Yi told me to restrain and stop myself ? hexagram 26 twice "26.1.3.6>7 and 26.1.2.3>23"

[ymoshietsu]

Hello everyone,

I asked two questions to the yi-jing which seems to me surprisingly much similar since I threw the hexagram 26 twice with quasi-similar lines

the first question was: What can you tell me about the future of my love life? 26.1.3.6>7

The second question was: What must I do so that the universe manifests in my life the woman I desire? 26.1.2.3>23

from here http://wengu.tartarie.com/wg/wengu.php?l=Yijing&no=26

26 Ta Ch'u / The Taming Power of the Great
Above KÊN KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN
Below CH'IEN THE CREATIVE, HEAVEN
The Creative is tamed by Kên, Keeping Still. This produces great power, a situation in contrast to that of the ninth hexagram, Hsiao Ch'u, THE TAMING POWER OF THE SMALL, in which the Creative is tamed by the Gentle alone. There one weak line must tame five strong lines, but here four strong lines are restrained by two weak lines; in addition to a minister, there is a prince, and the restraining power therefore is far stronger.

The hexagram has a threefold meaning, expressing different aspects of the concept "holding firm. " Heaven within the mountain gives the idea of holding firm in the sense of holding together; the trigram Kên which holds the trigram Ch'ien still, gives the idea of holding firm in the sense of holding back; the third idea is that of holding firm in the sense of caring for and nourishing. This last is suggested by the fact that a strong line at the top, which is the ruler of the hexagram, is honored and tended as a sage. The third of these meanings also attaches specifically to this strong line at the top, which represents the sage.

JUDGEMENT
THE TAMING POWER OF THE GREAT.
Perseverance furthers.
Not eating at home brings good fortune.
It furthers one to cross the great water.
To hold firmly to great creative powers and store them up, as set forth in this hexagram, there is need of a strong, clear-headed man who is honored by the ruler. The trigram Ch'ein points to strong creative power; Kên indicates firmness and truth. Both point to light and clarity and to the daily renewal of character. Only through such daily self-renewal can a man continue at the height of his powers. Force of habit helps to keep order in quiet times; but in periods when there is a great storing up of energy, everything depends on the power of the personality. However, since the worthy are honored, as in the case of the strong personality entrusted with leadership by the ruler, it is an advantage not to eat at home but rather to earn one's bread by entering upon public office. Such a man is in harmony with heaven; therefore even great and difficult undertakings, such as crossing the great water, succeed.

THE IMAGE
Heaven within the mountain:
The image of THE TAMING POWER OF THE GREAT.
Thus the superior man acquaints himself with many sayings of antiquity
And many deeds of the past,
In order to strengthen his character thereby.
Heaven within the mountain points to hidden treasures. In the words and deeds of the past there lies hidden a treasure that men may use to strengthen and elevate their own characters. The way to study the past is not to confine oneself to mere knowledge of history but, through application of this knowledge, to give actuality to the past.

LINE 1
Danger is at hand. It furthers one to desist.
A man wishes to make vigorous advance, but circumstances present an obstacle. He sees himself held back firmly. If he should attempt to force an advance, it would lead him into misfortune. Therefore it is better for him to compose himself and to wait until an outlet is offered for release of his stored-up energies.

LINE 2
The axletrees are taken from the wagon.
Here advance is checked just as in the third line of THE TAMING POWER OF THE SMALL (9 ). However, in the later the restraining force is slight; thus a conflict arises between the propulsive and the restraining movement, as a result of which the spokes fall out of the wagon wheels, while here the restraining force is absolutely superior; hence no struggle takes place. One submits and removes the axletrees from the wagon–in other words, contents himself with waiting. In this way energy accumulates for a vigorous advance later on.

LINE 3
A good horse that follows others.
Awareness of danger,
With perseverance, furthers.
Practice chariot driving and armed defense daily.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
The way opens; the hindrance has been cleared away. A man is in contact with a strong will acting in the same direction as his own, and goes forward like one good horse following another. But danger still threatens, and he must remain aware of it, or he will be robbed of his firmness. Thus he must acquire skill on the one hand in what will take him forward, and on the other in what will protect him against unforeseen attacks. It is good in such a pass to have a goal toward which to strive.

