Your Experiences with Unchanging Castings - Hexagram 11

[SunnySideUp]

Tai

This is not consulting Yi.
This is ignoring Yi,
and replacing its meanings with
ones own made up meanings.


Southeast Asia seems to have a recurring theme of practices like this that are only tangentially related to Yi.

Taiwan is not Thailand and it's not Southeast Asia. It's an island parallel to Hong Kong and it is also the place where many scholars, practitioners and experts on the Chinese ancient arts fled to when the communist took over in the mainland. 1½ million Chinese people settled in Taiwan after 1949, including Chiang Kai-shek, a former leader in China, defeated by Mao Zedong. Chiang Kai-shek brought with him a huge amount of the treasures from the Imperial Palace in Beijing, and the ancient arts of China thrived in Taiwan.
I know that these yes/no hexagrams seem to be formulaic. But my Taiwanese teacher had studied with many masters who had access to hundreds of years of traditions and teachings. He was not an oracle reader sitting in front of temples in Taipei making a buck or two answering quick questions. He was a scholar himself and, years later, when I lived in Taiwan, I looked up some of the places and organisations he was associated with, and they were all highly ranked.
Anyway, my teacher had a number of methods of consulting the Yi Jing. These yes/no hexagrams were just one approach for a quick answer, which never superseded the overall interpretation of a full set of questions and answers.

 

[moss elk]

Such exactness!
Such enthusiasm for
'words and terms having meanings'.

If only it somehow were applied to Yi study.

Saying 11 means a 'No' is like like saying 52 means Go, because mountains have passes that one can go through.

(it's completely wrong)

 

[chingching]

I had cast a reading for a question and got 25.1 > 12 and got to thinking about what is my natural state, as encouraged by LiSe's script and other comments on threads on the forum. So I cast for that question with the background being that I know I am currently very far from my natural state, my 'self' unimpaired by social influences etc. Who am I in my natural state? my answer was 11 UC, yin on top, now that's more like it. My experience of this has only been from time to time, but I know it, I know that 'Flow' it is like standing in between hex 2 and hex 1 like a conductor between the audience and the orchestra.

 

[Hartloper]

I had cast a reading for a question and got 25.1 > 12 and got to thinking about what is my natural state, as encouraged by LiSe's script and other comments on threads on the forum. So I cast for that question with the background being that I know I am currently very far from my natural state, my 'self' unimpaired by social influences etc. Who am I in my natural state? my answer was 11 UC, yin on top, now that's more like it. My experience of this has only been from time to time, but I know it, I know that 'Flow' it is like standing in between hex 2 and hex 1 like a conductor between the audience and the orchestra.

Hi chingching,

I second to that! spot on!

For 25.1. to appear in a thread on 11UC makes a lot of sense to me.

I have received this line several times in relation to people, situations, beliefs, past patterns best dealt with by walking on past: non-entanglement. Where do we err from the natural impulses of the heart. What just doesn't belong into our path and is best dealt with by letting it go and walking on past

dis-identifying.

not even trying to get that stone out of our way, but just walking around it ...

25.1. is the inner tool to deal with the "non-people" of hexagram 12, inner or outer ...

Best, J.

 

[Hartloper]

had a Yi dream i posted about.

i was in an artsy rooftop café with "the flow people". felt really good there. people and place where i could just naturally be myself.

then something emotionally disturbing happened and i excused myself to the bathroom to get out of the situation.

instead of gender signs there were hexagrams. hexagram 12 on the left door (yang on top, yin below). hexagram 11 on the right door (yin on top, yang below).

if i had followed my heart (25.1.>12), i would have walked right past the door with hexagram 12 and entered the one on the right with hexagram 11. but i felt i was obliged to use the one with hexagram 12 and got trapped in a room with no light and people.

the situation resolved itself later in the dream.

