Where do I go from here?

[cherrypicka]

Hi everybody,

I recently started what appears to be the dream job. Everything about it seemed to fall perfectly and it seemed absolutely meant to be. This initially gave me a lot of confidence and happiness. However, I've been more stressed about this than anything ever in my life before.

Apart from feelings of extreme lack of self esteem which have almost certainly impacted on the job, I had to relocate to do the job while leaving my family over 200 miles away. We've coped with this by me travelling back at weekends or my partner travelling down here to see me. Although the job has responsibilities, my authority is consistently undermined by a subordinate - and this is supported by my bosses, on the grounds that she's been around longer than I have, having just started the job. However, I have years more experience than this subordinate, in my previous job.

Anway, the critical point seemed to occur last week when I did a presentation about the work I'd done in my last post. I'm not good or comfortable when speaking publically and I think made a particularly bad job of this one (at least I was extremely nervous because I was in front of a very large group who I had seen being very critical of other speakers). No body said that I'd made a bad job of it, but then again, nobody said I'd made a good job of it either. It was as tho' it should be forgotten about ASAP.

I'm off work today because finally the stress made itself known physically and I came down with flu and laryngitis. I am prepared to stay off work until I'm fully better, because I know that if I ignore it and carry on with painkillers that I could bring on more serious illness. At the same time I'm seriously wondering if I should pack this job in and go for something less prestigious and with lower wages - but at least it would be at home.

I did the i ching today asking 'where do I go from here' and came up with this answer.
hexagram 45 with changing lines; 1, 4, 5 and 6 to hexagram 1. I have to say; I don't understand this answer at all. But having said that, my intellectual abilities have been seriously compromised by the stress that I've been dealing with lately.

Does anyone have any thoughts or advice?

Cheers everybody ^-^

 

[cassius_clay]

Hallo. Hexagram 45 with changing lines 1, 4, 5 and 6 doesn't change into hexagram 1. It turns into hexagram 27.

 

[cherrypicka]

where do I go from here

Hi Cassius

I think you'll find that hexagram 46 - 1,4,5,6 changing lines does change to hexagram 1

 

[cherrypicka]

I typed hexagram 45 instead of hexagram 46 - Doh!

 

[fyreflye]

The message is that you are not in the job you prefer but the job you need in order to grow out of your real problem, which is not that your employers and colleagues are causing you to suffer but that you have to overcome your childish fears and need for approval in order to become a creative adult. You can only cherry pick your life experiences for so long before you find yourself in one that so challenges your neurotic needs that you have either to overcome them or run away. If you stick it out and learn to cope with what after all isn't caused by the situation but by your own mind you will enter the world of adulthood where whatever you have to give to the world will be able to flourish and grow. Ask the Yi for further advice.

-fyreflye

 

[rosada]

Good morning Cherry,

Let's see, you've started a new job with high hopes but now you are not so sure it was a good move. Underlings are rebellious, higher ups unsupportive, your work not recognized and on top of all that you are a long way from home.

Where do you go from here?

46. PUSHING UPWARD has supreme success.

This hexagram seems to be all about extablishing oneself in a new enviornment rather quickly as you have been forced to do, " - direct rise from obscurity and lowliness to power and influence."

The Judgement is optimistic, "Supreme success. One must see the great man. Fear not." Hmm...this would imply that your boss would be supportive, but this has not been the case.
"Departure toward the South brings good fortune." Supposedly, "The south" means "setting to work", that as you get to work you will experience good fortune.

The Image says the superior man heaps up small things in order to achieve something high and great.

So far it sounds to me like the IChing is commenting on how you are needing to establish yourself and that you will do this one day at a time, heaping up small achievements leading to something high and great.

Okay, how is this to happen? Line one suggests you have or need a spiritual affinity with someone higher up. So far the Higher Ups haven't been very supportive, right? Is there anyone there you feel is a friend? Or could this be refering to your family back home. Are they supportive?

46.4 Sounds like a referance to the presentation you gave, introducing everyone to your Gods and ancestors. Although this line says it was to give you fame in the eyes gods and men, you say the reaction was very ho-hum. Perhaps this is typical of this group? Being neutral is as close as they come to praise?

46.5 advises taking things step by step. Perhaps if everything had been as fabulous at the beginning as you dreamed it would be, it would be hard to maintain such a momentum.

