So.. I'm in an awful situation in which I have three exams next week (monday,tuesday and wednesday) and I have to take them all or I'll fail this year at med school. Thing is, I am really not prepared for them. I expect to fail and I have moments (like this one) when I panic to much and think about it instead of studying. I asked many times in the past days what are my chances to pass this year. The last answer: 53.3 to 20. What do you get from it?

Past readings:
53.3.5 to 23
54.1.2.5 to 45
15.3 to 2

Every moment you spend in panic casting about this is a moment that you aren't studying.

53.3
'Wild geese gradually progress to the high plateau.
The husband marches out and does not return,
The wife is pregnant, but does not raise the child.
Pitfall.
Fruitful to resist robbers.'

My guess is Moss Elk was giving his interpretation of the line, not just making a speech. Perhaps he could confirm or deny that?

This doesn't sound like the best line in the world to me, which you've probably already figured out. However, it does end with "fruitful to resist robbers." I think the omen word "fruitful" is a glimmer of hope. As M.E. said, panic is "robbing" you of your ability to study. IF you can resist that, there might be fruit.

Is there anything that works for you to quell panic and keep your spirits high? Playing soft music? Playing loud invigorating music? Taking your books outside? Going for a quick but intense run? Being around other people? Complete hermit mode? Simply hanging on very tightly to the word "fruitful" in the reading?

The other readings certainly don't seem to me like harbingers of certain doom. 15.3, for example, pretty clearly says you can complete this, IF you "toil with integrity" - meaning, a lot of sincere toil. (Unfortunately I have a horrible personal experience with that line, because I did not "toil with integrity.")

Another thing about the previous readings - how long ago did you cast them? I think all the readings together should be seen as a story with a rapidly moving plot. For example, 53.3 > 20 and 53.3.5 > 23 differ by only one line. But do you see what Yi did? It removed line 5, which was the more optimistic of the two. That makes sense, because as time goes by, you are running out of time. Yi was making a point: the situation is deteriorating. (But "fruitful" is still there.)

How long ago did you cast the others? I think the more recently it was, compared to this last one, the more likely the last one is to be a stern warning, rather than a prediction. But the longer ago the others were, possibly the more 53.3 > 20 is tipping over into prediction (or, worse yet, a post hoc explanation: "Here's how you went wrong, Mihaela, sorry, you didn't resist the robbers; it's too late." It could conceivably be any of those things).

But do you see what I mean? As time continues to slip by, your chances of saving this diminish.

Hang onto "fruitful." Do anything you can to inspire and calm yourself.

(Also, of course, all this is just my opinion.)

Liselle said:

My guess is Moss Elk was giving his interpretation of the line, not just making a speech. Perhaps he could confirm or deny that?

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Sadly, I cannot confirm that I looked at the readings at all.
Guilty.

My next question is,
Mihaela, why don't you want to be a doctor?

Moss Elk said:

Sadly, I cannot confirm that I looked at the readings at all.
Guilty.

Click to expand...

Ha ha! I think you got it anyway.

Mihaela, tell us how it went... we are praying for you!

deusa said:

Mihaela, tell us how it went... we are praying for you!

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I passed all my exams! So.. I am really confused about those readings-some of them really seemed plain awful

Because you casted too often.
If I ask frequently about the same thing I tend to receive negative results as well. Maybe they reflect my inner turmoil during the whole process rather than the outcome then, since the outcome was already predicted with the first answer. I find, the best thing is to stick with the first result until there is a significantly new development in the issue. Also I find your results not so bad: 15.3 indicates success, 53.3.5 suggests success after a phase of suffering and 54.1.2.5 also shows a gradually bettering development. Only your last result was really negative.
Anyways, congratulations

Mihaela said:

I passed all my exams! So.. I am really confused about those readings-some of them really seemed plain awful

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First of all, congratulations! :claps:

Trying to understand the readings - can you tell us how your studying went over that last weekend, when you were so worried? If you were able to get a lot done, then the readings might make sense in that the situation might have been dire, but you saved it by "toiling with integrity."

