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Memorizing the I Ching, Hex. 2

pembs

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Hexagram 2 - All Lines Changing

In the last four or five months I have been consistently been receiving Hexagram 2 with all 6 lines changing. This has happened probably about six or seven times. My husband and I separated approx six months ago and all questions relate to this, from "is this now the end?" to "can we ever rebuild our relationship?"

Stephen Karcher suggestes that all six lines changing can be interpreted as being 'a long term effort which is perpetually advantageous'. Does anybody else have any views on this? I don't really understand what it is trying to tell me!

I seem to get all lines changing on several hexagrams although not as frequently as Hexagram 2. Most questions I present to the I Ching are connected to the same topic and I have had all lines changing for Hexagram 1 several times, Hexagram 23 and Hexagram 44.

I would be grateful to hear any helpful advice!
 

laylab

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Can we still discuss a hexagram that is finished here on the memorizing threads? I hate to start a whole new thread for it.

I would just like to confirm that I think Rosada is right with her interpretation of 2.2
Yesterday I got back together with my lover and I said, "you know we have to stop this on again off again. Even though I know that it is me who is doing it".

He replied, "well it will never be totally on and it will never be totally off".

I asked the I Ching to expound on what he was saying (which is blindingly obvious but I was curious what the IC would say.

It responded: "2.2"

So, it is what it is.
 

rosada

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2.6

I've never been satisfied with my understanding of 2.6, Dragons fighting in the meadow.
Wilhelm says it indicates a situation where "the dark element should yield to the light. If it attempts to maintain a position to which it is not entitled and to rule instead of serving, it draws down upon itself the anger of the strong." However, I think I had a 2.6 experience this morning:

I have been staying in my sister's house while she is out of town. She got a call last week about a doctor's appointment. It was a recording and they wanted her to press 1 to confirm and 2 to cancel. I didn't know what to do so I hung up and called her on her cell. She said I'd done just the right thing as she intended to cancel.
Last night I got the same recorded message again saying press one to confirm and two to cancel. As I assumed this was a glitch and I was just receiving the same message again, so thinking my sister wanted to cancel, I took it upon myself to press two to cancel the appointment.

Well it turns out this was a new appointment and my sister called saying I had done just the wrong thing as she had wanted to keep the appointment I had cancelled!

Therefore, I see 2.6 as a situation where the obedient Yin thinks they are doing the right thing that the creative Yang wanted, but actually they are assuming too much and need fresh guidance. Perhaps the six position gives us the clue that we have gone beyond useful Receptivity - we're dealing with out dated energy - and need some fresh Creative imput.
rosada
 
S

sooo

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..we're dealing with out dated energy - and need some fresh Creative imput.
rosada

Curious if you've actually received 2.6 on this, or are speaking in general terms.

Either way, I think your very last comment is very appropriate for 2.6.

Receiving fresh guidance is most difficult when in a 2.6 frame of mind. A proverbial tempest in a teapot is created, where absolutely nothing is wrong, and in fact may otherwise be perfectly nice, good and right... but some past experience, memory or energy (as you've already said) interferes with this natural flow of events, putting one in a defensive posture of fight or flight frame of mind, or in 2.6's case, both fighting and flying. The position is unnecessary and highly inappropriate. To repeat your comment: we're dealing with out dated energy - and need some fresh Creative input.
 

rosada

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I'm thinking also that 2.6 could be discribing situations that are totally beyond one's experience, thus making it difficult to respond. The Image for 2. reads "The superior man who has breadth of character carries the outer world" which I take to mean the person of wide past experience is able to understand the nature of current events but if tossed into a totally new situation they would be unable to relate and thus we come to 3. Confusion at the Beginning.
 
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sooo

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Again, agree with the first part, but tend to see 2.6 changing to 23: lose it, or see behind it to its core.

