Seeking Consult, This reading scares me

[Graciexo]

I have consulted the I Ching for years, only on matters of great importance, and it has never led me astray. I have made MAJOR life decisions based on its guidance. Recently, I asked about an upcoming extended trip to the Carribean Islands, where I was seeking clarity and meditation in preparation to make a major life change. When I found myself uncertain of leaving for the trip, I consulted the I Ching. I was answered with 6 Kua- Sung/ Conflict and in blaring letters I kept reading IT DOES NOT FURTHER ONE TO CROSS THE GREAT WATER in every interpretation. It also states that this will end in danger, to stop in the middle, and look to the beginning. Despite the fact that I have always heeded the I Ching's wisdom, I went to the islands anyway. I had an amazing time, and found more joy than I could have ever hoped to find, and saw my trip through to the end. The I Ching's words were in the back of my mind the entire time, on every flight, on every adventure. I decided perhaps I should not consult the I Ching for a while, perhaps never again.
I have just returned from my trip, and found myself still curious about my reading, and after much research on 6. Sung/ Conflict and debating on how to prepare a new question asking the I Ching to clarify my first response, I consulted it again. This reading has led me to 54 Kua- Luei Mei/ The Marrying Maiden and I am shocked to find the similarities between the two readings. They are as follows:
*Neither reading had changing lines
*Both have Heaven above, Water below
*Both have the only strength in its 5th line, surrounded by opposition all around
*Both end in Misfortune
*Both warn of those around me intending harm
*Both advise maintaining integrity and clarity amidst adversity

The Marrying Maiden usually acts as a relationship Kua, warning against entering a relationship that ends in misfortune. I did have a brief fling with a man I adored at the end of my trip and it was beautiful and invigorating, but now I worry about physical threats brought on by this Union. I am also planning on moving to Puerto Rico next week for the spring. I am all of a sudden beside myself with worry of the butterfly effect I could have caused by going ahead with my initial trip, despite the I Ching's warnings. I cannot find ANYONE out there who can read this for me. I have searched the Internet for a consultant and have gone to the most well known spiritual/ holistic shop/bookstore in the city (where NOONE was familiar with the I Ching. This is very sad to me, and perhaps it is all just a lesson in letting go of the future outcomes of my choices. I would hate to lay the I Ching down forever but my interpretation of its wisdom has led me to outright paranoia. Any advise would help! Thank you for your attention to my story<3

 

[diamanda]

Hi rainauday and welcome.

"I asked about an upcoming extended trip"
"I consulted it again"

What were your questions exactly?

 

[Graciexo]

Hi Diamanda
Thank you for your questions

My first question as to my "upcoming extended stay" was "What would be the outcome of taking holiday on St. Croix for 2 months?"

My second question upon returning home was "Please clarify my initial reading, what does it mean" with specific attention to "It does not further one to cross the great water"

 

[diamanda]

Well as you already know, neither 6 nor 54 are the best answers one could hope for.

In my experience 6 unchanging means that others are opposing you, without it being your own fault. As in, external factors are not favourable. Difficulties caused by someone who is not you. And yet, this certainly doesn't have to mean something grandiose or life-changing or an extremely significant event. It could be as simple as the hotel you stayed at writes to you and asks for payment for some alleged damage you caused (this is just a completely random example). It could be your bank contacts you about a payment made there. It could be something completely mundane and practical, for which you'll have to meet halfway with the other party (compromise). Or, it could be nothing like a practical dispute. It might simply mean "stress" - for some reason that is not yet obvious to you, this holiday will result in stress.

As about 54 unchanging, I believe it very much agrees with 6, in the sense that you can't/shouldn't act, it's not up to you, action on your part wouldn't be beneficial - which reinforces the idea that the conflict/dispute/stress of 6 is not something that you caused. It comes from external factors and there's not much you can do to avoid it.

Don't throw the i ching in the rubbish just yet. Try not to take this like a super significant reading - and just wait and see, just observe and be attentive.

 

[Graciexo]

Thank you so much for your response, diamanda!

It is so reassuring to have some feedback on the matter, and it has helped to calm my apprehension. I will take your advice and remain attentive but make an agreement now to lay off creating an outcome in my mind. This is a challenge, for with two readings that have been dually noted, it is easy to look at how my relationships on the island or any choices I have made as a result of this trip could come back to bite me at any moment. It is only because my trip "furthered" my spirit to such an extent that I worry what powerful "end" could negate it. However, I feel that through this experience I am learning to let go of the outcome and trust my decisions for what they are. My decisions are made out of love. (A key point resulting in disaster in both Hexagrams, but so be it) Perhaps it is better for me to look to Yi as a compassionate and profound guide of Taoist wisdom, and leave the predictive aspects to the Universe.

