This is my first post. I am glad of the opportunity of writing and reading here. I would like to discuss a health issue. I consider to keep a tooth or its removal. In both cases, I have to decide about the further treatment as well. I live in an Asian country. In Europe, I went to a holistic dentist. You can fix an appointment with a dentist here more easily than in Germany, but there is hardly any holistic dentist here.

First I would like to make some general remarks before addressing which question brought me here. Although I have been working with the I Ching for several years, I regard myself as a beginner. Using the yarrow stalk method, I do only consult the I Ching when I believe an important question needs to be answered and that rational thinking alone does not help to find the right way.

I consult different versions of the text, also Wilhelm's version in German, which first appeared in 1924. The I Ching often gives me useful hints to my questions. But it seems that I have hardly developed intuitive wisdom so that the relevant meaning of the answers seems to be hidden deeply underground. Sometimes I think I first have to know the structure of the whole I Ching, at least I should know the basic meaning of the 8 trigrams and the 64 hexagrams. Alfred Huang once said that somebody who masters the I Ching, "does not necessarily consult the text" (The Complete I Ching, p. 15).


At the beginning of April 2015, an inlay fell off tooth 25 (the fifth in the left upper jaw) which has an artificial root. Tooth 24 is already extracted and on top of 26 there is a crown. The dentist, even though he is one of the few holistic dentists here, recommends to get 25 fixed with another crown. But this would imply another root canal treatment and the crown then would be placed on a tooth which is already dead.

Now I am considering to get this tooth extracted. But I am not sure, and I do not know what to do then. Dentures? Living with the gap?

Some dentists, especially holistic dentists, say that one should rather remove a tooth with a root canal treatment because it releases toxins. Moreover it is related to various health risks. At my last visit to the dentist, we did not check profoundly whether this tooth is an interference field / a field of focal disturbance. The dentist said that he was critical of root canal treatments in younger years but now he thinks that one could / should keep a tooth by using this method. It is obvious that functional and aesthetic reasons speak in favour of a root canal treatment and another crown.

However, after reading patients' reports based on experience and literature about root canal treatment, especially excerpts from Dr. Weston A. Price and "The Root Canal Cover-Up", I am very sceptical of another treatment of this tooth.

On 9th May, I asked the question:

If the dentist inserts a new crown in tooth 25 in May, in how far does this affects my health?

I received hexagram 2.

2 is a powerful hexagram. The Chinese character with its vertical stroke reminds me of a root of a tooth. I was about to get rid of all my doubts and considerations. I thought that I should just "follow" the dentist's advice and to have 25 treated the way he has suggested.

But there was still indecision. Hexagram 2 seems to give no clear advice what to do. It is more about having a responsive, content, upright and receptive mind. The decision says, "in the north-east loses friends" (Huang). Could this be taken literally that I will lose the dentist who lives in the north-east as a good adviser?

On 13th May, the question was:

If I let extract tooth 25 in May, what effects will this have on my health?

58.1 > 47

I may enjoy relief if the tooth is finally extracted. 58.1 also indicates a favourable situation, "Good fortune of joyfulness with inward harmony. There is no doubt about this conduct" (Huang) or "Contented joyousness. Good fortune" (Wilhelm / Baynes). On the other hand, it leads to 47 "exhausting" (Huang) or "Oppression / Exhaustion" (Wilhelm / Baynes).

Still uncertain what to do, I consulted the I Ching on 1 June again:

Suppose I let 25 (from which the crown fell off) pull, before I travel this summer to Europe, how does this affect my health?

The answer was hexagram 5.

At first I thought, that I don't have to decide quickly. On the other hand, there is firmness and vitality inside, but danger outside (Kan as the upper trigram). Perhaps 5 says that tooth 25 has still a strong foundation and the removal would be dangerous?

The decision reads that it is favourable to cross great rivers. This might be an indication for a treatment of this tooth in Europe in summer. The image says, "Thus, the superior man eats and drinks, is joyous and of good cheer". In how far does this really relate to eating and drinking? I planned to do some days of fasting before I go to Europe this summer. Would it be unwise to fast after an extraction of tooth 25?

Thanks a lot for reading and any hint, idea or answer.

Enquirer

"Suppose I let 25 (from which the crown fell off) pull, before I travel this summer to Europe, how does this affect my health?
The answer was hexagram 5"

Hi, in my view this is saying that you shouldn't do it. Either this is the wrong decision or the timing is not right. I don't know which.

As for the other questions, they had a time frame (May) when you asked them, we're already in June, so I think the answers we related to that period, not now or a projection for the future.

Having said all that, I am very reluctant to make decisions on health issues based on readings, even tough I have done it myself in some crucial moments. So it is your responsibility to decide whether or not to use these readings and how to do it.

If the dentist asserts new tooth in May how does this affect my health?
2. No effect.
or alternatively because you did not go forward with the procedure this hex could be saying "No effect because you don't do it."

Extract tooth in May?
58.1 No problem - 47. But again perhaps it's no problem because you didn't have a strong enough motivation/feeling to do it.

How now?
5. Waiting.

