Hexagram 17, unchanging. Following, when following appears problematic.

[estuary]

I hope you'll forgive me for just jumping in here without any prior introduction or having established other conversations on these forums. I don't mean to be rude and just demand input on a reading. Anything anyone wants to contribute here is most welcome & I apologize for having been so infrequent a lurker that this is essentially my self-intro.

Anyway, I approached Yi with a situation I feel stuck in. Short story (haha!) is that I tend to have many ongoing projects and responsibilities, have multiple and varied interests and this leads to my feeling like I'm spinning my wheels, accomplishing little on any front because I tend to avoid committing to ONE thing in favor of trying to do a little bit of each of the many things I have in the works. I'm a classic Jack of all trades, master of none and tend to go with the flow on even a daily basis - putting out fires, tending to family needs, getting in an hour or two of my self-employment work, driving kids to activities and maintaining the home life etc. making it a challenge to focus on what is important to me (or even decide which of my interests and ideas is important) -- going with it as it comes, whoosh, the wind blows me this way, then whoosh, that way. The question, though I didn't state it directly, was also prompted by my long-term inability to commit to a path of study (spiritual as well as vocational) and a sense that I am made poorer by that.

I asked: How shall I accomplish anything and how shall I determine my true goals? How do I find what is at the root and focus on that rather than the "ten thousand things"? What is the critical issue and how do I fix it?
Before casting, I wrote: "I am scattered and busy and pulled all ways. Then, when it's important, I don't follow through."


The response was arrow-sharp & accurate. (Karcher translation)

17. Sui. Following. Move with the flow, strong, natural attraction; inevitable, natural & correct; influence, guidance; hunter & prey; the spirit joyously moves in the world.

Salient points: you are in direct touch with the flow of the Way. You insert yourself into the universal flow of events, the river of time, and are thus able to conform effectively and spontaneously to the unfolding of the moment… It suggests accepting the spirit's influence gladly, letting yourself be moved and drawn, being connected to the Way

Also: Follow the inevitable course of events. Yield to the path set out in front of you. Don't fight it, move with it… When you have provided for the call, it comes. Let go of what is past, all the old quarrels and sorrows that led up to this situation. Dim your discriminating power so old mental habits can dissolve… If you let yourself be led you can realise hidden potential.



It's VERY hard for me to wrap my head around this - I tend, being a product of this modern world, to equate self-worth with… accomplishment, I guess. I respect people who create and manifest things that are obviously the result of focus, discipline, skill. I struggle with what's either my nature or my habit, often wish to master SOMETHING and fear I am wasting my life with small tasks and a half-dozen unfinished projects. I do finish things, I'm just slow due to all non-negotiable responsibilities.

Coming from a situation in which I'm trying not to let myself be worn down with all the things I have to do/want to do, tend to feel guilty for not being goal oriented, very easily see the ways I fail to meet standards of "success," I want to make sure I'm really reading Yi correctly.

This: Dim your discriminating power so old mental habits can dissolve. (plus the above excerpts) sound to me like the problem isn't my flibbertigibbet ways BUT that I don't allow my nature to be what it is.

Really? Yi is saying I'm ok?

I guess I'd like to figure out, then, how to "provide for responding to the commands of Heaven" and how to reconcile this with "following a way, a school of thought, tradition or spiritual practice and the paradoxical freedom that occurs when you submit to its discipline."

I long for a stabilizing practice but haven't been successful at 'fitting' anything in.

I'll work on letting this settle/seep into my awareness and would be interested to hear your (all's) take on this if you feel so inclined.

(ps. would this have been better posted to the Your Experience with Unchanging Castings: Hexagram 17 thread?)

 

[moss elk]

I asked: How shall I accomplish anything and how shall I determine my true goals? How do I find what is at the root and focus on that rather than the "ten thousand things"? What is the critical issue and how do I fix it?

Hi.
Did you ask all those things, and throw the coins once?


And do you happen to stay up late at night thinking about all that stuff?

 

[estuary]

hahaha!!!

Yeah, I conceived of it as parts of one non-specific question - what should I do with my life?

:bag:

and I used tokens (not sure if it matters)

To me the questions kind of read as pointing to the same thing. I know, it's recommended to ask yes/no questions but I'm generally looking for "how shall I proceed" sorts of answers - I'm good with answers that suggest ways I can approach, adapt or re-conceive a problem. I've had good results over the years with asking Yi these kinds of things.

Does it keep me up at night? Nope, I have other things that do that - this is just run of the mill existential floundering that hounds me in the daytime.

Now I feel a bit silly for not just thinking to ask: "Should I give up volunteering so I can have time to exercise?"

 

[Tim K]

Hi estuary,

I see 17 as a rather simple answer: stick to the schedule. Obey the Time [17].

17, Wilhelm:
The image of FOLLOWING.
Thus the superior man at nightfall
Goes indoors for rest and recuperation.

And during the day he works.When it's dinner time - he eats, and on Sundays the Christian goes to church.

Make up a schedule, a regimen and stick with it no matter what. No distractions.
Of course the bulk of the time will go to really important things, that demand attention [follow the need to work on them of course], but with a free time - you decide, choose one thing and devote your time to it.


Sounds like 60 - introduce limits, but 17 attenuates the time aspect of boundaries I think.

 

[estuary]

Ashteroid,

my goodness, I usually check multiple translations but didn't this time. Thanks for the reminder that there are other takes on it. Wilhelm's 17 comes across VERY differently from Karcher's!!

Thank you.

 

[Tim K]

Takashima's version helped me to understand 17 better, as in not follow but obey [the time].

XVII. ZUI (To obey)
Zui. Perfectly auspicious, advantageous to be constant, and free from blame.
Exposition.
This is Zui: the strong element comes down, and a weak one
moves and is pleased. “Perfectly auspicious” and “free from blame,” if “constant,” for the
world only obeys time. Great is the significance of obeying time !

Interpretation. A pond containing a thunder is [the emblem of] Zui.
Honourable men accordingly get into the house and rest themselves, when it is near dark-
ness.

 

[Yasmin]

For what it's worth, I have often cast 17UC in situations where I was advised precisely to "go with the flow", do what feels right at that time, follow what makes the heart sing. Which makes me wonder if perhaps the IC is saying that your current multitasking is not time wasted, that it's exactly what the time requires? And who knows, maybe all the multitasking will eventually gel into a coherent whole at the right time.

On another note, the image suggests that 17UC can be a time for resting, until you find a clear signal to follow. Perhaps you need to rest, turn down the pressure,give yourself time to breathe and reflect, then your true desires and priorities will become clearer? The rest could be physical. And/or reducing the number of tasks you take on, to the extent that it is possible. And/or ""giving a rest" to the idea that you need to achieve something in a specific form within a specific timeframe.

For other thoughts, there is a very useful thread on unchanging castings, including 17UC.

 

[estuary]

Yasmin, that's a helpful set of interpretations.

I've been busy (are you surprised? ) but will check out a few translations of 17 as ashteroid's posts have reminded me.

I'll see what I come up with, what feels right for the time. It's been helpful to just have you (three) just reflect on it a little for me. Thanks so much!