With that said, I am still nervous about my move to Puerto Rico, as the invitation is also a direct result of my St. Croix holiday and could be the "end" that both hexagrams warn will bring great misfortune and abyss.... But what do I know at this point? I have fallen down an I Ching rabbit hole, and am sure many have come before me.

I have decided not to consult the I Ching about Puerto Rico at this time, unless you would advise otherwise. Perhaps I will begin my readings again with smaller issues.... A date, my mother's health and situation, and others less likely to throw me into tailspin when I pick the "Danger" card twice over. (I have never before asked the I Ching the same question twice, BTW... Nor to clarify a response. This was a special circumstance that I researched at great depth before proceeding with further inquiry).

I certainly hope that perhaps the "misfortune" perceived may be milder than my imagination has created, as you have suggested is a possibility. But I will say that the I Ching has definitely validated itself as a great oracle, as the likelihood of arriving at such identical answers is more than coincidental. For that I am grateful

Your time and advice means the world to me in this freak out moment. Thank you so much!!!!

 

[Liselle]

*Both have Heaven above, Water below

This is a minor point, and maybe I'm misunderstanding? But if you're saying that both hexagram 6 and hexagram 54 have heaven as the upper trigram and water as the lower trigram - that can't be. 6 is heaven over water, but 54 is thunder over lake.

You said, "now I worry about physical threats brought on by this Union" - maybe that is the 6? It's not clear if you mean someone is threatening you (by phone or email or the like), or if it's something like a medical issue? If the former, is there something you can do to make yourself inaccessible (change email address or phone number)? If the latter, maybe seeing a doctor would help? I could be barking up the wrong trees entirely, of course.

This "brief fling" is the only thing you mentioned about your trip that might be a potential source of conflict. 54 was the clarifying answer as to what 6 meant - what 54 literally describes is a second wife. Apparently in ancient China a man would have a primary wife, who had all the official status, and then a group of second wives, who had no status. Maybe it's as simple as this man is married, and you were a "fling" to him as well? Or maybe he has a lot of such flings? None of which has to be your problem, necessarily, unless it has actually become a problem.

 

[diamanda]

I am still nervous about my move to Puerto Rico, as the invitation is also a direct result of my St. Croix holiday

Well, this changes the reading completely... I didn't pay much attention to the fling part, as you didn't make it sound very important. But, since the fling resulted in an invitation to Puerto Rico for months, then I'll agree with lisa. I believe the answers refer to the guy, and mean that the guy has someone else, and there's going to be conflict because of this. This is a problem created not by you, but by external circumstances (in this case the guy and his other woman/women). Hence the advice that it's not to your benefit to cross the water.

 

[altair139]

"Crossing great water" simply means doing something big, like a marriage, building a house, changing careers etc, traveling on a small trip is not "crossing great water"

for the first query, this could simply mean that you will get minor trouble with the authority (at the airport etc), having arguments with someone at that place or something upsets you. 6 usually does not describe a very dire situation, just an annoyance.

 

[Trojina]

It's a great pity that seeing the I Ching the way you do only made you think 6 heralded some great hindrance. That is the problem when using Yi more as a fortune telling device, which I think is a lesser function. It's great what has happened I think because this is a real step forward for you. You are obviously a very sincere person and I feel this is an important lesson for you. I don't tend to see things in terms of 'lessons' but this is a good one. All this time you have used the I Ching in a most sincere way but it's time for you to move forward in your connection with it. So you went ahead and went on this trip and had a great time but this doesn't tally with your ideas about 6. But hexagram six for me most often seems to refer to a state of indecision, inner indecision so there are many levels your answer may apply on. Also 'do not cross the great water' doesn't need to be literal, it can mean 'don't make a permanent life change right now'. Posting this link so you can see how others have experienced hexagram six. http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/frie...xperience-With-Unchanging-Castings-Hexagram-6 not read the thread for a long time but I suspect you will find many differing experiences there.

Also there is a blog post on 6 from Hilary, the site's owner, here which may be of interest http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/answers/2015/12/13/contrasts-of-hexagram-6/

 

[rosada]

The Judgement describes the situation. The Image advises how to deal with it.

Hexagram 6 in response to your question "What will be the outcome?" was mirroring back to you that concerns about unexpected problems could be handled by following the advice given in The Image. The Image for hexagram 6 reads something to the effect that when rights and duties are clearly understood at the outset then all cause for conflict is removed in advance. In brief, I think you were being advised that if you had made your plans carefully in advance - tickets, reservations, and were keeping your expectations reasonable - then there wouldn't be any problems.

