Trouble Asking Questions...

[peacecat]

I last visited here on March 11th, 2007 at 9:11 PM. Over three months! And in that time I have nearly stopped consulting the I Ching. I have trouble formulating and then asking questions. In January I began taking a course with Hilary. I loaded up with all kinds of new information about divination and then got stuck. (Hilary is great by the way...) One thing Hilary had said was that if you can you should avoid yes/no questions. After trying to do that I suddenly became very self-conscious. I know it has little to do with the I Ching or Hilary but I was wondering if any of you get stuck when you want to ask a question? Do you ever feel as if your questions aren't good enough? I think my problem is that I'm over thinking the whole experience instead of following my intuition. In some ways I miss my more ignorant days when I would consult more passionately and less cerebrally. I've also stopped consulting the Tarot cards. I think I may return to them first as a kind of preliminary to returning to the I Ching (because I first divined with the Tarot when I was twelve, the I Ching came a bit later). Have some of you found that you take breaks from divination? I'm hoping to find that my break from divination will lead me to fresher insights when I return. Sometimes time is needed to let ideas sink into more fertile ground. What do you think? :bows:

Kate

 

[lightofreason]

If you have problems asking questions then let the IC ask YOU the questions - all you have to do is answer.

http://members.iimetro.com.au/~lofting/myweb/lofting/icplusEProact.html

Chris.

 

[lienshan]

(Hilary is great by the way...) One thing Hilary had said was that if you can you should avoid yes/no questions. After trying to do that I suddenly became very self-conscious. I know it has little to do with the I Ching or Hilary but I was wondering if any of you get stuck when you want to ask a question? Do you ever feel as if your questions aren't good enough?

Hi wanderer62

My experiences are, that formulating the question is the most important part of practizing divination. An example:

A couple of years ago a woman contacted me, asked for an online divination and sent me her question. I replied, that the question was in fact more questions and asked her to formulate the question a little more precise. She sent me the question put in other words and I replied, that the question was still more questions. So we went on mailing for two weeks until she at last sent me the question put in words, that definitely was only one single question ... and wrote, that now she suddenly knew the answer to her question.

Jacques

 

[peacecat]

Hi Chris, thanks for the link. Very interesting but will require further study on my part. I'm still very much a beginner. I managed to ask a question last night but l felt conflicted and when I tried your system I got a hexagram that answered some of my related questions. I've bookmarked your site and will return soon and try again. Thanks again.

Hi Jacques, yes that's what I discovered too, that the question is very important but there are so many choices, so many perspectives and I get overwhelmed. And I too have found that if I pick a question many times I already know the answer. It's a strange sensation, almost as if the I Ching is telling me that I should spend more time selecting the appropriate question and also that there are many questions that don't need to be asked. If I remember rightly Carol Anthony in her A Guide To The I Ching oftens writes "Misunderstanding is a prelude to understanding." I think that's something to reflect upon. In the last month I have repeatedly had the image of a child trying to walk in my mind. She keeps falling down (misunderstanding) only to eventually start to walk (understanding). I shouldn't be afraid to make mistakes. I should just go ahead and keep falling down in order to have the chance to stand up and walk.

 

[magictortoise]

Kate,
As much as possible I like to use the language of the I Ching in the question. I use Wilhelm so it is not unusual for me to ask Ought I to undertake so and so. Or should I persevere in such-and-such a course. But it may be different for you if you use another translation.

Because the Book puts so great an emphasis on timeliness I like to preface most of my action-oriented questions with: Is it timely to, for example, ask her out, take that vacation I have been dreaming about. In the commentary on Hexagram 41 Wilhelm states: All that matters is that things happen at the right time. So any question implying timeliness is especially good.

Questions about the proper course of action are always good. Instead of asking why she hasn't returned my calls, for example, I would ask: given she hasn't returned my calls what ought I to be doing about it. I might receive 33, Retreat, or I may receive #35, Progress, for example. Two differing actions. How different that is than asking Why. You may find out why but then you are still left with the problem of what action to take given the answer to the why. Better to just go for the action, in my opinion. Leave the 'whys' to Tao.

Hope this is a bit of a help.

