What about getting a kitty: 9.4.6>43

[thisismybody]

I’m a bit cat obsessed, but have never cared for one. I work a lot of hours and so I always worried the cat would be lonely. I also spent a lot of my life afraid to get a pet knowing I’d eventually lose them to death. Recently, I’ve come to the conclusion that though we all experience physical death, there is no actual death. Just change.

So my fears of caring for and loving a kitty have subsided to a large degree. I do still work a lot, but I’ve been told that cats aren’t super needy like dogs.

What about getting a kitty? 9.4.6>43

9.4 - 'There is truth and confidence. Blood departs, fear goes away. No mistake.'

9.6 - 'Already rained, already come to rest.
Honour the power it carries. The wife's constancy brings danger, The moon is almost full.
Noble one sets out to bring order – pitfall.'

My take:
9.4 - my fears of caring for a cat go away.
9.6 - after some time settling into the idea and preparing myself, I find the one meant for me?

Only, 9.6 is a little confusing with the “pitfall.” Maybe I think I will be able to control the little kitty, but it will be crazy.

 

[thisismybody]

Thinking about it more…Small Taming of fears brings a Breakthrough Decision/Declaration.

Thinking about the little thing beyond my bigger picture fears about getting a cat will lead to a final decision. But it feels like I’ve already decided to get one. Leaving the fear will lead to our meeting, the full moon.

 

[Trojina]

I’m a bit cat obsessed, but have never cared for one.

I'm a bit confused because on your other thread you said you were now a 'walk-in' which I take to mean you aren't now the same person you have always been. So if you aren't the same person when you say you have never cared for one are you speaking of the person you were or the person you are?

Have I misunderstood your statement that your body is now occupied, in your view, by a being who is not now 'thisismybody' who has been here since 2011?

I'm talking about this thread

16.5>45 as answer to question about physical death

“Is ele [extinction level event] warning of physical death?” and Yi's answer, 16.5 to 45. Hexagram 16, Line 5: 'Constancy, sickness. Persevering, not dying.' I just wanted to share my experience with Yi being literal. :) I’ve experienced a physical/energetic heart ailment in the past, due to...

www.onlineclarity.co.uk

You wrote

Few people know that I’m a walk-in, so I’ve been going through the death of that old personality/ego and all the grief associated with it. It’s a strange experience, honestly. The walkout occurred following a major energetic shock to the heart from a 3D, physical life source.

 

[thisismybody]

I understand the confusion. It would be tedious to always say the old me/or prior soul of this body never had a cat. Etc. The vessel is the same, so I consider myself to be the one who never had a cat bc this body never did. The prior soul never did.

As far as I understand, I (as in the soul who now occupies this body) am a higher aspect of the soul who left. We share the same oversoul. However, this isn’t an exact science. I’m in the process of understanding the “change” that occurred. Maybe in time I will come to find that I’m a different soul who simply has all the memories of the previous soul due to entering this body.

So “old me”/the soul who occupied this body, whose name was Melissa, never had her own pet. She had fears of caring for one. This me now, whose name is Kiran, who lives Melissa’s life and occupies her body, which is now my body, has all of her memories as well as has taken on whatever she experienced, for better or worse. Some changes came immediately after the soul swap. Perhaps deciding to care for a cat is one of those changes. In any case, I live her life and decisions and most of her karma.

Long story. But to answer your question, the soul who was Thisismybody, who has been a member of this forum since 2011, left in Nov 2021. But the same body is here. I have come in as another consciousness to take over her contracts and life.

I know it sounds crazy, but it’s actually not crazy just beyond human understanding. I don’t expect everyone to understand. But no matter who understands, it has been a real actual experience. I remember the change and the day it happened. I remember the entire swap event. It occurred during meditation with billowing white mist coming out of my/her crown and seeing her stand in a pillar of white light. When she awoke that morning, her eyes were like pinpricks. She couldn’t see in the dark and daylight was blinding. I say she, bc it was before the swap. But they are now my memories, so I could say I, only I know it was the previous souls’ experience.