As you specifically worded your question, "What will be the OUTCOME?" and not, "How will the actual trip unfold?" this seems to make the reading more about how you will feel about the trip after it's over rather than what would happen while on it. So I'm wondering, is this romance you had causing you conflict now? Like are you wondering should I pursue it or should I forget it?
(Of course we could also note that now that the trip is over the I Ching reading is causing you great Conflict but I don't think that's the intended message, LOL!)

54. The Marrying Maiden describes a situation where a person has entered a whole new universe, like a woman leaving her childhood home and everything she's familiar with to enter her husband's world. This can be very disorienting, even scary but the Image tells how to navigate it. So as a clarification to your original 6. Conflict reading I feel the I Ching was telling you the Conflict, or potential for conflict, was based on the fact you were going to a foreign country where you would not be familiar with things, but just as the Marrying maiden is loved and desired, you too would be welcomed - and perhaps even find a romance that sweeps you off your feet!

So when asking what would be the outcome of the trip I see the I Ching as having warned you that you might come back 6.Conflicted, most likely because 54.,you were swept off your feet in a land that was totally foreign to you and now you wonder should you settle back into your old world or cross the great water into the new? I think of the song, "How ya gonna keep'em down on the farm after they've seen Pareee?"

Rosada

 

[Graciexo]

Wow, what a treasure trove of responses! Each one of you has a wealth of knowledge and brings something new to the conversation. I am so fortunate to have found this community, and feel such gratitude for the sharing of information and feedback here. Thank you!

To answer a few questions:

*I stated in my original post that Hex 6 and 54 both have Heaven above/ Water below... However I neglected to explain that I was comparing 54 elementally to 6, Thunder as Heaven, Lake as Water. This is how I am coming to understand the trigram elements singularly and as hexagram, but perhaps I misspoke. Where as Heaven and Water move away from each other causing conflict, Thunder disturbs the Lake signaling end.

*To revisit the "fling" I had on the island, it was very short and sweet and ended there, with no significant communication after leaving. This was a mutual agreement, especially due to the fact that he is 15 years my junior and we are in completely different places in our lives. It was a beautiful liaison and one I feel I needed after too much time single and career driven. Like my entire hiatus, it was perfect for me (and I would hope for him) and therefore cannot make any connection with the misfortune that the Marrying Maiden suggests, hence my worry that the misfortune could appear in the future in the form of a "physical threat" (i.e. an STD). This maybe reaching, and the Marrying Maiden may have nothing to do with our brief relationship. Like 6 Conflict, I may not yet know (or, fingers crossed, never know) the misfortune that 54 warned me of.

*Concerning moving to Puerto Rico.... This development has no connection to the "fling" I had on St. Croix. It is, however, a direct result of my stay there. For this reason there is a strong possibility that 6 and 54 may become clearer in Puerto Rico. (Gulp). While on St. Croix, I was contacted by a best friend from boarding school who lives in Puerto Rico. In fact, I visited her there when I was 16, and haven't seen her in 20+ years. I puddle jumped over to PR for a couple of days to visit, and she asked me to come back for the remainder of the winter. I am thrilled by the idea, and a little apprehensive due to the fact that I have never been so long without work (and this could be the "end" that 6 warns will bring misfortune, and instead advises "a cautious halt halfway"). In hindsight, it may have been smart to have elaborated on this in my original post. The more I think about the way I worded my Hex 6 question, "What will be the outcome of going to St. Croix for 2 months?", it opens up a world of possibilities and "butterfly effects" that extend far beyond my actual 2 month stay. Another lesson here... Be VERY careful how you pose your question.

*This brings me to a final important tidbit to this story. I am in the film industry and did 4 movies/series back to back last year, which is why I have taken so much time off in the first place. My trip to the islands was meant as a hiatus to both consider a career change and to learn to relax again. After a year of 17 hour days with no break I am reconsidering what my goals are at this time in my life. It was suggested that 6 Conflict warned against making any major changes at this time, but I made some major life changing decisions and turned down a movie while on St. Croix. It may have been inadvisable to "act" according to 6 and 54, but I have done just the opposite and traveled to distant lands, decided to change my entire career and go back to school, and had a love affair with someone young enough to be my son! We shall see where this leads and what comes to pass, but I am steadfast in following my heart<3

Before I post, I would like to reiterate how much I value the previous responses and all of your abilities to read between the lines with sensitivity, grace, and humor You have set my mind at ease while educating me at the same time. You are heroes, all of you! (diamanda, lisa, altair139, Trojina, & rosada)

And Rosada, I ADORED your final quote, "...and now you wonder should you settle back into your old world or cross the great water into the new? I think of the song, "How ya gonna keep'em down on the farm after they've seen Pareee?"
Just Perfect!