Daily readings

[gene]

Hexagram forty three is the inverse of hexagram forty four, and in hexagram forty three, the commentary says "Even a single passion lurking in the heart has the power to obscure reason." So in line six the final element of evil is removed and it seem that victory has been won. But the line says, "In the end misfortune comes." Why? Because the darkness can never be totally dispelled, it can be vanquished only to return. And it returns at first very subtly, for the dark side always wins by deception. It does not appear to be dangerous, but it slowly undermines (hexagram twenty three). So in line one of hexagram forty four the darkness returns.

Line two cannot dispel it, it can only keep it in check. It keeps it away from the other guests in the sense that it keeps the darkness from spreading to and influencing other parts of our personality. Since the dark element cannot be dispelled, it must be put to use in a positive way. That is why the symbol of a fish is used. A fish can be eaten, or it is often a symbol for resources. The same idea is presented in hexagram thirty three line three, where since one can not totally do away with the servants, as unsatisfactory as they may be, one makes use of them in the best way possible. The second line holds the first yin line in check so that its influence cannot spread.

According to the rules of correspondence, the first line should correspond with the fourth. But here, the situation is such that we come close to those who are nearby, not those far away. The second line is yang and the first line is yin, therefore they correspond more than the fourth line and can have a relationship of sorts, as long as the positive does not allow the negative to become manipulative or deceitful. So too, in our personal life we must have a relationship with all parts of ourselves, but those parts of us that do not influence us positively, we must keep in check, and use them in as proper ways as we can. It is useless to fight with ourselves. we must take each part of ourselves and use it in as positive a manner as we can.

Gene

 

[gene]

One more thing I might add about hexagram forty four with three lines changing --- if this were a reading about a relationship, which it is only a daily reading, but if it were, with these three particular lines, two are yang and one yin, and the two yang lines are central, it could indicate a situation where there are two men attempting to attract, or involved with, one lady. (or vice versa in some cases) The second line has the advantage of being in closer proximity to the lady, but the fifth line is a higher ranking individual. The second line could be attempting to keep the lady away from the fifth line. This hexagram has connotations of struggle between men for the attention of a particular lady. And that especially holds true here with these particular lines changing. The fifth line however, has an advantage due to his position, and if he takes the right attitude and has the confidence that his position would offer him, he has a chance of overcoming the second line. There are many possibilities here. That is what I love about the I Ching, is it is so multidimensional.

Gene

 

[deusa]

Thank you very very much. What you say makes me think, i can't even answer right away!

How do you get these way of seing the lines? It attracts me...
Although it doesn't represent my situation, as far as i see it... Although there were two men interested in me for a while, yes... But that is the past, as far as i see it...

On the other hand i am realizing that i can understand the yi only after some time has gone by. It helps,reading about the readings and you help is very useful.

You know, i record the reading and the phrases that strike me more about the hex i get.
When i re-read them, i find so many layers of meaning, as you were saying.

There are more spiritual meanings, more psychological, other very practical e some really factual... It's amazing!

 

[gene]

Deusa

What you are saying about the layers of the I Ching and the spritual meanings is very true. Most seasoned readers never get this aspect of it and see it as only an answer to a specific question. It is quite unfortunate, and yet no one can see what they are not ready to see. The rain (our spiritual understanding) comes when it will. We cannot rush the process. We cannot make it rain. We can only prepare the ground.

As far as the reading about two men and one woman, I didn't think that applied to you. It is just one possible reading and I was trying to open up the I Ching on different levels. When it comes to daily readings, one must look more at the spiritual aspects of the i Ching. It is nice when one is willing to look beyond the surface. You do not see that too often.

Gene

Gene

 

[deusa]

Gene
Since you told me you were studying wilhelm translation since many years, i started giving more attention to that translation. And it is true it is very moralistic at times, but it is very interesting.
I also like bradford's translations and comments, they are very very different but they have given me many insights.

Do you use anyother commentor?

What i see is this:
Everytime i read about a reading, i get a different perspective. Many times the Yi is both answering the question AND talking to me.

Many times there is a psychological answer. A really obvious psychological description. It is amazing how many times 18 came out in my recent love-life confusion. 18 is about the influence of ancestors, meaning, in my view, the influence of our family, from whom we learn our values, which influence our choices and behaviours.

And all the situation has values, family history, in the middle of it...

I got 18.3.5.6 the first time i asked about that relationship.
It has so many ways of reading it, even for a "baby" like me (baby in the knowledge of the Yi...).
There is his father who was absent and has problems of his own, and who could not be, poor man, a good example of a man to his son. There is him, a father, who created corruption to at least 3 female (i'm counting his daughter), because he wasn't able to be a man.
I'm realising with time that he is a weak man, with a lack of personality. A part of him strives to grow and expand, but another part of him is unable even to behave in a simply ethical way, let alone grow and expand!
But the advice is also for me... I created a repetition (29) of some aspects of my previous relationship (18). With fathers (my ex and this guy). I was unconsciouly trying to overcome somethings, but they reappeared in a different "format"... Amazing! Know, maybe i should ask the Yi what is the best way of breaking pattern in relationships... What do you think? Will you help me interpret it?
And there is 29, the emotions (water) but the recurrence of what will not be "cured". Either we confront our fears, either we look at them, either we jump in the abyss, or we will stay stuck. And repeat. So maybe the Yi already answered me. Look at my fears. Find they are small and unimportant, and then i can break patterns...

