Personal growth - 44.1.4.6

[Euphon]

Going through a rather dark time right now. I don't see much progress in my life on any area.
I'm starting to think that I might need to curb my passions and desires for a while, and become more stoically focused on concrete progress, and also seek life experiences that are entirely outside of my current comfort zone.

I asked the I-Ching the following question: ""I humbly ask you help for coming up with a personal growth strategy"
I got 44.1.4.6

This is quite a strange read for me, and I just can't wrap my head around it...

 

[rosada]

Revised after reading Hans …
Personal growth strartegy:
44.1 Beware of procrastination.
44.4 Your ancestors (the voices in your head?) will keep nagging you until you get moving.
44.6 Otherwise it’s sort of humiliating to have to keep being reminded but still better late than never.

5. Waiting - for what? Maybe 5 as the second hexagram does indicate the need for strong action or maybe it’s saying, “Waiting for the right moment is appropriate - just don’t tell yourself you’re waiting when you’re really procrastinating.”

 

[Euphon]

So, it advises me against taking too stern of an action to set my life straight, and to take thing slowly and with patience instead. I don't feel particularly patient though.

Does it really advise against taking strong action in my current routine or life conditions?

 

[Hans_K]

So, it advises me against taking too stern of an action to set my life straight, and to take thing slowly and with patience instead. I don't feel particularly patient though.

Does it really advise against taking strong action in my current routine or life conditions?

Hi Euphon,
It just depends on what you mean by strong action.
The answer, as I see it, is not about action in the outer world, but action at the inner level.

H44 is Wind under Heaven.
Wind with a moving line at the 1st position is about procrastination, not being able to make ideas a reality, indecision. This is because old issues or processes need to be completed/addressed first.
Before anything new can come, the old must first be completed.
Heaven's advice is to structure, take charge. Be inwardly powerful. Make a plan.
So Wind-Heaven's advice is to confront yourself and complete inner affairs in a structured way. Stop procrastinating and postponing, and start working on them now.
You can also see this in the text of this line:

...
Fasten it with a metal brake.
Perseverance brings good fortune.
...

Here, things are stopped from moving any further. Furthermore, the text talks about moving in the sense of doing something other than what is necessary, is not fortunate.

Heaven turns into Water by the moving lines in the 4th and 6th positions.
This is about trying to control things in the outside world, trying to solve it there. Being pushy and stubborn. "I want things to be different NOW".

Water shows that the right attitude in this situation is to let yourself be led, go with the flow. Leave the outside world for what it is in this moment. Don't resist the boundaries you are experiencing right now. Don't worry about the end goal, but let the journey itself be the goal.
The text of lines 4 and 6 show that action in the outside world does not have the desired effect.

The Image text of H5 says:

Clouds rise up to heaven:
This is the image of Waiting.
Thus the superior person eats and drinks
In joy and repose.

So this is not a passive and gloomy waiting, but a pleasant and joyful waiting.
The outcome is certain, it will rain (rain is seen as a blessing from Heaven). In other words this situation will also pass, in the meantime make the best of it by working on yourself

What stands out in the answer is:

• In H44, trigram Heaven is above (the outer world) and in H5, Heaven is below (the inner). So you see here a shift from wanting to change the situation in the outer world to taking control and changing things inwardly. Innerly taking charge.
• The moving lines together form trigram Wind that turns into Thunder. So here again you see the delaying, not being able to make ideas a reality. Thunder is about renewal, a new beginning, the shock/insight to do things differently.

So the personal growth strategy is to shift the focus from the outside world to the inside world and complete things there that are standing in the way of progress.

This would be my interpretation. As always, take what resonates and leave the rest

 

[rosada]

Thanks for your insights, Hans. I’ve revised my interpretation.