I once wrote here of a humiliating and confusing event, which I received 2.6 about. It was an unnecessarily emotional entanglement of my own making. The face I thought I'd have to save and justify, as a result of embarrassing turns of events, turned out to be all in my own head. My own sense of inadequacy had emotionally readied me for something which was never destined to happen. The silly dancing dragon was dancing all by herself.
 

rosada

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To answer your question, I hadn't actually consulted the I Ching and received 2.6 as an oracle, but I had been reading up on 2.6 because of a discussion on another thread. Then I had this experience which seemed to be the manifestation of my contemplations. Shades of be careful what you wish for!
Interesting 2.6 changes to 23. I frequently am stumped to understand how the change line leads to the second hexagram but this is one case where it seems pretty clear. The dancing dragon has totally Split Apart from the flock.
rosada
 

ravenstar

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2.6

Again, agree with the first part, but tend to see 2.6 changing to 23: lose it, or see behind it to its core.
I once wrote here of a humiliating and confusing event.......

When I read this I was reminded of an old quote by GOETHE, "So long as you do not die and rise again, You are a stranger to the dark earth."


Our deepest and truest nature is unbounded and infinite. But many of us identify ourselves through our work, beliefs about life, things, people, etc...all these things that bolster our ego. The problem is these identities can collapse or breakdown at any time, creating pain which then brings up feelings of anger, rage and humilitation to name a few (as sooo mentioned in previous thread). We might be angry because someone we relied on, abandoned or betrayed us.....or we are angry at ourselves for not seeing this sooner.

The ego, our sense of "me-in-here" will fight for self-preservation and resist change at all costs. But as hard as we try to plan and control our lives, unexpected change can tear down these attachments and identifications. When this happens we are left in confusion for a time, stuck in the void, the underworld so to speak. When we are confused it is not a time to react but to wait until things clear and we get a sense,or a feeling of a new direction.

Also when we become involved in a love relationship, this too can plunge us into the underworld to discover and heal the wounds of our past.

I think this is what 2.6 to 23 could be about and perhaps what sooo was getting at.

ravenstar
 
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sooo

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When I read this I was reminded of an old quote by GOETHE, "So long as you do not die and rise again, You are a stranger to the dark earth."

The "other-worldly" sensation of the experience was as if I had died, and was trying to rise again, and no one seemed to notice. To them, I had never left.

This was for me a landmark 2.6 experience, which is why I offer it with some enthusiasm and certainty. I fought and struggled to understand 2.6 throughout the entire day in question. At the end of the day, absolutely nothing was wrong. There were no external troubles, nothing to defend or justify, for this group of ex co-workers treated me with only love, kindness and respect. At the end of the day I felt like a very silly dragon for being so anxious over it. A real tempest in a teapot.
 
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sooo

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The problem is these identities can collapse or breakdown at any time, creating pain which then brings up feelings of anger, rage and humilitation to name a few (as sooo mentioned in previous thread). We might be angry because someone we relied on, abandoned or betrayed us.....or we are angry at ourselves for not seeing this sooner.

True on the humiliation, but I never implied feelings of anger or rage. (The only battle was within myself.) Contrarily, I loved these people. These folks weren't responsible for the corporate takeover of AT&T, and the micromanagement and numbers crunching that cost each of those who worked for me a seriously cut in pay: a breaking of our own performance rewarding agreements. In the end, I saved most of their original packages, but all at the expense of mine. I was pretty much forced to resign in order to cook their numbers for the sale. There was anger toward those who were selling and buying - two years earlier, but none towards those in question on this day of 2.6.
 

ilemacedonia

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I think all 64 Hexagrams are projection of the first two hexagrams only in different situations. "To act" and "To wait". To go further through taking an direct outpouring action and to go further through staying still. "To be or not to be", "To act or not to act". Actually, everything is an action. Even Staying still is some kind of action. Eventually, everything leads to change. But there's basically 2 different kind of actions: Electrical and Magnetical. These are the two expressions of the Force that exist in the Universe. In Hermetic they're called Fluids. Electrical and Magnetical fluid. There's a such thing as Electromagnetic Fluid. The Elements are part of these Fluids. Fire and Air are Electrical, or positive (Yang) and Water and Earth are Magnetical, negative (Yin). The Hex 1 is all Electrical - outpouring action. Action that is moving forward. Hex 2 is all Magnetical, the action which brings back to you, that "sucks" things/events. All other Hexagrams are combinations of these two basic qualities of the Universal Force combined from the 4 elements. The Sun is Electrical the Moon is Magnetical. The Sun represents Action and the Moon represents nurturing, hugging all things and the Mother instinct, while the Sun represents the Father figure.
What we're like when the Sun is up in heaven in spring sunny day? We're going out, taking an action.
What we're like when the Moon is in its Full shape up in heaven? We are falling asleep. Yes, it's an action - but more passive one. We're enjoying watching the Moon. Are we enjoy watching the Sun? I don't think so. We don't look at the Sun as we look at the Moon. The Sun's task is to force us to an action, to do something: to go on a holiday, to hang out with friends and etc.. The Moons task is to nurture us, to take great care of us - the Mother.
Everything is connected. When you see at these 2 hexagrams, remember to the Sun and Moon - the clues are in them!

