In an effort to internalize my mental energy and responsibilities, to focus on my own issues instead of those of a friend or a lover, I laid in bed last night in the dark staring at the ceiling and thinking about what is empty in me that is leads me to focus on the needs of others while ignoring my own issues.

Finally falling asleep last night I dreamed about work again. As my career has been a continual cycle of "never really happy". I am a creative person, somewhat of an entertainer but have always worked in Research and Development...it was a choice I made for security but has not brought real happiness or prosperity.

Has anyone else here experienced that path?

Anyway, I know that because I am well into my 30s I must eventually take the bull by the horns and create the career I want but just don't know how to do it. Change seems scary and impossible. Stuck in the prison of my own belief systems.

I decided to ask the IC today, "what should I focus on or pay attention to to lead me to the career I want?" Then I got up, went and sat somewhere quietly for a few minutes thinking about the question and then caste.

The answer was:

Hex 22 Grace and Beauty with changing lines 2 and 4 leading to Hex 14, Affluence.

any thoughts?

Here was the full response:

Your Present Hexagram 22

A splashy sunset bathes the mountains in a soft radiance; the light of a full moon dances on the surface of a rippling river: Grace and beauty adorning the natural world. Grace is not an all-powerful force, nor is it the essential or fundamental thing. By itself, it is form without content. Grace is moonlight on water, not the sunlight at noon. Yet grace brings artistic expression into the world, and enhances the quality of our lives.

In the arts, grace arises out of adherence to form: the dancer becoming the form of the dance, the musician giving life to the form of a musical score, the painter becoming one with the brush and canvas. In human affairs, grace is also aligned with form - with mastery of aesthetic and cultural forms honed by time and honored by tradition. Through appreciation of graceful forms in human culture we apprehend the pure beauty of the ideal, of life raised above the mere struggle for survival.

Possession of grace, like the bearing of a beautiful gift to a wedding, can add stature to those in humble positions. Take care to lend grace and dignity to small matters, while giving the weight of deep and careful consideration to matters of greater consequence. Though it should not be confused with true substance, an artistic flair can take one far in this world.

Your Changing Lines

The Changing Lines are the part of an I-Ching reading that give the most powerful advice about a situation or issue, because they represent the factors that are causing things to change right now.

You have two Changing Lines. Either one or the other or some combination of both of them will be relevant.

The first changing line is line 2
Petty self-adornment does not bring success. It can be fatal to confuse vanity with grace. Devoting too much attention to external appearances stifles grace of movement and bearing - which are far more important.

The second changing line is line 4
Grace, brilliance, fame and fortune? Or simplicity, dignity, honor and transcendence? If this is the choice, look for a sign from the outside. If you have any doubts at all, very likely simplicity is the answer. This choice may cause regret at first, but in the end will bring true peace of mind and stable relationships with good people.

Your Future Hexagram 14

Supreme success! Like the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, a person whose fortunes have turned for the better shines brightly. At the core of this success lies unselfishness and modesty, for it is the tendency of a flexible or yielding nature to bind powerful forces to it, particularly when prosperity begins to manifest. When power is wielded with grace and dignity, there is supreme success and great abundance!

Ah, but be careful. Along with any accumulation of wealth or influence may come an accumulation of pride and arrogance. Fight this tendency if you intend to continue prospering. Stay attentive enough to manage your affairs well. And remember that while material prosperity certainly beats the alternative, it is only one of many elements of a satisfying life.

"I decided to ask the IC today, "what should I focus on or pay attention to to lead me to the career I want?" Then I got up, went and sat somewhere quietly for a few minutes thinking about the question and then caste.

The answer was:

Hex 22 Grace and Beauty with changing lines 2 and 4 leading to Hex 14, Affluence."


Hex 22.2,4 say that you should give up the quest for external things, job, money etc and concentrate on your inner being. It says that you are at a crossroads between the wants and needs of the material world and the desire to live a more down to earth simple life, but it advises you to give up chasing worldly goods and to concentrate on your boyfriend instead, this is where you will find the peace of mind that you desire, this in turn will take you beyond ordinary existence.

Hex 14 suggests that if you follow the advice given by Hex 22.2,4 then you will have all that you need and more.

laylab said:

Has anyone else here experienced that path?

Anyway, I know that because I am well into my 30s I must eventually take the bull by the horns and create the career I want but just don't know how to do it. Change seems scary and impossible. Stuck in the prison of my own belief systems.

I decided to ask the IC today, "what should I focus on or pay attention to to lead me to the career I want?" Then I got up, went and sat somewhere quietly for a few minutes thinking about the question and then caste.

The answer was:

Hex 22 Grace and Beauty with changing lines 2 and 4 leading to Hex 14, Affluence.

any thoughts?

Click to expand...

Well, laylab, I'm going through very much what you are struggling with.

Where to start?

I am also in my late thirties and have reached the crossroads of lessons not acted upon - weaknesses, regrets, though some successes and lots of different possibilities now coming into view.

I've worked in most areas of the arts, freelance and/or corporate. In the end I gave it up after feeling so disillusioned and confused as to my path, which for me, lacked meaning. Consistancy was lacking being rather mercurial by nature which tends to exacerbate that inner disequilibrium if we are always on the go. So, how do we find what it is we are meant to do when we are always rushing around looking for it?

I discovered only recently that the old cliche was true: of running after something when I should of been addressing what was inside. Too much focus on the external to provide the internal meaning. It's really the other way around. 22 is also a Hex I have had a fair few times over the last few months - especially concerning relationships.

I came to learn that this means to see the beauty in life, in relationships but not to be claimed by it. Not to be captivated by the seductive appearence. To address the great need we have within ourselves we sometimes overide others' needs without being aware of it. We lie to ourselves constantly about what we imagine our lives to be and who we think we are. We can become lost in that need, that loneliness, that ache for something real while at the same time becoming less real ourselves as we relentlessly pursue what we consider to be our destiny.

Our job may provides us with money but a vocation....Well, that is what I'm searching for as I'm sure many of us are. So, 22 and 14 is a perfect match in my view. From the superficial to the meaningful. Sharing accumulation, whether it is money or love.

In my context, 14 has showed me how to share - I mean REALLY share - not just paying it lip service. 14 is a vast storehouse of energy that is waiting to be let loose but it can only happen when we have really looked into ourselves and seen the beauty and the beast. Sharing things without anticipation. We can be selfish in ways that are quite subtle but are borne from having to habitually protect ourselves from hurt and pain. This can prevent true sharing of accumulated energy and awareness. So we have to keep disbursing it.

Perhaps, as in my case, these hexs are telling you LET GO. Simplify your life and attend to the stuff inside that has been holding you back from forming whole relationships and the vocation you seek. Letting go means stop trying to control and second guess. Try to be in the present and to build up your own individuality and most certainly start leaving family and parental influences behind.

Time to let the inner sun shine, so to say. But that has to be done slowly and it has to be done gently so that the real you can emerge from all the layers of conditioning and rubbish.

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