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Hexagram 23: stay or go?

millionsoftrees

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I’ve been getting 23 for my living situation. I know it’s been deteriorating and inappropriate for a long time. I’m presented with a pathway to another environment and have come to a confusion. The translation of the hex seems to say “don’t go anywhere” but the essence of the hex, as well as various interpretations across the web, say that it’s a message to accept the deterioration and abandon it to move forward. In the words of a YouTube I found (could source the link later), it is not good to stay in a sinking ship. So, why does the hex say that one should not go anywhere, in a deteriorating situation? Except for line 5, it seems. Any input?
 

Trojina

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I’ve been getting 23 for my living situation. I know it’s been deteriorating and inappropriate for a long time. I’m presented with a pathway to another environment and have come to a confusion. The translation of the hex seems to say “don’t go anywhere” but the essence of the hex, as well as various interpretations across the web, say that it’s a message to accept the deterioration and abandon it to move forward. In the words of a YouTube I found (could source the link later), it is not good to stay in a sinking ship. So, why does the hex say that one should not go anywhere, in a deteriorating situation? Except for line 5, it seems. Any input?


It's not clear if you want help with the reading and the situation or if this is just a general query. But the gist of your question seems to be you find elements of the oracle for 23 contradictory in advice ? You haven't said what your question was, what exact question you got 23 for ? Just your 'living situation'.


First here's a thread that may help you get a flavour of people's real life experiences of 23 unchanging.


I know you didn't get 23uc but it's worth looking at anyway.

23 is called 'Splitting Apart' by Wilhelm and 'Stripping Away' by Hilary. The reason it says not to attempt things or go anywhere or rather 'fruitless to have a direction' is that there is no useful way forward at the current time. You have to let it all fall down, let it deteriorate and fundamentally accept loss before you can make a fresh start. Remember each hexagram is one of a pair, one will never experience 23 without 24, the Return, being present but out of sight for now.

The 23 experience can be very painful but it can also be not so painful if you actually take part in the letting go. It's also not painful if you actually want to let the thing go.


If everything is falling apart one can't really make any kind of impact or headway though in the situation as it is. That does not mean one cannot move on and away from the situation. The situation is one of erosion as the Image shows a mountain eroding down to the the earth, all one can do is make one's base secure as can be whilst the erosion happens.

But you said

. I’m presented with a pathway to another environment and have come to a confusion.
So things have been falling apart but a new path for you has opened up ? Sounds good but without the actual question/context I can't see how to take 23 here. In any case if this new opening is promising you wouldn't want to turn away from it just because of a cast you aren't clear about.

So, why does the hex say that one should not go anywhere, in a deteriorating situation? Except for line 5, it seems. Any input?

Not just line 5, line 6 is all about going somewhere and completely leaving the old behind. And in line 3 one is part of the falling apart.


There's freedom in 'nothing left to lose'. Stripping cuts at one's sense of self but even if everything that makes up your sense of self erodes away you're still there, you haven't gone anywhere and you are ready to get back to the real essentials of your life (24) because you can now that you are unencumbered.



Billy Connolly said getting old was for him like bits of his self dropping off every day. But he said they are dropping off so that he's lighter and lighter and ready for the next big adventure, over the hill, death. I really like that picture of aging, eroding, bits falling away till there's just your essence. It may not be relevant to your question but even in youth we die all the time to how things were.



Ah here is the article I was thinking of



From there

He said: "My life is slipping away and I can feel it and I should. I'm 75 and I'm a damn sight nearer the end than I am the beginning.
"But it doesn't frighten me - it's an adventure and it's quite interesting to see myself slipping away, as bits slip off and leave me, talents leave and attributes leave.
"It's as if I'm being prepared for something, some other adventure, which is over the hill. I've got all this stuff to lose first, and then I'll be at the shadowy side of the hill doing the next episode in the spirit world."


So what bit of you or your life needs to slip off so you can get lighter and make a new start (24) ?
 
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millionsoftrees

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Thank you very much for your thoughtful reply.

It's not clear if you want help with the reading and the situation or if this is just a general query. But the gist of your question seems to be you find elements of the oracle for 23 contradictory in advice ? You haven't said what your question was, what exact question you got 23 for ? Just your 'living situation'.

Well, for the purposes of the forum, at this point, it is a general query. My scenario is very complex, and it probably wouldn't have helped to make this thread about my personal inquiry, thus the more general and "academic" approach.

First here's a thread that may help you get a flavour of people's real life experiences of 23 unchanging.

I know you didn't get 23uc but it's worth looking at anyway.

I actually did get UC around the same time, and have read that thread a few times since first discovering the forum a while back... I’ve done quite a bit of reading around the site (mostly through google results to threads) and there really is a lot here.

23 is called 'Splitting Apart' by Wilhelm and 'Stripping Away' by Hilary. The reason it says not to attempt things or go anywhere or rather 'fruitless to have a direction' is that there is no useful way forward at the current time. You have to let it all fall down, let it deteriorate and fundamentally accept loss before you can make a fresh start. Remember each hexagram is one of a pair, one will never experience 23 without 24, the Return, being present but out of sight for now.

The 23 experience can be very painful but it can also be not so painful if you actually take part in the letting go. It's also not painful if you actually want to let the thing go.
That is insight that is very valuable to me and very relevant to the query, thanks.
If everything is falling apart one can't really make any kind of impact or headway though in the situation as it is. That does not mean one cannot move on and away from the situation. The situation is one of erosion as the Image shows a mountain eroding down to the the earth, all one can do is make one's base secure as can be whilst the erosion happens.
Not just line 5, line 6 is all about going somewhere and completely leaving the old behind. And in line 3 one is part of the falling apart.


There's freedom in 'nothing left to lose'. Stripping cuts at one's sense of self but even if everything that makes up your sense of self erodes away you're still there, you haven't gone anywhere and you are ready to get back to the real essentials of your life (24) because you can now that you are unencumbered.

Your feedback is very helpful, and very much the sort of response I was looking for; thank you.
 

millionsoftrees

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I’ve been getting 23 for my living situation. I know it’s been deteriorating and inappropriate for a long time. I’m presented with a pathway to another environment and have come to a confusion. The translation of the hex seems to say “don’t go anywhere” but the essence of the hex, as well as various interpretations across the web, say that it’s a message to accept the deterioration and abandon it to move forward. In the words of a YouTube I found (could source the link later), it is not good to stay in a sinking ship. So, why does the hex say that one should not go anywhere, in a deteriorating situation? Except for line 5, it seems. Any input?
Update: it did fall apart 3 months later, which allowed for an exit.
 

dobro p

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In the words of a YouTube I found (could source the link later), it is not good to stay in a sinking ship.

That's right. Not if you have the option to leave.

So, why does the hex say that one should not go anywhere, in a deteriorating situation? Except for line 5, it seems. Any input?

I drew this hexagram once as well, in a similar situation, and what happened was that the household I was in fell apart, and like you, I exited. So I think that the hexagram meaning is something like: 'This situation is falling apart, count on it. Nothing you do can change that. It needs to happen.'
 

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