Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom
Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).
A little while ago, we had a discussion on this forum initiated by me about the value of the I Ching for fortune telling (as opposed to counseling and advice on how to act). People suggested that I keep notes on what I think a reading is telling me and compare those with the actual results. I have done that, and while the experiment is still far from complete, I’d like to give a brief interim report.
First of all, the majority of my fortune telling questions didn’t have a natural deadline; so the jury is still out on those.
But here are two examples which did have natural deadlines, both of them regarding sickness and recovery.
A young person – a niece of a friend -- was hospitalized with swine flu. The medical staff told the parents to prepare themselves for the worst. Relatives came from across the country. The hospital had induced a coma and inserted a breathing tube. I asked the I Ching how this will all turn out, and I got 53. Gradual Progress. The next day, she was taken out of the coma, and they said she was over the worst, but the recuperation could easily take many months.
In a second example, a cat had such a serious medical condition that the vet suggested putting him down. The owner opted to try to save it. The main symptoms were bad sores in the mouth, which prevented the cat from eating or drinking. I threw the I Ching on this, and got 21:2 Biting Through, which I interpreted to mean that his mouth problems will eventually clear up. After two weeks of therapy (mostly providing hydration and nutrition intravenously), the cat recovered. And when it got home it ate with such gusto that its nose literally disappeared into the food (which is what line 2 states).
By the way, I got some eerily relevant responses to some other consultations that I’d like to report even though they don’t fit in exactly with the subject of this post.
Regarding the cat who recovered. The cat was used to going outside, and when he got home from the hospital, his owner was afraid to let him out because of his narrow escape. But the cat was very unhappy having to stay in and constantly tried to sneak out whenever the door was opened. So I threw the coins asking for advice on whether the cat should be allowed to go out. I got 24 Return. The significant passage as far as I’m concerned is:
Going out and coming in without error.
Friends come without blame.
To and fro goes the way.
On the seventh day comes return.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
The owner now lets the cat out with no problems – so far at least.
In another case, I wondered if someone I know with a new disability should give up driving because it might be dangerous. I asked the I Ching and I got 22 Grace. But for me, the significant part was the first changing line (at the beginning): "He lends grace to his toes, leaves the carriage, and walks."
First of all, the majority of my fortune telling questions didn’t have a natural deadline; so the jury is still out on those.
But here are two examples which did have natural deadlines, both of them regarding sickness and recovery.
A young person – a niece of a friend -- was hospitalized with swine flu. The medical staff told the parents to prepare themselves for the worst. Relatives came from across the country. The hospital had induced a coma and inserted a breathing tube. I asked the I Ching how this will all turn out, and I got 53. Gradual Progress. The next day, she was taken out of the coma, and they said she was over the worst, but the recuperation could easily take many months.
In a second example, a cat had such a serious medical condition that the vet suggested putting him down. The owner opted to try to save it. The main symptoms were bad sores in the mouth, which prevented the cat from eating or drinking. I threw the I Ching on this, and got 21:2 Biting Through, which I interpreted to mean that his mouth problems will eventually clear up. After two weeks of therapy (mostly providing hydration and nutrition intravenously), the cat recovered. And when it got home it ate with such gusto that its nose literally disappeared into the food (which is what line 2 states).
By the way, I got some eerily relevant responses to some other consultations that I’d like to report even though they don’t fit in exactly with the subject of this post.
Regarding the cat who recovered. The cat was used to going outside, and when he got home from the hospital, his owner was afraid to let him out because of his narrow escape. But the cat was very unhappy having to stay in and constantly tried to sneak out whenever the door was opened. So I threw the coins asking for advice on whether the cat should be allowed to go out. I got 24 Return. The significant passage as far as I’m concerned is:
Going out and coming in without error.
Friends come without blame.
To and fro goes the way.
On the seventh day comes return.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
The owner now lets the cat out with no problems – so far at least.
In another case, I wondered if someone I know with a new disability should give up driving because it might be dangerous. I asked the I Ching and I got 22 Grace. But for me, the significant part was the first changing line (at the beginning): "He lends grace to his toes, leaves the carriage, and walks."
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