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Your reading

what have i in common with mr. mccarthy and the late mr. connell?

Your reading resulted in the following hexagrams:

changing to
54   19

Hexagram 54, the Marrying Maiden

Key Questions

How can you grow into this situation?
What does it mean to you to come second?
How sustainable is this?

Oracle

'The marrying maiden. To set out to bring order: pitfall.
No direction is fruitful.'

A young girl, not yet a woman, comes home to her new husband's house. A nobleman of old China would marry his 'first wife' with great ceremony. She would go to her new home accompanied by a group of female relatives who became 'second wives'. These are the 'marrying maidens': they are present simply to make relationships easier and have no status of their own. As a marrying maiden, you have accepted a relationship where you come second. You are only here to play a supporting role; it would be disastrous to try to shape the situation to fit your own needs. You are too junior, not yet ready to exert influence; there is no point in your setting intentions or making plans. All you can do is to feel your way, adapt, and find your place, without originating any action or having any agenda of your own.

Image

'Above the lake, there is thunder: the Marrying Maiden.
A noble one through ever-flowing endings
Knows what wears out.'

Sequence

The Marrying Maiden follows from Hexagram 53, Gradual Progress:
'Making progress must mean a time to come home, and so the Marrying Maiden follows.'

Changing Lines

Line 4

'Marrying maiden overruns the set time.
Delays and marries at the right time.'


Hexagram 19, Nearing

Key Questions

How does this want to grow?
How can you take responsibility for its development?
What would your greater self do?

Oracle

'Nearing.
Creating success from the source, constancy bears fruit.
Reaching an end in the eighth month means a pitfall.'

'Nearing' means drawing closer and gazing down over what you approach. There are two strands of meaning here: the approach of a greater spirit or presence in an ongoing process of growth, and your approach as the one who pays attention and takes responsibility. Like the creative drive of Hexagram 1, this great, growing energy comes from the source, asks for your full participation, and seeks to reach fruition and be realized. But its surging growth can be disastrously interrupted by 'reaching an end in the eighth month'.

The eighth month is the month of harvest. If this comes round too soon for what Nears to reach full growth – if the situation demands that you produce a tangible result prematurely – then this means misfortune. Or if you focus exclusively on results instead of watching patiently over developments – if your expectations are out of touch with the pace of growth – then there is misfortune.

Having something to show for a process of growth doesn't mean you've arrived at its outcome: harvest is not the end. As each harvest is gathered in and stored, the seasonal cycle of growth continues; you need to stay present to its ongoing changes, wherever they might lead.

Image

'Above the lake is earth: Nearing.
A noble one teaches and reflects untiringly,
Accepts and protects the people without limit.'

Sequence

Nearing follows from Hexagram 18, Corruption:
'With work to do, greatness becomes possible, and so Nearing follows. Nearing means greatness.'

Pair

Nearing forms a pair with Hexagram 20, Seeing:
'What is right for Nearing and Seeing: someone reaches out, someone seeks.'



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