I got a 51 unchanging...is this a big deal?

[fleur]

Didn't really know how to word that title...I know all readings are a 'big deal' in the sense that they can all provide valuable insight, but getting a 51 unchanging feels very profound and jarring, even if I can't put my finger on precisely what it signifies to me.

A while ago, I was living in supported housing for women. This came after a long history of addiction, and just general chaos really. It was a very transitional period of my life, and I didn't really have any bearings. I was trying to make sense of things, and move forward. It was temporary housing, so I knew I had to move on, but I just didn't know where to. This is when I started looking into the I Ching. I asked a question while I was living there about what I could expect if I moved back near to my hometown, versus. what I could expect if I started afresh in some other town. As is always the case whenever I ask the I Ching about something that's weighing heavy on my heart, I got a pretty clear answer that related to my situation. Just not the one I wanted at the time. I got a hexagram 18- work on what is spoiled when I asked about moving back near home, and I got a hexagram 12 unchanging when I asked about moving to a new town.Well, that told me!! Ha. I moved back near home, and worked on what had been spoilt!

Sorry to go on a bit, but this is all relevant because some time has now passed, and I
once again have the opportunity to move to a new town, so I asked what I could expect if I chose to go ahead with this. This is when I got a 51 unchanging. I've got an unchanging both times I've asked about moving away to a new town, so I'm getting a very definitive response each time ! The first time was a pretty definitive 'errr.....NO!' response. Ha. However, this one is harder to read. I feel like it might be telling me that the time has come to confront my fears, and to allow myself to be shaken out of complacency. That's what I feel I'm doing at the moment- living a 'small' life out of fear, rather than striving towards actual growth, which is always scary, and generally involves a great deal of 'shock'! I feel like it's telling me that it will be a big upheaval, and will initially be tough, but will ultimately be a relief.

I'm not sure what else it's telling my to consider though. I want to move towards growth, and push out of my comfort zone, but I don't want to be foolhardy. What warning signs is it telling me to be aware of? Any other ideas? Would really appreciate any opinions on how a hexagram 51 unchanging relates to fresh starts and upheaval . Thanks!!

 

[meng]

Hi fleur

Several hexagrams come with a potentiometer; of them none are as literal as 51. Commonly referred to as a dimmer switch, it determines the intensity of the volume of light or sound. So, I could receive 51, but could only recognize what it's speaking to by its intensity, loudness, brightness, etc.

Add to this intensity variance, that some kinds of shock conceal the appearance of shock, even the denial of shock - then I have mired shock.

Sometimes it's no big deal, sometimes it's well to examine the nature of the shock, and sometimes it just knocks someone on their asses.

I, personally, think Yi is speaking to being rocked and shocked, and so, speaking to your emotions.

added: every shock serves a purpose, but it's good to know the dimmer switch is in your hands sometimes. You control the intensity. There's a Wilhelm comment I'm particularly fond of, from hex 60, that speaks to the controlling of intensity, using the words "loyalty and indifference". That applies best to emotions, because it impacts our emotions. So, if you're not going to drop nor spill from the sacred cup, being able to control the intensity is a most excellent thing. Electricity must be contained before it can be useful.

Then there's the possibility that you're just charging your batteries.

 

[rodaki]

a rather brilliant way of speaking about 51 . . :bows:

 

[Lavalamp]

Well first off "Shock brings success." You don't get hurt and you don't drop the Sacred Spoon and Chalice, so it's nothing that you can't handle, later on you'll laugh about it.

Also I think 51 is like most Hexagrams somewhat scalable. It could mean being shocked, or an adventure, being really turned on, or surprised, or maybe somebody rocks your world.

There is a lot of waiting for rain in the Yi, but embedded in 51 the rain is really coming down. The rain is the blessing of heaven, it is what you have been waiting for. And joy will follow.

If life is a highway, I want to ride it all night long... Get your motor running... Ya know?

 

[Ichingtarot]

Shocking

Hexagram 51 is one of the hexagrams that has a strong mate in the Tarot. The Tarot card is The Tower. The situation described is mostly identical. And, in both cases (51 and the Tower) the prognosis is good. Fear is brought thru an unpredictable event, like a lighting bolt and the loud clap of thunder. The event is unsettling, but freeing. In the Tarot we see people being released from a bondage because the lightening has removed the walls of their prison. In the IChing, rain comes and clears the air.

