To act or not to act?

[freimuth]

I am trying to get involved in a shared project that has been stalled for a while (actually, it’d better not take off too soon due to the current lack of sufficient funding). I asked the I Ching about my role in it and obtained as reply Hexagram 24 with line 6 changing. Now hexagram 26 seems to predict some progress overall - there is in fact more openness to dialogue among the prospective members -, but line 6 appears to suggest that any attempt to finalize an agreement now or very soon would spell catastrophe for me. I am right in my interpretation? Is the “wrong path” taking actually action (beyond having preliminary talks), or is the “wrong path” not seizing the opportunity? Thanks to anyone who can enlighten me!

 

[Tim K]

Now hexagram 26 seems to predict some progress overall

I'm sorry but 24.6 leads to 27 (Nourishment), I don't see 26 there at all (typo?).

Legge, 24.6:
"If with his views he put the hosts in motion, the end will be a great defeat, whose issues will extend to the ruler of the state. Even in ten years he will not be able to repair the disaster."

Considering fan yao 27.6, Legge: "Shows him from whom comes the nourishing"

If you let the project launch in the present state, it won't get the necessary financial support from the investors, and you have already mentioned that problem yourself.

Maybe your role is to find proper nourishment(investor) ?
Legge on h27: We must look at what we are seeking to nourish, and by the exercise of our thoughts seek for the proper aliment.

 

[anemos]

but line 6 appears to suggest that any attempt to finalize an agreement now or very soon would spell catastrophe for me. I am right in my interpretation? Is the “wrong path” taking actually action (beyond having preliminary talks), or is the “wrong path” not seizing the opportunity? Thanks to anyone who can enlighten me!

24.6 its a scary line, however , to my experience there is not what happened. usually in my readings I'l looking for the conditional aspect. If A then x , if B then y.

got 24.6 as a part of a reading whether to participate to a brief seminar or not. Not a big thing , although my engagement had a significant cause , so 24.6 sounded tooooo serious . What happened was that the very last moment an obstacle appeared and i had to decide whether I was going to do it or return back. Pondering on that, 24.6 that i had last night came into mind. had to thing the "disasters" and the opportunity I might miss. Was a warning not to do it and put myself in a danger important for a health matter or was an encouragement to move on , keep going and not losing the benefits of taking part into that seminar ? Decided to do it, hoping that Yi was referring to the good my participation would offer me , as i was in a turning point that period; hoping and being cautious on how I was proceeding thinking my doctors advise how to move and what to avoid. Nothing bad happened, was a really nice and deeply helpful experience.

I'm not saying you should take part or not. hard to "read it" for you, just saying you calm yourself and see the risks or doing it or not... sometimes it helps to decide.

good luck

 

[freimuth]

Many thanks for the kind and useful replies (yes 26 was a typo!). I would agree that there is a conditional aspect to the reading - if A then x or if B then y. My feeling is that I should not overdo it - join the prelimary discussions but avoid a firm commitment for the time being. It is actually a philantropic project but even philantropy requires some real assets to get things going. Maybe it is time to lay the foundations or to plant the seed rather than hope for an early harvest. I think hexagram 26 refers more to something developing than to something ready to be culled, so 24.6 is wrong because it distorts the developmental nature of this gua. Maybe I may hope for the chicken tomorrow rather than for the egg today.

 

[Tim K]

You keep typing 26, maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something?

Wilhelm, h26: To hold firmly to great creative powers and store them up, as set forth in this hexagram, there is need of a strong, clear-headed man who is honored by the ruler. The trigram Ch'ein points to strong creative power; Kên indicates firmness and truth. Both point to light and clarity and to the daily renewal of character. Only through such daily self-renewal can a man continue at the height of his powers.

The hexagram has a threefold meaning, expressing different aspects of the concept "Holding firm." Heaven within the mountain gives the idea of holding firm in the sense of holding together; the trigram Kên which holds the trigram ch'ien still, gives the idea of holding firm in the sense of holding back; the third idea is that of holding firm in the sense of caring for and nourishing.