Certainly sounds like you are being advised to not try to do this before your trip. Maybe the reason will become clear in time.

What does the answer relate to?

Hello mirian,

Thanks a lot for your thoughts.

On the first of June, I asked the question on the supposition that the tooth is already pulled:

Suppose I let 25 (from which the crown fell off) pull, before I travel this summer to Europe, how does this affect my health?

Click to expand...

If we assume that the I Ching answers precisely to the question which is asked, it should, in that case, also accept the supposition and it should only deal with the consequences. Then I have only a slight idea what 5 means.

On the other hand, if the I Ching also gives general advice to the enquirer regardless of the exact wording of the question so that he or she can cope with a certain situation, your interpretation could be accurate.

quotation from mirian

Having said all that, I am very reluctant to make decisions on health issues based on readings, even tough I have done it myself in some crucial moments.

Click to expand...

Is there a special reason for that?
I do not ask the I Ching for advice in financial investments because this appears quite profane to me.

Thank you, rosada, for your insights. In a way, I could repeat the thoughts I have expressed to mirian's reply. Does the I Ching answer to the exact wording of a question? As a general advice for my situation, 5 may indicate that it is helpful to refrain from an extraction but also to refrain from any treatment?

First of all, I think the I Ching reading gives you a picture of the moment when you are asking the question. As we often ignore our true feelings, having a "photo" can help us - force us - to see things we've been ignoring and can be very helpful and then we can make a decision based on this broader understanding. So when you ask the question and get "Waiting" it first off would say to me that you were in a "Waiting" frame of mind when you asked the question and realizing this could advance your thinking and get you to consider, "Well what is it I'm waiting for?" and this could sort of thinking in itself could lead to some useful insights. Maybe you realize you have been waiting for the tooth to heal by itself or until you have more money and when you recognize this has been your unconscious hold up then you can decide more consciously whether it's wise to Wait or maybe you realize waiting is not a good stradigy and so decide to stop waiting and take action.

Next you can try applying your answer to your a question, How would it affect my health? Then I'd see 5 as saying "Well, if you pull the tooth you will then have to wait." Wait for what? Wait for it to heal before attempting to travel? Or is it your nature to worry about things - that is even if the doc gives you a clean bill of health would you find your mental health disturbed and you still on edge Waiting for something weird to develop? Or would there be further doctor visits and you have to Wait to see how the healing progresses?

And then we can also consider the I Ching may not be answering your stated question but may be giving you advice about the whole situation, that is, not telling you that the affect on your health if you pull the tooth is "Wait"" but rather that you should hold off on pulling the tooth. Later you may find that it was good to hold off for some reason unknown to you now - like you find a dentist you like better or that the day you would have spent getting the tooth fixed turns out to be a day you run into an old friend you would have otherwise missed.

As to the importance of the exact wording, I find it to be very important. So important that you should not just think the question but write it down exactly. It is so easy to be confused by the words of the hexagram. Like if your answer is "Perseverance furthers" but you've been sloppy in your wording you may have to wonder what exactly am I being told I should "persevere" in? It's very helpful to at least be clear about what your question is! Also, the very act of forming the question forces YOU to get clear about exactly what it is you are asking which often reveals your answer to you even before you toss the coins. "The question contains the answer."

As to whether one should consult the I Ching about health or finances issues,. I don't believe there is anything wrong with "profane" questions. Certainly the ancient Chinese used the IC for just such matters. The problem for me is, can I trust my interpretations? The I Ching can give very specific advice but the interpreter needs very specialized understanding. I once asked about my sister's health and the hexagram I received was not particularly heart warming but I didn't think it was all negative. Still a poster here who knew advanced interpretation methods for health questions did not white wash his verdict. "Your sister is doomed", he told me. Not the sort of thing you'd say if you weren't 100% confident in your interpretive abilities, but he was right. She died a few months later and I was grateful for advanced warning. The point is the IC can be used to give accurate health (and finance) readings, but you have to be really sure of your interpretive skills.

I don't think "Waiting" means to totally refrain from treatment. Personally I think it means you are waiting, but I don't know if that is good or bad.

I hope you'll let us know how this all works out for you.

Every moment contains a countless number of possibilities and factors. So the I Ching must select certain aspects of the situation in order to give a meaningful answer. Maybe it only relates to your question if this question corresponds with the whole situation. Your explanations, rosada, give me some valuable clues. My own experiences with the I Ching also seem to confirm the autonomy of the I Ching.

On the other hand, I don't know exactly what this means "picture of the moment" or "whole situation". Suppose you are asking for advice on a minor personal decision, but the the answer of the I Ching apparently relates to another more serious problem of your community. Of course, all things are interrelated. But we have to separate things to cope with daily life. Or, in the words of the New Testament, "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? (Matthew 7:9)

I write down every question I am asking the I Ching and put it in a file. Later on, I often compare the answers and search for parallels.

Alfred Huang translates 5 as "Needing", John Blofeld uses the term "Calculated Inaction".

When it comes to asking the question, I find John Blofeld's suggestions convincing. He said, for instance, that you should restrict you question to a certain time frame. One should not ask simple yes no questions, and should also not seek for advice on investment questions.