 

[iams girl]

Examples:
Rating (situation instantly resolved, total blessing from higher authority)
(1) What is my best approach today (related to a meeting I had scheduled with an executive who hired me about serious problems my manager at work was having)? 11uc: Met with the executive, briefly reviewed the situation, was immediately offered a new position, given a day to move, and started the new job the next day.
Rating (disappointed with "no," but turned out ok)
(2) Would X architects, be a good fit for my home remodel? 11uc: They emailed back and said no, they don´t do small remodels like mine. I had a Y and Z option also, and like to think I chose the best one for my needs.
Rating (no instant reward, just consolation)
(3) What is my real work toward peace this week? 11uc: It simply lightened my load that week to think in terms of better times coming.

I've tried with difficulty to find a common thread between these readings. The way things seemed to resolve, the various "the small departs, the great approaches" judgments seem closest. It did require effort on my part as well though which felt similar to what the W/B Image commentary suggests, in my loose interpretation, as work similar to tending a garden, controlling or furthering the nature of things for its best yield. (1) was like needing to cut back an overgrown blackberry bush. (2) was like accepting that a big tree wasn't going to fit where I wanted and needing to find a smaller one. (3) was like reading a garden magazine in the winter just dreaming about future improvements.

 

[iams girl]

Pondering hex 11 names such as Pervading (Karcher), Flow[ing] (HJB), Peace (W/B), Prospering (Wing):

Per the garden image in the above post, there can be a pervading peace one feels walking through a prospering Japanese garden (or any well kept garden really) or also a flowing peace like the first line of a hymn that goes "When peace like a river..." Maybe there's something to the work of hex 11 being about making choices aimed at creating such a state of being.

 

[dobro p]

It was a big mistake for Wilhelm to name 11 "Peace"
A better name might be "Engage," with Picard's accent
Maybe equilibrium, but, more often than not, dynamic.

Huang sees the dynamic aspect. He calls it 'Advance' - he says the Chinese word tai is super duper auspicious, and then he, Huang, feels that has the idea of 'progression, proceeding, advancing'.

But I don't think 'Peace' is a misnomer. Peace means huge advance to me.

 

[my_key]

Huang sees the dynamic aspect. He calls it 'Advance' - he says the Chinese word tai is super duper auspicious, and then he, Huang, feels that has the idea of 'progression, proceeding, advancing'.

But I don't think 'Peace' is a misnomer. Peace means huge advance to me.

Especially when inner peace can be maintained within the sometimes chaotic ebbs and flows that are created through change relentlessly advancing.

 

[Trojina]

Huang sees the dynamic aspect. He calls it 'Advance' - he says the Chinese word tai is super duper auspicious, and then he, Huang, feels that has the idea of 'progression, proceeding, advancing'.

But I don't think 'Peace' is a misnomer. Peace means huge advance to me.

Not sure if you already know but Bradford died some years ago. As you quoted him wasn't sure if you thought he might reply.

I think he was right about 11 being misnamed 'Peace' since mostly people then think on receiving 11 the time is one of unruffled disturbance, calm and quiet, when it can be very far from that. It's full engagement, heaven and earth meet, things develop and move. So while the word 'peace' might mean 'huge advance' for you it's not generally how the word is taken. Hilary calls 11 'Flow', Bradford called it 'interplay'. Both are far nearer to the meaning than 'peace'.

This thread however, as you can see from the title, is more to do with people's actual specific lived experiences of the cast of 11 unchanging so maybe for further discussion of the hexagram names a separate thread would be more spacious for that.

 

[dobro p]

Okay, but just before decamping to the 'meaning of the hexagram' thread for this one, here's a brief response:

"It's full engagement, heaven and earth meet"

This is the core of it for me - the trigrams tell the tale.

ps And speaking of decamping, I reckoned Bradford had moved on - thanks for the update.

 

[BonBon]

Experiences:
· Not getting pregnant for no reason - later she learnd he was married.
· Stopping tumor from growing by surgery, turned out to be not malicious.
· An unsconsumed marriage/relationship – no sex.
· Spiritual initiation desaster turning out as heavens protecting wisdom.
· Trapped in a humiliating working situation. Burnout,couldnt get worse. 11.0. Two years later same job, new people in charge: big promotion, greatest work and money ever.
· A few more that won’t fit into a one liner

Personal take on 11.0:
With 11.0 the reign of hex 12 is in its declining stages and the only way events can take now, is the way out of hex 12, no matter how un-11-ish this looks or feels. This includes hitting the (Muye) ground and remaining stuck there for a while. This while can take on frustrating and even cruel dimensions.

