Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom
Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).
Hi there,
When I first started consulting the I Ching I made an assumption that the second hex in a reading was the future, 'this happens, then this', which sometimes still holds true. With more experience though I find that its not always the case,[ and sometimes the 2nd hex forms the background or context to a question, or even an overarching theme to the issue.
So I commented on this thread: http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/friends/showthread.php?t=10100
and then realised I have no idea if I'm right, and would love to know how other people see the second hex? Also, if the 2nd hex is the future, then that implies that an unchanging hex is static, with no development, but I'm not sure that's true either...
What do you think?
E
so what does an unchanging hex mean?
what do chaning lines mean if they're not the path from the first (present) to the second (future)?
thanks.
that is how i see it..and it also may kind of encompass the future...as I oft quote think it was Hilary, 'the second hexagram is the sea the primary one swims in'...something like that..i dunno who said it but it hits the nail on the head IMO. its all around the question, surrounds the question, its not a fixed future scenario
Hilary was the one who gave the example of the sea. Great one, very clear. In the beginning I also thought the second one was the outcome. But reality was very often not at like that. I got a few times 39 as relating hex at moments when I was really in a 39 situation, and the primary hex told me quite clearly what I could do about it. Since then I stick to the 'sea' idea and I love the way it works for me.
(I wonder if this, in 1997, was the first time someone stuck their neck out and published something saying that the second hexagram needn't be fixedly the future result? It's certainly the first time I encountered the idea in print.)Relating Figure
The second figure represents how you are 'related' to the basic figure. It can be a future development. It can also point to a past event that brought you here, a warning, a goal, a particular attitude or a deep desire - whatever is 'relating' you to the basic answer. It is the 'sea' or ground feeling in which the basic figure swims.
for those of you who believe the second hex is the "canvas on which the first one is painted," then if you want to know about a future situation, do you ask specifically about it?
For example:
(if the 2nd hex is the future)
Q. "What should I do about [x]?"
A. X.a > Y
So if you do the action in X.a, you will have Y result.
But if the second hex is not the future, then is it:
Q. "What should I do about [x]?"
A. X.a > Y
So it's telling you to do X.a within the context of Y.
Then do you have to ask: "What will happen if I do X.a?"
Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom
Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).