Also - if it's not too personal - did you pass your exams by a little, or a lot? If you passed, but barely, I think that would be in keeping with the idea that you managed to save it.

Otherwise, we might have to look at them again and try to learn more about the lines via Professor Hindsight (who makes frequent appearances in these forums).

For example, one thing I'm wondering is could Yi have been saying you were better prepared than you thought?

Liselle said:

First of all, congratulations! :claps:

Trying to understand the readings - can you tell us how your studying went over that last weekend, when you were so worried? If you were able to get a lot done, then the readings might make sense in that the situation might have been dire, but you saved it by "toiling with integrity."

Also - if it's not too personal - did you pass your exams by a little, or a lot? If you passed, but barely, I think that would be in keeping with the idea that you managed to save it.

Otherwise, we might have to look at them again and try to learn more about the lines via Professor Hindsight (who makes frequent appearances in these forums).

For example, one thing I'm wondering is could Yi have been saying you were better prepared than you thought?

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Thank youu!!

Actually, I passed them with very good grades- two of them, the hardest, with 10 and the others with good grades too (one 7, two 8s). And this makes things even more confusing!!

Yes I studied those days, but as much as I could under the circumstances- not a lot of time + the panic, this combination doesn't lead to the best studying at all. So what are the possibilities?

1.I was able to get a lot done and saved the situation- I don't really feel that's the case- I mean I DID study, but the amount really was overwhelming- I genuinely thought I'd fail.

2.I was better prepared than I thought- yes and no. Maybe I underestimated myself in the sense that over the year I gathered enough knowledge which I thought I forgot, but somehow at the exams I managed to remember.

I think it was a combination of me really being concentrated during the exams, trying not to panic, to think clearly, logically, to have an open mind, LUCK!!! And people around me also helpful (teachers; friends who helped me with materials and stuff).

But yes- I can't see any of those things in the readings. (And mind you, these are just a part of all the readings I did at the time- and from what I remember, the others were all negative too).

One of the most perpetually confusing parts of the I Ching is "how Yi is answering." Past tense? Present? Future? Is it a direct, literal answer, or more indirect, i.e. not answering your exact question, but telling you something you should know?

That can often be figured out in hindsight. Hindsight is essential for seeing how Yi works and getting a better understanding of hexagrams and lines. That is very important for future readings. It's probably the best way to learn.

A suggestion if you're confused about readings in the future might be to think of several possibilities for Yi's answer, and then ask about your interpretation with questions like, "What if I interpret this reading as ________________?"

In this case, maybe something like this:

• "Okay, as a direct answer to my question this reading could mean _______________."
• "But if Yi is talking about my inner self, my state of mind or emotions, then it could mean ______________________."

Then you could ask, "What if I interpret this as a direct answer, meaning ____________________?" or "What if I interpret this as saying _________ about my emotions?"

Or, after thinking through possibilities, you might ask a whole different kind of question, like, "Where do I stand right now in my preparation?" or "Please give me a picture of my readiness for my exams."

With your 54.1.2.5 > 45 reading - now that we know you passed easily - I could see it saying something like, "You'll be okay, even though you feel woefully unprepared and second-rate."

(I mean, does anyone ever feel they've studied enough? It's probably normal for students to feel Marrying-Maiden-ish.)

Your readings might also mean something like: "No need to panic (the "robbers"?) - still, keep studying over the weekend. Keep making an honest effort." Trying to remember all the way back to school - even when I knew I'd kept up all semester, that I'd done well on assignments and felt reasonably good about where I was, I still kept studying all the way to the end. I never thought, "Meh, I know this, I can stop" several days before.

(Well - at least not when I cared. Semesters when I didn't care were a different story. )

Anyway, congratulations!
Would you change anything of the week before the exams, if you could? What would it be?