Which Way to Flop?

[gregcat]

Hi, I'm new to the list. Recently asked the Ching advice on this situation: Should I contact this theatrical producer about a project she mentioned to me months ago, and which I'm interested in getting commissioned to write, or should I relax and assume she'll call me when she's ready? I have a long-term free-lance working relationship with her, but it's been up and down and I'm not sure how to read her silence. Last email from her said "I'll contact you in July." Now of course it's nearly October. I drew Hexagram 11, Peace, with lines 1 and 6 changing, moving to Hexagram 18, Decay. Overall, it looks to me like this commission may not go forward--the producer may decide to drop it. The confusing part of course is line 1 9 at the bottom: "actions you take now will meet with good fortune" (I'm using R. L. Wing because it's what I have here at work). Then 6 at the top says " a decline has begun" and hex 18 is decay. So, overall should I ignore the advice of line 1 and assume that any action I take won't meet with success?" Such as, basically, contacting her, asking her where we are with this project? I don't feel very confident about calling her--I usually email.

chad

 

[magictortoise]

Gregcat,
Hi and welcome to the list.

Suggestion for future questions. You might get a clearer response by asking one question at a time instead of putting multiple plans (in this case advancing or retreating) into one question. I suggest asking each question separately and then study the replies for both. Or if the reply to the first-asked question provides the resolution to doubts, then do not even ask the second.

As it was asked, though: When I first saw the answer my immediate response was a favorable reply on the whole, but is it favorable for advancing or favorable for retreating? The favorable line one would seem to support contacting the other person. The six at the top seems just the contrary and would support the 'relax' part of your question. Thus the ambiguity. Is there a middle way here? Do you know someone else connected with the company or project who might know if it is currently on the drawing board? Usually when I am uncertain of an action or my interpretation of the oracle's reply then I do not perform the action. I only go forward with all the troops mustered and in full confidence.

This is about all I can offer now. Hopefully others will chime in here and bring further clarity.


Best regards,

Ken

 

[willowfox]

Hex 11. 1 says to contact her and she will cooperate with you, success is indicated.

hex 11.6 now this line says that things are going to change and it will be okay to contact her as she is within your inner circle, the line says "make your commands known within your own town", therefore it is a very good idea to call her.

Hex 18 is about rectifying what has been left to decay, in this case your communications have decayed, so to fix that problem, all you have to do is call her.

 

[RindaR]

We all have our ways of reading... When I see or have a question like yours that has two options included, I generally assume the question is about the situation and the best way to deal with it. The point remains valid that with this kind of question it's more difficult to ascertain just what the various images in Yi are referencing.

I usually see the resulting hex as the background from which the question comes. In this reading it's decay, and I think it's up to the person asking to determine where that lies, ....my guess is that it could refer to the situation as a whole, your relationship with her, or the communication that wf mentioned, or some inner or outer situation that is part of the context of the situation.

Of hex 11, LiSe says: "Tai is about imploring for favors and blessings and receiving abundance and prosperity. " (see: http://www.yijing.nl/i_ching/) and goes on to add a bit later: "Happiness is the result of a state of mind, and going to Mount Tai is to find that." IMO that seems to pointing back to how you are looking at things, and may be asking you to (re?)consider the source of your blessings, your happiness. There is an openness/asking and a need to give/bestowing, a need for working together here for mutual satisfaction and pleasure.

11.1 "Uproot Mao-grass. Entangled roots, due to it's kind." Have you ever tried to pull up grass? If you pull on one stalk, it comes out from the stem and another takes its place tomorrow - that's ineffective. If you pull it up by the roots you can't get just one plant, it's hard work, and you pull up a fistful if the soil is wet, but it stays gone until re-planted or the neighboring grasses spread into the void. This says to me, that if you do the work, you'll earn the reward. Put your heart into it, all of it - don't just pick at it, (whatever 'it' is) in the given situation.

11.1> 46 "step by step", indicates that progress is made here by gradual and orderly work, by staying focused in the present and doing what's in front of you.

11.6 "The bulwark falls back into the moat" Describes a condition where all was or seemed to be secure, and then things fall apart and ya just don't know what direction to take. At this point drastic change is happening and about all you can do is to stay calm, stay as well organized as you can, and keep your eyes and mind wide open for opportunities that may present themselves.

46.6> "Shadowy ascent. Harvest: unceasing determination." You can't see where you're going (the goal), or even perhaps the next step in front of you, you are in a place where no one else can tell you what to do or how to achieve your goal. ...and it's going to take all your attention, all your strength, imagination, resilience, and resources to see how/where to move from your current situation towards where you want to be/ what you want to achieve.

The consistent feeling-tone of these hexagrams doesn't seem to match the feeling-tone of your note, and I'm not at all sure what to do with that dissonance. Is there more going on here than you've let on? (no need to answer that - just wondering out loud) Or perhaps the apparent scale of Yi's answer is out of proportion to the lesser intensity of your question. You're the only one who can say if that's the case, or if I'm just way off the mark! (It sure wouldn't be the first time! )

 

[gregcat]

Thanks

Thanks to all for your replies and advice. I think I actually phrased the question along the lines of "what will happen if I do not contact Ms. X about this commission? It is a strange situation--long-time working relationship, but one which i'm very ambiguous about--I like the money but I often find the creative collaboration very frustrating and artistically unrewarding. My "Everyday I Ching" said of Hex 11 line 1 "keep the pot on the boil" which suggests an active approach.

thanks,
Chad

 

[dobro p]

I think I actually phrased the question along the lines of "what will happen if I do not contact Ms. X about this commission?

My understanding of the oracle is that it doesn't matter whether you say: "What will happen if I do not..." or whether you say "what will happen if I do..." Furthermore, I don't think the oracle is very concerned with the timeframe of your question, not the way you are, anyway. All of that stuff is the province of your ego-mind, whereas the Yi is at least one giant step above all that. My understanding is that however you phrase the question, the Yi takes it as: "What about this situation?"

So in answer to your question about the commission, the Yi gave you 11.1.6>18. It seems to saying something like this: "The situation is a gracious time, as if heaven were communicating itself to earth, with the good stuff arriving and the crappy stuff leaving the scene. You're the right sort of person for the job, in other words. The problem is a conflict built into the situation in some way: on the one hand, your application or interest in the post deals effectively with a whole host of problems in one fell swoop, but on the other it's all a bit past the due date. The net result is that things have gone on too long and soured somehow. It's to your advantage however to work on salvaging the situation despite it having gone off the rails a somewhat. Work at it, give it some time, and it should turn out well."

Good luck with it.