46.6 Pushing upward in darkness. IT FURTHERS ONE TO BE UNREMITTINGLY PERSEVERING."He knows only advance, not retreat. But this means EXHAUSTION!"
Well, you are home sick, do you think maybe the I Ching is saying you've been trying too hard?

Seems to me all of 46 refers to things that have already happened, in which case maybe Hexagram 1 is you recovering your health and then being able to go back to the office making a fresh start. Or....

Could it be that this puzzel could work if it weren't for the commute? That the distance and time away from your family is so not your dream job that it drains all the color out of this adventure? With so many missing parts here that the I Ching says are required for a successful Pushing Upward (a supportive boss, a feeling of your former lifetime - work - being acknowledged), it maybe that the fresh start encouraged by Hexagram 1 means a brand new job. If so, I think your next step is to recover from the exhaustion and start looking right away for a new beginning elsewhere.
If however the commute is not a deal breaker then I feel this oracle is encouraging you to hang in there with this job, but it is also pointing out to you what is missing. Knowing that these missing things are considered by the I Ching to be essentials - a supportive boss, acknowledgement of your former work - and being assured by the IC that you are not crazy to feel "in darkness" without them, may give you the encouragement to presevere anyway.

Best wishes,
Rosada

 

[martin]

Hard to say, Cherrypicka, if 46 to 1 implies moving to another job or staying in this one.
But I think if you stay it may indicate that the worst is behind you now. Apparently - and this is implied in hexagram 46 - the problems that you experience in your job are for the most part related to hierarchy, pecking order, things like that.
Many newcomers have such problems but usually things settle after a while.
In a way it's probably a good sign if others try to undermine your authority because it means that they see you as capable. And as something of a threat. If they didn't they wouldn't fight you.

Line 5, according to Legge: ".. ascends the stairs with all due ceremony".
Is this fighting (undermining) part of the "ceremony", or of the ritual?
Perhaps. In any case, it could help to see it that way. As a ritual. Or an initiation rite.

Line 5 is the royal line and if you imagine a king or queen ascending the stairs (symbolic for climbing up the ladder to the place in this hierarchy that is rightfully yours) you can feel that he/she is confident. People may try to undermine him or her, that's part of the rite, but that in no way diminishes his/her sense of self worth. He/she is royal, nobody can take that away.

You might decide to stay, you might decide to look for another job, but either way you can have confidence. I think that is one of the messages of hexagram 46. I see it as a root (wood) in the earth. You are not walking on air, although it may feel like that at the moment. You have a secure base, something to fall back upon, experience, understanding, and so on.

Good luck!

 

[cassius_clay]

Hi Cassius

I think you'll find that hexagram 46 - 1,4,5,6 changing lines does change to hexagram 1

Ok. With hexagram 46 -1,4,5,6 into hexagram 1.........