Best,
Ile
 

ilemacedonia

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The two Chinese characters that Wilhelm here translates with "lead" and "follow," are in the other 6 places in the Yijing where they jointly appear (they are in 2.0, 12.6, 13.5, 18.0, 38.6, 56.6 and 57.5) translated with at first or before and then or later respectively. I think this usual way of translating them fits here as well, and even better:
If the noble one goes somewhere,
he will be confused at first,
later he will acquire mastery.
This of course does not emphasize submissive behavior. Perhaps Wilhelm wanted to say that the all yin hexagram is about compliance. This is not my view however. 2.0 is about a new potential, and sometimes guidance is necessary, but it may also simply be a matter of looking around and getting acquainted with things. The important thing to realize is that one is in a situation one doesn't master yet.

If the superior man undertakes something and tries to lead,
He goes astray;
But if he follows, he finds guidance.


I think that this has a very good point.
"To Lead and to Follow", for me it fits with the nature of the first two hexagrams (which basically represent all 64 hexagrams). To Lead and to Follow are the two ways of action which the superior man can undertake in order to go through the everlasting change in the Universe.
In the Hex 1 you Lead, you have the Electrical power. In Hex 2 you follow, you're acting in a passive way - more receptive way. You wait without undertaking a direct action as the Mare do - the Mare persevere but the coachman is the one who is leading the action.
The Mare is only an instrument which the coachman is playing. The Mare follows, the coachman leads.
In the case of Hex 2 we're the instrument and the Heaven and its Forces (the Divine Providence) is leading the action. We're followers. We follow the way of Heaven.
This translation of the words are outstanding. All other translations (apart Wilhelm's) are confusing to me. His translation of these 2 hexagrams are reaching the main point IMO.
 

ilemacedonia

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Ah, I was talking about the original Chinese text and what it may mean, based on your translation.

But then I added "Following signs has not much to do with submission .." and that is perhaps confusing.
I meant that the word 'following' can be used in the sense of 'following signs' (instead of people) and this would also imply 'not leading' (the signs lead instead).

Perhaps Wilhelm had something like that in mind too but it seems that he focuses more on following people.
Or not? I'm not sure. Are his explanations here really a bit fuzzy or is it the Baynes translation? Or is it just me? :)

Martin, you've got my point! This is my view also!"Following the signs" that the Heaven put in front of us. The Heaven is now leading. But when we create something, than we lead. I'm aiming to sit on a piano and compose a wonderful song. I'm going to the Piano and I'm composing (Creating) this song - that is the Leading action of the Hexagram 1. But there're periods when I don't have any creative impulses in me. Ok, that is a period where I need to follow the signs of the Heaven in order to find my path to the creative impulses of the Universe again. This is a time where I follow. In some ocasions I may find my self how I'm sitting on the piano without knowing what to do, I don't have a spark of inspiration, I don't have creativity. Well, I'm in a passive period of my life when I need to put my awareness on something and to wait while I'm following the Signs of Heaven which would bring me back to the Creative impulses.
This analogy can be applied in everything in life. We must not forget that the IC is a language of symbols. We must to learn that language and to make analogies. Leading and Following, for me, are perfect analogy for explaining the first 2 hexagrams.

Ile
 

ilemacedonia

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The earth's condition is receptive devotion.

earth: temporal matters.
condition: state of being.
receptive: willing to receive.
devotion: ardent attachment.

Thus the superior man who has breadth of character
Carries the outer world.
..

Is this saying that as it is the nature of the physical world to be completely responsive to intention, the man who understands this can totally mold reality?

receptive: willing to receive.