In both cases, even tho the situation strikes fear in the heart, it turns out to be a positive pivotal turning point in the journey.

The warning is to be aware that unexpected events lie ahead. Knowing this should reduce their impact on you. Fleur, you are a strong person. Should you chose to go ahead with this move, you will once again have to channel your inner gladiator.

 

[Lavalamp]

It depends if one is looking for adventure or excitement, or to be surprised I suppose.
Sometimes a little thunderstorm is a welcome thing compared to another boring day.

Old Yi readers probably prefer a quiet regulated life, but young people sometimes need something different. Discovery of life and the self can be eye opening, to stand in awe of the vastness of the universe and the power of the infinite.

I think 51 is that kind of a change - not always as dramatic, but sometimes...

 

[fleur]

Thanks for all the replies! It's really interesting to read everyone's thoughts. I have always thought of an unchanging hexagram as signifying the 'journey' of a situation as it enfolds from bottom to the top ie. from beginning to end. This concerns me in this instance because from what I can gather from line 6...well...it doesn't sound great. Ha. 'Shock brings ruin and terrified gazing around.Going ahead brings misfortune.' Yaaaaaaaay!! The interpretations that I have read of this line pretty much say that it's saying that withdrawal/ retreat is favourable, as 'going ahead' would be foolish. Interesting how it says that 'one's comrades have something to talk about', because my decisions have often a topic of conversation for those who know me, and not in ways that I would like them to be. Also, I will be living with people, so this could apply to them. :-/

Strangely enough, I asked the question again, but more specifically. The first time I asked the question I said 'to a new town', but this time I asked about the precise town. Weirdly enough, I got another unchanging hexagram!! I don't always get unchanging hexagrams, but I do when it comes to this question! I got hexagram 3: Difficulty at the Beginning unchanging. Again, this seems to end badly when you look at the final line. 'Some difficulties are too great for some persons' being one of the translations.Confucius says of this line: "Bloody tears flow: one should not persist in this." Is this trying to inform me that the difficulties such change will bring will end up being more than I could cope with?

 

[fleur]

Hexagram 51 is one of the hexagrams that has a strong mate in the Tarot. The Tarot card is The Tower. The situation described is mostly identical. And, in both cases (51 and the Tower) the prognosis is good. Fear is brought thru an unpredictable event, like a lighting bolt and the loud clap of thunder. The event is unsettling, but freeing. In the Tarot we see people being released from a bondage because the lightening has removed the walls of their prison. In the IChing, rain comes and clears the air.

In both cases, even tho the situation strikes fear in the heart, it turns out to be a positive pivotal turning point in the journey.

The warning is to be aware that unexpected events lie ahead. Knowing this should reduce their impact on you. Fleur, you are a strong person. Should you chose to go ahead with this move, you will once again have to channel your inner gladiator.

Hi. Thanks. I'm actually having my tarot read this week- I've never had this done before, but an odd opportunity for it presented itself. Would be really interesting if I got The Tower.

 

[fleur]

meng- how does someone control the intensity of the shock?

lavalamp- I'm always wanting adventure! It's in my bones! However, although I'm still young, I want the adventure in question to have a fruitful conclusion, because not all adventures are worthwhile

 

[Lavalamp]

Fleur, the Wilhelm translation calls 51 "The Arousing" and says

"THE JUDGMENT

SHOCK brings success.
Shock comes-oh, oh!
Laughing words -ha, ha!
The shock terrifies for a hundred miles,
And he does not let fall the sacrificial spoon and chalice.

The shock that comes from the manifestation of God within the depths of the
earth makes man afraid, but this fear of God is good, for joy and merriment
can follow upon it."

Not everyone is going to find a burning bush in the Mountains of course, and you can't control the scale of the time. I've gone through a series of repeated shocks in the past couple years that I could never have imagined actually, but so far like the tiger that does not bite the man and you have success in hex 10, I've come out ok through the shocks that have come to resolution.

Nothing wrong with staying where you are and digging a well instead though, going fishing, boating on a lake, hiking up a mountain or two. Shocks aren't always pleasant, but sometimes they are and nobody dies, and they do give you stories to tell...