Best regards,

Ken Wanamaker

 

[bruce_g]

Hi Kate

A language teacher can teach you language, but to know the people you have to go out and actually meet them. I don’t think they come any better than Hilary for equipping someone with all they need to work with the IC, but the student still must find their own way of relating to the subject.

Sounds to me like you’re trying too hard. In your words: “I think my problem is that I'm over thinking the whole experience instead of following my intuition.” Trust yourself as you’re asking. If you second guess yourself, that makes you close up your receptors, making it hard to hear and form your answer. While I respect that others have formed or found ways to receive clearer answers to their questions, one size doesn’t fit all. I know of at least two other people here who ask in a very general and open way, and our answers are nearly always clear, with very little analysis. For others, that may not work.

You just need to find your way by going out and meeting the people. When you’re with a good friend, you don’t carefully measure your words, you just say what’s on your mind and in your heart. They understand where you’re coming from. You trust that, and so communication is easy and clear.

 

[ewald]

Most of the time, I simply ask the Yijing to clarify my situation. It always results in useful things to know, it's always relevant, and the answer is usually easy to interpret. It helps me understand myself better, and stops me from pursuing fantasies, keeping me at reality.

And I don't have to think about what to ask.

 

[hilary]

You know, Ken's just given you a lovely list of yes/no questions that work for him. I find they usually, for most people most of the time, make it harder to connect question and answer. No 'should' here, though; I just want to make it all as easy as possible. Bruce is absolutely right that this equates to whatever comes naturally to you.

Yes, people often do have 'time off' from divination. More intensive consulting seems to lead to more intense experience and change, which isn't always what we need.

Questions I use a lot myself,
'Advice for next week?'
'What best to do about this?'
'What's happening?'
and the old standby:
'Help!?!'

And yes, I do periodically realise that what I'm asking isn't good enough. Usually when someone innocently asks me if I've divined about such-and-such, and I realise that I haven't - I'd never even thought of it. Generally the questions I don't ask expose the things I don't want to know about...

 

[heylise]

"my more ignorant days when I would consult more passionately and less cerebrally"

Well, I can turn this around: "my more ignorant days when I would consult more cerebrally and less passionately".
Nowadays I ask the way you run to someone you really trust, and ask for help. No clear question, lots of emotions. And then I get a good and clear answer.

Of course I also ask questions at moments when I am not passionate, and then I ask like Ewald does, asking to clarify the situation. Or very simple: what the ** IS this?? Gives usually a great answer.

And no, I never ask for yes-no. Because it does not interest me. I want to know what I can do, and why, I don't want to be told what I have to do. And not at all what "will happen", I want to know what I can make happen.

I agree with Bruce "Trust yourself as you’re asking."

LiSe

 

[jimnammack]

Forecasting

Hey, Wanderer:

On thing I adamently recommend to all people I ever teach divining to is to keep a journal of your most important divinations. This is an absolute necessity for you to be able to grow as fast as possible as a diviner. It will give you an opportunity to reflect on past divinations, and will serve catalyst for you do to additional divinations about your areas of interests.

Another thing I am real big on is doing next-day forecasts. Every evening before you go to bed, do an I Ching forecast about your next day's events. Record them in your journal. These forecasts will not only forecast your next day's events, they will slightly change and improve your next day's events. Divining is powerful, and does a lot more to our lives than merely giving us information. It changes things too.

And, forget all your cerebral divining. Ask your divinatory questions in whatever manner you wish at all times. Experienced diviners might make well-intentioned suggestions to you from time to time, as I am doing right now too. But if someone's suggestion has the effect of taking the wind out of your sails, then for you, that was a bad suggestion.

In all things always, follow your bliss. You will never go wrong that way.

Best of luck.

Jim Nammack

 

[RindaR]

Good to see you back again Kate!

I've experienced many periods when I go quiet with Yi. I tend to think of them as periods of assimilation, when things are growing inside me in ways I can't know consciously. I always seem to go back to it refreshed, and with better or mebbe just slightly different kinds of questions....

There are many great thoughts about your question here, take what you want and come back to the rest later, if you are drawn to do that. Good questions are a great way to contribute to the community! Thank you!

Rinda

 

[peacecat]

:bows: Thanks Everyone! You've helped me to get the ball rolling again and given me food for thought. I'm also going to try to participate in this forum more. Hearing other people's perspectives is a great help.

Kate