I can't be more spiritual yet... My knowledge of the Yi is not enough. But if you have a spiritual perspective of 18 and 29, it would be a pleasure for me to know it.

I'm going to search for hexagram 15 in your blog, gene. I have been getting a couple of 15s and it has more to it then i thought initially...

 

[gene]

Hi Deusa

I am not sure I understand all the feelings and such that you have regarding your situation, your relationships and your family life, and maybe I never can, but I will try the best I can. As far as the readings, hexagram 18 and 29, hopefully you can give me a little time as I am very overwhelmed right now with all I have to do.

I am not sure I wrote anything about hexagram 15 in my blog but I may have. That was written over a period of a few years. I would like to get more out there, but often I am not sure if anybody has any real interest, and I am very concerned about the political situation in the U.S. and how long free speech will continue in this country.

I use the Wilhelm/Baynes version about 90% of the time, I use Alfred Huang about 6%, and Ni-Huang Ching about 4% of the time. Occasionally the W/B version just doesn't seem to answer the question, but most of the time it does. I don't presently use any other versions.

So, I will get back to you in a while about some of these questions.

Gene

 

[deusa]

and I am very concerned about the political situation in the U.S. and how long free speech will continue in this country.

Gene

I'm not in the U S so i don't know much about it, but your politics affect all the world.
Do you mind explaining a bit better what do you mean?
In europe the situation is quite strange too...

 

[gene]

Deusa

I don't want to get into it too much. Saying anything political here can start a firestorm. Most people here are not awake as to what is going on, but they will be finding out soon. Everything I write is recorded by the government, and don't get me started on Facebook or Twitter. There have been several attempts by the government here to stop the information flow on the internet. Congress tried to pass SOPA and PiPA which are technically online piracy acts, but have far deeper implications. Some Senators and Congressmen have stated openly that they must control the information flow on the internet. Some want to severely strict how many websites can be on the internet, Youtube and Facebook have already started blocking information that does not fit social media "correctness" I will stop now, because many people here do not appreciate any discussion of these things. But just in answer to your question...

Gene

 

[deusa]

Gene
I love your blog...
Reading this post:
http://genesiching.blogspot.pt/2011/12/fortifies.html?m=1
I realized that once i got a reading 51 > 55 and it could means simply: hold on (hold the spoon) no matter what jolt may come to you, and you will be like the sun at midday, shining, warm, strong...

 

[gene]

One thing to remember in terms of spiritual knowledge is that ultimately, there is no difference between the spiritual and the physical. The physical is just the vibrations of the spiritual slowed down to appear as matter. Spirit is yang, and matter is yin. They are both sides to the same coin, and are one unified whole. There is no real separation except as an illusion.

More later,

Gene

 

[gene]

In terms of a spiritual understanding of hexagram 18, there is not an awful lot I can say, but what I can say depends on a background of some concepts inherent in the I Ching. Before I continue with that let me say this, that concepts and principles are relative, just as yin and yang are relative. Something can only be said to be yang in relationship to something else. In relationship to another concept, what was considered yang can now be considered yin and vice versa. So all this must be taken with a grain of salt and it must be remembered that anything I say about these principles is only relative to the discussion at hand.

Therefore, a short discussion is necessary to continue. Hexagram one depicts the yang principle, and hexagram two depicts the yin principle. And it follow for the most part, but not entirely, that odd numbered hexagrams have a yang context, and even numbered have a yin context. This is in line mostly with the work of Stephen Karcher who promotes the idea that the odd numbered hexagrams are the incentive and even are the manifestation. This makes a lot of sense because incentive is yang and manifestation is yin.

So from this introduction we can deduce that one very basic concept in the I Ching is the constant flow of positive and negative, of high and low, of growth and then decay. This is indicated almost everywhere and it seems to often appear in the pairs of hexagrams as well. So in a sense, and only in a sense, for example hexagram three indicates initial growth while hexagram four speaks of the importance of teaching in order that the youthful person does not decay by not applying him or herself.

Hexagrams seventeen and eighteen follow this pattern also, for if we follow others, we may, especially if we follow the wrong people, take on their negative aspects. In many of the hexagrams growth being followed by decay, is an immutable law of nature, and a very fine example of that is hexagrams sixty three and sixty four. But the theme in hexagrams seventeen and eighteen is that of a situation where “it is not immutable fate but a neglect that leads to decay.” This is a regular theme in anyone’s life who is trying to accomplish something. The vicissitudes of life keep getting in our way and creating distractions so that we get away from the work we are trying to accomplish. When this happens we must once again approach our “higher self” (hexagram nineteen) and start listening to our inner voice once again. Then we have to “bite through” the errors of our way, the things that are causing us to relapse, and find acceptance (hexagram twenty two) for the spiritual way. Finally, we must “Strip away” the bondage to our old selves, (hexagram twenty three) and return to the spiritual pathway (hexagram twenty four).