46 Shêng - Pushing Upward
46.0 - The Judgement
This hexagram provides instruction on the proper way to rise in your chosen field or endeavor.
When you receive this hexagram, it is advantageous to seek the help from people in positions of authority. You must rely, however, on your own efforts and initiative, in order to succeed.
Recommended Reports
1. Kidney Tonification
2. Divine Law Meditation
46.1 - Line 1
Use the support that you have received from people above you, to bolster your confidence, which will, in turn, lend power to your efforts in rising.
46.4 - Line 4
This line represents the zenith of rising, and admonishes you to realize that your rise to success has been primarily due, to the work of your ancestors-whether or not you acknowledge their existence and influence in your life. Use this opportunity to connect back to the spiritual dimension of your life. No man or woman is an island, and the island extends far beyond your line of sight.
46.5 - Line 5
This line is received when there is a tendency to skip steps in the work to accomplish a goal. Persisting in this behavior will cause you regret.
46.6 - Line 6
This line is received when there is a tendency to press forward in one’s endeavors without due diligence. There is the habit of not paying sufficient attention to mistakes along the way, and of making decisions based on feelings, and the like. This blind way of doing things will lead to misfortune.
1 - The Creative
1.0 - The Judgement
Chien corresponds to the type of situations in which the will must prevail. Success, therefore, depends on the correct use of the will.
The first thing that must be understood concerning the will is that it works in partnership with the mind to bring about effects in our lives. The will initiates activities, changes, and all events. The mind (the subconscious) carries out and mediates the execution of the will, consequently, failure to harmonize what is willed, with the laws governing the mind, will lead to failure. The mind’s receptivity to the will is governed by cycles and it carries things to completion in lawfully defined stages in obedience to the will. The failures to achieve our will are mostly due to ignorance of these laws. In addition, we might fail because we will to manifest things that are in opposition to other wills that have been established in the mind (sub-conscious). These failures have kept people from realizing the essential unlimited and unconditioned nature of their being so that they do not dare to will what life demands.
Although the will is free in the sense that we can declare and establish any intention in the mind, success in life depends on willing only what is in harmony with heaven (the Divine Laws governing the spirit). The divine laws provide premises, which meet the test of truth, for the mind to reason on. Reasoning based on truth is necessary for the clarity of thinking that acts in support of the will. Of the 11 Laws of the divine spirit, the two highest laws guide man to maintain constancy in willing (not wavering) and dedicating her/his works to the universal good. The first of these laws teaches that inner peace is the highest attribute of man’s nature, and that man is one with all.
Since the use of the will corresponds to the waking state, success in the applications of the principles explained above depends on man’s state of vitality. The types of activities in which Chien prevails require energy, assertiveness, aggression, courage, leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, initiative, volition, structure (business plans, formulas, and so on), etc.
Recommended Reports
1. Balancing the Life-force

 

[cherrypicka]

Thank you for your interpretation Rosada,

You really seem to understand these hexagrams in regard to my situation so well! After a week off and significant recovery while at home I am seeing that maybe this job perhaps isn't working out and that maybe I don't want this career path at all with all it's attendent pressures! Maybe this experience was just to show me what I DON'T want to do! I think this break has given me a chance to maybe think about starting again in a whole new line of work - to begin again, as indicated in hexagram no.1


Also, in my last job at home, I worked with a group of fantastic girls and we were all mutually supportive of eachother and it seemed that anything that went wrong was ever so bad! In my new job I'm working with a group of men who, while polite and obviously very nice, don't consider such support to be a thing that's necessary in the office. In my last position, I was considered to be very independent, resourceful and brave and certainly not afraid of a challenge. Here, I feel all at sea. I understood that things take a long time set up in the early days and while this was frustrating, I wasn't thrown so much by this (although nothing seemed to happen quickly enough). Thinking about it, It is mainly the lack of support system that has had major impacts on courage levels and drive.

Of course I don't want to make a hasty decision based on experiences that could be just a rite of passage or trial by fire or whatever and also just because coming home for a week has been such a pleasant escape. The job does seem to involve more that it's fair share of stress and pain - but does't every job? Perhaps once there is a support network in the new job, it will balance out?

Finally, I asked the I ching this morning (having finally admitted to myself that resigning from the job actually might be something the needs to be done);

Question; How would it be if I resigned from the job?

Hexagram 31 changing lines 1, 2 and 3 to hexagram 58

Although the final hexagram meaning is 'Joy' the preceding changing lines all speak of 'regret' and 'going forward in this way bringing misfortune' which I found a little worrying. I read one interpretation and these moving lines all suggest that being restless and wanting to be free right away will bring misfortune.

...and then 'Joy'?

Question; How would it be if I stayed with the job and perservered with it?

Hexagram 26 changing lines 1, 5 to hexagram 57

This one tells me to wait before advancing (making a final decision?) With line 5 telling me that I can have power over the thing that is attacking me (stress?) and that this comes from understanding its' nature.

Not quite sure how to proceed when I go back tho'

Thank you so much for your previous insights Rosada! If you have any more thoughts I'd be glad to hear them

Cherry

Good morning Cherry,

Let's see, you've started a new job with high hopes but now you are not so sure it was a good move. Underlings are rebellious, higher ups unsupportive, your work not recognized and on top of all that you are a long way from home.

Where do you go from here?

46. PUSHING UPWARD has supreme success.

This hexagram seems to be all about extablishing oneself in a new enviornment rather quickly as you have been forced to do, " - direct rise from obscurity and lowliness to power and influence."