LINE 6
One attains the way of heaven.
Success.
The time of obstruction is past. The energy long dammed up by inhibition forces its way out and achieves great success. This refers to a man who is honored by the ruler and whose principles now prevail and shape the world.

So here my interpretation :

What can you tell me about the future of my love life? 26.1.3.6>7

26.1.3.6 seems to describe a path according to which the way will open gradually, because first it evokes the stop with line 1, a period where nothing happens, then an opening with line 3 but which still requires to be careful and finally that I will manage to reach the sky, i.e. to fulfill my objective. The 7 in context seems to emphasize my discipline and working on being the strong man. Maybe it's the fact that I'm focusing on myself instead of putting my energies out there. there seems to be a creative process in restricting my energy

What must I do so that the universe manifests in my life the woman I desire? 26.1.2.3>23

It seems simple enough, line 1 says "you must stop doing anything or it would be perilous"
Line 2 seems to repeat again what line 1 says with the difference that it seems to add that it is the external circumstances that do not allow me to act, that it is not my fault and therefore there is nothing to do.
Concerning line 3 I am divided, on the one hand it could indicate that I must remain open but always be aware of the danger and another interpretation would be to remain firm in my entrenchments, to concentrate my energy on me "practice every day to drive the tank and to handle the weapons" should we see in it the advice to be master of oneself and to continue to work to be a better person? which will open the way according to the line... 23 in context seems to emphasize the idea of stripping away and that there is no direction to go

In conclusion, the answer makes me think of the message of hexagram 17 "follow the current of life".

What do you think of my interpretations and what additions you could make or reading advice? From my point of view, these two readings seem quite simple but I would like to have a confirmation. Thanks in advance.

 

[ymoshietsu]

anyone has some insight ? after think about line 3, it could also be the struggle against myself, I should exercise a will not to put energy outside and follow the "other horses" while being careful ? I really don't know

 

[Trojina]

No one replied yet so am bumping the thread up. I'm not clear about the reading will look later.

The first thought that strikes me though is you are talking about 'manifesting' the woman as if she will be provided whereas maybe it's a question not of waiting but of seeing who is already there you would like more connection with.

 

[ymoshietsu]

Well, there is absolutely no one at the moment with I can have deeper connection or someone that attract me, so this is why I ask why should I do to let the universe manifest this special woman I want to

 

[Trojina]

What can you tell me about the future of my love life? 26.1.3.6>7

26.1.3.6 seems to describe a path according to which the way will open gradually, because first it evokes the stop with line 1, a period where nothing happens, then an opening with line 3 but which still requires to be careful and finally that I will manage to reach the sky, i.e. to fulfill my objective. The 7 in context seems to emphasize my discipline and working on being the strong man. Maybe it's the fact that I'm focusing on myself instead of putting my energies out there. there seems to be a creative process in restricting my energy

I think I agree with you on that -there does seem to be a creative process in restricting your energy it seems to be talking about the benefits of cultivating what you have/getting stronger/becoming more attractive. The question this raises for me is how attractive are you finding yourself? I know it's an odd question but it is said the relationship one has with oneself is a foundation for the relationship one can have with others. Great Taming's Army certainly has a strong theme of holding energy and deeds in reserve whilst at the same time holding great focus and determination. I notice the yang pattern is 22, appearances the yin pattern is 47 so the very framework of the question seems around the tension between self presentation (22) and self repression(47)

26.3 makes me think of building one's body up/cultivating appearance/taking positive steps every day to reach a goal. Do you feel there is anything you need to work on to make you feel really good about yourself in how you look, how you present yourself, how you make approaches...all that kind of thing?

26.6 of course is 'all systems go' but what about line 1? Line 1 is a definite 'hold on there' isn't it. This is Hilary's commentary on the line from wikiwing

26 zhi Hexagram 18, Great Taming Corruption. There's something wrong under the surface, some angry ghost, unexorcised past, momentum in the wrong direction. This applies even if you think you've moved on! The line's first message: stop, don't charge headlong into disaster. Second message: how can you engage with that negative influence so as to bring it to an end?

It seems to suggest there's something to get out of the way before you fully embark on finding a woman and I cannot say what that might be? Clues might be in previous relationships or even friendships. For example is there always the same problem in relationships or even is there someone you still want to be with, someone from the past. There's something that needs checking out.