This is the key. Be willing to have nothing, to experience everything. Be willing to Receive. That is the key to this hexagram. Let Go. Devotion is not a type of attachment as in Falling in Love attachment. Be able to attach and be able to detach. To attach is Hex 1. To attach into a certain type of outpouring action. Hex 2 is being able to detach your self from everything. Be able to receive. You can't have control over something if you continue holding the Control so hard. To have control is to let go of the Control.
Stay still, be passive. Everything flows, everything goes and I'm watching. I'm doing without doing Wu-Wei! Look at the Mother Earth. She is Receptive. She sucks the water, she holds us magnetically with her gravitation, but she's not stimulating an action as the Sun do. The Moon is also Receptive. There is an old Astrological teaching that the Moon is a storage of our unconscious minds.
The Receptive - willing to receive.
Detachment that is the key.
Passive.
Magnetic.
Yin.
6 Yin lines - All Magnetical, All Receptive, All Passive. Watching. Seeing. Looking at something. Passing go. Letting Go. These are the key words of this hexagram.

Ile
 

Brendon

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quiet impressive information about hexagrams and i actually agree with every words you said about Hex 2 and other aspects of Hexagram.
 

NemeanMagik

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Indeed, I have some issues with Wilhelm's rendering of 2.2.
This is the Chinese:
直 方 大 , 不 習 ,
旡 不 利 。


I doubt that the first three characters are meaningfully translated with "Straight, square, great," but I'm actually not sure about what it should be, so I will not go into that.

I don't quite see how Wilhelm can translate 習 with "purpose." It means repetition, to practice, habit, getting accustomed to. The character in front of that, 不, means not, do not, is not, will not, cannot / dis-, un-, -less, and I don't quite believe that without is a correct translation of it. In the Yijing the character 旡 is usually used for without.

In my view, it is also not correct to start the next sentence with "yet," as the Chinese has characters for that, and none of them are here. I also don't quite see how the character 旡 that means without, can be translated as nothing. I'm translating 旡不利 as "without disadvantage."

But like I said, I'm not really sure what this line is about. None of the possible translations that I have tried really satisfied me.


This, Ewald, makes sense to me. I had a situation where I was shocked by information someone gave me as it contradicted another supposedly authoritative person. I asked about the truth of the situation and got 2.2. which indicated the first person who spoke was being upfront and honest. I found it difficult to digest because of the contradiction and disliked the significance of what she said, and have spent a very very long time seeking to digest the shock of it. However, I also recognize certain benefits form the reality which has so far consistently accorded with the first persons account....................
 

NemeanMagik

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Someone was talking about their favourite desserts......back there. Lost it now!
 

hilary

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Ah! Well, in that case - cheesecake, definitely. Raspberry.
 

Lavalamp

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2.6 - thought a lot about this. Some have had quite "tempest in a teapot" experiences with this line, some faced actual physical danger. Some have found it quite perplexing, and I think sometimes overanalyzing this line has something to do with it. Dragons can describe our feelings, creativity, imagination, inspiration, love energy, all these things that have to connect with earth to manifest.

I think on a small scale you can just say "mixed feelings." Particularly when it is not the only line, or the question is scaled down. When it is the only line it stands out a bit more, as it changes into our favorite hex 23, stripping. Means well, you have to make some kind of choice. As Lise says do it with joy, or don't do it with joy, it's your call and how you live is most important in determining how happy you will be.

- LL
 

rosada

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I like "Mixed feelings" for 2.6!
As the sixth line represents conditions AFTER the experience described by the hexagram,
2.6 could indicate a situation that is no longer Receptive to further Creative impute.
 

Trojina

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2.6 is the end of receptivity being useful. If one goes on and on being open to all possibilities without choosing there is just indecision . I got that idea from Hilary's commentary.
 

rosada

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That would make sense. Especially if you consider the Indecision or uncertainty as being around who's the Creator and who's the Receiver which naturally leads to...Difficulty at the Beginning.
 
B

butterfly spider

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Rosada, I have just got this line - about something quite specific, but your comments regarding this line were really comforting. I do get the same sense when my children meet up - and yes it is that feeling that somehow I have created something beautiful...a combined togetherness. Somehow all is as it should be....
 
B

butterfly spider

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Rosada, I have tried to edit, but cannot...
My reference was to your post on 2.2...
 

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