...life can be translucent

Menu

What is Hexagram 57 6th line really about.

learner

visitor
Joined
Nov 15, 1971
Messages
139
Reaction score
4
Dear all,

Ten days ago I asked the I-Ching a question concerning this period of time when I am living here in Oxford-UK. Actually, I was trying to understand what this experience might represent in my life.

The answer came with Hex 57, second and sixth moving lines.

"Nine at the top means:
Penetration under the bed.
He loses his property and his ax.
Perseverance brings misfortune."

I became quite upset about the answer, relating the dreadful sixth line to something that would likely happen to me.
Then, I asked again two days ago and got Hex 39 -Obstruction.

Six in the fourth place means:
Going leads to obstructions,
Coming leads to union.

Nine in the fifth place means:
In the midst of the greatest obstructions,
Friends come.

Six at the top means:
Going leads to obstructions,
Coming leads to great good fortune.
It furthers one to see the great man.

Again, I related the lines to me. I was misled by the meaning, unfortunately.

Yesterday, I received a phone call from Brazil and was informed that my nephew had been killed in an accident.

Now, finally, I know what the Hex 57 top line means. But probably it is going to be a long time before I figure out if this meaning is a warning, something avoidable or just fate.
I wish I had known.

Thank you all.
Mirian
 

pedro

visitor
Joined
Jul 10, 1971
Messages
311
Reaction score
0
Mirian,
Dont do this to yourself. You couldnt have known because there was nothing the Yi was telling you. You werent even asking about this unfortunate accident, and that line (or any other) does NOT mean death.
You are just tricking yourself into believing that the Yi was trying to tell you something, but it was only your reasoning afterwards that made it seem so. The line wasnt telling you anything until you chose to relate it to your loss.
There was no way you could have made this association in the first place, because it is YOU that supply the context, and you couldnt supply what you didnt know at the time.
Before there is a context the Yi tells you nothing, so there is no line on the Yi that means death (or any other thing) just by itself. And after you set a context, each and every line can be interpreted in terms of your own subjective experience, whatever it is.
So dont harm yourself with these thoughts. You dont deserve it.
 

joang

visitor
Joined
Nov 24, 1971
Messages
213
Reaction score
0
Dear Mirian:
I am indeed sorry for your loss. I am unable, however, to see where the top line could reasonably be construed as predicting your nephew's death. I thought the Legge translation Martin posted, "the axe with which she executed her decisions" made a lot more sense. In that case, I would equate your axe with courage and self-confidence, as that is what is needed to execute important decisions.

It might also be helpful to consider that an axe is a tool used for cutting through hard wood, to clear a path, build a shelter, obtain firewood, etc., and it can also be used as a weapon if need be.

I think you are setting yourself up for a guilt trip by imagining that you could have prevented the accident if only you had interpreted the top line 'correctly' beforehand. If the powers that be intended that the accident be prevented, it is more likely that a warning dream or vision would have been sent to a closer relative in Brazil, rather than an aunt half a world away, don't you agree? I hope this gives you some peace of mind.

Namaste,
Joan
 

midaughter

visitor
Joined
May 10, 1971
Messages
392
Reaction score
4
Dear M:
Hexagram 56, 6th line does not relate to death; it relates to loss of property.

Secondly, the influence of the sixth line has yet to occur.

Third: Its not always 'fate' sometimes when you are alerted in advance you can avoid the problem: As I said before, you had the 2nd line 'magicians are used in great number' I assume that is us, and the influence sets in from the bottom up, so you have the 3rd, 4th, and 5th before the dreaded six appears. When compared against the tragic loss of your nephew, the loss of property (your ax and so forth) should take on perpective-it not THAT bad. Anyway, you still have time and should not give it too much of your precious energy. You can cope with this and enjoy yourself and your time in England. Lighten up a bit. Sun
PS Photocopy your important papers if you have not done so.
 

hilary

Administrator
Joined
Apr 8, 1970
Messages
19,149
Reaction score
3,418
Dear Mirian,

I'm so sorry about your nephew.

I agree absolutely, 100% with Joan and Pedro. I don't see any connection between those lines and death, even now. I usually connect 57, line 6 with looking into things too deeply, trying too hard to understand, or sometimes insisting on being humble. This means you risk losing the sense of your own powers of decision and being in charge of your own life. That is a warning you can do something about, not a 'fate' to wait for.

Anyway, that's one possible interpretation of 57,6 for you: don't 'lose yourself' in the midst of it all as you try to adapt. Sun has given you another good, literal one - don't lose your passport!

I have, once, had Yi tell me in advance about a death. There was absolutely no question of this being 'warning': I couldn't possibly have interpreted it in advance. After the death, the reading (Hexagram 1, unchanging) ran through me like a backbone, telling me with total clarity that spirit endures without form. That is the kind of thing Yi will do for you - not tease you with unintelligible 'warnings' to make you feel even worse afterwards.

