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arabella

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Four years ago my child rented a university accommodation that turned out to be just short of a death trap. She had to call nearly every day for the first several months just to keep door locks working and appliances running. Periodically the electric shuddered and lights dimmed. Other times the electric just wouldn't work at all. As she was in the same city she did most of her laundry at home since nothing operated and on nights that there was no electric she just stayed at home with her roommate sharing in with friends. Their food was ruined by a fridge that stopped functioning and so forth. Her roommate went to school and held a job so, by default, my daughter was the only one available to call day after day for help -- calls that were mostly recorded at the university offices and ignored.

About two months into the lease, my daughter was at the school accomodation drying her hair and heard someone screaming over the sound of the drier. Her roommate had come home, started making food on the stove and walked briefly into her bedroom to change, leaving her mobile phone in the kitchen. When she tried to leave the bedroom, the door handles fell off and she was trapped. By the time my daughter heard the screams, the pan in the kitchen was on fire. It was three hours before university authorities sent anyone to reach the trapped girl and she became hysterical.

The following week my husband and I were to go out of the country on holiday when my daughter called in a panic, the electric had shut down completely and there was a strange odour throughout the building. We called the fire company, who refused to go saying it was university property. Finally the electric company agreed to go and found that the wires had set fire and fused together in the mains box with further melting/fire travelling up some of the wires.

I removed my daughter from the student accommodation and thus began a protracted argument with the University housing authority because I said she would not be living there during the second semester and in my estimation all agreements were cancelled. We argued by mail for a month, then I simply wrote to the university provost about what was underway. He fired the accomodation manager. We heard one further time from the finance officer for the school and explained what had transpired. He said that he would investigate and, if he needed anything further from me, he would be in contact.

We never heard from him again. Even when we moved out of the country we had our mail forwarded and there were no follow up messages from him. Now, four years later, we are mysteriously in receipt of a letter demanding a semester's rental payment and saying we have been contacted multiple times and, since we didn't answer, prepare for a lawsuit if we don't send the money in 72 hours. First, it's not true that we were contacted before. Second, it was a travesty in the first place and we owe nothing to them.

Anyway, I will answer the letter tomorrow, probably by telephone, but before I do, I wanted to know from the IChing, "What is the best way to handle this situation?"

The casting: Hex 26.1.6 changing to Hex 46. The 1 changing line seems completely opposite the 6 changing line, as the first seems circumspect and the sixth to be quite animated and active. So one is saying WAIT and the other to CHARGE AHEAD?

The first would indicate to me that maybe these people are just trying this on? Maybe the lawsuit business is rubbish? I don't know what to relate this to. I do know that the universities here have had their funding reduced drastically, so maybe any old claims they think they can drive home are fair game?

The outcome Hex 46 seems positive enough -- says over and over not do worry or doubt, all resolves to the good.

Still, the question was "What is the BEST way to handle the situation"? So it's looking like, stop -- but also go ahead briskly. Anyway, I'm stuck on this one.
 

arabella

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And a second thought on the seemingly opposite aspects of the line 1 and line 6 [STOP, but also GO]: maybe it's good to NOT call right away, but to write and summarise what happened before?
 

cris

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Hi Arabella,

I would stick with the idea of sending a letter summarising what happened four years ago, quoting dates, names and titles, and also enclosing all the correspondence dating back to that time. Sending It it via registered mail could as well be wise. It takes longer, but it creates evidence the other party cannot later ignore or pretend to have never received.

These are my 2 cents based on experience!
 

willowfox

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Line 26.1 doesn't say stop, it says wait for the right opportunity to counterattack, line 26.6 which will not be within the next 72 hours, so ignore the treat. Don't answer.

Do you still live in the same country as where the university is situated? If you don't, then simply ignore the whole thing as they can do nothing if you live aboard. It would cost them a fortune to send an agency after you to collect the supposed debt. There's absolutely no point in you explaining anything to these disinterested "officials".

Also, the letter was typed up by a secretary who doesn't care what happens, so ignore the deadline as nearly everyone company and organization use the same wording, "We will take legal action if you don't pay up in 72 hours", in fact the university may wake up in 2 or 3 months that you never replied maybe not.

I had a letter 12 months ago demanding that I pay a company $20 or so and that if I didn't they would take me to court, I simply ignored the treat and never heard back.

My advice is to remain perfectly still for the meantime as line 26.1 suggests.
 
