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let go? 41 uc

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yinwithjim

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I have been spending much time and energy in the decision to return to school to finally complete a PhD at age 59. I'd be 60 when I started the program so many of the schools and programs I have contacted have thanked me for reaching out while delicately/politiccally correctly discouraging me due to many things like the crisis in higher education due to the pandemic and my age.

The process has really helped me look deep into my true intentions as well as accept some ideas I have about life which might not be serving me very well, in this case, why a phd? why now? ...and "because I've always wanted one" isn't enough of an answer to get me through the intensity of a doctoral program.

So I asked Yi - simply - what if I let go of the idea of a Phd - and received 41 uc.

I've read quite a bit of past posts and the wiki wing as well as other sources and can't put a finger on what exactly I am supposed to be hearing/seeing through 41 UC.

Wilhelm mentions "Decrease combined with sincerity brings about supreme good fortune without blame", with others like Liu "Decrease with sincerity: great good fortune, no blame.

And I will say openly and honestly I have no clue what "making a sacrifice of rice in two bamboo bowls" is supposed to me.

Finally in the WIKI WING ..."sometimes it's encouragement to give; sometimes it's guidance to stop Doing Helpful Things...and..."If the mountain didn't contain the lake, what would be left? Probably water draining away, and no lake at all. Thinking of the lake as stored-up inner emotional potential, and looking at the way lakes show up in the following hexagrams (43, 45, 47, 49), I imagine this phase as preparation."

I am at a jumping off point here? Where, by finally given up this dream i've had for so long, "mountain containing lake", for whatever it is in me to be used by Beloved - it (me) can be used then?

This is hard.
 

dfreed

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what if I let go of the idea of a Phd - and received 41 uc.

With hex. 41 you have trigram (3-line figure) Lake below and trigram Mountain above. I can imagine these as the "two tureens" - or the "pair of simple rice baskets" from the judgement text - which you can now use in making your decision:

'Rice-Basket-Lake' is about considering which choice makes you feel joyful - either now or in the future (or both). 'Tureen-Mountain' can be 'stopping processes' which to me could be, "just make a decision so you can stop this process of indecision."

41's judgement text also mentions that " .... there will be captives." (based on trans. by Field). This seems to be saying that with any decision(s) you make there will be consequences, and even not-so-good aspects (captives). On the other hand 'gaining captives' was seen as positive in ancient China: it meant that you had made a decision to go into battle, you had won, and that you now had proof of that win - the captives.

So this seems like the 'Janus' aspect to your decision - Janus being the a two-headed Roman god: any decision you make will have both good and not so good aspects to it (but maybe is better than no decision at all?). Interestingly, Janus was also the god of gates and doors; and one image/meaning of trigram Mountain is about a mountain gate or pass: you decide what you want to take / bring with your as you travel from the old part of your life into the new / future part.

D
 
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Liselle

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I have no clue what "making a sacrifice of rice in two bamboo bowls" is supposed to me.
It might mean just that not pursuing it would be a sacrifice, but a relatively small one. You could live with it.

I suppose probably because you're in a different position than a 25 year old making the same decision. At 25, it'd mean giving up the possibility of a whole career. At 60+ (by the time you'd finish), it's probably not that.
 

Matali

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Hello,
41 UC probably means that if you don't finish your PhD, you diminish your potential. In other words, you should continue your studies ;) The derived hexagram is 19: the approach of a better situation, in my opinion...
 

Matali

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Hi Matali - what do you mean by the derived hexagram
Hello Liselle, well seen 🕶️
I was wrong in my notes: the nuclear hexagram is 24... Back to his life more important than his PhD ? Or return to his studies ? Rereading your interpretation, I wonder if you are right : 41 is a small sacrifice...:unsure:
 

Liselle

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Oh okay, the nuclear - thanks, Matali.
 

Trojina

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So I asked Yi - simply - what if I let go of the idea of a Phd - and received 41 uc.

I've read quite a bit of past posts and the wiki wing as well as other sources and can't put a finger on what exactly I am supposed to be hearing/seeing through 41 UC.
This isn't an answer to over think it's just a straight answer.

If you let go of the idea of a Phd you have a loss, the loss of the Phd. It's as it is no mystery there.

It isn't always the case there's some grand message in answers Yi can be quite straight at times. If you don't do it you lose it which also gives you more space to do other things if you want to. I don't think there's any judgment here on doing it or not doing it.

If you do it you do it for it's own sake don't you? It's a lot of work you'd be doing for the sake of love of the topic/interest. You could however give up the idea if you want to.

Numerous times I've seen 41uc as simply representing the loss of something. If you give it up you lost it. 41 also asks how much sacrifice is necessary and it says only 2 bowls. So it's not all you have in the world just two bowls.

As you asked about letting it go I'd hazard a guess and say this isn't actually very much of a sacrifice to give it up - it's not a massive sacrifice for you to let this go. However if you feel it is then you'd interpret differently.


How do you feel about it?
 

Liselle

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Just had a thought about the nuclear 24 that Matali brought up. As Trojina said, 41's probably straightforward, a simple answer to your literal question, description rather than advice.

But 24 might mean there's no need to make a final decision this minute. 24's about the return of Spring, a gradual process that happens in its own time.

Trying to tie this reading to this other one: there's still some Small Farming you can do, if you want. Go ahead and work on putting applications together, even send them in - the only thing you'll lose is the time it takes to do that, plus application fees if you get that far. Maybe the process will help with your decision, one way or the other.
 

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