Grant application 10.3.4.5 -> 26

[compass]

Hi, all,

I've been writing a book for about 3-4 years in my spare time and have been hoping to obtain a grant that will allow me to work on it full time and hopefully complete it. For one literary organization, if you apply for their grant but aren't unsuccessful, you can apply again the next calendar year (the deciding committee changes each year).

So I've applied to this literary organization twice before and have been turned down. This year I updated my proposal and re-submitted it last month. They've said it will take about 17 weeks for their response.

I asked IC, How will my grant application fare with this committee? The response was 10.3.4.5 -> 26. Treading's Great Taming. I can pretty much understand the changing lines, but 26 puzzles me.

10.3: this describes my desire to get the book done, my 'restless, creative vision'.
10.4: 'Careful pleading'--this is my proposal before the committee, my repeated efforts to come cap in hand, 'making my petition'
10.5: I think this is perhaps the risk I feel in putting myself forward in my proposal--to be judged on what I want to write about, as it reveals who I am personally, my opinions, feeling, thoughts, etc.

26: Not sure....

Any thoughts?

 

[Hans_K]

Hi Compass,
This would be my interpretation based on the trigrams. As I see it, the answer you received is more about the situation than the question, although I think you are indirectly getting an answer to your question.

What strikes me in the answer you received is that Heaven in H10 is the upper trigram and in H26 it is the lower or inner trigram.
Heaven is, among other things, about authority and as the upper trigram in H10 refers to the literary organization, but in H26 it refers to yourself. This seems to be a clue to that you should not seek guidance, focus and authority outside of you, but within yourself.
H10 is the hexagram of acting tactfully and going your own way. Below is the joyous, openness, social interaction and going off the beaten path (Lake). Above is authority, laws and rules (Heaven). So the combination of both trigrams makes you have to be diplomatic.

H26 is the hexagram of saving your strength and of self-control so that you can use it at a later or more appropriate time.
Furthermore, the moving lines in the answer form the trigram Wind which turns into Thunder. Whereas Wind, with 3 moving lines, is about postponing things and putting them off for the long term, Thunder, on the contrary, is of immediate action and innovation.
So the question arises: are you perhaps making yourself too dependent on this literary organization, are there other means of going your own way without depending on third parties?

10.3
Trigram Lake with moving yin line at the 3rd position is about not seeing reality as it is, by allowing external factors to determine what choices are made instead of you determining this yourself. Lake turns into Heaven here: what is your inner drive, what is your motivation, let things happen according to your own plan.
10.4
Trigram Heaven with moving yang line at the 4th position. Here you put yourself too dependent, while there are opportunities to improve or take control of the situation yourself. Heaven turns into Wind here: make sure you have a roadmap that you execute accurately and show willpower.
10.5
Trigram Heaven with moving yang line at the 5th position. The difference with the above is that here Heaven turns into Fire. This shows that you have to commit to your purpose, that you have to stand for it clearly, and that in this way you can set yourself apart from the rest.

As I see it, the Yi seems to advise you to go your own way and not depend on others.

As always, take what resonates and leave the rest

 

[compass]

Thank you, Hans, for such a thorough reading--it's given me a lot to think about. In my astrology chart I have an alignment indicating 'trailblazer', which I've been several times in my life. And I definitely have the willpower and ambition and roadmap--that has never been a problem.

What trips me up are doubt and time/money. Although I know intuitively it's essential that I write what I write, doubt looms large when I question whether I've the talent to do so, and whether publishers/editors want to feature my work. I've had many things published; it's just when a string of rejections occur that doubt sets in: am I writing stuff will find an audience? I don't know of anyone else who's currently writing what I'm writing about (trailblazing!)--OK, maybe one or two. It's my passion and inner need that keeps me writing.

Time/money: I write most mornings, but then I have to start work. That's where the grant comes in, b/c it'll help cover bills and support family while I write full-time. So though I'm fully committed to my purpose/project, I have to be practical too. I see applying for grants as part of me trailblazing, b/c I'm seeking out opportunities to make my dream a reality.

I see it as two choices: write when I can and the book gets finished when it gets finished ( a couple more years?), or find a literary organization to fund my project. TBH, recently I stopped volunteering as a Scout leader after 17 years, and over the past few weeks I've felt this energy shifting within, my writing side reclaiming all that's been dedicated to Scouting--it's been quite a surge and I'm wanting to build on it.

Maybe, to tweak your conclusion a slight bit, Yi is telling me to keep going but not to worry/focus about the grant decision until it arrives--i.e. focus on the writing, and if it's a no with the grant, then deal with it then, but not before?

Peace and thanks again!

 

[Hans_K]

What trips me up are doubt and time/money.

It is interesting that you bring up time and money as a limiting factor in your answer, for this gives H10<>H26 a new layer of meaning. Although indirectly time and money obviously come up in your original question as well, I initially saw your question and thus the Yi's answer as "depending on the literary organization's decision to be able to do what I would like to do".
But trigram Heaven is also about time and money (the latter because Heaven belongs to the Metal element).
Looking from this association of Heaven to H10<>H26, you could also say that money (and thus time) comes from outside (Heaven above in H10) to inside (Heaven below in H26). So you could interpret this to mean that you receive the grant.

The 3 moving yang lines that form trigram Wind and turn into Thunder could then be interpreted as "that which had to be postponed for a long time, can now begin".

Although I know intuitively it's essential that I write what I write, doubt looms large when I question whether I've the talent to do so, and whether publishers/editors want to feature my work. I've had many things published; it's just when a string of rejections occur that doubt sets in: am I writing stuff will find an audience? I don't know of anyone else who's currently writing what I'm writing about (trailblazing!)--OK, maybe one or two. It's my passion and inner need that keeps me writing.

The beautiful thing is, the above is reflected in H10.
The lower nuclear trigram Fire (lines 2,3 and 4) is surrounded by Heaven (lines 1,5 and 6). The surrounding trigram is seen as the limitation. So here you see that the passion for writing this book (Fire) is limited by time and money (Heaven).
The upper nuclear trigram Wind (lines 3,4 and 5) is also surrounded by Heaven (lines 1,2 and 6). Wind is about doubting and spreading (publishing and finding an audience). Here Heaven has the meaning of authority, or do publishers want to publish my work.

As I see it, H10<>H26 indicates that the book will be published anyway.
Good luck waiting for the literary organization's decision.

 

[compass]

Thank you so much, Hans, for your further interpretation. It adds a whole other layer and feels right. I'll update this post when the decision comes through. Thanks again for your help.