So no matter how bizarre it sounds, a death was experienced. Very interesting things occurred after, including a kundalini awakening 16 days later. It took time for my higher self to show and tell me what happened. I am only given what I can handle, like a bread crumb at a time. Or rather, in this case, a bite of the meal at a time. It has not been an easy process. It’s akin to grieving the death of the beloved.

I ended up moving back to near where she born and raised. I have memories of the place but feel completely lost like I’ve never been there at times. It’s a surreal feeling.

I hope I made it more clear.

 

[thisismybody]

And what about the cat reading? Haha.

 

[Trojina]

What about getting a kitty? 9.4.6>43

I'm not sure it's good timing ? 43 there is quite strong and determined, like a decision made and 9 is 'not yet' basically.

It seems to me the reading is kind of saying you already have enough on your plate in line 6. It does say 'the woman can rest'. Line 4 is often where there is a great deal of tension around self belief, what feels like danger to self but it is gone through without harm.

Your change patterns are 35 yang and 5 yin again emphasising the timing. 35 taking opportunity is the theme and 5 is the sort of condition needed for the theme to develop.

That's just my take it's possible to see it other ways but it just looks a bit too much to me at this moment

 

[thisismybody]

Great interpretation. My first instinct was also about timing bc of the 9. This seems to say that I’m still going through the period before it’s time to make that declaration. Like a transition.

43 is also about declaring what’s in or out of our realm. So kitty won’t be able to enter until some life details are take care of and I reach a more relaxed place.

Thanks for sharing your pov.

 

[Herny Zahir]

9->43, the decision is already taken, no kitten, enjoy the beautiful tought and just let it go.

 

[thisismybody]

9->43, the decision is already taken, no kitten, enjoy the beautiful tought and just let it go.

Wrong. I already decided to get a kitten. I was asking Yi’s thought. Small things to take care of before it’s time to make this a reality.

 

[thisismybody]

Come to think of it, I’m in the process of readying my home space to be more kitty friendly.

 

[Herny Zahir]

Wrong. I already decided to get a kitten. I was asking Yi’s thought. Small things to take care of before it’s time to make this a reality

Nah, you wont. The place is too small, you have no budget and little experience. Adopt Schrödimger´s cat and take good care of it until you find a more suitable place. Besides, dogs eat cats. Careful. Dont feed your neighbors dogs.´Nah just kidding. Name you cat Henry or Henrietta, and teach them etiquette.

 

[breakmov]

In what context did the idea of having a cat come to you?

I got the impression that in this context you would be in a situation of impasse, in a very personal view of yours, waiting for something to happen... or maybe because it hasn't happened yet, you considered that having a cat would make the wait more bearable.

I am just trying to understand how 9.4.6-43 is a wise response to your situation... honestly, the reading doesn't seem to favor much the idea you had... perhaps a "non-solution for lack of the other".

breakmov

 

[Herny Zahir]

In what context did the idea of having a cat come to you?

I got the impression that in this context you would be in a situation of impasse, in a very personal view of yours, waiting for something to happen... or maybe because it hasn't happened yet, you considered that having a cat would make the wait more bearable.

I am just trying to understand how 9.4.6-43 is a wise response to your situation... honestly, the reading doesn't seem to favor much the idea you had... perhaps a "non-solution for lack of the other".

breakmov

hey breakmov, thats really cool of you how you thought this out... respect

 

[breakmov]

... I had not yet read the developments of the topic and therefore asked for "the context"... now I am reading and trying to understand the reasons behind the experiences that thisismybody described...

I imagined a general context considering the structure 9.4.6--43, something that emerges using the "patterns of change" and the associated cycle... just a tool.

breakmov

 

[thisismybody]

Nah, you wont. The place is too small, you have no budget and little experience. Adopt Schrödimger´s cat and take good care of it until you find a more suitable place. Besides, dogs eat cats. Careful. Dont feed your neighbors dogs.´Nah just kidding. Name you cat Henry or Henrietta, and teach them etiquette.