When heaven and earth face each other, waiting and ready to intertwine but nothing happens, nothing manifests and promising situations go nowhere, then the stagnant situation is due to a protective barrier. Usually against my effort in blindly progressing back into troubles and other dead ends. Again: The only direction open is the path out.

I have no influence on the situation in 11.0 and do understand neither its context nor the implications of my actions. I cannot see how ‚such‘ events possibly fit into the grandeur of hex 11. On the surface 11.0 and hex 12 are identical twins and during the process I cannot understand which is which. I can do nothing and –lucky enough - I also can do nothing wrong. (core hex 54) So, the „chopping wood and cooking rice“ is a sound approach.

11.0 may also reflect my indignant conviction over the fact that expansion stopped prematurely, promising situations went nowhere, nothing flourishes, nothing creates itself, where there should be – at least I think so – growth and blissfull development. In return the oracle hints at the prerequisites (testimonials?) for heaven on earth: The right people in charge (mandate), open communication channels, observance of spiritual obligations …. else the unfolding of hex 11 goes into the waiting loop until time sweeps away the old regime.

I do not remember a single 11.0 that turned out as an easy or pleasent time.

Wow that’s a good read. Thank you for this if you are still here!

 

[steve]

I recently cast 11 on a big question I had on my retirement plan or long term business plan. My thoughts were that I must remove as many negative influences as possible, obstaining from booze, procrastination, time management or anything that stops me chipping away, so as to make room for the positive. I believe there is a promise of harmony if you really weigh everything up. There is only so much room inside all of us and so much externally we can deal with.

The harmony will not come overnight. Thats where I think as Bradford is saying the name can be misleading. Its more engage to get or fight for peace of mind. The problem is that you must actually do what needs to be done. To me in this case its the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and I actually have a shot at finding it. Sometimes ridding your self of negativity can be very difficult.

A good metaphor might be a neighbour that keeps annoying you by knocking on the door. To create harmony again you must engage in the situation. You could confront the person which may be difficult if you are introverted. Or maybe you could move which may not be suitable. However, when the situation is dealt with there is the promise of peace of mind which to me is priceless.

In my case, I am going to give it all that I have as peace of mind is what anyone would want in a retirement plan or long term financial plan. Now that it has been mentioned, I can see the connection also between 11 & 12 clearly. There is so much going on in 11 that you need 12 to hit the switch and stop. Mostly, when I receive hexagram 12 its when I need it,

Lastly, the reading makes me think of hexagram 53 in that there will be a process not sure if they are connected in anyway.

 

[steve]

I just found this on the James Dekorne site

To receive this hexagram does not necessarily mean that one has attained such a high integration, but it might indicate a step in that direction. The ultimate hieros gamos only occurs after all of the scattered and mismatched forces within the psyche have been brought together in correct alignment -- in I Ching terms, when all of the lines are in their proper places with proper correlates as imaged in hexagram number 63, Completion. Until this final union there are innumerable "lesser" conjunctions which must first take place -- a fact recognized in tantric yoga:

I think yoga is a better metaphor than mine, above haha, but yes I think thats perfect. To attain high levels of yoga requires much work on many levels.

 

[floranova]

Sometimes rather than ask a question I like to just plainly state how I'm feeling about something to see what comes out. I was feeling concerned about what my next living situation would be and said "I don't want to get a roommate. I don't feel ready to live with other people. I'm scared " 11uc. In the end not only did I not have to get a roommate, but I got a perfect apartment that's bigger and cheaper than the old one in just the right part of the city. I feel like it was both saying "relax" and "things will turn out exactly how they're supposed to"

 

[steve]

Its appears like most things, we need to take action to attain the peace we desire.