Hold onto your 'own axe'... try, if you can, not to dig too far down.

with love,
Hilary
 

pedro

visitor
Joined
Jul 10, 1971
Messages
311
Reaction score
0
Hi Hilary, and all, thats precisely what I mean: how would #1 be thought of like death? its only our a posteriori association (our minds just stick to whatever they can) that confers that specific meaning to the hexagram (from then on). Its only subjective, and although a pretty good deal of each individual's set of hexagram meanings is built over the times like this (ie, empiricaly, by remembering when and how we got that answer previously), we should keep in mind that THAT aint the hexagrams primary meaning, its our construction, and as such it should be questioned.

love to you all
 

learner

visitor
Joined
Nov 15, 1971
Messages
139
Reaction score
4
Thank you very much indeed all of you. I am very grateful for your words. I wish I could meaningfully express my feelings. It has been one of those moments in our lives when it seems that we have to come to grips with everything at the same time. The hexagram which depicts the background in my last reading is the way I found myself all of a sudden -the Wanderer.
Some aspects of recent events still appear impenetrable. Some parts of the I-Ching reading remain elusive. I think that this is understandable, considering the circumstances.

However, I will bear in mind what all off you told me about this Hex 57 answer. I do not want to give up on the I-Ching so easily....

With love,

Mirian
 

joang

visitor
Joined
Nov 24, 1971
Messages
213
Reaction score
0
Mirian, rather than give up on the I Ching, please consider switching to a translation that does not have the dark, foreboding tone that the W/B version often has. Take a copy of 57.6, and any other passages that scare you, to the library or book store, and compare them to other translations. I am sure you can find an I Ching book that will suit you better in your current vulnerable state of mind. Just for example, this is what Sarah Dening gives for 57.6:

You have delved far enough into all the whys and wherefores of the situation. If you go any further with this, you will have no energy left to actually do anything about it. Make the best decision you can and proceed to act on it.

As you can see, that is much less alarming than W/B. The W/B version preserves much of the meaning of the original works, but you have to remember that they were written during a dark, difficult, dangerous time in Chinese history, and that is reflected in the writings of King Wen and the Duke of Chou.

Hope that eases your mind.

Namaste,
Joan
 
C

cheiron

Guest
Dear Miriam

I am so sorry about the loss of your nephew.

It must be especially difficult since you are so far away from home and presumably embarking on a new development for yourself in Oxford.

I hope you do not loose this opportunity you have for yourself now. Sometimes it is hard to move your own life on when you loose someone you love? I wonder... If he could speak to you now? what would he want for you?

As for your reading? I agree with much that has been said above.

I would add:

Many people come to the Yi Jing seeking to know their fortune or the future. Essentially, as folk have said above, it?s answers are mainly context based. Also, when you know it well enough it advises against getting into the idea of fate. Most answers are in the guise of ?do this and this will be the likely outcome.? So you can change what you do! Not ?this is fate and it will happen?

But some things we will not see... we are not all seeing... there is not always a route to avoid... and so we cannot always protect those we love.

I have lost loved ones when I have been close by? Always the initial question is, ?Could I have made a difference. Why should I be OK when they are not? Feel the pain of loss, it is real? love him still, you do. Live on as I guess he would have wanted.

A Moon Axe? it is a thing which is of ones potency in the world? times of loss are not times of potency? that is all.

I disagree that Wilhelm Baynes is Dark?It is very difficult to understand without a lot of study... try 20 years ;)? Yes, it is raw and steeped in Bronze Age history of ?hard times?? Jack Balkin?s copy provides a serious and easier access to understanding? Be aware that there are many versions which are total rubbish?. ?Clarity? has an excellent review page which will help you find a good translation / interpretation.

Of the Yi Jing? As above? People often come to it because they want to know the future? later they learn that it actually shows them the nature of the time and the best way to respond to it? later still (as ones learning grows) it shows how one can form ones future through personal disposition and action? and then as one develops still further it shows another much deeper lesson which like all lessons you have to find yourself? it is not really about divination at all!!!

Miriam,

Life avails love? love brings loss? it is hard.

But without love there is nothing.

Tonight I light three candles,

One for your nephew,

One for you,

And the last for whatever path we are all yet to tread.

With Love and warmth from a stranger

--Kevin
 

learner

visitor
Joined
Nov 15, 1971
Messages
139
Reaction score
4
Dear Kevin,
Your lovely candles brought warmth to my heart.

Dear Joan,
Your sensible advice brought wisdom to my mind.

Dear Pedro,
Your perception enlightened my soul.

Dear Sun,
Your balanced view brought me back to Earth.

Dear Hilary,
You brought me Clarity.

I hope that the thoughts and ideas expressed by all of you here can be useful to everyone looking for a better understanding of life.
Not only are they about loss, but also about love, generosity and friendship.

All the best,

Mirian
 

Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom

Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).

Top