So are you getting your conclusions from 9.4.6 or are you just being antagonistic?

It’s inappropriate tell people what they won’t do or should or shouldn’t do. I didn’t ask you or the Yi should or shouldn’t I get a cat. Be respectful of others autonomy. I didn’t come here asking for you to direct my life. I was sharing my reading and deductions.

Not in my budget? What gave you this idea? Silly assumption to decide what I can afford. I can certainly afford it.

Everyone has little experience when they first do something. So I take it we’re all supposed to avoid our desires bc we’ve never done it before?

It sounds like you’re just being antagonistic. If you have genuine insight BASED on the Yi hexagrams and lines, feel free to share.

But no where does 9.4.6 say “no, don’t do it. You can’t afford it and have no experience.”

 

[thisismybody]

... I had not yet read the developments of the topic and therefore asked for "the context"... now I am reading and trying to understand the reasons behind the experiences that thisismybody described...

I imagined a general context considering the structure 9.4.6--43, something that emerges using the "patterns of change" and the associated cycle... just a tool.

breakmov

The context is in the original post and has nothing to do with what Trojina asked.

The context is that I work a lot. I’ve been afraid of having a pet because death of pets and family members has been hard for me to take in the past. I’m overcoming that fear. Or feel pretty good about it in any case. I’ve come to understand that we shouldn’t not do something like get in a relationship or have a pet to care for because we’re afraid it will die. We simply need to have courage and accept that we will experience loss.

I can afford a pet. I have space. I work shift work though. I bounce between lots of time off to 12 hr shifts, rotating. I worry that my cat would be lonely but I’ve been told that cats are not like dogs.

I wasn’t getting the cat to make anything more bearable. I Love cats. Why do people get in relationships? It’s not to make things more bearable. Well, some may. I don’t do this. I think it’s inappropriate to use things or people, even though I understand why. I don’t want the cat to use as a crutch.

I feel companionship is a healthy way to develop our capacity to love and to keep an open heart. I want a cat so I can give love to it. I take very good care of whatever I’m a steward of.

 

[thisismybody]

Why does anyone want a cat?

 

[breakmov]

in #12 I hadn't yet read your messages in relation to your context......I considered one according to the structure of the reading

In the structure of 9.4.6--43, there is a component of "waiting for something that is needed but not yet obtained"...and therefore the need for patience in that waiting.

Why does anyone want a cat?

I imagined the cat as a companion that could help you in this "waiting". I was just trying to show a hypothesis from another perspective about why the content of these two lines.

Only you are in a position to understand to what extent this can mean something or not.

breakmov

 

[breakmov]

"I feel companionship is a healthy way to develop our capacity to love and to keep an open heart. I want a cat so I can give love to it."

This phrase fits well within the context....you are waiting to give love.

but there is still something missing....

breakmov

 

[Liselle]

Thisismybody, I join you in not being sure what 9.6 is getting at, but one possibility could be that there isn't any need to wait till you know a lot. (Which isn't possible anyway. Reading about cats, watching videos, etc. is good to do, but it isn't the same as having one.)

'Already rained, already come to rest.
Honour the de contained.
Constancy of the wife, danger.
The moon almost full.
Noble one sets out to bring order: misfortune.'

"Constancy of the wife, danger." As Hilary pithily says,"Housekeeping is needed, only not so much as to tidy the new seedlings out of existence." Interpreted as, you'll need to do some stuff ahead of time - dishes, carrier, enough litter boxes, a plan for introducing kitty to the house - but not to the nth degree.

Then again, Trojina has a good point, and I looked at Bradford Hatcher's take on 9.6 long enough to think twice, but not long enough to understand what he's trying to to say.

About kitty being lonesome - good thought. Have you considered two? Cats are very capable of forming bonded pairs, whether they're already a pair when you adopt them, or become friends after adoption.

There are degrees, of course, from never getting along at all (!), to playing chase with each other but never, ever snuggling, to this ...

