Memorizing the I Ching Hexagram 9

[Trojina]

I think of 10. Treading as being the I Ching Super Highway. You have to really calm and simple and sure within to step on it. So 9 is getting your life real tidy and simple so you fit in with the throng without disruption and then as you keep it simple you find you can see the path, go with the flow, do 10.1.

Can you elaborate the ..'so you can fit in with the throng' bit ? How do you mean 'throng' ?

 

[rosada]

Like if 9 is a single car getting on the 10 freeway where all these other cars are moving along. In 9 you feel like it's just you, maybe the high school senior doing everything they can to be excellent and get good grades, and then 10 is you've been accepted into The Collage and it's this huge university of other excellent students are likewise moving along. You know now not to act silly or demanding as a Fool in hex 4. When hex 10 comes up in a reading it's, whomp, the tiger slams his paw down. Hmm..I'm babling I know. I just am trying to discrib a feeling of doing everything you can in hex 9 to somehow be concientious and do it "right" and then 10 is like, yeah, you have done it right, now where are we going? I get a visual of dragging ones sled up the mountain in 9 and then the whole group that made it to the top is off on this joyous slide down the mountain in 10. The mountain takes it in good fun and lets all the kids slide down it's back, but it's still a bitch to climb up. So first being solitary and then, while still solitary, being a part of a flow. Hmm..still rambling. Well, like you've done all you can in 9 and surprise, surprise, that turns out to be good enough to get you in with the in crowd in 10. Turns out 10 is not as big a monster as maybe we thought. Just like a teacher who wants you to do your homework and not wise off in class, but after that, sure, you're accepted.

 

[rosada]

More thoughts...Like 9 is where you have your small talent and you polish it and do your best and hope it is acceptable. And then 10 is yes, it is acceptable, but now you are concious of how really small your talent is. Like you were the head of the class in high school, but now you're in a University where your A+ in typing don't impress the Hemmingway scholars. So you don't try to impress anyone in 10, you just try to keep your own ego intact and lo and behold, in 11 you realize that these writint scholars not only admire your typing skills, but also see that their gift in writing is just a gift and they still have their own issues to struggle with just as you do. So 9 is polishing your talent, 10 is discovering your polished talent is still a pretty small talent, but 11 is realizing THAT'S OKAY.
I think of 10's distinguishing between highand low as refering to how in 9 everything needed to be made perfect. In 10 we realize there will always be people out there more perfect, more talented than we and to stop the competition, just find our right place.

 

[Trojina]

Interesting thoughts thanks for elaborating

 

[Sparhawk]

 

[rosada]

I looked up this thread to see what we had said earlier about hexagram 9 since we have been discussing 9.5 over in the Shared readings area recently. Seems like we were alot more into the Memorizing the I Ching project back then, sigh. Anyway, I hadn't checked out the picture before. I don't get it. Any clarifications?

 

[Trojina]

Um the water is slowly accumulating into the bucket ? I can't make out much else, not sure what the green things are - or is it just the earth. Perhaps idea is patience waiting for and collecting the little drips will in the end lead to a full bucket, lol

 

[jesed]

I don't get it. Any clarifications?

Hi rosada

Compare the postcard for 9 with the postcard for 26 and you get a quite visual idea about the diference between a small acumulation and a big acumulation.

Best

 

[dobro p]

It's interesting to me how that picture emphasizes the accumulation rather than the restraint, cuz I think the restraint is the essence of Hex 9 and the accumulation's the effect of it.

 

[EmMacha]

(17 years later!)

Hexagram 9 is always a card of "Carry water, chop wood" for me; you know, that tending the little homestead & all it's creatures & flora IS the spiritual work to keep you in harmony with meaning in the current times/energies you are within.

Regarding line 6, well, as a woman who is a spiritual adventurer on a sage / wisdom path, but also tending a humble home, it warns me not to frame this cast solely in terms of the household - 'housewife's determination' ie you are within the fulfillment of your little homestead being ready for the rain & the full moon, but you must think beyond it now? As anyone responsible for a household knows, the work never ends; there are smaller and larger tasks, constant maintenance, but all the while, things do accumulate, which transforms it from a place to a home.
I feel that if you cast line 6 with other lines, it's telling you that you need to pay attention to the homestead (inner and outer), but also to be aware of wider contexts & to view this cast as a sage would, not as a housewife.
There are many cultures where the housewife is the queen of her realm & the husband is but a guest. In Ireland, it is so; the man (+ other wage earners) hands over the wages after paying bills, and the Bean an Tí (lady of the house) decides how to spend - groceries, decoration etc - it's her realm. So, she has a certain scope, and whatever she goes, she has a roving eye out for household improvements; items, tools etc. She is constantly tending it, even if doing other things, jobs, career, children etc. Line 6 is advising to step outside this scope to understand the cast it appears in, while still being in the context of it? So maybe the transforming and mirror hexagrams are more emphasized?

I used to find Hexagram 9 boring, but now I understand that it is an important part of life; that tending the fences and buckets, the collecting and small accumulation of a happy safe household are necessary and a foundation for bigger contextual projects. The 6 mirror hexagrams show the wider importance, but we all know that the often unpaid and undervalued caring work keeps the world turning

 

[rosada]

I‘ve been reading the Biblical tale of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). In this story, Mary and Martha welcome Jesus into their home. Martha complains to Jesus that she’s working her tail off getting the meal prepared while Mary is just sitting at Jesus’ feet seemingly doing nothing. Jesus tells Martha to lighten up, that there are times when there are more important things to do than dishes. Sounds like 9.6 to me:

9.6
“The rains come, there is rest.”
Just as the long awaited rain brings calm, Jesus’s arrival signals a time to lay one’s burdens down.
.
”Perseverance brings the woman into danger”
Mary recognized the importance of the moment and embraced it. Martha tried to persevere with her plans, not recognizing when to step back, thus leading to her distress.

”The moon is nearly full”
Mary recognizes the importance of the moment - a rare opportunity to learn from Jesus, akin to the fullness of the moon, which represents a peak experience. In contrast, Martha’s insistence on completing her tasks shows a misunderstanding of priorities, leading her to miss out.

”If the superior man persists,
”Misfortune comes.”
Jesus gently admonishes Martha, telling her that Mary has chosen the "better part.” This highlights the wisdom in discernment. Martha's persistence in her work, while noble, causes her distress and disconnects her from the deeper spiritual nourishment available in that moment.

Thus, 9.6. emphasizes the importance of recognizing when to act and when to rest, urging us to prioritize our inner peace and spiritual growth over relentless chores and strivings. It reminds us that sometimes, the most valuable path is found in stillness and attentiveness, rather than in an unyielding commitment to tasks that may actually be distracting us from what truly matters.

 

[my_key]

There is a deep complexity to the accumulation of small things. It is very easy to miss the mark, when the clues are not joined together and especially so if you haven't polished up things enough to be able to see the patterns that are forming from all sides.