So I had an inner voice suggest I pursue a particular piece of writing: a huge project. It deals with certain traumas in the past.

When I asked Yi whether it was a good idea, I got 52.2 > 18.

One possibility: It means "Focus on working on what has been spoiled" -- and in any case that I will be swept up by this idea and that while it will make me unhappy (.2), it will eventually lead to the good things in 18.

But another possibility is it's telling me: "Don't do it! Keep still! This will only make you unhappy and cause you to have to work on what will have then been spoiled."

So then I asked more specifically whether I should withdraw from the project or keep going and got 23.2.6 > 7.

So this I read as saying: "This is a very dangerous situation which involves splitting apart your psyche, and required the utmost caution," (line 2) "but ultimately you'll be led to a successful situation" (line 6) and will attract a powerful group of readers/followers (7).

But perhaps this simply means: stop, do not proceed, period, end of story?

Thoughts?

So I had an inner voice suggest I pursue a particular piece of writing: a huge project. It deals with certain traumas in the past.

When I asked Yi whether it was a good idea, I got 52.2 > 18.

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Very fitting you should get 18 about past traumas. Hmm no 52.2 is a painful line in my experience. The danger is you trigger something which you cannot stop and this is often something of an emotional nature. So actually I don't think it is such a good idea because you may not be able to cope with what you start. I think it might take you places you cannot so easily withdraw from. It may awake old emotions you cannot just put away again

You know best though.

One possibility: It means "Focus on working on what has been spoiled" -- and in any case that I will be swept up by this idea and that while it will make me unhappy (.2), it will eventually lead to the good things in 18.

But another possibility is it's telling me: "Don't do it! Keep still! This will only make you unhappy and cause you to have to work on what will have then been spoiled."

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I find the unhappiness in 52.2 is that you get caught up in something you cannot just put an end to. It takes it's course. You may be trying to correct things through the writing but as I said it might lead you emotionally to places you cannot easily move on from.

So then I asked more specifically whether I should withdraw from the project or keep going and got 23.2.6 > 7.

So this I read as saying: "This is a very dangerous situation which involves splitting apart your psyche, and required the utmost caution," (line 2) "but ultimately you'll be led to a successful situation" (line 6) and will attract a powerful group of readers/followers (7).

But perhaps this simply means: stop, do not proceed, period, end of story?

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I think you need to develop a whole new project not one that deals with past issues. 7 is the project and the lines say it needs a total overhaul IMO.


Write about something else is my view from these casts.

I could be wrong of course but your mind goes to what you write about. Can you really go back to past traumas without getting entangled in them again ? 52.2 says to me don't expect to be able to put feelings to one side when you start writing. Obviously at times that's not a bad thing but here I don't see that it will do you much good.

Howcome this post is here but not showing on forum ?

I got this exact combination on a question this week. For me it was telling me to slow down, stop being frustrated with delays that are an inevitable part of life, and try to repair some of the corruption from the 'baggage' in my past life, things inherited from my parents.

Though it is untuned, damaged in antiquity, and therefore barely functions as an oracle, here is the Forest of Changes verse for 52 - 18:

52 - 18

A heart of seven apertures,
The body is that of a dragon.
Producing the eight figures,*
In harmony with the time, spreading kindness,
Wealth and honor lasting forever.

* This refers to Fu Xi, the first of the sage kings. He and his wife had the bodies of serpents/dragons. The sage’s heart traditionally had seven openings, unlike other men. Fu Xi traditionally elaborated the eight trigrams of the Yi Jing.

Thanks for the thoughts!

I find the unhappiness in 52.2 is that you get caught up in something you cannot just put an end to. It takes it's course. You may be trying to correct things through the writing but as I said it might lead you emotionally to places you cannot easily move on from.

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I'm still wrestling with this, and I think you are right, but with the complexities in my writing this may be exactly the place I need to go to get the real stuff. I'm still deciding.

For me it was telling me to slow down, stop being frustrated with delays that are an inevitable part of life, and try to repair some of the corruption from the 'baggage' in my past life, things inherited from my parents.

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That makes sense, and I guess the question for me is whether part of that repair will happen through exploring those painful experiences through the writing process.

Interesting. I hope you don't mind but we used this reading in Change Circle because we were doing an exercise on multiple moving lines. As I'd answered you here I wondered what the others thought. Interesting because opinion was divided just like you say here

I'm still wrestling with this, and I think you are right, but with the complexities in my writing this may be exactly the place I need to go to get the real stuff. I'm still deciding.

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So someone was feeling it would be good to go ahead and others such as me didn't. I think you are on the right track by deliberating about it anyway.

Interesting. I hope you don't mind but we used this reading in Change Circle because we were doing an exercise on multiple moving lines.

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Not at all! In fact it's making me want to join the circle

liquidity said:

Not at all! In fact it's making me want to join the circle

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Hooray! (I was one of those discussing your reading.)

I would say withdraw from the idea.

I've had 23.6 twice recently and I think it's saying the this idea you have will part from you by itself without much harm as a ripe fruit from a tree. But just to turn into something else! So it is a good line in a sense, as there's room for a complete change. Provided you don't get attached to the old idea, that would just be counterproductive.