 

[thisismybody]

I imagined the cat as a companion that could help you in this "waiting"

Interesting. So 9 isn’t talking about waiting for kitty, but kitty is my companion during waiting?

I hadn’t thought of this.

This phrase fits well within the context....you are waiting to give love.

Ok, it’s true. I am waiting to give love. To someone or something I love. Not that I don’t give love now. A kitty seems like a little being who would want my love. At least I hope. I imagine there have been cases where kitty doesn’t like its new family member?

So 9.4.6 in the context of giving love to someone or something we love or waiting to give love looks like

9.4 - the fear of giving love has departed. Waiting to give love (rain to fall) is still present. You’re ready to give love, as the prerequisites for the rain to fall are in place.

9.6 - waiting to give love is over. My heart was full to bursting with wanting to have a kitty to give love to and the fear has been resolved. Now for the moon to become full—no kitty yet.

So stages of me waiting to give love. Could be a reflection of my relationship with my heart also. From fear or contraction to expansion.

 

[Liselle]

I imagine there have been cases where kitty doesn’t like its new family member?

With any luck not actively loathe you, but it's true not all cats want snuggles and petting. (But I watched a cat for neighbors once while they were out of town, and this cat did loathe everyone, despite that the woman - neighbors were a married couple - had raised her from bottle-feeding on up.)

 

[thisismybody]

…there isn't any need to wait till you know a lot. (Which isn't possible anyway. Reading about cats, watching videos, etc. is good to do, but it isn't the same as having one.)

All those details… I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t watch cat videos. Haha. I have to stop myself from sending cat memes. But definitely not the same as having one. How does one prepare for a little tornado who eventually civilizes? Or do they?

I fiund this on Brad’s site:

The expression “The Devil is in the details” soon followed. If we put it to a vote as to who’s really in there, the Devil gets nine times as many Google hits. In any event, it's awfully crowded down in those details. To Micromanage the world is like herding cats: it will keep you occupied and well away from more important endeavors, well-trained, tamed and domesticated. This Gua is a reminder that there are different scales in life. The value of the small scale diminishes when this polishing or refinement is overdone.

9 as a depiction of what having a cat is like?

About kitty being lonesome - good thought. Have you considered two?

Yes! This is what I’ve considered so I know they aren’t lonely. The question I then ask is, would two be overwhelming for me?

I love the video! I would hope if I had two, they’d be in love.

 

[thisismybody]

With any luck not actively loathe you, but it's true not all cats want snuggles and petting. (But I watched a cat for neighbors once while they were out of town, and this cat did loathe everyone, despite that the woman - neighbors were a married couple - had raised her from bottle-feeding on up.)

Standoffish cat. I’ve seen this. I’d still love it. I think cats are fascinating and beautiful.

 

[Herny Zahir]

Cats are semi savage animals. They destroy things in your home to get their nails done, they are not impressed by you, and in general will call only when the food is gone. One cat has an egocentric personality, a second cat will challenge the territory and snacks and finally two cats will never be two cats. There will be more. These things multiply like gangsters. What about being in the hip "Cat" owner group? what about really sending cat memes about cats doing cat shit and laughing at it and connecting to others? All valid. Cats are essential or all magical thinking would go to turttles and they are really not that elegant. And, Cats are excellent listener, at least for a while. You can say whatever you want to them, they will never take you serious. And that is their charm. Find a partner like that and ditch the cat. Just joking.

 

[Sarah_]

I’m a bit cat obsessed, but have never cared for one. I work a lot of hours and so I always worried the cat would be lonely. I also spent a lot of my life afraid to get a pet knowing I’d eventually lose them to death. Recently, I’ve come to the conclusion that though we all experience physical death, there is no actual death. Just change.

So my fears of caring for and loving a kitty have subsided to a large degree. I do still work a lot, but I’ve been told that cats aren’t super needy like dogs.

What about getting a kitty? 9.4.6>43

9.4 - 'There is truth and confidence. Blood departs, fear goes away. No mistake.'