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arabella

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Thanks to you both, my thinking is somewhere on the order of don't answer or answer with the facts which they have obviously forgotten. Meanwhile my file to do with this situation isn't here where I am and I have moved back to the country where this all occurred four years ago. My daughter lives abroad and finishing her university career abroad after encountering these housing problems, as well as the equivalent in their academic departments, time and time again. What my family here is telling me as that the school will prosecute her and ruin her credit rating, if nothing else, otherwise I would have simply ignored it. The letter has been sent to a garbled version of the address of my family -- where we were having mail forwarded for two years after we moved away. It is the first corresponndence any of us has ever received, although for at least two years they could have reached us easily. So they are lying about communicating before, just for starters. I was also shocked, if they are bothering to make these threats, that the letter isn't even sent by registered post and they have no proof anybody is aware of their complaint.

Willow Fox, the Yi is then sayiing to do something, but not now? Maybe respond when I've got my file to refer to? I can have it mailed to me, but it will be a week or more before I have it.

The Hex 46 outcome does seem positive anyway. Any thoughts on its significance?
 
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willowfox

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Yes it says do nothing for the moment, letter, what letter?

So, if you live in the same country then Hex 46 is advising that you have a chat with a lawyer, treats of court action are unwarranted when you haven't got a clue as to what the problem is because as far as you are concerned it was resolved 4 years ago.

Don't rush as they are obviously in no hurry if they have waited 4 years already.
 

arabella

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To be on the safe side, I will make contact with a lawyer and get my file sent over, but I have the same gut feeling as you Willow Fox. I think their ineptitude continues and the letter four years later is just proof of that. I assume from the reading I will have to confront them again later on, but that the outcome will be nothing to worry about?
 

peter2610

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Hex26,1,6 > 46

Hi Arabella,

Hex26 can often be about overcoming or resisting the intense pressures or duress that make us feel compelled to do something. The strong, dynamic, internal force of Ch'ien is being restrained by the limiting restriction of the mountain, Ken. Your rightful indignation at this injustice seeks to confront the other party but this hexagram is urging you to exercise extreme restraint. The phrase 'not eating at home' in the Tuan is telling you not to do the usual thing, don't fall into a predictable or usual response.
Line 1 is clearly telling you to desist and not create unnecessary danger. The Zhi Gua for this line Hex18, indicates the potential for spoiling the situation by opening a can of worms. It also represents our conditioned responses when reacting to events.
Top yang, 'One attains the way of heaven. Success' indicates that the situation will unfold successfully of its own accord, most likely with little or no entanglement. The Zhi Gua for this line, Hex11, Peace, also supports the idea of a successful resolution. If you can resist the urge to confront this injustice it will probably eventually run out of steam and expire. There is no contradiction between the sense of first yang and top yang.
Even further clarity can be gained by looking at the sequential hexagram. When first yang in Hex26 changes it creates Hex18, Ku. If you look at your next moving line, top yang, within this 'sequential hexagram' it gives 'He does not serve kings and princes, sets himself higher goals.' Not serving kings and princes means taking your direction from a higher order, not complying with solicitors and lawyers.
Hex46, Pushing Upward, indicates a gradual process leading to eventual success, with the emphasis on faith in the universal process (seeing the great man). Don't go for a sweeping immediate victory.

Outside the I Ching, my personal advice would be very similar. By doing nothing you will force them to reveal their strengths and weaknesses - this is using yin to see yang. Further, for them, time is money and eventually the weakness of their position will become self-evident.

Hope this helps.

Peter
 
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arabella

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Thank you Peter, magnificent answer and very detailed. You seem also to be in support of all WF is saying, so that gives me even more confidence. I was just so resistent to opening the case again and thinking, knowing their utter ineptitude, they have probably lost everything on the file and have no idea what was already resolved on this four years ago.

I was just saying to my daughter, any reputable business interest would continue with regular invoices until the bill was paid. We have heard nothing at all in four years and now this. Furthermore, the amount stated in the letter makes no sense whatever in relation to any period of time she would have lived in the accommodation -- so could even be some scam on university stationery. So having heard from each of you on this I am absolutely content to let dead dogs lie and as you say resist feeling unjustly accused and making an indignant reply. Great work everyone, and thanks very much Peter for coming in with this crowning indictment of their weak position -- it helps tremendously to keep my courage in this.

Furthermore, in terms of interpretation, I think this is an excellent addition to the archives. Somehow I thought of the Hex 26 as a position of power, a "great axle" I remember reading. But exactly what kind of power is so useful to know.
 

arabella

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Just a note to those who contributed. I've passed your interpretations on to my daughter who was really disturbed by this whole incident in the middle of exams and having to defend her thesis for graduation -- not exactly the best moment for restless nights! She is so relieved to hear what everyone said and is very grateful to all of you.
 

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