The Judgement is optimistic, "Supreme success. One must see the great man. Fear not." Hmm...this would imply that your boss would be supportive, but this has not been the case.
"Departure toward the South brings good fortune." Supposedly, "The south" means "setting to work", that as you get to work you will experience good fortune.

The Image says the superior man heaps up small things in order to achieve something high and great.

So far it sounds to me like the IChing is commenting on how you are needing to establish yourself and that you will do this one day at a time, heaping up small achievements leading to something high and great.

Okay, how is this to happen? Line one suggests you have or need a spiritual affinity with someone higher up. So far the Higher Ups haven't been very supportive, right? Is there anyone there you feel is a friend? Or could this be refering to your family back home. Are they supportive?

46.4 Sounds like a referance to the presentation you gave, introducing everyone to your Gods and ancestors. Although this line says it was to give you fame in the eyes gods and men, you say the reaction was very ho-hum. Perhaps this is typical of this group? Being neutral is as close as they come to praise?

46.5 advises taking things step by step. Perhaps if everything had been as fabulous at the beginning as you dreamed it would be, it would be hard to maintain such a momentum.

46.6 Pushing upward in darkness. IT FURTHERS ONE TO BE UNREMITTINGLY PERSEVERING."He knows only advance, not retreat. But this means EXHAUSTION!"
Well, you are home sick, do you think maybe the I Ching is saying you've been trying too hard?

Seems to me all of 46 refers to things that have already happened, in which case maybe Hexagram 1 is you recovering your health and then being able to go back to the office making a fresh start. Or....

Could it be that this puzzel could work if it weren't for the commute? That the distance and time away from your family is so not your dream job that it drains all the color out of this adventure? With so many missing parts here that the I Ching says are required for a successful Pushing Upward (a supportive boss, a feeling of your former lifetime - work - being acknowledged), it maybe that the fresh start encouraged by Hexagram 1 means a brand new job. If so, I think your next step is to recover from the exhaustion and start looking right away for a new beginning elsewhere.
If however the commute is not a deal breaker then I feel this oracle is encouraging you to hang in there with this job, but it is also pointing out to you what is missing. Knowing that these missing things are considered by the I Ching to be essentials - a supportive boss, acknowledgement of your former work - and being assured by the IC that you are not crazy to feel "in darkness" without them, may give you the encouragement to presevere anyway.

Best wishes,
Rosada

 

[cherrypicka]

Thank you Martin, so much for your interpretation! I felt really uplifted to hear your thoughts - especially the final note!

I think your interpretation is very accurate, and I did consider that by arriving, I had upset some people's applecarts and rattle some cages, so to speak. I'm normally a fairly balanced and quite a resilient character but, as I was saying to Rosada (see later replies), being away from all the normal support mechanisms did and does have an unexpectedly profound effect on the psyche - Unexpectedly because while the support is underpining everything, you don't know what strength it is giving you.

As most everything is a learning experience, maybe this is just bringing into focus the fact that there are issues here that have to be resolved that are not necessarily directly connected to the job

Thanks for all your help,

Best wishes,

Cherry

Hard to say, Cherrypicka, if 46 to 1 implies moving to another job or staying in this one.
But I think if you stay it may indicate that the worst is behind you now. Apparently - and this is implied in hexagram 46 - the problems that you experience in your job are for the most part related to hierarchy, pecking order, things like that.
Many newcomers have such problems but usually things settle after a while.
In a way it's probably a good sign if others try to undermine your authority because it means that they see you as capable. And as something of a threat. If they didn't they wouldn't fight you.

Line 5, according to Legge: ".. ascends the stairs with all due ceremony".
Is this fighting (undermining) part of the "ceremony", or of the ritual?
Perhaps. In any case, it could help to see it that way. As a ritual. Or an initiation rite.

Line 5 is the royal line and if you imagine a king or queen ascending the stairs (symbolic for climbing up the ladder to the place in this hierarchy that is rightfully yours) you can feel that he/she is confident. People may try to undermine him or her, that's part of the rite, but that in no way diminishes his/her sense of self worth. He/she is royal, nobody can take that away.

You might decide to stay, you might decide to look for another job, but either way you can have confidence. I think that is one of the messages of hexagram 46. I see it as a root (wood) in the earth. You are not walking on air, although it may feel like that at the moment. You have a secure base, something to fall back upon, experience, understanding, and so on.

Good luck!