But the important thing here is to determine who and what we follow (hexagram seventeen). Line two says “If one clings to the little boy one loses the strong man.” And line three says, “If one clings to the strong man, one loses the little boy.” The little boy is our lower self, the strong man is our higher self. If we cling to the little boy, decay is inevitable. We must be constantly observing ourselves (hexagram twenty), for if we do not constantly observe, the affairs of daily physical life will inevitably lead us away from our spiritual programming, and make us think only about the things that are immediately pressing.

I think this is enough for now. Hexagram twenty nine will come later.

Gene

 

[deusa]

Gene, you should post this on your blog...

 

[gene]

A short and inadequate message about the spiritual interpretation of hexagram twenty nine.

Before getting started on hexagram twenty nine, in its spiritual aspect, may I say that there is an affinity between hexagrams twenty nine, and hexagram four. The main difference between the two hexagrams is that the fifth and sixth lines in hexagram twenty nine are correct. Since they are correct, in hexagram twenty nine there is sincerity, whereas in hexagram four, there is a danger of insincerity. In hexagram four a young person must be “taught the seriousness of life, for there is a tendency for the unenlightened one to play with life and never amount to anything.” (See line one.) In hexagram four, it is said in line five that “An inexperienced person who seeks instruction in a childlike and unassuming way is on the right path.”

The upper trigram in hexagram four is the mountain, or the younger son. As the younger son, he is more inexperienced. When the fifth and sixth lines change hexagram four becomes hexagram twenty nine, and the younger son becomes a middle son, and therefore is more mature. However, the middle son in hexagram twenty nine faces more danger, because the danger is repeated. (the trigram of water, or danger, or darkness.) Since the younger son has matured, he is ready for bigger challenges and meets them in hexagram twenty nine. But he is ready for the challenge.

When do we face danger or darkness? We can run into danger from outside sources. We have experiences in life which challenge us and understandably frighten us, In such cases we must remain calm and allow the situation to pass, which it will provided we have the right inner attitudes. We can also face inner danger when we allow ourselves to depart from “sincerity.” In this case danger comes from within our own mind. We often allow ourselves to be led astray by becoming too attuned to our daily life, and not to our spiritual development. We also face danger when we enter into spheres of influence with which we are not familiar. If we allow unfamiliar situations to frighten us, to assault us, and to upset our peace of mind, then we “fall into the abyss.”

In hexagram twenty nine however, the fifth line, being the ruler of the hexagram is strong, and able to counter the danger. He does this by “not becoming too ambitious.” He follows the line of least resistance.” He does not try to force issues but allows nature to take its course. He is also sincere.

Both hexagrams are about teaching, but in hexagram twenty nine the emphasis is more on the lesson itself, and not the innocence of the pupil. The teacher keeps presenting the lesson until the student finally “gets it.” He does not skip but stays on a lesson until it is mastered. In the same way life itself is a learning experience. Both hexagrams twenty nine AND four relate to the learning experiences of life. The I Ching, or the universal Tao is itself the teacher. A flesh and blood teacher is only a manifestation of the Tao itself, and is the teacher behind the teacher. But sometimes all we have is life experience; no flesh and blood teacher. Life will keep bringing us the same experiences over and over again until we show that we have finally learned the lesson. This is not purposed, (although in a way it is) but is the natural flow or way of the Tao. We cannot escape it. We can only delay our progress, we can refute the lessons, putting ourselves above the teacher, as in hexagram four; or we can submit to the lessons and begin our spiritual growth and develop and mature faster. We must learn to see life itself as a school yard. We are here to learn. It is possible to resist the lessons but it is also possible to follow along the lines of least resistance, and accept the lesson as such, instead of bewailing our fate.

Gene

 

[deusa]

gene, i LOVED this post on 29! and 4, both interesting!
Thank you so much.
i have left you without daily readings as i made a pause on my iching readings.
there was a lot to absorb so far...
but... i'll be back!

what you say is very nice and clear, and shows me the relationship between 2 hex i had not related in my mind...

funny that both 18 and 29 (and maybe all the hex?) are about learning, lessons...

 

[gene]

Deusa

ALL the hexagrams are about learning lessons. Of course, they are all about a lot of other things too, but they are there not so much to tell us our fortune, but to tell us who we are and how we unconsciously create our OWN fortune. I hope to post more on this later.

Gene

 

[deusa]

please do elaborate, if you like! it all makes so much sense, when you write...

 

[gene]

deusa

I will try to write again soon. The work that I do here is not accepted by everybody. I have been somewhat of a controversial figure here, and will probably continue to be so. But I will put out what I can if there is even one person who is receptive to what I have to teach.

Gene

 

[deusa]

I wonder why you are controversial...
I feel that there are many ways to see the Yi. You can use it in any way you need. One way doesn't exclude the other...