

C

 

[michela]

Arien

It helps to know that you have passed through. Your mojo's on this board spark many connections. I read the Saggitarian Tikune, and although it does not apply to my chart, the advice certainly strikes a chord to my situation. A concentration problem is a problem with the heart. If the heart finds the carrot, the attention will follow. May heaven cross my path with a good foil! If not, well, I'll figure something out, right?

Soshin,

I agree about the 3rd line being problematic. It is a test I failed, thus my mind was like a field of broken glass. For more than a few years, I even had to stop reading because any stress at all raised a chorus of uncontrollable voices. Since then, I am able to read a bit, but like tepid tea. Not the way I used to, with vigor and interest. I think about the third line, related to the 5th line, as Wilhelm says. If the third line responds correctly to the 5th, it shares the position of the 5th. If it does not, it misses it's opportunity. I also wondered about this line being like the concious relating to the unconcious... (prince of heaven). If you just happen to honor it, it elevates you. If not, you are destroyed. Moi! So yes, maybe the reading is to motivate me, with a reminder as stated in the third. (Also, Soshin, your picture is very delightful, your monk robes are tres fabulous!)

Candid,

Your words are medicine for the simple person that I am. "Do not degrade yourself". Have been so debilitated by this mental illness and yet I know I am not a mentally ill person. Trying to unravel the harm has been exhausting, almost seems to have changed my body chemistry. This experience has been so compromising, I finally just accepted that's that what I am; compromised.

Well, never thought I'd spill it about all that. But really, I have learned to distract myself with useless pleasures, the flimsy side of 58, and dont go deeper. I distrust my ability to go deeper. Im afraid nothing is there anymore, or that hell is. But I do believe all of you, that it will get better. Just if it does, I must do my share. I will try. And I will think of you, Soshin, when I dedicate it for the benefit of all. Thank you. Love to you all.

 

[soshin]

The eclipse is about to pass by.

Soshin

 

[ninepatch]

Michela -

Sometimes the illness becomes the container our life gets poured into and the psuedo-identity we give ourselves - we lose belief that we can recover, much less ever have an identity of our own whole selves again. That's what left me hollow inside when it was my turn for the dark night of the soul.

I lost two fundamental aspects of myself right from the start - my ability to read and my ability to be among people. It was a betrayal I can't even begin to put into words. My "intellect" and "sociability" had always been my ticket to anywhere I wanted, or dreamed I could go. My grief was beyond anything I'd experienced.

Along the way I've learned a few things and hope maybe they can help you.

Western medicine loves the prescription pad, and some of the things it prescribes produce exactly those symptoms which foster despair. If the doctors have been writing for you, research what it is and make your doctor address your concern.

Yes - this has affected your body. It's a lot of chemistry and you need to be vigilant about keeping up your end of the formula. A dear old friend called it "HALT" - never get too hungry, to angry, too lonely or too tired.

Until you can do those things which require a greater level of concentration, like reading, find something creative to do. It doesn't matter what it is - string beads, paint a room, sew, cook, play music, dance, anything that will take you outside of yourself. Do it on a regular basis. It nurtures that inside part of you that is in need of warmth and light.

When you're ready to try reading again, keep it light. I'm 50 years old and Harry Potter opened the door for me.

In the process I rediscovered why I'd fallen in love with reading as a little girl. In time, doing the footwork, I was able to move on to what I really wanted to read.

If you can get your hands on it, I suggest you listen to a tape by Clarissa Pinkola Estes called "The Red Shoes" - a couple of times when you won't be disturbed. It helped me greatly and made me feel that I could help myself.

Last, but not least, give yourself a hug now and then. You'll be amazed how much it can do.

Blessings & Peace

Beth

 

[candid]

Michela,

There was a time, not so long ago, when the biggest fear in my day was leaving my apartment and walking to the mailbox only a few yards from my front door. So how did my body (which does what the mind tells it to) deal with that? By nearly losing its ability to walk. Both my personal doctor and neurologist supported this by pre-diagnosing the problem as being M.S. All three of us were surprised when the MRI showed up negative. I also went for weeks at a time without using my vocal cords, nearly losing my ability to speak. On a spiritual level, I hung by a thread over the fires of hell. Literally.

Debilitating? If we lose our ability to do things, we are no longer accountable for what we do or don't do. What better way to escape our responsibility to ourselves and others? How accommodating the body is!

I noted something important and powerful that you said: "Have been so debilitated by this mental illness and yet I know I am not a mentally ill person." Here, you did not lay claim to "the" debilitation; you did not call it "mine." The mental illness belonged to "this" and not "me." And then you affirm the awareness of a sound mind, which still vaguely existed somewhere beneath all the confusion, by saying: "I know I am not a mentally ill person."

Some would call this denial, and in a sense they'd be correct. Its denying that these problematic symptoms define who and what you are. They are not synonymous with who and what you are. Who and what you are is far greater than these things. And who and what you *really* are is waiting in the wings to be recognized and activated. But it takes time. A tree?s limb, which has been broken off, doesn't grow back overnight. The loss is real. The symptoms are.. just symptoms. They do not define you.

The Universe has not forgotten you. It is waiting for you to recognize its presence in you. It may reveal it's helping hand through dreams, or a motivational thought, an inspiration or a whim. Listen for it. Be watchful and expecting. You are as much a part of it as anything or anyone. No greater, no lesser.

14 said you have great worth. Now you are accountable to live up to it. Believe you can and you will. Be patient with yourself. Forgive yourself. Then you will be able to live with yourself in peace. The voices will withdraw on their own. Do not combat them directly. Be patient. Your sound mind will return to you.

Peace,
C

 

[michela]

Thank you Soshin, Beth, and Candid, for your help and support... I lit candles for all of you today. Then I kept thinking of more and more people, and soon had a whole hearth full of small candles flickering.

With love to you all.

 

[soshin]

Dear Michela,

Thank you, too. I'll light a candle for you today. Good to feel again how deep we're all connected.

Love,
Soshin

 

[ninepatch]

Michela -

Thank you for the beautiful gift. Each spark of light is precious. You are in my thoughts.

Beth

 

[candid]

Michela, what a wonderful ceremony. Can't remember when someone lit a candle for me last. Possibly as a child, and assuredly in a Catholic church. Its a nice thought. Thank you.

C