In general I think Yi is saying there's work to do in getting yourself ready to be with someone.

What must I do so that the universe manifests in my life the woman I desire? 26.1.2.3>23

It seems simple enough, line 1 says "you must stop doing anything or it would be perilous"
Line 2 seems to repeat again what line 1 says with the difference that it seems to add that it is the external circumstances that do not allow me to act, that it is not my fault and therefore there is nothing to do.
Concerning line 3 I am divided, on the one hand it could indicate that I must remain open but always be aware of the danger and another interpretation would be to remain firm in my entrenchments, to concentrate my energy on me "practice every day to drive the tank and to handle the weapons" should we see in it the advice to be master of oneself and to continue to work to be a better person? which will open the way according to the line... 23 in context seems to emphasize the idea of stripping away and that there is no direction to go

Remember you are coming to the question with a particular belief about people being able to manifest other people. Here Yi may be pointing out it's not quite like that, you can't just manifest someone and maybe the belief you can isn't the best thing for you. I'm not saying you can't, if you really want something, bring someone to yourself through focus but it's not like there's a particular thing you can do to make it happen - well there's things like using dating sites and so on I guess but if you would just like someone to come into your life naturally then there's no specific thing you can do although I do get visions of the gym with 26.3 and 7 and now here 26.3 again and 26.2.

It's just an impression but it kind of feels like you really making the most of your assets in order to become the super attractive version of yourself. I don't know what kinds of things you do already but on a mundane level I'd say it was time to do all the things that make you most fit both physically and mentally and spiritually. Really take care of yourself and build up your assets. So this might involve some counselling even, or different kinds of therapies and also physical things like going to the gym (where there are plenty of women ) dancing, making yourself look good, looking in the mirror and telling yourself you are looking good ....all that stuff, vitamins, good diet, playing games, treating yourself like a good racehorse that needs a lot of care.

I'm not sure about the 23 here, it could be you are still experiencing pain from the past that's undermining you and that's why you really need to build yourself up. I get the impression Yi is saying you need a bit more strength in yourself perhaps in order to meet with the right woman for you.

I like these answers, they are quite dynamic especially the first one. It seems there is a lot of energy there needing focus and Yi is saying 'start with you'. Don't rush into anything though (26.1) 26.2 shows something just isn't ready yet or rather something is hurt/out of action. 26.3 becomes stronger each day and also becomes more and more focused and specific about goals. For fun while you are getting yourself ready trying and specifically picture the perfect woman you'd like to be with - I'm sure you've done that already but be more specific about what she's like and so on.

You got 26.1 twice so there is some kind of danger in you just deciding you have to 'go for it' right now. What danger do you think that is? Were there previous girlfriends you can link to where something went wrong? So you aren't holding off forever or stifling your wishes you are just using the time to become much stronger in some way.

 

[ymoshietsu]

I think I agree with you on that -there does seem to be a creative process in restricting your energy it seems to be talking about the benefits of cultivating what you have/getting stronger/becoming more attractive. The question this raises for me is how attractive are you finding yourself? I know it's an odd question but it is said the relationship one has with oneself is a foundation for the relationship one can have with others. Great Taming's Army certainly has a strong theme of holding energy and deeds in reserve whilst at the same time holding great focus and determination. I notice the yang pattern is 22, appearances the yin pattern is 47 so the very framework of the question seems around the tension between self presentation (22) and self repression(47)

It's not a strange question and to tell you the truth, I have all the confidence in me as well as awareness of my value, I don't have any worries about the attraction I can have on women nor how I see myself but it's true that I oscillate between two questions "How should I be? but also, just be yourself" which is a good way to find the right balance between hex 22 and 47.

26.3 makes me think of building one's body up/cultivating appearance/taking positive steps every day to reach a goal. Do you feel there is anything you need to work on to make you feel really good about yourself in how you look, how you present yourself, how you make approaches...all that kind of thing?

this is exactly my position for some time, I noticed two things to change in myself, stop being the "nice guy" wanting to please everyone (I made a lot of effort to change that already) and not to show my vulnerabilities too soon when I meet or talk with a woman

26.6 of course is 'all systems go' but what about line 1? Line 1 is a definite 'hold on there' isn't it. This is Hilary's commentary on the line from wikiwing

It seems to suggest there's something to get out of the way before you fully embark on finding a woman and I cannot say what that might be? Clues might be in previous relationships or even friendships. For example is there always the same problem in relationships or even is there someone you still want to be with, someone from the past. There's something that needs checking out.

