I can’t find any possible meaning or connection to my question….

[Ant_Tam]

I’m a writer and am currently working on two books. The honest truth is that I am not having much trouble writing either, but one of them, an essay on the life of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, is being a little bit of a challenge, as I need to double check plenty of dates, corroborate information and, also, write it all down in a nice, literate, way so that I can produce the book I have in mind.

I recently asked the oracle the question: “How can I be effective in the writing of my book?” The question itself is a bit loaded, as I work under a very free-styled method in which I plan just the bare bones and produce as I go along. This has given me very good results in other projects, but I was under doubts that it may be effective with this book in particular.

As answer, I got Hexagram number 2, with changing lines 3, 4 and 5. Which in turn gave me Hexagram 31

It is probably because I am tired at the moment. Or maybe because I’ve somewhat lost my faith in many things recently, including the mysteries of Life itself, but I can’t make any sense out of this.

I somewhat get the feeling that the oracle is telling me to stick to my method and get a wife (??), but I feel I’m dead wrong.

I will try and reflect tomorrow morning about the answer I received. I may even ask the oracle for advice to make sense of it, but any guidance you folks could give me will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[rosada]

Maybe 2.3 stick to the facts?
31. "Influence" sounds like "How to be effective."
Maybe to be effective with this writing project consider who exactly you are hoping to reach, who will be open to your influence, The change lines 2.4 and 2.5 read to me like your readers aren't the sort who are interested in long flowery novels. Maybe less is more in this case. Short paragraphs with practical insights your readers can relate to!

 

[Ant_Tam]

Maybe 2.3 stick to the facts?
31. "Influence" sounds like "How to be effective."
Maybe to be effective with this writing project consider who exactly you are hoping to reach, who will be open to your influence, The change lines 2.4 and 2.5 read to me like your readers aren't the sort who are interested in long flowery novels. Maybe less is more in this case. Short paragraphs with practical insights your readers can relate to!

Hello, Rosada. Thank you for your insight, it gives me some clues on how to look at this.

I don’t write flowery prose, so I don’t think that might be it, and my question was asked more in the sense of “how can I effectively write this book”, meaning, if I could develop a technique of sorts to help me out so as to not be overwhelmed by all the data I have, and not so much “How can I be effective with my readers”

The earliest readings I did of the i-ching were rather clear and easy to understand, but the last four or so have been very difficult for me to crack. Sometimes I just feel like simplifying my questions even more, reduce them to yes/no answers and go ask a random number generator, which, surprisingly, has given me accurate results.

Don’t mind me, I’m not on my best of moods right now. I was just given some not-so-good news a couple of hours ago.

Thanks again for your help, Rosada.

 

[Trojina]

I recently asked the oracle the question: “How can I be effective in the writing of my book?” The question itself is a bit loaded, as I work under a very free-styled method in which I plan just the bare bones and produce as I go along. This has given me very good results in other projects, but I was under doubts that it may be effective with this book in particular.

As answer, I got Hexagram number 2, with changing lines 3, 4 and 5. Which in turn gave me Hexagram 31

It is probably because I am tired at the moment. Or maybe because I’ve somewhat lost my faith in many things recently, including the mysteries of Life itself, but I can’t make any sense out of this.

This looks to be very much about making space, getting yourself out of the way and most importantly getting any eye to how you are doing out of the way.

The honest truth is that I am not having much trouble writing either, but one of them, an essay on the life of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, is being a little bit of a challenge, as I need to double check plenty of dates, corroborate information and, also, write it all down in a nice, literate, way so that I can produce the book I have in mind.

I think the key to the reading might be there - Tycho Brahe wants you to make him a bit of space perhaps. You see you are writing down the facts about him and then write it in 'a nice literate way' but where does he fit in?


Now I am going to sound a bit 'woowoo' as they say ( though I don't care for that expression) but I do think it possible you are focusing on the life of a person, writing about them, they are going to be around or they could be around.. I mean for very famous people with so much written it's not quite the same but with this reading, I feel it's calling for you to be receptive, to serve, to make space for what comes to you about this man and to take your attention away from your performance, away from how you are doing because that is something you really cannot know at this time(2.4). Maybe there is a bit more than facts here.

Consider you are in one room in a large house and the essayist on your life is in another. Neither of you can go to the other's room. You hear/ get the sense this sincere man is writing about you although he never knew you. You may feel a bit interested in what he has to say and you may wish to give a bit of input, infact you may want to somehow direct him, as you can't leave your room, towards better sources of information he may have missed. You also wish his mind wasn't so preoccupied with his task soo there was a bit of space in it for some input.

Hexagram 2, The Receptive, Hexagram 31, Attraction. The Receptive's Attraction or Receptive's Influence. Being receptive gives space for things to come and have an influence. If that space is full there's no room for anything to come. So you have to make space. The lines can help with this


2.3

'Containing within, a thing of beauty: this can be constant.
Maybe following king's business -
Without accomplishment there is completion.'



I have my own wiki entry for this line

This line can just be advice to 'get on with it' without any thoughts of performance, without any self evaluation. I've noticed this line with line 4 will often appear when there's an inner orientation gathering towards doing my best at something, approaching a task or some work as something I really must 'do well' in, do 'my best' for. That orientation is not needed here because it's already in you, you are a vehicle for whatever it is to be done, it's only a case of you working through to completion hence the change to 15. Because of that especially with line 4, you are completely outside of any evaluation process of your own. This can be quite liberating because you can only do what there is in you to do, you aren't required to excel or have splendid results to show for your prowess so you needn't think about them. You're moving in your activity in the same way as anything that grows in the earth, naturally as part of it's 'work'. (Trojina)

There is great value in the work that you're doing yet it can be completed without accomplishment. It's not about accomplishing but completing - there's a difference.

2.4
'Tied up in a bag.
No mistake, no praise.'

Again there's 'no praise' there's no comment because this is not open to be evaluated at this point. You are maybe trying to evaluate yourself but here evaluating yourself is what not to do.

2.5

'Yellow skirt.
From the source, good fortune.'

I associate the line with good fortune coming from humility.

How can you make more space in yourself, how can you forego self evaluation at this point, how can you make this not at all about your accomplishment?


It's a difficult one because a book you are writing is in our ordinary viewpoint your accomplishment. However this might be something far more than your accomplishment. Completing the work here seems to be far more important than accomplishment.

If you focused on getting it done over and above considerations of writing well or effectively it would free up a lot of mind space for you and in just going on with it you may feel inspired by Tycho along the way.

 

[rosada]

In that case perhaps 31. Open yourself up to be inspired, to be 31. Influenced, by 2.3 having a regular schedule and a specific number of pages you write each day - even if you are feeling 2.4, totally uninspired - and the muse will come, 2.5.