9.6 - 'Already rained, already come to rest.
Honour the power it carries. The wife's constancy brings danger, The moon is almost full.
Noble one sets out to bring order – pitfall.'

My take:
9.4 - my fears of caring for a cat go away.
9.6 - after some time settling into the idea and preparing myself, I find the one meant for me?

Only, 9.6 is a little confusing with the “pitfall.” Maybe I think I will be able to control the little kitty, but it will be crazy.

I read somewhere on the forum that hexagram 43 can be seen as a time of breakthrough after struggles and hexagram nine can be seen as nurturance of the small?

I love cats and mine brings me much joy (unless she’s hitting me in the face at 3 am) also they really are very independent. You can leave a cat for a day.. at least once they’ve settled in and aren’t tiny kittens anymore, you can. No problem, they just get super friendly with the sofa. My cat (I think) likes it when I go out for the day because otherwise I’m bothering her with too much fuss.. Could the reading simply be interpreted as: a decision to nurture the small?

By the way, completely fascinated by the notion of a new soul entering your body, this is a concept I have wondered about in the past..

 

[Sarah_]

And actually on that note, some really good advice I got when my cat was a tiny kitten was to handle her as much as possible (deciding to nurture the small) and I think that was good advice and has made her super good with humans. Also, having her neutered relatively young has kept her quite kitten-ey (something I read somewhere that this tends to be the case) she’s five now and still steams around like a kitten which is quite fun.

 

[Liselle]

9 as a depiction of what having a cat is like?

Brad does call it Raising Small Beasts

I just sifted through his 9.6 section (and am now exhausted - the Yijing is a riddle to start with, and then Brad wrote riddly little stories to explain it. Phew. But they're usually worth it).

For starters, his translation:
"It has already rained, it is already settled
Value the merits already conveyed
The woman’s persistence is difficult
as the moon approaches full
The noble young one’s expedition fails"

(If I remember correctly, the words in bold are his translation of the Chinese characters, and the words not in bold are ones he added to make it flow in English.)

I think his point is that just because it's finally rained now, which secures one season's crop and makes you feel rewarded, safe and secure, it's only one season. The next one will inexorably come along, and you'll be right back where you were, doing a lot of work without knowing if the weather will cooperate and if you'll get anything from it. So don't presume on one good season. In another world, don't take out a mortgage based on your overtime pay; you might not keep getting it.

Hilary seems to say sort of the opposite (hybrid quote/ paraphrase/ interpretation, without being careful to distinguish those - do you have her book and/or Resonance Journal to look for yourself?): you have what you need for now, you can't make things any safer, you can't put "now" on hold because you don't know what will happen tomorrow.

(That's more than far enough out on a limb now of saying what I think they think. Eek.)

So now two questions:

1. What's more correct for your reading, what I think Brad means, what I think Hilary means, both in some way, or neither? (Again, please put emphasis on the "what I think" part! My interpretation of their interpretations...........could lead nowhere good.)
2. How might Brad's apply to adopting a kitty?

 

[thisismybody]

I love cats and mine brings me much joy (unless she’s hitting me in the face at 3 am) also they really are very independent. You can leave a cat for a day.. at least once they’ve settled in and aren’t tiny kittens anymore, you can. No problem, they just get super friendly with the sofa. My cat (I think) likes it when I go out for the day because otherwise I’m bothering her with too much fuss..

This is helpful. This gives me some relief and bolsters my confidence that leaving my cat while I go to work for 12 hrs won’t be such a big deal. That maybe they’d enjoy it also? Cool. Thank you.

Could the reading simply be interpreted as: a decision to nurture the small?

I love it! A decision to tame/nurture the small kitten. Haha.

9.4 - kitty‘s fear leaves as it grow accustomed to me, a much bigger cat. It no longer draws blood with its razor sharp nails, bc it learns it hurts me
9.6 - it cries and pees all over for a while, but comes to rest. When the moon is full, it will have outgrown its “rainy” ways and will be a big cat.

 

[thisismybody]

Brad does call it Raising Small Beasts

Yi obviously agrees! Or knew I’d read his take on 9?