Line 6 seems to say indeed that there is no problem to find the right partner and I tend to think that line 1 tells me that I should not go ahead to find her, it is clearly a stop signal!

On the other hand, I have absolutely no idea what to put aside. My last few relationships were with women who were not intellectually suitable for me and who could not open up emotionally, I guess my choices are wrong and I knew it..hence the idea of "manifesting the right person" because I only meet women who are not suitable for me and I'm tired of making that observation.

However, let's note that hexagram 26 also says to go eat somewhere other than home so maybe I can respond to invitations that are made to me but not take initiative in my search for the right partner

In general I think Yi is saying there's work to do in getting yourself ready to be with someone.

Or maybe he's telling me to stop wanting her and to absolutely look for her, he's offering advice to keep working on oneself and to stop obsessing

Remember you are coming to the question with a particular belief about people being able to manifest other people. Here Yi may be pointing out it's not quite like that, you can't just manifest someone and maybe the belief you can isn't the best thing for you. I'm not saying you can't, if you really want something, bring someone to yourself through focus but it's not like there's a particular thing you can do to make it happen - well there's things like using dating sites and so on I guess but if you would just like someone to come into your life naturally then there's no specific thing you can do although I do get visions of the gym with 26.3 and 7 and now here 26.3 again and 26.2.

Indeed, my previous relationships have been on dating sites and I've never seen so many broken people on them. That's why I'm clearly abandoning this idea. It's not really me manifesting, it's more asking the universe what attitude I should adopt so that it manifests this woman in my life. It is not in my power but in life itself to generate this event and that maybe there are certain dispositions I should have to facilitate this process? I don't know if you understand well what I am trying to say but it is as simple as possible

It's just an impression but it kind of feels like you really making the most of your assets in order to become the super attractive version of yourself. I don't know what kinds of things you do already but on a mundane level I'd say it was time to do all the things that make you most fit both physically and mentally and spiritually. Really take care of yourself and build up your assets. So this might involve some counselling even, or different kinds of therapies and also physical things like going to the gym (where there are plenty of women ) dancing, making yourself look good, looking in the mirror and telling yourself you are looking good ....all that stuff, vitamins, good diet, playing games, treating yourself like a good racehorse that needs a lot of care.

It is not an impression, I do absolutely everything possible to be the best version of myself at all levels, I read, I do sports, I meditate, I work, I take food supplements. I even started treatment sessions by hyperbaric oxygen chamber to be really at the top of the top for me but also if this charming future lady came

I'm not sure about the 23 here, it could be you are still experiencing pain from the past that's undermining you and that's why you really need to build yourself up. I get the impression Yi is saying you need a bit more strength in yourself perhaps in order to meet with the right woman for you.

That's probably the case cause I've been a bit hurt two months ago but I really feel better now and try to move on.

I like these answers, they are quite dynamic especially the first one. It seems there is a lot of energy there needing focus and Yi is saying 'start with you'. Don't rush into anything though (26.1) 26.2 shows something just isn't ready yet or rather something is hurt/out of action. 26.3 becomes stronger each day and also becomes more and more focused and specific about goals. For fun while you are getting yourself ready trying and specifically picture the perfect woman you'd like to be with - I'm sure you've done that already but be more specific about what she's like and so on.

These answers seem to me to be very much in line indeed. One seems to provide protective advice. 26.1 to not get involved with women who are not compatible with me. 26.2 is reassuring that I am not responsible for this inability to find the right partner but rather to say that outside of my actions, the time when that special woman should appear has not yet come for a reason beyond my control

You got 26.1 twice so there is some kind of danger in you just deciding you have to 'go for it' right now. What danger do you think that is? Were there previous girlfriends you can link to where something went wrong? So you aren't holding off forever or stifling your wishes you are just using the time to become much stronger in some way.

I think this is the danger of making sacrifices of myself and my values to get involved with women who are very different from who I am and therefore will not be able to love me as I am. there is also 26.3 which comes back twice... working for oneself allows to remove obstructions and to sail with the other horses...