Hello everyone
I haven't posted here for a very long time but recently have renewed my relationship with the I Ching and today I have received an answer that has puzzled me a lot. I hope you don't mind if I ask for some help with interpreting it.

I want to make a change in my life - it's personal, but it's a sort of financial goal. A final swansong before I retire. Anyway, after a bit of a set back this week I asked 'What do I need to do in order to reach this goal?'

The answer was 28.4.5. leading to 46

So am I being advised to make a big effort ('great exceeding' in Hilary's translation) in order to 'push up'?

What puzzles me is that the moving lines seem to contradict each other - line 4 seems to say don't overload or do too much more, and line 5 seems to be about appreciating what is 'no blame, no gain'.

So are the lines saying 'don't even think about it'?

I feel very confused by this reading.

Thank you for any light you can shed. :bows:

Hi

The answer to What do I need to do in order to reach this goal?' I believe is 28.4 is saying that the idea is supported so dont lose faith, 28.5 for me or in relation to questions of money is reasonably favourable although it may be not exactly what you want but will get you by. This all leads to hexagram 46 this means i believe to mean you will make progress but again maybe not as fast as you like. The advice seems to say stay with it you will get there eventually.

Steve

Thank you Steve, that's pretty much how I 'wanted' to read it but because of the apparent contradiction between the two changing lines themselves, and then the two changing lines in relation to the two hexagrams, I felt very confused. Thank you for helping me to clarify it.

I want to make a change in my life - it's personal, but it's a sort of financial goal. A final swansong before I retire. Anyway, after a bit of a set back this week I asked 'What do I need to do in order to reach this goal?'

The answer was 28.4.5. leading to 46

So am I being advised to make a big effort ('great exceeding' in Hilary's translation) in order to 'push up'?

What puzzles me is that the moving lines seem to contradict each other - line 4 seems to say don't overload or do too much more, and line 5 seems to be about appreciating what is 'no blame, no gain'.

So are the lines saying 'don't even think about it'?

I feel very confused by this reading.

Click to expand...

I think it says yes you can do this, there is the capacity there to carry the load as Steve said, but bear in mind this is something you are doing for it's own sake (line 5) you aren't doing it to produce 'children'. This is like an older woman having sex with a younger man, wonderful time no possibility of kids, ie dong something for the joy of it not for any long term future outcomes, this isn't a 'building for the future' line at all, it's a live now/enjoy now/blossom now kinda line . I don't see the lines as contradictory here but rather complementary.

The one question it raises and gives back to you is I think 'is this worth it for you ?' You see you still are in hexagram 28, so there is a great deal of stress, weight or tension likely here ? It's a good idea I think for you to locate exactly where in your life that roof strained to breaking point is. You see I'm not sure if this 'swansong' is an attempt to 'get out from under' the pressure you feel OR if this swansong itself creates it ? So there is a lot of pressure there in some way, where i don't know ? Emotionally, financially, health and energy ? Yi is saying you can do what you propose, it won't break you. But then just because it won't break you doesn't mean you'd necessarily want to to do this ?

I think this is clearly very much down to what you want and Yi is saying it will stretch you as in line 4. Now whether you want to go ahead depends on whether you want to be stretched ? The roof beam is strained but doesn't break...but nonetheless it is strained. There is also the warning in the line that to keep on adding more burdens after this is not good. In other words you are at your limit, a limit you can uphold but no more than that. And for what ? For line 5, the sake of a wish or whatever the reward is for you here.

You can do this but take due care and also consider how much effort is worth it for you I think. 46 suggests this is something you've built up or it's something to do with your own growth. Also there's the suggestion this can succeed if taken step by step, no overloads anywhere.

It's a nice reading but the choice is still very much yours I think.

Thank you very much Trojina - I have been wondering whether to scale it back a bit as the effort involved might be a bit much, so what you say is absolutely spot on. Thank you for straightening me out on this reading.