So now two questions:

1. What's more correct for your reading, what I think Brad means, what I think Hilary means, both in some way, or neither? (Again, please put emphasis on the "what I think" part! My interpretation of their interpretations...........could lead nowhere good.)
2. How might Brad's apply to adopting a kitty?

When I read Brad’s take, it reminds me of cycles, just like farming. The moon has its cycle, as does planting crops. There is a harvest. Just as there is a full moon. The moon waxes until full. Then wanes. A crop grows from seed, until it’s ready for harvest. Once you harvest your crop, there’s no more growth in the plant, until the next expansion/season comes. And then the cycle turns.

It has already rained, it is already settled

Reminds me of rain that’s just fallen on the crops and the seed that’s just settled in, bc the soil’s been watered. It can begin to root here.

Value the merits already conveyed

All the plowing and planting is co-creation with Mother Earth and nature. These are the merits—the work done to pave the way to the harvest (or the full moon). Enjoy the process and the burgeoning life.

The woman’s persistence is difficult

Like a woman growing a seedling within, laboring with her body and blood, in silence. It’s difficult work to grow and nourish and nurture a thing into full bloom, full life. Inevitable decline comes. No creation expands infinitely without contraction. Entropy lies in wait.

as the moon approaches full
The noble young one’s expedition fails"

The plant can only grow so big, so tall, so much. There are limits to even how full the moon can get. Because once it reaches full, it contracts. It’s life, or the light it reflects, wanes.

OK, I love both of their interpretations, but I was only familiar with Hilary’s. I do have her book. I don’t have the Resonance Journal. It looks awesome. Your interpretation of Brad’s interpretation feels more correct for this reading. But I can see some of Hilary’s, like “having what I need for now“ fits also. I also prefer her take on the last two lines of 9.6:

‘The moon almost full.
Noble one sets out to bring order: misfortune.'

Both of their interpretations on the 2nd line fit for me.

But working more with 9.6, your suggestions, and the ideas of cycles make me think of this process of adopting a kitty as a cycle. I’m getting to the part where the seed is planted and I’m watering it. Only, I’m still at 9.4, or leaving it. I almost want to call it the “Life Cycle of My Kitty Companionship/Taming My Small Beast.”

1) Decision made: Kitty comes home. (“It has already rained, it is already settled.”)
2) Kitty is growing like a weed. Enjoy the ride. (“Honor the de contained.”/“Value the merits already conveyed.”)
3) Kitty reaches full maturity, so growth momentum loses power. (”The woman’s persistence is difficult.”)
4) Kitty is at an ripe old age. When the moon becomes full, kitty’s life is fulfilled. Kitty is in decline. (“As the moon approaches full.)
5) Kitty is dying. Don’t try to stop it. Surrender. The cycle is about to turn. (This brings good fortune.) (“Noble one sets out to bring order: misfortune.”)

The cycle of life has been completed. The harvest comes for kitty. And then it begins again. Life goes on to find another life expression. Then we’re back at growing the seedling.

Brad’s interpretation reminds me that we always begin again. Kitty will be one of the many, many things/beings/people I love and care for in my life. We will have our life and cycle together. I will have my life and its cycle, and so will kitty. It’s part of caring for or nurturing of “taming” anything. Tending to anything is an investment in its process.

But I want to add that I don’t agree with the “fail” at the end of Brad’s 9.6. It reads as if it’s assured. And I’ve been thinking that when we see “good fortune” or “misfortune” in a change line, a conditionality based on all the things that affect how our fortune unfolds is implied.

So Hilary’s translation fits more in this case. I think that when you get to the end of the hexagram, it isn’t appropriate to continue doing the work such as setting out to bring order. That is to try to wield control over something you can’t control, once it’s been established. Entropy is inherent in the cycle. Any hexagram with a change line is in flux, not static.

Plants, people, and creation are in flux, too. So we can’t bring order to anything that’s on the wane. The time for order has passed. It’s in disorder and dying.

Thank you for your questions.