When Yi's advice conflicts with gut and head

[julie]

I have written a book that will be published in May. This is a very big deal in my life. Now that the book is written, I'm thinking about publicity, and I'm considering hiring a publicist. I talked to one on the phone who I was quite impressed by and who gives journalists like me a substantial discount. The marketing aspects of this have felt fairly confusing and overwhelming, and I don't think my publisher is going to do much, so having someone really smart and knowledgeable on my side felt just wonderful. My instinct was to hire her on the spot, but I paused to let it all sink in and to chat with Yi about it.

What about hiring GC, the publicist I talked to? 23.6 to 2. Hmm... Not sure what the uneaten ripe fruit is here, but it doesn't sound so good. 2 is familiar to me in this regard -- it's critical that I stay grounded throughout this process.

What about looking for a different publicist? 14.3,6 to 54. Line 3 sounds like it would be really expensive. And the powerless of 54 is unappealing. But line 6 is pretty darn great, and Great Possession as a whole is pretty great too.

What about forgoing a publicist entirely? 50.6 to 32. Well! Nothing to complain about there!

Going on the basis of these readings alone, forgoing a publicist entirely is clearly the standout option. But going on the basis of the outer appearance, I'd definitely hire GC: she seems great, the idea of hiring her makes me feel supported and relieved, she's relatively affordable (though it's a big investment regardless). Right now, I kind of can't see a way to say no and not hire a publicist at all.

My typical approach is to use Yi to develop my own thoughts. I take its advice very seriously, but just as I would with a wise human being, I don't follow its advice just because it said so; I allow its wisdom to influence my own thinking. And right now, to follow its advice (or rather, what I'm understanding its advice to be), I'd have to just trust it and ignore my own sense of the situation.

So I'm hoping that you all might be able to shed light on these readings in a way that allows me to make better sense of Yi's perspective. TIA.

 

[julie]

I suppose one way of reading 23.6 is that it would involve stripping away some of my money, and although it wouldn't benefit this book all that much, it would set me up for the next. (I'm thinking of the seed from the uneaten ripe fruit sprouting.) It would give me a cart to carry me, but it would also leave me with a stripped hut: less money at the moment.

 

[rosada]

Could this reading be a mirror of your feeling that your publisher is not going to do much to promote you? The large fruit could be the book and "remaining uneaten" could refer to your concern that under the current arrangement it wont get read so you are having to Split Apart from relying solely on your publisher and are looking to hire your own publicist. A person without means would not be able to do this, but you can afford to hire a "carriage". (Also, could "carriage" mean a book tour?) Anyway, I see the whole reading as referring to your current arrangements rather than this particular publicist. Maybe you are being urged to talk to the publisher and find out more specifically what they are intending to do for you so you can know if you really do need to do anything yourself. The fact that you got hex.2 could mean the publisher has no plans but also could mean that if you talk to them you might plant some seeds. Maybe it will turn out you don't need to hire anyone else after all (50.6)!
p.s. I don't think 54 is this reading is a negative, more like you are looking for someone who knows their business so that all you have to do is follow their guidance.

Congratulations on completing your book!!!!!

 

[julie]

Thanks for those thoughts, rosada.

I'm also pondering 50.6 a bit more. Hilary has this wonderful article about it (http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/answers/2008/05/27/vessel-jade-handle/), where she makes this comment:
"A jade handle for your ding is a sign of its great beauty and value, of its spiritual and enduring nature, and of how much you have invested in it. What it isn’t, though, is a practical way to lift and move the vessel. Some ding are quite small and manageable; some really aren’t. Jade is hard, but also quite brittle; it seems very unlikely you could lift a jade-handled vessel of any size.

"So to give a ding a jade handle is also a sign that you no longer need to move it around. This is the Vessel Enduring (changing 50.6 takes you to 32): like some other sixth lines (think of 53.6), it’s moved beyond the realm of the merely useful and become pure symbol."

Thinking about what that means in this context. Certainly seems like it's going beyond the nitty-gritty world of pitching magazines, etc. Pointing me toward looking for success on a higher level.

 

[canislulu]

I agree with Rosada's sense of the readings. The "ripe fruit" is your book. It is also "14" --- a "Great Possession". And it is a "Vessel with a Jade Handle" and any approach you take will bring a harvest. All of the readings seem positive to me.

You received the final changing line of "Stripping Away" --- then end of stripping away. I think perhaps writing this book has expressed something "essential" for you. Perhaps you went through a sacrifice of "nonessential" things in the process of writing it and now it is a ripe fruit, 'though not yet eaten will give you a completely new life. This book will not simply be something that is consumed by one -- it will be a seed to grow a tree with fruit for many. Perhaps Stephen Karcher's sense of the "Marrying Maiden" (hexagram 54) as a "Radical Change of State over which you have no control" applies here as much as the sense of "being a second fiddle". The process of writing the book was perhaps like H 53 --- a gradual process. Now it is going to be published you are entering more of a"54" state of realization.

As you say, "This is a very big deal in my life." Congratulation.

 

[canislulu]

I agree with Rosada's sense of the readings. The "ripe fruit" is your book. It is also "14" --- a "Great Possession". And it is a "Vessel with a Jade Handle" and any approach you take will bring a harvest. All of the readings seem positive to me.

You received the final changing line of "Stripping Away" --- then end of stripping away. I think perhaps writing this book has expressed something "essential" for you. Perhaps you went through a sacrifice of "nonessential" things in the process of writing it and now it is a ripe fruit, 'though not yet eaten will give you a completely new life. This book will not simply be something that is consumed by one -- it will be a seed to grow a tree with fruit for many. Perhaps Stephen Karcher's sense of the "Marrying Maiden" (hexagram 54) as a "Radical Change of State over which you have no control" applies here as much as the sense of "being a second fiddle". The process of writing the book was perhaps like H 53 --- a gradual process. Now it is going to be published you are entering more of a"54" state of realization.

As you say, "This is a very big deal in my life." Congratulations.

 

[julie]

Ah, yes. That's making a lot of sense. I have indeed laid myself bare in this book.

That's all very reassuring. Thanks, guys.